Naruto Finally Comes to an End Next Month

[Steven Bogos]

Naruto Finally Comes to an End Next Month

After a 15-year run, Naruto will finally come to a conclusion.

Anyone with even a passing interest in anime and manga will have no doubt heard of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto's story of ninjas, magic, and demon foxes. First debuting back in 1999, it looks like the long-running anime series will finally come to its conclusion, as The Asahi Shinbun reports [http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASGB50GH6GB4UCVL013.html] that next month will see the manga end.

The last entry in the Naruto series will reportedly appear in the edition of Weekly Shonen Jump that goes on sale November 10 in Japan. Naruto himself, with his orange jumpsuit and Konoha headband, has become one of the most iconic anime characters in Japan, and although his popularity waned in the period preceding the anime's reboot from Naruto to Naruto: Shipuuden, Naruto and his pals have still remained some of the most easily recognizable characters in Japan [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/cosplaygalleries/12289-Tokyo-Game-Show-2014-Cosplay-Gallery.8] and around the world.

It's certainly a shame to see the series come to a close, but after a massive 15-year run, there does come a point when enough is enough. Naruto will also reportedly get a send-off movie, as appropriately titled (though grammatically incorrect) anime film The Last: Naruto the Movie will hit Japanese theaters this December.

Meanwhile, One Piece [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Piece], one of Naruto's biggest competitors, is still going strong, and doesn't show signs of slowing down as it comes up on its 17-year anniversary.

Naruto fans, how do you think Kishimoto will end the manga? What are you expecting to see in the final chapter?

Source: Kotaku [http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASGB50GH6GB4UCVL013.html]

Permalink

 

[Lazy Kitty]

So how far is the manga ahead of the anime?
Is there an estimate of how long the anime will keep going after the manga ends?

 

[Kenjitsuka]

So how far is the manga ahead of the anime?
Is there an estimate of how long the anime will keep going after the manga ends?

Since the anime is just 97% random filler bullshit, I'd say that could easily go on literally forever...
Plus there will no doubt be many, MANY more movies in the future.

 

[Gizmo1990]

So how far is the manga ahead of the anime?
Is there an estimate of how long the anime will keep going after the manga ends?

The anime is about 60 chapters behind but with it coming to an end I don't think they will put in any more filler. This last season has had very little filler at all.

OT:
Naruto is not what it once was but I have found myself still enjoying it, even the war arc. However the last few issues have been a bit crap. That being said they have been about Sasuke and I hate that guy so much. I don't know how it is going to end but my perfect ending would be for all of the characters to come together and beat him to death with 2 by 4's but I don't think that is going to happen some how.

 

[loa]

It's certainly a shame to see the series come to a close

I estimate most fans just keep reading it out of obligation to see how it ends but it just wouldn't end already so the soul crushing sadness about this one will be sparse.
Naruto has... issues. The real shame is that it started off so well.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Honestly its about time, Naruto has been a bit of a drag for a few years now.

Spoiler: Just in case people arent up to date with the manga

The goddamn author shouldve picked a goddamn main villain and just stuck with them. Look big bad is Madara, oh wait no its Obito, actually no it really is Madara, oh wait no its actually a character that I pulled completely out of my ass. Naruto's best villain in the series IMO was Zabuza, the guy was cool, had a big sword, had a character arc that made sense and we could sympathise with, and then redeemed himself in a perfect manner.

That said, despite my feelings about the series (im not a massive fan of it these days if you hadnt picked it up by now). I still do have to give the series credit for getting me into anime and manga in general. DBZ got me started technically, but Naruto was the first thing I seriously followed after I watched DBZ as child. And after I started Naruto I got into another manga that was really big, Bleach (also big boo), but it led me to Berserk (Favourite Manga), Gurren Lagann (Favourite anime), Shaman King, and my favourite Shonen manga of all time, One Piece.

Seriously if you follow Naruto and havent read One Piece, go read One Piece. Its a rare piece of fiction where its quality actually just keeps increasing (in general, im sure some people will favour some arcs over others)

So I guess what Im trying to say is, thanks Naruto, even though you may suck now, I wouldnt have some of my favourite things without you

 

[heroicbob]

I will always remember the animes annoying habit of replaying the itachi flashback whenever something even tangentially related to sasuke happens, sometimes it would get played twice in a single episode

 

[Mahorfeus]

As big a fan as I am of the series, I will be glad to see it end. Kishimoto really dropped the ball with this last arc, especially in the most recent chapters. If it were not for Kaguya, this just might be a picture perfect ending (relative to the series).

 

[EbonBehelit]

I haven't been all that interested in Naruto since about 50 eps into Shippuden, and I can't put my finger on why exactly that is.
Maybe it's because it seemed to lose the all-important (imo) sense of adventure and whimsy that makes Shonen fun to watch?
Maybe it's because around that point I discovered One Piece - a series that has adventure and whimsy in spades?

Whatever the reason, there is a definite positive to Naruto coming to a close - it's much easier to analyse a story once it's an actual complete work. One of Dragonball Z's best qualities (though I'm a much more fond of the original Dragonball) is that it has an ending.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Naruto is almost over and fans can finally rejoice at the death of filler! But, One Piece is a little over halfway done, unless Oda extends what he has planned. So, have fun with that.(At least, I hear filler arcs in the One Piece anime are almost as good as the original manga arcs.)

 

[josh4president]

I will admit some slight tinge of sadness that the author will no longer be forced to make up ludicrous eye-power deus ex machinas to counter the other eye-power deus ex machinas that he had to conjure up to explain away his previous eye-power deus ex machinas.

This train wreck has been grinding on the tracks for a good long while - here's to hoping the crash itself will at least be somewhat satisfying.

 

[New World Fool]

It's about bleeding time I reckon. If it doesn't end with Sasuke dying I'll be very disappointed.

 

[TravelerSF]

Ok, let me just vent out all my frustration towards the series here:

Spoiler

Honestly I might've never seen a story suffer such a slow, gruesome, agonizing death.

I still hold the belief that the pre-timeskip Naruto was a good, quality shonen story. It had problems with being overly melodramatic and with the characterization of Sasuke, but aside from that it had A LOT going for it. It had an interesting world, a wide cast of colorful characters with their own personalities, motivations and backstories, varying fighting styles (jutsus) which were not only iconic, but also made the fights extremely entertaining to watch. Most importantly though, it had a focus: It was about Naruto going from an bsolute loser to a competent, respected ninja, all through his own hard work (well, aside from the Kyubi).

But after the timeskip... What the heck happened?! The first arch was really, really good and they even managed to make Sakura actually competent! But after that... I can't even remember. All I know is that the series lost it's focus. Having Naruto "rescue" Sasuke was simply a stupid idea and made no sense whatsoever. For me he was one of the most hated characters in the manga, so I REALLY didn't buy this thing about Naruto "bringing him back" from the dark side or whatever. After that the story just became about the "main villain" being defeated with somekind of a crazy powerup over and over and over again. And all the while I'm asking what's the point of this?

There was just NO focus towards the end of the story, just ridiculous fights over and over again. I think the story was supposed the be about "war" and "hatred", but when Naruto's means of dealing with these things were either A) Beat the crap out of someone or B) Talk to them until they were changed by the power of LOVE, it's clear Kishimoto was not a good enough writer to tackle these issues.

And while this was happening, the series lost most of what made it great. All of the colorful characters? Never given any spotlight unless they're new or part of the core group. And for some reason Kishimoto expected us to still care when he killed them off, despite us not even seeing them for months.

The jutsus? Useless, only giant explosions matter here. Not like the pre-timeskip where strategy was a key part of the fights and even a well times slice from a knife could be deadly, which kept the suspense going all the way through. So far One Piece is the only series I've seen that hasn't fallen victim to the Powercreep.

And just to top it all of, can we all agree that Sakura has some sort of a mental condition and should get some treatment? NO sane person still "loves" what was essentially their teenage crush after he has mercilessly tried to kill/killed so many people and has NEVER shown any affection or good intentions toward you whatsoever. Get.Help.

Ok, I'm done... Sorry about that, just had to get it out of my system.

 

[Raioken18]

As a manga reader, it's a little overdue, but I'm glad to see the series end with just a bit of dignity.
I'm psyched to see how it will end, but I'll probs be heartbroken later.
I'm pretty glad I had skipped the filler back when I used to watch the Anime.

Having also been a Bleach fan since the beginning I'm just... I've given up hope for... anything worthwhile.
Though it started as one of my favorites it went completely off the tracks.
Now with Bleach in it's final Arc I thought we'd be getting some closure, but it is anything but.

I like Fairy Tail but it seems like it may be ending soon too.

One Piece... I like it, but I have so much trouble following the plot.

Looks like my anime/manga days might be over.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Honestly its about time, Naruto has been a bit of a drag for a few years now.

Spoiler: Just in case people arent up to date with the manga

The goddamn author shouldve picked a goddamn main villain and just stuck with them. Look big bad is Madara, oh wait no its Obito, actually no it really is Madara, oh wait no its actually a character that I pulled completely out of my ass. Naruto's best villain in the series IMO was Zabuza, the guy was cool, had a big sword, had a character arc that made sense and we could sympathise with, and then redeemed himself in a perfect manner.

That said, despite my feelings about the series (im not a massive fan of it these days if you hadnt picked it up by now). I still do have to give the series credit for getting me into anime and manga in general. DBZ got me started technically, but Naruto was the first thing I seriously followed after I watched DBZ as child. And after I started Naruto I got into another manga that was really big, Bleach (also big boo), but it led me to Berserk (Favourite Manga), Gurren Lagann (Favourite anime), Shaman King, and my favourite Shonen manga of all time, One Piece.

Seriously if you follow Naruto and havent read One Piece, go read One Piece. Its a rare piece of fiction where its quality actually just keeps increasing (in general, im sure some people will favour some arcs over others)

So I guess what Im trying to say is, thanks Naruto, even though you may suck now, I wouldnt have some of my favourite things without you

The Akatsuki were by far the villains I wish had been the main ones; they all had unique identities, neat powers, and were REALLY intimidating with mad presence. And then Kishimoto fucked it up. He either gave them unceremonious finishes or tried to make them something they were not. It's one of those instances where what the fans actually came up with better stories than the writer. And that's never a good thing. Still, the series finally coming to a close, thus putting an end to it. Shonen Jump in general has been a mess this past decade with once great series either being driven into the ground (like Bleach and Naruto) or series failing to take off. The only thing I kept up to date with from Jump was Claymore (which wrapped up last week) and that was Jump Square, like Weekly Jump. It's no wonder its readership has been in decline while other magazines have been doing better.

 

[Hochmeister]

It's like watching your senile old grandparent who's a shadow of their former self pass away, sad but at the same time a blessed relief. It got so bad I dropped the manga until it ended, so I'm looking forward to getting smashingly drunk and finishing it off next month.

 

[Willinium]

Hmn let me think on how it'll finally end. Naruto will be forced to kill Sasuke finally ending the his treachery and then soon after it will skip forward to the epilogue where Naruto is the 6th hokage and is married to an unseen love interest.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I gave up on Naruto sometime about an arc or two after Shipuuden. I just stopped caring about the characters' motivations, especially Sasuke and Sakura.

I remember giving up on Bleach sometime during a battle over a fake city.

I don't think I gave up on One Piece, I just forgot to go back to it after waiting for more chapters to come out.

 

[iniudan]

So how far is the manga ahead of the anime?
Is there an estimate of how long the anime will keep going after the manga ends?

The anime is about 60 chapters behind but with it coming to an end I don't think they will put in any more filler. This last season has had very little filler at all.

OT:
Naruto is not what it once was but I have found myself still enjoying it, even the war arc. However the last few issues have been a bit crap. That being said they have been about Sasuke and I hate that guy so much. I don't know how it is going to end but my perfect ending would be for all of the characters to come together and beat him to death with 2 by 4's but I don't think that is going to happen some how.

You need to be thematic, everyone beat him with that freaking piece of wood they use for body replacement, not 2 by 4.