‘Naruto is supposed to be one of the top taijutsu fighters’: The Kurama Sized Blunder Kishimoto Did in Naruto Makes No Sense Except for Plot Convenience

The bigger the story, the greater the plotholes. Needless to say, Naruto isn’t exempt from this either. From Hashirama’s death to his cells, it is a whirlpool of mysteries and incessant plotholes.

But that is not all considering the mangaka’s major blunder that had most fans scratching their brains out. This has mostly to do with the titular hero and his infamous jutsu.

Uzumaki Barrage in a still from the anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

While our hero is famed for his clone jutsu, the mangaka left several irregularities and inconsistencies. Of late, fans have speculated and debated about the true nature of the jutsu.

On top of that, the blunder also highlights the series’ failure in chartering the hero’s Taijutsu abilities. His skills and prowess were eventually overshadowed by the incessant plot armor.

Kishimoto’s plot irregularities highlight a major blunder

From Hashirama’s death to Yamato’s identity, Masashi Kishimoto’s series is ridden with plotholes. Like many Shonen series, it has its fair share of irregularities. While the First Hokage’s death remains a mystery, there are other unanswered questions.

More specifically, it pertains to the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Commonly known as the Shadow Clone jutsu, it is a Forbidden Technique. Developed by the Second Hokage, the jutsu has left several burning and unanswered questions for the fanbase.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in the anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

The signature jutsu is introduced in the first episode of the series. Interestingly, it is also one of the techniques that the mangaka found arduous to draw. And while this jutsu is one of the forbidden techniques, it packs mysteries.

From the hero’s mastery to his usage of the jutsu, the mangaka’s writing of the technique raised several questions. Above all, though, this had more to do with the hero’s fighting style and the redundancy of this technique. This is something that most Redditors pointed out.

Be it plot armor or nerfing, most Redditors gave their opinions on the hero’s misusage of the technique.

While the clone jutsu seems a goof-up on the mangaka’s part, one thing is certain. There’s a constant seesaw when it comes to plot armor and development.

In his writing of the Shadow Clone jutsu, the mangaka failed in chartering his Taijutsu prowess. This is especially the case with the Shippuden series which was followed by gross nerfing and underutilization.

Naruto’s Taijutsu prowess is overshadowed by plot armor

Naruto is often deemed a knucklehead albeit his strength and wit. While he may not be as smart as Sasuke, his strength and empathy is far superior to his peers. It would be safe to say that he parallels Rock Lee in terms of his mojo and zeal.

In retrospect, Rock Lee is proficient in Taijutsu albeit his poor Ninjutsu skills. Similarly, the hero isn’t traditionally wise which is where the shadow clones come in. From intel to combat, the hero’s skills are grossly underutilized especially when it comes to his Taijutsu prowess.

Frog Kata style in a still from the Shippuden series | Credit: Studio Pierrot

While he may not be as top-notch as Rock Lee, Naruto is skillful in his approach. His ability to merge shadow clone jutsu with Lee’s Taijutsu was nothing short of impressive.

And while Uzumaki Barrage was impressive, his Frog Kata was far more overwhelming. Eventually, it was overshadowed by plot armor and the incessant nerfing throughout the series.

It is a shame that these styles were reduced to one-shot wonders throughout the series. For now, fans can sit and hope for Boruto to showcase the jutsu’s comeback.

Naruto: Shippuden is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.