I'm not here to tell you if you should or shouldn't watch Naruto because I would, without a doubt, say yes. I'm simply going to tell you what you need to know to make that choice for yourself! Now, what is Naruto? It is an anime (Japanese animation) created by Masashi Kishimoto. It follows an orphaned child named Naruto (shocker) and his journey from being feared and socially excluded (I wonder why…) to one of the greatest shinobi (ninja) ever. His ultimate goal is to become Hokage, the village's leader and strongest ninja. The show has 720 episodes split between the original Naruto (when he was around twelve years old) and Naruto Shippuden (when he was sixteen).  

Characters  

• Naruto Uzumaki, the blond, has a bubbly personality. He's immature, and although he may be a prankster, he's incredibly loveable. No matter his troubles, he always has a smile on his face (unless it comes to his rivalry with Sasuke, as you see in their group photo).

• Sasuke Uchiha is the last living member of the Uchiha clan after their assassination… or is he? He is the show's "hottie," and girls obsess over him.

• Sakura Haruno obsesses over Sasuke (which he hates) and is pretty useless for over 50% of the show (whoops, my bias is showing). She heavily relies on others to protect her, which gets annoying, but she (very) slowly grows.

• Kakashi Hatake is the copycat ninja. A mask is always covering his nose and mouth, and he typically covers his left eye, so only his right eye is visible most of the time. He's able to master any fighting skills just by watching them. He also becomes Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke's teacher very early on (so don't worry, it's not much of a spoiler). There are many more characters, but you'll have to watch the anime if you want to see them.

Lessons  

There are lots of lessons in Naruto, but a few include:  

1. Redemption is always possible  

2. It's okay if your potential takes time to manifest  

3. You can never dream too big  

“If you don't like your destiny, don't accept it. Instead, have the courage to change it the way you want it to be!” -Naruto Uzumaki

They marketed the anime for 12-17 years old, so having children exposed to these teachings is beneficial. Although anyone at any age can benefit from these lessons—I certainly have. 

Fillers

This was my only problem with Naruto. Out of 720 episodes, 255 episodes (or 41% of the show) are filler. BUT if this is an issue, multiple sites tell you which episodes are filler, and you can easily skip past them. If you don't know what a filler episode is, it's an episode with nothing related to the main storyline. Usually, writers use filler when the anime has caught up to the manga (Japanese comic books). So, a filler is then used to give the manga time to catch up. I have skipped most filler episodes but have watched some because they can further develop side characters (for example, Kakashi's backstory).   

Now, 720 episodes may seem excessive, but that is how Kishimoto fits the entire journey of Naruto Uzumaki into the series. If you want to laugh, cry, and invest in watching characters grow up, then give Naruto a shot! 

Melissa Mahlig

Hi, my name is Melissa! I’m a 20-year-old student in the Professional Writing Program, and my love of writing manifested from an obsession with fanfiction. I love Wattpad, spicy food, anime and sleep. Weird/fun fact about me: I have a strange infatuation with Caesars (extra spicy, please!). Who needs therapy when you have iced coffee and books?