The sixteenth and seventeenth arcs of Naruto continue with the Shinobi World War. As the allied forces push themselves to their limits, many others are forced to confront their pasts. Dead enemies and comrades arise with Kabuto’s jutsu (Edo Tensei). And although Naruto and Killer Bee were forced to go into hiding due to the Akatsuki’s threats, the pair decide to join the battle.
Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation and Climax
The Confrontation arc spans from chapters 516 to 559, or volumes 55 to 59; and the Climax arc spans from chapters 560 to 639, or volumes 59 to 67.
Review
I rate these arcs 4 out of 5 stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
There are many things to like about this part of the series. And while most will agree that the fight scenes are the most memorable, I think that the themes were what made me rate the two arcs a little higher than I originally did. I don’t exactly like what Kishimoto did with a lot of the characters and with the inclusion of Edo Tensei overall; however, I think that the war arcs are a better change of pace.
The Writing
I mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again here: the Sharingan eye transplants don’t make much sense. Itachi’s eyes were removed, which is the only reason why Sasuke would have them now. However, “reanimated” Itachi still has his eyes. Perhaps its because of Kabuto’s jutsu returning the affected “to their primes;” however, it wouldn’t make sense if he was using the person’s corpse to achieve the jutsu. I wouldn’t expect a scientific explanation of the technique because it would, for a lack of better words, ruin the magic.
This critique is probably nitpicky of me, but it’s hard for me to overlook this detail.
On another note, I like what Kishimoto did with his “Tobi” character. I’m glad that the absurd front that he made was meant to hide the fact that he was really an Uchiha. And although the revelation of him being Madara Uchiha was anticlimactic, I’m happy that even that identity was another mask. Being Obito Uchiha is a lot more impactful. In this war, the shinobi are fighting the dead, and Obito was once believed to be dead. Now he and Kakashi are forced to reflect on the past. The Obito that Kakashi once knew no longer exists. It’s a heart wrenching addition to the war.
The War
Something that I like is Kishimoto’s depiction of chaos in the battle field. The story pushes forward rather quickly and the focus doesn’t linger too long on certain characters. There’s enough time for some to have closures with people they reunite with. There’s also enough time to sprinkle in more lore, such as information of Ginkaku and Kinkaku—the duo that consumed the Nine Tails’ flesh to survive two weeks within the beast’s stomach.
While I like Kishimoto’s depiction of war, I can’t say that I’m a fan of how it has been framed. The chapters leading up to the climax of the war follow a different group of characters that have been irrelevant to the story until now. I appreciate it when Kishimoto shines some light on characters that he has hardly given any attention. The smaller fights between these characters and their foes were either unnecessary or dragged out for a forced emotional impact. But because we’re so late into the story, I don’t see any reason to care about them. Characters like Ten Ten were a lot more enjoyable in the animated series. I don’t think that these random character acknowledgements are unnecessary, but it does make me think that Kishimoto simply forgot about them as he focused more on Naruto and Sasuke.
Aside from the fight scenes, I kind of wish that Kishimoto took bigger risks with his major characters. Ino and Shikamaru’s fathers and Neji end up dying in the war. Although it would pain me to see other favorite characters of mine die, it would make the stakes even higher because it’s obvious that the allied forces will win the war.
Gaara’s growth and speech
Gaara continues to be one of my favorite characters. It’s amazing to see his development. In the beginning of the series, he didn’t care for other people as he does now. I like that in his speech, Gaara states that he has no enemies in front of them. The alliance is one thing, but if there’s anything else that the manga preaches is that hatred is not a justification for wars and other needless deaths. Everyone shares similar burdens and pains that have been provoked by the wars they’ve fought for their respective villages. Gaara reminds them that they’re all people, shinobi, and that they share the same cause.
Gaara’s battle against his reanimated father was one of the most heart wrenching moments of the two arcs. Gaara finally gets closure about the decisions that his father made. Again, readers get to see how Jinchūriki are mistreated all for their home village’s pursuit of power. This only adds to the hurt that the other tailed beasts are subjected to for similar reasons.
Neji’s death
Neji’s death will always get to me. I have mixed feelings about his death just because of the themes that followed him since his first appearance. While I agree with fans who say that his death was unnecessary to make Naruto more serious about the war, I don’t think I can agree with the argument that his death contradicts his character arc.
I’m aware that he was angry about living as a servant to the Hyūga clan, so it’s understandable that killing him off the series by making himself Hinata and Naruto’s shield would be controversial. However, my understanding of his characterization is that he moved past that. He was, more or less, accepted by the main family and has become a brother figure to Hinata. He gained his uncle’s approval and has moved on from the resentment he felt about his own father’s death. Neji jumped in to save Hinata and Naruto, not out of obligation, but because he chose to. His own father made the same decision when it came to saving Hiashi, his brother and head of the Hyūga clan, from an assasination attempt at the cost of his own life. In my opinion, Neji’s actions show his growth; he went from a self-preserving character to one of the most selfless.
Edo Tensei: lazy or compelling storytelling?
I almost considered Kabuto’s Edo Tensei as a lazy subplot device because there are a lot of characters that have already moved on from the deaths of those who were resurrected. While I appreciate the heartfelt moments that the characters go through, I didn’t like that the scenes were included because it impedes on certain characters’ developments. For instance, Asuma’s return serves as nothing else but shock value for fans and to make Team 10’s efforts more challenging. It gives me the impression that these things are done mostly for shock instead of stepping stones for the characters’ development. What’s wild to me is the fact that Team 10’s development is being forcefully shown in a battle against their zombified master. Why do these characters need to prove themselves by killing their masters? Team 10 has already proven their strengths when they fought against Kakuzu and Hidan.
The return of familiar characters, like Haku and Zabuza, are moving. I’m quite sure that these scenes were added mostly for the fans. I love that these characters get the closures they needed. I’m just disappointed that the fights seemingly emphasize that their developments can only be shown with the dead’s defeat, which is a funny notion given one of the manga’s many themes that I mention later…
Team 7 and Taka
Team 7’s reunion is probably my favorite moment in the War arcs. I really liked seeing Sakura being able to keep up with Naruto and Sasuke—at least for some time—and their combined strengths. As for Sasuke’s team Taka, it’s nice seeing them together again; however, I wish that Kishimoto made Karin a bit different. Despite Sasuke nearly killing her, she still obsesses over him. This part of her character is treated like a comedic quirk, which is something that seems unnecessary.
Petty rivalries
While I like that Kishimoto reunites Team 7 in a dire situation, I can’t help but think that Sasuke’s rivalry with Naruto seems like a pointless drive. Sasuke was written into the arc to help protect Konohagakure and his brother’s legacy. However, making him jealous of Naruto’s abilities makes his development bumpy. Their rivalry is unlike Madara’s and Hashirama’s; Madara was battle-hungry and he loved fighting with Hashirama. If they were meant to be a reflection of Naruto and Sasuke, then the similarities run short.
My thoughts on the themes and other things…
Passing the torch: trusting the younger generation
My favorite detail of the series is Tsunade’s trust in Naruto and the younger generation. This theme has been seen before with Lady Chiyo dying at peace knowing that younger people are capable of leading and protecting.
Naruto the Savior
An issue that I have with many shōnen protagonists is the same one that I see in Naruto. Kishimoto’s titular character is dealt a heavy burden. It’s obvious that by the end of the series, he’ll be a hero and he’ll be stronger than most, if not, all. The complications that come with that have to do with the power-scaling issue that’s prevalent in other shōnen battle series. I’m aware that most fans don’t mind the increase of power in the character, but I’m more focused on the broken logic.
Naruto will no longer just be Konoha’s leader and savior. Naruto’s pledge to undue hatred and to save people from dark paths extends to the rest of the known world in the Naruto-verse. It’s evident that the Hokage role won’t benefit him and the rest of the world if he’s expected to stay at his home village to protect and lead it.
Naruto wanted to become the Hokage to be recognized. But if recognition is all he hoped to accomplish, then accepting the Hokage title would be unnecessary. Naruto is still adamant about becoming his village’s leader and protector in this way, and while it’s inspiring, I also think that it’s a flat dream that Naruto should have turned away from.
Kabuto and Orochimaru’s influence
Kabuto is an interesting character with confusing intentions. My understanding is that he wants to become stronger and to do so, he absorbed Orochimaru’s cells. He has essentially become him, “at least in body.”
Kabuto has lost himself in his pursuit of power. In a previous post, I talked about how his character arc is similar to Sasuke’s, though the two have very different outcomes. They rely too much on external forces to reach extraordinary heights. Orochimaru is a bigger issue; his influence is greater than most. Seeing how devoted Kabuto was to him out of fear and admiration makes me wish that Orochimaru had stayed as the initial antagonist.
The tragedy of Kabuto’s character is his lack of self-identity, something that Itachi forces him to reflect on with Izanami.
Female characters: girl power and lack thereof
Madara Uchiha—the real Madara—makes his way into the battle field and is confronted by Tsunade, whom he insults for her weakness and gender. Tsunade challenges him despite his arrogant remarks. This is how Kishimoto should have written Sakura. While I don’t like the forced “girl power” look, I do think that this is the attitude that characters like Sakura lacks. Both Sakura and Tsunade are witty and powerful, though their strengths are shown briefly when convenient to the plot. Seeing Madara’s banter with Tsunade, and then their fight, makes me wish that the female characters were given more focus instead of other very minor characters whose names I’ve already forgotten.
Of course, Sakura finds the spotlight again when she detects the spying Zetsu and when she joins the battle frontlines with the 100 Healings Mark as both a medic and soldier. There’s just too much to miss about the female characters in the story. Even Hinata, who had a huge role in the Chūnin Exams and in the Pain Invasion arc, is eventually reduced to Naruto’s love interest as she fawns over holding his hand while her cousin Neji lays dead by their feet (Vol. 64, Ch. 615).
Cycle of manipulation
Naruto is preoccupied with the cycle of hatred; however, something that can fall under the themes is the fact that characters use manipulation in one way or another. For instance, Raza manipulated Gaara into believing that he was unloved; Orochimaru manipulated his devotees by promising them power in exchange for their servitude and bodies; and Madara manipulated Obito into doing his bidding by using Rin’s death and Kakashi’s involvement against him.
“We live in a society”
One thing that I really appreciated in the Climax arc is that Kishimoto adds social commentary. There is criticism of the way Tobirama Senju operated when he was Hokage. His decision to make the Uchiha the police force of the village gave people a lot of reason to dislike and mistrust the Uchiha. The funny thing about these comments is that they’re pointed out by Orochimaru, who was resurrected. Orochimaru’s interjection is surprising because he seemed uninterested in political and social issues of his home village. He was also willing to terrorize the village. Seeing Orochimaru be so aware of Konohagakure’s political and social issues makes me wish that Kishimoto expanded on this part of Orochimaru’s character.
There’s a lot more to talk about, but I’m saving those discussions for my next post. I’m inching closer to finishing my rereading journey of Naruto. I plan to read the light novels and then move on to Boruto sometime this year.
The next arc of the series is the Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki, which consists of chapters 640 to 677, or volumes 67 to 70. I hope to read and have my thoughts ready sometime next week.
Until my next post,
Cassandra D. 🌙
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