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‘Sasuke this, Sasuke that’ is pretty much what a conversation among young girls in Konoha used to sound like. Back in the good old days, Sasuke was the biggest deal ever. And, Naruto? Well, he was annoying, a demon, and all things trouble. Just to clarify, we’re not the ones saying that. That was the popular perception people had of him.

Once Naruto challenged this perception by focusing on his growth, it didn’t take long for him to garner positive attention. He had girls fawning over him and even visiting Konoha simply to interact with him. That tells us that he was the true ladies’ man of Konoha.

Naruto’s reputation preceded him for the worst

Sasuke came from one of the most respected and talented clans of Konoha. His brother was a prodigy, and he followed in his footsteps. Whether it was looks or the skill set of a Shinobi,...

Anime has become a widely popular medium for experiencing the language of love. While fans particularly enjoy romance anime shows, there’s a certain intensity and depth when it comes to romance anime movies. The likes of Makoto Shinkai and Hayao Miyazaki have given audiences some of the most iconic love stories of all time. Whether it's boldly mixing romance with disaster or telling stories about unrequited love, the anime world has bestowed fans with movies which go straight to the heart.

Love in these movies is not a commodity to be exploited to induce drama; rather, it acts like gravity that pulls people into it without any regard for consequence. The greatest romance movies of all time offer a plethora of characters who are entangled in deeply emotional and relatable experiences like heartbreak, first love, unrequited feelings, and love across time and space.

Updated on February 24th, 2025 by Chelsea Steele...

The mention of Masashi Kishimoto and female characters in the same sentence is enough to make fans frown, and The Last: Naruto the Movie reinstated that fear. Throughout the Naruto series, there are many memorable characters who can easily make it to the list of best anime characters of all time. With how good the male characters in the series are, the female ones miserably pale in comparison.

Ino Yamanaka in Naruto Shippuden | Credits: Studio Pierrot Co. Ltd.

Even the good ones often get reduced to their physical appearances, as Kishimoto fails to write decent developmental arcs for them. This is exactly what happened with Ino Yamanaka. She is one of the few characters whose design post-Shippuden didn’t disappoint fans. Although, the same can’t be said about her character arc in The Last: Naruto the Movie.

Ino’s glow-up is easily the best out of all Naruto characters...

Among the many themes in Naruto, human relationships are crucial. Throughout the series, we see the characters building and sustaining bonds that enrich their lives. From platonic relationships to the teacher-student dynamics, Masashi Kishimoto’s writing is top-notch when relationships are concerned.

However, the same can’t be said about the romance in the series. That’s where Kishimoto often fumbles. Most romantic relationships in the series either fail because of tragedy or because of poor writing. During an interview, Kishimoto once explained why that is the case.

Masashi Kishimoto’s Feelings on Romantic Relationships in Naruto Naruto and Hinata in The Last: Naruto Movie | Credits: Studio Pierrot Co. Ltd.

Romance wasn’t among the central themes of the story, yet we caught glimpses of romantic relationships through different characters. Tsunade-Dan and Asuma-Kurenai are examples of romantic pairs in the story. The introduction of romance between any of the main characters happened very late,...

From its power system to its character designs, My Hero Academia is impeccable as a superhero Shonen manga. Apart from its accolades and recognition, Kohei Horikoshi’s work is a refreshing take on the superhero genre. From bagging accolades to worldwide recognition, Horikoshi’s work is in a league of its own. However, with the manga’s finale, its closure didn’t sit well with most fans.

Izuku Midoriya in a still from the series | Credit: Studio Bones

With an underwhelming ending that left many fans disappointed, the series faced severe backlash. While its lackluster ending was critiqued, it reflected a glimmer of a possible romance between Ohchaco and Deku. Although the series strips the readers of any possible romance it could follow in the footsteps of Naruto and explore the characters’ relationship dynamic.

My Hero Academia could map Ohchaco and Deku’s romance through a film just like Naruto.

Few creators are held in as high regard as Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto in the manga industry. Responsible for One Piece and Naruto respectively, these two legendary authors have not only shaped the modern Shonen landscape but also have become cultural icons in their own right. As these series successfully started to evolve, Oda and Kishimoto developed a casual rivalry that was fueled by mutual respect and admiration.

Naruto and Sasuke’s final battle | Credit: Studio Pierrot

However, despite starting at almost similar times, they faced very different paths by the mid-2010s. Kishimoto, having successfully completed Naruto manga in 2014 after a 15-year run, was able to step away from the grueling demands of weekly serialization. In contrast, Eiichiro Oda is still working tirelessly on One Piece, with no signs of slowing down.

The End of Naruto and Its Impact on Eiichiro Oda

Naruto had already become one of...

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Naruto's plot is full of exciting fights that make the series memorable by showcasing powerful abilities and creating significant moments for its ensemble of talented Shinobi. However, there are still many fights that fans would have loved to see whether they were teased, interrupted, or simply overlooked.

Fighting is a useful way to explore the strength and hearts of Naruto's characters, giving plenty of reasons for fans to want certain characters to meet in battle for the first time or to meet again under new circumstances. Although Naruto seldom fails to deliver on entertainment in its match-ups throughout the series, finding ways to include more unique match-ups or running back the best rivalries could have further elevated the excellent franchise.

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Related Naruto Movies Worth Watching And Which to Skip

From Naruto: The Last...

Netflix has a couple of major series airing all or part of their final seasons in July 2024. The hit Spanish drama Elite is set to premiere its eighth and final season in full this month with one final mystery (July 26), Vikings: Valhalla is setting off on one final adventure with its third season (July 11), and Cobra Kai is also entering its swan song era with the first part of its final sixth season arriving on Netflix July 18.

The most notable movie offering this month is Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3). Thirty years after his last case, Eddie Murphy returns as the titular detective Axel Foley, teaming up with old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton) to uncover a conspiracy and keep his daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) safe.

Here’s everything else coming to Netflix this month. Note that Netflix marks its international offerings with that respective country’s two-letter country code.

Summer is still in full swing, and Netflix has some interesting plans for subscribers that will become reality starting next week. Per ComicBook, the streaming giant plans on adding a number of shows and movies to its catalog, including several anime productions, this July. Among the list are three Naruto movies: Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, The Last: Naruto the Movie, and Boruto: Naruto the Movie. These three films are set to head to Netflix on July 7.

Naruto fans based in the U.S. can get ready to celebrate after major streaming service Netflix revealed the release date for three of the franchise's highest-rated films.

Via What's on Netflix, it was recently revealed that three Naruto films will be joining Netflix in July for U.S. fans. Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie (directed by Hayato Date), The Last: Naruto The Movie (directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi) and the franchise's latest film, Boruto: Naruto the Movie (directed by Hiroyuki Yamashita), will all arrive on Netflix on July 7, 2024. Readers can check out the Boruto: Naruto the Movie trailer below, which previously streamed on Crunchyroll for U.S. viewers.

Related Naruto's Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Finally Receives an Official English Release

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will receive an official English release that continues the adventure of Naruto's son three years after the previous series.

Netflix Scores IMDb's Three...

If you are sad about Gojo’s death, please seek therapy from your friends who like Naruto. From Jiraiya to Itachi, Masashi Kishimoto never let fans feel a scarcity of emotional deaths. Naruto fans have been living with trust issues before trust issues were a thing.

So when Edo Tensei was later introduced in the series, the obvious question of fans was: Where was this technique when Jiraiya died? However, it is crucial for you to know that Jiraiya’s death had purpose, which would have been completely defeated, had he been revived.

In an interview regarding The Last: Naruto the Movie, Kishimoto explained why he never revived Jiraiya.

Why Masashi Kishimoto Never Brought Jiraiya Back With Edo-Tensei

Jiraiya’s death in Naruto anime | Crunchyroll

Jiraiya is one of the most central characters in Naruto. He became a tutor to the future Hokage and guided him through life. With his...

In the Boruto era, Naruto has grown past the young boy he was while growing up. It's understandable, as he needed to become an adult to lead the Hidden Leaf. Becoming the Konoha Hokage was his dream, but it required a lot of responsibility and time.

Admittedly, Naruto has struggled with dedicating major pieces of himself to the job and while he's done a great job, he's had to face challenges along the way. Luckily, Boruto has been around to educate him on pertinent matters. Here are some of the biggest lessons Naruto learned from his son.

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Related 10 Naruto Characters Who Only Made it Because of Hard Work In Naruto, some of the ninja, like Rock Lee & Sakura, had a lot to prove and the hard work they put in helped them grow. Naruto Needed to Keep Being a Rebel Boruto Taught...

The official Twitter account of Naruto issued a warning on April 8, 2024, to alert fans regarding accounts on social media impersonating the series’ creator, Masashi Kishimoto.

The tweet read, “[Please be careful] Manga artist Masashi Kishimoto does not have any accounts on any social media platforms. Please be aware that accounts claiming to be Masashi Kishimoto-sensei are not genuine. – Shueisha“.

The warning comes amidst fan confusion surrounding a parody account potentially mistaken for the real Kishimoto. Many fans expressed amusement at the situation as the account in question clearly mentioned in the bio that it is a parody account. While others were surprised that fans were still falling for the account to the point that the official channels felt the need to address it.

However, many fans believed the account was operated by Masashi Kishimoto and thanked Shueisha for issuing the alert.

Masashi Kishimoto is a Japanese manga artist. His manga series, Naruto, which...

Quick Links Who is tsutsuki Toneri? Why Did tsutsuki Toneri Love Hinata? How Was tsutsuki Toneri Defeated? What Happened With tsutsuki Toneri & Urashiki in the Boruto Series?

When it comes to the villains in the Naruto franchise, it's very difficult to pick who ranks highest. Sure, the likes of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Uchiha Madara stand out for being ruthless and unforgiving. The Akatsuki, as a terrorist cell, also follows in this vein. The Akatsuki wanted to capture the tailed beasts so that they could harness their power to bring about peace through fear and invasion. There are, however, antagonistic characters who are also sympathetic that fans connect with. Villains that are complex and layered with interesting and rich backstories, and character arcs that resonate with the viewers.

Obito, the Uchiha who turned evil due to Madara's manipulation, is a prime example. His actions lead to the deaths of many,...

The two canon movies in the Naruto franchise, The Last: Naruto the Movie and Boruto: Naruto the Movie, are currently unavailable on streaming platforms. The Last movie showcases strong character writing for Naruto and Hintao, and arguably the franchise's most epic fight against Otsutsuki Toneri. Boruto: Naruto the Movie effectively introduces the next generation of ninjas and provides emotional moments while passing the torch to Boruto.

People interested in experiencing all of the best Naruto content currently cannot stream the two canon movies that are arguably the best films in the popular franchise. Although the final chapter of Masashi Kishimoto's beloved Naruto manga was released in 2014, the story has continued exploring life in Konoha after Naruto and Sasuke's climactic duel at the end. The two films released after the series ended feature some of the franchise's best action and character development but are currently difficult to find on streaming platforms.

The anime community has spoken -- Naruto's married couples rank as the fan base's all-time favorite pairings.

According to a recent survey by Japanese news site Numan, fans deemed Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno to be the best married couple in all of anime. Pulling in at a close second are Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga. These results are significant, as they show that Masashi Kishimoto's approach to married romance holds up even when compared to other popular series. The third and fourth place winners are Yoh Asakura and Anna Kyoyama from Shaman King and Loid and Yor Forger from Spy x Family, respectively, followed by pairings from the likes of Bleach, Sword Art Online and Fullmetal Alchemist, among others.

Anime Fans Can Join Real-Life Spy x Family Cruise

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Neji Hyuga's death during Naruto's Fourth Shinobi World War was a shock to longtime readers, but his departure also became contentious after series creator Masashi Kishimoto gave an interview to explain his reasoning. In it, he revealed his reasons for writing the death of the fan favorite. Unfortunately, the explanation he offered didn't prove satisfactory and only made Neji's death appear arbitrary.

The storyline in question saw the character, who began the manga resenting his cousin Hinata, sacrifice himself to protect her against the villainous Pain. The whole sequence, while tragic, also felt dramatic in all the wrong ways, propelled more by emotion rather than logical action. In a 2014 interview with FujiTV, Kishimoto's response seemed to only confirm readers' fears that drama was, indeed, the motivating force for the death. That, and romance.

Related: 'Do It Even If It Kills You': Naruto's Creator Was Forced To Make A...

For many fans of the Naruto franchise, Sakura Haruno wasn’t initially a fan-favorite. More often a damsel in distress than a team member pulling her own weight in the early days, Sakura matured a lot over the course of the story. Much of that maturation happened in the gap years.

Between Naruto and Naruto: Shippūden, Sakura trained under Lady Tsunade to master new abilities. Those three years created a lot of change. She developed intense chakra control and medical ninja skills. As Naruto Shippūden’s stories played out, fans got to see how well she could handle herself in a battle. The time skip between Naruto Shippūden and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was much longer. Sakura had ten years between chapters to have plenty of adventures without anyone having to save her.

The former Team 7 member spent that time starting a family, like so many of her generation, but...

When Naruto Shippūden came to an end, there was a bit of a time skip before Boruto: Naruto Next Generations began. As a result, there are plenty of activities Naruto and his friends got up to before their kids began their journey at the Ninja Academy. We’ve done the research to figure out just what Naruto did in between helping to win the Fourth Shinobi World War and leading the next generation. There is at least a decade that goes by between the War and Boruto entering the Academy, which leaves plenty of time for things like training, missions, and starting a family.

For avid Naruto anime fans, you might be scratching your head as you go through the list, finding a few items that pop up in the final arcs of the Naruto Shippūden series. However, this is because some items from the Hiden novels released between the...