Why All the Hate on Naruto?

[DarkShadow144]

Naruto is the anime that got me into anime, but after the Zabuza arc, it just seemed to go downhill.

 

[Nuuu]

My brother and I used to love it, then after a while we stopped watching, and missed a few episodes. When we went back to the show, we had the sudden feeling of "It's the same type of battle we saw 20 episodes ago!"

Basically my brother and I just found it repetetive after a while.

 

[chaosyoshimage]

It's a popular Shonen anime with all the pros and cons that come with being that. Personally I like it but the anime is only good when they go all out on the animation. Too much pointless filler and dragged out scenes. To me, the manga is essentially Harry Potter with ninjas, which I consider a good thing.

BTW, I'm a big fan of the whole Naruto relates to the villain thing that always goes on with characters like Sasuke, Gaara, and Pain...

 

[Alanj95]

Fanbase is among the worst out there, animation is below average, too much filler, awful dubs, and the battle are too slowly paced for the medium.

 

[Monkeybald]

As one person on the internet once said: "It's a show about wizards who use magic and occasionally throw a kunai every now and then"

Personally, I enjoy the episodes of the anime done by Norio Matsumoto, and some parts of the manga are great. But it's full of disappointment in many other regards. (Sasuke's many ass-pulls come to mind)

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

It's my favorite anime but there's to much filler and rock lee needs some more fight scenes ideally where he gets drunk again.

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, I tried watching it for a while, but I eventually quit for various reasons. Not just the acting, though that's admittedly one of the reasons. It just came to me as the sort of thing I hated FF8 for. I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't feel invested in the plot, I didn't like the side-stories hammed in between it all, I didn't like the pacing, I didn't buy into the universe as a whole (willing suspension of disbelief basically faltered too often), and then there was the ninja problem.

Namely, they weren't ninjas. I'm sorry, but no. Not even the romanticized version of the ninja lore was ever like this. It was not shouty uber powers and bullshitty powers of oneupmanship. That's suppose to be other shows. Go into Naruto and find me...the point where stealth and a very simple and quick assassination fixed the problem of the day. Ninjas, who would in the olden days be peasants who would resort to very unorthodox-but-effective methods of attack that soldiers and samurai weren't ready for, were never like this. Not even a case where you're a sword-wielding nutjob all in black in a game or something is a ninja like anyone in Naruto.

So basically, my mind rejected it and here we are.

 

[qeinar]

I used to watch the anime (jap dub, eng sub.), ut i went over to reading the manga nstead mainly due to fillers, and also ecause when i caught up it was to interesting not to not check what was up ahead (at that point the manga was miles ahead).

watching it eng dub would be quite silly tbh, i rarely ever watch any anime with eng dub.

recently watched steamoy, the movie with eng dub, quite anoying, especially the little girl. didn't really care much for their accents eighter, didn't sound so manchester like to me.

Although i've watched naruto i proably wouldn't recomend it to someone new to anime since I read the manga years ago, and then a little while later started watching the anime. There are a lot of great anime's that are way shorter than naruto and better.

 

[The_Echo]

I used to enjoy Naruto, until I realized that is was almost all filler and the plot didn't really go anywhere.

The basic structure of a Naruto story arc (as far as I can recall) is as follows:
-Let's start going for the next rank in our ninja training!
-Oh shit, bad guys!
-[Some fighting]
-Oh hey, I guess we're like, better ninjas or something.
-What are the bad guys trying to do, exactly?

Seriously. I have absolutely no idea what the goals of the main antagonists were. Were they just assholes, or what?

 

[Navvan]

I know threads about why someone else does or doesn't like something I do or don't like are abundant, but this is one I just really don't understand, and I'd be interested to know why. Personally, it?s not my favorite anime, but I love it anyway. It?s a fantastic coming-of-age story with interesting, strategic battles and well-developed characters that are easy to care deeply about.

It?s fine not to like it, of course; you are entitled to your tastes. But the anime community seems to largely consider Naruto the quintessential example of a terrible, overrated anime, like it?s the cool thing to hate, and I just don?t understand that.

A common complaint I?ve heard is about the filler, but the fact is this is not sufficient reason to decry the show?s quality, mainly because it is simply the lesser of two evils. Shows like Full Metal Alchemist and Death Note, while both amazing shows, amount to disappointing endings because they just did their own thing when they caught up with the manga. Naruto instead takes the approach of making a filler arc when it catches up to the manga on which it?s based, in order to let the manga get ahead enough for the anime to adapt it. Filler is necessary in order to keep the show running while allowing the show to still follow the story of its source material. That?s far better than just going off on its own and eventually ending disappointingly.

Beyond that, if you hate the filler, skip it. The rest of the show is great, even if some of the filler really isn?t; something such as filler, which is made specifically so it can be easily skipped, simply does not speak to the quality of the show as a whole.

I?ve heard plenty about the constant flashbacks and monologues, but it?s really only a little more excessive than most everything that comes out of Japan. They love that stuff. When a character realizes something important, or has a moment of self-reflection, they will monologue about it. That?s how it works; the vast majority of anime and JRPGs consist largely of this inner dialogue. So I don?t understand how this can be an argument against one particular show without being an argument against the entire artistic culture (which I think we can all agree would be a bit ethno-centric).

These are just my thoughts; anyone care to share what it is that apparently makes this show so terrible?

EDIT: The English dub is also a weak argument (though it is awful). Don't complain if what amounts to an American vocal adaptation is sub-par, just watch the original.

Well I read the manga on weekly basis so most of this applies to the anime specifically. Still some parts are universal.

Like most shounen or year-round weekly released anime the animation is mediocre to poor. The plot is also typical shounen, and while I do agree that there is a coming of age story in there its not particularly great or even well done. The story is also typical shounen and has its ups and downs. It also loses its pacing at times.

That said there is nothing particularly horrible about it. Its good fun to watch once in awhile, but reading the manga is simply quicker and you don't have to put up with the horrible animation/fillers/ect. That is except for epic fights its nice to see those animated.

Naruto as a whole actually has some pretty good characters fleshed out. Its unfortunate that Kishimoto went the route on almost exclusively focusing on Naruto rather than gracefully alternating the character roster with Naruto being central plot device/character bringing it all together.

Long story short Naruto isn't horrible its just run of the mill. Which is fine we need run of the mill to flesh out seasons, attract new audiences, and keep the existing audience happy.

 

[RandV80]

I?ve heard plenty about the constant flashbacks and monologues, but it?s really only a little more excessive than most everything that comes out of Japan. They love that stuff. When a character realizes something important, or has a moment of self-reflection, they will monologue about it. That?s how it works; the vast majority of anime and JRPGs consist largely of this inner dialogue. So I don?t understand how this can be an argument against one particular show without being an argument against the entire artistic culture (which I think we can all agree would be a bit ethno-centric).

You sure about that part? You should watch Gintama, forget which episode it was but as a parody show they tell you more or less what's going on. There are excessive flash backs/monologues/reaction shots simply because they need to kill time. The anime must follow the manga script, but unfortunately an 18 page weekly manga chapter doesn't translate to a 20 minute weekly anime episode, so for long running series like DBZ/Bleach/Naruto the anime producer have to find a number of creative ways to stretch time. DBZ you had guys spending an entire episode powering up/grunting, Bleach gives you 5 minute episode recaps, while Naruto they over abuse flashbacks... I'm pretty sure in one Shippuden episode they flashed back to something that happened in the same damn episode from 5-10 minutes ago.

I don't have much problem with the series themselves until they start becoming a sequence of repetitive 'even more powerful!' enemies, but I kind of gave up on watching the animes a while ago because I just couldn't stand how they dragged things out anymore. Ironically, for Naruto apart from that endless parade of filler arcs I've started actually preferring the filler arcs, specifically because they're in no pressure to create delays so they can drop all that 'filler' crap that plagues the canon episodes. Honestly I don't understand why so many ***** about filler, but it's a huge sign of immaturity. What's wrong with fleshing out some secondary characters a bit and why the rush to get back to the stuff where you already know whats going to happen because you read the manga? Not to mention the complete lack of comprehension or understanding of what would happen if the anime series actually caught up to the manga.

 

[BlackEagle95]

Watched the original series. Most if not all. Kinda fell off on shippuden(spelled wrong, i bet.). I Would love to get back into it, but now that I've begun to increase my anime intake a bit, it has competition.

 

[stinkyrobot]

1. flash backs

2. bad animation

3. bad dub

4. every time they defeat a bad guy it turns out that there was another one who was the real big boss

5. filler

6. it's never really explained why a society that clearly has electricity( t.v) doesn't have things like guns, tanks ect

7. naruto in a nutshell does 3 attacks rasengan, shadow clones, summon a giant frog oh I guess I forgot take fox steroids

8. sakura

9. abundance of emo children

10. bad passing

11. bad writing

12. they aren't really ninjas. The writer said in one of his little panels about his life that he was going to make it about magic user like in harry potter, but after harry potter came out he changed it ninjas, but they still basically just use magick. They also have clothing that isn't stealthy and you might think that it's to blend into modern society, however they always have their headbands on... so yeah

13. flashbacks

 

[goldendriger]

I used to enjoy Naruto, until I realized that is was almost all filler and the plot didn't really go anywhere.

The basic structure of a Naruto story arc (as far as I can recall) is as follows:
-Let's start going for the next rank in our ninja training!
-Oh shit, bad guys!
-[Some fighting]
-Oh hey, I guess we're like, better ninjas or something.
-What are the bad guys trying to do, exactly?

Seriously. I have absolutely no idea what the goals of the main antagonists were. Were they just assholes, or what?

Well looks like you stopped watching after the first arc.
Because the main bad guys and their goals become very clear and (Unlike other animes) are an actual threat and its one of the new shonen anime where characters we know and love die (Unlike DBZ where they get revived every 5 minutes)

OT: Why are people targetting fillers? I mean sure fillers are gay, but look at Bleach's filler, Ichigo will be in mid-attack and they'll have a 6 month detour on some shitty adventure about teddy bears then he'll continue to attack, at least Naruto has the decency to finish up its arc before using fillers.

Personally i love Naruto, even some of the english dubbed voices arent bad (Naruto's is bad, but Kakashi, Lee and Gai's are pretty good) and i used to rag on it saying all it ammounted to was "SASUKE NOOOOO, SASUKE NOOOO" But it kinda grabbed me (I sat through Chunin exam part) and it paid off, i (Kinda) enjoyed the fillers, where they try and get Kakashi to remove his mask? That was amazing, it was a few filler episodes and it worked.

 

[Davey Woo]

I personally don't like it because I don't really like any anime's, and also I find Naruto's character unbearable.

"Believe it!" *Thumbs*

-.-

 

[mega48man]

oh, THIS is is gonne be SOOOOO Good! you know why i hate naruto? here i go;

1. it's gay. if the protagonist is gonna be flamboyant like richard simmons, i'm gonna go watch my little pony
2. anime in general, it's just weird! and this is coming from a brony to
3. i used to be reeeeally into it in middle school, i had no friends. once i grew up and i stopped being so into it and realized how gay it was, i magically had friends. haven't you noticed something about all otakus? they're more socially awkward than comic book nerds, they're on the same awkward level of magic the gathering nerds
4. the fan base. i just summed up the outsider perspective of otakus, and it's clear no one wants to hang out with someone who; smells funny, can't engage in a conversation properly, can't dress properly (weather in dorky clothing or cosplay everyday at school), or can only rant to you about how their favorite animes are the greatest things on earth. honestly, it's just rude.
5. my ex was an anime fan. i didn't mind it, but i remember one time she chose some anime convention over one night with me. wtf anime, cock blocking whore.

lastly, something real;

6. ninjas are supposed to wear all black and swear to vows of scilence and have their family killed by some rival clan and they swear revenge and shit, like in 80's ninja movies. what's with all this color and personality and story lines that go on FOREEEVER? gay.

*DISCLAIMER* this review does not in any way or form represent my view or opinion of the gay/lesbian community. the word 'gay' is merely used in this context as an immature expression of frustration.

 

[The_Echo]

snip

Well looks like you stopped watching after the first arc.

I actually got all the way through the original series (or pre-Shippuuden, if you prefer).

It's been about four-ish years since then, though. And I don't have the best memory.

 

[Nazulu]

It?s a fantastic coming-of-age story with interesting, strategic battles and well-developed characters that are easy to care deeply about.

And a lot of people would disagree with that line right there.

Now, I really like Naruto (not Shippuden), but Naruto is far from perfect and there are a lot of little things that people don't like about it. From what I've heard, it's mainly the fillers, flash backs, long dragged out fights, the english dub, unnecessarily long descriptions, unrealistic ninjas (doesn't bother me though), too silly at times, and some others I can't remember. Also, I'm sure there is hate just because it is popular as well.

Your arguments are pretty weak against these, you can't skip filler when you watch it on TV because not everyone downloads or buys it, same for avoiding the english dub.

You say the arguments against are not sufficient enough to decry the shows quality, but what it actually is, is they are not good enough to you, and especially to any fan boy, because we know what they're like. That's the thing, everyone has different interests and Naruto has enough flaws to be disapproved by a lot of people.

I prefer Naruto over Bleach, DBZ, Death Note, Pokemon, and a lot of other shows though. It has a lot of crap but it does have it's awesome moments which is all I can remember from the show.

 

[Soluncreed]

I like it because the fights are really cool. That's basically it. Plus, Rock Lee, the man we should all aspire to be.

 

[The Funslinger]

The English dub is also a weak argument (though it is awful). Don't complain if what amounts to an American vocal adaptation is sub-par, just watch the original.

I can't enjoy original anime. I prefer good dubs when they appear, because I can differentiate much more comfortably between character voices. Good dubs I watch are Hetalia (cancelled, but may resurface) and One Piece (several different explanations on what happened to the Funimation dub, with several mentioning the Funimation online distribution which I can't access in Britain and don't fully understand.)

Of course if you prefer to watch subbed anime, that's your choice. What annoys me are the really pretentious subbed fans that utterly look down on fans of dubbed anime. The ones that pepper their conversation with random google translated japanese words and phrases. The ones bringing all that "weaboo" hate crap down on us. If you're willing not to be condescending about dubbed anime, and such, then fine. But I'm ranting!