The anime world, especially the Shonen, has produced several unforgettable characters. Luffy from One Piece, Goku from Dragon Ball Z, Naruto from Naruto Franchise, and more, every Shonen character has a huge fan following.
But if I were to compare the best Shonen ever, I’d always rank Naruto on top. Simply because the Naruto franchise had a better storyline and not just that, a few more reasons which I’ll discuss in this article. So, let’s start:
Naruto Has the Best Side-Characters
This bold statement might surprise you, but I believe Naruto’s side characters are not only the best in Shonen but among all other anime. Let me tell you why:
Masashi Kishimoto was brave enough to give every side character an arc. While it is debatable that some characters, for instance, Lee and Gara’s arcs were largely explained in the filler episodes, at least they had one.
Besides this, side characters in Naruto are always involved in important bouts. Kakashi, for example, always had Team 7’s backs, except for the last fight with Kaguya, where it was the other way around. And not to forget the contributions of Shikamaru, Gara, Killer Bee, and more who’ve always put up a show for fans.
One more thing, a huge number of side characters in Naruto are extremely well-managed by the creators. As I mentioned, besides their arc, every character had influenced Naruto’s story which is rarely the case with other Shonen.
Tid Bit: Do you know the Naruto Franchise, along with its sequel Boruto, is available on Netflix? However, do ensure to have a reliable internet connection to get a seamless viewing experiance. Thanks to my fast and reliable Xfinity Internet; it allows me to stream the 4th Great Ninja War and Itachi’s heroics in Naruto Shippuden like a breeze.
Naruto Has the Best Mentors
Mentors contribute a lot to their apprentice’s growth. And when it’s a Shonen, anime for youth, the role of mentors becomes more important. Now, who could argue Kakashi and Jiraya, the two main mentors of Naruto weren’t capable enough to train him?
Well, Jiraya, one of three legendary Sannin ninjas, and Kakashi, the copy ninja who copied 1000 Jutsus, were the best shots to train Naruto in the series. In the grand scheme of things, it was Rassengan (taught by Jiraya) and Rasenshuriken; the wind affinity (taught by Kakashi) that Naruto used the most. Arguably, these two were the main weapons in Naruto’s Jutsus repository.
Naruto’s Villains Have Rational Objectives
Frieza, Cell, Imu, and more, Shonen villains have always proved themselves worthy of this title. However, now that I think of Naruto’s villains: the Akatsuki and Madara, their objectives were more rational than the others.
Well, both Akatsuki and Madara were tired of constant wars and bloodshed between the Hidden Villages. And, to end these wars once and for all, both the villains wanted to become powerful. Yes, the means to get to their ends were highly objectionable, but they were not wrong and shared Naruto’s philosophy.
And for any anime, I believe it’s important that villains’ objectives make sense. To make a distinction, let’s look at Cell, one of the iconic villains in Dragon Ball Z. Cell’s ultimate purpose was to achieve the perfect form. For that, he devoured multiple strong characters and eventually reached his perfect state only to get defeated by a 10-year-old, Gohan. So, what was the point of achieving the perfect state if he was to get dusted by a kid? So, yes, Naruto’s villains have better objectives and actually make sense.
Naruto Has a Comparable Rival
It’d be no surprise if you like Sasuke more than Naruto because even though he’s not the main character, his role in the Naruto franchise is as important as Naruto’s role. Also, strength-wise, Sasuke is as powerful as Naruto is and that is how a rival should look like.
One on hand, Naruto possesses Kurama, a nine-tailed beast with arguably the highest Chakra. On the other hand, Sasuke Uchiha has the strongest eyes that help him control anything he wants with his genjutsu. And whenever they fought, fans did not seem to have a clear winner.
When Luffy can easily beat Blackbeard or Goku can thrash Vegeta anytime he wants, the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke seemed a breath of fresh air in dying out rival’s plot in Shonen.
Bonus Reason: Naruto Has Great Life Lessons
Despised and frowned upon by everyone, has no friends in childhood, and everyone thinks of him as a mischievous and spoiled brat. These things define Naruto, but did he let these things define him? Absolutely not!
Instead of drowning in negativity, Naruto worked hard and took no shortcuts to achieve his goals. On his journey, as people saw who he really was, he naturally made life-long friends.
Also, Naruto’s mantra “Never give up” and his nindo “I never go back on my word” is the ultimate lesson for the youth. So, besides an entertaining Shonen, we’ve got some really great lessons to learn from the Naruto franchise.
