Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto was serialized in Shonen Jump for sixteen years, becoming known as one of the biggest shonen series of all time. Every aspect of the series comes together to immerse fans and keep them captivated, with the manga’s art style doing so especially well.
While Naruto‘s many standout fight scenes likely come to mind first, several of its strongest panels are non-violent, heavily emotional moments. From Kakashi’s iconic smile reassuring Team Seven he’ll protect them with his life to Naruto finally being recognized by others both in and out of his village, the Naruto manga manages to pack an extra punch into its heaviest-hitting moments.
10 Naruto Is Finally Acknowledged By Iruka
Throughout Naruto‘s early life, he’s viewed as little more than a monster. An outcast orphan who doesn’t even know who his parents are, Naruto grows up painfully alone. This changes near the end of Naruto‘s first chapter after Mizuki calls Iruka out for despising the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Iruka agrees but then elaborates that this doesn’t mean he hates Naruto. Iruka talks about respecting Naruto, acknowledging him as a true citizen of Konoha for the first time in his life. This brings Naruto to tears in a powerful panel that lets viewers feel the same relief and acceptance.
9 Lee Stands Again After His Crushing Defeat
Lee’s fight against Gaara during the Chunin Exams’ Tournament arc is one of Naruto‘s most iconic. Gaara’s built up as untouchable until this point, and Lee not only scratches him but nearly shatters Gaara’s defenses. Gaara’s sand protects him, grabs onto Lee’s limbs, and completely crushes them.
Despite crashing hard against the ground and having his arm and leg crushed, Lee gets back on his feet, trying to stay true to his shinobi way. This brings Guy-sensei to tears, and both of their emotions are powerfully portrayed in this scene.
8 Kakashi Vows To Protect His Comrades
Naruto and his peers in Team Seven are woefully under-prepared for their Land of Waves mission, unknowingly being assigned a task much more dangerous than they’re trained for. When the infamous assassin Zabuza shows up, the young genin are convinced they’re going to die.
With a powerful smile, Kakashi vows to never let his comrades die. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all look relieved at his words despite still being in a life-threatening situation, showing how much trust and faith they have in their sensei’s ability to protect them.
7 Everyone Acknowledges Naruto For The First Time
Naruto spends most of his childhood alone, lacking the acknowledgment of others. Even after Iruka believes in Naruto, many other villagers still treat him coldly or ignore him outright. Naruto‘s fight against Kiba during the Chunin Exams places all eyes on him.
This marks the first time in Naruto‘s history that the titular protagonist feels acknowledged by his entire village. The image of a battered Naruto dragging himself to his feet includes cut-ins of all his fellow Leaf Village shinobi finally looking at and acknowledging him.
6 Parallels Between Naruto & Gaara
Naruto‘s the first person to understand Gaara and his internal pain, due to being a fellow Jinchuriki who’s been an outcast since birth. Their showdown at the end of the Konoha Crush arc is both brutal and beautiful, with this panel before their final attack showcasing their similarities.
A sword falls between Naruto and Gaara as they land before cutting to Gaara. Half of Gaara’s face and body are obscured by the sword, instead showing Naruto‘s reflection, symbolizing them as mirror images of each other without needing to put it into words.
5 Tsunade Places Her Faith In Naruto
Tsunade originally dismisses Naruto‘s dream to become Hokage as a fool’s errand that’ll only get him killed. This seems harsh but is rooted in Tsunade’s trauma, as her brother Nawaki had the same dreams and personality only to perish at an incredibly young age.
After witnessing Naruto stand up and use the Rasengan against Kabuto to protect her, Tsunade’s outlook changes. She’s able to come to terms with her own past and earnestly root for Naruto, giving him a soft forehead kiss and wishing him luck with his dreams, just as she had with Nawaki.
4 Naruto Connects With Gaara, Past & Present
Gaara doesn’t survive having Shukaku extracted by the Akatsuki and is only brought back thanks to Lady Chiyo’s sacrifice. Naruto participates by offering her his chakra, and Chiyo asks Naruto to reach out to Gaara, being the only one who can truly understand his feelings.
The manga then flashbacks to Naruto as a child, running to catch up with an isolated, crying young Gaara. Naruto places his hand on Gaara’s shoulder to get his attention, and the following panel cuts back to the two in the present day, with Naruto‘s smiling face welcoming Gaara as he’s revived.
3 Sasuke Then & Now
Karin‘s view of Sasuke completely changes during his fight against Danzo. Danzo grabs Karin, intending to use her as a hostage, and Sasuke simply instructs her to stand still before shooting an attack straight through both of their chests. Without Karin‘s Uzumaki lineage, she likely wouldn’t have survived this blow.
In the aftermath, a flashback shows Sasuke saving Karin‘s life during the Chunin Exams before parting with a soft smile. The following panel shows both past and present-day Sasuke saying goodbye to Karin before leaving, showing how much Sasuke’s changed, with Karin remarking she just wanted to see his younger, less jaded self again.
2 Naruto Feels His Parents’ Love For The First Time
While trying to better control the Nine-Tails’ chakra before the upcoming Fourth Great Shinobi War, Naruto is nearly overpowered by Kurama. Kushina’s chakra activates, chaining the Nine-Tails, giving her and Naruto time for an incredibly touching mother-son reunion.
Naruto and his mother share a heartwarming embrace before Kushina details how she and Minato met, along with their sacrifice to seal Kurama inside of Naruto. Kushina apologizes for Naruto‘s rough childhood, but Naruto tells her not to before smiling widely, happy to finally have felt his mother’s love.
1 Itachi’s Love For Sasuke Is Undying
For most of Sasuke’s life, he believes Itachi slaughtered their entire Clan for no reason other than to foster Sasuke’s hatred. The truth is revealed to Sasuke after his brother’s death, which is later confirmed by a reanimated Itachi, leading to one of the most moving scenes in Naruto history.
Itachi leans in, saying Sasuke doesn’t have to forgive him. It looks at first like he’s going to give Sasuke a trademark forehead flick, but instead touches their foreheads together and tells Sasuke he’ll always love him. Both Itachi and Sasuke’s expressions are hauntingly beautiful as Itachi begins to fade away for good.
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