The reaction of the director of the series, Atsushi Wakabayashi, to the recent episode has been incredibly intense. He has never worked on any other anime series that received such high ratings afterward. Although the director has not publicly commented on this before the audience, the overwhelming reception is clear to be seen.
Fast forward 14 years later, fans still feel a wave of emotions regarding the battle between Naruto and Pain. Despite acknowledging that the portrayal is quite different, they also provide reasons for their disappointment following the loss of the character.
Many people feel that the events of episode 167 are not significant; they simply do not align with the emotional weight of the battle and detract from what should be considered the most critical moment in Naruto’s journey at that point in time.
As one user pointed out on Reddit: “It was a very impressive visual experience… but it did not capture the emotion of the scene from the manga at all. Watching that clip again, I still feel the same way as when it first aired.”
Another viewer commented: “To be fair, while I think this episode has good animation, it really does not match the emotional feeling of the battle. Naruto and Pain look too animated given the high stakes involved.”
“To be fair, this battle is AMAZING. However, the animation style seems to lean too much on being dynamic and flashy, making it difficult to take this battle seriously at any level,” wrote a third user.
No matter how much it may stir controversy, the battle between Naruto and Pain remains one of the most iconic fights in the Naruto anime series.
