The popular anime series
Naruto is, perhaps, a tribute to the influence of J.K. Rowling's internationally popular
Harry Potter series. In both series, the hero has a mark on his body that represents an evil entity that empowers him while it also causes him some torment. He is an orphan. He is a boy with extraordinary potential for power. He doesn't listen to authority figures and is often belligerent and rude. He finds himself in a sort of love triangle with his two closest friends. Of course, these two series have many differences as well, but
Naruto, much like
Harry Potter, creates a fantasy world and focuses largely on the special education of a group of teenagers within that world. Though
Naruto's world is inhabited by ninjas, these ninjas have powers much like the wizards of the
Harry Potter universe.
Naruto began its life as a manga series, written a couple of years after Rowling began the
Harry Potter series. Both worlds share a lightheartedness, but also aren't afraid of delving into darker territory.
Naruto, at its best, is a joy to watch, just as
Harry Potter is a joy to read.
The show is currently available on Netflix Instant Watch, and it comprises of four seasons and 220 episodes. It is available only in Japanese with subtitles, but the Japanese voice actors are much better than the English ones, in my opinion. I would recommend only the first three seasons, however, as the final season is made up entirely of filler episodes that have nothing to do with the main story, and they are mostly not very good. The conclusion of the final season also steals the spotlight from Naruto and moves it onto a less deserving character, which left me frustrated.
Other than this,
Naruto is a remarkable show, with engaging characters and fight scenes that, surprisingly, are not boring. Part of the joy comes from the main character himself, Naruto Uzumaki. He is impatient, arrogant, and bull-headed, and often at odds with classmates and adults, and this leads to some very comical moments. However, he is also caring and makes close friends with some of his classmates, such as Sakura and Sasuke (who is also his rival). Naruto begins life as an inept ninja, but gradually learns lessons along the way. Sometimes, frustratingly, these lessons are forgotten and thus his growth is made to be just an illusion, but when he does grow stronger the moment is exhilarating. While these details make it sound like many other anime shows out there, the storytelling of
Naruto is superior.
The opening describes a beast called the Nine-Tailed Fox, which once terrorized the Leaf Village. This beast is sealed in the belly of a child, Naruto, by the Fourth Hokage, who dies as a result. This fusion of the demon fox with Naruto creates a powerful energy force within him that, if he learns how to harness it, he can use to make himself incredibly strong. It also makes him an outcast in the village. Some despise him for serving as a reminder of the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage, and some fear him for having the powerful beast sealed inside him. He befriends Sasuke Uchiha, another loner who has a power called Sharingan passed down his family lines. Sasuke is destined to be one of the most powerful ninjas of his class, but he, unlike Naruto, despises the attention of his classmates. We learn later that Sasuke's family suffered a horrible tragedy at the hands of his older brother, Itachi, and Sasuke vows vengeance. A third character, Sakura, also befriends the two, and the obligatory love triangle pops up: Sakura loves Sasuke, Sasuke could care less, Naruto loves Sakura, and Sakura doesn't want attention from a loser. There are plenty of other characters, all of them with unique character traits, traits that run deeper than appearance or a simple habit that distinguishes them, and this is part of the joy of Naruto. Its world is populated with very interesting, complex, and varied characters.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are partnered and placed under the mentorship of Kakashi Sensei, a copy ninja who also has the Sharingan ability, though to a lesser extent than Sasuke. Kakashi's aloofness creates for some funny situations, and his contrast with another mentor ninja, Guy Sensei, who takes himself very seriously, makes for even more funny moments. Kakashi trains his three students, and it is clear early on that Naruto is the least gifted of them, mainly due to his recklessness. Perhaps my favorite part of the series is the quest to hunt down an assassin who uses powers of the mist. The scenes are exciting because the characters have human qualities. Too many anime shows feature smug main heroes with incredible power and little to no humanity. In Naruto's first encounter with bad guys, his fear freezes him. Despite all he has trained for, he can't act. Neither can Sakura. Only Sasuke keeps a cool head, already having experienced violence in such a way Naruto and the others can't imagine. The battle with the mist assassin itself is exciting. The battles are more chess match than hack and slash. Each ninja makes a move that bests the move performed by the other. Each attack and each defense, every power used, has a strategy behind it, and the payoff comes after this strategy is revealed. None of the later fight scenes duplicate this process as well as the fight with the mist assassin, though they're not without their excitement.
The show provides some very compelling villains as well. Orochimaru (pictured above left), one of the three Legendary Sannin (a distinction given to the most powerful ninjas), was a Leaf shinobi, a very talented one, whose mind was driven by absolute power. His philosophy to power is to learn every skill he can, even those forbidden to shinobi to use, and he commits unforgivable acts in the process. Orochimaru is a terrifying villain and one of the most effective characters in the show. He thirsts for Sasuke because Sasuke's Sharingan ability would increase his own power greatly. Another compelling villain is Gaara of the desert (pictured above right). Gaara comes from the Sand village, and he has a powerful demon residing within him, like Naruto, except his demon has a horrible influence over him, unlike Naruto's. We first meet Gaara when ninjas from all of the lands gather in the Leaf village for a competition that allows the young Genin ninjas to become the next ninja rank: Chunin. While Gaara is frightening at first, the show unfortunately feels the need to explain how he came to be who he is through flashbacks, and it attempts to convince us he is haunted by these past occurrences. This leads to an unconvincing change in Gaara from villain to hero later on, and Gaara, by series end, steals the show from Naruto. Other prominent villains, who make only a brief appearance, are Itachi Uchiha and his organization, the Akatsuki, which seek the Nine-Tailed Fox within Naruto. Like with Orochimaru, the show fortunately does not describe why Itachi is so evil, but some back story involving an evil act he committed serves to provide psychological turmoil for Sasuke, his younger brother. The show does not develop the Akatsuki plot line very far, however, perhaps desiring to keep it for the next series,
Naruto: Shippuden, unseen by me.
Another important character I should mention is Jiraiya, the second of the three Sannin. He is a comical character, though not entirely original. He is a lecher who likes to gamble, drink, and shirk his duties. Fans of
Dragon Ball will likely recognize Master Roche in this description, though I think Jiraiya is more likeable. He is a master of toads, and one of his first lessons is to teach Naruto how to summon a very powerful toad. His methods try Naruto's patience, but they're ultimately effective, if questionable. He flings Naruto off a cliff in the hopes it will inspire him to summon the large toad. It works, to Naruto's surprise and delight, but Jiraiya leaves the difficult task of taming the toad to his pupil. Jiraiya adds some fun to the show, but some of the scenes involving him and Naruto are creepy. Naruto has an ability, used mainly as a prank, to transform himself into a naked woman, with her naked parts covered by clouds. As Jiraiya has an uncontrollable fondness for beautiful women, Naruto uses this power to influence his master, who finds the transformation very seductive. The thought of pedophilia never seems to have entered into the minds of the show's creators, either that or the Japanese just have a strange sense of humor.
As I've stated, the show suffers from too many filler episodes. Flashbacks are repeated far too many times, some of the fight scenes drag on, and the side stories later on have no connection with the main story. You will find a few entertaining filler episodes, such as one about postal ninjas and another about a strange creature that clings to Naruto's back. I also have a problem with anime aimed at young adults in their use of what I call pity parties. These generally involve a character recalling a terrible incident and reeling in melodramatic anguish. Or we find a character who believes him or herself undeserving of rescue and asking the noble hero, usually a male, "Why me?" These are obviously meant to tug on the heartstrings, and they are so obvious as to be insulting.
Naruto, fortunately, does not use these pity parties to the extent that other anime shows do, some to such an extent as to drown in them.
Another weakness of the show is its use of women. With an exception of the third Sannin, Lady Tsunade (pictured below), the female shinobi are inferior to the men. Sakura (pictured left), for one, is a dull character who is unable to grow as strong as Naruto or Sasuke, and she ends up feeling sorry for herself. During a tournament between the ninjas, she fights her best friend, another girl, which is the least exciting and least interesting of the fights. I could imagine the spectators yawning, as neither girl had the extraordinary powers of the other ninjas. Her sole purpose, it seems, is to be in love with Sasuke and to be an object of desire for Naruto. Even in those episodes that promise tremendous growth for Sakura nothing very extraordinary happens. This is a problem with many anime shows aimed at young adults. Girls are made to be desirable even by the audience, and their fragile nature serves to make them more desirable because we pity them and feel an instinct to reach out and help.
Still, Naruto towers above many other anime shows largely in its character development and storytelling. Each character is a joy to watch in his or her own way. The show is very creative, and its actions scenes are entertaining. You will be surprised by its depth and how much detail goes into the creation of its world. Had the show been shorter, by about 100 episodes, it would have been just about perfect, but as it stands it is superb. Very few shows touch it at its best, but it's such a shame that so much of it is not worth watching.
