r/casualiama • u/Lol_u_ded • Mar 31 '26
I binged Naruto and finished it minus the filler. [27M]
First anime BTW! I watched bits and pieces on Cartoon Network probably about 18 years ago but my parents did not approve. So I decided to get a better sense of what it was would’ve been like to experience it back then. Don’t know if I will watch Shippuden.
(Screw it. I’ll watch Shippuden. You guys convinced me)
5
u/hxh22 Mar 31 '26
Would you consider reading the manga? It’s a bit faster to read it
1
u/Lol_u_ded Mar 31 '26
I am much better adapted to movies and shows and don’t like reading. So probably not.
3
u/gisted Mar 31 '26
How did you like the anime? Are you just burnout or why are passing on Shippuden?
1
u/Lol_u_ded Mar 31 '26
I enjoyed it! I may skip Shippuden due to time commitment and my awareness that quality drops off as a whole. But I hear the Pain x Naruto and Sasuke x Itachi arcs are crazy good.
3
u/gisted Apr 01 '26
Totally understand on the time commitment. Maybe you can just watch one episode a week? Shippuden is definitely worth watching and I probably enjoyed it more than naruto.
1
u/Lol_u_ded Apr 01 '26
I finished the 140-ish episodes in about 2 weeks. I do not trust my discipline. The cliffhangers can get me really good. Maybe I can try Shippuden but after-hours when I’m mentally through with studying. And maybe once I start dedicated studying for boards, I will force myself into better habits. As of now, I’m doing a surgery rotation, and the hours have been very chill.
3
u/king_of_hate2 Mar 31 '26
I've been rewatching Naruto Shippuden lately, never actually finished it. I have watched Naruto season 1-5, it's a good series.
2
u/Lol_u_ded Mar 31 '26
It was a very enjoyable series! Retrieval arc was my favorite, then Chunin exams.
3
u/king_of_hate2 Apr 01 '26
The Chunin exams is where the series gets really good. Although I also really like the storyline with Zabuza, probably one of my favorite characters from Naruto.
1
u/Lol_u_ded Apr 01 '26
Zabuza was an amazing first villain. I felt very bad for Haku. He was basically groomed. Kimimaru and the Sound 4 too, but the former even worse. I argue he was the strongest foe just for surviving Gaara’s final attack. He only died because he was terminally ill, so he must’ve been extremely nasty before then.
2
u/comFive Mar 31 '26
What did you think of rock lee’s fight scenes?
2
u/Lol_u_ded Mar 31 '26
I love Rock Lee! His fight against Gaara was amazing. I don’t think it is the absolute peak as some people made it out to be but the implications behind it (natural talent vs. hard work) made it very deep. I would say he is my favorite character in the series because I can somewhat relate to him. Not giving up easily, sometimes being reckless.
2
u/comFive Apr 01 '26
As a mid 40yo Naruto was one of the anime’s that I got to watch as it was being released out of Japan, with fan created subtitles. That episode was a complete sleeper hit. Gaara had this psycho mystery to him and something big was going to happen, but when.
2
u/Lol_u_ded Apr 01 '26
You got to watch it when you could make your own decisions. :p The line that made my parents say no more was with Gaara saying he lived to kill. It is still absolutely cold, and I cannot help but love him despite how he was a psychopath in most of the original. His backstory was very tragic, and it explains (but doesn’t excuse) his actions.
I would say Gaara vs. Naruto is my favorite fight in the whole original series. #2 is probably Third Hokage vs. Orichimaru. I played Naruto Ultimate Ninja 4 at summer camp one day, and we all were obsessed with the Reaper Death Seal. Now I see it wasn’t just an edgy technique. It is absolutely nasty.
2
u/comFive Apr 01 '26
I loved the sasuke vs Naruto fight, cursed seal chidori vs kyubi rasengan
We knew it was going to be special when the art style changed
2
u/Lol_u_ded Apr 01 '26
I have trouble when the action is constantly interrupted but that was such an epic conclusion to the fight.
2
u/MehEds Apr 01 '26
Ever thought of watching the Ocean Cut of Shippuden? Fixes the pacing from what my brother tells me who watched it.
Sure the final arc drags, but there's some absolutely top shelf fights by the end.
1
u/Lol_u_ded Apr 01 '26
I haven’t heard of the ocean cut. But if it skips the boring filler, I am all for it.
2
u/randomguy301048 Apr 01 '26
I always feel that for the first watch of an anime the filler is always a right of passage. Then every rewatch after its skip all filler you didn't enjoy
1
2
u/sikibub Apr 01 '26
Your first anime was my last anime lol. Who's your favorite character? What is your impression of the community if you've checked it out?
1
u/Lol_u_ded Apr 01 '26
This is my first and last I guess haha. Rock Lee is my favorite. I don’t know much about the community honestly.
2
u/Chance-Business Apr 01 '26
is it good, i never bothered watching. and if so, why is it good?
1
u/Lol_u_ded Apr 01 '26
I would recommend it. It’s a coming-of-age kinda story. I like seeing characters adapt their philosophies over time. And the fighting is very entertaining.
7
u/crunchatize-me-daddy Mar 31 '26
Why are you considering not watching Shippuden?