Category: Naruto

On Shounen and Transformations

*This article contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Z, Naruto: Shippuden, One Piece, and Hunter X Hunter. Got it? Good.* Transformation as a concept is all but synonomous with the shounen genre. Ever since Goku traded his black locks for gold, every series in the genre wanted a piece of that pie. Who could blame them?…

May 15, 2024
Icons of Shounen: Naruto Uzumaki

Ah, yes. Everyone’s favorite shounen hero: Boruto’s Dad. On the surface, Naruto is a fairly generic shounen hero. Kid is dumb as bricks, a genius of combat, and he’s got a heart of gold. Friendship gives him strength and he has a grand, seemingly unachievable goal: to become the king of the ninjas Hokage. While…

November 9, 2023
Revisiting Naruto Shippuden: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I was part of a very unfair and abusive relationship back in high school. When I say that, you might assume I’m talking about my first girlfriend. No! I’m talking about this show! Naruto: Shippuden is the perfect encapsulation of everything I love and hate about shounen anime all in one package. Back when I…

December 10, 2022
Does the Original Naruto Anime Still Hold Up?

God, I remember kids talking about this when I was in elementary school. That was… 2002 to 2007. Twenty to fifteen years ago. Christ, I’m old. Shounen anime has changed a lot in the last few decades. Series have come and gone and, in a few cases, come back again. More shows go with the…

January 8, 2022
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2: That’s Actually the Title

Or, if you want to save your breath, you could call it NSUNS2. Which is what I will be doing from here on out in this review. It just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? A long time ago, I decided to go back and reexperience Naruto. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a problem. I didn’t…

April 17, 2020