Highlights
- Plot armor in Naruto is overused, robbing the show of profound moments and making battles seem inconsequential.
- Characters cheat death with convenient last-minute saves, detracting from the impact of the story.
- Naruto’s “Talk no Jutsu” undermines battles by having the protagonist talk villains out of their evil plans.
The Naruto franchise is one of the most popular long-running shonen anime of all time. However, this popularity doesn’t exactly equate to perfect storytelling, as the show has been plagued by all sorts of problems that have undermined the show’s impact. One such issue is plot armor, an element that has ruined several profound moments of the show.
Plot armor is inevitable in any story, as some characters are necessary for the story to continue. However, adding too much plot armor and making characters almost invincible can quickly become detrimental to the narrative. Naruto has become a victim to this common storytelling trap, and it has taken away much of the show’s profundity.
Naruto’s Usage of Plot Armor
Since the show can’t go on without the protagonist, it can sometimes become necessary for the plot to pitch in and give the main character the upper hand. The Fourth Great Ninja War is a prime example of plot armor, with both Naruto and Sasuke gaining absurd power-ups immediately after Hagomoro Otsutsuki’s appearance.
However, Naruto seems to have overdone it with its plot armor, as the entire series is plagued by instances of characters being saved by nothing but plot armor. From Gaara’s surprising resuscitation to Might Guy surviving the Eighth Inner Gate, Naruto has made a point not to kill off any of its primary characters, making the narrative seem rather inconsequential.
Major Instances of Plot Armor
From the beginning of Naruto to its drawn-out conclusion, plot armor has remained a significant driving force in terms of moving the plot forward. Several characters have cheated death by merely coming up with a last-second convenience, while others have won battles that were mismatched from the beginning.
Despite the show killing off a few characters in profound ways, plot armor still seems to be a prominent and unending issue for the series. Examining a few instances of plot armor can shed some light on the extent of Naruto’s reliance on this flawed storytelling phenomenon.
Characters Cheating Death
One of the primary ways Naruto utilizes plot armor is through characters surviving a fight that would otherwise be impossible. This form of plot armor further gets exacerbated when the series states that death is inevitable, yet it later retraces its steps and allows the characters to live. In part 1 of Naruto, Choji survives eating the Red Chilli Pill due to the Nara Clan conveniently coming up with a cure for a pill that was initially supposed to result in death.
Opening the Eighth Inner Gate had a similar connotation attached to it, and the series stated, on multiple occasions, that opening the eight and final gate would result in death. However, Might Guy miraculously survived using this technique after Naruto gained the Sage of Six Paths’ powers. Gaara cheated death similarly, with Granny Chiyo revealing a technique that could bring the dead back, albeit with a sacrifice. These deaths could have served as profound moments for the show, yet they were turned into absurd moments of nothing but sheer plot armor.
Characters Winning a Lost Battle
Many shonen anime run with the trope of protagonists gaining a sudden power-up in the face of great adversity. However, Naruto seems to have overdone it by throwing in all sorts of unique powers for its protagonists, and that too, out of nowhere. Naruto suddenly regaining control of Nine Tails and defeating Pain is a primary example, as Naruto’s was clearly no match for the Six Paths of Pain, yet he was somehow able to triumph over the Rinnegan user.
Sasuke winning against Itachi is another case of plot armor saving the day, as Itachi had the upper hand throughout their fight. If it weren’t for Itachi’s illness (which was never brought up before), Sasuke would definitely have been defeated. Another similar example is Rock Lee surviving his battle against Kimimaro, as an illness with no cure took out Kimimaro right before he was about to strike, and possibly kill, Rock Lee.
Naruto’s “Talk no Jutsu”
Another example of the show’s plot armor is Naruto’s infamous “Talk no Jutsu.” While this isn’t exactly a technique, Talk no Jutsu is Naruto’s attempt at convincing antagonists to see the error of their ways. Surprisingly, most of these attempts are successful, with Naruto averting disaster by simply talking to the antagonists. This act takes away the essence of battle shonen, and it disregards the entire plot leading up to that point.
Naruto has successfully convinced several antagonists that would have otherwise defeated the show’s main characters. Nagato, Obito, and even the Kages at one point succumbed to Naruto’s Talk no Jutsu, which is extremely far-fetched in any regular situation. By simply convincing antagonists to relinquish their goals through talking, Naruto undermines the essence of the show, and entirely dupes the plotline with an anticlimactic conclusion.
You used to have the same dream as me. But now you’ve become the exact opposite of a Hokage!
How Plot Armor Reduced Naruto’s Impact
Too much plot armor can be detrimental for any show, yet Naruto seems to have gone overboard with its deus ex machina. By saving its characters multiple times, viewers have been imprinted with the notion that no matter how dire the situation may be, the protagonist will always persevere. With this notion taking center stage, it becomes difficult for fans to relate to such an inconsequential narrative.
The events of the Fourth Great Ninja War further exacerbated this pressing issue by introducing new power-ups, turning villains into nothing but plot devices, and saving characters from death without any plausible explanation. Overall, Naruto has been ravaged by plot armor, and while the show is still certainly enjoyable, it lacks the depth that other, more consequential anime have.
Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video.
Leave a Reply