Naruto

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Popular anime series has lots of fights, strong characters.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this popular anime series had a huge fan following long before its 2005 Cartoon Network premiere. There's lots of animated violence -- including fights, weapons use, and more -- but there are also strong examples of hard work and perseverance. Still, this is clearly a hit show that has captured the attention of young and old anime fans alike, so your kids may very well want to watch it.

  • While there are plenty of battle scenes in each episode, Naruto does have a mentor who helps him believe in himself.
  • Naruto works hard to achieve his goals. He can be a obnoxious at times, but he's dedicated and focused.
  • Strong, frequent animated violence. Physical combat between individuals, often using weapons.
  • Girl ninjas describe themselves as sexy; boys and girls flirt and have crushes.

What's the story?

The hugely successful anime series NARUTO follows the trials and tribulations of an orphaned adolescent boy as he progresses through the Ninja Academy. Along the way, he struggles with his own inadequacies -- both in his physical skills as a ninja and his social interactions with other academy students. As an infant, Naruto wound up carrying the spirit of the demon who attacked his village, killing many -- including Naruto's parents. The sprit's presence caused Naruto to be singled out and ostracized by the other villagers. His one friend, ninja instructor Umino Iruka, helps Naruto overcome his feelings of inadequacy and pursue formal ninja instruction.


Is it any good?

 

Each episode follows Naruto's psychological, physical, and social challenges. At times he's annoying, arrogant, and naïve, but his unyielding spirit to learn and succeed furthers him in his studies. It's these qualities that also make him appealing to viewers -- as demonstrated not only on television, but in DVD and video game sales as well (Naruto is quite the franchise).

Parents should expect lots of wham-bam, ninja-like battles in every episode. Violent fights break out between powers of good and evil, among kids in the academy, and even sometimes within a character's own self. In addition to the kicks, hits, and flips, sharp weapons and explosions are used to further color the battles. Plus, characters sometimes talk about "screwing" over someone and causing ultimate destruction. Female ninja students describe themselves as being "sexy" and strong. And in typical adolescent fashion, girls and boys have crushes on each other and discuss the positive physical attributes of specific classmates.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about Naruto's unyielding drive to become a top ninja. He may be at the bottom of the class, but he never falters in his dedication or loses hope about himself and what he's capable of learning. How does his perseverance make kids feel about their own learning curves and challenges?

  • The Japanese language and customs included in the program may also spark a cultural discussion.


This review was written by Pam Gelman
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
This show is Perfectly Appropriate
First of all, I am a complete expert on everything on this show and I think people are completely exagerating on their reviews. It's is appropriate as long as the child has a brain. Nobody on this show says a bad word even once(trust me. I've seen every single episode). Sure there is blood, but very little. Only a couple drops of it at most. When Naruto transforms into the girl, you see NO NUDITY AT ALL!It is completely appropriate. There is a lot of violence, I'll admit that,but I don't see why that would be inaproppriate. As for the kiss Sasuke and Naruto share: it was an accident. One kid pushed naruto and he falls over. Besides they don't show the kiss. You just hear a smooch noise. One thing that is innapropriate is that Jiraiya, Naruto's later sensei, is a total pervert(he is proud of it,too). He constantly searches for young woman and goes crazy one he sees any. He also isn't shy to expose Naruto to it. He is also the author of an adult book that Naruto's first sensei always reads.But they never expose the readings of the book. It has a very insperational theme. The story is about a boy who had no friends or family and that was a no talent and who turned nothing into something. he is always improving, implying you can do anything if you try hard. For kids, this show is awesome. It's entertaining,sad,funny,action-filled, and it's full of suspense. Everyone should see watch this show.

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Teen, 15 years old
May 1, 2011
 
Well, I think it's clear that 'I' like the show..
Honestly, I just picked back up on watching it, (a few years back I watched it- and Gaara was 'still' my favorite character). The character development is pretty strong, they have complex emotions and some have very horrible back stories. For younger kids, the fights and the way some characters look might be a little scary- hense it being PG. A few people die here and there- blood is shown, and fights take forever at times- and believe me I hate long fight scenes. There is language at times, and the 'sexy jutsu' -(Naruto turns into a naked woman) made me almost loose my lunch. Even though these things are in the negetive lighting- and will stay there- there are so many good things about the show that I'm willing to dismiss those. The friendship/respect and loyalty the characters have for eachother is insperational. Bad characters change heart due to understanding, (like Gaara changed due to Naruto understanding him), before that, Gaara was a killing machine, keeping to his motto 'love only yourself'. Even, he is willing to kill his siblings if they stay in his way. Naruto made him see the light- those kind of transformations are something you don't always see in shows. I agree with AnimeFreak200, though. A very overrated show.

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Kid, 12 years old
April 14, 2010
 
Great show, a couple of faults
Hello I'm new. to common sense.I love Naruto. I've watched it since I was seven. The animation is great and the fight scenes are epics and exciting. There are couple of things to look out for though. First DO NOT watch episode 140 if you are under age 13. Second, the episodes tend to have to have large amount of blood in all the fights so be careful. Third, they never cuss in Naruto until they get around episode 190 where they use minor bad words but it is still unnecessary. And lastly, there is a character named Jiraya who is a pervert and does it repeatedly so watch out for that too. Overall, Naruto is a great show and I highly recommend it.

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Teen, 15 years old
September 29, 2011
 
Naruto Mostly Ok
Everything in the series is mostly ok.But at certain time times Naruto becomes a nude lady which is quite disturbing for the young viewers and there is a lot of violence as well.But,on the other hand it teaches teamwork and believing in yourself.

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Kid, 12 years old
May 14, 2011
 
I like it cant you tell
if you cant tell i love this show, the fighting is wicked and their is a lot of blood. there is little sexuality other than sexy jutsu and pervy sage.

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Adult
November 15, 2010
 
This show is great for older children.
Positives include role models who help Naruto and his classmates believe in themselves and work extra hard to become stronger, faster and smart. There are good messages in the show including the occasional attempt of the main characters to try and convert an evil enemy to a good ally. Ultimately the show is very violent and, in the end, violence is the only answer this show gives to solve problems. The majority of this violence ends in ultimate sacrifices while characters try and protect their friends and families and, unlike Dragonball Z, there is no way to bring them back. It shows mourning for lost shinobi and when someone particularly close to Naruto dies it shows the steps he takes to overcome his sorrow and keep moving forward. In the unedited version there are copious amounts of blood, smoking and alcohol, the latter two occur rather frequently just before the end of this series and the beginning of Shippuden. The versions shown on tv have the majority of this edited out. There are some sexual areas in the series. Early on the majority of this type of behavior comes from Naruto and his Sexy Jutsu (in which he becomes a naked, well-endowed female) and his target's perverse reactions to the jutsu (usually excessive nosebleeding which indicates dirty thoughts). Sakura also has her fair share of flirty moments in the beginning during her constant vies for Sasuke's attention. She stares at him dreamily and daydreams about him and how cute he is. Both of these things fade into the background as the show progresses and becomes more plot-oriented.

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Teen, 14 years old
July 16, 2010
 
Cool Show
Don't know why everyone hates it. I think its really cool and funny.. some of the morals are stupid, but I still think its awesome. ^.^

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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 
this show rox
this is mi 3rd favorite show. so wat there blood its still PG i mean mi friend is 5 and hes watches it every time!!!

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Parent of 13 year old
June 6, 2011
 
A great anime.
My 8-year-old son and I watch this every Saturday when it airs on Disney XD. I used to watch this with my 13-year-old son, but he doesn't watch it anymore (he instead watches Kekkaishi and others).

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Kid, 13 years old
May 28, 2010
 
I. Absolutely love this show. It tells me, that anything is possible if I put my mind into it. I watched this when I was very young, and it has influenced me ever since. The fighting may be an issue for younger kids, but, if everyone in the world would take time to watch this, it could changed the world. This anime, is about a boy with a monster trapped inside him. Everyone shunned him, but he found someone that acknowledged him, and he was top ninja. This anime is a true classic, and there will never be an anime that will be as life changing as this. There are many kids that are in the position of being "hated" and this, will change their life. Please take time to watch this, and don't judge it by the first few episodes. This show has absolutely brought me to tears.

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This review was written by Pam Gelman
TV rating:TV-PG
Network:Cartoon Network
Cast:Johnny Yong Bosch, Maile Flanagan
Genre:Kids' Animation

This review was written by Pam Gelman
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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