As one of the big three alongside One Piece and Bleach, Naruto is considered a top-tier shonen anime. Ever since the manga was released back in 1999, it went on to inspire the hearts of many people. With its emotional story arcs and intense fight scenes, Naruto’s Ninja World is definitely worth immersing yourself in. But if you’re a beginner, you’re probably wondering what you should know about Naruto before watching.
Initially, it might be intimidating to start watching Naruto because of its length and unusual concepts, but worry not. If you plan on getting into the long-running shonen, we’ve prepared this Naruto beginner’s guide to help you get started. It contains all the vital information that you need to know about the world-renowned series.
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Naruto Beginner’s Guide
What’s Naruto About?
The story is about Naruto Uzumaki, who’s treated like an outcast due to the sealed monster inside him, the Nine-Tailed Fox. To be recognized by his village, Naruto dreams of becoming the Leaf Village’s Hokage. Throughout the series, you’ll see Naruto grow as a ninja and encounter several enemies along his path to achieve his dream.
These enemies include powerful ninjas, like Orochimaru, or evil organizations, such as the infamous Akatsuki. With the Nine-Tails inside him, the Akatsuki seeks to obtain his power through any means necessary for their own benefit. As they try to achieve their goal, the Akatsuki’s pursuit will cause a lot of bloodshed and destruction.
For most of the story, Naruto is also set on bringing back Sasuke, a comrade of his who decided to leave their village. As much as Sasuke tries to sever their bond, Naruto does everything he can to tie it back up. If you follow this story, Naruto will take you on a ride filled with action, loss, and growth on his journey to become Hokage.
Who Created Naruto?
Naruto was written and illustrated by a man named Masashi Kishimoto. His work was initially published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1999. Afterward, the manga was given an anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot in 2002, which aired for over 5 years before being followed by Naruto: Shippuden.
Originally, Kishimoto wanted Naruto to be a chef, but that version never saw the light of day. Instead, he wrote a one-shot for Naruto with a different story issued in Akamaru Jump back in 1997. Later on, Kishimoto rewrote the story into the one we know today.
Who Are The Main Characters in Naruto?
The main character Naruto is a wild young boy who always likes to cause trouble and do all sorts of antics. Even though he’s poorly treated due to the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto wants to prove himself by becoming Hokage. Throughout his life, Naruto will meet more characters you’ll also get to know over time.
One character who largely impacted his life is Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto’s fellow Team 7 member. Their rivalry led to many memorable battles and story arcs that became crucial turning points for the show. Other characters also became great mentors to Naruto, such as Kakashi Hatake and Jiraiya. Meanwhile, in the latest series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the spotlight was given to Naruto’s son instead, Boruto Uzumaki.
What’s The Difference Between All The Series?
Over the years, Kishimoto and Studio Pierrot created three different Naruto series. The first one was “Naruto,” which covered Part 1 of the manga and released more than 200 episodes during its five-year run. It focused on the early days of Naruto’s life as a ninja, along with developing the characters and the story.
Meanwhile, Naruto: Shippuden served as a sequel to Naruto, following a two-and-a-half-year time skip in their world due to Naruto’s training with Jiraiya. It released 500 episodes in 10 years, adapting Part 2 of the manga. Shippuden is where things start to kick off, introducing more Akatsuki members and heavily increasing the power scale. The stakes are also higher this time around compared to the first installment.
After Shippuden ended, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations followed. It’s currently still ongoing, with over 200 episodes worth of content. This series focuses on Boruto Uzumaki instead of Naruto, but our old protagonist still has his moments. Furthermore, they’ll face even stronger enemies since most are from the powerful Otsutsuki clan.
Where To Watch Naruto
Due to its popularity, you can watch Naruto on multiple streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, and Funimation. However, some regions might not have access to some of these due to licensing issues, so you may need a VPN. It’ll be worth the subscription since you’ll watch one of the greatest anime.
On the other hand, you can also buy Blu-ray physical copies or digital ones on Amazon Video.
Where Can You Read Naruto?
The Naruto manga has sold over 250 million copies worldwide, making it the top 4 all-time best-selling manga. It has over 700 chapters, which you can read digitally onViz Media, Mangadex, or Manga Plus. You can also buy physical copies on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Moreover, the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga is also available on the same sites. It only has over 70 chapters to date, so it still has a long way to go before it matches its predecessor.
Anime You Should Try After Naruto
If you’ve finished Naruto, there are still plenty of anime you can watch that are just like it. The obvious ones are its fellow members from the big three, One Piece and Bleach. One Piece has the same themes as Naruto when it comes to companionship. The storyline is also well-written, and you won’t find a shortage of episodes unless you catch up to the latest one.
Bleach is in the same boat because of its well-choreographed and beautifully animated action. If you enjoyed the fights in Naruto, then you’ll definitely enjoy the ones in Bleach. The fight sequences that Bleach offers will keep you thrilled all throughout when watching them.
Another anime you can watch is Hunter x Hunter. The show also has magnificent fight scenes that are on Naruto’s level. It also shows the value of friendship in overcoming obstacles, which might be redundant in some anime, and yet HxH does it right.
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