WARNING SPOILERS BELOW
I can't believe this... I really can't believe this...
Naruto is a manga that has been running for 15 years, I still remember catching up with the first seasons of the anime back when I was 12, I remember skipping the dreadful filler second half from the original series and going straight to Shippuuden, I remember ALL of it and it is suddenly over. Wow... feels like an entire era ending.
Anyway, Naruto was one of the first anime series I have ever watched (Dragon Ball being my first), and even though I had lost my interest and enjoyment in it for a very long
...
time (I dropped it REALLY early when I had just started Shippuuden, it just wasn't doing it for me anymore), I still made an attempt at catching up with the manga because people told me it was ending and I wanted to see my late childhood fall apart just like that.
As for the actual review, Naruto started out as a fairly decent shounen manga, it told the story of a ninja called Naruto that was treated like shit by everyone else in the Hidden Leaf Village because he had the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him. At first, he's completely useless and kinda annoying, all he really did at first was yelling "I'M GONNA BECOME THE HOKAGE" like if there was no tomorrow. And for those wondering, the Hokage is the ruler of the village.
He later teams up with two other classmates alongside a more experienced ninja and form a team that does the jobs assigned to them, while at the same time, each character has its own goals and intentions. The most notable, other than Naruto, is Sasuke, an old childhood rival that had lost his family when he was younger, eventually leading to him carefully planning to take revenge on the person behind it. At first, they do some stuff as a team and it is a fairly enjoyable story that does its job in a decent manner. Nothing too special, but also something that I could watch and still get a kick out of. Yes, Naruto was a bit annoying as a character, but that didn't keep him from being likeable, and the same goes for all the other characters.... at least for a while...
Eventually, Sasuke runs away and the story goes on a timeskip, which wasn't really a good idea as the story kinda jumped the shark at that point. Filled with asspulls such as the 99 different forms of the Rasengan and the treatment given to side characters, the story past the time skip had a MAJOR drop in quality, which caused me to eventually lose my interest in the series. Not to mention the treatment they gave to Sasuke, which initially was a character full of potential, only for it to be turned into the most despicable one of the cast that SOMEHOW still does a 180 on his mood. One second he is planning to destroy the village, the other he simply agrees to help Naruto defeat the big bad because.... crap, I don't even know anymore, I really think not even Kishimoto enjoyed what he was doing anymore at that point, just dragging the story more than it needed for the hell of it.
And Naruto himself did not get any better too, he was turned into one hell of a Mary Sue that just pulled random powers out of his arse because he had to defeat the evil villain at the end of the day. For crying out loud, even the worst Fairy Tail asspull is not as big as a lot of stuff I've seen here. I don't even think this was about bloody ninjas anymore because, as far as I'm aware, ninjas wouldn't just summon meteorites in a Final Fantasy manner. Eventually, even Naruto's iconic "I'M GONNA BECOME THE HOKAGE" was toned down and that's when I realized that these characters were no longer what they used to be. What about the rest of them? Pffffft, they were thrown to the side after the so notorious timeskip, it's like they weren't even there.
Another thing I have to point out is that the story simply couldn't keep one consistent bad guy. The timeskip arrives and we are left with Sasuke running away to eventually become a bad guy, a psychotic ninja that wants to achieve immortality and a secret society dedicated to capturing the Tailed Beasts such as Naruto's Nine-Tailed Fox. Wanna guess which one was the real big baddie? NONE OF THEM! Sasuke? He becomes a good guy after a while. Orochimaru? Same thing. Pain, the leader of Akatsuki? Turns out he was a puppet after all. Tobi, the guy behind him? Same thing, a puppet as well. Madara? Not this one either. Black Zetsu, the guy that never had any spotlight? Nope, also a puppet! As it turns out (And here comes a big spoiler), the real big bad just so happened to be the entity that created the energy force they use in their battles? How, because she was somehow resurrected...
Overall, Naruto is a manga that does a fair job on the first part, but completely blows it near the end. If you wanna know if it's worth reading? Not really, unless you are planning to stop just before the timeskip begins
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: NARUTO―ナルト― More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 72
Chapters: 700
Status: Finished
Published: Sep 21, 1999 to Nov 10, 2014
Theme:
Martial Arts
Demographic:
Shounen
Serialization:
Shounen Jump (Weekly) Authors:
Kishimoto, Masashi (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #6452 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #12
Members: 415,492
Favorites: 43,955 Resources | Reviews
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Nov 6, 2014
WARNING SPOILERS BELOW
I can't believe this... I really can't believe this... Naruto is a manga that has been running for 15 years, I still remember catching up with the first seasons of the anime back when I was 12, I remember skipping the dreadful filler second half from the original series and going straight to Shippuuden, I remember ALL of it and it is suddenly over. Wow... feels like an entire era ending. Anyway, Naruto was one of the first anime series I have ever watched (Dragon Ball being my first), and even though I had lost my interest and enjoyment in it for a very long ... 
Nov 11, 2014
Mod Edit: This review may contain spoilers
I know there is many other people here on this site that have reviewed this Manga before, but i felt that i wanted to give my says about it since it now have ended. For 3 years ago, i didn't like Naruto at all because it was so popular and so mainstream at that time. Other reasons is bacause i was afraid of going away from my other interestes in favor for Naruto. Oh man, i was wrong xD. One day, i was sick and pretty bored, so i decided to watch an Episode of Naruto. I was pretty neutral there. ... 
Aug 29, 2008
Note: The 9/10 score is for Vol. 1-27 only. In my opinion, the series drops in quality by a huge amount in the last half and we'd be talking 6-7/10 if I rated Vol. 28 onwards. Naruto is difficult to rate when I love the first half so much...
---------------- Naruto is a name that brings lots of memories to the front of my mind. Many years ago, when I was 14-15 and hadn't watched anime for very long, I was told about this hugely popular title. Being new to anime at the time, discovering I had 60-80 episodes to watch before I'd catch up wasn't a ... 
Nov 6, 2014
It's done! The end of Naruto marks the end of an 15-year period, about half of which I spent waiting for weekly updates for the manga that was my very first.
Was it worth it? Maybe. I have a gut feeling that Naruto is going to be one of those manga that took great benefit from having a long-ass run time, and that a lot of the attraction towards Naruto was the fact that, well, "everyone else was reading it too." Reading Naruto was as much of a social exercise as it was a reading one, since it's mega popularity ensured that there would always ... 
Nov 14, 2010
Masashi Kishimoto is in my opinion one of the more refreshing writers on the manga scene. Though may I say at first, that yes while this is my favourite manga, and I along with many others find the story rather captivating and original in many ways (despite drawing from many common, and rather cliché themes), this manga is not necessarily for you, the reader, who is sitting comfortably at their computer screen wondering 'what good manga should I read next?' and has decided to let peoples' reviews sway them towards or away many possibly magnificent reads.
That is not the purpose of this review. As a ... 
Jan 16, 2008
The world of Naruto is probably the most interesting aspect of the show. Despite being a show about ninja, the soldiers in this manga are really ninja in name only. They're actually much more reminiscent of modern soldiers with flashy ninja magic than mysterious, stealthy ninja.
There characters are a rather nice aspect of the show. Many of them are archetypes, but I find them entertaining regardless. I also feel like the characters that are around Naruto's age (teenagers) have realistic personalities. They're teenagers, and they act like teenagers. That's one of the reasons I like them. Many would disagree with me, so it's really a ... 
May 29, 2008
The story is well-written. It's not just the usual shounen manga that's filled with action nonetheless since there are tidbits of angst and drama. Though the target audience of Naruto is usually the male populace, it is not a wonder that it can also captivate the hearts of the females.
Angst, drama and a little bit of romance mixed with action packed adventure is indeed wonderful. No wonder Naruto is sitting at the top spot for years now. Indeed the story is magnificent since it is unique and captivating. Plus the fact that there are a lot of mysteries waiting to be unveiled makes fans ... 
Jan 27, 2012
First thing's first, if you're not willing to read a manga that's very very long and drawn out then Naruto most likely isn't for you.
When people say that it's long and drawn out, they mean it. 400+ episodes, 570+ chapters, 50+ volumes later and it's not exactly close to being finished. However, all those chapters, episodes and volumes give the creator an opportunity to further explain the plot and characters more thoroughly, which is a plus. The story: Without spoiling it too much, the story is definitely full of plot twists, some welcomed others absolutely detested, but that makes it all the more interesting. The characters ... 
Jul 18, 2013
The story is outstandingly plotted. It is not very usual that the person who draws the manga is also the one to come up with the plot for it, as it is rather rare to see somebody manage to combine both drawing talent and original ideas in one. Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto manga creator, is such a shining example that something magnificent can be born when you are both gifted with drawing skills to be envyed for by many and the ability to come up with a plot and characters that have some sort of real depth and make the person who reads the story
...
Jan 26, 2012
One of the best manga out there, and getting deserved praise and attention!!!
Many people somewhat consider it overrated or point out flaws which basically, aren't flaws in my opinion, so let's get it to pieces (Review by the way follows up to chapter 571) Story (9/10) | Characters (10/10) from me: Okay naruto is a shounen manga, with basic shounen ideas, but the world naruto himself lives in, is thought out pretty well, very interesting, with it's own history and culture, political affairs etc. Naruto starts off about a seemingly annoying little brat who has this need to do bad stuff to get attention and honestly I didn't ... 
Nov 6, 2014
Naruto is finally over, its had its ups and downs, including a very long list of problems, but is it bad or good? In a sense, it's kind of both:
Naruto had undoubtedly had a great influence on the manga culture, helping spread anime/manga to the west after Dragonball Z and setting up a new generation of readers. 15 years later, it finally finishes. But I've noticed one trend I wished would end already, is it bad because it's too popular? Its a shounen on shounen jump that practically uses shounen elements religiously. Being one of the "big three" its going to get flak for being ... 
Dec 30, 2011
Here is my complete review of Naruto and what I feel is good an bad about the series.
Plot - Naruto is the story of a boy who is the container for a demon responsible for destroying his village who is despised by most the village afterward despite the request by the Hokage who died to seal away the demon asking he be a hero. Its obvious from the beginning Naruto is a very lonely kid and acts out to get attention of any sort just to have his existence acknowledged by the villagers he deeply wishes would accept him, so in response to that he ... 
Jun 13, 2010
I don't know why, there's a lot who sees Naruto as a bad manga.. This is my first review as there's so many bad reviews about it.. I actually thought it's one of the best manga, in fact, I thought it's underrated..
(Review from chap 49x) - Spoiler ahead Story - It's true that Naruto has quite a "normal" plot, that's "rescue his friend" that has been overused in anime (I still find it nice though, lolx - exception for Bleach which used this twice..).. But it has maintained this ever since Sasuke was kidnapped.. What I meant was Naruto has never been out of the ... 
Apr 30, 2008
The story is just for some reason alot better in Manga, I dont know why but it just is...The art is just...mindblowing because you ca see every tiny last detail! The characters are...or do get very annoying and its always the same thing like mutants or something. the enjoyment is great and you never want to let go of the book you always say "One last page!" then "One more page!" You never want to stop! So overall I give this a 10 because its just an amazing Manga to read.
Feb 14, 2009
Naruto is the best manga i have ever read. The storyline and art are both amazing! Its very different from any other manga and its definitely a manga that you can't put down.
What got me hooked on to it is how traditional looking it is. In Naruto's world, everything is so surprising! Not only does it have groundbreaking action, but also comic relief from all the stress that either the characters already have or has built on them. So I think that giving Naruto a try will be worth it! :) 
Nov 6, 2014
Mod Edit: This review may contain spoilers.
Coming up with precise numbers to essentially give a value to a series that spans 700 chapters and well over a decade in production is not an easy thing. Much has changed over the years of publication, but I guess overall I would give the series a "very good". Like many other people, the Naruto anime was my introduction to the world of anime--something that literally changed the course of my life. The storyline of a young boy who had the courage (or more like the gall) to always stay confident and continue smiling despite growing up alone in a ... 
Aug 4, 2011
Naruto is an excellent series about a 12 year old boy named Naruto Uzumaki who wants to become Hokage, leader of Konaha the Hidden Leaf Village of the Fire Country. The problem for him is, first he is horrible at ninjutsu and has failed the final exam at the ninja academy 3 times which if was not bad enough he is the Jinchuriki (a human vessel), of the Kyuubi, the 9 tails demon fox, that was sealed within him at birth by Minato, who was the 4th Hokage. For this reason he is tormented by the villagers, his classmates and even his teachers. They blame
...
Oct 28, 2012
Naruto gets a bad rap a lot just because it's popular but I've loved it. The story is inthralling and the characters are entertaining, even though I really don't like some of them. But that's what makes it great! I love some characters and "dislike" others! That's a great thing in a manga when you come to have distinct feelings to each character. As you read, the story will have its ups and downs but don't give up! It keeps getting better and it'll have you guessing around every chapter turn!
May 27, 2014
I'm going to say it: this manga is bad. Shots fired. I'm undoubtedly a minority, seeing as how most people enjoy Naruto a lot, but I stand firmly by my opinion. Let's start from the beginning.
Surprisingly enough, the manga starts out very good. It has an interesting set of characters (with the exception of Sasuke), mixes comedy and drama well, and has an enticing storyline. This manga truly had a lot of potential. This all applies for the first part of the manga. Afterwards, it falls flat on it's a$$. Naruto, perfectly demonstrates the problem with manga that overstay their welcome. It starts resorting to ... |
