Narutois one of the most popular series of all time. The manga has been written by Masashi Kishimoto, and it has sold over 200 million copies. The series has received multiple movies, games, and light novels. In a very short time, the series solidified itself among the best. It was placed alongsideBleachandOne Piece, and collectively they came to be known as the Big Three of theShonen Jump.
When it comes to quality, the first part of the series is unequivocally amazing. It had outstanding characters, and the screen time was divided equally among them. There were fewer retcons and plot holes, but whenNaruto Shippudencame out, things changed drastically. Kishimoto took many decisions that didn’t go down well with the fans, and it led to accusations about the author ruining his own series. But are these claims true or just baseless?
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The Good
Before delving into the negatives, it is important to remember that Kishimoto is a talented mangaka who has made valuable contributions to the manga industry. Kishimoto’s writing when it comes to fights is nearly flawless, and it is evident from the various fights that he has drawn.Naruto Shippudenwas heavily focused on action, and almost all the fights in it are amazing. Kishimoto created different kinds of fights, which ensured that there was diversity.
Some of the battles were plain brawls where the characters started beating each other with their strongest attacks, while others used tactics to overcome their opponents. Aside from fights, Kishimoto’s world-building and character designs were also phenomenal. All these things prove that Kishimoto worked extremely hard to ensure that his manga was a success. So, where exactly does his fault lie?
The Otsutsuki Faux Pas
The Fourth Great Ninja War arcis highly polarizing. Readers either love it too much or they hate it too much; there is no middle ground. The main problem with the arc is the introduction of Kaguya Otsutsuki and her son, Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Both of these characters were on a completely different level from any other character. They were super strong, which was fine, but Kishimoto had to put in additional details to ensure that their introduction made sense. This included making Naruto the reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki. The decision to make Naruto a demi-god did not go down well with the fans. At the beginning of the series, Naruto was considered a nobody with no real talent. He was just a hard worker who made the power of the Nine-Tails his own. So, making him a reincarnation of a god heavily affects Naruto’s achievements.
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Another issuecaused by the Otsutsuki Clanwas the desperate need to overhaul the power levels. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, many strong characters displayed their power, but not even a single one could match the strength of Kaguya Otsutsuki. She was able to overwhelm both Naruto and Sasuke, who had wrecked Madara moments ago. To defeat her, Kishimoto had to add some plot armor to make sure that the heroes survived. Obito’s spirit came to give Kakashi his eyes and Six Paths Chakra, which arguably made the latter just as strong as Naruto and Sasuke, if not stronger. While there have been many characters who have stored their chakra inside other people, all of them did so before dying. So Obito helping Kakashi despite being dead was quite bizarre and not very well explained.
Ruined Madara Uchiha
When Madara Uchiha made his debut, everyone expected him to bethe final villain, andall the signs pointed in the same direction. Madara Uchiha’s backstory was solid, and it answered all the questions that fans had about the legendary Uchiha. Madara dominated the battlefield, and even the reanimated Hokage were useless against his power. The balance shifted in favor of the alliance when Hagoromo gave Naruto and Sasuke new abilities.
Even though he only shared half of his power with them, the two young ninjas became so powerful that they toyed with Madara Uchiha. Sasuke was able to blitz Madara multiple times, and Naruto was unaffected by the villain’s truth-seeking balls. This was a bad decision on Kishimoto’s part, as it made both the ninjas way too strong. It was subsequently followed by the introduction of Kaguya Otsutsuki, whom many consider the worst final villain in the series, mainly because her resurrection was extremely forced. There was no need to bring her back, and it would have been a much better ending if they had just stuck with Madara Uchiha. Kaguya was shoehorned into the role with an average backstory, and to make up for the lack of character development, she was given extremely overpowered abilities. Kaguya was able to change dimensions, nullify Susanoo and normal attacks, and on top of that, she had multiple attacks that could kill her opponents with a single hit.
The fight between Kaguya and Team 7was somewhat exciting, but it didn’t change the fact that the better villain was sacrificed to include her in the story. It is undeniable that Part I ofNarutowas almost perfect, but as Kishimoto continued to write, it became egregious. This was reflected when he releasedSamurai 8, which did not do well at all. Following his failure with Samurai 8, Kishimoto returned toBoruto: Naruto Next Generationand it hasn’t earned much praise either. The manga is decent, but for the most part, it focused on making Naruto and Sasuke weak. In an attempt to make the story more interesting, Kishimoto sacrificed Kurama, which was unnecessary. Fans who grew up watchingNarutowere understandably frustrated by the author’s choices. While it may be hard to admit, Kishimoto writing has declined, and it is reflected in his work.
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