So when it comes to Japanese anime, there will always a couple that stand above the rest. For decades now it was the big three, One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto.
These three shonen franchises were international hits that got their own movies, games, books,🎀 and even anime adaptions.
Now eventually, Bleach fell off and was replaced by My Hero Academia. Naruto managed to stay up there with One Piece up until it came to an end in late 2014. All the while, both shows had an anime adaption running alongside them. One Piece was handled by Toei Animation, who get the job done but make tons of mistakes. Naruto, on the other hand, was handled by Studio Pierrot, who has made some amazing shows in the past. But, no company is perfect, and the boat that was the Naruto anime began showing some holes.
Now, these differences are gathered between Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, which was "technically" a new iteration of the franchise that took place a couple years later. For a while, Pierrot was catching up to the manga releases, meaning they had no new material to adapt for next weeks episode. And that's why the Naruto anime has such an incredibly high amount of filler. Now it's up to you which you personally want to experience the journey of Naruto through. On one hand, the anime has some amazingly well-animated fights, and some great new material, even if it's filler. But, the manga is much more streamlined, with better art, and a more consistent pace. To help you with such a difficult decision, I'm here to tell you the 24 Weird Things Cut From Naruto (That Were In The Manga).
20 They Cut The Intensity, Mostly ꦐ
This might be a little odd, but I'm going to start off with a cut that wasn't so weird. So, the team behind the anime, Studio Pierrot, removed a lot of the gratuitous gore in Naruto.
Not much of a surprise considering Naruto has some pretty hardcore stuff.
But it always bothered me t🐠he way Pierrot changed things a lot of the time. One of the primary examples was Orochimaru's lab. In the manga, the lab was less "high-tech" with bodies hanging everywhere. But, in 🥀the anime, it looked a lot more sterile. Rather than bodies, there were organs in jars. Which honestly is worse, in my opinion.
19 They Pruned Gaara's Eliminationও Tally
Everyone remembers Gaar༒a. How could you📖 forget one of the most memorable characters in the series?
H♛e had a unique design a🌃nd an amazing fight with Rock Lee.
Gaara, when he first appeared, was ready to fight with just about anyone. He had a body count to be sure, but it might've been more than you'd expect. In the anime, a lot of Gaara's more "brutal" moments were cut for a number of reasons. Namely, they were really graphic. Luckily, 🎉these changes also helped him seem a bitဣ more redeemable since he eventually does turn over a new leaf.
18 🍷 They Cut Chi♛aotzu From Naruto
This is probably one of the cuts that people noticed the least. Sad too since it features some beloved characters. They𝓀 only appear for a single panel in the manga, but during Naruto's travels with Jiraya, they come across a mask shop.
As Naruto walks by to purchase a mask from th༺e stand, we canဣ see some faces we recognize on the masks.
Faces such as Chiaotzu from Dragon Ball Z or a Kamen Rider mask. Unfortunately, to avoid legal iss🧜ues they, of course, had to be cut out in the anime.
17 They Didn't Cut Open Kimmimaro ꦯ
So far, a lot of this list has been odd, sure, but the cuts Pierrot made🍌 mostly made sense. But not in Kimmimaro's case. His gimmick is using his own constantly 🥀regenerating bones as weapons.
Now, in the manga, his body opens up,💫 and you can see inside it. But, in the anime, his body has more of clay or putty-like structure to it.
The🙈 bones just kind of...come out? It's an absurdly small nitpick to be sure. But the body horror actually did a lot for Kimmimaro as a character. Maybe they did it to save on animation by not having to draw the in🧔side of the body? Who really knows.
16 ꧅ 🍸 They Cut Out Silhouette's For Sai And Sasuke
Naruto uses ꧒his ninja magic toꦓ flirt with old men. Yeah. and it's about as creepy as it sounds, sorry. In the earlier chapters of the manga, Naruto has his own trademarked Justu.
Using it turns him into an "attractive" young lady. It's odd, that's for sur𝔍e.
But what's even worse is that Konohamaru, 😼a pupil of Naruto, and a child, tries his own version. It's a bit later on in the story, and his version depicts Team 7's Sai and Sasuke, closer than ever. This was shown in the manga as a way to confuse🥃 Sakura, and it still made it into the anime but was heavily censored.
15 Obito Can Cut To His Heart's Content 🔥
Earlier I men🍷tioned that the anime tends to cut out the more horrifying aspects of the manga.
Obito is apparently an exception to that rule. He'🔯s also one of the more tragic characters in Naruto.
Later in Shippuden, we get a glance back at his traumatizing experiences, like when he goes on a rampage against a group of ninjas that took his childhood sweetheart away. Weirdly 🐻enough, there was little cut from this massacre in terms of gore. And, believe me, it was violent. Maybe the team realized that Obito's backstory kind of needed the aspect in order to hit home?
14 Cut The Footage Of Temaꦛri Own💜ing Tenten
The Chunin exams were arguably the peak of Naruto as an anime according to some. It's where most people🐼 hopped on, and it also convinced them to stay. It wasn't just a fighting tournament like most other shonen anime, at least not until the last section. But, even when it became an arena-style tournament, fans were excited to see the matchups.
One of the more commonly ignored ꦡcharacters was the weapon-specialized Tenten from Guy's team.
But, for some re💝ason, only in the anime, Tenten's fight with Temari (Gaara's friend with the giant fan) was completely ignored to show more of Ino and Sakura arguing.
13 🎀 They Cut Away Jiraya's Honor
Here comꦗes the Toad Sage. I'm of course talking about Jiraya, one of the three great sages. Jiraya was an absurdly power♓ful ninja that grew up with both Orochimaru and Tsunade.
Sure he had many faults, but overall he seemed to be the honorable sort of person, like wh💟en he agreed to train Naruto.
In the manga, their training starts at the Konoha Hot Springs, but in the anime, Jiraya is a bit flakier. The animated Jiraya attempts to ditch Naruto, who then chases him across town all t💜he way to a nearby river, where the training finally begins. Anime Jiraiya's a real jerk.
12 Or Ma🌼ybe They Didn't
Apparently, I had it backward. Manga 🌱Jiraya is the jerk, and anime Jiraya is aꦏ true hero. Why do I say this? Well because, later on, when Jiraya and Naruto are still in town, they come across some trouble in a gambling parlor.
A c🐭ertain thug named𒉰 Gantestsu starts trouble with Jiraya.
The Toad Sage then uses him as a vehicle to show Naruto the Rasengan. In the anime, he knocks out Gantetsu who then gives him his wallet as a sign of respect. In the manga, however, he simply steals it. For𝓀 shame Jiraya, for shame.
11 They Cut Down Kabuto's Patience ♈
Kabuto, Orochimaru's right-hand man and all around weirdo showed his true colors during the finals of the Chunin Exams. In the manga, he axes an Anbu ninja, assumes their identity, then helps heal Hinata after her bout with Neji. Directly after healing her, he konks Kiba on the head and knocks him out during Naruto anಌd Neji's fight.
But, for some reason, in the anime, the knock-out takes place during the Sasuke v🉐💫s Gaara match.
What's even weirder is that when this event is shown again during a flashback in Shippuden, it shows Kabuto knocking Kiba out during Naruto's bout, which means thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚey knew they had messed up.