Naruto: Shippuden - General Discussion

[Sandman87]

Hidan unveils his big combat technique, which turns him into a living voodoo doll with just a little blood from his victim to get started. Asuma finds out the hard way about Hidan's Corsican Brothers no Jutsu when he hits him with a fire attack. The rest of the episode revolves around everyone from the Leaf crapping bricks while Shikamaru tries to figure out a counter before his Shadow Stitching runs out. Meanwhile, Kakuzu stands there and makes snarky comments without lifting a finger to help Hidan.

[lathspel]

Catching up.

Three episodes back, Kakashi calls Yamato "Tenzo" in a moment of panic. Did we know that was Yamato's real name before?

I liked the symmetry in the most recent episode - both Hidan and Shikamaru effectively steal their opponents' bodies, although in very different ways.

I'm guessing it's not quite so easy to kill an immortal guy, but going for the head removal was still the best option. Hidan's face close ups while in Jutsu mode were a bit Mayuri Kurotsuchi I thought.

[Lantern7]

RIP Asuma. The B-guys showed why they're the B-guys. They're probably competent in regular missions, but against an Akatsuki? They're overmatched. And Shikamaru doesn't think of keeping Hidan out of his voodoo whammy diagram.

[lathspel]

Yeah, that's what's really going to bother Shikamaru for years after this I bet.

I'm feeling good that I called Hidan being only mostly dead (if that). It tempers my bad feelings about Asuma's end (although, not having watched Naruto all the way through, I don't have a super strong attachment to him).

I know I don't have a lot of shinobi training, but if I find that my opponent's decapitated head can still talk, and my other opponent starts to reattach it, you can bet I'm going to try and break that up. That part was psychically painful to watch.

[Sandman87]

Kind of clever for Hidan to arrange things so that he could fake an attack on Asuma when he really wanted to hit himself.

 

It's worth noting that none of the other important adult supporting characters from the Leaf has died since the previous series, when the Third Hokage sacrificed himself during Orochimaru's attack on the village.

 

BTW the B-guys on this mission (Izumo and Kotetsu) are the ones that normally guard the Leaf's front gate. Or at least they're always there whenever someone on the show goes through the gate.

 

RIP Asuma. The B-guys showed why they're the B-guys. They're probably competent in regular missions, but against an Akatsuki? They're overmatched. And Shikamaru doesn't think of keeping Hidan out of his voodoo whammy diagram.

With the shape he was in I doubt Shikamaru could have kept Tsunade's pet pig out of the diagram, let alone an Akatsuki.

[lathspel]

The Akatsuki get called back home to seal the two-tails, while Asuma smokes his last one.

Asuma mentioned in the flashback that each of his shinobi would get their own squads. But that doesn't seem to have happened - Shikamaru was on Asuma's squad, while Choji and Ino were on the same squad. Unless that was only during the current Akatsuki emergency?

[Sandman87]

The Hokages have never been shy about shuffling the squad memberships around for specific missions. That's how Naruto has been able to go on missions with everyone from the other squads at various points. In other words, the squads are whatever the plot requires.

 

Ever notice how some characters take forever to die from wounds should be instantly fatal? And then everyone cries, including the sky.

 

The Leaf really needs to learn to communicate using whatever the Akatsuki were using. Give the pigeons a rest.

[lathspel]

I like that you could see the rain clouds sneaking up for a couple minutes before the last breath. It's enough of a trope that I watch for it.

I really want to know about the techno dystopia where the leader of the Alatsuki was. That looked neat!

[Lantern7]

Stupid question . . . is "Deidara" a common word or name in Japan? Here's a video of misheard anime lyrics; "Deidara" came up twice. As for the character himself . . . I'll be lazy and call him "Clay."

[Sandman87]

I like that you could see the rain clouds sneaking up for a couple minutes before the last breath.

Nice catch. One wonders how the clouds know what's going on far enough ahead of time to schedule the rain. Maybe the sky is in league with the Akatsuki.

[Sandman87]

Last week: Word of Asuma's death reaches the Leaf. The Akatsuki work on their tailed-beast collection. It's like philately, but more dangerous and evil. Their leader reveals their true goal in order to shut Hidan up: Corner the market in mercenary military ninja-ness, make a ton of money, and then rule the world!

 

This week: Shikamaru tells Kurenai about Asuma's death. She cries. He tells a Yooper shopkeeper that Asuma won't be paying his tab. She cries, although whether or not it's because of the unpaid tab is unclear. He misses the funeral, has a little talk with his dad, and then cries. He also works out a way to attack Hidan on his Shogi board. He visits Choji's plus-size family, and Choji's mom nearly cries. Turns out that Choji is out in the hills laying in a hole in the ground, just waiting for Shikamaru to collect him for a mission of vengeance. Same with Ino, except for the hole in the ground part. Tsunade is dubious about the whole "running off and getting killed" thing, but Kakashi volunteers to oversee the process.

[Lantern7]

Anybody else figuring the name of the anime should be renamed Shikamaru? Nice that Naruto got a scene in his show . . . he's so hellbent on learning a new jutsu, he wolves down Sakura's food pills without complaint. I doubt even Choji could have pulled that off.

[Sandman87]

Even Sakura couldn't believe that Naruto ate the food pills.

I think that's the first time that Ino has been shown using her powers on a non-human. I wonder if it also works on fish and insects.

Shikamaru gets serious and manages to give Hidan and Kakuzu a hard time all by himself. That's impressive.

Choji has managed to add "Sharp and Spiky" to his rolling boulder attack. Nasty.

Anybody else figuring the name of the anime should be renamed Shikamaru?

It's a nice chance from the days when it should have been named Sasuke.

[lathspel]

Kakuzu mentioned his one arm to distract from the other that he hid. And he was performing some Jutsu as Choji attacked, so we haven't seen the last of him yet.

I liked that at the end we catch a glance of Kakashi using the Sharingon. I bet that learning the Alatsuki jutsu will come in handy next episode.

[lathspel]

So Kakuzu has some masks that can use different chakra natures - I suspect one mask for each of the four that he doesn't do himself (Earth). and another guess: the stitching is his original ability, but he used it to add on these other powerful entities that he found or conquered.

It is suspicious that we only find out that Chakra nature is a big roshambo circle right now. I suppose it will play a big part in the fight.

Did we ever find out what Hidan's nature is? (He says "Kakuzu" all the time so I have to remind myself that it's not his name.)

[Sandman87]

Kakuzu is like five! Five! Five ninja in one! But wait, there's more! If you order now, we'll also include a loudmouthed death-worshiping partner absolutely free!

The characters in this show spend so much time being wizards who also know kung-fu that I'm always a little shocked when one of them actually does something ninja-like, such as sneaking up behind an enemy and stabbing him in the back. Leave it to Kakashi to get back to basics. Kakuzu is just lucky that Kakashi didn't opt for 1000 Years of Death, especially with that Chidori of his.
 

Did we ever find out what Hidan's nature is? (He says "Kakuzu" all the time so I have to remind myself that it's not his name.)

Heh. I thought I was the only one who had that problem. I don't think his chakra nature has been revealed, but based on how much time he spends flapping his gums I vote for wind.

 

ETA:

It is suspicious that we only find out that Chakra nature is a big roshambo circle right now.

Since there's five chakra types I guess that'd be Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Sandman87

[lathspel]

I love the repartee between Hidan and Kakuzu - they really cracked me up this episode. "So you saw that did you?"

No way Shikamaru actually is trapped. Did he figure out how to prevent Hidan from regenerating?

Edit: did the animation style get oddly deformed for this episode? Possibly the last couple also - not sure. It was quite obvious this time.

I like that we get the tease of Kakashi's face cloth almost ripped off but it never quite does. For those who have seen all of Naruto, does it ever?

Edited October 14, 2015 by lathspel

[Sandman87]

I remember from the first series there was an episode where Naruto and Sakura were just dying to find out what he looked like under the mask. Some of their mental pictures were hilarious. Eventually Kakashi pulled down his cloth mask...and had another cloth mask under it.

 

Some nice fights in this episode. Less talking, more action.

 

Did he figure out how to prevent Hidan from regenerating?

Hidan doesn't regenerate so much as he just can't be killed. That's why Kakuzu needed to sew his head back on, so it could heal normally.

[lathspel]

I'm trying to decide how Shikamaru's spiderweb setup will deal with Hidan , and drawing a blank.

I did really enjoy the action in this and the last few eps. It's too bad that the anime animation budgets won't allow for a solid episode like that - instead you always get the unrealistic lull where the good guys regroup amd talk it over, and the bad guys wait patiently (not even taking amidst themselves).

[Sandman87]

For the most part the lulls aren't due to the budget, at least on this show. They come from the fact that they're following the manga pretty faithfully in the canon episodes, and the "instant" dialog in manga takes surprising amounts of actual time when it gets animated. It also doesn't help any that they're trying not to get ahead of the manga in order to avoid having to do even more filler episodes while they wait for new material.

[Terrafamilia]

Edit: did the animation style get oddly deformed for this episode? Possibly the last couple also - not sure. It was quite obvious this time.

I think someone used a substitution jutsu on the animators for a few episodes.

[lathspel]

I love Shikamaru's stratagem here. And Hidan thinks he's got it figured out, but he still doesn't know what all the charms hanging from threads are.

At the end of this ep, Kakashi's wavy hair is echoed by Kakuzu's wavy threads. No one was surprised that Kakuzu could use any or all of his hearts, right?

[lathspel]

"Oh great, another weirdo I have to fight" could easily be the subtitle of the whole series.

[Sandman87]

That line about "another weirdo" was hilarious. Kakuzu needs to take a look in a mirror right about now. And it was nice of him to wait so patiently for Naruto to fire up his new attack.

 

Shikamaru's plan for Hidan is revealed: Blow him up, bury him, and sic the guard deer on him. And he blowed him up real good, with about a hundred paper-bombs, proving that a sufficient quantity of explosives solves any problem.

 

From last episode: I'm pretty sure that's the first time we've seen Choji use the full-body expansion jutsu to go completely super-sized. His father used it during Orochimaru's attack at the end of the first series to make himself the tallest thing in the Leaf village.

[lathspel]

"Hi, I'm Hidan's head!"

But how does his head get the breath to speak? I guess it doesn't matter.

Doing something alone is today's theme I see. Funny that Naruto needs so many clones to go it alone :) .

[Sandman87]

Remember I joked that Hidan's chakra might be wind-type? Maybe it really is, and he's using it to talk somehow.

 

Shikamaru's woodland pals are the most buff looking deer I've ever seen. I bet they spend at least an hour every day at the gym.

 

Poor Hidan. Shikamaru buried him with his stinky dismembered foot up close to his face.

[Sandman87]

Some wrap-up and recovery for everyone. Naruto's new jutsu does permanent damage to his chakra nodes, so he probably shouldn't ever use it again. And if you believe that he won't, I have a bridge to sell you. Also, Kurenai is pregnant.

[Lantern7]

I'm having trouble remembering when/where Disney XD left off airing the episodes. I think everything is "new," but it's been so long.

 

In case you missed the latest episode, you didn't miss much . . . lots of table-setting, some ramen-fueled humor, and Kakashi getting another team to play with . . . this time, Kurenai's students, all of whom are good at tracking.

[Lantern7]

I forgot about some of the latest episode to air. I still don't know why Shino would be upset about Naruto not recognizing him after the timeskip. I'd say he's got a bug up his butt, but that's probably closer to the truth. Also, Jiraiya brings in a male toad with heavy lipstick to work out with Naruto. Because Japan, that's why.

[Sandman87]

Shino has trouble forming friendships, so not being recognized by Naruto was probably a big letdown for him. After all, Naruto is the only ninja who's ever seen him laugh.

[Terrafamilia]

The freakiest part of these most recent episodes is that Bacchikoi Just Dance segment at the end.

Nanananananana...

[Sandman87]

Now Naruto is learning to do a froggy dance. Pervy Sage is still pervy. Kabuto uses a kid with mysterious powers to locate a big critter in a lake. Oroshimaru is all about getting into Sasuke's body. Sasuke is still all about killing his big brother.

[Lantern7]

I forgot about the two toads from the original anime. Nice to see that the yellow guy is still dubbed like Mr. Hankey from South Park. And man, they grew up big. While I'm thinking about it . . . why would anybody want to be Orochimaru's vessel? I know Sasuke wants the power to kill Itachi and he'd be willing to sacrifice his future to make that happen, but that doesn't explain the girl's motivation.

 

Also . . . what is Bacchikoi? Here are the credits at normal speed . . .

[Sandman87]

Apparently bacchikoi translates more or less as "bring it on" or "bring it."

 

Seems like wanting to be Orochimaru's vessel is basically wanting to sacrifice one's self. Honor? Slavish devotion? Being an indispensable part of whatever he's planning? Giving meaning to one's life? Being assured of vengeance after death? I'm sure everyone who volunteers has their own reasons.

[Sandman87]

Naruto spends the episode doing the Froggy Dance, singing the Froggy Song, and buying some Froggy Snacks. Team 8 manages to figure out that they're in the general vicinity of Orochimaru's henchman's henchmen, one of whom is a bat man (although not The Batman, unfortunately.) Shino thinks he can breed bugs that are immune to the chakra used in the mysterious crystal jutsu, which makes me wonder why he hasn't bred bugs that are immune to all different types of chakra.

[Lantern7]

The stuff with the frogs stood out for me this week. Or are they toads? I think they're supposed to be toads, but I could be wrong. And I like the prospect that Naruto has been training non-stop with amphibians that don't have the water chakra mojo like the Heavy Lipstick Male Toad. I wonder what chakra talent they have.

[Sandman87]

They're toads in the original version, but here they've been doing "The Froggy Dance", so I'm just calling them frogs for now.

 

Incidentally, most of the froggy critters on the show have names starting with "gama", which means toad.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Sandman87

[Lantern7]

I know there's bonding and table-setting on a grand scale. So why am I so fixated on Naruto training with the toads/frogs/amphibians/whatever?

 

Another question: What is the deal with summoned animals? I'm guessing they all can talk (as opposed to Tonton, who is a garden variety pot-bellied pig), but where do they come from? Are the summoning rituals the local version of opening a Pokeball?

[Sandman87]

Might be a spoiler at this point: The toads

come from The Toad Village, but I don't know about the other critters. I'm not sure whether the Toad Village is on Earth or on some supernatural plane.

 

It'd be funny if Tonton were Tsunade's summoned animal, instead of her giant healing slug Katsuyu.

[Lantern7]

More table-setting this week. More training with the toads, including Naruto bursting out of Gamatatsu's mouth. This is preparation for the mission Naruto found out about, what with Sai's inability to lie properly. And he's still reading books about human interaction. At least we found out Sai has clothes that cover his stomach.

[Sandman87]

More table-setting this week.

This phrase needs some defining.

 

At least we found out Sai has clothes that cover his stomach.

Looks like what he really needs is clothes that cover his mouth.

[Lantern7]

Weird question: does anybody else see the stretchy ninja attacking Hinata and think "living sex doll"? It the outfit and the face that makes things creepy.

[Sandman87]

I was thinking more along the lines of "Reed Richards dressed as a condom", which isn't really any better. The face reminds me of Klaus Nomi in his stage makeup.

 

So we have Condom Guy, Bad Breath Guy, the Bruiser, Grenade Guy, and the Bat Man vs. the Leaf ninjas. First round is a draw, although the Leaf got the worst of it. Luckily the bad guys bugged out when Shino's bugs started bugging them.

 

Back in the Leaf, Naruto keeps on training, and Sakura doesn't approve of his Toad Spit Jutsu

[Lantern7]

Latest episode: Hinata gets to show her fighting style, only to get crystalized. Naruto has an encounter with another boy that looks like a girl (not Haku). And Naruto and Gamatatsu actually pull off a decent move. For your amusement, however, here's a failed effort from the Toonami Tumblr.

[lathspel]

First episode where I've liked Hinata's character, possibly excepting the Chunin exams. Even though she got frozen, she was on top of her game.

[Sandman87]

Too bad Hinata didn't get a chance to show off the unique jutsu she developed back in the first series. Maybe later.

 

Naruto's new technique is impressive, but it's not exactly the kind of thing that would be useful in the middle of a fight. Too much preparation.

[Terrafamilia]

Hmm, not only are Naruto's poots odoriferous they are quite visible as well.

I blame Sakura's special energy snacks.

[Sandman87]

Maybe he picked up some kind of froggy disease from hanging around inside a toad. Of course, his gas has always been a problem. He once caused a mission to fail by farting.

 

Good thing that Hinata can make herself a chakra force field. I wonder how many other ninjas can do that, both in and out of her clan.

 

Kabuto & the kid are fishing for a three-tailed beast in that lake. I guess Orochimaru wants to steal a march on his former colleagues in the Akatsuki.

[Lantern7]

Saw the latest episode. Hinata is lucky to have put up a chakra barrier; otherwise, they would have brought her back to her folks in a bucket. Friggin' Gamatatsu. At least we didn't see Hinata freak out over being twenty feet near Naruto.

 

Anybody else remember the chunin exams, where Naruto passed gas at just the right moment, defeating Kiba? Good times.

[Lantern7]

I keep losing track. When did Deidara survive? And how did he get his arms back? Is there a benefit of being on the Akatsuki Health Plan?

 

We'll be getting fresh ninja in the storyline, with a team consisting of Ino, Ten Ten (Tenten?) and Rock Lee. In other news, Might Guy shows his sadistic side by having Ten Ten and Rock Lee train while tied back-to-back. I don't get how Ten Ten puts up with those two.