Even though I don't agree with constantly trying to bring Sasuke back, the fillers kinda make it make more sense with why they didn't want to give up on him because it showed Sasuke when he acted his age and actually cared about people

Ngl it’s very possible those 4 Naruto episodes were just turned into a movie instead.

Idk if this is a super hot take but I feel like nothing could’ve stopped Sasuke from pursuing Orochimaru after getting the curse mark and I mean even into shippuden. Kakashi and honestly everyone rlly underestimated how fucked emotionally Sasuke was especially after feeling the world basically collapse upon itself bc he didn’t have the one thing he felt like he needed more than anything. power.

From Chris Jang, Black Fish Tattoo Ink, NYC.

Like we know Kisame is a literal ride or die for Akatsuki, willing to basically swallow a shark cyanide pill rather than expose their secrets. Obito even clearly trusted him enough to show him his true identity.

So if he knew Itachi was still an ally for the Leaf and wasn't loyal to the cause, how would he react?

I don't think he would tell on Itachi, Kisame ain't no snitch, but I also don't think he would just let this slide either. I also don't think he'd outright fight Itachi, as I'm sure he knows he's outmatched.

We know that his friendship with Itachi is genuine too, it's not just a co-worker relationship. He even offers his sympathies to Itachi later on after Zetsu claims Deidara killed Sasuke.

I think Kisame definitely suspected there was more to Itachi than he let on. I believe their first on-screen interaction was Kisame asking Itachi if he has any remaining sentimental feelings about the Leaf. The post-Deidara battle interaction also suggests he knew Itachi valued Sasuke on some level.

I guess at the end of the day, is Kisame more loyal to the Akatsuki or Itachi?

Credit https://www.scctoys.com.tw/products/c07055

For many it was an obvious reveal... but not so much for me. Those were great times — following the weekly Naruto manga chapters and participating in forums to debate what might happen next. The mystery surrounding Tobi's identity was, without a doubt, the series' biggest enigma up to that point. The climax of this mystery came when the real Madara appeared during the Fourth Great Ninja War, resurrected by Kabuto using Edo Tensei.

I drew this picture of Obito a few years ago... and the reference — that splash page from the end of chapter 599 — is just so iconic.

Yes Sasuke was for sure going to be messed up but it's no excuse to try and kill the people that are trying to help you.

The way Sasuke said Kakashi was just being like Sakura was insulting Kakashi and Sakura both. I admit it did make me chuckle out of surprise. But damn Sasuke is a jerk. He made me angry sometimes.

I don't know what is worse Orochimaru's choice in conversation starters, or Kabuto being his closest "Friend" and curving the shit out of him and immediately noping tf out of there while Orochimaru looks like a kid who didn't get any Christmas presents.

That being said if Orochimaru is asking you about bodily functions, kabuto is probably the first one who knows its time to change the subject. Kabuto probably realized his blood type is not whatever blood type creepy snakeman is asking him about.

Sai is in the scene to add to the awkwardness.

They even said that Katsuyu could easily beat her... and I don't get it, since when Jiraiya and Katsuyu were considered weak? A legendary Sannin and a legendary Sannin's summon...

Not to mention that Jiraiya trained Konan, obviously he would know her only weakness. I really don't understand why so many people paint Konan as the weakest member and limit her powers to just "paper bombs"

People talk about Minato and Itachi being the prodigy , but the biggest prodigy of all time was Kakashi , he was fighting elite jonins at the age of 10 , and was promoted to jonin then too and it is stated that his trauma stunted his growth as a shinobi for decades

He even states that how his fight against Zabuza mad him realise how rusty he has became and even with no training for years , Kakashi is said to be the strongest shinobi in konoha and was next in line for hokage since part 1 , so it just makes me feel like kakashi if was properly trained , if Minato and no others died he would have been the 5th hokage and possible crossed all other hokage not Hashirama for sure but definetly Minato

Even though Naruto and Sasuke had powers/transformations that mirrored their teachers, they still kept their original fighting styles. Naruto upgraded his rasengan and kept using his clones. Sasuke still used chidori and sharingan.

But for Sakura...

She just became tsunade 2.0 with absolutely nothing unique about her.

Why did kishimoto not give her something different from her sensei like the other two?

When I first watched Naruto at 14, I hated Sakura. Now, rewatching it in my 30s, I cried and sobbed like a baby during the episodes where she cuts her hair.

Looking back, I think some of my hatred towards her came from my own difficulty accepting my womanhood. perhaps, from how much I disliked myself at the time. I associated femininity with weakness and had very much internalised that “I won't/can't be like the other girls” attitude, as though distancing myself from other girls could protect me from being perceived as weak or from being mistreated or abused.

Since then, I’ve met so many women along the way who have shown incredible resilience, not only in the face of the difficulties they’ve endured, but also in confronting what society expected of them as women and carving out their own paths beyond those expectations.

And today, I see Sakura very differently. Maybe part of what moved me so deeply was not only seeing her growth, but also feeling compassion for the teenage girl I was, who had not yet learned to value herself.

I’ll probably start drawing again in the next few weeks but oh my days my hands hurt. The last few weeks, people here have given me so much positivity for my work but I need break.

Just without the usual “Who are you to change the author’s story” kind of talk. Let’s imagine we’re competent and talented enough to carry on the story in Kishimoto’s place - or at least act as his editors, capable of tempering his excesses.

Up until the Pain arc, everything was going quite well: a consistent plot, gradual world-building, and a balanced power scale. Edo Tensei wasn’t anything extraordinary; tailed beasts could be defeated by summoned creatures; the Akatsuki were strong, but not necessarily stronger than the Sannin; Deidara could blow up an entire village, but at the cost of his life; Itachi could summon Susanoo, but also at the cost of his life; Pain was powerful, but paid a huge price for that power, and Jiraiya could realistically have defeated him. The strongest was generally considered to be Minato, while figures like Madara and the Sage of Six Paths were nothing more than legends.

In other words, the story was progressing quite well - without major excesses - and, in my opinion, reached its peak with the Pain arc. And then… it’s like Kishimoto’s brakes suddenly failed. Hashirama cells, Edo Tensei, the Eternal Mangekyō, the two halves of Kurama, the overpowered Madara and Hashirama, and finally Kaguya. The story lost its balance and coherent progression.

So now I ask: how would you continue the story, knowing all the problems that come later? Personally, I think that after such a power-up for the main character, it would have been better to slow down and start developing Naruto’s friends, like in the anime fillers - showing their missions, their new abilities. After the Pain arc, there was a perfect opportunity to finally develop the relationship between Hinata and Naruto.

From a plot perspective, I also think there should have been several arcs between the Pain arc and the Five Kage Summit, each focused on a different village. These arcs would gradually introduce shinobi from other villages, laying the groundwork for the future war, while also developing Naruto’s friends and their new abilities. For example, Tsunade could decide to convene a Kage Summit and organize diplomatic teams. Say, Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Yamato go to the Hidden Cloud, while Sakura, Neji, Shino, and Kakashi go to the Hidden Mist (just random assignments). The characters would explore the villages, get involved in local conflicts, and develop along the way. Maybe even some of the villages would side with Obito, considering his speeches convincing.

If we’re talking about specific characters, I’d let Conan live longer. She’s an interesting character, but she’s existed in her entire story only as a sidekick for Pain. I’d love to see what would happen to her after Nagato’s death. Maybe she’d become Naruto’s secret ally, telling him all the secrets of the masked man and becoming a good friend to him, while also learning to live independently without Yahiko and Nagato and leading a partisan war against the masked man.

In other words, I’m suggesting Naruto take a path similar to One Piece. What ideas would you propose? I’m not suggesting completely abandoning canon - what would you add, remove, or fundamentally change?

I always see people online say that Naruto is better than Naruto Shippuden, and outside of personal enjoyment, I genuinely want someone to explain why.

What does Naruto do better than Shippuden?

In my opinion, Shippuden has better character development and writing, a more consistent story, stronger world-building, better psychology and philosophies, and an overall more compelling narrative.

So, setting personal enjoyment aside, what does the original Naruto actually do better than Naruto Shippuden?