Naruto: Why the Anbu seem so weak

The Anbu Black Ops consists of an elite group of shinobis in the Naruto series. They are a team of covert operatives deployed in some of the most sensitive missions. Anbu is a shortened term for Ansatsu Senju Tokushu Butai, which translates to Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.

Naturally, those who join this squad are assigned missions that ideally cannot be traced back to Konohagakure. It is safe to say that the Anbu Black Ops in the Naruto series consists of strong shinobis with top-tier combat abilities that very few can match.

However, a major chunk of the fandom believes that the Anbu Black Ops is quite weak. However, this is not the reality. Looking into the working of this organization will give fans some clarity as to why it is strong.

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The Anbu is a strong organization in Naruto, contrary to beliefs

Simply put, the biggest reason why the majority of the fanbase thinks that the Anbu is a weak organization is because it barely receives any screen time. The series majorly focuses on the story of individual characters, thus there hardly any time to flesh out the arc of the organization.

Itachi, Kakashi, and Yamato were all in the Anbu Black Ops. The inclusion of these three characters shows that this is not a weak organization by any means.

Another important aspect of this organization is its recruitment criteria. Every member of the Anbu Black Ops is hand-picked by the Hokage, and the average age of the candidates is about 13 years.

Recruitment is highly methodical and objective: Even if a shinobi is exceptionally talented in combat, they will be rejected if they do not possess the right attitude for this position. The missions that are assigned to them involve secret assassinations and retrieving sensitive information in order to gain a political advantage.

In the Naruto series, all the Anbu Black Ops members conceal their identities by wearing masks and are identified by their code names. The members are highly trained in combat, and study medicine and the human body to perfect the best methods to kill someone without being noticed. Members are also expected to kill themselves if they are injured so that they cannot be interrogated.

The Anbu Black Ops in Konohagakure had a division called the Root, which was led by the man that has been hated by the entire Naruto fanbase - Danzo Shimura.

As Naruto progressed, fans understood more about the Root division and realized how ruthless it was. Members were asked to abandon their emotions completely in order to follow Danzo’s orders without question.

While individual members might not be as strong as characters like Obito or Madara, the organization is nonetheless formidable.