Oh how do I post a fair review of this thing? This was the first manga I ever read, years before ever watching a single anime. So, I probably have some residual nostalgia leftover. But after looking back on it I think I have a better clue of what to make of it.

So, Naruto has a pretty simple premise. Uzumaki Naruto is a trouble-maker who wants to become the Hokage, but he can’t because spoiler reasons! I mean, you’ve heard this story before, most likely.

The best strength is the characters, no doubt. Naruto himself is likeable, but almost [key word “almost”] every supporting protagonist is memorable and all have distinct moves (something that Dragon Ball failed in). A lot of the battles are about planning and strategy, although that would slowly get kiboshed by more traditional Shounen stuff later on. The villains are pretty okay, at least some of the early ones.

Now there are some things about it that, even back when I had “first manga ever fanboy filter” turned on, seemed strange. The most notable thing is the secondary male protagonist, Uchiha Sasuke. He’s a solid character (arguably). There were some early lines that genuinely made me want to know more about him, and he has some of the best fights and character interactions. However...

I guess this is a spoiler, but a vast majority of plot developments can be traced to Sasuke and his clan. A lot of Naruto and Sakura’s character arcs involve not being able to last five seconds without knowing exactly what Sasuke’s status is at any given time. This gets annoying to say the least.

Overall, I recommend you at least read the early parts of Naruto, and only press onward through if you like the characters enough from the early parts.