Why I Didn’t Like Naruto Chapter 340

It seems like most of my posts here are about why I didn’t like something. I suppose it says something unflattering about me, but I find I have much more to say about things I didn’t like than things I enjoyed.

Ah well, enough introspection. Rant after the cut, consider yourself spoiler-warned if you haven’t been following the Naruto manga.

Above is actually the last panel of Naruto 339, showing off Naruto’s new technique, which he’s been training toward since roughly chapter 311. It’s also been spectacularly boring training, in my opinion. No interesting character interaction to speak of and it mostly consisted of: Naruto being set a challenge, he struggles at it, Kakashi comments that he’s certain Naruto will do it, Naruto does it, repeat.

It’s kind of amusing, considering that the original Rasengan training was an exceptionally good example of doing a training story arc.

But anyway, one would hope that this training would have a good payoff, right? Nope.

The technique fizzles. Oops. Cue tons of whining on message boards about Naruto being pathetic and this being a letdown. That’s really not my problem with this chapter, though. We’d been told that Naruto hadn’t completed the technique yet.

And, honestly, Kazuku needs more of a chance to show his stuff at this point. After Hidan’s rather pathetic performance against Shikamaru, having Kazuku go out so quickly would not do wonders for Akatsuki’s credibility as a group of super-ninja with an honest chance of taking on the full might of the various ninja villages.

But, you ask, if I have no problems with the technique fizzling, what is my problem with the chapter? I think I’ll let Kishimoto himself say it for me (all translations belong to Pazuzu):

Chouji: When you said Rasen Shuriken, I thought it’d go whizzing and flying at him… Is all you can do just run and hit with it?

For the most part, Kishimoto has been good about powering up characters by giving them interesting new abilities instead of by letting them do pretty much the exact same thing, just “stronger.” From the name and appearance of Naruto’s new technique, it was assumed that it was going to be a projectile version of his signature Rasengan.

Instead, it appears to just be a Rasengan with a slightly different visual that does 400-600 points of damage instead of 300-500 points. Oh, and thanks to the newly introduced elemental weaknesses, we know in advance that it’ll win in a direct confrontation with Sasuke’s signature Chidori. That is in no way a good payoff for all the time wasted on the fairly boring training and all the ensuing build-up to the reveal of this new technique.

This chapter then commits a further sin by doing the same thing I whined about Bleach Episode 108 doing. It goes out of its way to bring up that there are four other characters standing around, two of whom are stronger than Naruto is, that could intervene in this fight. Naruto rejects the suggestion that they take on this nearly-immortal, extremely dangerous super-ninja together, wanting to take on the enemy himself.

Naruto: You said you believe only one ninja can surpass Yondaime Hokage… and that it’s me. Teamwork’s important… I know that. But I want to cross that hazardous bridge on my own. If I can’t get to the other side, I’ll always just be a kid. Please don’t keep me from crossing that bridge.

Kakashi: Hm…Yamato, what do you think?

Yamato: Yeah…you still haven’t seen it. How Naruto’s a different person from before.

Are we honestly supposed to believe that this shows Naruto being mature? Earth to Naruto (or maybe Kishimoto): rejecting competent, available help in a life-or-death battle for no reason other than because you want to try to win on your own isn’t maturity. It’s stupidity. Argh.

And there’s some other annoyances about how this story arc is shaping up, like sending Sakura and Sai (both of whom could use some story focus, but particularly Sai) off to reinforce Shikamaru in the battle he’s already won, but those are fairly minor. Hopefully that one will wind up ultimately serving some purpose other than just to get them out of the scene, though…

Okay, ranting over. For now at least.