Naruto Why Kishimoto had to kill Neji Hyuuga

Masashi Kishimoto is one of the most popular manga authors of all time. As the creator of Narutohe has received praise from fans for his impressive storytelling, character design and world building. Kishimoto's talent is evident in Naruto's success. After all Naruto manga has sold more than 100 million copies, a feat only a handful of other series have ever matched.

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Naruto: Kishimoto reveals why Sasuke and Naruto lost their arms

Naruto and Sasuke lost their arms at the end of Naruto. This moment is iconic, and Kishimoto reveals why this happened.

For all his positive qualities, there have been some instances where Kishimoto's story felt weak and perhaps even lacking. One such example is the killing of Neji Hyuuga in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Kishimoto Wasted Neji Hyuuga

When Neji debuted, it seemed obvious that he would end up as one of the main characters in the story. He lit up the Chunin Exams with the combination of intelligence and ruthlessness. In fact, he seemed destined to win the competition. Even in the fight against Naruto, Neji was dominant, and he made the competitor eat dirt. The Hyuuga would have won the fight if not for Naruto's Nine-Tails.

After the end of the Chunin Exams, Neji was involved in a great battle with Kidomaru of the Sound Five. Despite the difference in experience and strength, Neji beat his opponent. After this fight, Neji became a bystander for the rest of Part 1. He was promoted to the rank of Jonin sometime before Part 2 started, but even then Kishimoto didn't involve him in too many important arcs, which was a shame.

Neji was ignored by Kishimoto

Neji was a prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, and his talent shocked the members of the main family. They couldn't believe that someone from the Branch family could master the Byakugan in such a short time. Neji also knew of the Byakugan's weakness, prompting him to come up with a solution to overcome the problem. While Neji was not respected by Kishimoto, fans were still happy to see him in action sporadically. But all this changed when Neji was killed in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Why Neji's death was necessary to the story

• Neji was killed to further improve Naruto and Hinata's relationship

• It also improved Naruto's resolve

During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Neji fought with the rest of the Shinobi Alliance to stop Obito from wreaking havoc, but the Uchiha were one step ahead. He managed to summon the Ten-Tails, who terrorized the ninjas. With the tailed beast free, it began to attack the Shinobi Alliance. The Ten Tails could launch wooden projectiles, which could almost instantly kill a person.

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However, the Ten Tails' presence was enough to deter Naruto, who continued to attack it with the Rasenshuriken. Naruto's attacks were successful to some extent, but they drained his chakra and left him incapacitated for a moment. Obito and Madara knew this could be a turning point in the war, so the Ten-Tails were ordered to fire more projectiles at Naruto Uzumaki. Hinata was also nearby, so she decided to protect Naruto with her body. However, Neji used his Byakugan to detect the projectiles and quickly threw his body in front of them.

The projectiles impaled Neji's body, leaving him in critical condition. Neji then had a brief moment where he talked about how Naruto had affected him before finally passing away.

Kishimoto decided to kill Neji Hyuuga because he wanted to deepen the bond between Naruto and Hinata. The writer wanted Naruto and Hinata to end up together, but he needed something to bring them closer. So he killed Neji. The Hyuuga's death served another purpose – it increased Naruto's conviction and belief in himself.

Neji should have been left alive

Neji's death wasn't completely pointless, but Kishimoto had better keep him alive, especially when he was going to make a sequel to Naruto. The writer could have easily had Neji use his spin to deflect the projectiles. Although the attacker was the Ten Tails, Neji was a nobody. He was an elite Jonin from The Hidden Leaf, so it was the least he could have done.

If Kishimoto needed to kill someone, then he could have sacrificed Hiashi Hyuuga, which would have cleared the way for Neji to become the next leader of the clan. By doing so, Neji would have broken the curse and been free. If Neji had been alive, Kishimoto could have used him in Boruto. Neji would actually have been an excellent mentor to Boruto Uzumaki.

Naruto

Release date

2002 – 2007-00-00

Showrunner

Masashi Kishimoto

Directors

Hayato date

Author

Masashi Kishimoto

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