Sexism in Naruto: It’s Not about Feminism

As you can see, there pretty much are some sexist undertones in this story. It’s not malicious on Kishimoto’s part, but the undertones are still there. While there is somewhat of an understanding that there are no specific policies ruling the Narutoverse based on gender — and females are generally treated with respect by their peers and subordinates — they are not always treated as equal to a man by virtue of the dialogue and  by their perceptions of women. This is ultimately a reflection on the mangaka.

This is not to say that anyone and everyone complaining wanted the girls/women to overpower ALL the males, let alone surpass Naruto and Sasuke. That is a strawman. It was always understood that Naruto, at the very least, would be among the strongest characters in the end. As Naruto’s rival, the same was true for Sasuke. That was not the issue.

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Why I Followed the Naruto Manga

As we all know, the manga concluded in 2014, with the gaiden and a couple of one-shots being released this year. The movie “The Last” was a 2014 Japanese theatrical release in between and there is at least one more movie featuring Naruto/Hinata’s and Sasuke/Sakura’s brats that will be released this year. I still would like to offer my thoughts on the story proper and maybe these other things…as I get to see them all.

Before I jump into revisiting my thoughts on the Naruto manga though, I would first like to start with a few positive posts. First of all, I will start with how I got into the story and what kept me interested in it.