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Controlling the beast within

As the Leaf Village prepares for war, each shinobi and clan must contemplate the role they will play in the battles to come. While Naruto's peers seek training from surprising sources, Naruto himself must confront both his biggest weakness and greatest strength – the Nine-Tailed Fox.

To reach optimum power, Naruto must learn to control the beast within him, so he seeks help from the one person who has mastered just that, Killer Bee! But the Jinchuriki of Eight Tails wants nothing to do with training Naruto!

Contains episodes 245-257.

The Episodes

With an anime series as long as Naruto Shippuden it can be hard to recommend one specific DVD volume for those new to the franchise to check out. A lot of the story arcs blend into one another and while there are the occasional stand-alone episodes, those usually feature several supporting cast characters and aren’t a good representation of the series as a whole.

Naruto Shippuden Collection 20 is a rare example of a DVD set whose episodes only require very minimal knowledge of the Naruto storyline and characters yet at the same time progress the main arc significantly with a collection of action-packed episodes that explore the main protagonist, his relationships with his friends and family and his overall importance to the series itself.

Almost 470 episodes after the first episode of the Naruto anime, the first half of the episodes on this DVD collection focus almost entirely on Naruto discovering the mysteries surrounding his birth and the history of the Nine Tails spirit which he has possessed ever since.

Throughout the exploration of Naruto’s origin, Naruto reflects on his own childhood which involves several flashbacks to earlier episodes before encountering the spirit of his deceased mother who recounts her own childhood, her relationship with Naruto’s father and ultimately their own death soon after Naruto’s birth.

This combination of earlier episodes' footage accompanied by all new story set before the start of the series provides a great jumping-on point for those new to Naruto or fans who are coming back after dropping off over the years. Regular viewers will appreciate the significant payoff to the tale of Naruto’s parents that has been a mystery long overdue to be answered and while there’s a sense of finality with Naruto’s personal journey here, several pieces are moved into place to set the stage for Naruto Shippuden’s closing chapter that is sure to leave many itching for the next volume.

This is Naruto at its best with the perfect blend of ninja action and personal drama that will excite many and move a few to tears. The production rises to the challenge of the tales told with some stunning animation, genuine voice acting and emotive background music.

DVD and Special Features

For a DVD release, the image and sound quality is quite good though it’s a shame that there’s no high definition Blu-ray release of the Naruto and Naruto Shippuden anime series to really give the high quality production the appreciation it deserves.

This release comes with both the original Japanese and English audio tracks and both sound fine though the Japanese does offer a better overall experience with a wider variety in character voices and proper pronunciation (naturally) of the numerous Japanese words that litter the anime episodes.

Unfortunately trailers make up the majority of the extras here which is a shame as it would have been great to have some insight into the production behind these episodes that have so much importance to the Naruto saga. There are some bonus storyboard artwork and key art included but neither are substantial enough to leave much of an impression.

Who Should Watch?

Regular viewers of Naruto Shippuden shouldn’t find anything here to be too surprised about though parents should be aware that the episodes in this collection place a heavy emphasis on death, sacrifice and loss. It’s all done very tastefully and with great respect but sensitive younger viewers may be better served watching something a little lighter like Pokemon or even Dragon Ball Z.

Overall

Naruto Shippuden can be an intimidating anime series to get into but anime fans with just a casual interest in Naruto will find a lot to enjoy here. This is anime at its finest and shouldn’t be overlooked, even if you haven’t seen the previous 470 Naruto and Naruto Shippuden episodes, none of which are required viewing for enjoying this release. Buy Here

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Disclosure: A review copy was provided by Madman. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy. The DVD featured in this review is the Region 4 DVD release by Madman. Alternate releases are available in other regions.