Naruto is a very solid series, with good characters, well diverse and interesting background motivations. Overall to me this is a story of friendship, and the main friendship is that of Naruto and Sasuke, and of the trials in life that bring change and growth, and how that effects these characters. All the characters in this manga go through an evolution either reflected in the past or shown through the events in the story. The art is good with some amazing fight sequences throughout, and well thought out strategies. Sakura may be more of a plot device then a useful character and some of the side characters are a little shy on a character arc, but overall it is a good series and an engaging story. I would highly recommended this over the anime, specifically the mid to later parts of shippuden, which becomes awful, with lame filler episodes. 72 volumes is a lot but worth the read.