I believe in yesterdat

Just like Phoenix Wright, amirite?

I don't know anyone who watches it in the States

I think my sarcasm detector must be off, because I can't tell if you're serious or not.

it's got a pretty big following in my area. but then again i'm in australia.
looking forward to it, either way.

@Phil Ulrich:
Think mine is off too. That's a tough one to call. :P

Gahdamn buncha narutards. That show plays more filler than DBZ, and thats just sad.

You can't swing a dead loli an an anime convention and not hit 5 or 6 Naruto headbands.

There's plenty of narutards around, unfortunately. They're drawn to the saftey-orange and sandals of the main character like fatgirls to cheetos.

I don't think it was sarcasm as she is assumes that Yu-Gi-Oh! fans are the people globbing onto this anime. Although the US dubbed version is utterly horrible, the original versions aren't too bad. Other than that, like Fahey told Crecente previously:
http://kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-360/naruto-rise-of-the-ninja...
"...you can't swing an axe at an anime con without hitting a Naruto headband."

BTW, if you hate it so much, let someone who is more interested blog it.

@ElijahDProphet:
dattebayo! i used to watch the japanese version before it simultaneously got licensed/went into a full year of wretched filler. now, watching the american reaction to it and having seen little slices of the dub, i just distance myself and enjoy the fond memories of the chuunin exam and that gamecube fighter i imported (gekitou ninja taisen 3 IIRC). that game was actually pretty cool at the time.

I wish there were fansub groups for the anime games released in Japan, so we don't end up with the games based off the Americanised, butchered and kid friendly version of the shows......

It's pretty amazing now that the filler has ended. That is, if you watch fansubs, not the official dubs.

D3 Publisher is one of the recent, rare publishers that have actually shown real potential for future fun. This is the second time Kim has slammed them.

Yeah the Naruto -anime isn't that bad for what it is. 10 years ago I would've like it. I mean it has ninjas. Turtles had ninjas and it was crap, but I still have those damn action figures. Teenageboys + ninjas = happiness.
Also the Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen fighting games are great. Don't know about these rpg's though.

The dub shows isn't even that darn bad. Just a few minor edits here and there and that's it. Haters just want to exaggerate stuff just way too much...

Looking forward to the game.

i just thing it is kinda ironic.

Westerners have this crazy love for these eastern ninja types,

And easterners just have this love for pirates that come from the western side of the world.

That looks like a cute game. I'd try it.

@Chikebo:

a few minor edits?!

@whitesankuro

...Have you even looked at that site? They consider translating on-screen text edits...and a lto of the ones are so minor...they actually add blood to one scene, redo crappy animation, ancd most of them are from the early part of the show, where they edited more.

Take this one:
http://www.anime-editz.net/naruto_editz_034.php

Evil editors, inproving animation, translating signs!

@Kaikara: Naurto: Rise of the Ninja is such a game, but it looks like it'll be one of the best Naruto (or even anime)-based games. You should look it up if you haven't already.

Naruto's popular in the US. Else, they wouldn't be bring out all of these products (and succeeding!).Every kid I've come across over the past six months knows about it, and can name at least five characters.

I still can't understand how people point the finger to the english dub or filler episodes as why Naruto is bad. Even at its very best, Naruto is tied down by how slowly everything unfolds. It is as if you aren't expected to understand what is going on the first time they tell you, so they repeat the situation again later. Then they stretch out fights with random banter or reactions that come off feeling empty in the middle of what is supposed a heated battle. Often you have two or three episodes that should have been one episode.

The fighting layout in Naruto hurts itself to accomadate all of this, and as a result the fights feel fake half the time (and I'm not talking about suspending disbelief in ninjustu here, that's perfectly fine). I'd like to feel that there is some logic to the fighting, such as feeling that the fight unfolding continuously with actions and reactions happening by the second. Instead the fighting is stitled. It is as if they pared down fighting to lobbing spells back forth just so the characters can voice their emotional state inbetween: "what, he actually survived?" "I've got to put my all into my next attack!" etc.

It's still an okay show that I'll watch on occasion, but it is obviously a show utterly trapped by stereotypical shounen action anime conventions. I've seen most of the Cartoon network airings, and I do remember a few episodes were you get to see very good emotional development in Naruto and Sakura. It's not like the show is totally bland. But compare Naruto to Full Metal Alchemist (especially the first 26 or so episodes) which is still another shounen action show but it pays much, much more attention to fighting choeregraphy and emotional development.

@Protofunk:

Narutards. I'll have to remember that one. I just seriously don't understand what people see in this show. Choppy edit fight scenes, annoying voiced, beasty (I'm assuming since he has whiskers) ninja boy who always manages to overcome his opponents through his strength of will or some such crap. It's so cliche it's tired. Also what kind of ninja (the epitome of stealth and secrecy) wears bright fucking day-glo orange?

@whitesanjuro:

Few minor edits. Translating Japanese texts and removing some blood is consider terrible?! Please, seems like your one of those types that just like their blood and gore.

@dosboot: Sounds a lot like Dragonball Z and all of its spinoffs (besides Dragonball, which I actually enjoyed as a kid for some reason).

But, I just have to join the Narutard bashwagon. I cannot stand this show the slightest bit. Naruto's voice just makes me want to throw myself out the balcony. It haunts me in my sleep... T__T

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURLTES > NARUTO...then again
Turtles in Time > Halo :D

*Initiating flame shield*

Goku can wipe out the entire naruto universe by a single kamehameha, so there ;)

@dosboot:

How much shonen anime have you seen? Clearly not much...most every shonen anime has this back and forth during battle scenes: "what? you survived that?" "yeah, now witness my power 2 attack" It's just kinda how the genre works. FMA isn't a strict shonen show, so it was a bit different...

And the people complaining because Naruto wears an orange jumpsuit? Yeah...we get it...ninjas shouldn't wear orange...but that's the whole point of his character. He's trying to be different and do his own thing.

As to the poster's statement that they don't know anybody who watches the show...they must not know many people between 15 and 30. Hell, every time I walk into any random gamestop, it seems like the store employees mention the latest fansub.

ok...end of defensive Naruto rant for the day

I wasn't really happy with the Cartoon Network version, and, much like dosboot, I'm also irritated by the slowly developing episodes. I pretty much stopped watching the anime for content because the manga is waaay better.

With that said, I'd play this game if it didn't embarrass itself by being dragged down by anime likeness.

@Furious_Liver: The dub voice or the japanese original? The dub version sounds like the death-cry of a million squirrels- then again, most dub-jobs do. You're only giving this show a real chance if you watch the original JP version.

"a few minor edits?!"

If the sum total criticism that web site can bring to bear is that they changed the signs from their native Japanese to English...you know, like most fansubs DO, then I'm not sure what the problem is. Removing the blood splatter from a few shots (without actually removing the violence itself) hardly seems like a show-stopper, either. The obsessive documentation of minor changes on that site (one edit was a little darker? one edit redrew Naruto's eyes for one shot? Changing one characters cigarette so it's unlit? Seriously, this what people are complaining about?)

If you want to see what a bad editing job looks like, hunt down something like the butcher job that was done to Saint Seiya or the first horrible version of Nausicaa. Calling the Naruto dub horrible merely shows a total lack of perspective. Character names are kept; violence is left in, for the most part. Minor content edits to accomadate US broadcasting standards allows Naruto to reach a broad audience..which is why it's one of the highest rated shows on CN.

As for artificially extending fights....compare the anime with the manga. This has been a problem since the 80s. When Dr. Slump was commisioned for an anime mere weeks after appearing, the filler season was on it's way, as was the artificial concept of episode filler....which servers the dual purpose of drawing out the story so they don't overrun the manga and allows them to keep the budget down with static shots, talking heads and plenty of drama. Read the manga, and you'll see that a fight that takes two chapters in the comic can take anywhere from two to six episodes of the TV show.

Whats up with all the Naruto hate? Its a good anime and there's far worse games so stop whining!! Gamers are so annoying sometimes.

@Chrysalis:
I'm aware that all shonen anime has all generally have the same problem, and especially the cliched conventions. I guess I'm just confused as to why people always harp on the dub or the filler episodes. I suppose I'm imagining internet anime nerds to be not be very interested in cliched shonen anime in the first place (except maybe for outliers like FMA).

I haven't seen a shounen anime yet that I liked. I'm down for mecha and moeblobs, though.

@dosboot

All the problems you mentioned with stilted fight scenes stems from the fact that these shows (pretty much any long running shonen show based on manga) begin production and start airing before the manga run has finished. So the episodes are dragged out as long as possible so that they don't catch up to the manga's story which is released simultaneously.

Eventually, they always catch up though since the Japanese don't have 13-26 episode seasons. For whatever reason, they run a new episode EVERY week once it starts and stop for no man. Then once they do catch up to the comic they have to options.

A)Make filler episodes until the manga has a enough of a chance to get ahead.

B)Deviate from the manga's story and create their own. (Fullmetal Alchemist did that really well and is a stronger show for it but some that try aren't quite so succesful)

So basically, until the Japanese start getting hip to the idea of "seasons" it will always be this way.

/Rant

Which button do you press to make the english "voice actors" shout every line?

Oh it's like that already! Awesome! I came back from the store! Look a bridge!

@whitesanjuro:

Nice find there. Btw, if you guys thought Naruto edits were bad (and really they aren't) you should see how badly edited One Piece was. You can see the guide here: http://opguide.bravehost.com/index.shtml
Really, I would rather watch the Naruto Dub than the One Piece Dub.

So whats going on guys? Why is everyone hating on Naruto so much? Sure I understand the filler really hurt the series and the dub is OK (voices aren't the greatest) but its all still watchable. Naruto Shippuuden (which premiered in February) seems to be much more entertaining than the original Naruto series was. So my advice is, quit the whining.

Also, wasn't this game on GBA?

Poor Sakura. Only 51 health? How sad =(

Yippie! I am exited about this game, I love Naruto and watch and read the Japanese manga and Anime, so I may import Naruto 5 Shippunen.

I really <3 Naruto I watch both english dub and Japanese sub, and there isn't a whole lot of difference between the two, pretty much all that has changed is dialog, such as cursing, and nicknames, i.e Ero Sennin v Pervy Sage, buy other that that they are the same, and any english episode that makes blood black, it is also done in the Japanese. I will likely buy this game and I might impor Naaruto 5 Shippuuden for the DS.

Although it's not very Japanese (Japanese don't seem to have many open-ended RPGs) I think a better idea for a Naruto game would be centered on creating your own Naruto world Ninja, adjusting stats. Then you start the game as a low rank with little to no skill, and work your way to becoming a high ranking ninja, doing missions and stuff. Perhaps at some point introducing an epic plot.

Mainly because I felt the novelty of the world and societies in Naruto were the best part. The plot seemed weak to me, which was why I lost interest a little before the time jump. The characters were also a huge draw because they had varying strengths and weaknesses.

I also don't like Naruto (LOUD AND SHOUTING ALL THE TIME), Sakura (Boo-hoo! I'm weak and pitiful until the time jump!), and Sasuke (CRAAAWLIING IN MY SKIIIN, THESE WOUNDS THEY WILL NOT HEEEEEEALLLLL). I wouldn't want to play as them at all..

@Yukito: wtf?! Ninja Turtles crap?! You're insane.

Is it just me or does the screenshot look a lot like something from the Pokemon games?

I don't mean to criticize since I love both Pokemon and Naruto but wow, I never expected it.

I watch Naruto, albeit the subbed Japanese version. I just cannot STAND the english voice actors they chose. But I AM one of those geeks who won't touch a translated to English anime with a ten foot pole, mainly due to as I mentioned above, the voices, and the fact that anime tends to be absolutely BUTCHERED so that it won't offend a more conservative audience.

Dunno if this helps but I feel like english dubs are like books of movies compared to books themselves. A book isn't nearly as restricted. On the other hand, I know people who don't like subs because they don't like reading what everyone is saying, just like I know people who prefer movies because books don't capture their imaginations.

Wow, I go to bed and this thread explodes! I didn't intend to hate on Naruto - I was just trying to illustrate a) even the Japanese TV show got kind of lame for a while and b) the version they brought over here was less awesome than the original.

I don't think that "more blood is better" like someone implied, but I am saying that I prefer the original. It's the same ethos that the Star Wars fans who clamor for the 1977 release have: if Lucas wants to make some crazy-ass "enhanced" version, more power to him, but please give us an original version the way we remember it, too! This isn't the Zeta Gundam movies where the new animation is CG battles and streamlining the compressed storytelling - it's half-assed censorship at its most tepid.

Back OT, its good that more games are making it over here translated, esp. the RPG-types. The Gekitou Ninja Taisen series is totally playable with even a basic amount of moonspeak education, but most RPGs aren't at all. Like Nintendo says, expanding a games potential audience is the key to winning over more gamers.