Naruto vs. Neji is still tearing the fandom apart (even 20 years later)

Naruto vs. Neji is a topic that, to this day, causes endless debates among fans of the series. Furthermore, there are plenty of YouTube content creators who have given their opinions on this fight. Plenty of content creators and fans alike have given extremely different opinions on this, which has divided the entire fanbase.

Some believe it to be a fight that highlighted the theme of “hard work vs. talent,” while others think that it was a commentary on the concept of fate. How one perceives and reads into this fight is largely subjective, but certain hints give us a clear idea of what the author, Masashi Kishimoto, intended to highlight.

Let us attempt to understand the fight in detail to get a clear picture of the themes that are explored in the Naruto series.

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Analysis and fan reactions of the fight that took place between Naruto and Neji

A big chunk of the fanbase believes that this fight between Neji and Naruto highlighted the theme of talent and hard work. In this case, Neji represented talent, while Naruto represented hard work.

The protagonist of this series took his training quite seriously, and since he received more screen time, fans believed that Neji relied solely on talent. It was not the case since the Hyuga clan member took pride in his abilities but also worked hard for them. He was always seen training and working on his taijutsu abilities.

The thing that gave the protagonist the edge was Kurama chakra—something that he didn’t work hard for. Therefore, the real theme of this fight was the concept of fate. According to Neji, everything that happened in the world was predetermined and bound by fate.

When Neji was selected as Naruto’s opponent, the latter’s fate was sealed too. It is also the same reason why he showed the mark on his forehead, which was proof of his fate as someone who was born in the Side branch of the Hyuga clan.

When Neji stated that Naruto was destined to lose, he didn’t want to prove that he could beat Neji with hard work. Instead, he wanted to prove that one can write their own destiny. While it might seem like things are predetermined, one can always control their own destiny through perseverance and effort.

While both of these characters believed in hard work, one believed in fate being sealed. The other, however, chose to take charge of his life and went on to become the Hokage. It’s safe to say that plenty of fans agreed to this stance as well.

That being said, the interpretation might differ from person to person, and some might believe that Masashi Kishimoto has been given too much credit for this fight scene. The entire story wasn't planned out from the get-go, and therefore, the rest of the story recontextualizes this particular event.

While it might have started out as a simple "hard work vs. talent" fight, the rest of the story and Neji's character development play a role in how one perceives this fight.

It is also another reason why this particular fight in the anime and manga series is still debated. This event continues to be a hot topic, which often leads to heated discussions and even toxicity on social media platforms and forums such as Reddit and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.