Naruto vs. Naruto Shippuden

The Anime series Naruto is one of the most popular anime shows of all time. Starting in 2002, many fans have watched the 15 yearlong running show, following the main protagonist Naruto Uzumaki and his life growing up and indulging in the universe Masashi Kishimoto created. Part one of Naruto ends with Naruto leaving his village to train for about three years, and Naruto Shippuden picks up on Narutos return to the village. While the two have many similarities such as characters, plot, setting, etc., part one and Shippuden are very different.

Part one of Naruto takes place while Naruto and his collogues are kids starting when they are around 11 years old. This group is referred to as the Konoha 12 by many fans. This group are aspiring ninjas, or shinobi as they are called in the Naruto universe. The world in Part one is, for the most part, within the village. The conflict and introduced characters are also mostly of the Hidden leaf village. Antagonists such as Orochimaru and Itachi are two of the main long-term threats in part one and are from the Hidden leaf (some exceptions of this include Zabuza and Haku, Gaara) Also, important introduced characters such as Jiraiya and Tsunade are introduced in part one, who are legends from the hidden leaf.

Some of the greatest conflict amongst the Konaha 12. This is during the chunin exams, where the Konaha 12 compete against each other to be promoted in the rankings. There is also the long-lasting Naruto and Sasuke rivalry, which ends up being one of Naruto's main motivations.

In Naruto, a real focus is on what it means to be a great Ninja. Strength alone did not mean much. A great ninja needed to have great discernment, stealth, awareness, virtues, etc. Naruto grew up alone, with a chip on his shoulder. He was not the brightest, was not the most talented, and definitely was not accepted. But he has a lot of heart. He worked hard and set high goals for himself. All the characters are dynamic like Naruto, with very unique backstories and tragic pasts. Because of this, you can sympathize and feel a connection with the characters. This is how so many fans get invested in the Naruto universe. The show has a great soundtrack that sets the tone for scenes and immerse the watcher in what is going on. Whether it's a fight scene, a light hearted hang out between friends, or a death scene.

The biggest part of part one that fans love is the nostalgia of part one. It's cool to see these kids develop and grow into Shippuden, knowing where they came from.

In Naruto Shippuden, the universe is expanded. Many characters from all over the Naruto world are introduced. Many abilities are introduced that increase the power scaling. As the storyline progresses and Naruto gets stronger, the stronger and more absurd the villains and their abilities become. Attacks on the village go from a block or two getting ravaged in part one, to the whole village being flattened with ease in Shippuden. The virtues and important qualities in a ninja that were in part one do not feel as important in Shippuden

You cannot talk about Shippuden without talking about the ridiculous incline in power scaling , especially in the war arc. Characters like Kaguya, who threatens the entirety of life's existence, is introduced as threats in the show. The show slowly turns away from what you would expect of your typical ninja, to who has the most power.

Shippuden does a great job at pull your heart strings and may make you shed a tear, or multiple tears like in part one. Since a lot of characters have a traumatic or sad background, you start getting attached and sympathize with the characters, like in part one. Certain deaths really hit home, and you feel like you lost one of your friends. Also, the soundtrack is better than in part one as there's more tracks for the tone of the scene that better engage the watcher in what is going on.

In part one, all the Konoha 12 were very relevant. In Shippuden, not so much, but still shown quite a bit. Characters in the group who had great character development are not as important in Naruto Shippuden. Rock Lee for example. He worked the hardest, and after having half of his body broken, he swore to come back stronger than before, and he actually did it. He was set up and anticipated to be one of the strongest in the village. In Shippuden however, he has minimal character development. Other characters like Neji, Choji, and Shino also suffered from less development in Shippuden then they had in part one. This makes sense however since Shippuden explores the world whereas part one is more focused within the village. Some characters screen time are going to be sacrificed.

Shippuden also has many layers of plot, with plot twists, and even some plot holes. The history of the Naruto world is greatly explored, and the origin of shinobi is looked at in detail. What makes Shippuden great is how the history is explored and relevant and tied in to the story.

Part one of Naruto gives you more of a real ninja feel, since things are not as large scaled as they are in Shippuden. Also, Naruto plays the role of the underdog in part one. He was the worst in his class, failed the graduation exam multiple times. He was arrogant, loud, and nobody liked him. He worked harder than almost everyone to achieve his dream of being hokage . In Shippuden, his role switched. He was a child of prophecy. Someone who was destined to be great. The son of the 4th hokage, a child of prophecy, the reincarnation of Ashura, etc. He became someone everyone looked up to, admired, and depended on. Now a lot of that has to do with him training hard and getting stronger, but the whole essence of who Naruto was meant to be changed from Part one to the end of Shippuden.

I already touched on how different the power is from part one to Shippuden, but it is such a drastic change. The worst threats faced in part one are barely capable of destroying a city, whereas in Shippuden the early antagonists can take on an entire village, and they get stronger as they progress.

The villains in Shippuden are not only stronger, but better written. The traumatic backstories and ideals are explored for the villains as well which make them understandable characters. What Naruto has been really good at is breaking through to these villains because Naruto himself has had a traumatic past. Both part one give the watcher a great connection with characters, and both have comical moments that balance the show with laughs, grief, and action.

Which is Better? Part one or Shippuden? Shippuden.