The Naruto series abandoning more sophisticated fighting style.
Naruto is one of my favorite series of all time. While the fillers in this series got annoying that’s actually not my biggest issue. At the beginning of the series Naruto and Sasuke were the main characters but other characters like Rock Lee, Gaara and Neji were prominent both in importance and in skill. Sure Sasuke with the Sharingan and Naruto with the Kyuubi Chakra had significant advantages over the competition, the skill level of many of the other fighters were actually superior.
I’m not suggesting that Naruto and Sasuke shouldn’t eventually have surpassed their peers but that by the end of the series they were the only ones that were really relevant. Most importantly, the series abandoned the more strategic and complex battle style that made me love it in the beginning. For example, the Chuunin exam showcased the analytical ability of the genin. The emphasis on logic in addition to strength made the series the most superior in terms of fighting.
There was also a sense of limits. With clans certain skills we limited to those clans and couldn’t be learned by anyone else or at least not easily. The Kekkei Genkai literally limited abilities to genetics, but at the end of the series the only clan that really mattered was the Uchiha. Eventually, the fighting went from strategy, analyzing and being cunning to pull meteorites from the skies or perform interstellar travel, control dimensions. I’m not opposed to large scale abilities but it no longer became about logic and reason when your opponent can travel through space and time.
I wish I had followed Naruto from the start: now with over 500 plus episodes it’s just too daunting for me to start with it (That and I have absolutely no idea where I would be able to find the time for it 😂😂).
Yeah, watching Naruto at this point would be a chore. It might be better to just watch the battles on Youtube.
The Chuunin exam was such a fun arc that let everyone, including the main characters, shine.
You make a good point though. The show really played on teamwork and strategy in the beginning, especially with the bell lesson, but by the end it was more about power than anything else.
The clan and team concept just became irrelevant at the end. It was only about Sasuke and Naruto.