How would I know? I only learned that he mastered 'basics' from reading this thread; I thought he still had the same fundamental chakra control problems he's had since he was still a below-average genin.
Um, Sasuke? Rock Lee? We don't know about Tenten, but I suppose you could make that inference; point is, though, I don't see what being supervised by parents has to do with actually learning something. My parents tried to teach me to tie my shoes and I never learned from them, but in the third grade I started experimenting and taught myself.
That's a rather moot point, really.
Doesn't seem to come standard with academy training, does it? I'd imagine if it were taught to people at large, more than simply Naruto could use it; but then again, it's a "family secret" trade just like the other family jutsu styles.
Apparently not.
Not exactly; Rasengan is like a buzzsaw with a small area of impact. Yes, it can grind through stuff, but the splash damage from doing so is minimized, as Jiraiya demonstrated with his usage through trees. Splash damage is more destructive for living bodies than with objects; Sakura punches, by this logic, are more dangerous than Naruto's Rasengan.
He's learned to manage his Kage Bunshins much better so it's not a matter of chakra ammount anymore so there's no reason to belittle his skills of chakra manipulation.
@Majek:
If you look at it that way almost everyone of the former-Genins is a one trick pony. We don't know what they have learned other than more control over their clan abilities that can't be used to compare to other jutsu.
You're basically condensing a whole style of fighting into being "one trick", which isn't the same as only knowing one Jutsu and only knowing one way to apply said Jutsu. Aye, I'd agree that Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji are "gimmick" characters, but they've got other qualities to apply to their Jutsu that transcend "cheap" status; namely, the ability to function as a team and, more importantly, brains!
…
This is... really strange.
@Aldrich:
Now you're being harsh. Naruto may be a mediocre main character, but he doesn't deserve to be compared to… that.
Oh, I'm not saying they're basically brothers, just that they have (had) a lot in common. Namely, "underdog" status, low-self esteem, poor fighting skills, incompetence, a lack of 'common sense', unrealistic dreams, high propensity for hyperaction and unusual facial features.
Naruto has made a lot of progress from where he once was, but if people didn't like the 'old' Naruto I can't see how the series or the titular character would have gotten so popular.
@dlo62282:
The oro fight wasnt a proper fight. That was kyuubi fight imo. That whole arc was to show Naruto he shouldnt use the Kyuubi and he is learning to use his own power now. He just threw some punches at Diedra. He just rasengan Itachi and tried to fight off a gen-jutsu.
That's where opinions diverge, I guess. I consider Usopp v. Jabura to be a proper, if one-sided fight; as such, I also see Naruto's battles in Part II to be 'proper' as well. I'm not sure how you're defining 'proper' but if we're talking about multi-chapter battles, said fights appear, to me anyways, as 'proper'.
An example of an improper fight would be Usopp v. The Franky Family.
@dlo62282:
Kakashi stated that the Rasengan is the highest form of chakra control. How is that simple?
Smells like a retcon to me, but regardless of that, Naruto couldn't execute the technique properly; he invented an (ingenuis) circumnavigation around his lack of chakra control.
You will excuse me for my ignorance in these matters since I do not read the Naruto manga fully (or with gusto) and I'm merely waiting for the Part II anime to start (heck, I've been waiting since September 2005); however, from what I remember, Naruto used a clone to assist him with GBR against the 30% clones, which leads me to think that he doesn't have the control in 'normal' form to maintain a proper Rasengan.
I say 'normal' because in the One-Tailed state he used a purple Rasengan one-handed without all that much trouble.
@dlo62282:
Yes, i pegged battle smarts as instincts. And we are classified as animals, if you didnt notice. :)
While this is true, people don't view each other as animals, and associate "instrict" with more primitive means of self-preservation; if I saw Naruto using his brain a lot more than his 'gut' (pardon the figure of speech), it would be a signal to me that he's more than simply an animalistic fighter; he's got a human side as well.
Naruto's whole theme is fox-like, but he's trying to curb this sterotype by acting like a traditional (well…) ninja. Aside from his training with the ninja gear, he's still a pretty animalistic fighter.
@dlo62282:
He didnt forget his goal. He mentioned it to Kankuro when he was going to save Gaara.
It's not really about forgetting the goal, but his zeal has sort of softened for it and people (apparently) don't like that. Since vigor was always Naruto's strong point, it looks like the character is "degrading" a la Usopp, but it's actually developmental. This is why, as I said earlier, I wouldn't miss Naruto spouting his mantra about being Hokage all the time; he's grown beyond a need to do that.
@dlo62282:
His team abilities were shown in the Zabuzu arc. The chuunin exam in the forest of death. The Kakashi vs itachi clone fight. He showed as much teamwork as anybody else. Kakashi pretty much drilled to them the importance of team work. The worked well together when it was needed.
After seeing Shikamaru in action during the Kakazu + Hidan fight(s), I'm prone to disagree, and we haven't see what the other Rookie Nine ninja have to offer yet. Additionally, the 'team work' illustrated by Naruto in the earlier fights was merely a subject of focus; we were watching Naruto fight virtually the whole time, and there wasn't a lot of manga devoted to the other teams. Ino + Chouji + Shikamaru, yes, but not Hinata + Shino + Kiba.
If anything, those six work together with one another better than Naruto and his team; heck, Naruto would work better with any of them than with his team, so I guess I can't discredit him for everything.
But, keep in mind that only the best become Hokage, and if the desired trait for Hokage is "tactics" Naruto will need to surpass Shikamaru in order for him to realistically attain his goal.
Such is possible, with training, but unlikely at this point. Things could change, of course.
@dlo62282:
You are right he doesnt have any leadership abilities. But that can change with time, correct?
Haha, we're on the same wavelength.
@dlo62282:
I am not sure what Slash Emperor is.
I was trying to get you to Google it, but in summary it's an outrageous weapon from the TYPE-MOON universe. It's outrageous because the whole concept of it's existence is; "to kill everyone to save them from themselves".
@dlo62282:
You want proof that he is charmistic? Well maybe that is the wrong word, but people draw inspiration from him. And he affects people way of thinking. Oro spent 20 mins with Naruto in the forest of death and concluded that Sasuke had to get away from him ASAP. KAbuto also recognized this. He pratically changed Chiyo's view on Konoha. And he a freaking bridge name after him when he was just a genin in a foreign country.
It's his drive, not charisma, that acts as inspiration, which is related to his stubborness. Like Luffy he'd rather die before giving up, which transcends rationality but it's quite a sight to behold coming from someone like Naruto. Luffy…meh, not as impressive given his status.
@dlo62282:
I am not a big Naruto fan. At least not of the character, but he has potential to become Hokage. He just need to improve in some areas. His idoit moments seem to be more due to his childhood than his actual brain functions. He was very immature. He liked to joke around and wanted to attract attention to himself because everybody ignored him.
I'll concede to that; his maturity is a step toward his goal, but he's still got a long way to go.
@dlo62282:
I dont see how Ussop and Naruto are similiar. Ussop is a coward. Naruto has only been a coward once and that was the beginning of the wave arc. They are totally two different characters.
See the above for a better analysis; Usopp is basically defined by his cowardess so sort of blinds people to the other traits they share in common, but don't be fooled by that one attribute.
@dlo62282:
Naruto is not behind the curve in terms of the other 12 former genin. The only ones who are stronger are Neiji and Sasuke. You talk about Naruto's lack of jutsu. But who besides Sasuke and Neiji, have used more jutsu's than Naruto? Shika uses his shadown imitation jutsu and his shadow bind jutsu. We only seen Ino do one jutsu. All Rock lee do is tai-jutsu and opened some gates. Chouji used meat ball attack, partial giant jutsu, full giant jutsu. Kiba pre-time skip pretty much used one jutsu. Ten-Ten used weapons. I could go on.
It's application, though; those other folk might have only a single jutsu, but they can apply them in creative ways and with different teams. Naruto's best teamwork is with himself (literally the Kage Bushins), and he's not relying much on skill with his jutsu as he is with the jutsu's raw power. This is why he should expand his breadth of proficiency; if he's not going to be that good of a team player (with other teams), he should define himself with a more varied moveset to compensate.