Since Naruto's original publication in 1999 (and its anime debut in 2002), a lot has changed in the world. As a result, there are a lot of scenes, plot points, and tropes that date the series. Both the manga and the anime were products of their time, and as is to be expected of media, there are moments that did not hold up.
Some of the most notable examples of this are depictions of certain characters, such as the poor treatment of Sakura Haruno as a character, and its inclusion of immature humor that nowadays seems less than socially acceptable for the show's target age range.
10 Thousand Years Of Death Is Kind Of Assault
Kakashi's Thousand Years of Death technique may be based on a joke, but it would never fly today, especially with children involved. While it was funny when it first happened (and is actually a prank/joke in real life) it should not have made its way into the context of student-teacher dynamics.
Of course, there's a lot of immature humor in Naruto. There are poop jokes, jokes about lecherous men, and lots of other content that would generally be deemed inappropriate for children.
9 The Depiction Of Women Could Be Better
There are certainly powerful women in the Naruto franchise, to be sure. Many of the series' women get stuck on the list of most hated characters including Karin, Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Shizune. Often, these characters barely get enough screen time to warrant such hate.
The things they're hated for, such as being overbearing, "useless," and/or boy obsessed, feel more like a writer's problem than the characters. These women are not popular among fans because they were never given a chance by the writers and showrunners.
8 Shikamaru's Misogyny Hits Wrong These Days
Shikamaru Nara was always quick to write off women in the original Naruto series. He underestimated both Temari and Tsunade, and he made sexist comments that his father, Shikaku, quickly shot down. It was pretty lucky that Shikamaru had such a great father to straighten him out.
Considering all of the other issues surrounding the representation of women in the show, including the nerfing of their powers and not giving them a lot of screen time, it just made Shikamaru look worse as time went on.
7 Sexy Jutsu Is Inappropriate On Many Levels
The Sexy Jutsu is one of those dirty jokes in Naruto that does not sit well when looking back. Not only does it lead to a lot of lecherous characters making unacceptable displays, but it also involves a child in those displays. There's an obvious objectification problem with this jutsu.
More than that, the way Jiraiya only helps Naruto because of his ability to transform using the Sexy Jutsu makes the situation all the more uncomfortable and not okay.
6 Jiraiya & Ebisu Are Creepy
Jiraiya's obsession with women's bodies is incredibly uncomfortable upon rewatch, and it's a running gag that certainly did not withstand the test of time. Both Ebisu, the man who served as both Konohamaru and Naruto's tutor at different points, and even the Third Hokage himself, have been caught with nosebleeds following the use of this jutsu.
If that's not bad enough, Jiraiya often wanted Naruto to transform. Though this was treated as a joke, thinking about it further reveals how incredibly creepy and inappropriate it was.
5 Orochimaru's Experiments On Children Were Not Taken Seriously Enough
Orochimaru's tactics were denounced in the show, but somehow, he kept getting off the hook. Among his crimes were kidnapping children and doing genetic experiments on them, which is a type of eugenics. However, the Hidden Leaf Village let this practice go on for a while before anything legitimate was done to stop him.
When Orochimaru was finally ousted from the Village, the Third Hokage made no motions to stop him. Later, when Naruto became the Hokage, he kept up the strained but necessary relationship with Orochimaru.
4 The Child Abuse Is Rampant
It's no secret that the Hidden Leaf Village has a problematic way of dealing with children, especially its orphans. Most obviously, it allowed for children to become ninja, which literally put them on the front lines of war. It also had a habit of leaving orphans to their own devices.
After the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki's deaths, Naruto was supposed to be looked after, but he was instead given an apartment as a small child and told to figure it out on his own. Sasuke Uchiha was also left alone even after his family's massacre, at the behest of the Hidden Leaf's government.
3 Child Soldiers Are Pretty Problematic
Looking back, the fact that academy graduates were allowed to become genin at such a young age was pretty problematic. Not only did it lead to rampant deaths but also rampant trauma that resembles PTSD in many of the shinobi.
Decades of near-death experiences and watching friends die so early in life are bound to lead to something like PTSD. Even by the time Naruto is Hokage, which is seen as a more peaceful era, kids are still being trained to be child soldiers and put in harm's way.
2 The Depiction Of Killer B Was Not Killer
Some characters have garnered a lot of criticism over the years for their problematic depictions. One of those characters is the eight tails' jinchuriki and the brother of the Raikage, Killer B. Killer B, along with his brother, are two of the series' black-coded characters.
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Killer B and his tendency to speak in rap lyrics, and this is deservedly so. While Killer B is strong and a formidable jinchuriki, his incessant rapping plays upon stereotypes, and this has warranted a lot of criticism over the years.
1 There's A Lot Of Body-Shaming
The way the Naruto franchise treats human bodies is disappointing. The most obvious instances of this are in the way pretty much every character treats Choji Akimichi, who's constantly getting made fun of for his size. Other characters body-shaming him became a running joke.
There are also other instances including Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno constantly making fun of each other's appearance. The Mizuki Tracking Mission Filler Arc also includes the problematic characters of Raijin and Fujin, two brothers depicted as being obsessed with food.