Welcome
to the Naruto zone...
linksss
those two guys from Naruto and others
naruto lore...
Zuri's definitive episode watching guide
a break down of season 4 OG Naruto and why it's peak
why is naruto so gay?
(tldr; only male characters are ever given meaningful beliefs resulting in conflict with opposing male characters (AKA plot) which leads to only male/male meaningful relationships.)
On Naruto (the character)
I first watched Naruto when I was young so I've kinda grown up with the series. I haven't rewatched it in its entirety since the first time, so it's funny---rewatching episodes pulls up these old memories from my younger perspective. I really used to hate Naruto---i thought he was wayy too immature, stupid, and annoying, I just watched for cool ninjitsu and like, Kakashi or Shikimaru. and I had always thought Naruto himself was the biggest weakness and just another annoying male main character for the sake of being an annoying male main character (fairy tale) (i used to watch a bunch of shonen then). the context you watch a show in can really change your impression of it, especially with anime since so much of it is trash i think its easy to not trust it or treat it with credibility and just shit on aspects that are found uncomfortable instead of treating them as parts to be analyzed. Like for instance, if there was ever an anime intentionally commentating on the sexualization of female characters i think it would be completely burried and no one would see it as anything other than fanservice since that medium is so infected with it. yet a show like game of throwns will have a really disgusting scene but people will give it the benefit of the doubt that its showing an integral look at an issue and is purposely disturbing you. and that applies to pretty much everything about naruto. theres so much dumb stupid shit that it completely burries anything that could be compelling and its easy to treat it all as the same (but then you keep asking yourself why you're still drawn to it over a decade later despite it sucking).
I was rewatching season 4 recently and I was just hit with---woah, Naruto is so cute! He's like a little baby! And Jiraiya was so mean when he took his froggy wallet!! Like! I really like Naruto! hes so cute! and its like, i get it now. he's so baby to highlight that, hes a little baby yet all this shit happened to him, he's immature and stupid to represent the real childhood put to death in real life conflicts like this, that child soldiers aren't more mature than any other child but just burdened with these responsibilities. in this way i guess i finally saw that naruto isnt how he is to fill a trope but has real themetic implications tied to his characterization. the characters most successful at being ninja, kakashi, shikimaru, are coldest intentionally to show that naruto is a rebellion by holding onto his soft heart and compassion. he's brave in his vulnerability, and he never loses that across the series.
apart from the very first episode its easy to overlook his upbringing as just his typical main character anime backstory, over the top sad to the point you dont care with no effects on his personality. but then season 4 completely recontextualizes this. that relationship illustrated in his scenes with Jiraiya is so important for his own characterization. no where else is it as abundantly clear in this series that he is a fucking baby, and that not only was he orphaned, but abandoned by the society his parents died to protect. yet hes still so determined to learn and to fight as a ninja, not for his own ego, but because he is so incredibly desperate for love, and in this world the only thing he will ever be loved for is his skill. perfectly reinforced by jiraiya, who's affection is hard earned and only given because he's come to train him. jiraiya's praise on naruto's rasengan is so important to him, and you can just feel naruto creating this image of a father in his mind, latching onto this fleeting praise as though it was unconditional love. and it hurts.
i think that was the most compelling part of naruto, and it sucks that there was almost a real story here. and the value gets completely burried if you watch it with the rest of the show. or in context with other shonen anime. its easy to not trust or look deeply into it when its already broken your trust in the past. just watching season 3 before it ruins the effect. you have these really over dramatic "oh how terrible!" soapy backstories for like, gara, and shit, and its so in your face, that it blinds you to other things going on for characters. "this persons backstory is sad. here is 2 episodes of character getting locked in a cell or physically beat and bullied by there village. here is them crying." and its like, obviously this character had a bad past, but "thats all behind them now!" and now they can stop acting weird and go be a likeable character! so when thats the logic of the show, its easy to see these scenes with naruto as just another pull on the heartstrings for no other reason than to try to dig up as much viewer connection as they can. but i think this was real. idk. so when i see criticisms on naruto about naruto the character being too obnoxious, immature, and annoying, i'm like, ur so close. its almost like he's a child right? like he never got a chance to grow up? why would that be?
but they just dont get it. bc only real naruto getters can critique it in a way that matters (notice not FANS. GETTERS. bc u either GET IT or you DONT. and a lot of fans have shit opinions).
Me and my sister did + do watch it a ton (she's rewatched og naruto over 8 times atp, lol).
It's a good show, if you watch it in formula. Not just to skip the filler it's notorious for, but just for.. like.. everything. The pacing, slow, extended fights, blegh. Especially in Shippuden there's just.. so much fucking filler. Like mid-fight filler. It's so bad.
og naruto is def better than shippuden, except for like, the first 20 eps of shippuden, which was the best part of the entire show. (after which they immediately screwed over Sakura bc misogyny)
OH AND DID I MENTION THE MISONGYNY-
Yeah... despite everything, i still love this stupid show. It has a special place in my heart for as much as i shit on it. and idk why that is exactly, but hopefully this page will help me find out :)
"Naruto is cool. It is a very inspirational ninja anime." - my sister
"It's worse than Glitter Force if Glitter Force was bad." - my sister
