Naruto Uzumaki - Reception

Reception

In every official Weekly Shōnen Jump popularity poll of the series, Naruto ranks in the top five characters and as of the beginning of 2012 has been in first place twice. In 2006, Naruto lost his top-two status to the characters Deidara, Kakashi and Sasuke in the magazine's sixth poll. In the 2011 poll, Naruto was once again in first place. Merchandise has been modeled after Naruto, including key chains, and action figures. In the 2009 Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Awards, Junko Takeuchi won "Best Voice Actress (Japanese)" for her work as Naruto. Naruto placed sixth in IGN's Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time with writer Chris Mackenzie stating that although "Naruto actually isn't the most popular character in his own series most of the time", he is "the engine that powers the franchise". In the 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, he was voted as the twenty-ninth best character appearing in video games. While working for CyberConnect2 in the making of the .hack games, character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto used Naruto as a model for .hack's protagonist, Kite. Incidentally, shortly afterwards CyberConnect2 started developing the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja games although Sadamoto recalls he was unaware of such fact.

Naruto's character has received mostly positive critical response in printed and online publications. Praise was given by Joseph Szadkowski of The Washington Times who noted that Naruto "has become a pop-culture sensation." Naruto's character was analyzed by GameSpot's Joe Dodson who noted that Naruto, despite having an "ideal" life, still suffers from severe isolation. Nevertheless, he was praised for his optimistic personality by Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network (A.N.N.). Writers from Mania Entertainment labeled him as a "good lead character" with good overall development despite certain initial problems. Writing for Popular Culture in Counseling, Psychotherapy, and Play-Based Interventions, Lawrence Rubin stated that while Naruto has an optimistic and hyperactive personality, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within his body symbolizes his negative emotions. Rubin concluded that Naruto's fights to protect the village help him become a "complete and mature person". On the other hand, Christina Carpenter of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews disagreed with other writers, noting that while Naruto is a "likable enough scamp", his type of character has been done before in many anime and manga series. His relationships with the other characters have been deemed as appealing by IGN's Charles White and Jason Van Horn, most notably his rivalry with Sasuke, as it shows "signs of maturity" in Naruto. However, his desire to retrieve Sasuke following the end of Part I received criticism as a result of his subsequent suffering.

Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network said that while Naruto's initial fight scenes are lacking when compared to others, his encounter with Gaara is one of his best moments because it surpassed most shōnen stereotypes, owing to Naruto's tactics. A.N.N.'s Theron Martin and Mania Entertainment's Justin Rich made similar comments. The character's final fight against Sasuke in the end of Part I received like responses, due to the fighting styles employed, and the character development resulting from their rivalry. The enormous physical changes caused by the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox have also been the focus of critics, as Naruto's loss of control causes him to become a bigger threat to his loved ones than series' antagonists. Carlos Santos of Anime News Network commented on the character's growth in Part II, specifically his fight against Pain in which Naruto's comments on peace and the means by which it is achieved touch on philosophical themes never seen in a shōnen series. Chris Beveridge from Mania Entertainment noted a change in Naruto's attitude as he acts more calm and serious than in previous story arcs. Naruto's new Senjutsu style was praised as was his careful preparation for the fight against Pain, which resulted in a big display of Naruto's skills.