Entertainment is something that everyone needs in their life. Entertainment comes in many different forms. From sports to video games, and everything in between. One of those in betweens is a renowned anime - a style of Japanese film and television animation - known as Naruto.
Naruto first aired on October 3, 2002 (in Japanese) on TV Tokyo. The anime is based off of creator Masashi Kishimoto’s manga - a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels - Naruto. Kishimoto first released the Naruto manga on October 4, 1999 on Weekly Shōnen Jump - weekly shōnen manga anthology - #43. However, the first English chapter of Naruto was not printed until January of 2003. The English version (dub) of the Naruto anime did not air until September 10, 2005 on Cartoon Network.
However, Naruto gained popularity even before the English dub came out as it was on the USA Today Top 150 in 2004. It has repeatedly appeared since then. Even today Naruto remains amongst the most popular anime/manga series in the entire world.
Without a doubt, I would recommend the anime Naruto to anyone who is looking for something to watch, no matter the age. I personally have an attachment to the anime because I was lucky enough to watch it at a young age, and have rewatched it several times since then. The first time around, I enjoyed watching every single episode of Naruto, whether it was canon - officially part of the story - or non-canon. It was my favorite thing to watch from the beginning. I enjoyed the liveliness of the whole cast and how unique each character was, along with their original design. In addition to this, the viewer gains attachment to certain characters as they watch them grow.
However, despite being a lighthearted series, there are major takeaways from the show.
Senior Rodolfo Amacosta stated “Each character teaches [the viewer] a lesson.”
This can be seen as true, as each character faces a difficulty that some viewers may relate to. The main character himself, Naruto, has faced difficulty from the moment he was born. Naruto is an outcast who seeks to become the strongest ninja in his village to become the leader of the village, known as the Hokage, to gain recognition and respect from those around him. All Naruto wants is for people to treat him with respect and understand that he is human too.
Naruto is not the only character that the anime focuses on. There are a variety of characters that appear on screen that viewers may become fond of, or even hate. Personally, I really liked the deuteragonist - the person second in importance to the protagonist - of the show, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke seeks to avenge his family by killing the one who murdered them, his older brother.
Naruto is sure to appeal to many demographics, no matter the age or background. The series has an immense amount of diversity while also having a great plot. The reason the series is my favorite is mostly due to the characters and the story itself.
In addition to that, the art style is amazing, not too simplistic, but not too complex. The soundtrack is very memorable as well, some songs are still in my music library even today.
All in all, Naruto is an excellent series that everyone should give a chance to. If one does not like Naruto by the first episode, it may not be for them, but I would still encourage them to watch a little more in case their mind changes. I would recommend Naruto to anybody; it has a story and characters that are surely unforgettable. Despite being a fictional character, Naruto is one who inspires many to be better, because that is simply who he is - someone who is trying to be better.
