It's ironic the qualities people praise in Naruto are the same qualities people hate in Usopp. At the very least I'm being consistent and hating them both.
@dlo62282:
Naruto with no skill? ummm, I wouldnt go that far at all. Besides Sasuke and Neiji, he showed the most skill out of the 12 genins. He would pretty much beat most of the 12 as well without Kyuubi.
I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to when you say "skill" and how you're measuring it. Are you talking about breadth of techniques, or difficulty? If the former, Naruto is still dead last since he's only mastered two 'advanced' jutsu and has competency with the basics; his contemporaries have only further pushed their basic training while excelling in various other jutsu of comparably advanced difficulty.
If difficulty is the case, Naruto is at the bottom of the talent pool even with his mastery of Rasengan and the Kage Bushin.
When Rasengan was first developed, it looked a lot like the Chidori/Raikiri were bastardizations/imitations of the technique, but as Kakashi demonstrated it's actually an improvement. Even then, Rasengan is only one form of chakra control, and it's a relatively simple one at that; what Sakura is using to amplify her strength is something forever beyond Naruto's level of skill.
The Kage Bushin is only possible via Naruto's immense chakra reserves; the technique itself isn't that difficult, it's the management of chakra that makes it a jounin-level technique.
So, basically, Naruto is a one-trick pony with Rasengan, which puts him behind the other twelve former Genin in terms of skill depth and breadth. Rasengan was impressive when Naruto first learned it, but if that's all he has now he's fallen behind again.
@dlo62282:
His isnt tactical smart but he is battle smart for the most part. And is very clever. He is a quick learner when his heart is actually into something.
I'm not sure about what's the difference between "tactical smart" and "battle smart". If you're referring to the latter as "instinct"…doesn't that make him all the more animal-like?
@dlo62282:
He has matured. He talks about becoming Hokage in the Gaara arc. He just doesnt shout it out foolishly like he use 2.
Maybe because he's forgotten the goal because it's unrealistic? Luffy has already demonstrated the qualities necessary to become Pirate King; he can talk about it all he wants because it's not a factor of feasibility, just time. Naruto has never displayed the wisdom or leadership that would befit the title of Hokage; the only way he's improved himself is through strength, which would be best channeled in the village's interest through being an ANBU rather than a Hokage.
@dlo62282:
He has the potential to be Hokage, I thought it was pretty obvious from the start. He learned a jounin technique in a matter of minutes. People complain about his few moves but every previous genin only had a few jutsus they used as well. As they get older, their jutsu stock would get wider.
As I just pointed out, it's only a jounin move because genin/chuunin lack the chakra control to effectively maintain bushins, and even then Naruto isn't producing bushins because he has control, but because he has chakra to burn.
Learning Rasengan was impressive, I'll give Naruto that. But one technique does not a Hokage make.
@dlo62282:
He is a trained fighter because he has been trained to fight. He is not a leader yet but he can easily be one. He is a team player and knows how to use teamwork. He just gets too emotional at certain times.
There's not much empirical evidence in the manga to support the idea that he's a "team player"; he cooperated with Sasuke well against Zabuza, but that's about it. What you think is team work is more along the lines of "handing off" duties, not unlike what happened in the Cell Games (Goku fights Cell, then Gohan immediately afterward - teamwork??). Such is what happened against Orochimaru in their first encounter
He also has not displayed any leadership qualities or capabilities outside of his stubborness, which fools desperate people into believing he's confident in his abilities (when we have seen time and again that he constantly doubts himself). I'm thinking specifically of when Naruto was fighting Orochimaru in the Forest of Death; he wasn't charismatic, he was being stupid. Sasuke was the one who had collapsed internally and with good reason; as we saw in the case of Zabuza, Sasuke could keep his cool under pressure but not when that very attribute was robbed from him by Orochimaru.
I would also disagree that becoming "too emotional" is a drawback; if anything, it's his greatest strength. But "being emotional" does not make a good leader.
@dlo62282:
He is the exact clone of Jirayia in terms of personality. People grow up. He was 12 with no social skills and acted like a big brat. Maturity wise he grown alot in 3 years.
Jiraiya himself noted he wouldn't make a good Hokage, which is why he went to search for Tsunade, aye? What does that say about Naruto?
@dlo62282:
He doesnt want to beat Sasuke. He wants to help him.
Two words: SLASH EMPEROR.
@dlo62282:
Im sorry Terek but you are off-based with alot of your comments in the past two posts. Naruto was an idiot but no more of an idiot than Jirayia was when he was his age. Naruto has skill and is very charasmatic. Every character mentioned even the villians mentioned his power to change people.
Oh, please. Naruto is a huge fudging loser and there's no better description for him. If you had evidence to refute my claims you would have cited them; instead, you offered a totally ambiguous/generic post that didn't draw on any specifics. Heck, you didn't even address the Kage Bushin by name; you just called it a jounin-level technique.
@dlo62282:
And your comment about the third hokage was way off. Oro stated in his prime the third would of killed him. That is his opinion of course but it has been hinted the third was the strongest ninja in Konoha's history.
…but it's said the Fourth was the strongest ninja in Konoha's history. Then again, we've heard tales of the First and the Second being invincible too; maybe it's because they're Hokage!
And Orochimaru has always been Kishimoto's bull beacon; everything he says is about potential in relation to himself, yet Orochimaru has a cockroach's vigor and never actually dies. I thought we'd finally see him get killed in the Sannin fight, but lo and behold we find out he's virtually immortal. With Hidan and Kakuzu's appearence, immortality isn't exactly something unfeasible for someone as ambitious as Orochimaru.
Additionally, he commented that Naruto could kill him in his Four-Tailed state…yet Naruto didn't, and frankly I don't see how he could given his miraculous damage soaking ability. I honestly have no idea on how Orochimaru can be killed, since we've already seen an instance of a talking head. That is, barring the possibility of vaporization a la some Dragonball Z energy technique, which we actually got to see with Naruto's "chakra ball".
Which was enormously creative, I might add.
@dlo62282:
Naruto is learning jutsus that few people can dream of learning.
Only if the world were populated by the retarded.
@dlo62282:
And his skill is rather fluid hence what Kakashi said during the second bell test. Naruto has grown alot since the beginning of the series. He hasnt had a proper fight in part 2.
'proper fight'? What would you call that Orochimaru skirmish? His melee with the 30% chakra clones? What about Deidara? Those are all legal fights and just because Naruto hasn't fought someone "out of the blue" like Kimimaro doesn't de-legitimize what he's accomplished. Talking about "proper fights" sounds a lot more like fanboy bastiching to me.
But yes, Naruto has grown as a fighter. Considering he was behind everyone else in his class, it was a necessity. Surpassing "normal" ninjas, though, isn't something to brag about; he was never "normal" and can't be applied to their standard. He's got to surpass the best, and as of right now he's not even surpassed the mediocre. He's one of them.