‘Naruto Shippuden the Movie‘ is an anime ninja film directed by Hajime Kamegaki. It was made by Studio Pierrot in 2007, distributed by Toho Studios, and later dubbed into English by Viz Media. This review is based on the dub.

In the Land of Ogres, Priestess Shion (Laura Bailey) has a vision of the death of a young shinobi named Naruto (Maile Flanagan). A mysterious man named Yomi (Vic Mignogna) and his four evil medical ninjas unlock an evil demon named Mōryō’ (Daran Norris), who wants to defeat the Five Great Nations and usher in his own thousand-year reign. Lady Hokage Tsunade (Debi Mae West) dispatches Naruto, Neiji (Steve Staley), Sakura (Kate Higgins), and Rock Lee (Brian Donovan) on a mission to protect Shion as Mōryō uses Yomi’s body to command his army of “ghost warriors” to kill her before she can seal the demon away. As enemies draw near, Shion tells Naruto of her vision, but the young ninja chooses to follow his own fate, even as the enemy draws close.

Within the timeline, this story falls sometime after Naruto’s three-year journey. If you are familiar with this show, it was not hard to figure out where in the story arc the plot landed. Now, if you are just a casual viewer, you might be confused, but I think they did a good enough job of making the story standalone.

On the plot, I thought it was interesting and entertaining. Honestly, it felt more like a three-part episode edited together than an actual movie, but it was still enjoyable. It had all of the fun, action, and vibe that you come to expect from anything related to Naruto.

I also liked the themes of fate. While the priestess insists that fate is sealed, Naruto believes that the future is still being written and he can do things his own way, choosing his own fate. This battle went back-and-forth and came to a crashing climax that left you feeling satisfied and entertained.

The animation was, of course, very well done. I did think it was weird that the “ghost warriors” were done in CGI while the rest of the animation was in 2D. I was also surprised that Kakashi had a very small role in this film. I was hoping he would have a bigger role, but it was not to be. Of course, that did not make the movie bad, but it was missing his charm.

Bottom line, Naruto Shippuden the Movie might have some flaws, but it is a good continuation of the Naruto story. The ninja action and the protagonist brings about the tale of the film.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Minor foul language

FAVORITE QUOTE: I did everything that I could, Naruto.

Check out the trailer below:

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This article has been updated from a previous version.