What are the unanswered questions that Shippuden has left us with?
It is hard to overestimate the significance of the Naruto franchise. An incredibly popular and compelling anime it has not only catapulted shonen to the status of the most popular anime genre of the current generation, but also has cemented anime itself as a worldwide cultural phenomenon, captivating the minds of adults and kids alike in every country of the world. Despite the fact Naruto: Shippuden ended more than five years ago, the series still has quite a number of unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions that spawn countless theories and wildest speculations.
Here is a brief overview of some of the biggest ones.
8. Why is Kabuto helping Hinata?
The absolute chaos that disrupts the Chunin exams sees quite a number of different events unfold: an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, an epic battle of Gaara and Naruto and a dramatic showdown between Orochimaru and The Third Hokage that ends with a sudden death of seemingly invincible character. Hidden among them is one small, but highly peculiar event when a seriously injured Hinata is — for seemingly no reason — healed by none other than Kabuto, a double agent working for the bad guys.
This thing is never brought up again in the story, leaving the task of its interpretation entirely to the fans who, as always, have come up with a variety of possible explanations. Starting from a sudden call of Kabuto’s guilty conscience, or him following his natural instincts as a medical ninja — and ending with complex theories that tie his unexpected display of kindness to him being an undercover member of Anbu Black Ops.
7. Who are Rock Lee’s parents?
This one is a bit simpler but very interesting nonetheless. With parenthood being a very strong theme of the franchise, it is only natural to see pretty much all of the characters being associated with a family and sharing at least a couple of on-screen moments with them. And those of characters who do not have one are usually explicitly highlighted as such with the absence of real parents playing a significant role in their story or personality.
When it comes to Rock Lee, however, it is not the case as the question of his family is somehow never brought up. We learn quite early in the story that Might Guy acts as his father figure and is the closest thing to a family Rock has, but then this plot thread is immediately severed and nothing about it is ever mentioned again.
Why? Well, nobody knows.
6. What’s the deal with Akatsuki’s rings?
With Akatsuki easily being the most popular villains of the whole franchise (if not the entire shonen genre itself), it’s no wonder why every detail of their looks and operations is carefully studied by the legions of adoring fans. And there’s at least one particular detail the purpose of which fans just can't wrap their heads around. We are talking, of course, about the Akatsuki rings.
The show never clearly describes their role and yet they are regularly paid direct attention, leading the viewers to believe that they might have some major significance. According to the most popular theory, their purpose might have something to do with sealing the Tailed Beasts inside the Gedo statue. But that’s about as close as the fans managed to get to uncovering this mystery.
5. How did the First Hokage die?
This one is more about the lore of the universe rather than necessarily the story told in the series. The First Hokage was an extremely prominent figure who is presented as pretty much the most powerful ninja to have ever lived. He was virtually impossible to defeat in battle while also possessing a regeneration technique that allowed him to easily overcome illnesses and old age… And yet somehow he died.
If this is not a mystery worth uncovering, then we don’t really know what is.
4. The issue of Hidan’s immortality
It’s the second appearance of Akatsuki on this list, and this time it’s all about Hidan, a member of the group who might have the single most weird set of skills in the whole Naruto universe. So, here’s the deal: Hidan is basically immortal with his immortality being attributed to his belief in a deity by the name of Jashin. However, not a single other character in the entire Naruto world has any idea of who this Jashin is or whether it even exists.
And, as if not weird enough as it is, later in the show the whole thing gets even more complicated as all of a sudden it is hinted at the possibility that it might have been Hidan himself who came up with the idea of Jashin. Thus making all of his powers — including immortality — entirely self-generated.
So how does this work exactly? Can someone please explain?
3. What’s Madara’s Mangekyo Sharingan’s special ability?
Is Uchiha Madara the most overpowered character in Naruto? Probably yes.
Is Mangekyo Sharingan one of the most overpowered techniques in Naruto? Undoubtedly yes.
Judging by this logic, Madara’s Mangekyo Sharingan’s special ability is supposed to be something out of this world entirely. Something that should be an absolute spectacle to behold. Is it actually the case, though? Well… We kind of never find out.
Observing other Mangekyo Sharingan-wielding characters, we learn that each of them gains a certain special ability — usually a totally mind-breaking one. So it would be only natural for Madara to have the sickest one of all. But, for some entirely obscure reason, Madara never demonstrates his — and in all honesty we don’t even know if he has one.
This seems like a bizarre omission at best or a missed opportunity at worst.
2. How does Hashirama Senju’s Sage Mode work?
The Naruto franchise is generally very consistent when it comes to how various techniques work. Of course, there are minor alterations here and there, but generally speaking, there’s an impressive degree of consistency. However, when it comes to certain specific techniques this consistency starts to show some cracks. The best example of that, of course, is Hashirama Senju’s Sage Mode.
This rare ability allows the user to directly manipulate the world’s chakra around them, allowing for some absurdly powerful moves. Prior to being used by Hashirama Senju this technique is only mentioned a handful of times, but everything surrounding it seems to be very consistent. And yet when the time comes for The First Hokage to show his Sage Mode, it turns out to be something entirely different to anything we’ve seen before.
The question of where Hashirama Senju draws the power for his Sage Mode from is not only important to understanding the mechanics of the technique, but can also shed additional light onto the character of The First Hokage himself.
1. Who is the head of the Otsutsuki clan?
While the Otsutsuki clan in general is an entity shrouded in darkness, the identity of its leader is an even bigger mystery that we are not even close to uncovering. Why does it matter? Well, for starters, judging by what we saw at the end of Naruto Shippuden, it might be the single most powerful character in the universe.
In the final battle of the Fourth Great Ninja War it took a combined effort of Naruto and pretty much all of his friends to take down a single member of the clan — Kaguya Otsutsuki. And since, according to the series’ tradition, every clan or group is always led by its strongest member, we are safe to assume that the leader of the Otsutsuki has to somehow be even more powerful than Kaguya is. Which, by all accounts, would make them the single most powerful entity in the entire Naruto universe.
For better or for worse, this final mystery is also the one that we are most likely to eventually get an explanation to, as the ongoing story of Boruto continues to explore the nature of the Otsutsuki clan and to gradually unravel its many mysteries. So if you too are dying to know who the hell is in charge of the Otsutsuki — don’t miss the new episodes as a shocking reveal might come at any moment.
What are the unanswered questions that Shippuden has left us with?
It is hard to overestimate the significance of the Naruto franchise. An incredibly popular and compelling anime it has not only catapulted shonen to the status of the most popular anime genre of the current generation, but also has cemented anime itself as a worldwide cultural phenomenon, captivating the minds of adults and kids alike in every country of the world. Despite the fact Naruto: Shippuden ended more than five years ago, the series still has quite a number of unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions that spawn countless theories and wildest speculations.
Here is a brief overview of some of the biggest ones.
8. Why is Kabuto helping Hinata?
The absolute chaos that disrupts the Chunin exams sees quite a number of different events unfold: an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, an epic battle of Gaara and Naruto and a dramatic showdown between Orochimaru and The Third Hokage that ends with a sudden death of seemingly invincible character. Hidden among them is one small, but highly peculiar event when a seriously injured Hinata is — for seemingly no reason — healed by none other than Kabuto, a double agent working for the bad guys.
This thing is never brought up again in the story, leaving the task of its interpretation entirely to the fans who, as always, have come up with a variety of possible explanations. Starting from a sudden call of Kabuto’s guilty conscience, or him following his natural instincts as a medical ninja — and ending with complex theories that tie his unexpected display of kindness to him being an undercover member of Anbu Black Ops.
7. Who are Rock Lee’s parents?
This one is a bit simpler but very interesting nonetheless. With parenthood being a very strong theme of the franchise, it is only natural to see pretty much all of the characters being associated with a family and sharing at least a couple of on-screen moments with them. And those of characters who do not have one are usually explicitly highlighted as such with the absence of real parents playing a significant role in their story or personality.
When it comes to Rock Lee, however, it is not the case as the question of his family is somehow never brought up. We learn quite early in the story that Might Guy acts as his father figure and is the closest thing to a family Rock has, but then this plot thread is immediately severed and nothing about it is ever mentioned again.
Why? Well, nobody knows.
6. What’s the deal with Akatsuki’s rings?
With Akatsuki easily being the most popular villains of the whole franchise (if not the entire shonen genre itself), it’s no wonder why every detail of their looks and operations is carefully studied by the legions of adoring fans. And there’s at least one particular detail the purpose of which fans just can't wrap their heads around. We are talking, of course, about the Akatsuki rings.
The show never clearly describes their role and yet they are regularly paid direct attention, leading the viewers to believe that they might have some major significance. According to the most popular theory, their purpose might have something to do with sealing the Tailed Beasts inside the Gedo statue. But that’s about as close as the fans managed to get to uncovering this mystery.
5. How did the First Hokage die?
This one is more about the lore of the universe rather than necessarily the story told in the series. The First Hokage was an extremely prominent figure who is presented as pretty much the most powerful ninja to have ever lived. He was virtually impossible to defeat in battle while also possessing a regeneration technique that allowed him to easily overcome illnesses and old age… And yet somehow he died.
If this is not a mystery worth uncovering, then we don’t really know what is.
4. The issue of Hidan’s immortality
It’s the second appearance of Akatsuki on this list, and this time it’s all about Hidan, a member of the group who might have the single most weird set of skills in the whole Naruto universe. So, here’s the deal: Hidan is basically immortal with his immortality being attributed to his belief in a deity by the name of Jashin. However, not a single other character in the entire Naruto world has any idea of who this Jashin is or whether it even exists.
And, as if not weird enough as it is, later in the show the whole thing gets even more complicated as all of a sudden it is hinted at the possibility that it might have been Hidan himself who came up with the idea of Jashin. Thus making all of his powers — including immortality — entirely self-generated.
So how does this work exactly? Can someone please explain?
3. What’s Madara’s Mangekyo Sharingan’s special ability?
Is Uchiha Madara the most overpowered character in Naruto? Probably yes.
Is Mangekyo Sharingan one of the most overpowered techniques in Naruto? Undoubtedly yes.
Judging by this logic, Madara’s Mangekyo Sharingan’s special ability is supposed to be something out of this world entirely. Something that should be an absolute spectacle to behold. Is it actually the case, though? Well… We kind of never find out.
Observing other Mangekyo Sharingan-wielding characters, we learn that each of them gains a certain special ability — usually a totally mind-breaking one. So it would be only natural for Madara to have the sickest one of all. But, for some entirely obscure reason, Madara never demonstrates his — and in all honesty we don’t even know if he has one.
This seems like a bizarre omission at best or a missed opportunity at worst.
2. How does Hashirama Senju’s Sage Mode work?
The Naruto franchise is generally very consistent when it comes to how various techniques work. Of course, there are minor alterations here and there, but generally speaking, there’s an impressive degree of consistency. However, when it comes to certain specific techniques this consistency starts to show some cracks. The best example of that, of course, is Hashirama Senju’s Sage Mode.
This rare ability allows the user to directly manipulate the world’s chakra around them, allowing for some absurdly powerful moves. Prior to being used by Hashirama Senju this technique is only mentioned a handful of times, but everything surrounding it seems to be very consistent. And yet when the time comes for The First Hokage to show his Sage Mode, it turns out to be something entirely different to anything we’ve seen before.
The question of where Hashirama Senju draws the power for his Sage Mode from is not only important to understanding the mechanics of the technique, but can also shed additional light onto the character of The First Hokage himself.
1. Who is the head of the Otsutsuki clan?
While the Otsutsuki clan in general is an entity shrouded in darkness, the identity of its leader is an even bigger mystery that we are not even close to uncovering. Why does it matter? Well, for starters, judging by what we saw at the end of Naruto Shippuden, it might be the single most powerful character in the universe.
In the final battle of the Fourth Great Ninja War it took a combined effort of Naruto and pretty much all of his friends to take down a single member of the clan — Kaguya Otsutsuki. And since, according to the series’ tradition, every clan or group is always led by its strongest member, we are safe to assume that the leader of the Otsutsuki has to somehow be even more powerful than Kaguya is. Which, by all accounts, would make them the single most powerful entity in the entire Naruto universe.
For better or for worse, this final mystery is also the one that we are most likely to eventually get an explanation to, as the ongoing story of Boruto continues to explore the nature of the Otsutsuki clan and to gradually unravel its many mysteries. So if you too are dying to know who the hell is in charge of the Otsutsuki — don’t miss the new episodes as a shocking reveal might come at any moment.
