Since it's so controversial and I just love to stick my nose in where it doesn't really matter I think I'll point out a few issues with people hating Naruto and some about liking it.
Against:
Ninjas in Orange Jumpsuits: Naruto is subject to the same form of cartoony and slapstick humour that Anime is known for. Whilst this is not a bad thing it does tend to put people off if they want to see something serious.
Shounen: Most Shounen manga suffer from the fact that they are Shounen. The main character is unlikely to die so there is very little suspense. Naruto overcomes this by putting the expendable characters in danger and, as we have seen, they aren't afraid to kill of fan favorites if it serves a purpose (Jiraiya, Itachi).
Anime: I like animé but understand those who say that they don't like it due to the style of it. Looking at most Animé/Manga we see that it looks highly unrealistic in how the characters are drawn and that can bother some people. It is also animation and therefore there are no stunts to wow at which even further dissolves the connection to reality. It works for us but not everyone.
For:
Creativity: Naturo is a creative, fun and at points gripping series. It is certainly worthy of being the No.1 Shounen in Japan even though it has it's flaws. The biggest problem with Naruto is that until the Shippuden time-skip there are a lot of irritating aspects that make it sillier than it need be at times but it works well to juxtapose the darker themes of shippuden as well as some interesting revelations.
Characters: The characters in a Naruto are really the most important aspect as we can see from Bleach and Fairy Tail having fairly weak writing but interesting characters, Bleach being the weaker on characters. I am fairly sure that if you pointed at anyone who sees through the most primary layers of the series and into the background mechanics of their relationships and struggles and asked them to name their favorite five characters, Naruto wouldn't be at the top.
There. Important and relevant reasons why Naruto is good but valid reasons for people not to like it. Though I doubt this will settle anything I hope it gives a more detailed view. Anyone who would like to follow this up or have any form of conversation regarding to Animé (because it's always nice to meet nice people to talk to) then message me on Facebook at
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