Naruto’s training with Killer Bee continues, and WOW! The story’s somehow gotten sadder than ever! Better bust out the tissues for this latest volume of Naruto Shippuden anime. (Seriously, there be tearjerkers!) 

Thou Art I, And I Am Thou

To recap, Naruto had previously failed his first test in approaching Killer Bee’s training grounds: namely, besting the red-eyed doppelganger blocking his way. This apparition claims to be his “true self,” and since it knows all of Naruto’s moves just as well as Naruto himself, he's unable to overcome it. Naruto leaves the waterfall sore and defeated, yet a story about Bee’s childhood, as told by his friend Motoi, ends up changing all that. Being the Eight Tales’ Jinchuriki was not all fun and ill-conceived rhymes; in fact, it stank about as much as Naruto’s own boyhood. (Seriously, it really was that bad!) Yet, just like Naruto, Bee didn’t let this pain and anger destroy him, even when he had every reason and opportunity to do so, ala Sasuke and (formerly) Gaara. Armed with a new respect for seemingly nutty mentor and a newfound love of the rap genre (the less said about that, the better!), Naruto confronts his “true self” a second time.

Paths Not Taken

Of course, conquering the “true self” was just step one. Magical epiphanies are nice, but Naruto’s gotta harness the Nine Tails’ power, after all. Venturing deeper into the training grounds, Naruto enters a hallowed space where he can confront the Nine Tails safely. Utilizing the sealing formula of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto breaks the seal on the Nine Tails’ prison. Things go badly at first, but a mysterious power suddenly whisks Naruto to an even deeper part of his own mind, where he meets someone he never expected to see…Kushina Uzumaki, his own mother.

Minato didn’t just include his own Chakra within the tetragram seal. Upon making Naruto the Nine Tails’ Jinchuriki, he also imparted a portion of Kushina’s own Chakra so she could speak with Naruto as well. Kushina elaborates on the tale that Minato had already begun, giving us a better picture of the family and what they were like. The entire segment flows surprisingly well, especially since this is Naruto finally meeting his mother for first time. I love how they even give us some hints at the happier life the family might have led had Madara not released the Nine Tails to begin with. Since the story apparently isn’t sad enough already.

…did I mention that tissues are kind of a must-have?

Other Shadows

Of course, all is not well in the world. The remnants of Akatsuki are hard at work furthering the Madara's plan…and the next phase is retrieving the Rinnegan from Pain. (Unfortunately for him, he’s got to go through Konan first, and she’s more than ready!) Don’t forget that Kisame is also still hiding inside Samehada…or that Samehada itself is currently in Killer Bee’s possession. Kabuto’s also raring to break out some more ninja reanimations, and even that pales in comparison to the next trick up Madara’s sleeve!

Considering that these are some of the most plot-relevant episodes in the show thus far, it should come as no surprise that they also have some fantastic animation. The artists have pushed the quality up to the max: the fight scenes and special effects are top notch. My favorite has to be Konan’s fight with Madara; it’s one of the series’ most visually stunning battles to date. (At one point, she fills the air with billions of Paper Bombs. Getting the DVD set is worth that one scene alone!) Naturally the fights with the Nine Tails are also gorgeous; both highly detailed and visually stimulating.

This is a great box set! Filled with lots of heartwrenching moments and incredible battles with lush animation. It's something every fan should own even if you don't have the entire collection. 

English & Japanese 2.0 Audio/English Subtitles
Episodes: 245-257
Special Features: Storyboards, Clean Opening, Clean Ending

Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 20 is available now at VIZ.com! 

©2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2007 SHIPPUDEN All Rights Reserved.

by Chris Turner