In the case of anime and manga, there will always be differences between the two, even within the same series; some will be for the better and some will be for the worse. Some series make those changes a lot more noticeable than others as it is always a huge topic for conversation among plenty of different manga and anime fanbases whenever a new adaptation is released.
One of those notable series is the very popular shonen Naruto. This series is packed full of changes due to the nature of adaptations in general, especially anime adaptations. Some of these changes can be seen as good by the fans of the series and some can be seen as completely interruptive and unnecessary.
10 FOR THE BETTER: Hinata Vs. Pain
One very iconic piece of the story from Naruto is Hinata's big fight against Pain. This was a landmark moment and featured Hinata at her toughest. The manga featured her doing a lot more damage against Pain but ended much faster than the anime counterpart.
The anime makes the fight last a bit longer with Hinata taking more damage. While it doesn't have her hurting Pain as much as in the manga, it really shows just how far she was willing to go to protect Naruto.
9 FOR THE WORSE: Unnecessary Filler
Many fans of Naruto have a huge problem with the anime counterpart of the original manga. The issue that they take up is seen all the time throughout the anime in the form of the very interruptive filler episodes added.
This ends up sometimes bringing the series's momentum to a crawl due to the filler breaking up some amazing scenes and incredible storylines. This is a problem that shows up many times in different anime adaptations and is unfortunately usually expected when it comes to anime.
8 FOR THE BETTER: Naruto's Final Battle Against Sasuke
One unanimous opinion when it comes to the Naruto anime is that the Sasuke vs. Naruto final battle was handled much better than in the original manga. While some of the bias, of course, comes from the advantages of anime like music and animation, there are other details that make it more loved.
Things like Sasuke stopping Naruto such as doing the Shadow Clone handsign, the extended taijutsu scene, and more really made for a much better all-around fight. It really made the battle stand out even more and showed fans how much the two ninjas had improved.
7 FOR THE WORSE: Flashbacks
A piece of the filler that truly is seen as a sin of the Naruto anime adaptation is the addition of the many flashbacks. These are seen as the most repetitive addition of the anime and are a part of why many fans have dropped the anime and moved to the manga.
While these flashbacks actually helped and sometimes were welcomed during the original airing, they're seen as nothing but a nuisance when watching via other means.
6 FOR THE BETTER: Shikamaru's Reaction To Asuma's Death
One thing that the anime sometimes added was the extension of certain scenes. One of these scenes that was extended was Shikamaru's mourning for Asuma after his death.
The anime added more detail to this moment and showed Shikamaru truly fall to pieces upon learning of the fall of Asuna. The praise coming from Shikaku to Shikamaru added even more to this amazing scene.
5 FOR THE WORSE: The Pacing
The pacing from the anime is the largest complaint when it comes to fans that actually choose to take the animation route over the reading. This comes from the addition of the filler and flashbacks and many times turns fans away from the anime.
One look at the Naruto fanbase will show just how infamous the pacing of this anime truly is.
4 FOR THE BETTER: Longer Explanations
The anime's bad pacing and extra filler additions could be good, especially when it came to backstories, emotional fights, and the explanations of certain character pieces and concepts.
While these explanations sometimes still don't help much due to Kishimoto's writing not being as strong in this area, the anime attempts to fix this with an expanded focus on certain things.
3 FOR THE WORSE: Took Away Some Callbacks
With a series like Naruto, one thing fans absolutely love is callbacks to old characters and events that happened throughout the series, like Naruto and Sasuke's shared history with Itachi.
In the manga, Naruto and Sasuke actually recall a few of the conversations they had with Itachi. However, in the anime these scenes were skipped over or put in somewhere else, not giving fans the callbacks in the best way possible.
2 FOR THE BETTER: Some Of The Filler Added
While the Naruto filler is seen as a sin of the series as previously mentioned, some of it is highly praised and makes for great additions to the series. Some of these fillers added extra insight into characters and why they are who they are.
One of these arcs that is a welcome addition is the famous Kakashi's Anbu Arc. This arc opens viewers' eyes to the early days of Kakashi as well as provides more background of other events and character backstories.
1 FOR THE WORSE: The Art Details
One thing that is many times the plague of anime adaptations is a hit to the amazing art style of the manga.
While this isn't the greatest sin, it is something that leads fans of the anime to the manga many times. No one wants to miss out on some of Kishimoto's best artwork.