Spanning a combined 720 episodes between both Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, as well as over 200 (and counting) episodes in Boruto, it’s fair to say that fans have had plenty of time to get to know and become attached to the characters within these series. The series has delivered many unforgettable moments and left viewers with plenty of happy memories.
That isn’t to say the series is without its flaws though, as users on Reddit have not hesitated to point out. Certain storytelling flaws, such as power-creeping and undeveloped characters, occasionally plague the show, while other aspects have received unfair criticism, leaving Reddit users to discuss their unpopular Naruto opinions for years now.
Updated on August 17th, 2022 by Amanda Bruce: The longer fans have to sit with a piece of content, the more apt they are to be able to examine a project's flaws with less bias. That’s certainly the case with something like Naruto. Between the manga, the anime, the movies, and the sequel series, there is a massive amount of content for the franchise. While fans might love the story, the characters, and the fight sequences, that doesn’t mean every fan has to agree on every aspect of the franchise. There are plenty of fans who are able to accept that there are aspects of the Naruto series that not everyone sees eye-to-eye on.
Itachi Is Irredeemable
Itachi Uchiha is definitely a fan favorite character. There’s a lot of love for the relationship between him and his younger brother Sasuke, and a lot of interest in his life as a double agent on behalf of Konohagakure. While some fans believe that Itachi’s villain status is redeemed because he was actually trying to protect the village in secret, not every fan agrees.
Reddit user Larsi13 calls Itachi “irredeemable,” which is understandable. He wipes out his entire family other than his little brother when he learns they plan on going against other village members. He could have told someone. Itachi also joins the Akatsuki, which means, even if he was secretly protecting his home village, he was still helping to target and destroy other people. It’s hard to see him as redeemed or a secret hero just because he cared about his little brother and his hometown.
The Filler Episodes Are Enjoyable
Reddit user TheLostGremlin offered a controversial opinion when they said, “I really enjoyed the filler episodes, regardless of how silly or irrelevant they were to the main storyline.” Considering the series ran for over 700 episodes, there are a high number of filler episodes across both Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden.
While they may not all be looked back on as iconic episodes, the filler episodes gave the big arcs time to breathe and provided some light-hearted adventures that allowed viewers to get to know the Konoha 11 much better. That being said, the sheer quantity of filler episodes felt excessive at times and served as aggravating distractions from the main plotline.
Kisame Deserved A Better Ending
Tasked with partnering up with quite possibly the most popular character in the entire series — Itachi Uchiha — Kisame had his work cut out for him while working with the Akatsuki. For this reason, it could have been easy for Kisame to be overlooked, but he still managed to make a big impact on fans. Redditor killzer says, “I think Kisame was the coolest Akatsuki and deserved a much better last fight.”
But while a final confrontation against Guy would have been enjoyable to see, Kisame's death kept vital information hidden away from the heroes. Most fans would agree that his death helped establish him as one of the most loyal members of the Akatsuki and served as a fitting conclusion for the character.
Team 8 And 10 Didn’t Need More Character Development
As Naruto and his classmates grow up throughout the show, it became easy to form an attachment with each member of the Konoha 11. And many people would have liked to see more of Team 8 (Hinata, Shino, and Kiba) and Team (Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji) as the show progressed. But user vtae123 disagrees, saying, “I could care less about team 8 and team 10 and I'm fine with the amount of character development they already have.”
While it's true that the show does revolve around Naruto and the events of his life, that doesn't mean the rest of the world isn't worth exploring. Seeing as these characters play a major role right up until the conclusion of the series, it could have been worth spending more time with them.
Sasuke Vs. Deidara Was A Great Fight
At the beginning of Naruto: Shippuden, viewers were finally treated to the long-awaited commencement of the Akatsuki’s plan to capture all of the tailed beasts. While Deidara would be successful in many clashes against the shinobi of the Leaf Village, he met his match when it came to what Sasuke could do. Many people believed the motivations for this fight felt forced, but Reddit user JOKRxARMAGEDDON still found it entertaining: “Unpopular opinion: I liked the Sasuke vs Deidara fight.”
And while it was a great example of a back and forth battle where each side used their brains to win, many fans felt Sasuke only won against Deidara due to plot armor. This left a bitter taste in the mouths of many fans who had long awaited the bout between the two.
Sakura’s Obsession With Sasuke Is Understandable
One of the largest gripes fans can find online about Naruto is Sakura’s relentless pursuit of Sasuke, despite his closed-off nature. “I used to think it was absolutely absurd that Sakura would still be in love with Sasuke after everything,” says user AmericanHerstoryX, “[Sasuke] was a complex and disturbed individual and both Sakura and Naruto recognized that more than I did.”
In retrospect, Sasuke was in need of emotional support, and Sakura was ready to provide that, no matter how many times he pushed her away. That being said, Sakura is often portrayed immaturely in her pursuit of Sasuke, which soured the relationship for many viewers and ultimately became a big missed opportunity.
Neji Was Under-Powered
“[Neji] should have been essentially what Kakashi is: not a God-level power, but capable enough to be a Hokage and useful in the endgame,” says one Reddit user, “If the Hyuga clan are the strongest of their village, Neji, as the prodigy of that clan, certainly wasn't demonstrated to be on the level you'd imagine him being.”
It does feel jarring to see Neji repeatedly touted as a genius and the strongest wielder of the Byakugan, just for him to be sidelined during much of Naruto: Shippuden. But he did manage to deliver many incredible moments in the original series as he progressed to becoming one of the most powerful protectors of the Leaf Village. Just because he didn't reach the same power levels as Naruto and Sasuke does not mean Neji wasn't a formidable shinobi in his own right.
Kakashi Becoming Hokage Didn't Contribute To The Story
Before the show even begins, the time of the First, Second, and Fourth Hokages has already come and passed. It’s interesting then, that with so much emphasis put on the role, most people forget Kakashi ever even served as the Sixth Hokage. “Kakashi being the 6th Hokage was not relevant at all to any story, I'd much prefer it if Tsunade just continued the Hokage role until Naruto was ready,” says user dog1434. That opinion might not be entirely unfounded as another now deleted account calls Kakashi's rise to Hokage pure "fanservice."
But while Naruto’s ascension to one day becoming the Hokage felt like a foregone conclusion from the very beginning, he was not ready to accept the mantle right away, and most fans would agree that there was no better placeholder for the title than Kakashi himself.
The Leaf Village Shouldn’t Have Been Resurrected
In what many consider to be the best arc in the entire series, Pain’s destruction of the Leaf Village was a high-stakes event that had fans on the edge of their seats. Watching everyone desperately attempt to slow Pain down and buy time for Naruto’s return was an excruciating experience … except for the fact it didn’t matter. “Everyone should have stayed dead when Pain Invaded the village,” says Reddit user, nipponape115.
Admittedly, allowing Nagato to sacrifice himself to rewrite everything does slightly undermine the emotional impact of the final battle against Pain. But the Great Ninja War would never have been possible had the Leaf Village remained destroyed, depriving fans of one of Naruto's most exciting story arcs.
The Final Fight Against Kaguya Makes Sense
Possibly the most controversial decisions in Naruto history involved introducing a new main villain named Kaguya and swapping out the seemingly unbeatable Madara in the series’ final episodes. Battling Kaguya made for a big spectacle, but it irritated many fans since she lacked the development Madara had built up since the beginning of Shippuden. But Redditor Randerth goes against the grain and says, “I think that Team 7 vs Kaguya as a final fight makes more sense than Naruto & Sasuke vs Madara.”
Adding Kakashi and Sakura to the battle did help to bring things full circle, however, the plot twist had essentially no set-up and felt like a convenient way to remove Madara from the picture, robbing fans of the final battle they really wanted.
Naruto’s Speech Skill Isn’t Just Plot Armor
A constant theme during Naruto’s journeys is his ability to talk his enemies down from confrontation by appealing to their emotions and shared experiences in life. Some people see this as plot armor, most notably when Naruto convinces Nagato to change his ways and sacrifice his life to restore the Leaf Village. One Redditor said, “Talk No Jutsu doesn't bother me in most instances and actually fits the tone of the show and the character of Naruto.”
But while it does make sense for Naruto to try talking things out before fighting, it's not always the most exciting thing to watch and does often feel like a plot device to end things without a physical confrontation.