“How did Hashirama die”: The 5 Naruto Questions That Masashi Kishimoto Needs to Answer to Save His Legacy

It’s rare for a work of fiction to end without any lingering questions, especially for a long-running series like Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto. The popularity and success of Naruto is exceptional, but there were some visible gaps in the storyline. Years after the story has ended, there are many questions that fans would ask Kishimoto if they got an opportunity to do so.

So here’s a list of top 5 questions that Masashi Kishimoto needs to answer for the sake of the story and his fans. 

5) Can we Get More Information on Minato? 

Minato as a character is too perfect. He was genius and he always did the right thing. A deeper dive into his background and character, if done right, can make him one of the best anime characters to ever exist. He was extremely powerful and optimistic. Having some knowledge about his upbringing, his struggles, and the not so perfect parts of him would make him a complete character.

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It’d be great if someday Masashi Kishimoto shares his vision on Minato and some realistic aspects about his character. They don’t have to be downright dark or evil, just something that adds more depth to his character. The Minato one-shot was a great example of how much there is for the character to offer.

4) What Happened to the Side Characters? 

The original Naruto featured some of the best side characters, namely Rock Lee, Hinata, Neji, Haku, and Gaara. They were powerful characters with amazing fights and moments that hooked the fans to their individual stories. As the story progressed, many of them were sidelined, even though their characters had great potential.

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If we could get a satisfying follow-up to their stories, Naruto would become a more complete experience. Knowing what Kishimoto planned to do with them if he had another chance, would help the fans have some sort of closure, which is always great. 

3) Why was Sakura’s Character so Inconsistent? 

The female characters of the series are severely lacking and not as well-written. Sakura was one of the main characters and even though she had the same opportunities and exposure as her teammates, we never see her shining like them. Her full potential was never explored. It would be nice if we could hear it from Kishimoto himself about what restricted him from giving Sakura the same character development, as the others on her team. 

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We saw glimpses of her going all out against Sasori and in the final war, but there’s a huge gap between these two events. She could’ve had her moments throughout the story which would have made her an exceptional character.

2) How did Hashirama Die?

Hashirama’s death is an enigma. He was the God of Shiobi with nearly zero weaknesses. He had immense strength and was skilled in using a wide variety of techniques. His regeneration and Kekkei Genkai shot up his powers to a whole different level. He could heal while fighting the strongest opponents. His only competition in his world was Madara, who he defeated after a long battle. So what was it that killed him?

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Fans have speculated that he died from some disease or as a result of exhaustion, as most of his techniques required huge amounts of Chakra. While these guesses make sense, it would be best to hear it from the creator himself. After all, a Shinobi like Hashirama can’t be killed off that easily.

1) Would Kishimoto Ever Rewrite Naruto?

Most Kishimoto fans are aware that the editor of the series had a huge role to play in the story. There were many inputs from the editor that carved the story into what it is today. After so many years and all the experience, would Kishimoto ever rewrite Naruto? Just hearing what he would change about the story would be pretty great, but for him to draw his original ideas into a proper story would accentuate the enjoyment.

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A Naruto parallel universe or a sequel, where he alone determines the direction of the story. However, doing that won’t be as simple. Naruto has massive popularity and fans would still tune in, but Kishimoto might not want to tamper with his finished work.

Despite the flaws, Masashi Kishimoto created something memorable. Whether we ever get the answers to these questions or not, Naruto would still be one of the most cherished anime-manga series of all time.

Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.