SPOILERS AHEAD

Synopsis

A young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki was outcasted by his entire village. His dream is to gain recognition from everyone and become the Hokage, the leader of the village.

Naruto is hated by the village because 12 years prior to the first chapter, the village was attacked by a demon fox with nine tails who destroyed the village and took hundreds of lives. The fourth Hokage stopped the attack by sacrificing his life to seal the fox inside of Naruto. The villagers shun him in fear and resentment because they blame them for the death of the Fourth Hokage. They all see him as the Nine-Tailed Fox.

I'm Naruto Uzumaki! What I like is ramen, especially the kind at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. What I dislike is the three minute wait after you pour in the boiling water. My hobbies are eating ramen. And my dream... is to be the next Hokage! -Naruto Uzumaki, Age 12

Naruto was a kid at heart, just like everyone else. Part of the reason this story is so great is how he went from having nothing to everything through hard work.

Naruto is eventually hunted by a group of rogue ninjas known as the Akatsuki.

Plot Review (SPOILERS AHEAD!!)

Although Naruto is the main protagonist, he is actually one of the weakest throughout the entire series. It's not until he befriends the demon fox and is able to control its power that he gains a massive advantage over his peers. There are 9 tailed beasts in total, with power being proportional to the number of tails. The Akatsuki hunts these tailed beasts, sealed inside people just like Naruto (labeled as Jinchuriki). The goal of the Akatsuki is to combine all 9 beasts to revive the original tailed beast: The Ten-Tails.

Naruto is primarily known for its fights and antagonists. All of the fights between the characters are well-choreographed and have depth to them. Rivalries are also a major plot-point of Naruto with Naruto vs. his best friend Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake vs. his (previously thought to be dead) best friend Obito Uchiha and Hashirama Senju (First Hokage) vs. Madara Uchiha (Right hand man of Hashirama). The antagonists of the show, primarily Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha, all have some connection to the main cast. For example, Sasuke used to be Naruto's teammate and best friend but left the village in pursuit of evil power that he needed to kill his older brother Itachi. He then made it his goal to kill Naruto and unite the world by becoming the common enemy of the people. In the end though, Naruto brought Sasuke back to the village and pulled him out of the darkness.

The Akatuski members are the main antagonists of the story, with Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha being the leaders. Their plan was to put the entire world into a hallucination called the "Infinite Tsukuyomi" where everyone would be paralyzed in a dream for the rest of their lives. Their belief was that this was the only way to achieve peace in the world, thus making their intentions somewhat good (aside from the violence they used). The plot twist of an ancient god, Kaguya Otsutsuki, being the puppet master behind it all, controlling both Madara and Obito from the shadows was foreshadowed long before her appearance. Her goal was to suck out the life force of the entire planet, which made her the common enemy of the people. Pictured to the right is Kaguya, shown in her ultimate form.

Overall

The numerous plot twists and unexpected actions of the characters combined with such immense depth make Naruto one of the top manga of all time. However, it is not perfect. There are a few plot holes such as Hashirama's cells being used for quite literally any problem the characters face. There are a few other minor plot holes that don't have answers, thus giving Naruto a 9/10! Still highly recommended!