Hot Take: Naruto Wasn't Needed in Akatsuki Suppression Mission Arc

Spoilers ahead!

Summary:

• The Akatsuki Suppression Mission Arc is one of the best arcs in Naruto, but it has one problem.
• Naruto’s progress in the arc is somewhat unbelievable.
• The worst part is that Naruto steals screentime from characters who were supposed to be important.

Why the arc was great

The Akatsuki Suppression Mission Arc is among the most well-received arcs of Naruto Shippuden. While the later arcs are often criticized for their insane power scaling and making characters irrelevant, earlier arcs usually don’t have these issues.

Moreover, this arc is loved because of its emotional peaks, as well as developing Shikamaru, who is among the most beloved side characters in the series. The two villains of the arc, Hidan and Kakuzu, are incredibly unique and formidable in their own ways.

However, there’s one thing that the arc should not have done — and that’s making Naruto the center point of it in the end.

The arc was actually perfect for developing Shikamaru. It shows him as a strategist, makes him overcome his weakness, and teaches him how to lead a unit by himself. It also showcases his emotional side during Asuma’s death — and reveals how scary he can actually be when he exacts his revenge against Hidan.

The second part of the arc, which has team Ino-Shika-Cho and Kakashi facing off against Kakuzu and Hidan, is full of shocking reveals. The arc also goes into details about chakra natures and how they affect each other. That’s how Naruto was tied into the arc at its very end, which many fans felt was unnecessary.

The issues

Naruto’s appearance at the end of the arc steals the screentime from Shikamaru. Yes, Naruto is the main character of the series, but that doesn’t mean he has to be the only one to solve every problem. He wasn’t really needed in this arc, and his appearance at the end was also the first sign of the future levels of power creep in the series.

Naruto mastering Rasengan, turning it into Rasenshuriken, appearing in the critical moment and taking out two of Kakuzu’s hearts in a single blow was a very anti-climactic way for the arc to end.

Not only does it feel like a deus ex machina moment, but also, it took the Fourth Hokage three years to perfect it. And even then, he was never successful at adding a chakra nature to it.

Overall, Naruto wasn’t needed here

Yes, Naruto desperately needed new techniques for the upcoming enemies. Still, his progress in the arc seems so fast it’s unbelievable, and his training montage is mostly boring and interrupts the pacing of the arc.

The worst part, though, is that he saves the day once again, which gives other characters less time to shine.