Naruto: How Kishimoto Destroyed Naruto’s Biggest Moment

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This post contains spoilers for Naruto.

Masashi Kishimoto is widely considered one of the best manga artists ever, and for good reason. He created Naruto, a hugely popular manga that has sold over 100 million copies. Readers consistently praise Kishimoto’s work on the series, and rightfully so.

Even though the manga finished almost ten years ago, people continue to celebrate and admire it. Kishimoto always wanted to create a lasting story, and he’s clearly succeeded. That said, he did make some errors during the process, and some of those had bigger consequences than others.

Kishimoto Nearly Forgot About Naruto’s Goal To Become The Hokage

Image via studio Pierrot.
  • Kishimoto disrespected Naruto by making him miss the ceremony
  • After the story ended, an insight into Naruto’s reign as the Hokage would have been a good choice

From the very start of the series, Naruto Uzumaki dreamed of becoming the leader of his village, the Hokage. He faced many powerful enemies in his quest to protect it. And while he often fought, Naruto also tried to resolve conflicts through communication. Some viewers might make fun of this approach, but it consistently proved effective.

And My Future Dream Is To Be The Greatest Hokage!

Naruto overcame many challenges and finally seemed destined to achieve his dream of becoming Hokage, with no obstacles remaining. However, the author unexpectedly diminished this important moment for the character. Although the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, Kakashi was appointed as the Sixth Hokage, a reasonable decision considering Naruto’s age at the time. Fans hoped Naruto would still get his defining moment before the story concluded, a moment that would truly cement his heroic status.

Naruto’s Big Day As The Hokage Was Ruined

When it was finally time for Naruto to officially become the Seventh Hokage, the author, Kishimoto, made a strange and arguably poor decision. Instead of letting Naruto enjoy his inauguration, Kishimoto had Naruto’s daughter, Himawari, accidentally knock him unconscious, leaving him unable to attend his own ceremony for hours.

Adding to the frustration, Konohamaru had to disguise himself as Naruto. There wasn’t a good reason for the author, Kishimoto, to do this to Naruto, especially considering how much Naruto had anticipated this moment. While Naruto is often a funny character, inserting comedy at such a crucial point in the story feels like a weak writing choice.

Kishimoto Didn’t Cover Naruto’s Reign As The Hokage

Image via studio Pierrot.

Beyond disrupting Naruto’s celebratory moment, the author didn’t offer fans any look into his life as the Seventh Hokage. After everything Naruto went through to achieve his dream, it was disappointing not to see how he led the village and maintained peace. Considering the constant conflict between ninja villages before Naruto’s leadership, a few extra chapters exploring his time as Hokage would have been a great addition.

Sadly, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations didn’t fix the issues either. Because the story centers on a new group of ninja, Naruto isn’t the main focus. Early in the manga, Naruto stepped down as Hokage, and was even sealed away, effectively removing him from a central role. Though Masashi Kishimoto isn’t directly writing the Boruto manga, he still provides guidance to the artist, Mikio Ikemoto, and has some creative control over the series.

Naruto Needs To Make A Comeback In Boruto

© 2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2017 BORUTO

Currently, Naruto Uzumaki isn’t part of the story, but we need to bring him back soon. Manga sales are dropping quickly, and the anime isn’t doing well either. Many longtime Naruto fans dislike the new Boruto manga because it doesn’t treat the original characters, including Naruto, with respect. The anime adaptation has also been criticized by viewers for being uninspired.

Most of the anime produced by Studio Pierrot consisted of unnecessary filler episodes, although a handful were quite good. While it’s unlikely the anime will be improved soon, the manga creators, Ikemoto and Kishimoto, have the power to revitalize the story by bringing back popular characters like Naruto and Sasuke, which would likely excite fans. Currently, there’s been no news about their return, but hopefully we’ll hear something positive in the near future.

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2026-01-15 16:36