Naruto, Vol. 12: The Great Flight

Naruto [ナルト] #12

by Masashi Kishimoto

At last, the finals of the third phase of the Chūnin Selection Exams begin! In the first battle, Naruto faces off against Neji, widely considered to be the most talented young ninja in Konohagakure. With his newfound ability to access the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox, can Naruto beat his genius opponent? Or will Neji overcome his family's troubled history to triumph in the match?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Shonen, Fiction, Action

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

Masashi 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.

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lesson: He knows what it means to be strong.

(Cried loads again, excuse me 😭 but the team is getting stronger)

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two rounds of the final exam in one book. And one of them diving deep into Neji's character and backstory? Absolutely marvelous and devastating at the same damn time.

Naruto finally goes on to shock the world again. Him mature immaturity is brilliant, but when he has those special moments like the the one in here. He's truly a genius. A kick-ass genius.

And there's Shikamaru. We finally get more out of him and have a better idea of who he is and what he's about. Don't mess with him. Buuuuuuut he still successfully annoyed me with the way that match-up ended! Argh!

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Vijetha Palathoti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shikamaru is probably the first non annoying character so far. Quits from the finals after insane strategizing, just because.

oh how i envy the clouds. They're so free!
TRUE LEGEND.

ALSO, I understand it's important for the plot to progress (and for readers to understand) BUT why do ALL of them keep telling their opponents their family history, who they have beef with, their strengths, their deepest, darkest secrets, and life's problems in general?
Match time is story time, is it, Neji?

[T.R. Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are entering some of the best writing in Manga. (Spoilers) From this point, to the fight between Orochimaru and Hiruzen, it is a masterclass of pacing and payoff.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite characters so far, are some of the other fighters in this tournament, finals, etc. I mean I don't like the MC but don't hate him, well, at first sure but you know what? He has his moments he really does. But you have to read a couple of volumes until you start to like the guy. The world building is interesting, the other characters and villains are interesting.

Its kind of fun reading this while hearing the dub in your head, I don't know it just fits you know? Another good volume. I like Shikamaru's I don't care attitude but underneath is a genius kind of attitude/fighting style he's got going. Makes this volume more interesting. Also, we got some character development it seem with one of the characters. Anyway, another good volume.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so, even though Naruto's fight against Neji was all kinds of awesome with the long missing adulations of the crowd, this is where Shikamaru really starts to really shine. The end of that battle was so funny, and it accomplished so damn much that he became the top choice for any subsequent missions later.

[Kulwinder Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙮."

What a great battle between Neji and Naruto! I don't think I'd have settled for anything less. Shikamaru versus Temari was an incredible battle of wits. With his wily strategies Shikamaru clearly showed everybody who's the real boss when it comes to strategizing.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can only consume so much Naruto in a sitting especially when they’re yapping about how their techniques work and I honestly could care less because it feels like they’re sharing with me their lame special interest. I just kind of tune it out

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over half of this volume is devoted to the battle between Naruto and Neji. While they are fighting, we get a glimpse into Neji's past and what drives his hatred. Hinata is not fully waked from her battle with Neji and begins to cough up blood as she is watching. She is taken away on a stretcher, but a black ops guy offered to help but knocks out her friend.

During Naruto's battle, he is able to channel the nine-tail fox's chakra and even control it. He wins the match and the next match is for Gaara and Sasuke. Sasuke has not shown up for the match yet and there is some fear that Gaara has already killed him. Sasuke was about to be forfeited from the competition but the decision changed: the fight will be postponed and they will wait for Sasuke. Lord Kazekage was persistent that Sasuke fight...but I feel like Lord Kazekage has been replaced with someone else. Maybe Orochimaru??

We end this volume with a battle between Shikamaru and Temari. She wins because Shikamaru have up at the last moment.

[Mert · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Stars (%90/100)

After Gaara vs. Lee, another one of my favorite fights is Neji vs. Naruto. A huge part of this volume is dedicated to that battle. It’s a showdown between Neji, a natural genius, and Naruto, the so-called "biggest loser" in history. Even though Neji believes Naruto can’t possibly understand him, Naruto is actually one of the few people who truly knows what it feels like to be trapped in a cage. It was an incredibly emotional fight. After that, the rest of the book focuses on Shikamaru vs. Temari. One of Naruto’s closest friends, Shikamaru, once again proves his intelligence. Overall, I think this was a fantastic volume. The Chunin Exams are about to reach their peak!

[Ola G · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10 stars

One of the best - if not the best - volume of Naruto I've read so far, The Great Flight gives us Neji vs Naruto fight, as well as plenty of insight into Shikamaru's unique approach to life. After this, you cannot not like Naruto and his dogged perseverance, his energy and a quite mature and thought-through idea of self-determination.

The fights are all right, I guess I've been irrevocably spoiled by Dragon Ball and nothing will make a lasting impression on me ;), but the main draw is the characters. Kishimoto aptly introduces certain backstories and let me tell you, it looks like nobody has an easy life in Konoha. Well, maybe with the exception of Sakura ;) Anyway, the list of characters that I start to like grows, so there's hope yet ;)

[Mert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puanım 5/5 (%90/100)

Gaara ve Lee'nin dövüşünden sonra bir diğer favorim de Neji ve Naruto'dur. Zaten bu cildin büyük bir kısmı da buna ayrılmış. Doğuştan bir deha Neji ve gelmiş geçmiş en büyük ezik Naruto karşılaşıyor ve her ne kadar Neji Naruto'nun kendisini anlamadığını düşünse de Naruto bir kafese kısılmış olmanın nasıl hissettirdiğini anlayacak en iyi kişilerden. Çok duygu dolu bir dövüştü. Bundan sonra kitabın kalan kısmında da Shikamaru ve Temari'nin karşılaşmasını izliyoruz. Naruto'nun en has arkadaşlarından olan Shikamaru da zekasını gösteriyor. Genel olarak bence çok güzel bir ciltti. Chuunin Sınavları en zirve noktasına ulaşmak üzere.

[Odo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tanto potencial que había en los Hyuga

[Virgi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐

[Jeffrey Greek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shikamaru is The GOAT.

[★ray's bookshelf★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have watched the whole show and read all the mangas, it was really amazing how a little boy like Naruto, can become the strongest among everyone by the years!

[Riki (˶˃⤙˂˶) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 💫

How come is this so addicting!?

[Eden Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

shikamaru's chapters were sooooo good!!!!!

[Lucie Wicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Mit · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final rounds of Chunin selection exam starts with Naruto and Neji facing each other and while the fight was good but lacked action and tactics and tricks been played out, it was more of like a clash between ideas and beliefs. Naruto's idea of never giving up and Neji's idea of "everything is based on destiny and you can not change what you are." However, the next match between Shikamaru and Temari was a bit opposite of it, they both were trying to outsmart each other by doing tricks and though the ending was funny, it just really brought out the real character of Shikamaru which I thought was lame.

Meanwhile, Sasuke is still absent and something fishy is going on in the stadium. Something is coming...

[Radwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two fights in a volume, what a thrill!

I respect Naruto's progress and hard work, I could do without a lot of his babbling throughout the fight, but I respect the progress he made. Also, Neji's back story is sad. I guess almost 90% of the characters here have tragic backstories, right?

Shikmaru is sure a weird guy, I love him! He's just... different. His reasons to fight, and reasons to become a ninja, and even his thoughts process are all different. and I like that!

I'm just having fun getting to know a bit more of each character with each volume.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting off this volume with Chapter 100: Prepared to Die...!!
It's come down to the fight between Hyuuga, Neji against Naruto. There is a lot of backstory, and internal monolouging in this battle about the the Hyuuga families dirty laundry. We also see some inventive and nifty new jutsu displayed in this vol. Will Neji's hatred and arrogance be his undoing? Come and find out for yourself in this excellent and heartbreaking manga. Cheers and Happy Reading!

[Ilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok Naruto ma uscitemi Kakashi

[Ben Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought Naruto vs Kiba was good I’m presented with Naruto vs Neji.

I’m upset Hinata didn’t get to see Naruto beat Neji cause it’s like the one time where he actually shows interest in her before Shippuden.

The panel of Naruto uppercutting Neji is so iconic.

I absolutely LOVE Shikamaru. Idc what anyone says, he is Naruto’s best friend, NOT that fraud Sasuke. And he’s just so smart, but he doesn’t give a fuck. He pulls the best strategy in the show so far and just forfeits the match? He just popped out and showed everyone that he’s that guy and let Temari proceed cause he’s a gentleman. And they end up getting married in Boruto too so I guess he’s playing the long game. My goat’s entire life is one big game of Shogi.

Ready for Sasuke and Kakashi to pull up in the black Air Force Ones and aura farm against Gaara.

[Michael Neno · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final rounds of the Chunin exams begin. Naruto spars with Neji of the Hyuaga Clan Cadet Branch, in a 105-page battle as philosophical as it is physical, with warring ideas on destiny and free will. Naruto has opportunity during the standoff to tap into the power of his incased fox spirit. Naruto's comrade Sasuke has yet to show up for the tournament (glimpses are shown of a previous and mysterious scene with Gaara, Sasuke and Kakashi), so Kanjuro and Aburame Shino match up instead. This volume doesn't have as much room for the layered and complex political intrigue that the preceding volumes had, but is still suspenseful, top-notch cartooning.

[Keita Yata]

This volume was a little serious because Neji told the history of his family. Naruto seemed like afraid of the strength of the Hyuga. I was very excited for the battle which characters expressed their background. I actually hoped that both of Naruto and Neji didn’t lose. I was surprised Naruto succeeded to demonstrate his “Kyubi” normally. I am glad that I could see his advances by practicing with Jiraiya. I kept worrying about the result of Sasuke and Orochimaru…

[Andrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best volumes!

The fight between Neji and Naruto was legendary!

And also crying my eyes out for lord Hiruzen 😭.

Damn… all these manga do is make me cry… Naruto is one of the manga/anime that really invested me emotionally since I was a kid…

When I decided to relive this series I forgot I was not prepared to get my soul and heart crushed again 😭

[Kaoyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelentes combantes cada uno a su manera. Muy emotiva la historia de Neji y adoro a Naruto y Hinata. Temari es fantástica en todos los aspectos.

´´La confianza en uno mismo es la clave para cambiar el destino ´´

[Myles (semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is quite good especially the fight between Naruto and Nenji, the fight made me jump in my seat. Nenji's past was so intense and he really came from a complex background.






That's all from me, see ya!