By: Thomas Horvath

If you are familiar with anime, then you likely know who Naruto is. Naruto is one of the most iconic characters in media, and his popularity only grows with time. The series he originates from, named after himself, is the fifth highest-selling manga series of all time, having sold over 250 million copies. Naruto has inspired many young kids to work hard and achieve greatness, but does the show reflect this message? While I believe Naruto had a great start, I believe it, unfortunately, forgets its message as it progresses and gives into tropes that tarnish the original message of hard work getting you to the top. This article will have spoilers for Naruto and Naruto:Shippuden. 

When we first meet Naruto, he is shunned by his village for having Kurama, a nine-tailed beast that attacked the village and caused death and destruction, sealed inside of him to keep Kurama from causing more destruction. Naruto was cursed with the burden of bearing a beast that killed many, including his parents, leaving him an outcast orphan who seemed to have nothing going for him, but still, he was determined to be Hokage, or the village leader. Naruto would train his Chakra and aim to become a great ninja, and for the first arc or so, we see Naruto use strategy and willpower to overcome obstacles, but this changes with his battle against Neji in the Chunin Exams. Neji believes in destiny and fate, while Naruto disagrees and beats Neji to prove that hard work can overcome how you were born. The only problem is that Naruto uses powers from Kurama to beat Neji, which kind of proves Neji right. This is the first instance of Naruto using his nine-tailed fox abilities as a crutch. We later find out that Naruto is not a nobody, and in fact, is the son of the former Hokage, and is the reincarnation of Asura, and has been prophesied as the chosen one. The series devolves from a battle of wit and overcoming stronger opponents, to being born with powers that let you do whatever you want, such as the Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes that you can only be born with if you are an Uchiha. This choice pretty much makes every other character that isn’t Naruto or an Uchiha useless. Characters don’t get their own battles, they get to support Naruto. 

Naruto may be one of the most financially successful series of our time, but I do not think the story lives up to its reputation. Many young kids grew up on Naruto, and he might have inspired them to never give up and work hard to reach the top, but the retcons and later reveals ruin the message of the show. This is purely my opinion, and you can disagree with me.