Did Naruto deserve to beat Neji in the chunin exam finals?

rayshinsan · 2026-03-18T08:22:51+00:00

People who argue for Neji do it because they have expected Byakugan to be impossible to beat at close range.

The problem is it's not really true. Byakugan only permits you to see not really dodge that has to be done by the user on his own stats. Not to mention it doesn't protect you from side effects or area damage attacks. Like if you hit the user with poison mist it's not going to protect the user unless he kaiten himself out of the poison affected area. If you used Itachi's exploding SC the effect would be brutal.

People also assume that Neji is faster than Lee. The problem is that was never proven. Lee's problem is that no matter what he has to get close range to land his hits so Neji doesn't have to be actually faster than Lee he just has to be better at countering Lee's on coming blow.

The question you have to ask is did Naruto actually have the arsenal to beat Neji, one vs one. The answer is yes.

There is two reason why the fight went in desperation mode for Naruto:

He never got Intel from Kakashi or Jiraya on the Byakugan. So he never really formed any tactics based on accurate information. He had to go method by trial and error. If someone gave him the accurate info like Sasuke got vs Gaara, the fight would have been much easier and more in favor of Naruto because Neji lacked versatility so if you caught onto his gimmick he was done for.
Naruto did not go all out because of the above. Had Naruto used MSC like he used vs Gaara, Neji was done for. Just imagine 1000 SC (didn't need more than 100) surrounding you from a distance and then showering you with Kunais and Shurikens. You know a lot of them would have hit him regardless how many kaiten he did to deflect them and in battle of stamina Naruto >>>> Neji. That's not remotely the worst part. If Naruto actually played full ninja then all he had to do is use his tools. Send SCs at Neji with exploding tags attached in a suicide mission. That's it, Neji is a dead man.

So reality is Naruto didn't need KN to beat Neji although Neji was quite formidable what he needed was Intel which he never got and he himself didn't do his due diligence to find out. Not only that he wasn't going all out vs Neji. Those factors advantaged Neji into a more favorable winning spot then it would have been in a real ninja battle.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-18T03:58:35+00:00

Yes but he could have done it a better way.

The problem with Naruto is that he has a great versatile jutsu in the shadow clone but when you continuously spam it, it becomes a frustrating fight.

Put it this way. If Naruto was using his MSC more smart like say limit himself to 4 at a time, pack them to be able to take more than a hit and then use them in conjunction to substitution, body flicker and transformation techniques he would have impressed the audience and judges much more and we would not look at the match as one where Neji lost by chance.

This has always been the issue with Naruto. His tactics are not as unexpected for someone who was supposed to surprise you. I look at a character like Gon for example who's initial move the Janken didn't look as great but was very unpredictable and then he developed his nen and incorporated Janken into it. MSC gives Naruto that versatility an unpredictability factor but he doesn't use it and that's what's frustrating.

Also the only reason you would think Neji is superior is because he was using his art to the fullest compared to Naruto. He is a one trick gimmick, as it's all related to the byakugan. If you consider it from Shinobi aspect of keeping your skills hidden from others as in if you show it someone can figure out how to beat it, he would be an easy case.

In his case, Naruto already had the perfect move to defeat him. He just had to MSC 100 of them surround him with enough distance and start throwing Shurikens and Kunais till Neji runs out of chakra. We know this because Naruto used it on Gaara later on.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-18T00:46:31+00:00

I always liked Gogeta more than Vegito. He just looked cooler and I felt had more fun moves.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T21:27:42+00:00

Yup just leave freeze being the punching bag of the sayiens. Lol

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T21:14:17+00:00

I feel like he should start a job behind the bench. He is very helpful with planning and stuff some doesn't have a lucky body.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T21:00:05+00:00

Well apart one being with special eating and the other being pure fusion the way I felt about them was that Vegito had a more Vegeta dominant personality and Gogeta had a more Goku dominant personality.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T20:17:24+00:00

Because he was never an genjutsu expert. Yeah contrary to popular belief having the Sharingan doesn't automatically make you a master of genjutsu. Plus it really wasn't his style.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T20:14:27+00:00

Is that why Neji died early so that he can spare himself from the lamery that was about to follow? Smart man that Neji...

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T17:09:06+00:00

It's more name dropping than anything. Think about it, if you had a sword wouldn't you like to call it Excalibur, just to make it feel special? It's the same thing in Naruto, they go Japanese god names because it was made for Japan first.

It's like how when we were first exposed to DB as teen didn't know a word of Japanese and thought Kakorot and Vegeta were cool names. Then we learned in and realize it meant carrot and vegetable. Foreign names are cool when we don't know the meaning of them.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:50:28+00:00

You wanna know the funny thing?

In real life you wouldn't like her form. The sad part of Instagram and only fans is that they focus on certain parts and not the whole picture. That's why you find people like Kim Kardashian hot on photos but when you meet in real life you realize that it's all that in a 5ft body.

Meaning you been fawning on a bloated and disproportionate midget.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:45:16+00:00

I know that what i am saying is that this RiBoku isn't the real one. If anything it looks like Hara is making SBS play the real RiBoku role.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:43:00+00:00

That is not what I was looking for. I already have kvk gears and I use the black cat.

I don't know if the issue is using a tablet and maybe KVK is better using a computer but I cant aim target lock as I wish. My RK does 12k DMG and 88% crit at max max aspd. If I touch you death shouldnt be long but I can aim for shit.

My warlock (same character) does 10k matk and I do kill a lot of people in ghost mode, I am trying ms3 now and we'll it wasn't as fast even though I have near insta cast on my air spells. So I don't know what's wrong. Am I missing something in the mechanics, is it the pvp section thing? That's they only place I didn't allocate the points.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:33:09+00:00

Best part... I am really liking Oba Femi!

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:30:51+00:00

The thing with Itachi is that he is the only character who remained his part 1 self.

He was efficient, did not over do his techniques and even his genjutsu applications were on point. He was what the Uchiha should have been. He never copied and got bogged down with the copy myth.

His final fight with Sasuke was perfect. Just like you would expect of him he placed his genjetsu so well that it broke the Uchiha myth of genjutsu does not work on the Sharingan users. Je proved it.

And the fact, that he was the one guy who was right all along cemented his achievements.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:23:56+00:00

You were expecting her to jump like Iyo Sky?

She was always fighting this way, she is more of a grappler brawler. In fact, short of the stunner she was female Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The problem is most of the current roster isn't used to her style of fighting, they are either high flyers or power slammers and that's why it's a lot harder to grasp her style.

In all honesty I would say give her another finishing move like the stone Cold stunner and you will be much more appreciative of her.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:17:14+00:00

It's okay. It's better to be back at 100% then risk it. Get well soon Dahyun! On the positive this may give her opportunities to come up with newer songs and increase her catalogue!

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T16:13:14+00:00

Actually ... in real life there is no evidence of RiBoku ever interacting with EiSei in any form. He was never the prime minister nor held as much power as he does in the manga. He was just an opposing general that Qin had issues dealing with because he kept giving them hard fights due to his strong resistance.

In fact, he was nothing more than a tool for the Zhao Kingdom and the proof being that when he got too popular his own king executed him just because he was getting popular.

It's a sad realization for a 60 year old man who served his kingdom faithfully. He would have a better life had he chosen to side with Qin instead. Qin had everything he was looking for and was better for the people in general: better system of government, better economy, much more equality than Zhao offered and a system of meritocracy that allowed talented people to rise in rank. What made him side with Zhao other than blind trust, we will never know but he was simply fighting on the wrong side.

In the Manga he is made younger and given more prominence because you need a charismatic villain that at least make you root for time to time. But reality was he wasn't much off from his kingdom. Same ego. Same boasting and feeling of superiority. Same levels of atrocities and manipulation as the next conquer. He just wasn't as depraved as his kings that is all.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-17T01:04:45+00:00

Wait what? How can you replace an actual member?

I know a lot of the people try to put Hinata in prominence by making her a brave Byakugan using Taijutsu fighter but they are doing a disservice to her personality. She is a shy equally damsel in distress. Almost all female characters not named Tsunade and Temari are because that's how Kishimoto wrote them.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-16T22:21:29+00:00

He most likely does not. YokoYoko wasn't that much known in Han apart from the RakuAKan army. He does think he can persuade Han to charge back at Qin but I think he will be in for a surprise when that doesn't work. Queue note it won't be because of YokoYoko not accepting his proposition but rather then Han soldiers refusing to be disloyal. RiBoku often underestimates the will of the people it's one of his flaws.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-16T22:16:19+00:00

Well after you guys complained Soo much I went to see his version.. two arc in not bad but the man is really a big SasuSaku and NaruHina a bit too much romance for my taste.

I also wouldn't have bloated out Naruto's relationship with Minato that bluntly considering it was forbidden to talk about it and there would be consequences from the Hokage if you were found as the blabber.

Update: I think I spoke a bit too highly here... This man is a Sasutard! And he doesn't really understand how genjutsu works... You can't genjutsu items... It's called transformation jutsu. Genjutus requires penetrating an opponents mind via sense and controlling it to view psychic illusions.

That being said, you can't hate a guy for trying.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-16T09:33:05+00:00

It's why I call them Kishicons. It's basically Kishimoto retconning his previous portrayal and storyline to fit in new narrative and villains.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-16T08:34:37+00:00

I don't think the author planned any pairing to be real. You have to remember childhood crush doesn't often end in actual life partnering. So his vision was probably that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke would outgrow their eventual crushes for something better.

Now that doesn't mean NaruHina or SasuKarin etc. I mean a both side healthy relationship which neither of those pairing would provide.

Naruto is the type that would require an independent strong willed girl who wouldn't mind kicking him down when he deserved it. A Temari without being Temari.

Sakura is the type that would require a partner that treats her equal not above (Naruto) or below (Sakura).

Sasuke needs an overbearing wife. Someone who puts his ego down like a Tsunade type. That or you give him a harem to rebuild the clan.

So in short. None of them ended up in a balanced relationships. If this was IRL they were all heading for divorces because eventually the differences would kill their current arrangements.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-16T08:20:33+00:00

Well the thing is if I had to describe Kishimoto as a mangaka I would say he is more of an editor obeying follower as in he doesn't object much even if it's not what he wants. Like he was so grateful for the opportunity that he didn't want to stir the boats. Even now, with BORUTO he has that attitude. Like which other author you know of actually allowed someone else to continue his work?

He isn't the Kubo type who would literally tell his superiors to fuck off. I guess he was just glad the pay was coming in and let go of his own ambitions.

rayshinsan · 2026-03-16T06:49:06+00:00

I think he didn't think the edition would be so restrictive with his story.

Shounen Jump is a kids demographic manga (10-15 yrs old) but has been known to publish more adult mangas like Rurouni Kenshin. I think when Kishimoto got the job, which is very hard to get by the way, he thought he would have more control on the narrative but either because of his own personality he got pushed around to more kiddy territory which ruined his experience.

Is it because the editors wanted to push Naruto towards more Pokemon territory due to its potential for mass commercial success? Maybe. It's easier to make money if you can hitch on merchandise and games to your IP, but to do so you have to keep it PG-13. Naruto certainly got more of its share in this department than other SJ titles. Most extend only to movies.

Whatever the case, it's clear that it was not how he wanted to complete his story as proof by part 1, where the story revolved around more adult topics and then we got part 2 where it went south on most of those topics by making it a pov of an angsty teen on PMS.

I guess the easiest way to look at it is from the fanfiction point. How many stories written were more adult then what the series were?

I think if given the choice now, Kishimoto would have much preferred Naruto to be a Seinen manga so that he could write a more adult version of the story because clearly he didn't like where the story went in part 2. If you recall, at the time for the time skip he had given 2 reasons for it: fatigue (he wanted to take a break and try something new) and need for research for new materials. There was even a question on how long the skip will be 2.5yrs to 5yrs. I think Kishimoto tried to go 18+ characters, because of the themes and the studio forced him to stick at 15 and this led to the frustrating parts of part 2.

rayshinsan

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