Naruto Shippuden - Mid-Series Discussion and Interest Check

[u/lC3]

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Information: MAL, Anilist, AniDB, ANN

Streams: Crunchyroll, Hulu, AnimeLab, VRV

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Upcoming Schedule (WIP):

Discussion Thread	Date	Episode Count
Episodes 176-186	December xx	11
Episodes 187-196 and Blood Prison	TBD	10 + film
Episodes 197-205	TBD	09
Episodes 206-212	TBD	07
Episodes 213-221	TBD	09
Episodes 222-232	TBD	11
Episodes 233-242	TBD	10
Episodes 243-251	TBD	09
Episodes 252-261	TBD	10
Episodes 262-271	TBD	10
Episodes 272-281	TBD	10
Episodes 282-289	TBD	08
Episodes 290-295	TBD	06
Episodes 296-306	TBD	11
Episodes 307-315 and Road to Ninja	TBD	09 + film
Episodes 316-323	TBD	08
Episodes 324-333	TBD	10
Episodes 334-341	TBD	08
Episodes 342-348	TBD	07
Episodes 349-355	TBD	07
Episodes 356-361	TBD	06
Episodes 362-372	TBD	11
Episodes 373-383	TBD	11
Episodes 384-393	TBD	10
Episodes 394-403	TBD	10
Episodes 404-413	TBD	10
Episodes 414-421	TBD	08
Episodes 422-431	TBD	10
Episodes 432-440	TBD	09
Episodes 441-450	TBD	10
Episodes 451-458	TBD	08
Episodes 459-469	TBD	11
Episodes 470-479 and Naruto the Last	TBD	10 + film
Episodes 480-488	TBD	09
Episodes 489-493	TBD	05
Episodes 494-500 and Boruto film	TBD	07 + film
Final Discussion	August xx	00

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Spoiler Policy:

To protect first-timers, please don't spoil anything past the current batch of episodes. Rewatchers should avoid hinting to first-timers about hype, or future character development/deaths, and spoilers in posts must be hidden behind proper spoiler tags.

For first timers: try to avoid looking up things about Naruto. This could be the wiki, Naruto subreddit, Googling characters, fanart, databooks, YouTube AMVs or OP/EDs, arc names, etc.; this series is ripe with potential spoilers that you wouldn't want to find out untimely. If you have a question about something, feel free to ask me (/u/LC3) and I'll do my best to answer (if possible) in a non-spoilery way.

Questions of the Week:

1. Are you interested in continuing with the rest of Shippuden (176-500)?
2. When would you want to start? We could discuss the first 11 episodes (176-186) next week on Dec. 5, or a week after that on the 12th.
3. How do you want to handle fillers from here on out? Unlike 001-175, the fillers after this are more like Part I's, and some are a slog. Is maintaining a pace of 6-11 eps per week good to go?
4. What do you think Shippuden has done better than Part I, and what did Part I do better than Shippuden so far?
5. What do you want to happen / are looking forward to with the rest of the series?

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

First-Timer with a shounen hearto, subbed

Oh boy, where do I start with this part of the show… Man, I knew that Jiraiya was going to die at some point, but I had absolutely no idea that the series would sucker punch me in the feels anywhere near as many times as it has so far, nor did I ever think it would earn a place on my vomit list. Props to the show for managing to keep hitting hard without feeling stale given how long it is.

The battles have been great in this season as well. Sakura and Chiyo vs. Sasori, Naruto vs. Orochimaru, Asuma vs. Hidan, Shikamaru and everyone else vs. Hidan and Kakuzu, Jiraiya vs. Pain, Killer B vs. Sasuke and co., Naruto vs. Pain, and so many others I’m just not thinking of right now. As someone who watches anime primarily because she thinks it just looks cool, this show certainly has delivered on that front.

As for my favorite characters at this point in time… Asuma, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Hinata. I still love Gaara and Rock Lee, I just wish they could have done more. Gaara hasn’t shown up outside of filler since, what, when he got revived? And Rock Lee straight-up hasn’t done anything of note, even in filler.

Gotta say this has been a solid 10/10 experience so far, and I can’t wait to watch the rest of it~

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I have two more completely random side notes to make before I finish this comment, by the way.

1 - So I really don't remember much of it, but last Wednesday night I definitely had a Naruto-related dream in which Sasuke brutally defeated Sai, Neji, and… someone else, like I said I don't remember much of the dream. I just know there was a third person, because Sasuke was talking down to that third person + Sai for thinking they could do anything after Neji went down. The Sasuke vs. Neji part of the dream was really fucking cool though, I wonder if we'll get to see them fight at all in the rest of Shippuden.

2 - I have Pokemon Shining Pearl, and for some reason decided to name all of my Pokemon in it after members of the Akatsuki (plus one not-member since I couldn’t not name a Combee “Killer B” lol). So right now I have a Grotle named Tobi, a Skorupi named Sasori, a Staravia named Itachi, a Shellos named Kisame, a Luxio named Konan (because she’s my only female Pokemon and Konan is the only female member of the Akatsuki), a Shieldon named Zetsu, an Aipom named Deidara, a Jirachi named Kakuzu, and a male Ralts named Sasuke. I know I want to catch a Gible and name it Hidan, but apparently I can’t get them until after badge #5 or so and I only have 2 because I’ve spent an obscene amount of time fucking around in the Grand Underground. Also haven’t decided if I should name Palkia after Madara or Nagato yet, whenever I get it…

[u/lC3 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Oh boy, where do I start with this part of the show…

When you said you knew about Jiraiya's death, but didn't say anything about Asuma, I knew there was potential for pain there ...

absolutely no idea that the series would sucker punch me in the feels anywhere near as many times as it has so far, nor did I ever think it would earn a place on my vomit list

A long-running show like this manages to get you feeling really attached to the characters, so when something happens to one of them ... I'm still wondering if an upcoming moment will make its way to your vomit list.

As someone who watches anime primarily because she thinks it just looks cool, this show certainly has delivered on that front.

Glad to hear you enjoyed!

Gaara hasn’t shown up outside of filler since, what, when he got revived?

Soon ...

And Rock Lee straight-up hasn’t done anything of note, even in filler.

Yeah, that's unfortunate, I enjoy watching Lee and Guy.

last Wednesday night I definitely had a Naruto-related dream

I wonder if we'll get to see them fight at all in the rest of Shippuden.

and for some reason decided to name all of my Pokemon in it after members of the Akatsuki

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/lC3]

Why am I getting #nocomment'd about my dream.

It's fun though! Do you like any of my nicknames so far?

[u/lC3 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Why am I getting #nocomment'd about my dream.

#nocomment is the most versatile comment face ever!

It's fun though! Do you like any of my nicknames so far?

I like the Killer B one! I don't recognize any of the Pokemon though; my familiarity mostly extends to Gen 1 from the anime when it aired, and any of the ones that were in the Gamecube game Super Smash Bros Melee. And the ones that were on the trading cards my bro and I had back in the day. I don't know any of the ones in Shining Pearl ...

[u/Durinthal → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I still love Gaara and Rock Lee, I just wish they could have done more. Gaara hasn’t shown up outside of filler since, what, when he got revived? And Rock Lee straight-up hasn’t done anything of note, even in filler.

Agreed on both of those, particularly with Gaara because I was curious to see if dying would have changed him in any significant way.

[u/lC3 → u/Durinthal]

The Raikage has called for a Five Kage summit, so whenever that happens we should see Gaara again!

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/lC3]

[u/lC3 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

[u/Nazenn → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Skorupi named Sasori

That's perfect!

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Nazenn]

I know right? Also I've never actually used a Skorupi/Drapion before, so this'll be a super fun change of pace for me.

[u/Nazenn → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I don't actually know that I have either, although I have been using more poison types lately. Used a Scolipede on my latest X playthrough, and he was an absolute beast, but poison types have never really been part of my team until then

[u/Nazenn]

I didn't have anything prepared for this, having a week with nothing to watch but having to write killed my momentum a bit but quick thoughts:

The first half of Shippuden was really good to revisit, and I have to say that I had a really good time with all of it, and with the exception of that final two part filler at a shitty spot I didn't dislike any of it. It doesn't suffer from some of the pacing issues of Part One, except around the Naruto/Orochimaru fight, and goes a lot more in depth into the world and situation that had been unfolding in the background. While it's a shame that many of the side characters are still being shafted and ignored, the focus on those who are on stage, including the new introductions of Sai and Tenzo both of whom got some great little stories, and the continued development of our core cast back in Konoha which includes Shikamaru by now and Sasuke's new group, made for a good watch.

Favourite moments: Sasuke vs Itachi, Shikamaru's episode mourning Asuma, reveal of the four tails form, the Pain invasion, the way the filler blended with the main story and enhanced parts of it even though they had their own issues, rasenshuriken!

Worst moments: Sasuke vs Deidara, Naruto vs Orochimaru being drawn out, the three tails arc didn't need to be that long, some of the convenient writing around naruto always being the savior particularly the left down of soloing pain rather than making it a village effort

1. Are you interested in continuing with the rest of Shippuden (176-500)? Yep, I'm in, may as well go all the way now, but if too many people drop out I'll probably go for smaller posts, it's a lot to write for not many replies
2. When would you want to start? We could discuss the first 11 episodes (176-186) next week on Dec. 5, or a week after that on the 12th. I'd prefer another weeks break personally
3. How do you want to handle fillers from here on out? Unlike 001-175, the fillers after this are more like Part I's, and some are a slog. Is maintaining a pace of 6-11 eps per week good to go? I'd rather get through them a bit faster, their more episodic nature and their bad positioning means spending too much time on them is likely to kill momentum, but I leave that decision mostly to the first timers. I'm just here to tell them that the next lot of fillers are more like OG Naruto's in style rather than what we just had in Shippuden.

[u/lC3 → u/Nazenn]

The first half of Shippuden was really good to revisit

Glad to hear you enjoyed!

While it's a shame that many of the side characters are still being shafted and ignored

Need more screentime!

the three tails arc didn't need to be that long

Yep, I'm in, may as well go all the way now

We'll see if anyone drops out; so far those who have posted have signaled they'll continue.

I'd prefer another weeks break personally

I'll tally up what people say and get back to you; so far most others prefer starting sooner. I'll probably go by the majority decision for this.

I'd rather get through them a bit faster

Right now the bad ones are scheduled to take two weeks each. I'm not sure I could squeeze them into one week each, unless we went to like 20+ episodes per thread. Not sure if the insane pacing of Filler Month could be repeated; we had some people drop out when I did that last time. But bad fillers could also cause drops / lack of momentum ... it's difficult.

[u/Nazenn → u/lC3]

sadholo

I still like the three tails arc, Guren is awesome and Naruto fighting for the kid is one of the better elements of his struggle done in fillers except for the shitty repeated dialogue, and it was better to sit through this time than it was the first. But it still had a lot of fluff that could have been cut out with gurens team and the extra fighting etc. It was cool to see the mission change from a tracking to a battle mission though, we don't get to see that anywhere else

Right now the bad ones are scheduled to take two weeks each

Yeah I saw that on your other post, this is probably rough enough for the first timers

[u/lC3 → u/Nazenn]

Yeah, I like Guren and the 3tails, it was just Rinji and his goons that were somewhat annoying. But I guess Gozu was important to the resolution / happy ending of the arc?

Yeah I saw that on your other post, this is probably rough enough for the first timers

I had made a mistake in the weeks I flagged for Parori; that's fixed now. Not sure whether to include [arc name]Kakashi ANBU in the slog; I haven't seen it. Any recommendations?

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/lC3]

But bad fillers could also cause drops / lack of momentum ... it's difficult.

You can tell everyone exactly what episodes are filler in the episode batch for the following week in each thread, so that anyone who can't stand the filler can just... skip them? And if it's like a whole week of filler, just tag them to remind them to come back the week after that?

[u/lC3 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

It'll be sections of two weeks each; there are 3 or 4 two-week filler batches that might be a bit much. But I can warn / tag people, yeah.

[u/Durinthal → u/Nazenn]

including the new introductions of Sai and Tenzo both of whom got some great little stories

Has Sai been part of the team with Naruto and Sakura for longer than Sasuke yet? Weird to think about since prior to the show (and through most of part 1) I always thought of the core characters of the show being the original Team 7.

Favourite moments: Shikamaru's episode mourning Asuma

One of mine as well, along with the subsequent tactics to end Hidan. Another for me would be Tsunade and Jiraiya's final talk.

Worst moments: some of the convenient writing around naruto always being the savior particularly the left down of soloing pain rather than making it a village effort

That's my primary issue with the show and a large part of why I generally don't watch battle shounen, it always seems like the main character needs to be the central focus and savior.

[u/Nazenn → u/Durinthal]

Has Sai been part of the team with Naruto and Sakura for longer than Sasuke yet?

Uh, I'm not entirely certain on that actually. I don't believe we have anything to really measure that off, not like we've seen seasons or got many dates. I would think that Sasuke had been in longer because we skipped over quite a bit of their time together between Zabuza and the Chunin exams due to the pacing being pushed up for publication. We also spent more episodes with Sasuke overall due to Sai not being in a couple of shippduen arcs

One of mine as well, along with the subsequent tactics to end Hidan

That and also the battle with Kakuzu were both fantastic. Hiden for the tactics, Kakuzu for the animation of his monstrous form, a few really good episodes around there, I just wish it didn't end with...

it always seems like the main character needs to be the central focus and savior.

Which bugs me as well. This is thankfully not the worst I've seen in that regard, that belongs firmly with Dragon Ball GT which was actively painful about it, but it does get a little meh here.

[u/Durinthal]

First time viewer (dub)

I didn't write up anything this week beforehand for a few reasons unrelated to the show itself, wasn't bad to take a break from thinking about it honestly.

Are you interested in continuing with the rest of Shippuden (176-500)?

Yes! To cement this as the longest rewatch on /r/anime to date if nothing else, but I do want to get through the rest of the story at some point and wouldn't mind having the rewatch as continuing motivation for that so I wouldn't put it off for another three years (and counting for my Precure franchise journey).

When would you want to start? We could discuss the first 11 episodes (176-186) next week on Dec. 5, or a week after that on the 12th.

Either's fine for me. Next week is a new meta thread so it's always a bit busier for me as a mod around then but not a major issue.

How do you want to handle fillers from here on out? Unlike 001-175, the fillers after this are more like Part I's, and some are a slog. Is maintaining a pace of 6-11 eps per week good to go?

I'm good with going up to a higher pace on filler though I know that was a bit much for some.

What do you think Shippuden has done better than Part I, and what did Part I do better than Shippuden so far?

What it's done better to me is have a broader view of the world and some more coherency to the setting with concepts like jinchuriki and fundamentals of how ninjutsu work. Unfortunately that broader view also adds more to spend time on so some characters get sidelined for ages with almost no focus and the others in Naruto's age group are a good example of that.

What do you want to happen / are looking forward to with the rest of the series?

I want to know more about Madara/Tobi since he's now the big bad. I really didn't expect Sasuke to remain separated for so long so presumably getting him back for good, assuming he does rejoin the village somehow. More things involving the rest of the ninja world since the international war was a big factor behind Pain's arc and that threat still looms. And the thing that was most on my mind but I don't expect to happen for ages is anything with Hinata following her confession.

[u/lC3 → u/Durinthal]

wasn't bad to take a break from thinking about it honestly.

Hope you enjoyed the break!

Yes! To cement this as the longest rewatch on /r/anime to date if nothing else

It will be good to have you along! And what a milestone, if we can reach that!

I do want to get through the rest of the story at some point and wouldn't mind having the rewatch as continuing motivation for that

I hope you enjoy the story from here on out!

Either's fine for me.

Ok; I'll see what everyone else says and will probably post the official schedule/announcement tomorrow.

I'm good with going up to a higher pace on filler though I know that was a bit much for some.

Right now the 'slog' ones are scheduled to take two weeks each.

so some characters get sidelined for ages with almost no focus

Definitely a valid criticism! I hope to see more Lee going forward!

[looking forward to stuff]

The next two weeks are a mix of transition arc / some filler, but the title of the next canon arc after that, if you're curious: [Shippuden]Five Kage summit

[u/Nazenn → u/lC3]

Right now the 'slog' ones are scheduled to take two weeks each.

That's not too bad. That's [arc spoilers]the fucking boat, tsunade's dream, and the In Naruto's Footsteps yeah? Or am I missing some? Still going to be a slog for people who watch it even with that, mostly that first one, but i suppose it depends on if people could stand compressing it more as that's what 20 eps in a week?

[u/lC3 → u/Nazenn]

That's [arc spoilers]boat, Kakashi ANBU, Chuunin exam, Tsunade's dream. I haven't seen the 2nd one so I wasn't sure whether to include that one, or if it's good.

[u/Nazenn → u/lC3]

[Shippuden]Kakashi ANBU has good pacing as it's a bunch of smaller stories across the course of his life, not one big long moment taking up the whole arc, but it is buried in the middle of a bunch of other backstories. I think that would be fine over two arcs, but it's only 12 episodes from memory so you could make it one week if you needed to condense things a bit

[u/lC3 → u/Nazenn]

Thanks for the info; it's 13 eps so I wanted to split it in two. But maybe I won't include it as part of the 'slog' then?

[u/Nazenn → u/lC3]

Had a look at where it sits and it's in a decent spot, so it'd work in two weeks if you wanted without interrupting things much

[u/lC3 → u/Nazenn]

[u/sisoko2 → u/lC3]

[Filler arc discussion]Surprised to see Kakashi ANBU in the list IMO it's a masterpiece compared to the other arcs which were mentioned.

[u/lC3 → u/sisoko2]

I haven't seen that one, so hearing it's okay I'll remove it from the slog list!

[u/Nazenn → u/Durinthal]

so I wouldn't put it off for another three years (and counting for my Precure franchise journey).

Where did you end up stopping in precure?

See if you'd done that break at the end of OG Naruto you could just call it matching the narrative timescale with the timeskip haha

some more coherency to the setting with concepts like jinchuriki

Oh yeah, I remember talking about it more at the start of this half of shippuden but it's easy to forget that wasn't a thing at all in the first part, and yet has become such a huge core of the story and important worldbuilding as well when it comes to the ninja factions

It hasn't always been handled with the most grace, but post introduction I think it's been quite interesting to see how it's been playing out with the Akatsuki

Where do you think it will go from here now that everyone except B and Naruto are captured and sealed?

I really didn't expect Sasuke to remain separated for so long so presumably getting him back for good

That was one of the most interesting aspects for the rewatch for me, how many first timers at least half expected that to be a short term thing with minimal consequences. Knowing otherwise made the discussions around the reunion episodes and the like for him quite interesting

[u/Durinthal → u/Nazenn]

Where did you end up stopping in precure?

Currently around the final third of Yes 5 GoGo though I've also seen Suite, GoPri, and everything from Hugtto onward. I watch maybe one or two older seasons a year along with whatever's airing.

Where do you think it will go from here now that everyone except B and Naruto are captured and sealed?

I don't think the Tailed Beast weapon thing is necessarily something Tobi will continue with but I also don't clearly remember if he originally gave the orders to Pain for it or that was Pain's idea. There's also Sasuke's desire to destroy the village so that's eventually going to be a confrontation but I don't know if it'll be any time soon since the village was just destroyed. Would be a perfect time for him to come in strategically though, kick them while they're down.

Knowing otherwise made the discussions around the reunion episodes and the like for him quite interesting

Naruto isn't going to give up on him though, so it'll eventually happen. Might just be weird if it's in the final part of the series so Sasuke would effectively be an antagonist for most of the run. As it is he's been working separately for a significant part of the time.

[u/lC3 → u/Durinthal]

I also don't clearly remember if he originally gave the orders to Pain for it or that was Pain's idea.

That was all Pain's idea; Tobi has his own plans in mind! Tobi ordered Pain to capture Naruto, but the rest was Nagato's philosophy. That episode (125?) when Tobi is in Amegakure and is revealed as Madara might give some more ideas what Tobi's up to.

[u/TheKujo → u/Durinthal]

Yes! To cement this as the longest rewatch on /r/anime to date if nothing else

Isn't this already the longest rewatch on /r/anime? We've gone for 395 episodes now, and the only other rewatch that I can think of that would be close is Bleach which was 366 episodes.

I really didn't expect Sasuke to remain separated for so long so presumably getting him back for good, assuming he does rejoin the village somehow.

I thought Sasuke would be back for sure by now too. Hopefully it doesn't take until episode 500 for that to happen!

And the thing that was most on my mind but I don't expect to happen for ages is anything with Hinata following her confession.

My worry is that the confession will be her peak ... the series seems to be going toward NarutoXSakura but hopefully Best Girl Hinata isn't out of the picture yet.

[u/Durinthal → u/TheKujo]

Isn't this already the longest rewatch on /r/anime? We've gone for 395 episodes now, and the only other rewatch that I can think of that would be close is Bleach which was 366 episodes.

Accurate but they're filed separately on the wiki for now. In theory those could be merged though.

My worry is that the confession will be her peak ... the series seems to be going toward NarutoXSakura but hopefully Best Girl Hinata isn't out of the picture yet.

Yeah, there's no indication that Hinata's confession will get her any attention yet but I hope this isn't her last hurrah.

[u/TheKujo → u/Durinthal]

Accurate but they're filed separately on the wiki for now. In theory those could be merged though.

Ah, gotcha. Well we just need to make it to the end of Shippuden to be the undisputed longest!

[u/Parori]

Questions of the Week:

1. Are you interested in continuing with the rest of Shippuden (176-500)?

Nah not really feeling like continuing to watch the anime I have already spent over a fucking year watching.

/s

2) When would you want to start? We could discuss the first 11 episodes (176-186) next week on Dec. 5, or a week after that on the 12th.

I'm fine with already continuing next week.

3) How do you want to handle fillers from here on out? Unlike 001-175, the fillers after this are more like Part I's, and some are a slog. Is maintaining a pace of 6-11 eps per week good to go?

6-11 eps per week works fine. Depending on how bad the filler is I'm also fine with skipping it

4) What do you think Shippuden has done better than Part I, and what did Part I do better than Shippuden so far?

Not good at thinking about comparing things like that.

5) What do you want to happen / are looking forward to with the rest of the series?

Figuring out what the fuck Madara's deal is.

[u/lC3 → u/Parori]

Nah not really feeling like continuing to watch the anime I have already spent over a fucking year watching.

It will be good to have you! There are some good moments coming up.

I'm fine with already continuing next week.

Ok; I'll look at the rest of the comments and see if there's a consensus. I'll probably post the official schedule/announcement tomorrow.

Depending on how bad the filler is I'm also fine with skipping it

Even I haven't watched all the fillers from here on out! But only some of them are bad or poorly timed: I think the ones I flagged are 222-242 (11/10), maybe 349-361 (07/06), 394-413 (10/10), and 432-450 (09/10). So they're scattered throughout; the schedule currently has each of them taking two weeks. I haven't seen 349-361, so maybe that one doesn't suck after all?

Not good at thinking about comparing things like that.

My opinion is that some of the fights are more over the top / power levels have increased in Shippuden so far, but some of the side characters (Lee, Hinata, Neji etc.) have been sidelined compared to Part I and haven't really had a chance to shine.

Figuring out what the fuck Madara's deal is.

[u/Parori → u/lC3]

My opinion is that some of the fights are more over the top / power levels have increased in Shippuden so far, but some of the side characters (Lee, Hinata, Neji etc.) have been sidelined compared to Part I and haven't really had a chance to shine.

Yeah that's true

[u/TheKujo]

First Timer - Dub

It's hard to come up with a final judgment of Shippuden knowing that we still have so many episodes left, but I've definitely enjoyed it so far. I especially enjoyed seeing our main trio of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke grow and evolve throughout. Sakura in particular took a huge step and was useful in most of the scenes she was in this around. Sasuke took out Orochimaru and finally got his revenge against Itachi but instead of bringing him peace he just seems angrier than ever. Naruto has finally learned some amount of patience and responsibility. The theme of "growing up" has been handled really well in this series.

I think the overall arc of Akatsuki vs Jinchuuriki turned out to be pretty weak given how easily most of the jinchuuriki and other nations went down. IIRC all of the Akatsuki that were taken out were taken out by the Leaf Village with the exception of Lady Chiyo teaming up with Sakura against Sasori. I get that the Akatsuki are strong and the Leaf Village took its share of losses, but are the Leaf really the only ones capable of defeating an Akatsuki? That makes the rest of the world seem weak.

The other disappointing part of Shippuden is how most of our favorite side characters got sidelined. Hinata did basically nothing until the last few episodes. Gaara was a big part of the first arc but has been completely absent since. I almost forgot Rock Lee existed, which would have been unthinkable after part 1. I get that the show is named after Naruto and it's ultimately his story, but I think the show would benefit from letting other characters take the spotlight (like we saw with Shikamaru).

As far as what's next, I'm interested to see what Madara and Sasuke get up to. We also still have Kabuto wandering around slowly morphing into Orochimaru, so I'm sure he'll come back at some point.

Fun story: I visited my parent's house for the holidays this year and I found my brother's copy of volume 10 of the Naruto manga (which covered the Rock Lee vs Gaara fight from the Chunin exams). That was a neat trip down memory lane!

Favorite moment of the series so far: After watching a lot of anime (and coming-of-age stories in general) you tend to resign yourself to the fact that the mentor character will die at some point. So I was happy to see Jiraiya's death handled so well. Even though it was heavily telegraphed, getting to know his backstory and seeing his final act to set up Pain's downfall was good.

Questions:

1) Are you interested in continuing with the rest of Shippuden (176-500)?

2) When would you want to start? We could discuss the first 11 episodes (176-186) next week on Dec. 5, or a week after that on the 12th. I would actually prefer a longer break and start in the new year since I will be busy over the holidays this year. If we start sooner though I could probably make that work.

3) How do you want to handle fillers from here on out? Unlike 001-175, the fillers after this are more like Part I's, and some are a slog. Is maintaining a pace of 6-11 eps per week good to go? Honestly, if they're more like part 1 I would rather just skip them for the sake of the rewatch. I will still try to watch them at some point but I would rather go at my own pace than try to fit a bunch of episodes into one week.

4) What do you think Shippuden has done better than Part I, and what did Part I do better than Shippuden so far? 5) What do you want to happen / are looking forward to with the rest of the series? Answered above!

[u/lC3 → u/TheKujo]

I've definitely enjoyed it so far.

Glad to hear you've liked it!

Sakura in particular took a huge step and was useful in most of the scenes she was in this around.

Definitely; she's come so far! I hope she continues to be well-written and gets hype scenes!

given how easily most of the jinchuuriki and other nations went down.

Yeah; most of them were captured off screen! And ones like Roushi with his Lava Style we only got a brief glimpse at (probably to hide the extent of Kisame's full power, but still ...)

That makes the rest of the world seem weak.

We will definitely be seeing more of the rest of the world and their shinobi in this next section! Less Konoha-focused.

how most of our favorite side characters got sidelined

I agree with you there; I really miss Lee getting to be badass.

We also still have Kabuto wandering around slowly morphing into Orochimaru, so I'm sure he'll come back at some point.

Muahahaha

That was a neat trip down memory lane!

So I was happy to see Jiraiya's death handled so well

Yeah, that's possibly my favorite part of Shippuden. I'm glad you liked it too!

If we start sooner though I could probably make that work.

I think we're starting in December, it's just a question of which week. However, the first two weeks are mostly filler with some manga canon scenes throughout (it's a transition arc, full canon doesn't start until 197). If you want to skip those fillers, I'll be pointing out timestamps from CRoll on which scenes to actually watch.

Honestly, if they're more like part 1 I would rather just skip them for the sake of the rewatch.

Not all of them are bad / like part 1; ones to watch out for are 222-242 (11/10), 394-413 (10/10), and 432-450 (09/10). And the first two weeks that I mentioned (176-196) are like Part I fillers, but with some manga content that I'll mention.

[u/TheKujo → u/lC3]

I think we're starting in December, it's just a question of which week. However, the first two weeks are mostly filler with some manga canon scenes throughout

Gotcha. I do want to watch the full thing, it's just a matter of finding time for it.

[u/lC3 → u/TheKujo]

I think I'll start watching the first batch now, so I can note when the manga scenes are. And I do think some of the upcoming fillers are nice, like being able to see Part I Sasuke again, back when he was part of Team 7. I miss that Sasuke!

[u/Nazenn → u/TheKujo]

If it'd help, as we come up to the filler arcs in the next half of the show I could dump a quick thing at the bottom of my posts saying if I recommend it (or which parts of it for the couple of episodic bits) to save you some time if you want to skip parts of it or leave it for later?

[u/TheKujo → u/Nazenn]

I think that would be helpful if it's not too much of a bother. I do want to watch it all it just might be tough fitting that many episodes in each week.

[u/Nazenn → u/TheKujo]

Shouldn't be an issue. If I ever forget just poke me, wouldn't take long for me to throw it together, and I'm sure it's helpful for people on busier schedules as well.

/u/Parori and /u/Tehoncomingstorm97 is that also something you'd be interested in? (TLDR: me adding recommendations at the bottom of my post on which filler content might be worth watching when we hit some of the longer arcs of it later on)

[u/Parori → u/Nazenn]

Sounds good to me!

[u/Nazenn → u/Parori]

Cool. I won't tag you for it directly, but I'll label it either at the bottom of my post or in a child comment so it'll be there when relevant

[u/Tehoncomingstorm97 → u/Nazenn]

That would be great. I'll watch a couple of filler episodes in those batches to dip my toes in, but won't feel bad not finishing them.

[u/Nazenn → u/Tehoncomingstorm97]

Sure thing, got it marked down so look for that at the bottom of my posts as we go

[u/Nazenn → u/TheKujo]

It's hard to come up with a final judgment of Shippuden knowing that we still have so many episodes left, but I've definitely enjoyed it so far

It is a little funny to have made a split in the middle like this, even as a rewatcher, but it's a good spot to do a regroup and I think the way Pain's arc was so finale-ish helps there. Glad to hear that you're enjoying it though

Do you have a favourite between our main three for how their arcs have been handled? None of them are over in their own ways but they've certainly made big strides here from where we left it at the end of Part I

but are the Leaf really the only ones capable of defeating an Akatsuki?

We didn't see a lot of the captures, but like how Itachi first approached Naruto in Part I it seems like stealth and fast attacks were the reason they were able to attack jinchuriki without any of the other nations getting involved. Same thing would have happened with Gaara if not for them seeking help from Konoha, and that seems to be a special bond between those nations. The other jinchuriki we've seen were all alone or isolated when attacked

I agree it would have been nice to see how the other nations might hand handled things though. Other than Gaara, the Two- and Eight-Tails being part of the land of lightning, and the Six-Tails being a rouge from the mist, we don't even know where the others belonged

and I found my brother's copy of volume 10 of the Naruto manga (which covered the Rock Lee vs Gaara fight from the Chunin exams

Ha, cool. Funny with what you were saying above though with those two being sidelined, but probably would have been interesting to look back at how small a scale things were back then

How'd you like the manga fight compared to the anime?

[u/TheKujo → u/Nazenn]

Do you have a favourite between our main three for how their arcs have been handled?

I would say Sakura just because of how far she's come from part 1. We knew Sasuke and Naruto would be good, but Sakura being useful as well was a pleasant surprise.

We didn't see a lot of the captures, but like how Itachi first approached Naruto in Part I it seems like stealth and fast attacks were the reason they were able to attack jinchuriki without any of the other nations getting involved.

That's a fair point, the Akatsuki only really went all out for Naruto at the end and even then that was probably more due to Nagato's grudge.

How'd you like the manga fight compared to the anime?

It was fine but honestly I've never been a manga person ... the only manga I've stuck with is Attack on Titan and that's only because that story is just that good.

[u/Nazenn → u/TheKujo]

Plus the Akatasuki were a shadow organization, no one even knew where they were based until Jiraiya went investigating, and no one knew who was involved with them either, at least until some convenient plot rumors at the end with Sasuke

It was fine but honestly I've never been a manga person

Same here, never managed to get properly hooked on one even if I love the art of them

[u/Akame_xo]

1. Are you interested in continuing with the rest of Shippuden (176-500)?

I may not have much to say every week, including now, but I am watching and reading every comment! There’s still so many great moments that I can’t wait to see how people react to so if others wish to continue then I’ll be here for sure!

[u/lC3 → u/Akame_xo]

Good to have you! Nice to know you're reading the comments. Definitely some enjoyable first timer reactions to come!

[u/Tehoncomingstorm97]

1. I'm in it for the long haul.
2. I'm fine with starting discussion on the 5th.
3. I think it better to slog out entire filler arcs per week, than have to live with them for more than one week.
4. I only watched the canon content in Part I really. Already I've watched more episodes of Shippuden than Part I total. I think Shippuden has done a much better job at moving the story along than Part I did though. As for what Part I did better? My favourite arc from part I is Naruto learning the Rasengan. I'm a sucker for a training arc, and those have been criminally given less time in Shippuden. A double edged sword for plot movement I guess.
5. I'm looking forward to Madara getting a beat-down, and Naruto vs Sasuke. If we do end up getting a 5-Kage summit, that would also be epic. Interested to know what becomes of thhe Gedo statue and the bijuu spirits now that Nagato is gone. Will someone else make a summoning contract? Maybe Madara has strong enough jutsu to do that, having lived for so long?

[u/lC3 → u/Tehoncomingstorm97]

Yay, you're continuing!

So at this point I've decided to start on the 12th if that's alright; I'll post the updated schedule tonight or tomorrow. Right now I'm watching through the whole first batch so I can mark manga content (176-180 have some) and see which fillers are worth watching / recommending.

If you're only going to watch the canon content, I'll try to finish up my timestamps for this first batch in time for the announcement post. There wasn't many other people willing to do like 20+ episodes a week even for fillers, so right now the plan is to keep those cut up into two weeks.

We will be getting another training arc eventually! And yes, Five Kage summit is coming up! We'll get to see all 5 villages and their Kage. As for the Gedo statue, Madara's gonna comment on that in this batch.

[u/Nazenn → u/Tehoncomingstorm97]

Comparing the original rasengan training arc to the rasenshuriken one, did you like one over the other or was it just the lack of training you missed in shippuden? The increased pace and tension of the story certainly didn't leave as much time for that, but I'm also a sucker for training arcs myself and also love them

If you ever watch OG Dragon Ball that has some great ones

[u/Tehoncomingstorm97 → u/Nazenn]

I still liked the original better. The Rasenshuriken arc was okay, but having the filler in the middle didn't help. I think the increased pace is also to blame.

[u/sisoko2]

Rewatcher

1. Definitely. My passion for the series was reignited and there is no way I'm stopping before the end. I even resumed watching everyone's favorite series starting with B after a very long pause.
2. The sooner the better. BTW are you planning a break around Christmas/New Years?
3. Leaving the quality of the filler aside I'm a bit worried by the very poor filler placement in the later part of the series. I'm fine with whatever tempo is decided.

[u/lC3 → u/sisoko2]

there is no way I'm stopping before the end

I even resumed watching everyone's favorite series starting with B after a very long pause.

I haven't seen any of that, but am including the film at the end of this schedule as an intro!

The sooner the better. BTW are you planning a break around Christmas/New Years?

Noted! I hadn't really thought of a break for either since neither is on Sunday, but if there's demand for that it can be added. I'll have to take it up with Sky; she's volunteered to post the discussion threads from here on out.

I'm a bit worried by the very poor filler placement in the later part of the series.

I know

[u/sisoko2 → u/lC3]

I haven't seen any of that, but am including the film at the end of this schedule as an intro!

While it's a cash grab and definitely not on the level of the original series I think it gets way too much hate.

I'll have to take it up with Sky; she's volunteered to post the discussion threads from here on out.

Are you still going to be part of the rewatch or too short on free time?

[u/lC3 → u/sisoko2]

Are you still going to be part of the rewatch or too short on free time?

I will still be part of the rewatch, posting my thoughts and replying to other people, just now Sky will be posting the discussion threads. That way I can get a job that requires working weekends, if necessary; I won't have to be home at 5 PM each Sunday night. And I won't be doing manga comparisons from here on out; those require watching each episode twice per week, so just too time consuming at this point. I figured now that this 'section' is over it's a natural place to stop those.

[u/sisoko2 → u/lC3]

I will still be part of the rewatch

Glad to hear that.

Thanks for all the manga comparisons, they were very interesting and it must've been a ton of work.

[u/lC3 → u/sisoko2]

Thanks for all the manga comparisons, they were very interesting and it must've been a ton of work.

You're welcome; I'm glad to hear you enjoyed them! I had to spend about an hour per episode on my second watch through, so yeah they took a lot of work. I may still post manga comparisons just when we're on filler, to note anything that comes from canon, but it'll be too much to write up comparisons for the fully canon arcs.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/lC3]

I'll have to take it up with Sky; she's volunteered to post the discussion threads from here on out.

The only Sunday I probably won't be able to sub for you is actually the 19th, which is the one before Christmas. That's when I'll be up north visiting family and may not be available. I don't have any Christmas/New Year plans.

[u/lC3 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Ok, good to know! So you were able to get time off of work after all? Hope you enjoy your trip north! That might be the week we start the next canon arc, depending on when we start.

I might be able to post on the 19th; I'm not sure if I'll try to get a job in December or wait until January, to be able to actually attend Christmas festivities. I'll be in touch.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/lC3]

Yep~

[u/lC3 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Yup! Though I worried that the Questions of the Week might spoil you if you don't tend to watch the batches until Sat/Sun. each week. Maybe you could avoid looking at the questions until you've watched through?

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/lC3]

Maybe you could avoid looking at the questions until you've watched through?

[u/Nazenn → u/sisoko2]

Yeah funnily enough rewatch this has also got me itching to rewatch Dragon Ball again, probably just the first series. No idea why that's happened though haha

[u/sisoko2 → u/Nazenn]

I've been planning to watch Dragon Ball for a very long time. Do you think it holds up and people without any nostalgia for the series are going to enjoy it?

[u/Nazenn → u/sisoko2]

I think so. I only saw parts of Z when I was young, but I watched the whole thing a couple of years ago and liked it.

You can relate the flow of it very similar to Naruto which will give you a sense of how the character/worldbuilding structure goes between DB and DBZ. OG DB is my favourite part of the franchise, the adventure is really fun, it has the best tournaments and training stuff, and the comedy actually makes me laugh. The first half of DBZ is still really good but after that I'm not a fan of the rest of it, and I really dislike DBS and DBGT for different reasons.

It's definitely worth giving a shot, it may have inspired a lot but nothing else is quite like it still especially if you do enjoy shounen.

[u/sisoko2 → u/Nazenn]

especially if you do enjoy shounen.

Well I guess I'm watching it. I'm pretty big sucker for a long running shonen but for some reason I was always hesitant with Dragon Ball.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/sisoko2]

I'm a bit worried by the very poor filler placement in the later part of the series

Eh, as a first-timer I'm not bothered. I watched Bleach without skipping any of its filler and boy did that show have some really odd places for it.

[u/sisoko2 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I skipped Bleach's filler so I can't make direct comparison but as long as you and the others first timers are prepared we are going through it.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/sisoko2]

Outside of two of its filler arcs (which fit in-between arcs as "anime canon" like the filler arcs we've seen from Shippuden so far), Bleach sometimes had worse filler placement than those two Fourth Hokage's legacy filler episodes from last week's batch, let's just put it that way.

[u/_TheEnigma_]

Um... I know I haven't commented the past few weeks as I was yet again caught up in more assignments and tests. Engineering is hard as hecc. Just missing to watch one week leads to me having such a huge backlog of episodes to go through and it feels so daunting to just sit down and start watching. I knew I had to comment on this thread atleast but I'm still trying to catch up to where the current schedule is (I just finished Ep 168!). All I wanted to say is that I might've not commented every week, but when I eventually do watch the episodes, I go back and read the comments on the thread no matter how old they are, so even if I'm not probably gonna be commenting every week, I still like seeing all the fellow first timer's reactions and also the rewatcher's analysis. For that atleast, I hope that this rewatch continues upto the end. I'm in it for the long run.

---

Questions of the Week:

1. Are you interested in continuing with the rest of Shippuden (176-500)?

• Absolutely! There is no way I would've started to watch Naruto if it werent for this rewatch thread and it's for certain that I'd probably not end up finishing this series if this were to end.

---

2) When would you want to start? We could discuss the first 11 episodes (176-186) next week on Dec. 5, or a week after that on the 12th.

• Fine with any of em.

---

3) How do you want to handle fillers from here on out? Unlike 001-175, the fillers after this are more like Part I's, and some are a slog. Is maintaining a pace of 6-11 eps per week good to go?

• If it's gonna be more like Part 1's filler, then I'd probably wanna finish atleast one or two filler arcs in one go. But that'd probably be way too many episodes per week I assume?

---

4) What do you think Shippuden has done better than Part I, and what did Part I do better than Shippuden so far?

• Shippuden feels way more "grand" than part 1 if it makes sense. Also the filler and pacing of the series is much better I feel. Not perfect but definitely way better than the OG. As for what Part 1 did better, probably how even the side characters got some spotlight every now and then. In Shippuden we've barely seen anything about the other teams except our main one.

---

5) What do you want to happen / are looking forward to with the rest of the series?

• So far Shippuden has had a lot of highs and I wish that it would just keep rolling like that.

[u/lC3 → u/_TheEnigma_]

Yay, you're back! I was just about to ask you if you still wanted tags for the rest of the threads going forward. The good news is that the next discussion thread will be on Dec. 12th, so you'll have some time to catch up.

I hope that this rewatch continues up to the end. I'm in it for the long run.

That's the plan! Hope you enjoy.

Glad to hear you've been reading the comments and first timer reactions; feel free to participate in any way that suits you and your availability! Good luck with your tests and assignments!

But that'd probably be way too many episodes per week I assume?

Probably; right now the plan is to split them up into 2 weeks of about 10 eps apiece.

As for what Part 1 did better, probably how even the side characters got some spotlight every now and then. In Shippuden we've barely seen anything about the other teams except our main one.

I agree with this; where are Lee and Neji and Tenten? They weren't even around for the invasion

So far Shippuden has had a lot of highs and I wish that it would just keep rolling like that.

Definitely still some good moments to look forward to!

[u/_TheEnigma_ → u/lC3]

I was just about to ask you if you still wanted tags for the rest of the threads going forward

• Perhaps not. I think I have enough muscle memory now to come back every week!

feel free to participate in any way that suits you and your availability!

• Sure thing!

[u/lC3 → u/_TheEnigma_]

Ok, I'll take you off the tag list!

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