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Naruto [ナルト] #28
Naruto, Vol. 28: Homecoming
It's been two years since Naruto left to train with Jiraiya. Now he reunites with his old friends to find out he's still not the most accomplished of his former teammates. But when one of them is kidnapped, it's up to Naruto to prove he's got the stuff to save them!
200 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 2005
211 people are currently reading
2313 people want to read
About the author
Masashi Kishimoto
1,202 books3,975 followersMasashi Kishimoto (岸本斉史 Kishimoto Masashi) is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series O-Parts Hunter (666 Satan) and Blazer Drive. Two of his former assistants, Osamu Kajisa (Tattoo Hearts) and Yuuichi Itakura (Hand's), have also gone on to moderate success following their work on Naruto.
Kishimoto's first work as a manga artist was Karakuri (カラクリ?), which he submitted to Shueisha in 1995. This earned him the Weekly Shōnen Jump's monthly "Hop Step Award" in 1996, granted to promising new manga artists. This was followed in 1997 by a pilot version of Naruto (NARUTO－ナルト－), published in Akamaru Jump Summer. In 1998, Kishimoto premiered as a Weekly Shōnen Jump artist with a serialized version of Karakuri in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but it proved unpopular and was canceled soon after. In 1999, a serialized version of Naruto began publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump and quickly became a hit.
Kishimoto's first work as a manga artist was Karakuri (カラクリ?), which he submitted to Shueisha in 1995. This earned him the Weekly Shōnen Jump's monthly "Hop Step Award" in 1996, granted to promising new manga artists. This was followed in 1997 by a pilot version of Naruto (NARUTO－ナルト－), published in Akamaru Jump Summer. In 1998, Kishimoto premiered as a Weekly Shōnen Jump artist with a serialized version of Karakuri in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but it proved unpopular and was canceled soon after. In 1999, a serialized version of Naruto began publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump and quickly became a hit.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
August 1, 2015
Whatever else you can say about this one, it feels and reads like a brand new series. Two years have passed. Nostalgia abounds, and what a funny sequence it was.
So much has changed, and everyone has risen in the world, new ranks, new skills... and Naruto alone of his class has remained a lowly genin. Never mind that he's been training with a legendary sage. He's still far, far behind the rest of his peers.
The dichotomy is pretty amusing, since he's the most powerful among them.
New story arc! Things are moving quick now.
So much has changed, and everyone has risen in the world, new ranks, new skills... and Naruto alone of his class has remained a lowly genin. Never mind that he's been training with a legendary sage. He's still far, far behind the rest of his peers.
The dichotomy is pretty amusing, since he's the most powerful among them.
New story arc! Things are moving quick now.
March 24, 2022
5/10 stars
This was... okay, I guess. A decent enough setup for the next storyline, with Akatsuki finally making their move against jinchuriki - starting with Gaara, the host of the One-Tails, Shukaku.
The juvenile humor is back, and it seems that Kishimoto heard his fans and decided to make Sakura useful. While it's a welcome change, conceptually, the execution leaves something to be desired. I do hope she'll improve beyond punching Naruto...
Ah, well. Time will tell. Naruto is absorbing enough that I continue with the series despite its flaws. Who knows, I might even stop noticing them at some point... Nah ;). It's enjoyable and easy-going, though - especially compared with the horrid money grab, DB Super, which I still refuse to acknowledge as a legit part of DB universe. I breeze through Kishimoto's manga with speed and a measure of contentment, and let's admit it - I have a soft spot for Naruto.
This was... okay, I guess. A decent enough setup for the next storyline, with Akatsuki finally making their move against jinchuriki - starting with Gaara, the host of the One-Tails, Shukaku.
The juvenile humor is back, and it seems that Kishimoto heard his fans and decided to make Sakura useful. While it's a welcome change, conceptually, the execution leaves something to be desired. I do hope she'll improve beyond punching Naruto...
Ah, well. Time will tell. Naruto is absorbing enough that I continue with the series despite its flaws. Who knows, I might even stop noticing them at some point... Nah ;). It's enjoyable and easy-going, though - especially compared with the horrid money grab, DB Super, which I still refuse to acknowledge as a legit part of DB universe. I breeze through Kishimoto's manga with speed and a measure of contentment, and let's admit it - I have a soft spot for Naruto.
September 18, 2022
What better way to start the second part of the series than having our characters back on track in what's probably Kishimoto's most solid arc? The entire fandom would say this about Pain's arc, but for me, the Kazekage Retrieval arc is Naruto at its peak for its great writing and good and fair characters' development.
January 28, 2021
The volume marks the start of Shipuuden with Naruto's return to Konoha after two years of training with Jiraya. Together with this, we also get to see the Akatsuki finally in action with Sasori and Deidara's attack on the Sand to capture the One-Tail!
October 6, 2022
I kinda prefer how the manga handles the timeskip to the anime. The anime teases Sasuke, then jumps back in time. That's lame. They should've built up Sasuke's reveal like the manga does. It's much more impactful.
March 11, 2017
Two and a half years have passed since everybody went there own separate ways to train. When Naruto returns he is thrust into a training match with Sakura against Kakashi to see how far they both have come in their respective training. However they dont get time to rest because the Akatsuki arrive and launch an assault on the Sand Village to kidnap Gaara and are successful. News reaches the Leaf Village very quickly and Tsunade dispatches Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi to assist the Sand Ninja in finding Gaara, the Kazekage!!
March 15, 2021
The unwavering love and devotion I give to Gaara. Now until the end of time. Amen
July 21, 2020
Naruto returns 2 years later!
This is where Naruto and Sakura get to show off all their training they did. On top of that we get a nice reunion with a ton of characters. Get to see Gara again and how he's running his nation. We also get to see the new baddies in action and right away they cause some big havoc.
I liked how this wasted very little time. Going after one of the strongest characters is smart. On top of that this volume really expands the world outside of just Naruto which was nice. The stuff with Naruto felt like it was repeating a bit of the original part of the series but it had its moments of being charming.
Overall, a solid start to the second half of Naruto. a 3.5 out of 5.
This is where Naruto and Sakura get to show off all their training they did. On top of that we get a nice reunion with a ton of characters. Get to see Gara again and how he's running his nation. We also get to see the new baddies in action and right away they cause some big havoc.
I liked how this wasted very little time. Going after one of the strongest characters is smart. On top of that this volume really expands the world outside of just Naruto which was nice. The stuff with Naruto felt like it was repeating a bit of the original part of the series but it had its moments of being charming.
Overall, a solid start to the second half of Naruto. a 3.5 out of 5.
February 6, 2019
La trama se está poniendo muy interesante y al mismo tiempo intensa. Me ha encantado ver como han crecido como personas Sakura y Gaara de manera realista. Ahora Sakura es una ninja medica como su Maestra y ya ha hecho algo que me hace amarla más todavía si cabe.
April 19, 2021
Un nuevo comienzo, nuevas aventuras y muchas nuevas locuras ufff empieza la historia pesada dónde hasta conocemos aliens, en fin este volumen está bueno, empezamos luego luego con la acción y ese final que agradable ver al equipo Gai de nuevo en acción
June 7, 2022
This was a good beginning to Naruto Part II! Gaara is captured, the Akatsuki are threatening villains and everyone’s grown up juuuuust a little bit. The storytelling already seems slightly more mature and a little more intense which I appreciate!
April 4, 2021
The beginning of a new story arc. So interesting to see everyone mature and grow. I can't wait to see what happens.
February 10, 2017
It was brilliant. Naruto returns after 2 years to hidden leaf village and it seems like he has grown up physically but mentally? I do not know. He still is the same Naruto which we knew in the previous mangas. But, there is one person who has grown up to a very high rank and when he is targeted by Akatsuki, it is up to team 7 now to save him from the potential danger.
We do not yet see Naruto's growth in this manga except that stupid fight with Kakashi in the opening which is why I deducted 1 star. Otherwise, this is a fun read and a start of a very new storyline.
We do not yet see Naruto's growth in this manga except that stupid fight with Kakashi in the opening which is why I deducted 1 star. Otherwise, this is a fun read and a start of a very new storyline.
May 15, 2019
This volume marks the beginning of Naruto: Shippuden with a time jump that allows all the characters to mature and gain new skills and wisdom through intense training. The reunion between our lovely heroes is touching and shows that even with training, they can't help but still be kids at heart.
Their first mission as shinobis brings them on an already super deadly task, up against folks that aren't here to mess around. The fiery passion in these heroes make their actions seem so heroic and this is probably due to all the character development the reader gulped for the past 27 volumes.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Their first mission as shinobis brings them on an already super deadly task, up against folks that aren't here to mess around. The fiery passion in these heroes make their actions seem so heroic and this is probably due to all the character development the reader gulped for the past 27 volumes.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
March 4, 2015
Aunque esta buena gente de la editorial no se gaste en mencionarlo en un asterisco siquiera, sepan, jóvenes otakus, que en este tomo comienza la etapa conocida en tv como NARUTO SHIPPUUDEN. Sí, mil años después finalmente tenemos NARUTO SHIPPUUDEN. Los que quieran leer NARUTO SHIPPUUDEN tiene que empezar por este tomo, el 28, que equivale a los primeros capítulos de NARUTO SHIPPUUDEN.
Así que ya saben, los que busquenNARUTO SHIPPUUDEN, llévense NARUTO 28: ¡¡Naruto regresa a casa!!, el comic que inspiró el animé de ¡¡¡¡NARUTO SHIPPUUUUUDEN!!!!
Así que ya saben, los que busquenNARUTO SHIPPUUDEN, llévense NARUTO 28: ¡¡Naruto regresa a casa!!, el comic que inspiró el animé de ¡¡¡¡NARUTO SHIPPUUUUUDEN!!!!
November 3, 2020
Reprise de Naruto après 14 ans et force est de contaster que l'âge et la trop grande lecture de shônen m'ont rendue quelque peu perplexe face au courage sans limite, aux bons sentiments et aux propos sur le dépassement de soi du genre... Je ne suis plus dans la tranche d'âge du public visé et ça se sent. A lire si vous avez moins de 20 ans et/ou que vous n'avez pas fait une overdose de shônen.
January 1, 2016
Naruto look so different now. And Gaara too.
November 27, 2016
Loved it, and Love Gaara, Temari and Kankurou <3<3
May 26, 2021
4 stars *may change
im so excited to have them back actually and especially now that they’re teenagers and i can get to the real meat of the story
im so excited to have them back actually and especially now that they’re teenagers and i can get to the real meat of the story
March 13, 2023
Well written, fast paced and heart-stopping!
November 8, 2025
Ah, bringing in comedy after all the somberness is refreshing.
ShikaTema definitely not on a date, nope not all all.
Aging past 45 in the Naruto world must be extremely rare. "We're gonna go talk to the old people" and everyone knows who they're referring to. 💀
ShikaTema definitely not on a date, nope not all all.
Aging past 45 in the Naruto world must be extremely rare. "We're gonna go talk to the old people" and everyone knows who they're referring to. 💀
January 13, 2023
okay reading it seems to be significantly easier than watching it, it moves very quickly compared to the anime. i would have to say i prefer watching it just because i like the pacing in the show, and the soundtrack really heightens the emotions the characters are feeling.
December 17, 2024
Recordaba a Deidara mejor, me está molestando que diga “sí” cada vez que habla.
December 6, 2014
Edición argentina de Naruto 28.
Aclaraciones de la traducción a cargo de Agustín Gómez Sanz
disponibles en el blog de la editorial:
http://blog.larpeditores.com/entrada-...
¡Bienvenidos a una nueva entrega (digital) de aclaraciones de la traducción! Al igual que habíamos hecho en los primeros tomos, esta sección se va a dedicar a explicar cuestiones de lenguaje que no hayan logrado sobrevivir al proceso de adaptación por requerir un conocimiento cultural (japonés o de otra índole) que necesita una explicación un poco más extensa que una simple nota al pie de página. Desgraciadamente no se pudieron incluir en los tomos anteriores, pero ahora por suerte le encontramos una salida a haciéndolo directo por la web.
En este tomo también empieza la parte de la historia que en el anime se emite, desde febrero del 2007 en Japón, bajo el título de Naruto Shippuuden; algo así como Naruto: Crónicas del Viento Fuerte. Esta es una herramienta muy común en la animación japonesa como forma de relanzar una serie, aunque la historia original en el manga no sea haga la distinción. Usualmente se aprovecha cuando la trama llega a una etapa más adulta, o cambia temáticamente; el caso más famoso es DragonBall con la Z, pero hay muchos otros como Vampire Knight con el subtítulo de Guilty, para nombrar otro título de esta editorial.
ANIMALES EN COMÚN
En este tomo se introduce el concepto de que el mapache Shukaku y el zorro demonio están relacionados; al describirlo como “Ichibi”, es decir literalmente “Una Cola” en comparación directa con “Kyuubi”, o como se lo conoce en esta traducción: Nueve Colas. “El Una Cola” no es una frase muy lógica en castellano, pero la mención de monstruos por cantidad de colas va a ser un concepto que se repita seguido de acá en adelante.
“Jinchuuriki” por su parte, fue un término que preferí mantener, ya que no es una palabra previamente existente, sino un concepto específico creado por este manga para los que tienen un monstruo dentro; formado por tres kanjis: “Persona-Sacrificio-Poder”.
LA ERA DISCO
Kishimoto menciona en sus textos personales que sus juegos favoritos eran del Famicom Disk System. En realidad éste era un dispositivo que iba debajo de la consola Famicom y se conectaba a la ranura de los cartuchos, permitiendo usar unos diskettes llamados Disk Cards. Gracias a esto uno podía comprar juegos y grabarlos por mucho menos que lo que salía comprar uno nuevo; y además permitía salvar la partida… algo completamente revolucionario para la época… Como si fuera poco uno encima podía llevar sus discos a unos kioscos especializados que mandaban los puntajes (¡por fax!) directo a Nintendo, y así participar de rankings nacionales con premios.
Para los occidentales este sistema es completamente desconocido ya que sólo estuvo a la venta en Japón, pero para el caso, y en lo que a juegos se refiere, es lo que nosotros conocemos como Family Game o NES, y que salieron a la venta entre 1986 y 1987.
PARA LLORAR
Cuando Kishimoto dice que lloró con el Final Fantasy IV, se refiere a una escena donde una pareja de nenitos gemelos, Palom y Porom (un chico y una chica), se petrifican para salvar al resto de sus compañeros; con la revelación dramática que no hay forma de revertir el hechizo ya que fue un acto voluntario…
¡Spoilers! Al final por suerte se salvan y reaparecen para el final del juego y en las entregas siguientes.
REVELACIÓN
Seguramente les llamó la atención que se mantuviera esa onomatopeya/kanji que dice Deidara al hacer explotar su arcilla. El ideograma en cuestión es “Katsu”, un grito o exhortación común en el budismo zen como forma de reunir energíay al mismo tiempo tratar de romper el pensamiento discursivo y lineal en un estudiante para que así pueda conseguir la iluminación.
Al mismo tiemp, todo el concepto del personaje de Deidara como escultor de explosivos, se deriva de esa frase que repite: “El arte es explosivo”, la cual es famosa por pertenecer al artista Tarou Okamoto. Todas las creaciones de Deidara están fuertemente influenciadas por su obra.
Tarou Okamoto y un gestito familiar.
KARASU KUROARI SANSHOUO
Se mantuvieron los nombres originales para las marionetas de Kankuro, aunque en japonés significan literalmente “Cuervo”, “Hormiga Negra” y “Salamandra” respectivamente. Inicialmente Karasu no presentaba mayores referencias a su animal, pero en las otras dos marionetas que fueron apareciendo a lo largo de la trama sí se notaron más cualidades del animal que les da nombre, así que me pareció interesante como dato para que tuvieran en cuenta.
¡Eso es todo por este número! No sé si en todos los tomos va a haber cosas para explicar; pero si les interesa preguntar por algo en detalle de los tomos que siguen, o tienen dudas que les puedan haber surgido en los tomos anteriores, no duden en mandarlas a la editorial y voy a tratar de incluirlas en las próximas secciones.
¡Nos vemos en el próximo tomo!
Sayounara
- Agustín Gomez Sanz
Aclaraciones de la traducción a cargo de Agustín Gómez Sanz
disponibles en el blog de la editorial:
http://blog.larpeditores.com/entrada-...
¡Bienvenidos a una nueva entrega (digital) de aclaraciones de la traducción! Al igual que habíamos hecho en los primeros tomos, esta sección se va a dedicar a explicar cuestiones de lenguaje que no hayan logrado sobrevivir al proceso de adaptación por requerir un conocimiento cultural (japonés o de otra índole) que necesita una explicación un poco más extensa que una simple nota al pie de página. Desgraciadamente no se pudieron incluir en los tomos anteriores, pero ahora por suerte le encontramos una salida a haciéndolo directo por la web.
En este tomo también empieza la parte de la historia que en el anime se emite, desde febrero del 2007 en Japón, bajo el título de Naruto Shippuuden; algo así como Naruto: Crónicas del Viento Fuerte. Esta es una herramienta muy común en la animación japonesa como forma de relanzar una serie, aunque la historia original en el manga no sea haga la distinción. Usualmente se aprovecha cuando la trama llega a una etapa más adulta, o cambia temáticamente; el caso más famoso es DragonBall con la Z, pero hay muchos otros como Vampire Knight con el subtítulo de Guilty, para nombrar otro título de esta editorial.
ANIMALES EN COMÚN
En este tomo se introduce el concepto de que el mapache Shukaku y el zorro demonio están relacionados; al describirlo como “Ichibi”, es decir literalmente “Una Cola” en comparación directa con “Kyuubi”, o como se lo conoce en esta traducción: Nueve Colas. “El Una Cola” no es una frase muy lógica en castellano, pero la mención de monstruos por cantidad de colas va a ser un concepto que se repita seguido de acá en adelante.
“Jinchuuriki” por su parte, fue un término que preferí mantener, ya que no es una palabra previamente existente, sino un concepto específico creado por este manga para los que tienen un monstruo dentro; formado por tres kanjis: “Persona-Sacrificio-Poder”.
LA ERA DISCO
Kishimoto menciona en sus textos personales que sus juegos favoritos eran del Famicom Disk System. En realidad éste era un dispositivo que iba debajo de la consola Famicom y se conectaba a la ranura de los cartuchos, permitiendo usar unos diskettes llamados Disk Cards. Gracias a esto uno podía comprar juegos y grabarlos por mucho menos que lo que salía comprar uno nuevo; y además permitía salvar la partida… algo completamente revolucionario para la época… Como si fuera poco uno encima podía llevar sus discos a unos kioscos especializados que mandaban los puntajes (¡por fax!) directo a Nintendo, y así participar de rankings nacionales con premios.
Para los occidentales este sistema es completamente desconocido ya que sólo estuvo a la venta en Japón, pero para el caso, y en lo que a juegos se refiere, es lo que nosotros conocemos como Family Game o NES, y que salieron a la venta entre 1986 y 1987.
PARA LLORAR
Cuando Kishimoto dice que lloró con el Final Fantasy IV, se refiere a una escena donde una pareja de nenitos gemelos, Palom y Porom (un chico y una chica), se petrifican para salvar al resto de sus compañeros; con la revelación dramática que no hay forma de revertir el hechizo ya que fue un acto voluntario…
¡Spoilers! Al final por suerte se salvan y reaparecen para el final del juego y en las entregas siguientes.
REVELACIÓN
Seguramente les llamó la atención que se mantuviera esa onomatopeya/kanji que dice Deidara al hacer explotar su arcilla. El ideograma en cuestión es “Katsu”, un grito o exhortación común en el budismo zen como forma de reunir energíay al mismo tiempo tratar de romper el pensamiento discursivo y lineal en un estudiante para que así pueda conseguir la iluminación.
Al mismo tiemp, todo el concepto del personaje de Deidara como escultor de explosivos, se deriva de esa frase que repite: “El arte es explosivo”, la cual es famosa por pertenecer al artista Tarou Okamoto. Todas las creaciones de Deidara están fuertemente influenciadas por su obra.
Tarou Okamoto y un gestito familiar.
KARASU KUROARI SANSHOUO
Se mantuvieron los nombres originales para las marionetas de Kankuro, aunque en japonés significan literalmente “Cuervo”, “Hormiga Negra” y “Salamandra” respectivamente. Inicialmente Karasu no presentaba mayores referencias a su animal, pero en las otras dos marionetas que fueron apareciendo a lo largo de la trama sí se notaron más cualidades del animal que les da nombre, así que me pareció interesante como dato para que tuvieran en cuenta.
¡Eso es todo por este número! No sé si en todos los tomos va a haber cosas para explicar; pero si les interesa preguntar por algo en detalle de los tomos que siguen, o tienen dudas que les puedan haber surgido en los tomos anteriores, no duden en mandarlas a la editorial y voy a tratar de incluirlas en las próximas secciones.
¡Nos vemos en el próximo tomo!
Sayounara
- Agustín Gomez Sanz
April 11, 2024
Mogę być nieobiektywna przez mój sentyment i miłość do Garry ale nie zamierzam tego zmieniać 😅
January 26, 2025
Amazing! Loved the different character designs, interested to see where the story goes.
September 20, 2025
Te pega en la nostalgia, los putazos comienzan enseguida y además hay rediseño de Neji. Excelente
October 2, 2018
good book
September 15, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.
Once upon a time, the spirit of an evil Nine Tailed Fox wreaked havoc on Konohagakure; the Village Hidden in the Leaves, killing hundreds of honorable ninja in the skirmish and leaving many children without homes or parents. The Fourth Hokage (leader of the village) unleashes a forbidden jutsu (magic spell/ninja ability) to seal the spirit of the evil fox into the body of a newborn baby named Naruto at the cost of his own life. He did this in the hopes that the boy could one day learn to master the power of the demonic spirit and use it to protect the village and become a great hero of the people.
Unknown to the citizens of the Leaf, the Nine Tailed Fox was being controlled by an even more powerful adversary, a legendary rogue ninja that plans to wage war against the entire world from the shadows. The identity of the mysterious ninja that attacked the Leaf Village using the Nine Tails died with the Fourth Hokage, and he used what remained of his life to gift Naruto with the power of one day being able to stop this evil ninja and a clan of outlawed S-rank criminals called the Akatsuki from committing mass genocide against the many hidden villages and clans of the world.
Because of the evil spirit sealed inside him, Naruto grew up hated by the other children of the village because they believe him and the Nine Tails to be one and the same. They believe he’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, waiting for the perfect moment to kill them all just like the Nine Tails killed their parents and families. Shunned, dehumanized and treated like dirt, Naruto vows to become the greatest hokage the world has ever seen so that he can receive the love and acknowledgement he never got as a child.
On top of the Nine Tails power and the will to never quit, Naruto also possesses the uncanny ability to turn everyone he meets into a potential comrade. He brings out the best in his peers and tries his hardest to make his enemies see the errors of their ways. He disobeys the rules and ignores cultural traditions to try and make changes to the world and break the eternal cycle of war and hatred through his own methods. His determination is infectious to friend and foe alike. He earns himself the respect he deserves by overcoming one impossible obstacle at a time.
Naruto encounters many fascinating and terrifying ninja over the course of his journey to become hokage. Among them are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto’s best friend and rival who is driven by the vengeful lust to murder his elder brother after he wiped out their own clan in cold blood. Sasuke warms up to Naruto, but his hatred and trauma are dangerous forces that threaten to break his moral code as a ninja and destroy his reputation among his peers.
Kakashi Hatake is a notorious copycat ninja that survived one of the most brutal and devastating wars in history as well as the Nine Tails attack on the Leaf Village. He becomes Naruto and Sasuke’s mentor and teaches them a great number of valuable lessons about surviving in the dangerous world of rogue ninja, bloodthirsty assassins and clans ruled by corruption.
Jiraiya is a perverted yet wise sage who taught the Fourth Hokage everything he knew and he’s regarded as a god among shinobi that’s famous for his heroic actions in the second great ninja war. He takes an interest in Naruto and raises him as a father figure to carry on the legacy of the Fourth Hokage to prepare him for the many dangerous people that want to use his power for their own nefarious purposes.
The Akatsuki is one such group of wicked ninja. Among them are Sasuke’s brother Itachi who murdered his clan and possesses many dangerous techniques involving illusions, psychological torture and elemental manipulation. Sasori who controls poisonous puppets with magical threads, Orochimaru who mastered the forbidden arts of reanimation and quasi-immortality, Deidara who fights from afar using detonating clay and many other deadly foes.
The entire series chronicles Naruto and his fellow ninja comrades growing through countless trials and tragedies. There are hundreds of unique jutsus, clans, and techniques which lead to some very intense, creative and strategic battles between skilled ninja with diverse abilities that don’t always match up evenly. There are clan based abilities such as the Aburame clan’s ability to control insects, the Yamanaka clan’s ability to jump into other people’s minds and control their bodies and the Inuzuka clan’s ability to bond with wolves that learn to mimic their master’s battle skills. Then there’s ocular genetic abilities such as the sharingan which allows the user to create psychological illusions, copy their enemy’s abilities and manipulate elemental energy. The byakugan allows the user to read their enemies vital points and detect their spiritual energy from faraway. The rinnegan grants control over space and gravity and so on.
On top of having countless unique abilities, nearly every character has a tragic backstory that makes them sympathetic and relatable, even the nastiest of the villains have well-explored reasons for following the paths they do and becoming the way they are. One of my favorite aspects of the series is how well it explores the physical, emotional and psychological effects war can have on society and culture as well as the survivors and future generations that are forced to live in them. How it breeds racism and cultural disputes, how it inspires hatred in orphaned children and war veterans robbed of their homes toward foreign nations, as well as how this eventually leads to further death, war, poverty and destruction. Learning to forgive the ones you hate to prevent further conflict and damaging the world for future generations even further is a major theme throughout the story.
Being a massive 700 chapter series, it’s not too surprising that there’s some plot holes and consistency issues. A rule might be stated regarding the requirements and usage of a certain jutsu or ability only for that rule to be repeatedly broken 400 chapters later. Sometimes the characters and rules contradict themselves, sometimes the chronology of certain events and historical facts don’t match up perfectly, the lore and general backstory go through several retcons that change the philosophy and power scaling of the characters and the scope of world-building; the final arc especially drags on and breaks a lot of the logic and rules that the story spent the whole series setting up, etc...
Naruto’s far from perfect, but I remember it very fondly for being one of the first series that introduced me to things like manga and Japanese entertainment in general. It was one of those childhood classics like Dragon Ball, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin. The series grew up with me and I can’t help but feel grateful to it for introducing me to hundreds of other franchises that I’m still a huge fan of to this day and I continue to find many new ones on the regular. Naruto's journey from a clownish, disrespected outcast into a talented, well-loved and admired hero is a memorable one.
Once upon a time, the spirit of an evil Nine Tailed Fox wreaked havoc on Konohagakure; the Village Hidden in the Leaves, killing hundreds of honorable ninja in the skirmish and leaving many children without homes or parents. The Fourth Hokage (leader of the village) unleashes a forbidden jutsu (magic spell/ninja ability) to seal the spirit of the evil fox into the body of a newborn baby named Naruto at the cost of his own life. He did this in the hopes that the boy could one day learn to master the power of the demonic spirit and use it to protect the village and become a great hero of the people.
Unknown to the citizens of the Leaf, the Nine Tailed Fox was being controlled by an even more powerful adversary, a legendary rogue ninja that plans to wage war against the entire world from the shadows. The identity of the mysterious ninja that attacked the Leaf Village using the Nine Tails died with the Fourth Hokage, and he used what remained of his life to gift Naruto with the power of one day being able to stop this evil ninja and a clan of outlawed S-rank criminals called the Akatsuki from committing mass genocide against the many hidden villages and clans of the world.
Because of the evil spirit sealed inside him, Naruto grew up hated by the other children of the village because they believe him and the Nine Tails to be one and the same. They believe he’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, waiting for the perfect moment to kill them all just like the Nine Tails killed their parents and families. Shunned, dehumanized and treated like dirt, Naruto vows to become the greatest hokage the world has ever seen so that he can receive the love and acknowledgement he never got as a child.
On top of the Nine Tails power and the will to never quit, Naruto also possesses the uncanny ability to turn everyone he meets into a potential comrade. He brings out the best in his peers and tries his hardest to make his enemies see the errors of their ways. He disobeys the rules and ignores cultural traditions to try and make changes to the world and break the eternal cycle of war and hatred through his own methods. His determination is infectious to friend and foe alike. He earns himself the respect he deserves by overcoming one impossible obstacle at a time.
Naruto encounters many fascinating and terrifying ninja over the course of his journey to become hokage. Among them are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto’s best friend and rival who is driven by the vengeful lust to murder his elder brother after he wiped out their own clan in cold blood. Sasuke warms up to Naruto, but his hatred and trauma are dangerous forces that threaten to break his moral code as a ninja and destroy his reputation among his peers.
Kakashi Hatake is a notorious copycat ninja that survived one of the most brutal and devastating wars in history as well as the Nine Tails attack on the Leaf Village. He becomes Naruto and Sasuke’s mentor and teaches them a great number of valuable lessons about surviving in the dangerous world of rogue ninja, bloodthirsty assassins and clans ruled by corruption.
Jiraiya is a perverted yet wise sage who taught the Fourth Hokage everything he knew and he’s regarded as a god among shinobi that’s famous for his heroic actions in the second great ninja war. He takes an interest in Naruto and raises him as a father figure to carry on the legacy of the Fourth Hokage to prepare him for the many dangerous people that want to use his power for their own nefarious purposes.
The Akatsuki is one such group of wicked ninja. Among them are Sasuke’s brother Itachi who murdered his clan and possesses many dangerous techniques involving illusions, psychological torture and elemental manipulation. Sasori who controls poisonous puppets with magical threads, Orochimaru who mastered the forbidden arts of reanimation and quasi-immortality, Deidara who fights from afar using detonating clay and many other deadly foes.
The entire series chronicles Naruto and his fellow ninja comrades growing through countless trials and tragedies. There are hundreds of unique jutsus, clans, and techniques which lead to some very intense, creative and strategic battles between skilled ninja with diverse abilities that don’t always match up evenly. There are clan based abilities such as the Aburame clan’s ability to control insects, the Yamanaka clan’s ability to jump into other people’s minds and control their bodies and the Inuzuka clan’s ability to bond with wolves that learn to mimic their master’s battle skills. Then there’s ocular genetic abilities such as the sharingan which allows the user to create psychological illusions, copy their enemy’s abilities and manipulate elemental energy. The byakugan allows the user to read their enemies vital points and detect their spiritual energy from faraway. The rinnegan grants control over space and gravity and so on.
On top of having countless unique abilities, nearly every character has a tragic backstory that makes them sympathetic and relatable, even the nastiest of the villains have well-explored reasons for following the paths they do and becoming the way they are. One of my favorite aspects of the series is how well it explores the physical, emotional and psychological effects war can have on society and culture as well as the survivors and future generations that are forced to live in them. How it breeds racism and cultural disputes, how it inspires hatred in orphaned children and war veterans robbed of their homes toward foreign nations, as well as how this eventually leads to further death, war, poverty and destruction. Learning to forgive the ones you hate to prevent further conflict and damaging the world for future generations even further is a major theme throughout the story.
Being a massive 700 chapter series, it’s not too surprising that there’s some plot holes and consistency issues. A rule might be stated regarding the requirements and usage of a certain jutsu or ability only for that rule to be repeatedly broken 400 chapters later. Sometimes the characters and rules contradict themselves, sometimes the chronology of certain events and historical facts don’t match up perfectly, the lore and general backstory go through several retcons that change the philosophy and power scaling of the characters and the scope of world-building; the final arc especially drags on and breaks a lot of the logic and rules that the story spent the whole series setting up, etc...
Naruto’s far from perfect, but I remember it very fondly for being one of the first series that introduced me to things like manga and Japanese entertainment in general. It was one of those childhood classics like Dragon Ball, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin. The series grew up with me and I can’t help but feel grateful to it for introducing me to hundreds of other franchises that I’m still a huge fan of to this day and I continue to find many new ones on the regular. Naruto's journey from a clownish, disrespected outcast into a talented, well-loved and admired hero is a memorable one.
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