Naruto is one of the best anime franchises around, but it failed massively by not expanding on this fan-favorite character. The original Naruto series is a classic and set the foundation for what the series ultimately became. While its sequel series, Naruto: Shippuden, had plenty of highs, it lacked in one major department: side characters.
Side characters played a large role in Naruto, but they were relegated in Naruto: Shippuden. The sequel series does a great job of highlighting the adventures of Naruto and Sasuke, but it would have been even better if it paid a little more attention to the several side characters that made the story great.
Out of all the side characters that Naruto: Shippuden should have spent more time with, there’s one character in particular who should have been highlighted so much more than he was.
Naruto Is One of the Best Shōnen Series Ever Made
There Aren’t Many, if Any, Better Series
Naruto as a franchise has so many highs that it would be easier to count its lows. From the very beginning of the franchise, Naruto looked to cement itself as the premier anime about ninja, and it did. The original Naruto series felt down-to-earth, even though the characters in the series had amazing abilities.
The sequel to Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, took the series up a notch, telling Naruto’s story on a much grander scale. Where the first series focused on the lives of the ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto: Shippuden took a look at the world. The fights were bigger, some of the strongest abilities in Naruto were introduced, and so much more.
There is a big difference between Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, and at times, it can feel like they’re part of two different franchises. While the sequel series did a great job of expanding the scope of the franchise, the original series did much better with the side characters that gave the franchise the charm it’s known for.
The Original Naruto Treated Side Characters Masterfully
Neji, Itachi, and Orochimaru Shined
The original Naruto series did much better with side characters. Characters like Neji, Orochimaru, and Itachi had screen time that felt like it was worth something, and they shined in Naruto. While Orochimaru and Itachi get a decent amount of screen time in Shippuden, they felt menacing in Naruto.
They’re two of the greatest villains in the franchise, and they should have gotten more time on screen in Naruto: Shippuden. Neji was a very interesting character when he was first introduced. He was an angry young man with a grudge against Hinata and the Hyūga clan, and he added a unique angle to the franchise.
His death is one of the most heartbreaking in Naruto, and it’s one of the most significant moments in the sequel series, but that’s about it for Neji in Naruto: Shippuden. He, like many other side characters, went from a star of Naruto to an oftentimes unseen background character. Like Neji, there is one other star of Naruto that should have gotten much more respect in Shippuden.
Rock Lee Could’ve Been Much More Prominent
Rock Lee Was a Beast in the Original: Why Didn’t He Play a Bigger Role in Shippuden?
Rock Lee should have gotten way more attention in Naruto: Shippuden. He’s one of the most underrated characters in the entire franchise, and he shined like a star every time that he was on-screen in the original series. His fight against Gaara is arguably one of the best fights in anime ever, and he never had another fight quite like it.
There are plenty of great fights in Naruto, but Lee’s fight against Gaara was different. He came to the battle with nothing but taijutsu, existing as a rare example of a character with absolutely no ninjutsu abilities in the series. During this battle, Rock Lee also proved to be a character that could rival even the mighty Naruto in terms of willpower and determination.
His fight against Gaara showed what kind of character Rock Lee truly was, and more importantly, who he could become. He’s one of the hardest workers in anime, and it’s his amazing determination that cemented his character as one who truly deserved a better character arc during the sequel series.
Rock Lee Is the Biggest “What-If” in the Naruto Franchise
Might Guy Showed the Heights of Taijutsu, Where Was Rock Lee?
There is no character in the Naruto franchise quite like Rock Lee. Might Guy, another unreasonably strong taijutsu user, is a unique character as well, but he doesn’t have the same beautiful naivety as his student. Rock Lee doesn’t know anything other than his desire to fight, and it makes him stand out in a world of battle-hardened ninja.
He doesn’t have any cool moments in Naruto: Shippuden, which is a travesty. His fight against Kimimaro is another highlight of the franchise, and his hilarious Drunken-Fist Style is never shown again. Naruto: Shippuden is a whopping 500 episodes as well, so why couldn’t he have had another good moment?
Rock Lee will forever be the biggest “what-if” in the Naruto universe. He had the potential to be a much better character, or at least he could have had a complete character arc. Luckily, Might Guy showed how awesome taijutsu can be, but maybe that moment would have been better if it belonged to Lee.
- First Episode Air Date
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October 3, 2002
- Cast
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Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei
