Since the Naruto anime first debuted in the early 2000s, if we count its sequels Naruto Shippuden and Boruto, it’s been almost 20 years and still relevant. That being said, not everything in the Naruto series is outdated, except for Boruto.
Aside from disagreements over how the animation plays out and the development of the main characters, there are some elements that are definitely questionable. While some of them seemed innocuous at the time, in retrospect they are not pretty. In fact, they get worse as they get older as tastes have now changed and anime shows are treated differently.
Technology levels are not consistent across the environment
At the outset, it’s unclear exactly when Naruto will happen. While this is clearly some alternate fantasy world, the technical level has never been consistent due to the lack of elements to tie it to our reality.
As shown in the image above, the entire village of Konoha is covered with electric wires, implying the use of electricity. However, Naruto doesn’t show many electronic devices, and the radio device worn by the main characters while on duty is among the more commonly used. In addition, the characters wear a combination of modern and traditional Japanese clothing, which is still confusing to this day.
The supporting character lacks development
Due to the large number of characters in the Naruto universe, it seems that not all of them are fully developed, except for the main characters. However, anime fans feel that some of the supporting characters can be interesting and have more of a role in the plot.
However, sadly, these characters were wasted due to poor writing or lack of plot around them. A perfect example of these elements is Tenten, known for being the girl who can summon various weapons from magic scrolls and nothing else. Fortunately, her role in Boruto is more prominent.
Akatsuki’s Death and Rapid Resurrection
No matter how interesting a character or their group is, their fun factor can easily be diminished depending on what the creator does with them.Akatsuki narutoFor example, it is considered a fan favorite due to its great design and incredible power. Though as Naruto: Shippuden developed, they were quickly eliminated by Naruto’s main characters.
Soon after, they were resurrected as sentient zombies. As a result, Akatsuki is said to become less interesting as a villain. Also, in retrospect, their deaths ultimately seemed pointless if they were about to be resurrected.
meaningless character motives
As the plot evolves, the motives of the characters may change. However, in some cases, they can be worse or pointless. One of the worst offenders in this character change in Naruto is arguably Sasuke.
After destroying his brother Itachi, who nearly killed everyone in the family, Sasuke changed his motives after learning the truth about Itachi’s actions. Instead of moving on, Sasuke joined forces with Akatsuki to make Konoha pay for what they did to their clan. In retrospect, that seems like an unnecessary drastic measure to him, as opposed to his ultimate goal of restoring his family’s former glory.
The fight scene took too long
While fight scenes are a must in any anime series primarily aimed at boys, they can sometimes appear in multiple episodes at once. From a marketing standpoint, keeping viewers focused on the next episode to see how the war will settle is a great strategy.
But this approach can be easily abused, and the longer the fight goes on, the more patience the audience will grow. There have been several instances of this happening in Naruto, and arguably the longest battle was between Naruto and Sasuke. Since they’re the main antagonist of the anime, this makes sense, but it doesn’t make the battles any less repetitive and unnecessarily lengthy by today’s standards.
continuous use of flashback
One of the contributing factors to the lengthy battle scenes in the Hokage is said to be flashbacks. Whether these are triggered by a single character or arbitrarily by the anime itself, they are still very funny. In fact, some of these flashbacks are so long that they take up an entire episode.
This is the case of Naruto and Sasuke’s first battle in the Valley of the End, where an episode or two is played out with arbitrary flashbacks, as Sasuke witnesses the massacre of his clan. . There are even a few times when they repeat the same flashbacks, or multiple passages in the same episode, and it doesn’t get better over time.
rich fillers
After the first half of the Naruto manga was completed, the anime had to produce a series of spin-offs to keep the series going until Naruto: Shippuden came out. While there have been interludes in cartoons before, they are often placed between main plot lines, providing viewers with a much-needed emotional break.
However, fans weren’t particularly pleased as the endings of the Naruto episodes were just extras, as the episodes didn’t add anything to the overall plot of the series. Even now, Naruto and its direct sequels are notorious for having more sub-episodes than any other series.
Killer B tends to rap lyrics
Due to Japan’s history of isolationism, there isn’t much ethnic diversity in Japan compared to other countries like the United States. As a result, anime series often use stereotypes when representing non-Japanese characters, some more aggressive than others. Take Killer B, who quickly became a popular character after his debut in Naruto: Shippuden.
This guy is not only extremely powerful but also very helpful to Naruto in teaching Naruto how to control the Nine-Tails Fox. That being said, he tends to speak with rap style lyrics. While this may seem innocuous at first glance, in hindsight it’s a racist line, as B is one of the few dark-skinned characters in Naruto who doesn’t have a Japanese aesthetic.
finally useless female character
A common problem in many male-oriented anime shows is the way they treat female characters. While many of these women appear strong on the surface, they often end up falling behind the male characters. Therefore, their role in the whole story is ultimately useless.
In this regard, Naruto is not too different in terms of female characters and plot. Some examples of this include Sakura, who went through a period of being both very helpful and useless. But that doesn’t excuse the problem, especially when today’s female characters have more autonomy in their own TV shows and movies.
immature humor
It is undeniable that the humor in Naruto is inherently very immature, even though the audience that the anime is aimed at is teenage boys. While this was greatly improved in Naruto: Shippuden, there were still some nagging jokes that weren’t funny by today’s standards, such as Naruto’s ninja jutsu.
It’s a trailer for a standard technique called Transfiguration, except instead of using it to look like someone else, Naruto uses it to transform himself into a nude girl. As a result, older men nearby experience nosebleeds, which are often accompanied by sexual arousal and unconsciousness in most anime. It’s childish to use female nudity as a source of humor, and it’s also not age appropriate.