Naruto

   Naruto, a name most people have heard, is undoubtedly one of the most well-known animes, and to sum up a 15-year-long anime, it is a story of ninjas, fights, friendships, tears, a lot more fights, quite a bit of yelling, and tremendous character growth.

   While I would have given “Naruto” five stars in a heartbeat, half a star was deducted because of the length of the series. The story drags on for a very long time, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, it has been difficult to convince my friends to appreciate and finish this 720 episode long masterpiece. The infuriating part about “Naruto” is that a number of filler episodes that are put in. However, that being said, fillers can be nice to watch. Despite the distractions from the main plot, the fillers never fail to be entertaining. Each filler episode has its own interesting story, and sometimes they provide background stories for some characters, or even some comic relief, such as FINALLY revealing Kakashi’s face (episode 469 of “Naruto Shippuden”). Every episode of the show, filler or not, was enjoyable to watch.

    A huge portion of what makes “Naruto” my favorite anime is watching Naruto grow from a weak, but brave, kid blabbering to everyone about his dream of becoming Hokage (which is essentially the leader of the Land of Fire), into the strongest ninja to ever exist. The series brings us through his touching life story, from how his parents died protecting him when he was born, to when he fails his ninja academy graduation test, to when he masters the Rasengan, to when he learns about sage mode, to when he finally tames the nine-tailed fox inside of him, to when he leads the five nations to victory in the Fourth Great Ninja War and finally, to when he becomes Hokage (all of the most significant events). Watching Naruto take every step in his life and grow to be so strong is truly what makes the viewers feel like…proud mothers.

   Watching “Naruto” is definitely a commitment you need to be ready for, but I guarantee it is one you will not regret. It is my all-time favorite anime, and the time I spent watching 720 episodes and ten movies of “Naruto” can arguably be the best 19,000 minutes of my life. Uzumaki Naruto’s life story, consisting of commendable bravery, broken and mended friendships, and most importantly, countless bowls of ichiraku ramen, is a life story very worth watching.