Masashi Kishimoto is a hack writer.

[KazeAizen]

Sooo... we had this little discussion about a month ago, about wheter or not Naruto was hated, and I answered that the reason I (and I suspect a lot of other people) dislike the series, is because it's become increasingly poorly written.

Well, guess what? Kishimoto just came out during the Shonen Jump held Jump Festa event, and admited that he had no f***ing clue how the main character is supposed to be able to defeat the main villain. He's out of ideas...

What. A. Piece. Of. Crap.

He's written himself into a corner, made his beloved Uchiha God Mode Sue too powerful, and now he's realised what every other person on the planet has: the main character can't win. This is worse than Aizen in Bleach, and will probably share that series retarded pre-timeskip conclusion as well...

Why did I ever even like this series?

Here's the problem. While most of these series are A to B style stories after a while they operate like American comic books. In that they need to keep content coming for months on end and find ways to extend certain arcs. You sir just need to chill out though. So butt hurt over something so stupid. At least its ending and out of the three it has the best writing but according to you that's like saying one pile of shit is better then another pile of shit. He hasn't completely written himself into a corner. Not the way Kubo did if you think about it. You sir just need to calm your tits and maybe not read this stuff anymore if you've "gotten to old" for it or whatever the excuse of the week is.

 

[waj9876]

This is why The Simpson, Family Guy, Ranma1/2, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and any other long runner with at least partially non-episodic events will have/do have really bad endings that are simply not satisfying.

I'm sorry, but how was the ending to Ranma1/2 unsatisfying? There was a serious arc about Ranma fighting a phoenix/human hybrid who was basically a god, all to save Akane (As usual.) and he admitted his feelings for Akane, to Akane.

Also, it was totally episodic. Except for the "serious" arcs, which could be movies, if the anime didn't give up before the manga finished.

 

[sanquin]

--snip--

Eh, maybe you're right. I just read some people talking about Kubo being forced to continue through his contract. Oh well, doesn't really matter. Either rushed or not planned ahead, the previous and the current arc just felt off in a bad way.

 

[FPLOON]

Naruto is the worst manga with the coolest premise I've ever seen; I hold out a small measure of hope that someday a better writer will rewrite the series.

You mean get the "Dangon Ball Z Kai" method... Call it "Naruto Revolution" or something... and its ending, yet predictable, is exceptional to what this rewrite is trying to do... (No filler... No BS...)

OT: If the dude was a hack, then the series would be sucking LONG before the first big Naruto vs Sasuke fight that went "nowhere"... Then again, how can you plan ahead on a series that became more popular and more demanding that you would have expected? It happened to Kubo and it's [still] happening to Kishimoto...

I mean, unless you're a on-going gag manga, a series with a majority of its chapters be and/or are stand-alone, or has control over its popularity (HA! Could almost not write that with a straight face), the ending isn't going to be that "WOW! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!" or that "BEST CONCLUSION OF ALL TIME!" moment...

Isn't that the point of most anime, though? Especially Shonen anime? It's made to sell toys and market the manga comics. It's the stuff that makes it over seas to Toonami and garners a juicy western audience. Attack on Titan will likely go a similar route, even if it isn't as long.

Yep.

Which is why the best anime series generally have 26 episodes.

Those are the only ones (besides the "exceptional" 13-episode series) I actually end up wanting to buy on DVD... with only a few exceptions being FullMetal Alchemist (both series) and Shin-Chan...

 

[Kitsune Hunter]

I wouldn't call Kishimoto a hack, I mean as everyone said already, Naruto has been going on for a long time so of course it's going to be stale, but I think the main problem is that Kishi didn't take time to think about how strong he should have made Madara and how it would all end.

He should have taken a page from Togashi, as much as I hate it when he constantly goes on hiatus, it gives him time to think and plan out what to do next, which is probably why he took so many during the Chimera Ant arc in Hunter X Hunter in order come up with the best way to end the arc

Spoiler: HxH spoilers

Meruem, the Chimera Ant King who is the most powerful character in the series, is killed off by poison from a nuclear bomb by Chairmen Netero, the strongest Hunter in the world who fails to kill him with his own power. This was probably the best way to end it especially with the deep undertones of human nature and how people usually deal with an insect infestation, with poison, and to those who may have been pissed off about it, how the King spends his final moments more than made up for it

I thought the author for HxH was sick?

God only knows, some say it's because of sickness, others say that he's playing Dragon Quest, but given that a new Dragon Quest has come out recently, I'd say it's the latter

 

[game-lover]

Sooo... we had this little discussion about a month ago, about wheter or not Naruto was hated, and I answered that the reason I (and I suspect a lot of other people) dislike the series, is because it's become increasingly poorly written.

Well, guess what? Kishimoto just came out during the Shonen Jump held Jump Festa event, and admited that he had no f***ing clue how the main character is supposed to be able to defeat the main villain. He's out of ideas...

What. A. Piece. Of. Crap.

He's written himself into a corner, made his beloved Uchiha God Mode Sue too powerful, and now he's realised what every other person on the planet has: the main character can't win. This is worse than Aizen in Bleach, and will probably share that series retarded pre-timeskip conclusion as well...

Why did I ever even like this series?

What was wrong with the Aizen battle?! I mean, if it was rather quick and maybe anticlimactic, then sure. I get that. My brother agrees. I do a little too.

But I'd hardly call the conclusion so lame. Kubo had a plan for how Ichigo would win. A super awesome power-up that would have a big price. A very big price. Said price just happen to kick in at an inopportune time. And the rest? Well, that last factor should be somewhat expected too, I think. It's not like there couldn't have been a lead up.

 

[NiPah]

So at some fan event in Japan a fan asks how the main character could ever kill the evil bad guy.
And the author laughing replies he has no idea?
Color me surprised that the author didn't reveal how he plans to finish the manga.
Does this make him a hack writer? No, just means he's not an idiot who spoils the ending because a fan wants a mathematical formula for how character A can possible beat character B.
Yes the manga will have an ending (when sales numbers start to go down), and I'm guessing the author knows exactly how too, so yeah...

 

[Scars Unseen]

Well, in defence, any series that goes on for this long is bond to suck. You can't really hold that against it, can you?

Is there any long running manga/anime that has a satisfying ending?

...

Exactly!

It's possible to have a long running manga not suck. Berserk has been running since 1990 and is still awesome. The difference? Despite having run for 9 years longer, Berserk only has 37 volumes in comparison to Naruto's 67. Seems like taking your time can potentially turn out better results...

 

[deathbydeath]

I doubt he's a hack for that particular reason. That's just what happens when you have a massively long overhyped serial like Naruto. If you ask me, Kishimoto should just read Worm [http://parahumans.wordpress.com/] and copy the ending there, with appropriate adjustments.

Admittedly I haven't been paying attention to Naruto for years now and I think it's been terrible since the Chunin Exams arc, but that's my two cents so ... go read Worm or something.

 

[deathbydeath]

It's possible to have a long running manga not suck. Berserk has been running since 1990 and is still awesome. The difference? Despite having run for 9 years longer, Berserk only has 37 volumes in comparison to Naruto's 67. Seems like taking your time can potentially turn out better results...

Actually Berserk's had a noticeable dip in quality since Conviction. Bear in mind it hasn't crossed the 'shit threshold' yet, but it still isn't what it once was.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Well, in defence, any series that goes on for this long is bond to suck. You can't really hold that against it, can you?

Is there any long running manga/anime that has a satisfying ending?

...

Exactly!

It's possible to have a long running manga not suck. Berserk has been running since 1990 and is still awesome. The difference? Despite having run for 9 years longer, Berserk only has 37 volumes in comparison to Naruto's 67. Seems like taking your time can potentially turn out better results...

Oh man, did you just open a can of worms!

I love Berserk, it's one of the best things I've ever read, displaying some of the best comicbook art I've ever seen, but after volume 22 that series started to slide down the slope. And when the Berserk armour got introduced it took a serious hit. And apart from that, other things have crept into the story that the series used to be above, like harem shenanigans and filler.

It lost its edge, which isn't surprising seeing as it's been running for 24 years -- No one can stay on the ball for that long. Miura has likely made the story too big and epic for its own good. The bigger it gets the more time it needs to allow all those setpieces to breath and develop adequately. But now all the "epic" seems to be snowballing out of control.

Miura is also getting old and probably tired of working on this fucking thing for so long.

This is a series I see either ending poorly or not at all.

 

[LegendaryVKickr]

What I find more problematic with Naruto at the moment is that it has been non-stop war for...how many chapters now? I had the same problem with the Arrancar fights in Bleach. Basically, the story has been...uhm...let's see. Ah! Since chapter 515. So 145 friggin' chapters now since the war began. That's just under 1/4 of the entire manga! I don't like constant fighting and the drama of the characters that inevitably goes with it.

SERIOUSLY!? Every now and then I hit up the manga online to read and catch up, and you're telling me the war is that damn long? I last read a Naruto manga a year and a half ago and the war was just about to start. That's ridiculous...No story arc needs to be that freaking long.

I mean, I like Naruto, but it's really unreasonable to expect me to fully devote myself to anything for so long. I prefer shorter mangas like FMA or Death Note. At least those don't drag on for ages past their expiration date.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Sooo... we had this little discussion about a month ago, about wheter or not Naruto was hated, and I answered that the reason I (and I suspect a lot of other people) dislike the series, is because it's become increasingly poorly written.

Well, guess what? Kishimoto just came out during the Shonen Jump held Jump Festa event, and admited that he had no f***ing clue how the main character is supposed to be able to defeat the main villain. He's out of ideas...

What. A. Piece. Of. Crap.

He's written himself into a corner, made his beloved Uchiha God Mode Sue too powerful, and now he's realised what every other person on the planet has: the main character can't win. This is worse than Aizen in Bleach, and will probably share that series retarded pre-timeskip conclusion as well...

Why did I ever even like this series?

That...actually explains a lot. I've been following Naruto since the beginning, and when the War started, I was super excited. Finally we could get to see other characters doing things and not just Naruto shouting at his enemies that his feelings are right and theirs are wrong.
Yeah...that lasted for about thirty minutes into the war, and then boom! Naruto shows up and...starts shouting at the first boss about how his feelings are wrong and Naruto's not going to lose and blah blah blah...we've heard it before. And surprise, surprise, Naruto's plan of attack works on Tobi.
But then Madara showed up. And I rolled my eyes so hard I pulled a muscle. Great, I thought. We've hit that level now. Characters that are so powerful they are no longer fun to watch and their attacks no longer mean anything, like DBZ. "Oh, you can destroy a mountain? I can destroy two mountains." What does it matter anymore at that point? When your character can survive an attack that should have turned him into a greasy smear on the ground, the trees, and the very air (when all nine Tailed Beasts attacked Madara at once) and all you come away with is a small scratch on your forehead, you are no longer interesting. You're not even a character. You are just a plot device.
Sadly, Naruto himself has hit this point as well. He had, for lack of a better term, leveled up so much that there's nothing left. He has nothing left to push himself with or grow because of. Look me in the eye and tell me that, if Naruto went full out, Sasuke would stand even the smallest chance.

So yeah, I feel your pain. This guy used a formula for one arch (Zabuza's) of the story and just kept recycling it. Naruto gives enemy a serious case of guilt trip, enemy attacks and nearly beats Naruto, Naruto uses "GUTS! It's Super Effective!", bad guy has a change of heart and repents before dying/admitting defeat. This has been used so many times, with enemies that kept getting stronger and stronger, that he literally had to come up with an object for Naruto to fight. Madara is that object.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Pft, ending Naruto is easy. It's going to pretty much happen one of two ways.

Sasuke dies. Naruto gets his eyes (because Madara just proved instant transplants are totally a thing) which totally instantly evolve into the rinnegan because uber-plot-hax-no-jutsu and Naruto then uses Kyuubi-Sage-Mode-Rinnegan-Susano'o-all-element-amaterasu-rasengan-bijuudama-kamehameha-no-jutsu.

Or he ends it the same way he ends every fight. Talk-no-Jutsu into friendship-no-jutsu.

... or possibly the first followed by the second.

Either way Naruto then becomes ninja jesus and lives happily ever after, albeit getting none from Sakura while continuing to friendzone Hinata.

Kishi can have that one for half my usual rate.

Ha! That's great. I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed Naruto literally talks all but one of his enemies 'to death.' There's a reason the fight against Kakazu is my favorite...

If I could make a small adjustment: Hinata uses gentle fist style on Naruto when she slaps him after he leads her on for so long, then storms off to find a man who actually appreciates all she does.

 

[TheEvilGenius]

I see a few people in here saying long-running series are always lackluster. My response; One Piece & Hajime no Ippo. *drops mic and walks out*

Seriously, though, I gave up on Naruto years ago. Then I got back into it because I think someone may have been slipping hallucinogens into my drinks. Now I gave up on it again. It's just bad. Really, REALLY bad. It hit its high point during the Chuunin exams and hasn't recovered. Bleach... actually pissed me off. Kubo had the best possible ending for that series after the Aizen fight. Then... Fullbringers. *sigh*

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

On the solving 'how on earth are they going to beat this villain?' problems...we have Nox from Wakfu.

Spoiler: ZOMG SPOILERS

Nox wins, he drains the life force of an entire race to power his machine, and uses all the collected energies he's amassed over 200 years to go back in time...'twenty miserable minutes!'. he'd been developed well enough that while it was clear he was out of his mind, he seemed to think he was doing 'good in the long run' as it were...so when his master plan doesn't work due to his misunderstanding temporal physics, he...corrects what little he can and then...gives up. The protagonist, the only one who knows what actually happened, tells his friends to just let Nox go, since it's over.

Nox is one of the best villains I've ever seen, ever. Just because he had such a complicated backstory and motivation. Looking awesome didn't hurt, either.

Nox was my personal favourite too, he seemed like a real fleshed out and fresh type of villain.

There's also qilby but his story felt a little out of place compared to Nox's and Nox's backstory felt more dramatic and easier to indentify with.

 

[Artina89]

This is why I really like Death Note. The anime and the manga never overstayed its welcome in my opinion. I used to really like Bleach, especially the season 1 opening theme by Orange range, but in the end I found it really confusing and hard to follow, so in the end I gave up on it. If it ever does end though, I will try and get into it again.

 

[Flunk]

Sooo... we had this little discussion about a month ago, about wheter or not Naruto was hated, and I answered that the reason I (and I suspect a lot of other people) dislike the series, is because it's become increasingly poorly written.

Well, guess what? Kishimoto just came out during the Shonen Jump held Jump Festa event, and admited that he had no f***ing clue how the main character is supposed to be able to defeat the main villain. He's out of ideas...

What. A. Piece. Of. Crap.

He's written himself into a corner, made his beloved Uchiha God Mode Sue too powerful, and now he's realised what every other person on the planet has: the main character can't win. This is worse than Aizen in Bleach, and will probably share that series retarded pre-timeskip conclusion as well...

Why did I ever even like this series?

Oh he'll just go on a quest to meet the never-before heard-of super-master of ultimate power who will train him in the art of super destruction fire quest technique. He's pulled that out so many times so far he'll eventually pull it back out again. Or maybe the other guy has a secret weakness that turns him weak and easy to beat, although that would make Naruto look bad. Heck they could even have it so that the villain is secretly in love with X minor character and only their love can turn them away from the evil. Those are all very hacky answers to this problem and I'm sure he'll pick one eventually.

I gave up on this series years ago because it's just so repetitive. I honestly think he still draws it because it's popular and not because he gives a damn anymore (or ever did in the first place).

 

[Mangod]

Sooo... we had this little discussion about a month ago, about wheter or not Naruto was hated, and I answered that the reason I (and I suspect a lot of other people) dislike the series, is because it's become increasingly poorly written.

Well, guess what? Kishimoto just came out during the Shonen Jump held Jump Festa event, and admited that he had no f***ing clue how the main character is supposed to be able to defeat the main villain. He's out of ideas...

What. A. Piece. Of. Crap.

He's written himself into a corner, made his beloved Uchiha God Mode Sue too powerful, and now he's realised what every other person on the planet has: the main character can't win. This is worse than Aizen in Bleach, and will probably share that series retarded pre-timeskip conclusion as well...

Why did I ever even like this series?

What was wrong with the Aizen battle?! I mean, if it was rather quick and maybe anticlimactic, then sure. I get that. My brother agrees. I do a little too.

But I'd hardly call the conclusion so lame. Kubo had a plan for how Ichigo would win. A super awesome power-up that would have a big price. A very big price. Said price just happen to kick in at an inopportune time. And the rest? Well, that last factor should be somewhat expected too, I think. It's not like there couldn't have been a lead up.

This is just me speaking personally, but I felt that the final showdown between Ichigo and Butterflaizen was a cop-out. I was expecting something like, I dunno, Ichigo and his buddies catching up to the villain, in full God Mode, and after getting toyed with, Orihime finally lashes out at Aizen. Since the Hogyoku and Orihime's powers boil down to

they'd cancel each other out, and Aizen, getting caught in the crossfire between two diametrically opposing forces who're both trying to rewrite reality, gets busted down from full on God to mortal again. The gang gets up, throw everything they have left at him, and in the end, Ichigo kills/K.Os/puts Aizen into a coma or whatever.

It just felt like... instead of tying back to what we've been shown previously, of the characters and what they can do, Kubo just gave Ichigo a magical powerboost. How? Wizards, that's how!

It just felt like a letdown...

What I find more problematic with Naruto at the moment is that it has been non-stop war for...how many chapters now? I had the same problem with the Arrancar fights in Bleach. Basically, the story has been...uhm...let's see. Ah! Since chapter 515. So 145 friggin' chapters now since the war began. That's just under 1/4 of the entire manga! I don't like constant fighting and the drama of the characters that inevitably goes with it.

SERIOUSLY!? Every now and then I hit up the manga online to read and catch up, and you're telling me the war is that damn long? I last read a Naruto manga a year and a half ago and the war was just about to start. That's ridiculous...No story arc needs to be that freaking long.

I mean, I like Naruto, but it's really unreasonable to expect me to fully devote myself to anything for so long. I prefer shorter mangas like FMA or Death Note. At least those don't drag on for ages past their expiration date.

Are they still on Namek?!