Since its debut in the early 2000s, the Naruto anime has remained relevant for nearly 20 years. However, not all aspects of the series have aged well, with the exception of Boruto. In addition to disagreements over animation style and character development, several elements are now considered problematic. While some things seemed harmless at the time, they became increasingly problematic as tastes and social norms evolved. This is especially true as anime shows are held to a higher standard these days.
The level of technology is not consistent across the environment
At first glance, it is not clear when the events in Naruto take place. While it’s certainly set in an alternate fantasy world, its technical level lacks consistency due to the lack of elements that ground it in reality. As depicted in the above image, the village of Konoha is covered in electric wires, signifying the use of electricity. However, Naruto does not have many electronic devices other than the radio used by the main characters on missions. Furthermore, the characters wear a mixture of modern and traditional Japanese clothing, which is still confusing.
Supporting characters lack development
Due to the large number of characters in the Naruto universe, not all of them are fully developed, with the exception of a few main characters. However, anime fans felt that some of the side characters could have been more interesting and played a more important role in the plot. Sadly, these characters are often wasted due to poor writing or lack of plot development around them. Tenten is a perfect example of such a character; she is known to be able to summon various weapons from magical scrolls but has little else going for her. Luckily, her role in Boruto is more prominent than before.
Akatsuki’s death and quick resurrection
No matter how interesting a character or group is, their appeal can easily diminish depending on the creator’s choices. Take Akatsuki from Naruto for example. They are loved by fans thanks to their impressive design and incredible power.
However, as Naruto: Shippuden progresses, they are quickly defeated by the show’s main characters and then revived as sentient zombies. This plot ultimately made the Akatsuki less compelling villains, and in retrospect, their deaths seem meaningless since they will soon be brought back to life.
Character motivations make no sense
As the Naruto plot develops, the characters’ motivations may change. However, in some cases, they can become worse or meaningless. One of the worst examples of this character change is arguably Sasuke.
After defeating his older brother Itachi, who had nearly killed everyone in their family, Sasuke’s motives changed after learning the truth about Itachi’s actions. Instead of moving on, Sasuke joined forces with Akatsuki to make Konoha pay for what they did to his clan. In retrospect, this seems like an unnecessary and drastic measure compared to his ultimate goal of restoring his family to its former glory.
The fight scene was too long
While fight scenes are an important element of any anime series aimed primarily at men, they can sometimes appear in multiple episodes at once. From a marketing standpoint, keeping viewers focused on the next episode to see how the fight will resolve is a great strategy.
However, this approach can easily be abused, and the longer the fight lasts, the more impatient the audience will become. There have been many instances of this happening in Naruto, and the longest battle is said to be between Naruto and Sasuke. Since they’re the main villains of the anime, this makes sense, but it doesn’t make the battles any less repetitive and unnecessarily long by today’s standards.
Use constant recall
One factor that contributed to the long battle scenes in Hokage was the excessive use of flashbacks. These flashbacks are triggered by a character or arbitrarily by the anime itself, and can sometimes be humorous.
Some of these flashbacks last so long that they take up entire episodes, such as Naruto and Sasuke’s first battle in the Valley of the End. In this case, Sasuke witnesses the massacre of his clan and an episode or two is shown with random flashbacks. Sometimes, even repeated or multiple flashbacks are shown in a single episode, which does not improve over time.
Rich fillers
After completing the first half of the Naruto manga, the anime spawned several spin-off series to sustain the franchise until Naruto: Shippuden was released. Although endings in anime are not uncommon, they are often placed between main plot lines to give viewers moments of emotional respite.
However, fans were dissatisfied with the Naruto spin-offs because their endings were simply filler that did not contribute to the overall plot of the series. Even now, Naruto and its direct sequels are famous for having more filler episodes than any other series.
Killer B tends to rap lyrics
Due to Japan’s history of isolationism, Japan has less ethnic diversity than other countries such as the United States. As a result, anime series often rely on stereotypes when portraying non-Japanese characters, some more aggressive than others. Killer B is a prime example of this. He quickly became a fan favorite after his debut in Naruto: Shippuden because not only was he extremely powerful, but he was also very helpful in teaching Naruto how to control the Nine-Tails. However, B has a tendency to speak lyrics in a rap style which, upon reflection, could be considered racist since he is one of the few black characters in Naruto who lacks Japanese aesthetics.
Finally, the female character is useless
A common problem with many male-oriented anime shows is how they portray female characters. Although some of these female characters initially seem strong, they often end up being overshadowed by their male counterparts. Therefore, their contribution to the overall story becomes insignificant. Naruto is no exception to this problem when it comes to its depiction of female characters and plot development. For example, Sakura’s character fluctuates between being extremely helpful and completely useless. However, despite any potential justification for this problem, female characters in television shows and movies today tend to be more self-reliant and do not suffer from such inferior traits.
immature humor
It cannot be denied that the humor in Naruto is inherently immature, even though the anime’s target audience is teenagers. Although Naruto: Shippuden improves on this issue, it still includes inappropriate jokes that are not up to today’s standards. For example, there is a scene where Naruto uses a standard ninja jutsu called Transformation to transform himself into a naked girl instead of using it to disguise himself as someone else.
The result of this transformation causes nearby older men to suffer nosebleeds, often accompanied by sexual excitement and unconsciousness as depicted in most anime series. It is childish and age-inappropriate to use female nudity as a source of humor.