Twentieth-century shonen titles like Fist of the North Star and Dragon Ball helped set the stage for today's shonen anime world, but it was the "big three" that really made shonen the #1 demographic for anime. Those three titles redefined what shonen can be, introducing or reinventing staples such as the power of friendship, the virtue of hard work, and the pain of betrayal.
Naruto fans, for example, can point out many classic scenes in Masashi Kishimoto's masterwork that played a role in creating the modern era of shonen manga/anime. Even if Naruto drew plenty of inspiration from what came before, this anime also had its own fresh, bold ideas that established certain shonen conventions or took them to the next level in a way no other anime could possibly manage.
10 Rock Lee Fought Gaara & Didn't Give Up
The chunin exam arc in Naruto was packed with memorable scenes and fights, and it's still one of anime's best tournament arcs to this day. But even in that competitive story arc, the duel between Rock Lee and Gaara of the Sand stands out as a new standard for "talent vs. hard work" battles.
Rock Lee used taijutsu and absolutely nothing else to fight the formidable Gaara, a jinchuriki who could win fights with zero effort. Rock Lee's sheer strength and willpower got him much further in this fight than even Kankuro and Temari expected, and when Rock Lee was finally knocked out, he still got up as though he intended to fight on.
9 Sasuke Witnessed the Uchiha Clan Massacre
The Uchiha clan casts a long shadow over the story of Naruto, whether the clan is alive or dead. Rarely will shonen anime wipe out an entire family or group like that, but the Naruto anime did just that during a traumatic flashback. On the worst night of Sasuke's life, he returned home to find his family massacred.
Itachi Uchiha single-handedly slaughtered them all, including his parents Fugaku and Mikoto, but he spared Sasuke, seemingly out of contempt. This didn't just explain Sasuke's drive to kill Itachi; it also set a new standard for bloody mysteries in shonen, since it took years for the truth of that massacre to come to light.
8 Three Summoned Animals Fought One Another
The Naruto anime took the summoning concept to an entirely new level by making it an integral part of the combat system. In other anime, there are usually just one or two characters who specialize in summoning creatures to fight for them, but in Naruto, any ninja can do it, including the Sannin.
In the great battle between Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, three great animals were summoned in a great clash of the titans. It's still a standout scene in all of shonen, with few, if any other anime series daring to take summoning techniques to such an incredible level.
7 Jiraiya Was Killed In Battle
Plenty of shonen anime series feature a mentor character or two, but those mentors tend to survive the series. Or, they were killed years ago in a flashback. In Naruto's case, Naruto Uzumaki's mentor Jiraiya actually died partway through the story, which was an unusual but gutsy move.
Jiraiya infiltrated the Land of Rain to learn the truth about Pain, and he lost his very life in that ferocious battle. It was heartbreaking to watch Naruto's beloved master sink into the water like that as he died, but he did leave a parting gift: a coded message that helped Naruto learn the truth about the Six Paths of Pain.
6 The Kage Gathered To Discuss Politics
Shonen anime series rarely explore the topic of politics, either real-life political issues or in-universe politics, but the Naruto anime certainly did. This anime's world was depicted as a network of feuding nations with their own histories, alliances, and grudges, which made the Kage summit in the Land of Iron that much more intriguing.
The five Kage had common enemies, but that didn't make them friends overnight. They had trust issues and accused one another of their prior mistakes and shady dealings, which helped normalize a seemingly boring topic for shonen anime. When done right, scenes of politicians and world leaders arguing can actually do a lot for an action/adventure story like Naruto.
5 Shikamaru Fought Temari With Brains Alone
From the start, the Naruto anime emphasized ninja-style trickery and cunning over brute force, such as Naruto and Sasuke's clever combo move against Zabuza or Naruto's clone trick in the Forest of Death. However, the "brains beat brawn" theme didn't fully develop until the genius Shikamaru Nara fought Temari in the chunin exam.
That fight depicted Shikamaru fighting with brainpower alone, and even when he had Temari at his mercy, he never even tried to deal any damage. Even if Naruto Shippuden largely reversed this trend, that fight still proved that in Naruto's world, the characters are truly ninjas, and not just knockoff Dragon Ball fighters.
4 Naruto Fought Sasuke In the Final Valley
Shonen anime often depicts an enemy becoming a friend, such as Vegeta and Kazuma Kuwabara, but the Naruto anime did the opposite and to tremendous effect. Sasuke Uchiha started as Naruto's shonen-style rival in Team 7, but then Sasuke abandoned the team to pursue power at any price.
Naruto pursued and fought Sasuke in the Final Valley to put a stop to Sasuke's betrayal. Whether Naruto succeeded or not, it was still an iconic anime moment that showed what a great plot twist an emotionally charged betrayal can be. Sasuke went from friend to foe, and that helped set up the entirety of Naruto Shippuden.
3 Madara Uchiha Fought An Army Alone
Plenty of shonen anime villains demonstrate their overwhelming strength by fighting several heroes at once, such as Sosuke Aizen in Bleach or All For One in My Hero Academia. Meanwhile, the Naruto anime took the "villain solos all the heroes" idea to an extreme in Naruto Shippuden, and it was a marvel to watch.
The mighty Madara Uchiha didn't just fight an elite ninja team on his own or even take on the five Kage alone. He faced a proper army of united shinobi, and only with his bare hands at that. Never before has a shonen villain demonstrated their superiority in such an incredible way.
2 Pain Asked Naruto to Solve the Cycle of Hatred
Vengeance is a common theme in shonen anime, and heroes and villains alike have embodied it, such as Kurapika Kurta in Hunter x Hunter. The Naruto anime set a new standard for this theme with its character Pain, exploring the topic of the cycle of hatred. In this shonen world, bloodshed and loss lead to hatred and revenge, a cycle that never ends.
Pain embodied this cycle and wanted to teach the entire world a lesson about it. Naruto Uzumaki was sure he was justified in opposing Pain and getting revenge for the Hidden Leaf Village's destruction at Pain's hands, but perhaps not. Naruto had become part of the cycle, and when Pain questioned Naruto about it, Naruto realized he had no solution.
1 Naruto Redeemed Gaara With Sympathetic Words
Shonen protagonists sometimes use a combination of force and words to convince an enemy to become a friend, but no series handled it quite like Naruto did. Fans call it "talk jutsu" for a good reason: Naruto Uzumaki has a way with words, convincing many villains or third parties to turn good and join him.
Naruto did this with Zabuza and Neji Hyuga, but the real talk jutsu had to wait until Naruto fought Gaara to a standstill. Everyone, including Gaara himself, believed Gaara to be an irredeemable monster, but Naruto proved them all wrong with his sympathetic words as a fellow jinchuriki, and then the impossible happened. Gaara was convinced, and that set the stage for his redemption in the Sasuke retrieval story arc.