#once again the version of naruto that exists in my head is so much superior than the real thing lmao

[calentvre]

i think what i still prefer about naruto compared to most other super popular shounen and why it stuck with me is that its villains are human. they aren't supernatural beings with incomprehensible evil motives and aims! their reasoning can be traced to history and the systemic failures of the shinobi world. kishimoto is a poor plotter & eventually chickened out bc it got too complicated, but i still think in its essence naruto felt more impactful bc of this - most of the bad stuff that happens is directly caused by structural injustice and the inherently violent nature of shinobi society. while the tailed beasts, alien and dangerous, are arguably also villains, the tragedy they cause results more often than not from humans using their power for destruction. this is ultimately why the war arc and the ending with the deus ex machina -esque introduction of zetsu and kaguya is so disappointing; the series really did have something to say in its conception about the cycles of violence, the various consequences of war, and what society organized around army/police states results in, but all this is thrown out the window in favor of hand-wavey explanations excusing the characters' actions with fate and divine plans. in this essay