Naruto’s design has been a topic of discussion for the longest time. He has undergone changes that transformed him from a subtle-looking ninja to one that stood out in many ways than one. Masashi Kishimoto almost gave his titular character a look that best helped a ninja with the art of blending in and the stealth they are known through and through for.
This was later turned into the iconic bright orange outfit that made him recognizable no matter how much he tried to hide. He wanted to make sure the manga was fit for a shonen genre and could stand out on its own without being just another ninja work. At the same time, Naruto also started off with his goggles, those of which Kishimoto dropped after a point.
Naruto’s Worst Transformation
One of the worst transformations Naruto has ever been put through is growing older. In many of the cases, growth in time is shown to be a beautiful transformation not just of maturity but also of their physical appearance. Most of the characters, even within the series, got their own mature looks as they grew up. Boruto was to showcase their own journey through time and while it worked well for most characters, the protagonist could not say the same for himself.
He found himself with a short haircut in an attempt to make him look grown up. On top of that, it suited him so badly that his face shape almost looked like it had changed completely. The look seemed to have sucked the life out of him with all the joy and happiness giving way to a more sublime look.
It got an immense amount of backlash, making it one of the worst transformations the protagonist could get. His being the central figure and one loved by fans so wholeheartedly made it so much worse. With what they got, they had to live with. However, that does not stop fan artists.
Fan Art Redeems Masashi Kishimoto’s Blunder
In a fanart shared by @King_Sukunaaa on X, Naruto was the perfect version of himself that fans had so desperately been hoping to see. His hair were still the same vibrant one and his face did not lack the life that brought smiles to so many fans.
This is how mfs thought 32 year old Naruto was gon look in boruto💀 pic.twitter.com/KLzIyK5F1h
— 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐚 ☢ (@King_Sukunaaa) July 21, 2023
They gave him the ugliest fucking hair in Boruto 😭
— 𓌹ᄋ𓌺Scooby Doo's Plug ฏ๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎๎o͓͓͓͓͓ (@DeepDickDadd) July 21, 2023
The Naruto we expected tbh
— MoonMan🌙🧑🏾🚀 | TL 50 (@MoonManSamurai) July 21, 2023
They gave us the Konoha Mark Zuckerberg instead
— lazygod (@razthechzn) July 22, 2023
instead we got this pic.twitter.com/noiu6lf92v
— Wailos (@Wailos2) July 21, 2023
His hair which fans loved so much was still intact and there was still a fight in his eyes. While Masashi Kishimoto’s version of the titular character is relatively strong, it was as if the moment he completed his dream of becoming a Hokage, everything went silent for him.
Boruto took away parts of him that made Naruto such a lively character. While he got the serenity in life that he chased, life seemed to slow down rather than move forward. This fan art was like a breath of fresh air, one that truly gave fans the solidarity they wanted.
Naruto is available to watch on Netflix.
