Naruto

Twelve years ago, a colossal demon fox terrorized the world. During the monster's attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hokage—the village's leader and most powerful ninja—sacrifices himself to seal the beast inside a newborn, relieving civilization from destruction while dooming the baby to a lonely life.

Now, after years of being shunned and bullied, Naruto Uzumaki pesters the village with elaborate pranks and vandalism. Despite these antics, he works hard to achieve his dream: to become the Hokage and earn the acknowledgement of those who have mistreated him for his entire life. Naruto joins Team 7, a ninja squad made up of two of his peers—prodigy Sasuke Uchiha and clever Sakura Haruno.

Under the aloof Kakashi Hatake's leadership, Team 7 takes on a series of difficult missions, forcing its members to grow in strength and comradery despite their many differences. Naruto strives to stand out in his rivalry with Sasuke and earn the romantic affection of Sakura. But as the trio brush against danger and death, their tragic pasts threaten to tear them apart.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Uzumaki, Naruto Main

Takeuchi, Junko Japanese

Hatake, Kakashi Main

Inoue, Kazuhiko Japanese

Uchiha, Sasuke Main

Sugiyama, Noriaki Japanese

Haruno, Sakura Main

Nakamura, Chie Japanese

Uchiha, Itachi Supporting

Ishikawa, Hideo Japanese

Nara, Shikamaru Supporting

Morikubo, Shoutarou Japanese

Jiraiya Supporting

Ootsuka, Houchuu Japanese

Gaara Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Hyuuga, Hinata Supporting

Mizuki, Nana Japanese

Namikaze, Minato Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Kobayashi, Noriko Producer

Simone, Jamie Producer, ADR Director

Hounokidani, Naoji Producer

Hagino, Ken Producer

Reviews

Jul 28, 2026

Unbound_027

Recommended

Characters:8/10
Plot: 8/10
Conflict: 8/10
Animation: 7/10
My Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 8/10

I have decided to give the highly praised Naruto a watch. Finally! If I had to give you a reason why I found it to be a compelling story to watch, well here is the reason why.

Let us start with our main character Naruto. The best way to describe him is that he comes off as relatable. Naruto starts off as someone that is lonely and being shunned from the village. All because of something he had no control or knowledge of. Despite that, he doesn't justify it as a reason to go rogue. Matter of fact, he uses ... this as a reason to chase his dream; to be Hokage. A dream that he chases in the story in hopes to be recognised and seen by those in his village. He is loud, brash, eager and hyperactive. But there were scenes where he comes off as mature and level headed when in the situation. It's even more inspiring as well to see the effort he puts to achieve said dream through his training and even staring failure in the face. He just doesn’t know when to quit. He just keeps going. To be honest this is typical coming from a Shonen main character, but then again apart from his emotional state he had nothing to lose. It left me sympathizing with him and rooting for him throughout the story.

The side cast featured in the story were quite solid. What's interesting with the side cast in the story is that the author Masashi Kishimoto uses these characters (including Naruto) to explore various themes. Themes of destiny (Neji), hard work (Rock Lee), revenge (Sasuke), dreams and living for others (Zabuza and Haku), the effects of loneliness (Naruto and Gaara) among others. These themes presented to us looked through the lens of the character or through Naruto. In addition to their back stories, it really sells on making the characters personality engaging, highlighting their character values and to why they act as so. For the rest of the cast without a distinctive theme, I still found them to be entertaining. This is due in fact to their distinct and unique personalities. This is further boosted with the additional screentime provided. The weak aspect of the characters is the screentime and depth of some of the side cast, particularly the women, but more on that later.

It was quite interesting to see how the antagonists had a large presence and contribution to the conflict of the story. It's something that isn't predictable, it's when you least expect it. The antagonists present a constant and long term threat in the story, really applying pressure to the village and its inhabitants. It's often a mix of the characters directly involved or their lackeys acting on their behalf. The best way to describe the antagonists is creepy, deceptive, amoral, intelligent and ambitious. The only thing that I say is underwhelming at times are motives, well at least in this stage of the story. The main antagonist as of now is solid. There are also minor antagonists that play a limited role in the story. In a way this is a good thing as it sets these characters up for the roles that they will play in Shippuden. The conflict was also present outside the antagonists. This is evident through characters Naruto and Sasuke. This conflict was able to capture the dynamic lows and highs of this duo’s friendship. It all boils up for a rather divisive conclusion. The contrasting ideologies and themes that the two carried resulted in an engaging, supportive and tragic friendship.

A point that needs to be highlighted is the aesthetic and realism of the ninja theme. What was interesting is the blend of practical and expected elements of the shinobi. This is through ideas of stealth, weaponry and martial arts. It does this while blending it with the supernatural element of Chakra. Chakra as a power system was really simple to follow. In its simple nature it also allows for its expansion of concepts through the various techniques through jutsu. The forced limits on users’ chakra was pretty annoying, but a need to make it balanced. It increases the stakes in battle and forces the characters to be creative and make calculated gambles in battle. It's really interesting to see that the characters have their own distinctive jutsu and techniques as well. It establishes that they can add to a character’s identity and are tied to the user, a prominent and creator of the technique or a lineage. For me this was evident in one of the techniques Naruto learnt, which was utilised by a few people in the story.

Within each of the arcs, we learn more about the world and what it means to be a ninja. Concepts of not showing emotion and yet recognise you are still human. The importance of community and teamwork in dire times of power struggle. The topic of risking your life and sacrificing yourself for others, personal ambition and goals. Dealing and understanding the importance of life. And importantly, protecting your friends. Story arcs such as the Land of Waves, Chūnin exams, Konoha Crush and the Sasuke Retrieval arc all demonstrate the experiences in clear and precise detail.

The soundtrack used in the story is another highlight. They just fit the overall vibes expected from a story. Didn't realise that a lot of the sounds in the show were popularly used in social media. Explains why it was just enjoyable to listen to. Additionally some of our characters even get their own dedicated tracks. It's really a good thing as it enhances their own personality. You can just hear the track and you already know what they are like. Though I guess that could be said with any character with their own track. What makes the soundtrack so good is how it is able to capture the given atmosphere in the story. Whether that be the casual and upbeat vibe through “Naruto’s Daily Life” and “Afternoon of Konoha”. To how tracks such as “Sadness and Sorrow” and “Orochimaru’s Theme” enhance the feeling of sadness, threat and expression of emotion.

There were a few musical gems that I loved during the watch. Wind by Akeboshi (end credit song 1) and Seishun Kyousoukyoku by Sambomaster (opening song 5) are among some of my favourite tracks in the anime. Commenting on the rest of the other tracks I thought they were alright.

The animation quality is solid but not outstanding. One thing to make clear is to lower any expectations in terms of the animation quality. As the show was made during the 2000s, it's not on par with 2010s and 2020s animation. At times, the animation can get inconsistent in terms of sharpness, resolution and vibrance. Despite that, Studio Pierrot produced animation able to capture the fast pace, effects and the emotional atmosphere present of the story. I might even say the quality of the story is pretty suiting given the aesthetic of the story. If I had to comment, the highlight of the show’s animation would be the final fight in the Sasuke Retrieval arc.

My gripes with the show is that the women portrayed in the story could have been better. The women portrayed were not bad, but were lacking in either unique character depth or screentime. The only character who seemingly didn't suffer from this was Tsunade. The rest unfortunately did to some degree. Someone notable of this flaw would be Sakura. Later on in the story, there were times where she was just there to be the love interest of Sasuke. Not in the comedic sense but integrated into her character. While that necessarily isn't an issue, there isn't really much notable exploration of her character and dreams that would be considered memorable about her.

I also made the decision to skip out on the filler of the story. Which meant out of 220 episodes, only 128 episodes I watched. I did give one filler episode a try, episode 101, and it was underwhelming. The characters just acted oddly (particularly Sasuke) from what I have seen from the characters so far. The characters featured were uninteresting and the plot and conclusion left a lot to be desired. That being said, I can't really comment on whether the filler is worth watching. The decision on skipping the filler for me came from the desire to watch the source material adapted from the manga and the sheer amount of non canonical material that I had no interest In watching. Skipping the filler supposedly means that you miss out on nothing. So really it's each to their own on whether it's worth the watch.

If anything, Naruto Part 1 has done quite a good job in establishing the foundation of the story. It had its good moments and set the ground running for the sequel that will be Shippuden. I trust that you are watching this for the first time, or maybe a rewatcher you will find it an enjoyable watch. Believe It!

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 6, 2025

azuraffirm

Mixed Feelings

Basically, it's okay if you're casual and not investing too much expectation into it, otherwise you may be let down.

It's good in a sense of "i can rewatch this sometime and not go through excruciating pain, totally!" but it definitely feels more easier to talk about the less than ideal things to do with the anime. This includes the quality drop overtime, the censorship of the manga (from what i've seen take this with a grain of salt), the character and character building, the seemingly "long" feeling of the episodes in a majority of them, etc. Only positive things i can go off from the ... top of my head is the character design, Rock Lee existing, and the chuunin exams being straight hands.... While unique and a product of its time, it;s like eating spaghetti for three weeks in a row. Iconic and loved by many, but not someones IMMEDIATE go-to!

Though I was not one of the people that grew up watching this anime, I was by some people who were. Obviously, I'm not going to sit here and drone on about every detail, but despite the critiques I and many have, you can't deny that it didn't have an impact on the animanga scene as a whole. Which, in a way, makes it feel like a letdown if youre going in expecting the best, hands down. Hopefully, Shippuden will bear the fruits of my labor (watching this through its entirety)!!

TLDR; Though iconic, it does have its qualms throughout. Dont expect too too much!

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Apr 16, 2026

thatweirdthing

Not Recommended

Well, the story is a little better than it's sequel but overall it has the same problem, except shippuden has a crazy direction of it's story in the end which managed to ruin even more what was a already rather poor show . Next time, you can bring the ET to kill the aliens with a little boy on a bike .

Negative Aspects:

- Most time characters are static during combat scenes .
- I get pretty tired of the repeated trees and landscapes, lots of times i get the same static frame repeated 10 times during a show (jutsus, kunais, fighting choreography repeated 5 times in ... 10 secs ) for real, was this a low budget show ?
- Biggest assassins like to talk more than the main characters and always fail to assassinate .
- It's content is good for an 8 year old, the dialogues are always repetitive and shallow .
- Filler show with nothing to add on my life .

Positive Aspects :

- The imagination of the world itself is probably the reason it's a 2 and not less .
- It ended .

Overall rating 2

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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