anime has done. Despite having “iffy” moments that ruined certain parts of the series.
More on that in this article: 8 Reasons I Feel Naruto Shippuden RUINED The Naruto Series
But regardless of all that, there are key moments that make
Sometimes it’s through his friends or people who care about him, and other times it’s his own battles with himself that helps him progress and develop as a character.
Let’s talk about it all!
Key Events That Developed Naruto ‘s Character:
1. Iruka Sensei’s speech
Remember this EARLY in the series? Iruka Sensei acknowledged
This was in the forest when Iruka put himself in danger to protect
Iruka put his life on the line and
This moment is BIG for
That’s what makes Iruka’s acknowledgement so Naruto’s character development.
It’s a staple moment in the series.
Relevant: 11 Of The Most Miserable Anime Characters With Depressing Back Stories
2. Sasuke acknowledges Naruto

Chunin exams. Some time after Rock Lee fights Sasuke If I remember right.
Sasuke always pissed off
Naruto’s watched Sasuke growing up, and has never beaten him in a fight (flashback, etc). This moment is key because Sasuke says “you’re the one I most want to fight” or something along those lines.
Naruto’s startled by his statement to a degree.
You can see he’s happy to hear that from someone he considers strong, and someone he see’s as a rival. A measuring stick to his own progress.
Related: 52 Anime Quotes About Working Hard That Will Change Your Perspective
3. The events surrounding HAKU

In all honesty, it was this part of
The whole arc and the events that play out here is relevant.
Haku and the bullsh*t related to it CHANGED
It was the first time he experienced the dark side of life when it comes to people being born into certain circumstances, only to later meet their end. Knowing they had the right intentions but the wrong influences, etc.
“If only things were different” is a relevant statement here.
Relevant: 5 Dark Life Lessons From The Six Paths Of Pain (Naruto)
4. Naruto ‘s battle with Gaara
Naruto.
When
Gaara’s cold speech about his father and what he experienced growing up is what gave
In this battle with Gaara though,
The result of this fight not only helped
5. Naruto ‘s first major battle with SASUKE
When Sasuke went “rogue” and left team 7,
This battle is important to
He held back to an extent. I believe Sasuke mentioned this.
After the fight, and after Sasuke went fully rogue and joined Orochimaru, it changes
He’s affected by the change and even though he doesn’t give up on Sasuke, it’s clear to see he’s wounded by Sasuke’s disappearance.
Relevant: 30+ Of The Best Anime Scenes That Are Unforgettable
6. GRANNY CHIYO

This event affected many, including Sakura. And helped her become the person she is today. More so than
But even still, this was a big deal for
Gaara AND Chiyo is what makes this a big role in
Her death was a stunning event, an event that took sacrifice and guts on her end of the bargain. It carried so much weight.
If you ask me, this is one of the best scenes in all of
The way everyone gathered and honored her death, and the pain that came with it… It helped so many characters like
7. Losing control as Kyuubi

After all the drama,
The first realization is with Jiraiya in the forest if I’m not mistaken. He’s younger at that point. The truth hits him deep and you can tell he’s taking it into consideration.
The other time is with Sakura (when she ends up being hurt).
These are important moments as far as his self image, which affects him later on before the WAR arc kicks off.
8. When Hinata protects Naruto from PAIN
Hinata was the only one who bothered to jump on the battlefield, and ATTEMPT to save and protect
Understandably, everyone else hesitated and dealt with their own situations that came about because of Pain’s power.
Sakura at this point didn’t do anything but scream, shout and “hope”.
Hinata couldn’t take the thought of sitting around and watching
It’s during this scene where PAIN seemingly kills Hinata, and forces
This is especially true with how he views Hinata, and how their bond and relationship grows from this point.
9. Coming to terms with himself

The inner struggle and the battle
Thinking about the kind of person he wants to be in spite of that, and wanting to be someone the village can look up to. Even to the point of overlooking some of the things they did to him or said to him (things that hurt his feelings and what not).
This takes a massive amount of courage to pull off.
It means setting aside your ego and even the truth about how people treated you in the past, even if they were in the wrong, and moving forward for the sake of a bigger goal.
Naruto wouldn’t have stood a chance in the war arc if this event didn’t take place.
10. Jiraiya’s death
Naruto was depressed after finding out about Jiraiya’s death, a thing that didn’t seem real to anyone.
When I first seen it, I thought it was a joke and he’d probably come back to life somehow
After crying, laying around and being miserable,
Kakashi (if I’m not mistaken) is part of the reason, but only small. Shikamaru’s talk with
This was a turning point in
–
Which other events affected
Recommended:
34+ Times Sakura Haruno Was Useful In Naruto’s Plot!
Naruto’s Harem Jutsu Would NEVER Work On These 13+ Anime Characters