For the most part, Naruto is regarded as a well-written series, with its biggest strengths being its emotional beats and incredibly compelling ensemble of characters, each of whom comes with their own poignant character arcs and journeys. Even the series’ sequel, Boruto, which was initially strongly criticized by fans, has begun to win over hearts in Two Blue Vortex.
That said, Naruto is by no means a perfect series and arguably has quite a few annoying or nonsensical plotlines that still haunt fans years later. Fortunately, many of these instances originate from early Narutowith only a rare few being from Shippuden. Perhaps this was a sign of the series’ writing improving with time, but still, it’s hard to overlook or forget these annoying moments in Naruto.
5) Nawaki’s Anti-Climactic Death
When it comes to character deaths, Naruto nearly never fails at making them seem impactful. Many of the series’ biggest deaths, like Jiraya, Asuma, and Itachi, are almost burned into fans’ memories to this day. However, there is one exception, and it might just be the series’ most infamous fail. The death scene in question is none other than Nawaki’s, Tsunade’s younger brother, who goes out in the most comical way for the significance his death holds.
Nawaki’s death not only strengthens Tsunade’s superstitions surrounding the First Hokage’s necklace but also has a profound impact on Orochimaru, effectively making him realise his fragile mortality that sets him on his antagonistic path. Perhaps it is just how the scene was awkwardly cut in the anime, but having Nawaki die from just a single explosion felt incredibly lackluster, even turning into one of Naruto’s biggest memes.
4) Kimimaro and the Kaguya Clan
As far as early Naruto antagonists go, Kimimaro is one of the most intriguing ones after the Akatsuki themselves. A huge reason why Kimimaro is so memorable is his unique kekkei genkai, the likes of which fans had never seen in the series until this point, but even more so because of his mysterious lineage.
It is with Kimimaro’s introduction that fans first learn about the existence of the curious Kaguya Clan, who, as it turns out, inherited Kaguya Otsutsuki’s abilities. Even from Kimimaro’s appearance alone, his connection to the Otsutsuki is quite apparent, and yet the Kaguya Clan frustratingly never gets explored nearly as much as it should have been, despite being very interesting, even without considering the mysterious illness that would claim his life.
3) Sasuke Backstabbing Karin… Quite Literally
As well-written and satisfying as Sasuke’s character arc and redemption in Naruto may be, there’s still one decision by him that haunts fans to this day, which is his betrayal of Karin. At this point in the series, fans were already beginning to get attached to Hebi, which is why it hurts all the more seeing Sasuke stab her to win against Danzo.
The betrayal especially stings because of Karin’s unwavering loyalty and the revelation that Sasuke and Karin had previously crossed paths in the Forest of Death, which sparked her infatuation with him. This moment made Sasuke incredibly unlikable during a time when fans were still struggling to understand his decision to destroy the Leaf Village and were supposed to sympathise with him after learning the truth about Itachi.
2) Rock Lee Being Effectively Written Out of the Story Too Early
Ever since his debut during the Chunin Exams, Rock Lee has been one of the coolest characters in Narutogaining even more popularity with his fight against Gaara. Not only did Rock Lee have a very fun, likable personality, but also a refreshing taijutsu-centric fighting style, which is why it was such a bummer when he was written out of the plot for almost the entirety of Naruto after his injury in the Chunin Exams.
Even though Rock Lee returned to fight Kimimaro and would be present in ShippudenMight Guy would go on to be given all the coolest moments and fights using their shared abilities instead. Even more disappointingly, Rock Lee has yet to make a proper or substantial appearance in Boruto outside of anime filler or movies, which only goes to show how much he’s been forgotten and shoved aside despite fans loving him so much.
1) Sakura and Ino’s Rivalry
Naruto’s treatment of its female cast has been a point of contention among fans for decades at this point, and while the series does arguably have a few good female characters with well-written backstories, Sakura and Ino aren’t part of them. In fact, Sakura and Ino’s “rivalry” might just be one of the most frustrating plotlines in all of Naruto, and frankly, the series would have been better without it entirely. It isn’t the concept of the rivalry itself that’s problematic, and it might have actually been nice if Sakura and Ino had a rivalry akin to Sasuke and Naruto, or at least a healthier version of it. However, what completely ruins Sakura and Ino’s rivalry is the motivation behind it, which is their mutual infatuation with Sasuke.
First off, real girls do not fight over a boy to the extent of developing a lifelong rivalry. Not only does this make them seem incredibly shallow, but it’s arguably also one of the biggest reasons why fans start to not take Sakura seriously anymore. It’s even hard to take Ino seriously when she cuts her hair during the Chunin Exams, with the moment coming off as quite silly. More than anything, why can’t two female ninja just want to be strong and capable for the sake of it, rather than for the sake of impressing a boy who isn’t even interested in them or worth their time and effort, for that matter? Seeing Sakura and Ino’s backstory and their beautiful friendship before Sasuke ruined it makes this plotline even more frustrating. Even though they eventually grow to become close friends, it would have been much better if Naruto had let them be friends and healthy rivals all along.
Naruto can be streamed on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Pluto TV, and Tubi.
What Naruto plotlines still annoy you? Tell us in the comments below!
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