5 Things About the Naruto Anime That Don’t Make Sense (No. 1 Still Disappoints Fans)

Naruto is an anime that can appeal to anyone from the very first episode. With an intriguing hook and a compelling main protagonist, it easily draws viewers in. As the plot progresses, more elements are introduced that continually help the anime improve.

However, the opposite is also true. Because Naruto is a long-running series, it is far from perfect and occasionally introduces elements that don’t make sense. Some are introduced early on, yet their answers lie in plain sight, while others appear at the last moment, highlighting the series’ imperfections. The following are the weakest elements of the show that prevent it from being perfect.

5) Naruto’s Obsession With Sasuke

Naruto’s obsession with Sasuke is a consistent part of the anime; however, it is not handled well and becomes increasingly difficult to justify. Their bond begins with Naruto feeling jealous of Sasuke, but it gradually grows into a friendship as both of them develop as shinobi. However, Sasuke’s desire for revenge puts him on a dark and destructive path.

While Naruto’s determination to bring his friend back is understandable, he eventually has to face the reality of how far Sasuke has gone. Sasuke becomes an international criminal and even harms those closest to them. Naruto’s unwavering resolve to save him becomes difficult to watch, and the series’s insistence on portraying it no longer makes sense.

4) No One Telling Naruto About His Parents

Naruto’s position in the village as an orphan living alone in Konoha already doesn’t make much sense, as fans often question why the Third Hokage would isolate him when he carried the Nine-Tails inside him. To prevent any potential danger from the Nine-Tails, the best decision would have been to keep Naruto close and tell him about his past as soon as he was old enough to understand it.

However, no one shows any concern or curiosity about telling Naruto about his lineage, especially characters like Kakashi and Jiraiya, who played major roles in his growth and had close ties to his parents, especially Naruto’s Dad, Minato Namikaze. With the narrative also making it obvious who Naruto’s father was, it makes little sense for anyone to hide it, especially when knowing the truth could have helped Naruto grow and overcome his isolation.

3) Female Characters

Naruto is a typical shonen anime that incorporates many staples of the genre, and unfortunately, it also carries over the poor writing often given to female characters. While Sakura and Ino’s introduction sets up the classic trope of two female characters fawning over a male character, it is also meant to contribute to their growth.

Unfortunately, the result is a fight between Sakura and Ino that is mostly unwatchable and cringeworthy. The plot surrounding the female characters never truly improves, highlighting that the portrayal of women in Naruto remains one of its weakest elements.

2) Final Villain

Kaguya Otsutsuki’s introduction as the final villain of Naruto is one of the most controversial elements of the series, and it doesn’t make much sense, as the series never laid any earlier hints of a higher entity being involved. It gives the impression that the author introduced her at the last moment to add a more intriguing twist and an epic final battle.

Fans have increasingly pointed to this as one of the weakest parts of the series, as Kaguya undermines the brilliant plan set up by Madara Uchiha, who arguably should have been the final villain. However, it is refreshing to see that Boruto, Naruto’s successor series, incorporates the alien theme far better than Naruto ever did, making it one of Boruto’s strongest elements.

1) Naruto’s Hokage Ceremony Never Being Properly Celebrated

Naruto is shaped by the typical shonen formula, incorporating many of the elements expected from the genre. That is why Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage was never properly celebrated, despite it being a core shonen trope for a protagonist’s dream to be fulfilled and acknowledged, which doesn’t make sense and leaves fans scratching their heads.

Fans are justified in criticizing this element because, after sitting through more than 700 episodes of Naruto constantly declaring his dream of becoming Hokage, the least they expected was for the original series to depict the moment properly. But it never did, and even when a special OVA was released showing the ceremony, it turned the moment into a joke by having Naruto miss his own celebration. Naruto’s Hokage ceremony, never being properly shown, is still a point of debate among fans, reflecting how unresolved and nonsensical this decision feels.

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