The series has received praise and criticism from several reviewers. A. E. Sparrow of IGN praised the way that Kishimoto manages to produce an "epic storyline" with a combination of fighting scenes, comedy and good artwork.[198] The anime and manga magazine Neo described Naruto's character as "irksome", but attributed Naruto Costumes the series' "almost sickening addictiveness" to its level of characterization.[199] Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network (ANN) praised the characters' designs, since every one has a unique appearance and way of acting. He also noted how even the "goofiest looking character" can act "damn cool" when he fights. However, Kimlinger noted that in some volumes there are several fights, so the plot is unable to develop, but he praised how each of the battles was emotional.[200] The series has also been praised for remaining enjoyable after several volumes by Javier Lugo of mangalife.org, who also praised the antagonists as well as the mangas' fight scenes. Kishimoto's artwork was also commended by Lugo as it makes the story "dramatic, exciting, and just right for the story he's telling".[201] The start of Part II has been praised in a review by Casey Brienza from ANN. She noted how well the characters were developed as they had new appearances and abilities. Brienza also praised the balance between plot and action scenes allowing the readers to enjoy the volume. However, she noted that not all the volumes Naruto Costumes have the same quality.[202] Briana Lawrence of Mania Entertainment added that in Part II, the manga feels "adult" due to the growth of various characters. However, Viz's translations were criticized for being "inconsistent" because some Japanese terms were changed to English, while other words were left intact.[203]
The Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center held a conference called "Intercultural Crossovers, Transcultural Flows: Manga/Comics" and published the proceedings. Gō Itō, professor in the manga department of Tokyo Polytechnic University compared the series' development to the manga of Dragon Ball. Itō states that both manga present good illustrations of 3D body movements which capture the character's martial arts very well. He states that the series' battles are fascinating with characters giving everything they've got in fights, and because of what unfolds during battles, like using jujitsu techniques. Also the characters pretend to be exhausted to trick the enemy into thinking that they could win, taking advantage of the enemy they are fighting. He comments that the readers can empathize with how the characters are feeling, and can feel deceived from the character's standpoint because of how the series' battles are structured.[204]
Cheng-Wen Huang and Arlene Archer, writers from University of Cape Town, states in their essay "Fluidity of Modes in the Translation of Manga: The Case of Kishimoto's Naruto" that fan translations and the official English translations Naruto Costumes of Naruto are comparable, due to the both of them being fluid, and being translated in social practices. The pair states that the translated versions of Naruto reveals how important it is to have a layout system for juxtaposition of time and space, characters, and graphic imagery.[4]
