Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto is a 700-chapter Weekly Shonen Jump manga series about the young orange jumpsuit-wearing knuckleheaded ninja, Naruto. Naruto sets his sights on becoming Hokage, the leader of his home, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Through the course of the series, Naruto becomes a splendid young ninja after going through years of adventure.
Naruto, being a long-running manga series, has expansive lore, deep history rich in detail, and a large ensemble of memorable and interesting characters. Due to Naruto's extensive world, there are bound to be some inconsistencies that seemingly contradict past information, some of which are detrimental to the story.
10 The Power Of The Hyuuga Clan
In the beginning of Naruto, the leader of the Hyuuga Clan, Hiashi, states that the Hyuuga were the strongest clan in the Leaf Village. At the time, only a few other clans had been introduced, like the Uchiha. With the limited information available, it was plausible that these early proclamations of power and status were true.
However, once readers were shown a glimpse of the strength of the Uchiha and Senju clans, it became clear that the earlier statement was false. The Hyuuga haven't produced any shinobi capable enough to combat the likes of Hashirama Senju and his Tailed Beast level Wood Style or Madara Uchiha and his Nine Tails Susano'o. These throwaway lines lessen the credibility of early statements and all respect for the Hyuuga is lost.
9 The Original Nature Of The Tailed Beasts
Before concepts like Jinchuuriki and Tailed Beasts were introduced, the few beasts shown were presented as demons or spirits. In the first chapters, the demon title was used for the Nine Tails and later in the Chunin Exams, Shukaku was called a spirit.
As Naruto's story progressed, it was revealed that both of these beasts are actually part of a larger group. This ruins the mystical nature that was initially established and replaces it with a less magical, natural feel.
8 The Rarity Of The Sharingan
Before being introduced to many Uchiha Clan members, readers were under the impression that the Sharingan was rare even among Uchiha, and that the Mangekyou Sharingan was even rarer. This idea is contradicted in the anime during the Fourth Great Ninja War when Itachi is explaining the Izanami.
In this flashback, the audience is shown numerous unnamed Uchiha with the Sharingan and even some with the Mangekyou. This completely erases the impact the scarlet eyes once had on the readers. The Sharingan, a once exclusive jutsu associated with skill and power, is now a simple weapon held by every Uchiha that lives until adulthood.
7 Kaguya's Divine Origin
When the legend of Kaguya was told initially, she was presented as a God. Everyone believes this origin story until it's revealed that she is actually a member of an alien clan called the Otsutsuki. In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, this alien clan is expounded upon and other members like Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Isshiki are introduced.
This retcon causes a thematic issue. Much of the series follows the karmic cycle of Samsara and endless conflict. Instead of the origin of the world and the cycle of hatred being a creator God, it is revealed that an alien merely came to the planet to harvest chakra.
6 Sakura's Aptitude For Genjutsu
During the Sand Village's invasion of the Leaf Village at the Chunin Exams, Kakashi mentions that Sakura has a high aptitude for genjutsu when she releases the others from the illusion cast by the invaders. Most readers expected this to foreshadow Sakura learning genjutsu in the future and becoming a specialist.
This unfortunately never comes to fruition. After the time skip, Sakura is only shown doing medical ninjutsu and using her monstrous physical strength. Sakura's fighting style in Naruto Shippuden could have been considerably more dynamic and interesting than merely punching hard and fighting hand to hand.
5 The Byakugan Is The Strongest Dojutsu
When the Byakugan was first shown in the Chunin Exams, it is mentioned that it surpasses the Sharingan in perception, which is one of the Sharingan's main abilities. Due to this, audiences expected Hyuuga, like Neji, to display great power later on in the series as the Sharingan users improved their own visual prowess.
Unfortunately, the Byakugan's abilities were never expanded upon after the time skip and the Sharingan was consistently promoted. Despite this statement, the Sharingan can see objects the size of cells, as Sasuke did in his fight with Deidara, and even has the ability to control the Nine Tailed Fox like Obito. The Byakugan simply cannot compete with the Sharingan and the earlier information is outdated.
4 The Strength Of The Third Hokage
Early in the series, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was called God of Shinobi and was said to be the strongest of all. This led the audience to believe that his power surpassed that of all the previous Hokage including Hashirama Senju, the man who could force the Tailed Beasts to submit.
This point was hammered home when Hiruzen fought Orochimaru, who summoned the first and second Hokage to battle with him to no avail. This is later contradicted when the reanimated Hashirama's fearsome power was shown in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Hiruzen isn't able to compete with the other Hokage in this battle.
3 The Finality Of The Reaper Death Seal
The Reaper Death Seal is introduced when Hiruzen seals Orochimaru's arms during the invasion of the Leaf Village. It was said that nothing can escape from the belly of the reaper and that once a shinobi was sealed away, they would be gone forever. This gave the scene emotional weight since it was impossible to ever see these characters again, as their souls were sealed permanently.
This is completely undone with Orochimaru finding the Reaper's Mask and releasing all the sealed souls to allow for the reanimation of the Hokage. Although seeing the Hokage again allowed for some interesting battles and interactions, all the original impact is gone.
2 The Splitting Of The Nine Tails
Since the first chapter, the Nine Tailed Fox was within Naruto. It is later discovered that this beast is the most powerful of a group of nine fearsome creatures that each pose a threat to the shinobi world.
In the War Arc, it is revealed that the Fourth Hokage and Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, only sealed half of the Nine Tails within Naruto and sealed the other half in himself. Although this retcon allows Minato to use a Kurama Chakra Cloak during the war, it now makes all the other Tailed Beasts look weak next to the Nine Tails, who only needs half of its power to outdo the others. This trivializes the other jinchuuriki and makes the audience question character decisions like those of the Akatsuki.
1 The Rinnegan Is A Sharingan Evolution
When the Rinnegan is introduced, it is hailed as the most powerful of the dojutsu or the eye based kekkei genkai. It was even said that it gives the user mastery over life and death. The Rinnegan was initially meant to be a separate eye than the Byakugan and Sharingan, but the Rinnegan is simply an evolution of the Sharingan.
Madara unlocks the Rinnegan by stealing some of Hashirama's chakra mixing Indra's and Ashura's chakra together, but ultimately every Rinnegan seen started out as a Sharingan beforehand. This applies to Sasuke and Hagoromo as well. This eliminates the mystical, otherworldly feeling the eye had previously.