naruto is a staple of modern anime. Features an incredible world, fun and believable supporting characters, and one of the most beloved shōnen protagonists of all time. Naruto went from a lonely and mischievous child to a hero of his village and eventually became the Hokage he always wanted to be. He did this through a multitude of power-ups and new forms, but surprisingly, there was only one form he truly achieved: his original form. Sage Mode.
After Jiraiya died to Pain, Naruto wanted revenge but wasn’t strong enough. Fukasaku, one of the Great Toad Sages and Jiraiya’s former teacher, took Naruto to Mount Myoboku to learn Senjutsu, also known as Sage Mode. Although Naruto has a ton of powerful forms, like the Sage of Six Paths, Tailed Beast Transformations, and more, Senjutsu was the only way he really learnedgiving him unique importance both within the series and within Naruto’s character arc as a whole.
Naruto’s other modes are incredibly powerful, but they share a specific problem
Sage Mode is one of Naruto’s most powerful, as it allows him to deal a unique type of damage that other forms do not. All of Naruto’s other forms are incredibly powerful, but they are not necessarily Naruto’s. Naruto’s Tailed Beast Transformation is easily the strongest in naruto and at the beginning and middle of Naruto: Shippuden, but the more tails Naruto produces, the less he can control it.
It’s only much later in the series that Kurama and Naruto begin to see eye to eye. Before becoming friends, they are rightfully bitter enemies. Kurama killed Naruto’s parents, and Naruto’s parents are the people who sealed Kurama inside the future Hokage. Whenever Naruto resorts to the Demon Fox’s power, Kurama takes part of Naruto’s mind for himself, controlling the boy with ease. This shows that This transformation is more Kurama than Narutoand Yamato is even assigned to Naruto specifically to keep the Tailed Beast Transformation at bay.
At the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto unlocks arguably his most powerful form in Naruto: Shippuuden when Hagoromo Otsutsuki gives him Sage of the Six Paths mode. Again, That’s not really Naruto’s strengthbut rather the strength of Ashura, of which Naruto was a reincarnation. Naruto uses the power incredibly well and certainly makes it his own, but it didn’t come from him. If Hagoromo hadn’t taken human form, Naruto might never have reached this incredible state.
Sage Mode is the only form of Naruto that stems entirely from his own hard work and determination.
Naruto is easily one of the hardest workers in his own series. It’s a big reason why so many people gravitate towards him and have faith in him. Kurama even lets his guard down when he can’t help but recognize how strong Naruto has become. While it’s always fun to see the yellow-haired ninja receive a fun power-up from the Demon Fox or a former Ninja God, it’s very more rewarding to see him gain his strength alone.
Naruto’s trials on Mount Myoboku were grueling, time-consuming, and downright difficult. Naruto resisted, however, and was able to return to his village stronger than ever when Pain began his attack with one of the most tragic events of mass destruction in anime. Sage Mode is Naruto’s only form that came from his own hard work and determination. It might not be the strongest and it certainly doesn’t compare to Sage of Six Paths mode, but it is the most significant.
Naruto had to go through the same trials and tribulations as his sensei Jiraiya, who came before him. He had to work incredibly hard to achieve Sage Mode and because of that, he was able to save his village. Although Naruto received essentially all of his other forms, no one gave him Sage Mode. His hard work paid off as he was able to not only master Sage Mode but make it even better than Jiraiya.
He was able to control his own Chakra and Sage Mode Chakra better than Jiriaya, as seen in the physical manifestations of the toad-like qualities on his face. He was also able to add his own spin to Sage Mode, using Shadow Clones to increase the reserve of Sage Chakra he could draw from.
All of Naruto’s forms reflect how much his character grows
Naruto’s forms each reflect a different aspect of his character. His Tailed Beast Transformation State is a direct indicator of Naruto’s anger and only appears when Naruto can no longer contain his anger. Naruto usually used his Jinchuuriki powers when he saw that one of his friends was in danger, or even when they died. When he thought Sasuke had died to Haku at first Naruto, he threw consequences to the wind and let his inner Demon Fox come out to great effect.
When he grows up Shippuuden and gets a little more maturethanks to one of the best father figures in anime, he doesn’t exploit his anger as much. When Jiraiya died to Pain, the old Naruto would have immediately used his Jinchuuriki powers and tried to face Pain immediately. Now, as a much more mature young man, Naruto takes the opportunity to go to Mount Myoboku with the toads to gain his own power, paving his own way to defeat his enemy.
At the end of Shippuuden Naruto is as mature as a 17 year old can be. Your last forms reflect a synthesis of his first twoas his hard work led him to make peace with Kurama. They symbolically match him to deal with his childhood trauma, forgiving everyone in the village who mistreated him and using that as fuel to ensure no one has to go through what he went through again. naruto capable of being powerful but level-headed, determined and not distracted, and an incredibly powerful character who uses his abilities to defend the people he loves.