The story of Naruto began with its first Japanese manga adaptation appearing in 1997. Since that time, it has become the third most popular manga in the world. Producing over 700 episodes of anime, 11 movies, and 70 volumes, it was only natural that there’d be a variety of hilarious Naruto memes created too.

Much of the series’ popularity can be attributed to audiences being able to identify with the main character Naruto. Growing up without parents, his life wasn’t easy. Naruto was shunned by fellow villagers, causing him to act out for attention. Despite his flaws though, he had a determination — or a "Will of Fire" that drove him to never give up.

Naruto’s philosophy and mentality would change countless characters’ lives throughout the series, producing memorable and heartbreaking stories along the way. As brilliant as the series was, Naruto had plenty of flaws that even die-hard fans couldn’t ignore.

Creator, writer, and illustrator Masashi Kishimoto began the series with little thought as to the future of its characters. It also didn’t help that the anime was notorious for its massive amount of filler episodes. As the series grew in popularity, Kishimoto would suddenly change a characters appearance, or simply drop their arc to focus on another theme.

The result didn’t hurt the series, but it created plenty of controversy amongst fans while leaving the door wide open for jokes. In honor of the 15 years it’s been since the release of the first publication of Naruto in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, here are 25 hilarious Naruto memes that only true fans will understand.

25 Fillers Are Worse Than Trash

During Naruto’s training with Sasuke and Sakura, their teacher Hatake Kakashi gave a saying that would forever stick in Naruto’s head.

“Those who betray the ninja-rules are trash — but those who betray their comrades are lower than trash.”

Naruto would repeat this quote many times over the course of the series, rallying his friends to go after a fallen comrade despite direct orders. It was only a matter of time before somebody turned this quote towards the issue of fillers within the series.

Just to give you an idea of how many fillers existed, between 2002 and 2007 Naruto had a filler percentage of 43 percent. Meaning out of 220 episodes, 94 of them were considered filler.

Despite the enormous amount of fillers, fans would continue to follow the series and were rewarded for their efforts.

24 The Great Sannin Aging Debacle

Poor Jiraiya. Out of the three members of the great Konohagakure's Sannin, he’s the only one who didn’t care about what others thought about him. Jiraiya walked his own path and was content with who he was by often saying it wasn’t in his fate to be happy.

The Naruto meme makes fun of Tsunade’s ability to make herself look younger through her Strength of a Hundred Seal and the Transformation Technique. While Orochimaru is known for transferring his soul to another for survival and power.

Many Naruto fans assumed that Jiraiya didn’t have the ability to make himself look younger through the Transformation Technique. But this wasn’t true. He chose not to use it and instead focus his chakra towards his fighting skill instead.

23 Shikamaru Is Questioned About Being 420 Friendly

Shikamaru Nara is a shinobi belonging to the Konohagakure's Nara clan. His character is well known for being extremely lazy, but highly intelligent. Even in the new Boruto, his son Shikadai Nara acts exactly like him.

We’ve all had that one friend who becomes a contradiction of a stereotype. While Kishimoto obviously never showed Shikamaru puffing on a pipe, his lazy attitude towards everything certainly suggested it. Yet his intelligence was not only intact, but superior to those around him.

Shikamaru’s goal in life was to live unremarkably and wishes to die in the same manner. He also considers himself a coward, but always steps up to the plate when needed most.

Perhaps Shikamaru should become a symbol for individuals in states that are fighting for the medical legalization.

22 Pushing Cultural Boundaries

Japanese art and literature has always been on the loose side regarding LGBTQ characters and celebrities. Unfortunately, society in Japan views it as acceptable on screen, but not so much in real life.

Kishimoto took a stab at this problem by having Naruto and Sasuke kiss while having a stare down with each other.

From that point on, it was always joked about among fandom that Naruto and Sasuke had a secret crush on one another. What makes this meme so hilarious stems from the fact that their fandom crush actually has nothing to do with the series as a whole.

On a more serious note, would Naruto have been as popular if Sasuke and Naruto had actually gotten together instead of with Hinata and Sakura? One would certainly hope so.

21 Naruto’s First Love Will Always Be Ramen Ichiraku

It’s no surprise to Naruto fans as to where his heart truly lies. And one could make the argument that him and Hinata are perfect for each other because she was able down 46 bowls of ramen in one sitting. Even Naruto hasn’t been able to pull off that feat.

If asked to give up Teuchi’s ramen, Naruto might keel over from a heart attack on the spot. Ramen Ichiraku was founded by Teuchi and is now run by his daughter Ayame. Teuchi has said on more than one occasion that Naruto is his best customer, followed by Iruka Umino.

This hilarious Naruto meme cuts right to the point in stating that there’s no love triangle taking place. Naruto’s heart will always belong to Teuchi of Ramen Ichiraku.

20 Yo Mama Roast

Naruto fans know this meme to be hilarious because the last thing Jiraiya would ever lose interest in — is women. He didn’t get the nickname Pervy Sage from reading history books that’s for sure. And as far as the fandom knows, Jiraiya was still peaking in bathrooms up until his last mission. But if he wasn’t, he was replaying it in his mind because of that awesome memory he has.

It’s been decades since your mama jokes went mainstream, and to this day are still being used. Why? Because they're as timeless as Naruto is.

All we have to say on this mama roast is that pulling this classic burn amongst your friends on a non-Naruto fan will upgrade your roasting status to a whole new level.

19 Ain’t Got No Respect

Itachi Uchiha was a rebel to the core. Born as a prodigy in the Konohagakure's Uchiha clan, he did his own thing without a care for anyone else — or so it seemed on the surface. Even Gandalf wouldn’t want to cross paths with Itachi when he had his mind set on doing something.

In this hilarious Naruto meme, Itachi is likely on his way to kill off his entire clan — except for his brother Sasuke — and then go join up with the Akatsuki. Even Orochimaru learned the hard way that you don’t mess with Itachi. It cost him an arm, made him try to strike a deal with Tsunade to regenerate said arm, and then a battle with Tsunade, Naruto, and Jiraiya. In other words, so not worth it.

18 A Pain That Just Won’t Go Away

Bust on Hinata all you want, but the girl’s got spunk. Pain was one of the better evil characters in the Naruto series, but hated as well for taking out Jiraiya. Especially because it was Jiraiya who looked after took after and trained Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan in the first place. Nagato did hate Jiraiya from the start because it was Konoha shinobi who had murdered his parents, but he respected him as a teacher.

This meme stands out among others because Hinata was most likely the most timid character on the show. However, when around Naruto, she started to come out of her shell more.

Pain on the other hand, well he was pretty much a pain in the rear for everyone. Ironically, Negato and his cronies were fighting to create a better world without wars — by naturally starting a war.

17 The Magic Of Chakra

Michael Jackson was apparently a Naruto fan because he knew how to redirect his chakra to pull off some sick moves. For those who don’t know the basics of chakra, it’s essential for every ninja technique. How you use your chakra is completely up to you, whether it be for fighting, looking younger, or creating the best dance moves that the world had ever seen.

In the legend of Naruto, chakra wasn’t always in humans. It first belonged to the God Tree. It would be Kaguya Ōtsutsuki who would eat a fruit from the God Tree and become the first person in Naruto history to wield the power of chakra. The chakra remained inside of her, being passed on to her sons Hamura and Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. Making them the first to be born with chakra.

16 Greatest Love Story Ever Told

Minato Namikaze first met Kushina Uzumaki at Konoha’s Academy. Minato was enticed by her from the first time they had class together. He especially liked her vibrant red hair, thinking it to be beautiful. Kushina, on the other hand, didn’t see Minato in the same light. Initially, she thought he was unreliable and looked girly.

It would be when Minato would single handily rescue Kushina from kidnappers that she would begin to see him differently and fall in love with him.

Unlike other relationships explained in Naruto or “other films,” the love story of Minato and Kushina was quick, entertaining, and liked by all. The story of Naruto falling in love with Hinata, or Sasuke falling in love with Sakura — well — that’s a whole different ball of wax.

15 Sponge Bob Impressions

Who knew Sponge Bob Square Pants was a Naruto fan? One thing is for certain, his impressions are spot on. Hinata is blushing and acting shy as usual. Kakashi has his head stuck in Jiraiya’s book and Sakura looks like She Hulk (but with pink instead of green of course).

Ino running around with flowers is hilarious and Choji breaking the bank at Krusty Krab makes total sense. Too bad there’s no possibility of a crossover between the two, because that would be off the charts.

The most hilarious part about the meme is the smiling Naruto in the center. He looks like he just got let out from Arkham Asylum. We wonder who Patrick is supposed to be standing all mischievous with a grin on his face behind Sponge Bob?

14 Gaara Having A Freak-Out Session

Prior to having Naruto change the direction of his life, Gaara didn’t have the best control of his emotions. After all, his father did order him to be killed by assassins while only six years old, and his uncle did have a striking resemblance to his aunt. Events which launched Gaara into a rampage as a Tailed Beast upon his village.

Gaara was also a bit unstable as it was because Shukaku had the ability to take over his body if he ever fell asleep, making him an insomniac. The original conception of Gaara’s character was supposed to be a drug addict. Personally were glad Kishimoto went with the sociopath route instead, especially when discussing this hilarious meme that shows him freaking out over a bad song played on the radio.

13 Tenten’s 15 Minutes Of Fame

Poor Tenten. Ranked universally as one of the most worthless characters in the Naruto series, Tenten was more of an extra to the show than an actual character. Originally she wanted to be just like Tsunade, but realized early on that she didn’t have control of her chakra to be a medical-nin. She even got taken out right away during the Chunin Exams.

For the rest of the series, fans would see her studying and training, only to fail once again during the Fourth Shinobi War. Tenten was assigned the task of sealing Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths. Unfortunately, Tenten was only able to seal two of the six paths.

In other words, Kishimoto spent time developing a character and building a backstory, only to have Tenten fail at the largest task ever given to her.

12 Remembering The Glory Days

Naruto was probably the hardest student to ever train in the history of the Academy. We’ve got to give Kakashi major props for having the patience to accomplish anything with him during those early years. Naturally, they did both enjoy a good pervy book.

This hilarious Naruto meme shows Kakashi teaching Naruto a lesson, but it really does look like he just gave him a prostate exam. The craziest part is that both would go on to become Hogake’s. Although fandom speculates that Kakashi was only made Hogake as a placeholder for when Naruto was ready to take the position.

One must wonder if Jiraiya ever used this same technique on Naruto during his two years of training. If it worked for Kakashi, it certainly would have worked for Jiraiya.

11 The Joys Of Parenthood

For those who are new to manga, please read this hilarious meme from right to left. Sarada is the only child of Sakura and Sasuke, of which she’s a major character in the continuation of the Naruto story through the new anime Boruto.

Explaining your past to a child is hard enough, but imagine having to admit that both of your first kisses were with Naruto. If that doesn’t mess with Sadara’s head, we have no idea what will. It could have been worse though. At least neither one slept with him — although, if Naruto was rebooted into an Ecchi anime, it might actually take place.

It should be interesting to see what issues Sarada will have to overcome in Boruto, and if this will be one of them.

10 Shikamaru In Action

Shikamaru is the laziest of all the characters in the Naruto series. During the Chunin Exams, Shikamaru kept getting paired with girls during his matches. First it was Kin, then it was Temari. Ironically Temari would come to Shikamaru’s rescue later on while he was battling Tayuya.

Shikamaru is the last person who would ever judge someone based on appearance. Hence why him and Chōji would become such close friends. He never envisioned himself getting married, always considering he could accomplish what he needed to in life on his own. Tayuya would eventually capture Shikamaru’s heart, leading to marriage, and a child named Shikaku.

Shikaku is often seen in the Boruto series looking after Boruto, or at least trying to advise him in ways to stay out of trouble.

9 Naruto And Orochimaru In An Alternate Reality

What would certain characters from Naruto look like if they were originally from America? This hilarious meme nails it with Naruto and Orochimaru looking and sounding like Beavis and Butt-Head. Butt-Head looks quite similar to Orochimaru in more than one way, plus he’s not a big talker. Naruto, on the other hand, can’t ever shut up, which makes him the perfect Japanese copy of Beavis. Can you imagine Naruto running around shouting “yeah, yeah, eh-eh-eh, yeah?” Not so hard to do, is it?

There were plenty of times when Orochimaru was trying to destroy Konoha that he spoke in such a cool and collected manner as if he was trying to place a food order at Ramen Ichiraku. We would love to see this played out in some kind of goofy spin-off series.

8 Naruto And Death Note Crossover

The jokes about Kakashi never taking off his mask are endless. From how does he eat, to what is he hiding has spurred fandom into a frenzy over the years. This hilarious Naruto meme takes the joking to a whole new level by doing a crossover with the hit anime Death Note.

Light Yagami is the main protagonist of the Death Note series. Light uses the Death Note to wipe out criminals around Japan, hoping to bring some improvement to the world around him. It’s ironic that Kakashi could ever be considered a criminal, but hilarious in thinking that his mask could protect him from death — or can it?

At the end of the day, one question remains. Who’s seen Kakashi’s face without the mask covering it?

7 Triple Power Love Ninjutsu

Naruto created his own variation of the Transformation Technique. He calls it his [REDACTED] Technique in which he can transform himself into a woman with swirling clouds around him. Does this technique have a purpose? Not really, but it makes for a good laugh and can be used to form a well thought out distraction.

This hilarious Naruto meme has Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto enjoying a bowl of ramen while discussing the possibilities of his Shadow Clone Technique. Could Naruto really perform a triple duty on one of them? Most likely the answer is yes, which leads us to wonder why Kishimoto never thought about making it a reality. Throw in Sasuke and they’ve got a full-blown party going down at the ramen counter. Or was Sakura referring to another form?

6 The Sakura Curse

Sakura has a reputation among Naruto fans of being an annoying character. Most of this stems from Kishimoto going wishy-washy on who the main heroine of the story should be.

Her inner evil side is fun to watch and certainly adds a fun perspective to the series. Sakura can grate on the nerves from time-to-time, especially if you’re looking forward towards an epic battle. The relationship between Sasuke and Sakura got played to the hilt, often being known as SasuSaku. When the two of them eventually hooked up and become an official couple, there was a huge groan heard around the world.

The hilarious part about this meme is that Naruto’s pretending to be Sasuke, and he’s got a bad case of runs because of something he drank and ate earlier that day.