Naruto Arcs With The Most Character Development

Character development is a crucial element of any story, but in a shōnen series like Naruto, which lasts hundreds of chapters and episodes, it’s especially essential to create a feeling of progression among the key individuals. Having a story this long also means the narrative will inevitably feature a plethora of arcs, all of which hone in on specific members of the cast who will grow and evolve throughout the journey.

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While some of these story arcs are more centered around giving fans plenty of fast-paced and intense action, there are still a select few that do an incredible job of building upon this series’ vibrant catalog of characters. Knowing which arcs this relates to can also make it easier to return to the story to analyze what events caused these characters to adjust their personality and worldviews, making for a fun re-read. With that being said, these are the arcs across Naruto and Naruto Shippuden that push the characters of the series into the next step of their personal journey.

Warning! Spoilers Ahead!

1

Search For Tsunade

Tsunade Comes To Assume The Responsibility Of Being Hokage While Naruto Acquires A New Power-Up

When Naruto and Jiraiya finally find Tsunade to ask if she can become Hokage, she isn’t exactly all that thrilled about the idea, preferring to spend the rest of her days getting drunk and throwing her money away on gambling. Throughout this arc, though, she comes to realize just how important being Hokage truly is after she witnesses Naruto’s undying passion to become the leader of the village, which convinces her she should be doing more for Konoha.

Speaking of Naruto, his fight against Kabuto would be the first time he uses his most iconic ability, the Rasengan. Naruto has gone on to adapt and improve the Rasengan over time, but his idea of using a Shadow Clone to help him form a Rasengan ball first appeared during this small skirmish.

2

Konoha Crush

Both Gaara And Naruto Form An Unlikely Bond Due To Their Shared Loneliness

The Konoha Crush arc is a fairly small portion of the story that kicks off after Orochimaru disrupts the Chunin Exams and plunges the village into chaos. At the center of the carnage are Naruto and Gaara, two Jinchuriki who, while initially enemies, slowly form an unlikely bond that changes the way they both view their inner beasts, especially Gaara.

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Gaara, up to this point in the story, was presented as a very isolated and violent ninja who hated pretty much everyone, but his confrontation with Naruto forced him to change his mindset. This would effectively mark Gaara’s long character arc, which sees him slowly replacing his hatred with kindness and empathy, making it a very important part of the story for him and his fellow Jinchuriki.

3

Land Of Waves

Naruto’s First Exposure To The Power That Lies Within Him

The very first mission Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi embark on as a team proves to be a lot more dangerous than they ever could have expected. What should have been a simple escort mission goes horribly wrong when Zabuza, one of the legendary Hidden Mist Swordsmen, apprehends the team, along with his partner Haku.

This deadly duo gets a fair amount of development themselves, but so does Team 7, especially Naruto, who channels his Nine Tails Chakra for the very first time after it looks like Sasuke has been killed in action. The intense experience brought the entire group closer together, while also kickstarting Naruto’s long and complicated relationship with the Nine-Tailed Kurama that resides within him.

4

Akatsuki Suppression Mission

Some Much-Needed Progression For One Of The Series’ Most Popular Side Characters

This is one of the rare instances where an anime adaptation features more development than the manga, considering the Akatsuki Suppression Mission is fairly short in the source material. The anime builds a little more upon the relationship between fan-favorite Shikamaru and his sensei, Asuma. However, Asuma meeting his untimely fate in this arc pushes Shikamaru to assume responsibility for his team while also trying to navigate his way through his grief at the loss of his master.

While the whole of Team 10 grow and mature through this arc, it’s Shikamaru who develops the most as he quickly sheds his lazy persona to become more of the grown-up adult that his master was. This section of the story also expanded on the characters of Hidan and Kakuzu, especially the former whose connection to the mysterious god known as Jishin made him an incredibly intriguing character to follow.

5

Pain Arc

The Arc That Saw Naruto Finally Gain Recognition From The Residents Of Konoha

While the Pain arc features some of the most intense fights in the series, Jiraiya vs the Six Paths of Pain being a prime example, it is also packed full of development for several key characters. Naruto not only acquiesces a brand-new Sage form in this arc, but his victory over Pain also earns him the recognition of Konoha whom he had dreamed of ever since he was a young outcast. This would also be the arc where Hinata confessed her true feelings for Naruto, which proved to be a huge step for her character.

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Other important bits of character progression include Kakashi being able to speak to his father in a dream sequence, Tsunade proving her leadership skills as Hokage and Nagato’s nihilistic worldview falling apart because of Naruto. Simply put, the Pain arc drastically changed the landscape of the Naruto story and its characters, with everyone being affected by the traumatic event in one way or another.

6

Fated Battle Between Brothers

Itachi’s Revelation Completely Changes Sasuke As A Character

From the very beginning of the Naruto story, Sasuke had always sought nothing more than to get revenge on his brother, Itachi, who killed his entire clan. By the time Sasuke finally catches up to the Akatsuki member, though, he doesn’t exactly feel the satisfaction he was hoping for upon defeating him. It’s revealed soon after that Itachi exterminated the Uchiha to prevent another war from breaking out, and also couldn’t bring himself to slaughter his little brother.

Not only did this revelation cause fans to view Itachi in an entirely different light, but it also had a profound impact on Sasuke himself, who began to question his purpose in the world. When Sasuke reunites with his reanimated brother later down the line, the two are a lot closer and more loving towards one another, which is an emotional result of the intense battle that took part in this specific arc.

7

Fourth Great Ninja War

The Majority Of The Cast Gets An Opportunity To Shine And Mature Throughout The Final War

The final arc of the series brings together every village and faction to partake in the Fourth Great Ninja War. While a conflict of this size and scale obviously includes a ton of action, it does also give many of the characters a final bit of progression before the series finally ends. A few examples of this include Naruto and Hinata’s relationship beginning to form, Sasuke teaming up with Naruto once again, Guy sacrificing his body to hold off Madara, and Obito coming to realize the world is not worth destroying.

Because many deceased characters also returned in this arc, it allowed characters such as Choji and Sasuke to regain some closure by seeing their closest friends and relatives for a final time. While the arc is very long, it also makes for a good sendoff for much of the cast, who are all affected by the sheer magnitude and high stakes of the conflict.

8

Chunin Exams

This Iconic Tournament Arc Created New Rivalries And Pushed Each Genin Ninja To Their Absolute Limit

While many side characters had been shown in small doses leading up to the Chunin Exams, it was this intense tournament where many of them truly got to show what they were made of. Whether it’s Rock Lee’s fiery bout with the sadistic Gaara, Sakura’s long-awaited face off with Ino, or Naruto’s strategic duel against Neji, each of these fights have very prominent themes underlying them that feed into the characters’ development.

For example, the aforementioned battle between Naruto and Neji ends with the latter coming to realize maybe he’s not as much of a “genius” as he once thought after being bested by the knucklehead ninja. Similarly, Sasuke would come to realize that to have any hope of taking down Itachi, he would need to improve his taijutsu after he’s humiliated by Rock Lee. There’s a plethora of examples like these scattered throughout this iconic arc, and it’s a primary reason why many fans look back on it so fondly.

Naruto

Release Date

2002 – 2006

Showrunner

Masashi Kishimoto

Directors

Hayato Date

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