Part two: “Naruto”

Probably the most famous anime of all time, “Naruto” is not the first anime I would recommend for someone to start with but is a great anime. The reason I don’t recommend it as the very first anime to watch is that “Naruto” can be a lot to take in when it comes to understanding how the world operates and the foreign terms they use.

The story takes place in a world where ninjas are common and seems to take place in 16th century Japan (but it’s not Japan). The story revolves around the protagonist Naruto with no family, who is one of the least talented fighters in his village. Everybody in the village tries to keep distance from Naruto because he “cursed” with a very powerful beast inside of him. Naruto would turn his sadness into a drive to become the most powerful ninja the world would ever see. 

Naruto finds himself having to go under tense fights that almost lead to his death countless times as he progresses to be the strongest ninja in his village. Taking down great criminal organizations that threaten to destroy the world. You can watch Naruto grow and mature into a true hero who never stops against the odds and punishes any opponent for underestimating him in battle. 

Almost half the episodes in “Naruto” are not canon which can be a backbreaker. According to the Anime Filler List, there’s a total of 720 episodes of “Naruto” and “Naruto: Shippuden” combined with 294 filler episodes. For this show, I think using an episode guide is very necessary because the other fillers will take up weeks.