Summary
TheNarutomanga and anime series has a diverse cast, but many of its female characters don’t live up to their potential. Characters like Sakura, Tsunade, and Hinata are often criticized by some fans for not getting the same amount of narrative and character development as their male counterparts. Female characters inNarutoare often developed in a single episode or story arc, and are then forgotten.
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, and theUltimate Ninja Stormgame series in general, is the main game series for theNarutoseries, and the way it treats its roster of female characters is arguably worse than the manga or anime.Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionshad the opportunity to update characters such as Sakura, Tsunade, and Ino, and instead, these key characters have been left on the sidelines with very lacking Ultimate Jutsus.
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Needs to Live Up to the Potential of the Manga
Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsignores key characteristics and abilities of female characters, while the male characters get multiple versions based on their abilities or ones created specifically for the game. A glaring example is Sakura, who has two Ultimate Jutsus that are visually and functionally indistinguishable from each other.Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsessentially overlooks her ability to wield the Byakugo, or Strength of a Hundred Seal, and only features it in aTeam Ultimate Jutsu with Sasuke and Naruto.
Sakura’s ability to use the Byakugo transforms her abilities as a shinobi, and allows her to dip into a massive pool of chakra which becomes a major plot point in the story. In addition to giving Sakura another form on the roster, it would potentially create the opportunity for aTeam Ultimate Jutsu with Obito. Likewise, Tsunade’s Byakugo is also overlooked. While she is the most prolific Hokage in the series, she’s also the Hokage with the fewest Ultimate Jutsus, while every other Hokage has at least two, Tsunade only has one.
While it can be argued that a healing ability like the Byakugo could be difficult to translate to a fighting game likeUltimate Ninja Storm Connections, other male characters with abilities that are difficult to conceptualize have better representation on the roster, such as Shisui Uchiha.Shisui’s Ultimate Jutsu is Kotoamatsukami, a genjutsu that controls a person’s mind without their awareness, and inUltimate Ninja Storm Connections, the ability is translated on screen in a visually cathartic way. Shisui also barely appears in both the manga and the anime, and yet this allowance is made for him. He also shares a Team Ultimate Jutsu with Itachi.
Ultimate Ninja Storm’s Pattern in Overlooking Its Female Roster
Ino’s character inUltimate Ninja Storm Connectionshasn’t received a single updatesince the very early versions ofUltimate Ninja Storm, where her character is reduced to throwing flowers at her enemies. In the actual series, she plays a pivotal role during the War Arc and is a key member of her team. Kushina, one of the jinchuuriki’s of the Nine Tails, has a form inUltimate Ninja Storm Connectionswhere she beats her opponent with a frying pan, despite displaying shinobi abilities in the series and being a capable fighter. This form is supposed to be a joke, but it relies on sexist stereotypes that have no foundation in the source material.
Kurenai was recently added toUltimate Ninja Storm Connectionsin an update and, while the other male teachers get Team Ultimate Jutsus with their genin students, Kurenai’s Team Ultimate overlooks her relationship and bonds with her students and, instead, she’s teamed up with her boyfriend. With so many female characters not meeting their potential of even their manga and anime counterparts, it becomes a pattern. It would be easier to overlook this if only one or two female characters on the roster didn’t meet their potential, but this happens over and over again in theUltimate Ninja Stormseries with no signs of abating.
Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
WHERE TO PLAY
Legendary ninjas reunite in the next exciting entry of the STORM series! NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS is an action/fighting game with fast-paced ninja battles and two different story modes.New playable characters join all past characters of the STORM series for the largest roster of ninjas ever!Select from more than 130 playable characters to fight in powerful ninja battles! In addition to an improved network battle experience, the new Simple mode option allows players to more easily perform various ninjutsu combos. Whether players are beginners or experts, everyone can enjoy heated battles with their favorite ninjas.For the first time ever, the history of Naruto and Sasuke’s rivalry has been recut and combined into one game!Combining original scenes from the Naruto anime with the high-quality battle experience expected of the STORM series development team, this game contains highlights from the beginning of Naruto’s story up to the final battle of the series. Relive the paths of two legendary ninjas!Experience a special next generation story!Play a new, original story where Boruto Uzumaki, the son of 7th Hokage and ninja of the new era, is drawn into a great battle involving the entire ninja world after meeting a girl in a popular online game.
