Why is Naruto so popular?

[machomuu]

Part 1 built it's fanbase I guess.
I for one hate Naruto now, I used to like it but that was before I discovered One Piece.
That's another thing, I'm sure you guys have heard of "The Big Three", which are basically the 3 most notable and mainstream anime at any time. Well at this point in time I think it's still Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. A few years ago I stopped really caring about One Piece unintentionally a couple years ago at the beginning of the "Skypiea" arc. Well about two months ago I started reading the manga from around that arc and fell in love, it just gets better and more complex as the story goes on, and calling it a kids manga/anime would be a mistake. One Piece is on a whole other level than those 2, I mean, it doesn't deserve to be grouped up with them. If people talk about Naruto and Bleach, they'll probably talk about One Piece as well, and in much the same light as the other 2.

It's a shame that this is simply opinion and that I can't do anything to change the mass appeal. *sigh*

QUOTE(soulbad @ Jul 23 2011, 01:30 PM) Honestly I have to say that Naruto is somewhat unique. I've watched plenty of anime, and while I don't watch Naruto anymore I can't objectively say that it was generic. Of course it's not the greatest anime I've ever seen, but it's not horrible either.

I think another question to ask is, why must people hate on anything that's popular?

No, it's not. Why? Because that's the opposite as my scenario. I never hate on anything because they're popular but rather because they legitimately deserve my hate. I loved Naruto when it was at its peak popularity and (this is from the OP) I watched the entire show and read through to the beginning of the Akatsuki vs. Elder Counci Arc, then noticed how boring and generic it was, and how...generic and in Naruto's case, annoying and personalityless the characters were, and just how boring it was as a whole and my love turned to hate.

 

[phantastic91]

the anime has gone downhill but shipudden had a good season once i think with the sasuke-itachi episodes of the episodes before and after.

why do i like it? because i like the story. i watch/read other mainstream anime/manga and naruto has some of the "generic" stuff but it also has its unique stuff too. I like how they incorporate japanese mythology and stuff. i like how they have plot twists that i didn't predict (and i don't care if YOU predict it, i didn't so i thought it was good). i think the characters are cool like itachi. i think the fights are interesting too because they usually try to add strategic elements even if it is simple. I always stuck up for the manga because i always found it exiting and much better than the anime. however, i don't like how it's going right now honestly and i hope it gets better (which makes me think that i have yet to read a manga that handled a war that matched my expectations--even FMA was lame after all the hype of the immortal army). Also. even though naruto is a shounen manga, i like how it handles the "friendship" issue. It's different than the way the other shounen manga handles it (naruto's and sasukes friendship is pretty whacked up xD)

since im already hooked in the Naruto world and i know alot about the characters and stuff, it is very easy for me to keep interest if you get what im saying. I'm been investing in other mainstreams as well such as Bleach (another series people can wonder why people like it since it can be easily called generic too). I just like them for their qualities. Bleach tends to overexaggerate powers and their emotions (soo many eye close ups lol!) and i like the cheesiness.

seeing how naruto is so popular, its going to get a lot of haters as well. but it should too since i see the anime most of the time as a cash cow that purposely screws over its audience with dragged out episodes and flashbacks upon flashbacks and horrible fillers.

a highlight of the animes are the soundtracks. part one had an amazing soundtrack. two is still good but i prefer one.

and i have seen the supposedly good animes too like brotherhood, mahou magika, anohana, deathnote, 5cm per second ,etc, etc. naruto just has its unique qualities that these don't have

anyways, i can't really expand much right now since i have a final in a couple of hours. gawd dang it, i wasted alot of time >=/

 

[phantastic91]

Part 1 built it's fanbase I guess.
I for one hate Naruto now, I used to like it but that was before I discovered One Piece.
That's another thing, I'm sure you guys have heard of "The Big Three", which are basically the 3 most notable and mainstream anime at any time. Well at this point in time I think it's still Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. A few years ago I stopped really caring about One Piece unintentionally a couple years ago at the beginning of the "Skypiea" arc. Well about two months ago I started reading the manga from around that arc and fell in love, it just gets better and more complex as the story goes on, and calling it a kids manga/anime would be a mistake. One Piece is on a whole other level than those 2, I mean, it doesn't deserve to be grouped up with them. If people talk about Naruto and Bleach, they'll probably talk about One Piece as well, and in much the same light as the other 2.

It's a shame that this is simply opinion and that I can't do anything to change the mass appeal. *sigh*

QUOTE(soulbad @ Jul 23 2011, 01:30 PM) Honestly I have to say that Naruto is somewhat unique. I've watched plenty of anime, and while I don't watch Naruto anymore I can't objectively say that it was generic. Of course it's not the greatest anime I've ever seen, but it's not horrible either.

I think another question to ask is, why must people hate on anything that's popular?

No, it's not. Why? Because that's the opposite as my scenario. I never hate on anything because they're popular but rather because they legitimately deserve my hate. I loved Naruto when it was at its peak popularity and (this is from the OP) I watched the entire show and read through to the beginning of the Akatsuki vs. Elder Counci Arc, then noticed how boring and generic it was, and how...generic and in Naruto's case, annoying and personalityless the characters were, and just how boring it was as a whole and my love turned to hate.

i think naruto is more mature than one piece. see how people think differently? i actually hate one piece and i barely read the series since i absolutely can't stand the art and all of the boogers and the extreme overexxageration on tears and stuff. yuck. my friend likes one piece more and he understands my tastes alot and when i made an attempt to re-read it, he stopped me since he knows i would hate it again. my brother reads it too and he thinks its crap now and he's caught up.

 

[nryn99]

i think naruto is more mature than one piece. see how people think differently? i actually hate one piece and i barely read the series since i absolutely can't stand the art and all of the boogers and the extreme overexxageration on tears and stuff. yuck. my friend likes one piece more and he understands my tastes alot and when i made an attempt to re-read it, he stopped me since he knows i would hate it again. my brother reads it too and he thinks its crap now and he's caught up.

i don't think naruto is more mature than one piece. it's just how they show it. but really, one piece is mature too.
naruto has just gone all talk stuff and kinda nearing it's end. one piece on the other hand is still going upward. but if you really dig deep. you'll find some messages in the series

 

[machomuu]

why do i like it? because i like the story. i watch/read other mainstream anime/manga and naruto has some of the "generic" stuff but it also has its unique stuff too. I like how they incorporate japanese mythology and stuff. i like how they have plot twists that i didn't predict (and i don't care if YOU predict it, i didn't so i thought it was good). i think the characters are cool like itachi. i think the fights are interesting too because they usually try to add strategic elements even if it is simple. I always stuck up for the manga because i always found it exiting and much better than the anime. however, i don't like how it's going right now honestly and i hope it gets better (which makes me think that i have yet to read a manga that handled a war that matched my expectations--even FMA was lame after all the hype of the immortal army). Also. even though naruto is a shounen manga, i like how it handles the "friendship" issue. It's different than the way the other shounen manga handles it (naruto's and sasukes friendship is pretty whacked up xD)

since im already hooked in the Naruto world and i know alot about the characters and stuff, it is very easy for me to keep interest if you get what im saying. I'm been investing in other mainstreams as well such as Bleach (another series people can wonder why people like it since it can be easily called generic too). I just like them for their qualities. Bleach tends to overexaggerate powers and their emotions (soo many eye close ups lol!) and i like the cheesiness.

I have two very large bones to pick with what you said. First off, what Japanese mythology are you talking about. There is actually very little, the Kyuubi isn't even represented in the way as in any mythology, about the only mythology is the Kitsune, kyuubi, or as you might call him, The Nine Tailed Fox, but even he's not mythological, as all they did was put him in the show, and then put him in Naruto. Also the "friendship" thing...no, that's not what it is. In all seriousness, Naruto is in love with Sasuke, and if you think I'm insulting him or joking, than that only proves that you're homophobic. I never thought this when I liked the show, but I still see it from time to time, and these feelings are very much like love. He loves him, and the fact that they're friends isn't why. It's not because he thinks of him so often that shows off how in love with him he is, but rather how he thinks of him, and he's truly blinded by love to believe that Sasuke might not want to come back. Say what you will, but if they were trying to represent friendship, they WAY overdid it.

Also, I can tell you're a fanboy by a couple of the things you said, but one thing that really stuck out was the very last thing I quoted, what you said about Bleach. It's something I see all the time, Bleach fanboys and Naruto fanboys are always clashing, and it pisses me off. I think they're both mediocre shows and that you should expand your anime horizons more, because what you said about Bleach was exaggerated, and they do the exact same thing in Naruto (especially Shippuden, and I know this because I used to watch both shows).

 

[Burton]

@machomuu

I was thinking a little bit and I think one of the major reasons Naruto is so popular is because of the audience watching the Show. I work at an elementary school and the kids are Naruto + Pokemon hard fans. They buy every kind of Naruto merchandise in toys stores etc maintaining Naruto's popularity on top. When these kids grow up a little bit they go around saying things like: "Naruto sucks I hate that show, I can't believe I actually love it" and then new kids arrived as the next generation Naruto hard fans.

When I was younger I loved Pokemon very much, nowadays I don't like them too much but my students love them very deeply and I can understand why.

For us that have a vast trajectory watching anime is not surprise Naruto seems common and / or generic but for a 8-14 years average kid Naruto is something appealing. We've seen a lot of anime plots so we can almost tell the course of the story even if we haven't see the show, younger population can't and think the story is very original and super cool!

I think this is the reason some series has a vast popularity while we think it is not that great!

 

[Hells Malice]

Naruto is boring, repetitive, and incredibly drawn out. I'm sure someone could enjoy it, but I never saw the point when I could just watch a new and more interesting anime, instead of continuing to be just "alright" (at best) watching Naruto.

I hated anime for years because I thought it was all like Naruto or Bleach.

Then I finally stumbled upon Clannad, since I had been playing the visual novel and I think Monkat mentioned the anime in a blog. Watched it, and started to love anime (selectively, anyways. I'm remarkably picky with it still). I could never even IMAGINE putting up with a piece of crap anime like Naruto, which is frankly just milking itself now, when I could just watch a different series.

 

[mdlmemorybank]

Naruto is boring, repetitive, and incredibly drawn out. I'm sure someone could enjoy it, but I never saw the point when I could just watch a new and more interesting anime, instead of continuing to be just "alright" (at best) watching Naruto.

I hated anime for years because I thought it was all like Naruto or Bleach.

Then I finally stumbled upon Clannad, since I had been playing the visual novel and I think Monkat mentioned the anime in a blog. Watched it, and started to love anime (selectively, anyways. I'm remarkably picky with it still). I could never even IMAGINE putting up with a piece of crap anime like Naruto, which is frankly just milking itself now, when I could just watch a different series.

yeah i can understand that, i was a big bleach fan but they made it too drawn out

 

[soulbad]

No, it's not. Why? Because that's the opposite as my scenario. I never hate on anything because they're popular but rather because they legitimately deserve my hate. I loved Naruto when it was at its peak popularity and (this is from the OP) I watched the entire show and read through to the beginning of the Akatsuki vs. Elder Counci Arc, then noticed how boring and generic it was, and how...generic and in Naruto's case, annoying and personalityless the characters were, and just how boring it was as a whole and my love turned to hate.

At this point I can say that I've watched over 100 anime series at the very least, and there are a lot of things that many anime share in common. There are basic underlying plot structures and themes that are used a lot in anime, but most series add something unique to their chosen formula. I don't think Naruto is as generic as you make it out to be.

It's been a long time since I've watched the Naruto anime, although I do still keep up with the manga which I only started reading after I stopped watching it. I stopped watching somewhere around the arc where Gaara was kidnapped, so maybe it's just my memory, but I haven't seen any other anime that is too similar to Naruto. Then again I don't watch a lot of shonen anime, so I could be entirely wrong.

Of course this is all subjective and something that might not seem terribly similar to me, might to someone else.

I'm not saying Naruto is a great series, it's decent at best, but it's nowhere near as horrible as some people want to make it seem. In fact I think it improved a lot when it moved from Naruto to Naruto: Shippuuden, of course that's just my opinion, which is all this topic is.

 

[blubbermarble]

you can watch Naruto on Disney XD in the US

 

[Gundam Eclipse]

I don't care if you like Naruto/Bleach, if you like it, good for ya! But if i hear you say that its the best motherfucking anime out there WITHOUT EVEN ATTEMPTING TO WATCH OTHER SHIT, i will slap you repeatedly with a gory shark/other creatures.

Just my 2 cents :V

 

[gamefan5]

Well, the show is ok. But I do admit, it is NOT the best, Also, to where the story is going, I have a feeling they're gonna ruin the end of the series. I mean, the story is getting a bit... ridiculous. But it's nothing I can't handle.

 

[ov3rkill]

The simple reason is the demographic - for kids, teens and adults especially the anime with all the censorship compared to manga. Also, who doesn't like ninjas, pirates, zombies, robots, space stuffs and samurais? Those are usually the common recipes and themes that are popular. Plus you need some interesting story be it cliche and generic stuff or unique if ever there are unique ideas left in this world to get your readers/viewers attention. Then, hopefully, they'll get hooked and guess what... they'll be following it for as long as it exist. haha.

 

[machomuu]

@machomuu

I was thinking a little bit and I think one of the major reasons Naruto is so popular is because of the audience watching the Show. I work at an elementary school and the kids are Naruto + Pokemon hard fans. They buy every kind of Naruto merchandise in toys stores etc maintaining Naruto's popularity on top. When these kids grow up a little bit they go around saying things like: "Naruto sucks I hate that show, I can't believe I actually love it" and then new kids arrived as the next generation Naruto hard fans.

When I was younger I loved Pokemon very much, nowadays I don't like them too much but my students love them very deeply and I can understand why.

For us that have a vast trajectory watching anime is not surprise Naruto seems common and / or generic but for a 8-14 years average kid Naruto is something appealing. We've seen a lot of anime plots so we can almost tell the course of the story even if we haven't see the show, younger population can't and think the story is very original and super cool!

I think this is the reason some series has a vast popularity while we think it is not that great!
I guess that does make sense, and what phantastic said really got me speculating on that point. I mean, when I was younger (from about 8 years old), I was into all types of anime, and to this day Dragon Ball Z is my favorite anime (for reasons I can't explain in this post), but my favorite types were the more complex ones, and moreover it there was a show for kids that had had complex values or really showed maturity at points (Avatar season 2 and 3 are great examples of that), I would watch it as well. Maybe it's just that my mind matured faster than I did. Thing is, I can still stand Bleach, but it's not my favorite show and there are at least 100 anime I'd rather watch, but I can still stand it because it appeals to a crowd a little older than that of Naruto.

Point is...I don't think it's the fact that I'm getting older (mentally or otherwise) that's the problem, but rather that as I get older and watch more anime, my tastes sharpen and what is generic becomes far more apparent, I can pick out the flaws in an anime much easier as I have more experience with them, and thus when I watch shows like Naruto or Bleach I can see them for what they truly are, and that's not how they're meant to be viewed. They're meant to be seen through the romanticized eyes of the demographic they are meant to appeal to, thus those "flaws" and all the "generic content" really aren't worried about as the demographic it's meant to appeal to is enjoying it.

QUOTE(Gundam Eclipse @ Jul 23 2011, 02:58 PM) I don't care if you like Naruto/Bleach, if you like it, good for ya! But if i hear you say that its the best motherfucking anime out there WITHOUT EVEN ATTEMPTING TO WATCH OTHER SHIT, i will slap you repeatedly with a gory shark/other creatures.

Just my 2 cents :V

Thank you for saying that, that is one of my firm beliefs.

 

[SamAsh07]

The topic of this thread is like asking "Why is CoD so popular" xD!

*Hates both*

@Burton - (while concerning about that 8-14 yr old Naruto craze age range) Could you explain why my 19 year old class mate loves watching Naruto? Lol.

 

[Deleted User]

It's better than anything on American TV short of Dexter.

I've seen hundreds of my Anime in my time, Naruto is good in my eyes, its just a matter of opinion.

The reason its so popular is because believe it or not, its story is simple, but not terrible, and the fighting is pretty well animated.

 

[machomuu]

It's better than anything on American TV short of Dexter.

I've seen hundreds of my Anime in my time, Naruto is good in my eyes, its just a matter of opinion.

The reason its so popular is because believe it or not, its story is simple, but not terrible, and the fighting is pretty well animated.

That's not it. I know I'm the one who asked the question, but that's not it.

 

[Deleted member 473940]

It's better than anything on American TV short of Dexter.

I've seen hundreds of my Anime in my time, Naruto is good in my eyes, its just a matter of opinion.

The reason its so popular is because believe it or not, its story is simple, but not terrible, and the fighting is pretty well animated.

I have to agree.
The story is not simple at all. Each character with detailed background story, very detailed world, etc etc.

I agree that the filler is annoying.. but hey, live with it lol.

 

[machomuu]

The story is not simple at all. Each character with detailed background story, very detailed world, etc etc.

And that's where Naruto suffers. The world is detailed (which was something I loved about it, so you did answer part of my question), which was something I liked about it, but they never revisit those things. It also suffers from Dragon Ball -> Dragon Ball Z syndrome. Basically what that is is when there are characters that are useful for a certain extent of time and then the more main characters become so powerful they are left in the dust, Dragon Ball Z's greatest flaw imo. I don't care about Sage Naruto, despite the fact that they did have a cliche tone to them, I wanted to see Neji! I wanted to see Shikamaru! I wanted to see Rock Lee! But no, they have to make Naruto and certain other characters the power level of what is essentially Goku during the Piccolo Jr. Arc, and that made me sad.

 

[Burton]

@Burton - (while concerning about that 8-14 yr old Naruto craze age range) Could you explain why my 19 year old class mate loves watching Naruto? Lol.

LOL there are some of us that get stuck at a certain mental age even if we get older (at 19 I was a Sailor Moon super fan, shhh don't tell anyone). Just kidding ; Anime is for any age, but the truth is that a wide audience usually between the ages I mentioned earlier gather around a certain anime in specific because is like the one most advertised here and there and / or because at their age (ninjas, jutsus, swords, fight, fight, fight) the kind of stuff my students want to do for real.

In my country the three more watched anime are Naruto, Bleach and One Piece (before them was Pokemon and DBZ). Older people like us are more selective when searching for anime with plots that we haven't seen before or is a different genre (comical, romantic, dark etc.) and thus it will make the anime more interesting to us.

btw SamAsh07 if you ever need help with some technical stuff feel free to Pm OK!