PROS:
VILLAINS
Whenever I think of Naruto. The first thing that comes to mind is the several S+ tier Villains in the show. Every one of them has tremendous backstories that add depth and complexity to their character as well as give a reason for the Villainous actions that they partake in. Every legendary villain has to have a good origin story, and Naruto does not fail to produce that. Obito, Itachi, Pain, and Madara are only a few of my favorite antagonists throughout the show but they each offered something unique to the plot. Obito striving for an escape from "hell", Itachi, the most misunderstood character, giving up his family and himself for the sake of his brother and his village. Pain believed the only true road to peace is if the world shared the same pain because where there is light there is darkness, the only way for total salvation is to let the world know pain. Lastly, Madara, wanted to destroy the shinobi world to put an end to pain and suffering. Also he is the most badass and feared Naruto Villain. He most definitely lived up to the hype. Almost forgot to mention that the Akatsuki as a whole is such a legendary Villain group.
POWER SYSTEM
Most people think that the Naruto power system is "too simple" or "it loses its meaning throughout the show", but I disagree. Naruto has my favorite power system of all time. Simple? Sure you can say that, but it constantly evolves throughout the show. For example, little did we know that the Sharingan was going to be able to produce god-like abilities down the line. First, we learn about the MS then the EMS, and also the Rinnegan. This is just one example of the constantly evolving power system. Sure, it starts simply explaining the concept of chakra and how it is used to produce elements and in turn create Jutsu. But we later learn that you can combine several elements, we learn about forbidden just, and Keke Genkai, aswell as doujutsu, and genjutsu, as well as my favorite, taijutsu. Each of these categories offers something unique to the table which in turn makes the complexity of Narutos power system truly interesting. Not to mention, hand signs are a nice little touch.
FIGHTS
The fights in Naruto are UNMATCHED. The choreography of the main fights is beautiful. Characters can express emotions through the punches they throw. The fight choreography in Naruto tells a story on its own. Sasuke vs. Naruto is one of my favorite fights because it does a good job at telling a story. On one hand, we have Sasuke who gets his power from solitude and loneliness, and on the other, we have Naruto who gets his power from the bonds he has forged. We see Sasuke using lethal attacks trying to annaliate Naruto, and then we see Naruto just purely trying to save Sasuke from walking down his path of solitude. Sasuke's frustration with not being able to cut off naruto is beautifully shown in this fight just by his aggressive movesets as well as his rage at the end of the fight followed by an intense and powerful Chidori activation. Naruto fights are without a doubt the most fun and compelling thing to watch.
MAIN CAST
Naruto: Easily one of my favorite MCs of all time. Especially in the original Naruto, he was just the funniest and most likable character. It's easy to root for naruto throughout the entire show. Seeing him grow up, go through hardships and eventually get married, and acheive his dream of becoming Hokage is one of the most emotional experiences iv'e ever had watching a shonen anime.
Sasuke: Sasuke is the best-written character in the show. Starting to see him slowly turn into a monster walking down the path of solitude is the most interesting part of his development. Sasuke is my favorite deuteragonist of all time. His final "I lost scene" is easily one of my favorite character conclusions.
Kakashi: What's not to like about Kakashi. He like a father figure in squad 7 and also one of the coldest characters in the show. He is the most idealistic shinobi there is. He also has an amazing, (depressing) backstory that makes me like him even more.
Sakura: Sakura gets too much hate, shes not THAT terrible, but honestly my least favorite main character lol. The others are just way better written and way more intersting to follow. NO HATE THO!
OST
Lastly, the Naruto OST is my favorite out of the big three. It has good battle music, good emotional music, good everything. Some tracks are truly beautiful to listen to.
PLOT
Naruto has an entertaining and intense plot. I love the transition from Naruto to Naruto Shippuden in that the plot took a dark turn and contains much more mature themes to grow with the Audience. (yes I realize lots of 12yo watches the show) Shippuden contained some of the most emotional moments I've seen in an animated show. This is one of the few shows that has made me cry tears of both joy and sadness. The show knows when to be funny, hype, sad, or whatever.
CONS:
SIDE CHARACTERS
I think the Side characters in Naruto were amazing in the original series but I feel like they just stopped developing throughout Shippuden. One of the greatest arcs of all time includes the Chunin exams arc and the Sasuke retrieval arc. In both of these arcs, we saw lots of character development and growth from the side characters. Unfortunately in Shippuden, I feel like we kind of lost moments like these. Maybe instead of so much filler, we could have gotten episodes that focus on developing side characters.
PACING
Pacing is a problem with all-long animes like Naruto so I'm not going to rant too much about it. I also don't like when people complain about filler because it's 2021 and you can skip filler if it bothers you so much.
FEMALE CHARACTERS
Unfortunatley this show may have some of the most poorly developed female characters. Most of them have to rely on someone else and are useless most of the time. I understand that this is a shonen anime, but I feel like they couldv'e made the female characters more interesting. That being said, I do think that Tsunade and Konan are an exception but I would have liked to see Konan be focused on more before her character arc concluded. But regardless, I think those two are W female characters.
_FINAL THOUGHTS___
Naruto will forever be one of my favorite shows. It was the first anime series that I watched and it is what got me into watching. It is what made me love shonen anime and has provided me with some of the most enjoyable TV watching experiences. I have never felt so attached to a main cast of characters which is why Im gratful to Boruto because I don't have to say goodbye to them yet lol. Anyways, thats all I have to say about the "goat" of a show, Naruto.
"ore ha saikou no hokage ni naru"