Naruto is a long-running manga and anime that finished publication after nearly 15 years. As far as anyone's concerned, most of us grew up with the show, myself included. It helped introduce us to Japanese animation, dubbing and culture in a way that school never could. We met so many lovable characters between the Konoha 12, the Akatsuki, and tailed beasts. Throughout the years, we came to know and love these characters and the world they lived in. We wondered how far the boarders went, what civilian life was like, and how a person could move so fast at such a young age. With all of the flashy character work and large personalities, little things got lost along the way. I love Naruto. It really brought my middle school friends and I together as we got the latest copy of Shonen Jump to read together. I have fond memories getting to know the characters and then comparing them to ourselves. I'm sure that nearly everyone who reads this list has some sort of fond connection to the show and understands that I understand you can't answer every question in the show. This list is going to highlight some of those little things that don't actually matter because the story has to happen, but still sometimes bug us anyway. Here is your SPOILER warning, as a couple of the article sections will be discussing things that happen pretty close to the end of the series. Now, for those of us still left, let's get diving in, shall we? That's our ninja way!

Who Takes Custody?

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After the traumatic fox attack on Naruto's home town when he was just a baby, he wasn't the only one left to fend for himself. While not explicitly stated, it's heavily inferred that many people were ended that night due to Kurama's rampage. I doubt that the Hidden Leaf village was able to deal with so much loss in such a short time with perfect accuracy, especially since they had just lost their leader as well. How did we end up mostly with main characters whose parents alive and well?

Where's The Love?

[caption id="attachment_291483" align="alignnone" width="1280"] via: youtube.com[/caption] My all-time favorite character on the show is Tenten. She's a super impressive ninja in her own right (let's be honest, her fight was cut for time) and I would have loved to see her get a bit of recognition. But here's the question everyone wants to know: in a world as fleshed out as Naruto is (giving every other character a family name and some background), shy is she so singled-out in lack of information? At least she has a family in her team. Click here if you want to read an article about why  Neji and Tenten work.

Why Do They Run Like That?

[caption id="attachment_300172" align="alignnone" width="1200"] via: reddit.com[/caption] You've seen the groups of people running like the Naruto characters away from storms. Most fans of the show have tried it at least once, myself included. While from some scientific standpoint it might sort of make sense, the way that ninja run in the show is absolutely ridiculous. Running like Naruto is iconic, but silly. You have to wonder who came up with it, or if their arms ever get tired from hanging behind them for long stretches of time. It certainly is one of the memorable parts of the show.

What's His Secret?

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Orochimaru is one of the longest lasting villains in a show. Despite being the main baddie for a season or two, he has found a way to twist himself into the plot time and time again. So you must be wondering then, if literally everyone else has gone through physical changes, how come he hasn't? It's most likely thanks to some science experiment or some chakra manipulation, but dang if he doesn't bottle and sell the stuff. He'd be rich in a minute.

How Did He Stay Around?

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I'll be honest: I didn't read or watch much of the end stuff because it was just focused on two characters I couldn't find time to get attached to. But I DID like Madara. He's got a similar question to Orochimaru. The whole point of his villainy is being alive enough to get the Uchiha clan to destroy itself. (Which succeeds). He's older than anyone can be on their own. There are some explanations as to how this works, but because chakra turns the ninjas into magicians of some sort, it's hard to get behind the story idea.

Why Didn't They Try To Help?

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One of the biggest focuses on a show is the grand finale. Throughout the series, there was danger aplenty, but our favorite characters always made it out. Until that is, until towards the end of the series. Most of the characters who were ended were brought back. The enemies get stronger and more desperate as our heroes closed in on them. There were losses, but they were able to be brought back. All except one. Now I know that Neji's passing is poetic and the catalyst to Naruto and Hinata's relationship. But why doesn't he get brought back, too?

Why Isn't Technology Widely Available?

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Similar to some other lists I've made, Naruto is a world where you have some interesting preferences when it comes to technology development. For this show, where most of the characters are ninja, it makes sense that they'd spend a lot to develop their armories. But it makes you wonder why Hidden Leaf doesn't have more of the technology in the village. We know from some of the movies that cars are available, but in the show they're practically nonexistent.

What Was So Important About Sasuke?

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One of the things that I had a problem with in the show was how badly Naruto wanted to save Sasuke and how far everyone was willing to go to get him back. I understand that the world was on the brink of war and that Orochimaru's actions would start it. Sasuke's return was of utmost importance. But still, the village probably would have been better off focusing on one aspect instead of spreading themselves too thin. They were facing a powerful opponent and needed all the help they could get.

What Is Basic Anatomy Anyway?

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Behind Tenten, one of my favorite characters was Kisame. He was super strong and had an awesome character design. It seems though that that is an aspect that also never got the screen time it deserved.  In the end it doesn't make much of a difference, but it certainly is a fun part of the character that could be explored at some point in the future. I'm guessing the answer is somewhere behind the scenes as far as his concept art goes.

How Are They So Strong?

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If you click on the link here, you'll learn a little about the human body and some of its limits. You'll come to figure out that although we know that exercise is a vital aspect of maintaining good health, there are some limits. Some of those include the fact that you really shouldn't start weight lifting until you're 8. It's important not to start weight training too young. Given that the characters in this universe are done with their academy training at 12, you have to wonder how they're able to get so strong quickly without permanently harming their bodies.

Why Don't They Associate Together?

[caption id="attachment_291537" align="alignnone" width="1280"] via: coub.com[/caption] One thing that always bothered me about both Naruto and Frozen is that the entire population decides to hide away someone with crazy powers instead of trying to help them. Not only does this create some really deep psychological scars, it also hurts the village that shuns them.  It wouldn't take much for the lonely hero to become the villain and break the system. Honestly, Konoha is lucky Naruto is the one who got Kurama and not someone like Sasuke.

Why Didn't They Nip Sasuke's Anger In The Bud?

[caption id="attachment_291538" align="alignnone" width="1920"] via: trik99designs.com[/caption] In LITERALLY any situation where a child experiences a trauma like Sasuke, the responsible people in charge make sure that the child's psyche is okay by having them see some kind of counselor. Sasuke let his anger drive his actions. Not only did that not happen, but Sasuke was then given the training to become a pretty strong enemy. The Hokage is said to be like the father of the village. I wonder why he thought a passive course of action was correct when the Uchihas were finished.

Which Power Up Is The Greatest?

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Naruto and Dragon Ball Z are sometimes compared, as they are both action shows that include a lot of fighting and powering up. It didn't feel like that at first, but oh boy did it get there fast. Toward the end, it felt like Naruto and Sasuke were akin to Goku and Vegeta, each with a ton of power ups that gave them a specific edge. Granted the ninja's power ups were more varied in look than the Saiyans, but it wasn't the best move in my opinion.

What Do They Do?

[caption id="attachment_300186" align="alignnone" width="1024"] via: pinterest.com[/caption] One of the iconic bits of the show is all of the hand symbols used before a jutsu. Based off the Chinese horoscope animals, your move was dependent on which signals you used. As a kid, I learned the hand signs (don't ask me what they are now, though!) because I thought they looked cool and loved the show. But if you get down to the mechanics of it, those hand signals shouldn't make a lick of sense. It's not like they're a chakra activator, right?

What Is Considered A Basic Skill?

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When you leave the academy to join a 3 man cell, you should know some of the basic things in order to do missions as a genin. So why is it that when the graduation is focused on, the only move they had to do was a clone jutsu? The academy didn't use practical tests for chakra control. We know from later episodes that chakra control is something they hadn't gotten down just yet. You'd think doing things like wall climbing and walking on water would be part of the test.

 Are They Magic Logs?

[caption id="attachment_291542" align="alignnone" width="1024"] via: naruto.wikia.com[/caption] The very first time I saw someone in the show do a substitution jutsu, I loved it. The fact that only a log was there when the smoke cleared opened the door for a lot of comedic moments. It wasn't until I started researching for this list that I was posed with the question of where the logs came from. Since Konoha is surrounded by trees, it's not a hard thing to think the ninja could have picked one up some where. But they're shown to be large, so then that begs the question of where the logs are stowed.

You Sure They Aren't Related?

[caption id="attachment_300188" align="alignnone" width="1024"] via: youtube.com[/caption] Green spandex, orange leg warmers and a bowl cut will give you the look of two of Konoha's most popular ninja. Even though there's no relation between them, the resemblance is striking. You might argue that Lee models his look after Gai, but that might be the simplest answer as to why they like to dress the same. They're quirky, lovable and gave arguably one of the best battles in the show when Lee faced off against Gaara. I guess it gets tossed to the side when you look at how over the top they are on everything else.

What Can't Chakra Do?

[caption id="attachment_300189" align="alignnone" width="1280"] via: twitter.com[/caption] Chakra sure is a nice way to explain how things work in the Naruto universe. It allows for superhuman feats, but still has some major weak points. How does Naruto's chakra work? One thing that I started to wonder when writing this list is how exactly chakra gets used for things like being turned to string and moving outward, or as a wall, etc. Is it like air bending? Or are we going to be making another Dragon Ball Z reference? There are people who want to be this brand of ninja, dangit.

What's There To Hide?

[caption id="attachment_300191" align="alignnone" width="1429"] via: pinterest.com[/caption] Oh, Kakashi. Right in between Neji and Tenten and Kisame on my favorite character list. He's goofy, super strong, lovable, and down to earth. Given that he never takes off his mask, you can add mysterious to that list. But here's a funny question: besides the obvious eating and drinking question fans have been wondering for years, how does he do some of his jutsus without burning it? How does his voice come out to be so clear? We need answers, Kishimoto!

Why The Missed Opportunity?

[caption id="attachment_291548" align="alignnone" width="1262"] via: naruto.wikia.com[/caption] Naruto has grown so much throughout his adventures in the manga and anime. He has gained so many different forms and learned some really handy tricks. Some of which that would have come in very handy had he used them during the Great Ninja War. Naruto lost out on a lot of chances to summon his frogs. In this case, it's namely his ability to summon frogs. They make for great allies and can help bolster the numbers in any battle. Why Naruto doesn't call on them more is far beyond me.

Why The Gap?

[caption id="attachment_300193" align="alignnone" width="3162"] via: pinterest.com[/caption] For every three-man team, there are two male ninjas and one female ninja. It seems pretty handy that those are the numbers we happen to get in Naruto's generation of genin. But that begs the question: what if there are more females? Do you make up a cell of them? Is there a reason behind the numbers? Perhaps the village doesn't push girls as hard as boys to finish their training. Who knows. Even though a couple of them are obnoxious, they're all pretty awesome.

Lightning Village, Who?

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Naruto is a story based on one village's experience during a specified time period. We as viewers get to see a few parts of the other nations, and hear a bit about their background. But that's about it as far as world building goes. I personally would love to learn about some of the other nations and see what the lives of their people look like. When a show gets you invested in background characters, you know you'd better get to world building!

How Did The Land Heal?

[caption id="attachment_291544" align="alignnone" width="1280"] via: naruto.wikia.com[/caption] Over the course of the series, we see a lot of overly large creatures tearing up the forests around Konoha. It's obvious that the land has vast forests around it (hence the village name, hidden in the leaves) but the rate at which the trees grow back at is staggering. How can a chakra help regrow trees? After the year gap for shippuden, we see a lot of the forest regrown. Now they could have used some jutsu to fix the trees after Orochimaru. But I wonder how it would be done.

Is Sealing Even Possible?

[caption id="attachment_291552" align="alignnone" width="1429"] via: naruto.wikia.com[/caption] Scrolls are one of the basic ninja tools that every ninja has at their disposal. They can hold anything in there (even a large quantity of water!) But my question is how it works. Do the items they seal away fold into a pocket dimension? Are they turned into ink? Why is blood needed to activate the seal?How long can something be stored away? All these questions from something so simple. This is part of what I was referring to when I talked about chakra being the magical solution to everything.

Who's The Story About?

[caption id="attachment_291553" align="alignnone" width="1920"] via: naruto.wikia.com[/caption] This is the one question that is arguably one of the most overlooked. Naruto surely has the makings of a protagonist from the pilot episode. Many times after that, however, make us wonder if someone like Sasuke or Neji weren't supposed to be the main characters. Naruto isn't the most popular character, nor does he really have the best arc. He isn't even really very good at his job. But, he's the protagonist we're given until we meet his son, Boruto.