So I Read Naruto For The First Time

[@merphynapier42]

Don't worry about me covering Sakura in the thumbnail - I'm Sakura now. I would be very good at stating in the corner and shouting "Sasuke!"

[@Nkanyiso_K]

😂 "Naruto!!"

[@mark-ch2bx]

Sakura and Sasuke are the most annoying characters in naruto, im pretty sure you'll start becoming annoyed by them with time😂

[@anormalperson7161]

​@@mark-ch2bxSasuke's great, sakura on the other hand really makes you wonder if she only exists as a character because kishimoto needed a female protag

[@SuperKamiPandaReact]

🤣🤣🤣

[@VinnieMF]

​@@anormalperson7161 Sasuke is pretty edgy and convoluted, just not yet.

[@anonymousname5860]

Merphy: If I didn’t break it up it’d be an hour-and-a-half video. Which is too long. Me: don’t underestimate my power.

[@aronnemcsik]

Me who used to watch tekking videos: Wait that not a normal video lenght???

[@robttore2]

Me, who regularly watches 2+ hour videos: really? That's long to you? Meh.

[@viinaart]

I understand not wanting to editing a one and a half hour long video, but yeah I wouldn't mind a full length Merphy movie lmao

[@aronnemcsik]

@viinaart honestly I wouldn't mind an hour long unhinged Merphy rant.

[@vlanAlf]

Merphy has the higherground in this, I am afraid.

[@nykv9101]

Theres an anime only scene btw thats a MUST WATCH involving shikamaru and his dad. Very beautifully written scene

[@kittymlp]

I know the scene your talking about and I agree.

[@malcolm32]

💯

[@shikamarunine]

💯

[@danielgonzalez7014]

💯

[@MrTargaet]

Yes, all the yes to this scene!

[@kamikaze.33]

"How do you do fellow females? I've met you before." 😂😂🤣 OMG that had me in stitches!

[@sylviejeanjean5412]

Yeah, that's spot on for Kishimoto 🥲 at least he tried.. (And I think female characters got better in Shippuden, so at least he improves 😅)

[@accountnew7030]

​@@sylviejeanjean5412 yall do notting but complain about them female characters all the time... how bout some females go and WRITE good characters for themselves for once? or idk... u ever thought that perhaps women are ACTUALLY one dimensional... perhaps they don't deserve to be written as multilayered characters?!... think about it.

[@pyrojkl]

@@accountnew7030 idk i dont think its fair to complain at them, but i would let them know it is literally sourced from a magazine literally marketed mostly to boys and young adult men. So even if there was a female author writing for shonnen 15 years ago, I would expect the tropes to fall into similar traps where side characters can fall to the wayside. Hey your a female in an anime, lets make you a healer. But yeah, moreso, I would also feel similar if roles were reversed and all the male characters were boring. /shrug No one wins, best to take a sanderson approach and just make an outline of how you would rate the characters overall 8/10 Sakura is just 2ndary comic relief in the anime but its been almost 20 years since I started watching/reading this so I can't say a whole lot

[@accountnew7030]

@@pyrojkl I ain't finna read allatat. all imma say is I'm bein real and all you do is complain. which is all women do. fix this. I'm done here.

[@marquezrobinson7492]

@@accountnew7030your dumb lol

[@WarpsmithAdam]

Fun fact: Sanji was originally supposed to be named Naruto because of his twirly eyebrows. Oda changed it when he found out about Kishimoto's manga.

[@KumonoKoe]

Woah WHAT!? Oh then the whole reason that the Naruto manga exists is so that Sanji could be called Sanji and not Naruto! Oh we dodged a bullet there!! Imagine Zoro and Naruto fighting all the time!! Oh my... NO!

[@kannan07]

​@@KumonoKoewtf

[@kevinb5417]

​@@KumonoKoe There's an extra layer of coincidence to consider with the fact that Sanji's siblings (Ichiji, Nīji, Yonji) follow a numeric naming scheme. Ichi - one. Nī - two. San - three. Yon - four. Sanji's name being changed at the last minute facilitated a not-insignificant aspect of his backstory as the failure of his quadruplet brothers. And that's pretty damn cool.

[@sandeepkhadka6317]

There is more to it:- They are friends, so they decided that whoever debuts the character first gets to keep the name; Kishimoto published Naruto (one shot) first before Sanji's introduction and got to keep the name:- Sanji was supposed to be named Naruto, and Naruto back up name was Menma. Similarly, Oda let Kishimoto knew in advance about gear 3 because of how similar it was to choji ability.

[@kevinb5417]

@@NotAHippopotamus Naruto began publication in JUMP in 1999. It was based on two one-shots: the second of which, also named Naruto, was released in 1997 - the same year One Piece debuted. So I don't know where you got the idea that Naruto began publication 5 years after that, but you're absolutely wrong. EDIT: the person I responded to originally claimed that Naruto didn't begin until 2002 - the year the anime began, which was a few years after the first publication of the mainline manga. He edited it after I corrected him for not knowing what he was talking about, but didn't bother to amend the fact that Sanji's name *was* influenced by Kishimoto's magnum opus. Something Eiichiro Oda has stated directly.

[@goby1764]

Something cool I recently learned was that Kishimoto changed his designs and art style to more closely mimic the anime. He really liked the fluidity of the anime around the chunin exams and he felt like the anime designs expressed a more serious tone that he wanted to.

[@zararkhan3499]

Not a more serious tone, more of a shonen and seinin mix. With his original design they look more catered towards seinin audience

[@nichescenes]

@@zararkhan3499 He's a brilliant artist and gets overlooked, actually most of them are in that magazine or the others. Berserk gets all the love and its worth itbut i think we forget how much they all love art. Unlike western live action they are doing it all, writer, director and so on...and somehow the stories turn out ok vs alot of live action that is poor after a few seasons and has tons of help. Anyway, my point is changing your art style is hard and only those who are really great artist can do it consistantly. IMO, as someonw who draws. I can draw like one piece or naruto but not consistantly for a series. Still trying to find my art style since i was influence by dbz and so on. So great how oda and others found their own even when so much was out there.

[@zararkhan3499]

@@nichescenesNot denying he is, and changing your artstyle is hard. I shouldve given more context. In the past a lot of kishimotos works werent of shonen jump standards because they looked and even were too seinin. Even early Naruto has a very gritty and dark artstyle. He even says the reason he was so impressed by the animes design was because it looked like the perfect mix between seinin and shonen. You start to see his art evolve near the end of the chunin exams and peak (personally) at Sasuke retrieval

[@montgomery9188]

I also think it was because the newer arts style was more simplistic and easier to draw. As a manga artist you want simplicity especially when you have to release chapters on a weekly basis.

[@nichescenes]

@@zararkhan3499 Oh no worries, i guess i came off wrong. I know you appreciate their art. What you said sound so right. His art was not right for the story IMO untll he changed it. Alot of why Naruto is mass appealing is editors and changes he made IMO the world just works but alot of what he wanted to do would have No offense to him messed up. Like i think this is why his second manga failed. He's an amazing artist but unlike say oda, he cant be just set off to go crazy. He has fun ideas but lacks that thing that makes everything click for a audience when an editor isnt around. Him and many authors admitting they cant write women as well tells me that they also0 arent sexist but grew up watching male dominated stuff like all of us. Till now we really didnt push to change that so i get merpy thinking the shonen she reads is ehh on women but naruto tries.

[@malcolm32]

The importance of the bell test is a really slow burn. A lot of things much later in the series help to contextualize Kakashi's motivations for using that test specifically and why he's never passed a genin squad before Team 7. I know it's not in this video, but you've already read the scene where Sasuke threatens to kill everyone important to Kakashi so he'll understand the pain he endures, and Kakashi simply responds "you're too late".....and remember where Naruto was sitting when Kakashi catches him trying to sneak his lunch early? Yeah. It all ties together. Also, the thing with Hinata and Neji's fathers (the Twins, as you call them) is pretty crucial to Neji's arc. Yes, it's about destiny and how you can forge your own path, but more importantly, Hizashi's sacrifice had nothing to do with preserving the main branch of the Hyuga Clan as Neji thought. Hizashi chose to die in Hiashi's place because he loved his brother. It just so happened to benefit the main branch, but it was Hizashi's idea and completely against the will of Hiashi who was ready to die to avoid war with the Hidden Cloud. So while Neji's cursing the main branch for taking his father from him, Hiashi is tortured by the loss of his little brother who he couldn't protect, even as the head of that main branch, and when Neji discovers the truth, it turns his whole world upside down.

[@thebrofessor4173]

While I understand what you mean, and even though it is important for Neji's arc, I think Murphy's point of her not really caring about the specifics is that it doesn't really explore anything new in regard to themes. Yeah it's a very touching story about the love between brothers, and how bonds between loved ones can shape who you become, but we've seen the exact same thematic story about 4 or 5 times now at this point in Naruto, and although it's a well crafted story, its not really needed and kind of redundant. Especially since it affects no one except for Neji in the story, and we don't really see that much of him until towards the end of Naruto. Please don't take this as me not liking the Twins' story either. I very much like it, and it holds a special place in my heart due to some personal experiences throughout my life. It's just I understand why Murphy isn't really interested in it. It doesn't challenge our current level of thinking in Naruto, and it just basically tells the same thematic story that has already been pounded into our heads.

[@CatotheE]

27:16 Rock Lee has the same problem that Kid does. He’s a Shonen protagonist in someone else’s manga.😭😂

[@wikansaktianto9215]

Why Kidd? Useless Captain Mid ain't the central protagonist in any series.

[@danielcastaneda4975]

Rock lee character sucks . He is a 1 filler episode potential . no more

[@CatotheE]

@@danielcastaneda4975 Lol. Nah. But you’re allowed to think that. He’s really one of the greatest characters introduced in part 1.

[@CatotheE]

@@wikansaktianto9215 That’s what I said.

[@vojtechtesar7114]

I think Rock Lee has enough development in the manga and he is still a great character. This may be an unpopular opinion since I know people would love to see more of him but his storyline was more or less complete by the end of Part 1. He proved that he can be an amazing ninja even without natural talent, even though he lost. And he overcame his fatal injury and his bond with Gai was cemented by his promise. To me, his character feels complete. He is not even comparable to Kid in terms of development.

[@colibri224]

Let's complain : Let's talk about Sakura. I saw that coming from miles away 🤣

[@pyrojkl]

Shonen Jump: makes manga focused on guys being ninjas and takes a long time to have any time spent on the support/healer Sort of like when we play league of legends and complain anytime you have a bad support or thank the dps for carrying but never thank the support when they do their job... lol such is life

[@fanboy4you]

Murphy drops a Naruto video Chat: Well another chat for us to hate on Sakura

[@Ringoroadagain6]

​@pyrojkl that's the poorest excuse I have seen for terrible character writing

[@shisir1791]

​@@Ringoroadagain6lol so a character not having a hard life is poor writing 🤣

[@Ringoroadagain6]

@shisir1791 No, Sakura is a shit character regardless of her past

[@watermelon7867]

For me the darkest part of this was child soldiers. Not just talking about pre-teens but kids as young as 5 or 6 being sent to war. Kakashi says as much to Iruka before chunin exams.

[@ayoo_wassup]

Yeah but the series never really leans into it so it's a missed opportunity. It's just mentioned like "hope you didn't forget this is bad" and it moves on. The best it was imo was the Kakashi rinn and obito story. I felt the child soldier thing more then. But that's more than halfway through story when I was already desensitized lol

[@wikansaktianto9215]

The darkest part of this series is the fact that someone like Orochimaru was being accepted in society more than Naruto. Why would you accept Caesar Clown cheap knockoff as casual civilian while a LITERAL ORPHAN WITH A GODZILLA INSIDE OF HIM is being shunned over something that wasn't his fault.

[@UNKNOWNL3G3ND]

@@wikansaktianto9215 orochimaru was never accepted in society. infact he's JUST alive by the end of the series.

[@Miestwin]

@@wikansaktianto9215 Ceasar is a cheap knockoff of Orochimaru. He's years older than the gassy idiot.

[@wikansaktianto9215]

​@@UNKNOWNL3G3NDOh really, then why don't people put him in supermax jail.

[@Balmung3688]

Expecting Kishimoto to write women as compelling characters is a struggle

[@v.lighting3530]

Dont forget our goat tsunade and may

[@AVillainChillin]

At least it isn’t Gege😂

[@mecahhannah]

He does better in boruto not the best but better

[@vojtechtesar7114]

But Konan was fine I guess, and Tsunade is actually one of the best characters in a series. Tsunade is a far deeper character than people give her credit for with a pretty subtle characterization on shonen standards.

[@Stachelbeeerchen]

Tsunade... I guess? But other than her and her lesbian secretary... Maybe Temari but she becomes sidelined pretty fast.

[@matthewgroves9407]

Surprised you didn’t talk about the first fight with Zabuza. Naruto being the second shuriken blew my mind the first time I watched it!! Also, kakashi is the only team 7 member you didn’t talk about 😢 #senseisupportgroup Can’t wait for the next video!!

[@roadrollerdio565]

As a Kakashi fan, I felt so betrayed especially because Iruka, Zabuza, Guy and Jiraiya all get mentions, even if not by name!!! Ntm the diss on his bells test 😢

[@vojtechtesar7114]

Kakashi will definitely get mentioned in the second video, Merphy can´t skip over his flashback

[@CupCakeUnleashed]

Naruto was actually my whole childhood. I initially didnt watch it because i didnt care for anime, but once I started I couldn't stop. Like many people, Naruto spoke to me in a way no other shows ever did. Also helped that it's just awesome to watch.

[@CupCakeUnleashed]

Murphy if you want to watch an edited down version, look up the OCEAN EDIT, it cuts out a lot of the filler and is way better paced.

[@cheyennemoore8380]

Same. It came into my life when I needed it most and got me through and has inspired me in so many unspeakable ways. Even though it's not perfect, I love it.

[@PortgasDASCE]

I lost my dad young and my moms been on drugs since before I was born, so k grew up in foster care. I started watching this show when I was 4 back in 2004 in foster care and I related so much to naruto. One piece is my fav, but Naruto will forever hold a spot in my heart for what it got me through. So happy you’ve started it

[@pyrojkl]

was also wondering if you got around to reading Alkatraz and the Evil Librarians and your feelings on it?

[@TheSageSpartan]

Dude same

[@irasac1]

I related to Naruto because i was absolutely neglected by my parents. Him being alone and not having no one to teach him anything while all the other kids do is so relatable to me.

[@jabrilwhite]

@@irasac1hope u doing good gang

[@LiorTamir]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@TheDizzyDungeoneer]

You're gonna want to remember pervy sage Jiraiya. He's actually nearly 1 for 1 cut out of Japanese legend. The legendary toad Sage Jiraiya actual has his own kabuki plays and whatnot he's probably one of the most famous legendary ninja in Japanese folk culture

[@mookiestewart3776]

She needs to bring her tissues when the manga really gets into his story

[@MrKingYuji]

He is also an expy of Master Roshi, which partly explains the pervyness

[@mr.e7541]

The main villain is too

[@Secretgirl97]

Gaara is one of my all time fave manga characters. Im glad you enjoyed him too

[@yokai340]

In the words of TotallyNotMark: Kishimoto writes women as someone who has never talked to or even met a real one.

[@shihomonamour]

Congratulations to you both for your flourishing social life.

[@jamesarclight544]

What’s so bad about his women?

[@CrowTRobot]

Kishimoto has apparently apologized for not knowing how to write a woman and I’m like, maybe just write how you do for male characters? Better than banishing them like Tenten 😂

[@Lothiril]

@@jamesarclight544 They barely have any personality or storylines that are not related to the boy they have a crush on. As a result most of them feel very shallow.

[@ShouryaRathore]

@@Lothiril With tsunade it wasnt just her lover dying,literally most of the people she cared about died even before that.Her nephew,who was her last remaining family member,many of her friends died in war.Her boyfriend dying was only the last straw,and she retired after the war.With konan it was more like wanting world peace,her and nagato pretty much were the same in their backatory,motivations and goals.I feel like hinata was actually pretty compelling in part 1,she was looked down upon in her own family and was trying to improve but she got reduced down to being naruto's love interest in shippuden

[@jayp.7042]

Merphy: "Sorry, this is too long." Me: "It's not enough, need more gushing and ranting."😂😂😂

[@ccorvid]

same!

[@cheyennemoore8380]

YES

[@MrMeltJr]

A lot of older anime has the same pacing problems, since it was back when seasons were long and they didn't take many breaks. Episode padding was there so they wouldn't catch up to the manga as quickly, and filler was to give the author time to make more manga when they inevitably caught up anyway. These days audiences are a lot more permissive of short seasons with longer breaks in between, so modern anime is a lot more streamlined and filler is rare. There's a fanmade cut of Naruto called the Ocean Cut that heavily edits the entire series to remove the padding and filler. It's pretty well made, though not technically legal.

[@drpepperman2765]

Damn, didn't realize Naruto also had its version of One Pace. Definitely gotta check that out now, been wanting to rewatch the series for awhile

[@MrMeltJr]

@@drpepperman2765 There are a few, actually, Ocean Cut is just the one I watched. Heard about it when I happened to be feeling nostalgic and decided to download it. As far as I know, there's also Rebuild of Naruto and Naruto Kai, which all have different philosophies of how they edited things down.

[@JustNardo]

To your point on the criticisms of the anime lol. That's basically just most of the older shounen anime. Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, early Bleach. They all do the same thing where they just pad an episode out to create filler so that they don't catch up to the manga too quickly and you kind of just got used to it. But for somebody who's new to anime I could definitely see that being hard to work around lol. Especially since nowadays most newer shounen go by seasons to kind of give them themselves breaks and so newer shows like Jujutsu, Chainsaw Man, My Hero tend to be a lot better paced thankfully. The One Piece anime still struggles with this though. But you end up watching for the character moments and those hype AF animated moments when you get them. The Haku Zabuza fight in the anime was drawn out but man when you get those highs like Naruto overpowering Haku and Zabuza's final moments it's awesome. Just products of their time though sadly.

[@stephennootens916]

That was why I never finish a lot of the series back in the day. Although with Dragon Ball I just picked up the manga which was like half as long as the anime.

[@JustNardo]

@@stephennootens916 yeah admittedly I'm fine watching them but I also grew up in a time when they were the norm so I'm probably just used to them.

[@pogo8050]

@@stephennootens916the DBZ anime is completely unwatchable when you’ve seen enough other series😭 The one piece anime still somehow manages to be even worse, at least until wano.

[@_Amit_Sunil]

The background score and OP/EDs make it worth it

[@robertt8822]

Definetly not lol ​@@_Amit_Sunil

[@gmoney9469]

As much as I stan OP, I get so nostalgic talking about Naruto lol

[@SOLO.SHAD0W-HAWK]

First HxH, now this... I'm glad and relieved that the new fans have such cool fun and calm approach. Thank you for your hard work

[@OnABedOfStice]

Without providing any spoilers, I think you are going to LOVE the first major arc of Shippuden, and I simply cannot wait to hear you talk about it

[@SunFlower-ju7nh]

And she's going to be very disappointed with one aspect after the first arc of Shippuden.

[@john-up5nm]

Everytime I revisit the series land of waves just becomes better and better, especially haku-zabuza's story to me. I love how haku's supposed to represent someone with a soul as pure as the snow, while zabuza a pure demon , yet both struggle to live as shinobies. Which sets up later on what other characters are going to face as well

[@yugfus]

The Land of Waves was an absolutely beautiful story arc.

[@utkarshvishwakarma3590]

Zabuza's arc and Naruto's parents arc was the highest high in Naruto for me which naruto couldn't top afterwards.

[@hobbyhorse5848]

It actually feels really weird in retrospect that the land of waves is all about the evil of a society that forces children to fight and then just goes “UP NEXT. ARC WHERE KIDS FIGHT. EVERYONE LOVES IT.”

[@Rairiky]

It's kinda amazing the heroes learned about the ethos of the series from the first main villains, they hadn't realized they were lucky to be born after a big war or how the world had broken people and that was their destiny

[@Axel-ye8tt]

@@hobbyhorse5848it’s about being a tool for the shinobi world look now guy sensi treats lee compared to zabuza and haku

[@oscarsantos4813]

I love your videos, this is one of my favorites I cried when you describe Haku backstory. I could do a 30 paragraph analysis of Naruto but there are some parts that I wish you can touch on your next video: Like war and how it affect next generation, almost all the character are shape by war ether for what they do to perpetuate it or what they do to prevent it. The third Hokage admitting to Orochimaru that they saw the dark in him, however, they decided to exploit that darkness since it will be more helpful in war and thats what end up creating the monster obsessed with jutsus that he is today or how Neji family decided to sacrifice one of the twins to prevent war from happening and at the end that created Neji hatred towards them. I love Naruto so much, I think if people give it a shot they will find that its better than what they think(Its a really long show so I understand why some people dont want to tho).

[@merphynapier42]

oh I'll talk about the third Hokage in the next video for sure! But you're so right that it ties in with war and how people use it and are shaped by it - it's a big part of these characters stories!

[@DrJackShelton]

But the issue is accurately discussing the details and character development arcs often requires the manga, anime canon and partially weak written partially canon semicanon flashback miniarcs on all the legendary historical figures of the story (I mean the stuff everyone wishes we got instead of boruto, like a darker story about Hashirama and Madara who are likely JUST nameless statues for her at this point, oh and whatever light novel and details that somehow got stuck in that The Last & Boruto period which aren’t in the anime at all… I mean a manga or anime about the prior generations expanding on the lore could’ve been pretty great but they only let that stuff get somewhat touched on by filler writers with notes from Kishimoto probably… The Hiruzen and the sënnín team stuff and how their characters reflect actual historical and shintobuddhist stories and so on is also great… The hyuga clan manji that destroys your eyes and brain at the will of only a few who can simply make a hand sign to delete your eyes and brain to prevent ocular theft only becomes a hint to bad stuff that happens in the second half… But sacrificing your brother and then having this brand on his child is… well it makes it less likely that people will take his eyes but also endangers the main branch as the only viable targets of magical eyeball powers theft… Just heard a video pointing out that the ability of a regular person to activate and deactivate a byakugan (“bïâkūgán”) while transplanted whilst, compared to kâkáshí who can’t deactivate his shàrīngán, there can be a more straightforward reason why they don’t treat their dôūjūtsū the same way with complex brain and eye destroying seals that auto activate upon death or control of Híáshí or is it any main branch member? I forget but it seems dumb since his brother’s son if still screwing in clan shouldn’t be any Less Descended from Hámūrâ than he is… maybe it’s just cause one was born first so that makes his ash I or whatever dead neji’s dad’s name was cause it’s been a while… But my point is, none of these things hit you with the same weight if you’re reading critically and comparing to all other stories and other recently read manga… and the issue with finding what’s filler and not filler is more an issue of which things are worth skipping and which have 3 minutes of canon content that matters amidst 20 minutes of Nonsense like that bleeding stupid combat emu fight which sounds like them making a joke out of Australia or whatever probably with a pitch like “why not have more combat animals… I know; let’s have a combat emu that battles Nárūtô and sasūké for multiple episodes til we have enough manga to spread out, only sometimes adding dramatic memorable well acted and animated moments that fans will value!” Or something along those lines… What I mean is that a Lot of this stuff isn’t fully perceptible, if you lack the knowledge of later flashbacks which are sometimes only partially canon depending which fans you ask… & as much as we’d all want a Naruto Kaî like DBZ Kaî or something, those end up cutting a lot of great stuff… The issue is the worldbuilding is so dense and packed and much of it is only disputably canon… but some of us know Fictional Fantasy Ninja History better than Real Ninja history, let alone the history of a world where most history is distorted and always one sided with complete disregard for the articulation of others’ history/lore/etc lost to whatever some historian claims they figured out translating even older writing hundreds of years later… Also the Reason Sásūké believes he needs to kill his best friend is not expanded on enough… and you won’t know til…. Well I shouldn’t say cause blah blah spoilers about magical eyeball powers which are WAY more important than you think at the beginning where it’s just “ah cool they’ve got those special magical eyeballs that do weird stuff or…hypnotise people into weird illusions… that’s neat!” But man I’m not even gonna begin with the 106 message and the EMS stuff and the “what’s written on the tablet?!” Stuff… But it’s fun, regardless… But only thing I’m thinking now is, “is someone helping Naruto make shadow clones which transform into attractive girls he knows pervy sage will like or is he way better at transformation jūtsū than we think, and it’s just Never fully explained… Cause would it mean it’s nonphysical projections of chákrâ that is meant to be distorted by their own visual skills and some lighter non-physical creation? Man these are complex Ninjutsu Class stuff that if it were explained it’d probably be inconsistently depicted with canon events or something… But I didn’t pay enough attention in ninja science class… excuse me rambling the places where Telling can help with issues created by so much show don’t tell material… : D Always love the narrative and even some of the flaws… But would rather they expanded on the village founders and various Kágé which… I shan’t say more for Reasons….. yes yes

[@fanboy4you]

@@DrJackShelton thanks for all the nonsense, and yes I read all of it, Why? coz I too am a fellow nonsense enjoyer

[@DrJackShelton]

@@fanboy4you the key is makin sense of it… the sense is hidden of course… but this is the fun of spoutin said nonsense! : D

[@username-ql8ox]

​@@DrJackShelton I definitely dont want a summary of Naruto from Merphy. I want her thoughts from reading it

[@soulbro55]

Naruto's main theme is acceptance and acknowledgment.

[@AnemoSupremacyXD]

and forgiveness

[@thejediofchicago6580]

That's what it was meant to be, too bad at the end of the series it became "you are strong/famous/accepted because you are destined to be so" 😛

[@AnemoSupremacyXD]

bruh you did not get anything did you even if he was destined if he stoped hardworking he wold have never achieved that goal besides acceptance and acknowledgement are something different completely so what tf are you saying @@thejediofchicago6580

[@soulbro55]

@@thejediofchicago6580 What? There were three other destined childs before Naruto, and all of them failed (Minato, Nagato. Obito). The reason Naruto managed to succeed was because he was able to understand his enemies instead of hating them and continue the chain of hatred. Did you even watch the show?

[@horizontalnoodlelmao4286]

​@@thejediofchicago6580 his destiny was to either bring peace or destruction, and to kill Sasuke So not at all really. He changed his destiny

[@fritoss3437]

You NEED to watch Gaara vs rock lee in anime

[@procrastinator547]

100%

[@Hermeshoes]

MUST

[@sandbun7348]

She did.We did it as a watch party in her discord.

[@fritoss3437]

@@sandbun7348 were is her discord ?

[@Mostwantedzay]

@@sandbun7348cool?

[@Natan.Barros]

I love how all of Merph complains are actually things that bothers most fans of the series. In other words, she's on the right path lol

[@Gadeberg90]

Most of them

[@danielcastaneda4975]

What do you mean ? She literally said she didn't care at all about the bells training and the thing about the lunch which is a very loved moment in the franchise by everyone . She said she didn't care at all like 3 times . So you are wrong . She is in the wrong path I guess by your standards

[@Gadeberg90]

@@danielcastaneda4975 Plus the first exam and the story about Neji and Hinata's fathers.

[@Natan.Barros]

@@danielcastaneda4975 this scene is mostly beloved by nostalgia, it is a very simple trope in fiction. I get her comment. And c'mon, you're gonna tell me it's not common in the fandom to see that Sakura is poorly written? That her fight with Ino was unsatisfactory? That the anime is way slower than the manga? I'm not talking in absolutes, everyone has its taste, but in general, her points are critics that are done fairly often towards Naruto

[@danielcastaneda4975]

​​​@@Natan.BarrosNo . Almost all fandom loves that scene and it is actually very freaking important to the story . Are you really willing to say nonsense to favorite merphy's opinion align with your comment ? Come on. Another Merphy's opinion . She calls neji " Naruto and that other character" . So she doesn't even cared enough to called neji by his name and he make fun of him being " just this another guy you will see him in this pic " . The fandom also disrespects and not cares about neji ? I don't think your original comment makes much sense but you just keep trying to force it around

[@marcosjunior4024]

I have a fond memory with the first part of Naruto... I was a very sickly kid and spent most days in the hospital. My mom always brought manga for me, and this was the way i have learned about Naruto. The journey about a kid who nobody believe in him, was so ressonating... As time goes on, I fell out of reading manga, but even with all the complaints I have, there's so many good things that i get it how it was so popular, even in Brazil( my country) people still loves this story so much. It was this manga and D. Gray-man that made me realise how stories could be so relatable. So i recomend give this two a try and let the characters speak to you, because it has helped me a lot.

[@almogdov]

Oh my, this is going to be quite the journey. I'm here for it, I love Naruto's story, I love how things are connected and everything has a reason.

[@FrantifaSuperSoldier]

I’m so glad you’re getting into Naruto, it’s another great Shonen story that shaped my adolescence. A lot of the lessons I’ve learned from DB, Naruto and One piece have stuck with me

[@jonathangrover3176]

I grew up reading the manga and it will always have a special place in my heart. Hearing your enthusiasm about some of those scenes that resonated with me was super heartwarming. I feel like there are so many compelling and well-defined characters with earnest struggles that are relatable, especially in Part 1, that it's really hard not to identify with or at least root for them. Anyway. Really cool to hear your journey through the series

[@rriveror27]

The paneling for the fights get better & better. Kishimoto is a master a drawing fights. Also keep that same energy with One Piece paneling.

[@zanlio]

Long videos are never annoying! We would watch hour long videos on every single arc i promise

[@mrnemoid]

So glad you started it and enjoyed it! High highs and low lows is a pretty accurate description imo, but at least for me the highs are sooo HIGH that it’s all worth it. And as the story goes along, there are fewer and fewer lows. At least for me. It’s just so strong thematically, and the characters have such profound stories behind them and great arcs. Sakura as a character is almost everyone’s least favorite part of early Naruto, but for what it’s worth, Sakura does get some character development as the story continues, and has some truly inspiring and badass moments all on her own, particularly in Shippuden.

[@mystanky]

Part one Naruto is so much better when you look back on the series as a whole. You appreciate how naive everyone was. And all the gags and “cheesy” things you appreciate when you look back at how far the series has gone. It’s not perfect by any means but it’s such an important series to my life/childhood. I literally grew up with Naruto and became an adult at the same time he did.

[@blobiel]

2nd of the big three! Congrats, I hope the naruto lovers find this video. I’m ready to hear part 2! I haven’t read bleach but I’ll have to read it before you do so I can watch the reviews

[@colinfang3019]

Don't worry about the length! honestly I like them longer! And take as many parts as you need to cover these I'm really enjoying your perspective and experiencing Naruto vicariously again.

[@amna5506]

Great video as usual! I grew up with Naruto, so I've been waiting for this read through. I wouldn't mind several (in-depth) Naruto videos! I couldn't agree more with the criticisms, Kishimoto's writing of women is one of the biggest reasons I prefer other shows over Naruto now, despite loving it as a kid (and unfortunately, it doesn't get better). It's good to see Gaara get some love! He's one of my favorites, and I love his relationship with Naruto going forward. Same goes for the Nartuo/Sasuke dynamic, I love how they evolve throughout the series (if only we got compelling explorations of the girls' relationships as well!). Sakura and Ino's friendship not getting explored enough and instead focusing on Sasuke is my villain origin story. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on some of the other characters like Kakashi, Shikamaru and Neji in the upcoming video.

[@GaveenPrabhasara]

I watched the video while bracing myself (because of shonen fandoms), but this was great! As much as I love One Piece, Naruto is special for me. Glad you are enjoying it. For me personally, the Neji vs Naruto fight also had so much impact. Overall, the tournament arc was great because how it establishes the Konoha 11, their future allies and enemies, and other important characters in the periphery. There's a reason why Naruto shows are so much loved even in the backdrop of One Piece's incredible longevity.

[@useyourhead8824]

Word of advice...people don't think about the long vids too much..we love it..we all watched the series and we understand.

[@UNKNOWNL3G3ND]

It's good to see different perspectives. Like how you said you didn't like the paper exams that much, then there's other people that say how that was one of their favourite part of the exams...

[@goanceoe6502]

Murphy don't ever be scared of criticizing perverted humor!! We watch the videos for your opinion.

[@dhimankalita1690]

WOMP WOMP

[@Thomniscient]

Ooooooo I just started reading Naruto a couple of weeks ago and am loving it! What great timing. Excited to share the journey with you Merph!

[@HazzaDaBoss]

LETS GOOOOO! I love Naruto so much, super psyched to see you cover it :D glad that you've enjoyed it so far!

[@darksilver892]

The bell exercise is a lot more important than you think, you'll see

[@MonkeyDJoshie]

I can’t wait to see what your take on Part 2 is. I think you will see Kishimoto’s art style and storytelling evolve in some compelling ways

[@KevinVideo]

Always happy to see you making longer videos. Gush to your heart's content. The Naruto series is definitely mixed, and I saw the anime after I had already gotten into One Piece, so it was sad that Sakura didn't really do anything or wasn't written overly well. It made me grateful for we had Nami and Robin. The Gaara vs. Naruto fight is still one of my favourite battles, and Neji getting walloped by Naruto will forever be satisfying.

[@MrRanosama]

Episode 19 of Naruto is one of the most beautiful pieces of art I've ever seen. The conclusion of the Zabuza and Haku story is something that I can't even think about without tearing up. In both dub and sub the scenes are just immaculate.

[@michaelrich7279]

well this is one way to start my friday, glad to know your starting this amazing series. (Merph once again we apologize for getting you into the addiction known as manga.)

[@SekundesCCFFVII]

Great video ! It was nice listening to it ! A few reactions : - Yeah, female characters are not great if not awful in this manga, and apart from a few highlights, it's not gonna get better. They hardly exist outside of their male friends/partners - Jiraya gets way, way better, but like Sanji the pervy jokes dampens his whole character - The Neji stuff is going to be important to take into account later on, metatextually - I agree when you point out how next to all characters feed into the same themes and messages from different angles. It's super interesting, but I really wanna see how you'll feel about this pattern repetition thing in the second half of the manga !

[@chrissik3102]

Ohhh Naruto. It’s one of my most loved stories. I love it because the concepts and characters are amazing - the execution though… I guess there will be many complaint sections going forward. Anyways, I started watching one piece because of you, so I’m excited for your thoughts on Naruto going forward 🙂

[@Artimes.]

Naruto is a story about children growing up in a world of adversity and the main character has to undergo many trials and tribulations not only to heighten his skills as a ninja but also to gain further recognition amongst his peers. The thing about Naruto is its very relatable to so many people in life that have these problems especially in school as that kid that never fits in and you feel like you’re in isolation and society is all against you. It’s a very important series growing up for alot of kids I think because of its reflection of real world issues like isolation, kids being ostracized from other kids and groups and amongst all that pain and suffering, there lies hope and the willingness to never give up. One piece is probably my favorite manga for a lot of reasons but I think my most favorite protag of all time is still naruto and unlike luffy, he goes through dramatic growth. Its to bad the manga has alot of other issues other wise it could have been as high as one piece imo and thank you naruto for teaching me that in the face of adversity, show your qualities, your worth as a human being and never give up no matter how hard those struggles may be.

[@just_an_internet_explorer8038]

That’s an interesting take

[@thetele8646]

I truly love Narutos development in Shippuden during the pain arc and after that. It's beautiful and that overcoming his own hatred in the waterfall of truth, made me tear up a bit when he hugged his inner darkness and thanked him.

[@Artimes.]

@@thetele8646 His growth is one of the highlights of the series for sure. From adolescent to even adult hood and becoming his own leader and hokage and i think the big takeaway is as he learns the history and the world around him, he matures alot. It’s to bad kishimoto made the 3 mains far to much of the central focus where many other characters were delegated to supporting roles or just very minor and some almost written out of the plot completely. The issue with naruto is it felt a very personalized story but I think kishimoto focused on that a little to much and forgot that he introduced many other characters in his world that should have been equally fleshed out. Instead they basically became regulars living in the shadows of sasuske and naruto, trying to support the MC. I guess one piece is very different in that regards.

[@KyleKP1]

Making long videos is a good thing, don’t apologize for it.

[@VoidSplendor]

Deja vu. Had a thought you'd cover Naruto after you read DBZ. Its great seeing you experience some of the most influential media I grew up with.

[@idahoterrell]

Not caring about the bells is so heart breaking 💔 . All long time fans know why 😢

[@flags4595]

21:24 "I know you like her" after that imitation got me laughing out loud

[@bleachelf]

Oh the nostalgia!! Watching this has reminded me of what I so loved about Naruto back in the day, before I just stopped reading it at some point. It was so much fun!!

[@Green-FUKUFUKUFUKUFUKUFUKU]

"this is gonna be a long video" *is only 35 minutes long* :p loved the video!

[@slashermaster28]

Amazing to think that is a standard review length nowadays when back in the day, people weren’t even allowed to post videos more than 10 minutes long.

[@Green-FUKUFUKUFUKUFUKUFUKU]

@@slashermaster28 lol very true, I remember when people had to post videos in "part 1", "part 2", "part 3".

[@royalfun1031]

​@@slashermaster28tf

[@vism2812]

naruto anime is memorable for its peaks. its director hayato date popularized the now common method of reserving resources for the best moments. since you’re already reading, instead of watching entire fights, i recommend watching the climax episodes and your favourite moments. more often than not they’ll be extremely well made. for example, episode 17 and 19 in the zabuza arc, the first real example of what narutos adaptation is capable of. instead of spreading our their best animators and directors to keep a base level of quality, they threw the avengers at every important moment. they even went as far as outsourcing a whole arc to go all out for 2 of the most monumental episodes in anime.

[@vojtechtesar7114]

As a year-long fan of Naruto, I love tht you are reading through the series. Just some notes: ¨ -The bell test is generally beloved by the fanbase, and I think it is a great introduction to the theme of friendship (which Naruto explores ery well imo). And Kakashi´s motto that "Those who break rules are scum, but those who disobey rules are worse than scum" gets a much deeper meaning as you read further into the story. -I think the written exams were the first example of how loyal the villages require their shinobi to be, something which ties into the backstories of many characters. -Your take about Gaara envying Lee the love he got from Gai, something Gaara needed so much but never got, is so right. -Jirayia turns up to be much more than a gag character. And you are definitely going to remember his name. He is my personal favourite shonen mentor.

[@FirstLast-wk3kc]

I really didn't like Naruto my whole life, but i do want to see it through you. That way i see a way to appreciate the series. Good luck, i hope to see more of you no matter which is it

[@jonathan7skyfire]

Weak! we want 3 hour videos. Kidding I still enjoy all your videos 😁

[@Monchesque]

I actually love the gush about character/plot then immediately into a complaint storytelling you used in this video, felt exactly like my own experience with Naruto haha 😂

[@erichernandez4716]

At 24:05 has me rolling🤣🤣🤣 . If you ever cosplay Hinata you would be the 🐐💯

[@2009pokemonfan]

I’m so excited that you are reading Naruto. One of my favorite stories 😀

[@Comicbroe405]

Hyped! Another fav youtuber on this goated manga

[@naqib_2365]

Yes!!! I have been waiting for this video for months! Months!!!

[@demonprincemeliodias6590]

I read Naruto in my 20's and guy sensei is my favourite and Hinata is another fav😅

[@NRLazy]

It's always interesting to see how others interpret things in stories you've already read. looking forward to future videos 👍🏿

[@Arthamus]

I never go back on my word that's my nindo, my ninja way! Shonen anime is notorious for its pacing so picking your favorite moments to watch is definitly the way to go! The bell challenge was more of an insight into Kakashi but you'll get it later 🙂 thank you so much for reading this series I can't wait to see your response on how this story unfolds into Naruto Shippuden ❤ Edit: "mentors who's name I never never bothered to learn" lol famous last words just you wait Jiraiya isn't done yet 😉

[@ma2keep]

I really enjoy your long videos, hope they are not too tiring to shoot/edit. Its always a little treat ❤

[@stormRed]

The way you described the anime pacing is exactly why I switched to reading One Piece instead of watching it, despite resonating with anime more as a medium, it came to a point where the padding just became too much to handle. It's kinda sad. Glad we're getting a new version.

[@pitchblacknext]

As someone who just got into OP 3 years ago. While I enjoy the anime and love animation as a medium- once I got post time skip, the anime pacing can be rough. I just finished fishman Island in anime (I follow the manga through KZbin reviewers since Imu reveal). I read all of Narutos manga and watched everything up until Kaguyas reveal. The Naruto anime, especially with filler makes it seem like it takes forever. The manga felt very to the point, without feeling rushed (besides the Kaguya stuff lol) The voice acting and music in anime does add layers that the manga cant tho. But I've heard the horrors of OPs Dressrossas anime pacing and I might just switch to manga for Dressrosa and Wano. I know about Toei stretching the OP anime in unnecessary ways. I'm really hoping the new OP anime can retain the spirit of the original but also condense the unnecessary bloat and stick to the manga more faithfully. I absolutely dont mind any extra anime content if it actually adds to the story or enhances scenes and character development from the manga.

[@benjaminroe311ify]

Watching one piece right now and I've used the 10 second skip button soooo much. There is so much padding and just drawn our reactions. I don't need to see every town person's reaction when Luffy hits Doflamingo etc. Haha.

[@_Amit_Sunil]

Your lucky One Pace exists. If you want to give it a second shot

[@stormRed]

@@_Amit_Sunil I'm planning on doing a One Pace watch through eventually, I'm just not sure when.

[@AbstractAddiction]

I commend you for getting into Naruto right now. I got into Naruto when it first started and I was in high school. I think it's difficult for adults to get into it because it's a series that's really matured with its audience. The characters mature as well. I look forward to seeing how your emotions around each character change as time goes on. Please, please, please watch the Rock Lee/Gaara fights in the anime. Grit your teeth through the flashbacks, it's worth it. Also, would love to see you get into My Hero Academia, it's wrapping up soon (I think) and in my opinion does a good job of subverting a lot of the shonen tropes you see in the stories you've read so far.

[@kaimobley5324]

To be fair Naruto JUST learned about how to use the Fox Chakra and only successfully used it once so it's not unreasonable that Naruto didn't think about it until the last minute

[@Marpaws]

don't worry about the length. i love your manga and books reviews.

[@Havoc-kun]

Merphy: "I find Hinata kinda annoying." Me: "I TAKE SERIOUS OFFENSE TO THIS PERSONAL ATTACK!" Lol 😂😂

[@VenomtheOne]

She's kinda 1 dimentional , though.

[@TheSageSpartan]

@@VenomtheOneshe’s just introverted

[@saroojanvasanthakumar1510]

Tbh I thought she was annoying too but she grew on me in the fight against pain

[@kissofarose100]

let's be honest here hinata is not annoying at all compared to Orihime from Bleach

[@zararkhan3499]

@@VenomtheOnehow does that make her annoying tho? shes just shy and doesnt say much, but wants to help. Its more endearing than annoying

[@terogamer345]

Great analysis, surprised by no mention of Kakashi at all. He was my favourite by far in part one plus everyone keeps mentioning and respecting him, plus the really cool and mysterious Sharingan reveal vs Zabuza. I think i know what you will think about Part 2 of the series and oh boy, its going to get spicy.

[@Silas_Kow]

Early Naruto art was such a blast

[@nashieboi7496]

Hey Merphy, we love your long video. Dont feel too bad about it. But what ever you decide. We will watch it no matter what

[@notrixamoris3318]

Thanks for making more than one video about NARUTO and 3 ro 4 videos would be nice...

[@nikgokuhil]

I bet we would get more for Shippuden part, a lot to discuss there

[@Rairiky]

Welcome to naruto world! It's hard to explain how massive this series was worldwide, somehow i still see sharingan shirts and kids doing rasengan(!!), i hope you like it enough to read it through it has truly great peaks and an author maturing in real time

[@arenkai]

The first part of Naruto stil holds up to this day, I glad you liked it :D Now onto the more controversial parts...

[@TotallyAtopiaYT]

Nothing controversial about it part 2 in the manga is brilliant just because some people didn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean others wont enjoy it

[@ShouryaRathore]

@@TotallyAtopiaYT I didnt like how Naruto and Sasuke's final powerup came out of nowhere but apart from that i liked part 2.If only it had treated side characters a bit better,and Sakura had gotten character development and been more relevant in fights it would have been perfect

[@DarksideGmss0513]

The controversial part is Boruto.

[@TotallyAtopiaYT]

@@ShouryaRathore that’s your opinion I didn’t have a issue with it see this is something people misunderstood over 9 years now “Side characters “ isn’t just the Konaha shinobi Naruto has one of the best characters All the Hokages the Villians Kuruma and many more

[@cheyennemoore8380]

I love Iruka and the way he plays into the series and wathcing this while growing up with Naruto and seeing him be treated well finally hit so hard. It's still one of my favorite openings to any series. I will say I agree with the pervy stuff so thanks for saying what I've been thinking. The pacing of the first major fight is the reason I hope the new animated version will be really good. I would love to see them pace it better in the newer style we saw, even though I love the origianl and have watched it several times. I love the part with Shikamaru and his dad, but I think most of it can be watched when the new one comes out. I love the manga panels I've seen and I've been meaning to read it finally. I waited until I finished the series but it's been years so I should. I started it recently. But your gushing makes me want to. And yes, Sakura and the middle school arc is realsitic (I teach this age lol) but I also got annoyed even as her age, but then again I was Hinata so lol. I do love Inu and Sakura's ight but it could be better. I feel they could use Sakura's inner world than it used. It hints (imo) to her resitence to ginjustu (the mind tricks ninja use) and her own character strenght. I love Hinata's arc as well, and that was a rare treat. The anime did it well, and has less pacing issues thatn the land of waves arc if you'd like to watch it. It's one of the few I've seen several times. Sasuke is such an interesting character that also didn't feel fully done well, but still done better sadly than most women in this series. I also lost a litle interst in him during the break and I'm a huge fan of him. Though I do love love love Naruto and seeing him grow and use his brain more is so satisfying. Also you can say her name as hin-ah-ta. I'm very glad I had time to finally watch these videos. Thanks for joining our love for this series! I love your comments, they're so spot on. I felt I could also go on more lol, but thanks for sharing these videos.

[@marikasamogin]

Naruto/Iruka is my favourite relationship, it's so pure and genuinely ❤

[@japjeetmehton9921]

But Iruka is kinda dumped later on 😢

[@marikasamogin]

@@japjeetmehton9921 unfortunately yes .

[@ilay_ux]

11:53 rightfully so. the original anime has awful issues with its pacing, I wish you had only watched episode 17-19! that one's actually good lol if you'd like a list of anime episodes worth watching from part 1: 17-19 (Zabuza and Haku finale) 48-50 (Gaara vs Rock Lee) 132-133 (Naruto vs Sasuke)

[@Aizaia5]

I know you mostly read, but please listen to some of the sadder songs from Naruto like Sadness and Sorrow, Hokage's funeral, Shirohae. There's tons more, but the OST really elevates the sadder moments, and they truly are gems.

[@GrandLufaine]

Great point

[@thesamuraiman]

I know the Bell Test was probably a bit drawn out, but I'm surprised you didn't comment on Kakashi's character. About how he went against the Shinobi world's rule and put his friends above the mission. Feel like that speaks a lot about him as a person. 13:55

[@StanNotSoSaint]

One of the dope things in anime is Rock Lee theme. Music in general was pretty good in Naruto.

[@benjaminroe311ify]

Naruto music is General is amazing.

[@Kfoglarsson]

I have been waiting so eagerly for this video my whole body is throbbing. I know Merph is going to love, looove, some of Narutos deeper themes of philosophy.

[@mecahhannah]

Awesome as always thanks naruto is my favorite anime and manga! It's what got me into everything!

[@carlosstjohn116]

Just started the video and I’m already so excited for you to read Naruto! It’s not my favorite series, but it is very special to many of us and was one of the first manga/anime that many of us got into. You definitely need to see certain parts of it animated. Any scene or fight you think would be cool to watch, you should.

[@afrothekid3070]

Kishimoto struggles to write women they never really get passed that middle school stage dudes are pretty well developed though

[@sekiun]

i love these long videos / analysis on new series! let's goo

[@sirkillian]

Cant wait until she knows Pain.

[@royalfun1031]

That section

[@Ryuksgelus]

To laugh at how poorly written his character is? This series is going to be another Promised Neverland for her. Did that even get a full video to finish telling us what she thinks about it?

[@sirkillian]

@@Ryuksgelus he is a great character and a great arc. It is a good ending to the show. I dont like the amount of fillers they did after it :P

[@chronics23]

no way you think pain is a poorly written character@@Ryuksgelus

[@sinatraking584]

@@chronics23 because they never watched the show people just hate type about naruto cause they jealous of its success 😂😂

[@kezorrin]

I'm wishing to hear more in future videos about my best boy Shikamaru :D

[@Ali-sh5sx]

I did not know I needed this today but here we are time for some nostalgia I remember when Naruto was in my top 3 fav manga and it has slowly gotten lower and lower with a certain sequel that shall not be named killing my love for the series

[@vojtechtesar7114]

Boruto is terrible, but you can still enjoy Naruto for being its own thing. Homestly, there is almost nothing in common between Naruto and Boruto.

[@osbre8110]

i agree shippuden is terrible

[@zararkhan3499]

@@osbre8110shippuden is just the anime term, in the manga there is no destinction

[@erosennin599]

Boruto is amazing wtf are you talking about?

[@vojtechtesar7114]

not really, it is great until the war arc

[@Firensid]

Fun to hear you talk about the series that broke me and my friends hearts. We were really invested super fans until one too many utterly stupid story and character decisions late into the story made out rose tinted glasses break. Kishimoto knows how to write something that’s very engaging and his shorter stories within Naruto are great (flashbacks with character motivation), but to me it falls apart the more you experience of his longer story and the more you think about it, it doesn’t hold up. Zabuza and Haku will forever be great though!

[@appa5894]

The bell challenge is very important to the story later on without spoiling.

[@Dublin.655]

"The murder forest was cool!" is now on my top 10 list of Merphy quotes.