Kishimoto Reveals The Real Reason Behind The Fourth Great Ninja War

Masashi Kishimoto, the author of Naruto, wrote some of the most successful manga arcs over the years, and it is safe to say that the Fourth Great Ninja War is one that splits opinion among fans. This arc was fabulous in many ways, and it delivered some of the highest peaks of the entire Naruto series to the fans. But, at the same time, some parts of this arc make it comfortably one of the least-liked arcs in the story, such as the introduction of Kaguya and her eventual wrap-up.

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Of course, whether this arc is good or not is up to the fans to decide. After all, this opinion is subjective. However, this arc is tied into the story of Naruto in a very intriguing way. In fact, Kishimoto had already decided upon doing this arc long before it even began, and the seeds were actually planted around the Pain Arc. Kishimoto previously revealed his reasoning behind doing the Fourth Great Ninja War, and it is certainly very intriguing.

The Fourth Great Ninja War In Naruto

• The War That Ended The Story
• The Biggest Known War In The Naruto Series

The Fourth Great Ninja War was started by none other than Obito Uchiha, who combined his forces with Kabuto Yakushi. Together, these two formed a powerful alliance, and the goal of the war was to essentially take control over the Nine Tails as well as the Eight Tails to complete the Ten Tails and start the project Tsuki No Me. The project was essentially the revival of the Ten Tails, and of course, eventually, bringing about Infinite Tsukuyomi. This triggered the Fourth Great Ninja War, and it was certainly an incredibly exciting battle.

At first, Naruto Uzumaki and Bee were both kept away from the battlefields, because it was believed that the war could be won without them. However, eventually, it became imperative for Naruto to intervene, and he certainly laid his mark. Of course, winning the war without Naruto Uzumaki would have been impossible. Fans saw a masterful performance from him and his growth was absolutely staggering to see around this part of the story as well. Not only did fans see Naruto Uzumaki at the peak of his powers, but he also made a connection with Kurama, and eventually, with the Sage of Six Paths as well. On top of that, Naruto’s character matured quite a bit in this section of the story, and it was wonderful for all the fans to see.

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While Naruto Uzumaki was staggering to watch in this part of the story, so were other characters. For instance, the likes of Sasuke Uchiha and the Kage were just as exciting to see. Fans also got a lot of reanimated ninjas in this part of the story, and it is safe to say that they were absolutely incredible to witness in action as well. The villains that Kishimoto wrote were fabulous and gave fans some of the best moments in the Naruto series. More often than not, Kishimoto absolutely hit the nail on the head when writing the Fourth Great Ninja War. While there are certain decisions that fans might not agree with when it comes to the Fourth Great Ninja War, in the grand scheme of things, this was a phenomenal story arc that concluded on a high, and Naruto and Sasuke fulfilled destiny by taking part in a historic battle in the valley of the end.

Why Kishimoto Did The Fourth Great Ninja War Arc

Kishimoto Had Decided To Draw A War Long Ago

Kishimoto’s reasoning for doing the Fourth Great Ninja War is quite interesting. Many fans believe that Kishimoto simply wanted to wrap up the story at that point, so he went ahead with a war arc. However, that isn’t exactly accurate. While it is true that Kishimoto had already decided that the War arc would tie everything together and lead to a conclusive end to the story, it wasn’t the reason why the war was done in the first place. Kishimoto had already decided on doing the Fourth Great Ninja War around the time of the Pain Arc.

In this arc, the seeds for this war were essentially planted. Not only was the concept of redistributing the Tailed Beasts brought up, and as such, the goal of the Akatsuki being revealed, but, at the same time, Pain and Naruto shared quite a deep conversation. Pain clearly told Naruto that his opinion on wars was rather idealistic and childish, simply because he had never experienced it himself.

Yet, Naruto took the challenge head-on and decided that he would never change his way, no matter what happens in his life. To Kishimoto, this was essentially the defining point in the story where he absolutely had to do a War. For Naruto to make such a claim to Pain, who clearly told him that he had never experienced war, meant that at some point, Naruto absolutely had to experience one and navigate things from there onwards.

Pain wanted to know how Naruto would break the cycle, if he could at all. Naruto did not answer Pain conclusively at the time, and simply told him that he would find a way, all the while never going back on his word and always persevering like a true ninja. As such, it was incredibly important for Naruto to actually undergo a warlike situation, where he would have his resolve and his mettle tested, and eventually, find an answer to the question that Pain posed to him.

Thankfully, this war did wonders in regards to Naruto’s growth. Not only did he conquer just about every enemy, including the hatred in the heart of Kurama, but he also ended up forming a bond with him, and at the same time, the entirety of the Shinobi Alliance. Naruto united the Five Nations, and aided every single ninja. He became a war hero, and it is because of him that the countries are united still to this day. Essentially, Naruto erased war between countries, and since then, the world has largely been at peace, with the only disturbances coming from outside the world, in the form of the Otsutsuki.

Clearly, even though the Fourth Great Ninja War had elements that fans did not like, such as the introduction of Kaguya and many other characters who were rather irrelevant or brought back for no reason, in the grand scheme of things, this Arc was largely successful. It aided Naruto’s growth in a significant way, and made him a better human. This arc is what matured Naruto and it concluded the vast majority of the plot points and the story in a beautiful manner.

Naruto is available to read on the MangaPlus and the Shonen Jump app. Fans can read the official release and support the author by doing so.

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Naruto

Release Date

October 3, 2002

Creator

Masashi Kishimoto

Number of Episodes

220

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix
, Crunchyroll
, Amazon Prime Video
, Peacock
, The Roku Channel
, Amazon Freevee
, Hulu
, Hoopla
, Pluto TV
, Tubi