Naruto: Masashi Kishimoto Did Neji Dirty Way Before His Cheap Death That Went Against the Essence of the Story

Masashi Kishimoto didn’t create Naruto the series with just one message in mind. There are core themes that almost every character follows and several minor themes that show up from time to time. Some of these aren’t so controversial, like forgiveness and overcoming prejudice.

However, there is one controversial theme that fans debate to this day—Naruto is about hard work over talent. Though it might have existed in the beginning, Kishimoto made his main character into a reincarnation of a Demi-God, basically destined to become a Hokage and grow as powerful as he is in Boruto. Because of this, a fan-favorite character, who was way stronger than Naruto at that time, was downplayed and done dirty by the author himself.

The most annoying fight in Naruto history, according to critics

The character in question is, of course, Neji Hyuga. Almost every Naruto fan agrees that Neji’s death was done in the most pathetic way. He didn’t deserve that kind of sendoff, given how beloved and strong he is. But his downfall began when Masashi Kishimoto began favoring Naruto during the Chunin Exam arc, which is considered one of the best arcs of the series.

Neji was largely regarded as the more competent and experienced ninja, and his Byakugan and Gentle Fist skills provided him with an obvious advantage. However, Naruto’s sheer tenacity and ability to channel the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox eventually allowed him to defeat Neji’s greater abilities.

Now, the central argument coming from the critics is that if one of Naruto‘s central themes is about hard work over talent, then why was Naruto gifted with the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox by his parents? Originally, the fight was intended to touch on the heart of the series’ theme while simultaneously demonstrating that fate is irrelevant. But later Kishimoto went completely against that, by revealing that Naruto is a reincarnation of Asura.

Fans watching Neji vs Naruto clearly know that Neji was absolutely dominating the fight. It was like Manchester City playing against Luton Town in an English Premier League match. Naruto constantly spammed his Shadow Clone Jutsu to try to trick Neji and land a crucial blow by catching him off guard. But Neji saw through every one of Naruto’s clones and was able to spot the real one.

After closing off all of his own chakra, Naruto uses the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s power to maneuver quickly and evade Neji’s blows. Later, the two clashed, causing a large explosion in the arena. As the dust settles, two holes appear in the ground, and Neji emerges from the first.

Walking to the second hole, he mocks Naruto, who is lying there seemingly unconscious. It turns out to be a shadow clone and the real Naruto, having dug a hole underground, surprises him with an uppercut from below, hitting Neji right in the jaw. This leaves Neji unable to move, and Genma announces Naruto as the winner of the match.

The frustration of Neji fans

Neji fans were quite annoyed at the result, saying that Naruto had to use the power of plot and trickery to overpower him. One Reddit user states that the victory felt quite cheap and undeserving because Neji worked so hard to get his powers while Naruto tapped into something that was already inside him.

Another Reddit user did not hesitate while slandering Naruto and worshipping Neji’s greatness. According to them, Naruto won not out of skill or talent but out of sheer attrition and healing. While still a win in the shinboi world, it felt hallow.

Regardless of his intelligence, Neji still trained and worked hard for all of his strength, while Naruto spent a lot of his time eating ramen, yelling about being Hokage, flirting with Sakura, pulling pranks, and generally being a pain. In short, Neji was just better in every way and should have won. Kishimoto just unreasonably favored Naruto here.

On the other hand, Naruto fans came swiftly to his defense by saying that Naruto wasn’t initially aware of Kurama trapped inside his body. And when he did, it took a great deal of effort and training to tap into Kurama’s powers without losing control of his senses.

Sure, the guy had some plot armor but it wasn’t like everything was going in his way. At the end of the day, Naruto became Hokage because he was qualified and not entirely because his lineage.

Naruto is now available to watch on Crunchyroll.