Peep the very end if you want an EXTRA... 2 minutes

Neji really went from losing to 1 uppercut to winning after being stabbed 20 times. Must have respec’ed his stats.

For me this is the best arc of Naruto. When boys become men.

Neji is such a genius, he taught himself gentle fist art: body blow to free himself from the webs, he figured out how to counter the Byakugan blind spot, and he upgraded from 64 palms to 128 palms all in a single fight

Almost 2 decades later and the end of choji's fight still hurts

Choji’s clan, the Akimichi clan, eats food in order to gain chakra, and use an ability called “calorie-conversion” to convert their fat to chakra in order to obtain that monster strength

A note about the bird symbolism with Neji, the reason the last thing we see with him is a flying bird is because he had said that his curse mark made him like a bird in a cage, and he had always equated his curse mark with his destiny/fate. In that fight he was able to shape his destiny, defeating someone far stronger than him, so we see a free bird in his last moments to symbolize him freeing himself from what his past self would think is a predetermined fate. Him losing his headband was the turning point as well, revealing his curse mark (his bird cage), and it’s when he accepts he can’t dodge the next attack but he can still decide how the battle ends. That was when he unlocked his cage, taking control of his life

I'm surprised you judged Shikamaru so harshly when he sensed Choji. It's perfectly in his character to prioritize the mission and respect the sacrifice that Choji was making. If he turns back or makes a fuss in that moment, not only is he putting the mission in jeopardy but he's also diminishing the point of his best friends sacrifice. People like Naruto or Kiba would turn back immediately in that instance which would have ruined the mission. Shikamaru knows this and handles his emotions better than anyone else, which is why he was the ONLY one to be promoted to Chunin and was hand selected by the hokage herself to lead the team to retrieve Sasuke!

What I think most people don't realize about this arc is that it's not a rescue mission to stop Sasuke from abandoning his vilage, it's a mission to precent orochimaro to have access to the Sharingan, sasuke is not only the last Uchiha in the village, He has the potential to recreate his clan if they just let him go in 20 years or so orochimaru could have an army of Uchihas

I hear what you're saying about shikamarus plan but when ninja are given a mission, their lives always come second. Even as kids they must be willing to sacrifice themselves to complete the mission. That's their mindset and how they live.

My boy Raiju forgot about the Soft Fist technique of Neji. He sent Hinata into cardiac arrest with just rapid multiple small injections of chakra, imagine what it could do with a full direct internal infusion

0mg eating and watching "This last attack...is worth my WHOLE LIFE!" goes so absolutely hard.

everybody's covered the Ino-Shika-Chō explanation for why butterflies are so significant to Chōji, specifically, but the symbolism works on an extra level towards the end. in Japan, butterflies have longstanding mythological significance as the ones who carry the souls of the departed to the afterlife. seeing them gather as he collapses at the foot of the tree, and staying with his body, is almost as if they are trying to keep his soul tethered. as for Neji, man.....the amount of GROWTH his character sees from his throwdown with Naruto to here is just staggering. he's so good

Something to mention about the proctor and the other Jonin (special Jonin actually, not full Jonin) is that the manga makes it clear that both of them are exhausted since they’re on their way back from a mission. It also implies that the only reason the Shikamaru team, who are all Genin, are able to fight them and win is because the two Jonin exhausted and pushed the Sound 4 so much. Finally, the Sound 4 are a lot stronger as a team. Orochimaru set them up so they’re best when they jump someone together. So splitting them up made them each weaker too.

The whole deal of retrieving Sasuke is more than just a factor of losing a friend or a ninja. As bad as it may sound, the reason the village would most likely be willing to sacrifice ninjas like Chouji and Neji is because of Sasuke being the last Uchiha the village has. Considering the Uchiha clan's unique bloodline ability and the factor that the Sharingan is one of the most coveted abilities in that world (like how Orochimaru wanted Sasuke so much and Itachi's whole ability pool), in a political and "For the good of the village" standpoint, Sasuke is simply an asset they can't lose. Add to the fact that outside our happy bubble of Naruto's group, Ninjas are regarded as tools and weapons for the village, and the fact that Neji, Chouji, Kiba, and Shikamaru are all one member of hundreds of clan members, losing them won't be that big of a repercussion compared to Sasuke. Note that I am, however, stating this from the village's perspective, not Shika's, even if as a Chunin, he would've been told about that.

ChojixShikamaru best bromance in the show. Followed by GuyKashi and the boys from the Land of Lightning

This Neji fight is so *underrated* I thought this was the best one I've seen in this show so far when I first saw this almost 2 decades ago. The whole time he was just trying to figure out where spida was so he can melee his as$, he was trying so hard not to get hit but in the end getting hit solves the problem. Also, it showcases Naruto's greatest jutsu of all, the talk-nojutsu

"No wonder you guys aren't chunin".... exactly, they're just muscle-heads. 😂

Just finished your reaction to 114. Chouji went from comical relief to the coolest guy in the series in three episodes. I can't watch his death without crying to this day. Chouji is the best!

So a note about the symbolism especially about the Shikamaru team Ino Shika Chou is a reference to a hand of Hanafuda cards. It's called that simply because it's the name of the animals depicted on the cards. Boar, Deer and Butterfly. Which is why Chouji had a whole butterfly motif, he is the butterfly of the hand. Likewise when Sakurainsulted ino she'd call her a pig and such. Because she is the boar.

The author of the Manga actually wanted to kill neji during his fight with nock off Spiderman, the editor told him he couldn't.

A thing that's really lost in translation is the significance of the names Team 10 members have. Ino is boar (hence the nonsensical "Ino-pig" insult), Shika is deer (hence their family deer forest) and Cho is butterfly (hence the caccoon/butterfly motif). Ino-shika-cho is a combination in a Japanese card game. That's also the reason why every member of each of the three families has their animal in their names

Shikamaru said "it's nothing" about Choji because he didn't want to worry the team during their mission, he is a leader now Shikamaru had to grow up for real and realize what kind of world he lives in

The red pill is actually survivable but his body isnt ready yet to withstand the recoil effect. We could say this is why green and yellow exist: to train the body for the red. It is too soon for him to use the red pill and he even hasnt train on green pill yet as he was surprised on the green pill recoil.

The way he guides the arrow with string is pretty much how a TOW missile works lol not too unrealistic ;p

The goal isn’t to get Sasuke back, it’s to keep him from orichimaru

The spider guy saying they went all out against Genma and the other dude...tf kind of battle was that??!

The Meg vibes on Kiba are so accurate 😂

Why are people saying this is the final arc? I get the fillers are fillers but if people watched them they would notice some of the fillers actually get mentioned like the arc of team 7 helping team Gaara in season 9

"We cooking this show because we hungry" then an ad pops up... for the food network. Nice timing.

You might not know, but Ino Shkia Cho is a formation of cards in a Japanese card game. It actually translates to "Boar, Deer, Butterfly". You will later find out how Shikamaru is related to deers. Now you found out how Cho is related to butterflies. From my knowledge there's never a point in time when Ino is shown to somehow relate to boars, but I'd guess when she's doing the mind transfer jutsu upon you it's like a boar would come trampling at and over you ^_^ As a matter of fact there's a very old arcade fighting game, Samurai Shodown, where a competitor, a samurai named Kibagami Genjuro (if I remember correctly), over a three in a row connecting moves, declares "Ino Shika Cho" and you can really see a lot of playing cards drawn on the screen.

I truly enjoy Kishimoto’s brilliant creativity in abilities and strategy. Always unique and useful in battle 🙂😄

I remember being SO shocked at how actually cool Choji looks with butterfly wings of all things lmao. As a kid I wasn't even a Choji fan like my cousin Ryan, but even I was standing on the couch by this point screaming.

Man if you love shikimaru this much right now your gonna love him in naruto shippuden and im very excited for it.

I never thought hearing “He’s a Super Ginger now!” would make me laugh so much😅😂

"I'm basically Rock Lee now" My man, I'm dying 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Jirobo was projecting so hard on his fight with Choji.

kiba calling someone dead weight and the weak link is hilarious. i can't breathe.

So the reason they’re so desperate to get Sasuke back isn’t really for Sasuke himself, even if that’s what they’re telling these kids/genin. Firstly, they don’t want to lose the Sharingan. Sasuke is the only one who still has one and who can make babies for more Uchiha in the future. Kakashi’s wasn’t always his as is apparent and he can only use it so effectively compared to a real Uchiha. The more pressing issue is that they don’t want Orochimaru to take Sasuke’s body and get the Sharingan. He’s already powerful enough to kill two Kage. He does not need more hax abilities.

"It's nothing." is one of the most rich and loaded phrases in the show. It's a straight lie. Choji is everything to Shikamaru. But you see that Shikamaru is having growth pains in his new leadership role. He knows he must say this to maintain team morale. They must soldier on to complete the mission. He is fighting all his instincts to keep going forward. Every fiber in his body is telling him to go back for Choji.

It occurred to me watching this that the reason it's life or death for getting Sasuke back has less to do with the leafs love for Sasuke and more to do with its fear of Orochimaru getting the Sharingan. He wants to get Sasukes body which wouldn't be good for the Leaf if he does.

apparently the writer actually wanted to kill choji and neji off in this arc (except naruto) to add emotional depth but was talked out of it due the characters likeability and that it would make sasuke too hated, thats why the fights end so ominously

Watching weekly as a kid that choji shit had me in shambles

This is Naruto, bittersweet.

Getting to watch you watch Naruto for the first time is as close as I can get to watching it for the first time myself again. Cheers man.

man I know it’s gonna be a great weekend when raiju uploads!❤🤞🏼

Always excited for your reactions!! I tear up no matter how many times I watch these episodes!😢

Proctor 1 - "dead" Proctor 2 - protec

Let's Gooo!! Great content as always, I can't wait for the second part. This arc is such an amazing coming of age story for the gang but I remember it tearing my heart out the first time.

The clips of Meg have me dying 😂😂😂 "Oh Meg, you're okay!" 🤣

what is this timing I just bought pizza and now raiju uploads this guy probably has a spidey sense for whenever im bored 😭🙏

We finally made it to the sound 4 fights!

i love how he said tsunade sounded tired when she pulled up with the sake 🤣

40:02 dudes just casually flipping us the bird lmao

Long time follower, first time reactior. Love your videos. Big shout out to your editing. I had a lot of fun. Keep it up!

Such a good arc! Everyone gets some shine.

The generational friendship of ino shika cho makes me happy Choja knew shikamaru already. Its his best friends son

Fun fact! Kishimoto wanted to kill Neji here but his editors wouldn't let him.

i forgot how emotional this arc is, had me almost crying lmao

17:30 - Food Pills are closer to like Mana Potions in RPGs, they restore lost Chakra, but do feck-all for healing the body. as for the ones Choji had, they're a family recipe...

I started watching Naruto when I was like 10 years old, almost 29 now. I don't really fuck with Boruto all that much but Naruto was my gateway into anime and Japan. I have watched all your videos so far. Just seeing your genuine first reaction to things is so fun and heartwarming. It almost like when you watch a friend enjoy something you recommended

32:30 - Raiju: "i thought he was the leader." *Several Episodes Back* "you Sasuke, are our new leader." - one of them says as they bow to him

“Sometimes your eyes are better than mine” all time quote

I just stumbled upon your channel and I binged watched your Naruto reactions. Can’t wait til you upload some more. Man you got me hooked. Wish you upload everyday now lol and hope your channel grows BIG! 👍

Every tyme you drop a video I end up watching the whole playlist again, these are so oo god

His names Recome, and it rhymes, with doom aaaaaaaaand you're gonna be hurtin, all! Too! Soon!

the opening track that plays at the start of the Sasuke retrieval arc, "Seishun Kyousoukyoku", is my favourite Naruto opening, and somehow it added such a cool vibe to this arc, y'know?

Uuuu can't wait for the next binge. See each of them fighting and an unexpected assist came to the rescue

Great videos I was gonna re-watch naruto but this will do for now lol

this is the arc I was waiting for and the best is yet to come! Ifyky. Lets just say a certain someone comes back and he has such a great fight. Also props for calling Kiba Meg!!! That had me laughing so hard

"I was about to buy a gun and shoot my screen" Lmao!! Remember YT, If the proctor dies, we riot!

Playing with the curse markes in Naruto, ultimate ninja 3.Was so much fun

Never clicked on a video so ..... love this arc and was waiting for your reaction😂

Should’ve shown dr. Strange seeing every outcome when shikamaru was thinking

The little “shut up meg” scene made me pause the video, i was laughing so hard.. that was comedy in multiple layers lmao Edit: he added so many more layers.. genius editing.. Shut up kiba

Choji staying behind brings so many tears to my eyes.

Rip neji and choji 😢

Yeeeeesss dude youre here! I have goosebumps and I'm only ten seconds in

Butterfly Choji is so cool, he was my main back in the og Naruto fighting games

Bro why the hell did I cry when Choji died? Didnt expect it to hit me so hard lol.

Bro, I got secondhand hyped just watching Choji battle. I love him and Shikamaru's friendship more than Naruto and Sauske's tbh. YAS CHOJI GO! F----- I teared up. I'm so freaking happy that they left him notes and are such great friends to him. It gets me everytime. Also, the butterfly is symbolism in the Akamichi clan for their main power-up, as you see here. It's the best symbolism I feel Kishimoto did for a character. The crow for Neji is both death and freedom. Crows typically are meant as bad omens, unchangable paths, but a bird is also freer than Neji felt growing up under so much pressure. It's cool how these fights are the realest ones we see as the kids are so young, and Shippuden gets more mature and darker later on. I'm looking forward to reliving the rest with you. I'm glad you didn't stop after Choji's fight. I remember it being weekly and I couldn't stand the wait to see if he was alive, and so I held on for many many weeks lol.

The creator of Naruto has actually stated publicly that Choji is his favorite character

i laughed way too hard at "its just hide and seek" wonderful reaction once again!

Shikamaru had a mission in the ninja world it's stated that you put the mission above everyone's lives you have to accomplish your mission. Of course you'd hate to abandon your best friend but that's the world they live in.

Yes🎉 more Naruto from you always makes my day! Hope you continue the series!

Why is no one talking bout the shut up Meg jokes with kina they're honestly top tier 😂😂

It should probably be said that Shikamaru realises that this is a suicide mission, he doesn't leave his comrades confident that they will win. Rather, he simply believes in them

I love your vids, keep it up

I seriously love Steve Staley as Neji. He's great.

Neji curse mark was originally a Swastika in the Manga.

Love how Choji breaks out of the earth-dome and turns into a butterfly. His moment of transformation.

Yo that super ginger remark had me crying lol

Don't know if anyone has said this yet, but, to note why he was able to hit with those arrows is two fold: For one, they are fired FAST. For two, the strand of web connected to the arrow allows him to control the direction of that arrow, with the chakra flowing through it

Oh hey, btw, some really messed up (but also beutiful) context that's semi-exclusive to Japanese culture, in Japan butterflies are often used as a symbol of both death and rebirth. In some places they are/were believed to be the messengers of death (or something similar,) and are thus used in various Japanese media as a visual way of having death be looming over someone/some people. But not only that, there's the symbolism of him shedding his old skin through hardship and difficulty and being reformed as something new like the transformation of a butterfly. Choji's ending scene becomes WAY more explicit now, huh?!

3:30 - quite frankly, i've considered that Shikimaru isnt lazy, but wishes that he was more carefree, he knows that with his high IQ he'd be given some important position, and as a kid he of course wouldnt be wanting so much responsibility at such a young age, as that's not normally how life is for a kid, that usually comes later. still even though he doesnt want that responsibility, he stepped up when he needed to.

This arc is commonly referred to by the fanbase as "the arc where boys became men" and for good reason. That Choji arc is one of my favorites in the entire series tbh, I've seen it dozens of times and it still hits right in the feels. Glad to see you're enjoying the show, can't wait to see you continue this journey into shippuden 🤘

I was waiting forever to watch your next reaction to Naruto. 🤣 Finally. The thing I like about Naruto is that every character has their own backstory and it's awesome.

The reason you see so many high ranks that are weak is bc those are the fights the proctor stepped in and saved them

Love the first series because of the character development but Shippuden is just so amazing. Seeing the young characters become stronger and some of the characters even die is just so thrilling. Everyone ends up as fair game. Many call backs and conclusions that you've been waiting for while some don't. Such a wild ride.

48:35 so in the manga that hole through Neji was actually bigger in the manga and more apparent but of course for censorship they toned it down a bit W video btw❤😊