Naruto is often criticized for not giving its titular character an interesting skillset.
That’s not exactly true: outside of clones and Rasengan, Naruto can do a variety of other things.
Yes, his skillset might not be the most diverse in the series, but it’s pretty good (and well-applied).
One thing the Naruto series is often remembered for is its vast range of techniques and powers. However, to many viewers, Naruto himself isn’t exactly the best example of that.
His fighting style is often described as “spamming clones and Rasengan” — and while it might seem true at first, the reality is far more nuanced.
Toads and Sage Mode are very important tools in Naruto’s arsenal
Even in Part 1, Naruto was definitely not limited to clones and Rasengan. Very early in the series, he was taught to summon toads by Jiraiya — and while that doesn’t really play much into his fighting style at first, it would prove to be very important later.
The toads were the ones who taught Naruto the Sage Mode — an ability he used a lot in almost all of his later fights. He combined it with other parts of his skillset, and disregarding it would be unfair. But that’s not even the extent of Naruto’s abilities.
He can actually do even more things
Naruto being the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, is part of the anime’s premise. Naturally, it also plays a role in his abilities: at first, he uses the chakra from it to form a chakra cloak. Later in Shippuden, he comes to a mutual understanding with Kurama and is able to tap into his power even more.
Even outside of the aforementioned abilities, it’s not like Naruto has boring fights. Many of his battles are based on trickery and improvisation, which are very important to a shinobi. That can be seen as early as the first arc of the series, with the shadow shuriken trick he and Sasuke performed on Zabuza.
Naruto’s skill range is decent enough
Overall, Naruto’s arsenal is far more varied than just “spamming clones and Rasengan,” and saying that somewhat invalidates it. Yes, they are his most used tools, but even then, he has many variations of them.
Naruto might not have the flashy diverse skillset of Sasuke or other Uchihas, but it doesn’t mean his fights are anything close to boring. The diversity of techniques and great fights are things that the Naruto anime and manga were originally famous for, and the title character doesn’t disappoint in that regard.
Besides, it can also be argued that a huge range of techniques isn’t always needed. Naruto’s main attacks are usually effective enough. A more extreme example of this would be Hidan, who has a total of one known technique — yet is arguably one of the most memorable Akatsuki members.
No, it’s not just Shadow Clones + Rasengan spam.
Summary:
Naruto is often criticized for not giving its titular character an interesting skillset.
That’s not exactly true: outside of clones and Rasengan, Naruto can do a variety of other things.
Yes, his skillset might not be the most diverse in the series, but it’s pretty good (and well-applied).
One thing the Naruto series is often remembered for is its vast range of techniques and powers. However, to many viewers, Naruto himself isn’t exactly the best example of that.
His fighting style is often described as “spamming clones and Rasengan” — and while it might seem true at first, the reality is far more nuanced.
Toads and Sage Mode are very important tools in Naruto’s arsenal
Even in Part 1, Naruto was definitely not limited to clones and Rasengan. Very early in the series, he was taught to summon toads by Jiraiya — and while that doesn’t really play much into his fighting style at first, it would prove to be very important later.
The toads were the ones who taught Naruto the Sage Mode — an ability he used a lot in almost all of his later fights. He combined it with other parts of his skillset, and disregarding it would be unfair. But that’s not even the extent of Naruto’s abilities.
He can actually do even more things
Naruto being the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, is part of the anime’s premise. Naturally, it also plays a role in his abilities: at first, he uses the chakra from it to form a chakra cloak. Later in Shippuden, he comes to a mutual understanding with Kurama and is able to tap into his power even more.
Even outside of the aforementioned abilities, it’s not like Naruto has boring fights. Many of his battles are based on trickery and improvisation, which are very important to a shinobi. That can be seen as early as the first arc of the series, with the shadow shuriken trick he and Sasuke performed on Zabuza.
Naruto’s skill range is decent enough
Overall, Naruto’s arsenal is far more varied than just “spamming clones and Rasengan,” and saying that somewhat invalidates it. Yes, they are his most used tools, but even then, he has many variations of them.
Naruto might not have the flashy diverse skillset of Sasuke or other Uchihas, but it doesn’t mean his fights are anything close to boring. The diversity of techniques and great fights are things that the Naruto anime and manga were originally famous for, and the title character doesn’t disappoint in that regard.
Besides, it can also be argued that a huge range of techniques isn’t always needed. Naruto’s main attacks are usually effective enough. A more extreme example of this would be Hidan, who has a total of one known technique — yet is arguably one of the most memorable Akatsuki members.
