Naruto, Volume 05: The Challengers

Five books into Naruto, and I'm finally a fan. The first four books already solidified my opinion of the series as one of those perpetual 3 1/2 star series, like Fullmetal Alchemist, that earns its mainstream popularity and balances several different story tones for the widest appeal.

What book five does so well is take the reader through an entire test of the journeyman ninja exam via multiple characters' cheating strategies and an excellent challenge of willpower, ending with the introduction of a Battle Royale/Hunger Games-esque test to take place in book six. The challenge with evaluating manga volumes, especially serialized series, is that they rarely encapsulate one self-contained story arc. However, this one shows such creativity show more among its growing cast that it stands above the volumes that came before.

...it also helps that, unlike previous volumes where the only female presence is Sakura pining for Sasuke and doing little else, this one highlights three capable female characters: Sakura, who handily aces her written exam and is willing to delay her own graduation to help teammate Naruto*; Ino, a crafty astral-projector and rival to Sakura; and Anko, an elite ninja and test proctor with great strength and a brash personality similar to Naruto's.

*This may sound worse than it is. Trust me, based on Sakura/Naruto/Sasuke testing as a trio and the circumstances of their test, Sakura's willingness to stay back with Naruto is more compassionate than self-sacrificing. show less

Love this volume and the test. I found it interesting how something so simple can become so stressful and intense. Its a normal appearing thing that all students are familair with, but taken to ninja extremes.

Our trio of young heroes face their first major formal test. This is a particularly satisfying episode as we learn more about how they cope with stress and learn more of their psychology.

There are a couple of really cool scenes in this volume, but one stands out the most. Who would have guessed that a written test in a classroom could have been so full of conflict and fear? I suppose it helps when it's conducted by the chief torture specialist, eh?

And here we have another clue as to Naruto's special power.

It really is fun to reread these. Knowing what is coming only increases my enjoyment of these little stepping stones.

Though they've danced along the brink of death during training, Naruto and friends now face the most terrifying challenge: exams! The ninjas-in-training have signed up for the ChûninExams, which they must pass to advance to the rank of full-fledged shinobi. Passing or failing as a group, they're only as strong as their weakest link...Naruto!

¡Naruto, Sasuke y Sakura van a presentarse al examen de ascenso a ninja de grado medio tras la recomendación del maestro Kakashi!

Antes de entrar en el aula donde tiene lugar la prueba, un muchacho exige enfrentarse contra Sasuke, lo que presagia un enfrentamiento aún mayor.

¡¡Finalmente empiezan las pruebas eliminatorias, que han reunido a los ninjas más fuertes y astutos...!!