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Many believe Naruto Shippuden should have ended after the Pain arc due to its quality and emotional impact. The arc, featuring Naruto's fight against Pain, who killed Jiraiya, is often seen as the series' peak. Pain, initially perceived as Akatsuki's leader and most powerful villain, embodied the ultimate threat to Naruto and the Hidden Leaf Village.
The arc felt like a fitting finale, yet the story continued with the Fourth Great Ninja War. Despite its potential, the War arc is criticized for being less engaging and having some of the series' lowest points, sparking debate on where Naruto Shippuden should have concluded.
Reasons for why the Pain Assault arc shouldn't have been the final arc in Naruto Shippuden
While the Fourth Great Ninja War arc had its flaws, issues in Naruto Shippuden were evident even before the widely acclaimed Pain arc. Examples include Sasuke's convoluted storyline, Kabuto's development, the Akatsuki plans, the Madara Uchiha reveal, and Nagato's backstory.
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Naruto part 1 focused on Naruto and his friends, while Shippuden expanded the saga, making the Naruto world feel much larger. This expansion enriched the lore but made the stories feel less intimate. By the time Pain attacked the Hidden Leaf Village, the series' narrative had already become stretched thin.
Naruto Shippuden's increased power scale and character count made the story more ambitious but harder to execute. With numerous characters and plotlines, maintaining a Naruto-centered narrative like in part 1 became difficult.
Consequently, the flaws seen in the War arc were already emerging midway through the series. Arcs like Shikamaru's Revenge and the Pain storyline were highlights, making these flaws less noticeable.
The notion that Naruto Shippuden should have ended after the Pain arc is flawed for one major reason – unresolved storylines. Tobi revealed himself as Madara Uchiha right before Pain attacked the Leaf Village, meaning Shippuden couldn't end there.
The prospect of Madara Uchiha still being alive and controlling the Akatsuki was too significant to be quickly resolved after Pain. Thus, defeating Pain wouldn't have ended all of Naruto's problems, as the Madara Uchiha issue remained.
Another major unresolved storyline was Sasuke's. After killing Itachi and learning the truth about the Uchihas and the Leaf, Sasuke joined the Akatsuki to avenge his brother.
Sasuke's fate had been the series' biggest question since the end of Naruto part 1, which meant Naruto had to fight Sasuke at least once before the show ended. Between Madara's reveal and Sasuke's story, Naruto Shippuden couldn't conclude right after the Pain arc.
How the Fourth Great Ninja War could've been better in Naruto Shippuden
The biggest issue with Naruto Shippuden wasn't stopping at the Pain arc but the execution of subsequent storylines. The Fourth Great Ninja War, meant to be the show's climax, became fragmented with poor pacing. Fillers, already a problem in the series, increased during this arc, diverting focus from key characters like Naruto and Sasuke to numerous subplots.
While some battles, such as Madara vs. the Shinobi Alliance, became iconic, many War arc fights were repetitive and involved secondary characters. The mix of manga canon with filler episodes also diluted the narrative.
By the time Obito Uchiha's reveal and the final chapter began, the arc had already faltered. A more consistent Fourth Great Ninja War arc could have enhanced the final battles with Madara, Obito, and Kaguya.
The idea of all Shinobi uniting to protect Naruto and Killer-Bee from the Akatsuki was compelling. The War had been foreshadowed since the series' start, with Naruto's generation destined to face it.
With numerous powerful characters and unresolved mysteries, the Fourth Great Ninja War and post-Pain arc content had the potential to create a strong concluding segment for Naruto Shippuden.
Final thoughts
Naruto Shippuden should have extended the story after the Pain arc with a better-executed Fourth Great Ninja War. Saving Sasuke's story for the end and introducing Kaguya to defeat Madara were poorly planned but could have worked with adjustments. The ambitious setup of the Pain arc ultimately fell short.
Related links:
- Why was Madara Uchiha so strong in Naruto? Explained
- Was Izuna as strong as Madara in Naruto? Explained
- Himawari's Tailed Beast Bomb in latest Boruto leaks prove this Kurama is different from Naruto's
