From combat to persona, the ninjas in Naruto are a true definition of the term maverick. They are flamboyant and extraordinary as opposed to the cliche black and white masked warriors. It is reflected in their fighting styles and Masashi Kishimoto took it to a whole new level with the Chunin Exams arc.
There is but one fight that takes the cake in terms of its epicness. It is so iconic that not even One Piece comes close to the level of chokehold it had on fans. To this date, it stands as one of the best battles in the series that birthed a true legend.
Naruto’s legendary fight turns 21 next month
It would be a total insult to reduce Naruto to a mere cool ninja story considering its influence and impact. The series premiered almost two decades back and cemented itself as a landmark Shonen anime. It is one of the very few series in the genre that was up to the snuff through its compelling concept.
To have a Shonen series with profound characters, compelling plot, and well-written antagonists is praiseworthy. The series is indeed flawed in many aspects including power systems and scaling. But it isn’t supposed to be immaculate now is it?
In particular, the series abandoned some of its crucial elements which led to its downfall. The side characters are one of them that were completely sidelined by the end of Shippuden. It was in the original series that some outshined the main characters and this fight from the Chunin exams is one such example.
Not Neji, but Rock Lee’s duel with Gaara is a true marker of the series’ brilliance. It birthed and solidified Lee’s legendary feat as a ninja. This is something that Redditors on r/Naruto would vouch for. But the fact that this fight happened almost 21 years ago is crazy.
And let’s not forget the moment he dropped his weights. That was the moment Kishimoto dropped a banger with Lee’s Taijutsu prowess. Like his mentor, he wasn’t adept at Ninjutsu but no one should take him lightly. He proved that he is the legend, the icon and the moment after all!
The legend, the icon, and the moment
Unlike Sasuke and Neji, Rock Lee is symbolic of humble beginnings and origins. He doesn’t have a Sharingan or a cool kekkei-genkai. But boy, does he fight brilliantly and effortlessly. The kicks, the punches, and the moves are reminiscent of Bruce Lee and it was neat, to say the least.
His fight against Gaara and Kimimaro raised the bar when it came to power systems. This is also because of how Sharingan and Byakugan were posited as some of the powerful jutsu. Through Lee’s characterization, Kishimoto redefined the Shinobi way.
But that doesn’t spare the mangaka from fans’ full-blown criticism. We know what makes Rock Lee a true legend which is why the character deserved his spotlight. The Shippuden series, however, frittered his potential which is the worst thing to happen to the character.
In all honesty, Lee proved himself to be on par with his peers through his mastery of Taijutsu. Being able to open the eight gates is a crazy feat in itself. Might Guy almost died doing that but Lee isn’t far behind. It is indeed disappointing that Kishimoto abandoned one of his well-written characters.
On the brighter side, his fight with Gaara had fans acknowledge him as the real G. Ninjutsu or no ninjutsu, he is a legendary ninja in Naruto no matter what. This is something that even One Piece cannot top it off.
Naruto is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Shueisha’s Manga Plus app.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
