"Naruto" aired over a decade ago. Why have people been watching it for so long? Why have I been watching it for so long? Why do some people bother binge watching it just to catch up to the rest of us? and If you haven't watched it, I'm sure you've at least heard of it.
"Naruto" (ナルト) is a Manga by Masashi Kishimoto. It is also an anime series. The main character's name is Naruto. Naruto was orphaned at a very young age and dreams of becoming a hokage, the village's leader. If you're watching it, you know what it's all about. If you haven't even started, I don't want to spoil it for you. What makes "Naruto" such a famous series?
1. Friendship.
Sure, Sakura and Ino drool over Sasuke, and Hinata is in love with Naruto. Other than that, the series isn't all that focused on romance. It does however, focus a lot on friendship. It presents situations where friendship is the only thing standing between life and death.
2. The Romance.
There isn't a lot of romance but the major relationships (or lack of) are interesting, well developed, and insightful. Hinata deeply and silently admires Naruto. Naruto is infatuated with Sakura. Sakura seems to hate Naruto, but she's obsessed with Sasuke. Sasuke seems to hate just about everyone. Hinata and Sakura show us how different love can be. Sakura's love is blatant and loud while Hinata's love is quiet and reserved. However, in the end both women are willing to do anything for the men they love. The anime does a good job of showing us how than can be both a good and a bad thing.
3. The politics and social issues.
There are five nations, a couple of wars, civil issues...and so much more. The complex relationships between nations and within nations mirror real world problems. For example, the Uchiha clan, the Leaf Village feared their power so they put them all in one gated neighborhood and kept a close watch on them. Later Itachi's loyalty to his nation and love for his brother made him do the unthinkable.
4. It makes you laugh.
"One thousand years of pain!"
5. It makes you cry.
The background stories can get really intense. The reasons people are fighting become clear and it's hard not to empathize. Even the villains are sort of likable because the things that made them the way they are were so painful.
6. Character development.
You see most of the characters grow a lot. Even the characters that are adults throughout the series. Especially for those of us who have been watching from the start, we grew while they grew.
7. The teacher/student relationships.
Maybe it's because I'm going to become a teacher but I absolutely love the mentorships in the series. I've wanted to be a teacher for a long time, but if I can be as great a teacher as Kakashi, Jiraya, Guy, or any of the rest of them, I'll be happy.
8. It is inspiring.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned from the show is to never give up. But there are so many more. We see the effects of hard work in Lee, the effects of believing in Naruto, the effects of friendship in Gaara.
I could probably write several articles on all of the lessons in every arch and in every character's story line. The show is relatable, emotional, and insightful. Also, the fight scenes and Jutsu are really cool. I'll end this with a few fight seen gifs.
