The hit anime Naruto wowed anime fans with its incredible original ideas, such as the terrifying tailed beasts and the power of dojutsu. In other ways, Naruto merely popularized existing ideas, and some of its most noteworthy elements can be traced right back to Dragon Ball. Every anime in the shonen "big three" has a lot of Dragon Ball DNA in it, and arguably, the Naruto anime shows it the most.
In the most positive terms, this means the Naruto anime keeps the spirit of Dragon Ball alive and honors Akira Toriyama's imagination in exciting ways, while detractors might say Naruto is just a Dragon Ball wannabe with yet another Goku clone leading the whole shebang. Whatever fans' opinions may be, Naruto loves to flex its Dragon Ball muscles in ways that linger in the franchise to this day, well into the Boruto era.
Naruto Blends Fantasy and Technology in One World
Technology Shows Up When It's Convenient
Some anime go all in with advanced technology, such as Gurren Lagann or Ghost in the Shell, while others are strictly fantasy or historical, such as Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Vinland Saga. Other anime may be primarily rooted in sci-fi or fantasy while borrowing elements from the other, and when done well, this creates a richer narrative. Such was the case for both Dragon Ball and, more recently, Naruto.
In fact, fans might say Dragon Ball was 50/50 between fantasy and science fiction, with Son Goku summoning Shenron with the Dragon Balls while also seeing people use the ultra-advanced Capsule Corps technology. Naruto clearly favors fantasy, but it does indulge in some tech when convenient, such as Anko using TVs and cassette tapes to monitor Gaara's actions in the Chunin Exam Arc. Put another way, Naruto is fantasy when it can be, and high-tech when it must be. Boruto, meanwhile, takes this to a whole new level.
Naruto Stars a Hungry Himbo Hero
Ramen Was Naruto's First Love
If Dragon Ball did just one thing to influence the designs in Naruto, that would be the protagonist's design. Son Goku still casts a long shadow over the realm of shonen anime, with so many action stars clearly trying to be the next Goku, often in obvious or even flamboyant ways. The likes of Monkey D. Luffy and Natsu Dragneel clearly took this route, and so did Naruto Uzumaki, right down to his orange and blue color scheme in his wardrobe.
7 Jutsu Of Naruto Uzumaki That Can Kill An Otsutsuki, Ranked
Naruto Uzumaki has many powerful abilities, and some of them could even kill an Otsutsuki.
Naruto sort of looks like Goku, and the parallels are even stronger on the inside. Just like Goku before him, Naruto is a total himbo, an energetic and well-meaning doofus who sees things in straightforward and tangible ways most of the time. Naruto has a good heart but can also be a total oaf, much to everyone's annoyance, and he has a massive appetite to match. Goku could clean out an entire restaurant when hungry, and Naruto is known for generously patronizing Ichiraku Ramen and complaining about his grumbling stomach more than once.
Naruto Features Powerful Transformations For Everyone
Getting a New Haircut is Part of the Deal
Aside from the hungry himbo concept, the trope of transformations was the biggest influence that Dragon Ball had on the Naruto anime. Transformations have always existed in mythology and fiction, such as werewolves, but Dragon Ball did it differently. Aside from Goku morphing into a giant ape under the full moon, Goku and other heroes could power up with new forms, such as the dazzling power of Super Saiyan mode. And goodness knows villains like Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu had their own transformations to play around with.
This no doubt inspired Naruto's Masashi Kishimoto to transform his characters every time they powered up, complete with new hairstyles to add visual flair. Naruto did this anytime he tapped into Kurama's chakra to get a biju cloak, not to mention the demonic transformations of the Curse Mark, complete with longer hair in Sasuke's case.
Naruto Sends the Power Scaling Through the Ceiling
The Fourth Great Shinobi War Was No Time For Subtle Tricks
At first, the Naruto anime's combat system almost felt like a rebuttal to Dragon Ball's own, what with the shinobi characters relying on stealth and clever tricks to get ahead. Disguises, traps, and sneaky ploys ruled the day, and even a himbo like Naruto could play that game well at times. But inevitably, the power levels kept creeping up until Naruto Shippuden felt like a reskinned Dragon Ball Z.
Either for good or ill, the characters in Naruto Shippuden were flinging ninja-flavored Kamehamehas at one another, and those attacks could flatten the entire landscape. The heroes and villains were never quite powerful enough to destroy an entire planet or moon, but their power levels did get close enough to create that familiar Dragon Ball Z feel. Inner Gates, biju cloaks, tailed beasts, and massive kekkei genkai all contributed to this phenomenon.
Naruto Has Memorable Tournament Arcs to Rival Dragon Ball's Own
No One Will Ever Forget the Chunin Exam
Not even Dragon Ball can claim to have invented the concept of tournaments, but it did help popularize the idea in the shonen action sphere. The original Dragon Ball anime regularly saw Goku and Krillin enter tournaments with varying stakes on the line, and then Cell hosted his Cell Games and Zeno hosted the Tournament of Power. There is little doubt that Naruto also had tournament arcs because Dragon Ball did it first.
Naruto: 4 Genin With Hokage Level Strength, Ranked
Naruto fans know that some genin are surprisingly powerful, but did you know about these genin who rival the Kage in strength?
Of course, the Chunin Exam Arc did more than copy Dragon Ball's homework to keep the story moving, which helps make this such a legendary shonen arc. This phase of Naruto's story also saw Sasuke gain forbidden power that threatened to tear him apart, while also depicting the thematic clash of talent vs hard work. All the while, there was an increasing sense of dread as Anko and other parties realized something was dreadfully wrong about this tournament.
Naruto Stars a Mega-Pervert Sensei With Tough Training Regimens
Jiraiya Dreamed Bigger Than Master Roshi Did
One of the more controversial, or at least more provocative, ways Naruto emulated Dragon Ball was the design of the elderly mentor character. Dragon Ball swiftly introduced Goku and friends to Master Roshi, the turtle-loving old man who enjoyed combat and beautiful girls in equal measure. Master Roshi arguably took it too far, though, and even in Dragon Ball Super, he's still at it. It's little wonder some viewers say Roshi's design is problematic and outdated, while others just laugh it off.
Toxic or not, this design found its way into the Naruto anime as well, with the toad sage and member of the glorious Sannin, Jiraiya. Like his Roshi predecessor, Jiraiya blended genuine combat mastery with a sleazy personal life while coaching the himbo hero in the ways of battle. To Naruto's credit, Jiraiya is more than Roshi in a different font, since another key component of his arc was added: his dream of world peace. That made Jiraiya an idealistic dreamer, the kind who influenced students like Nagato and Naruto in both positive and negative ways.
- Number of Episodes
- 220
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Amazon Freevee, Hulu, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Tubi
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8
