Summary
- Naruto's databooks provide detailed stats and information on each character, serving as a supplement to the manga and promotional material.
- Despite being approved by the author, databooks face criticism for inconsistent information, exaggeration of character strengths, and retcons.
- The databooks sometimes conflict with the events in the anime and manga, reducing their credibility as a reliable canon source.
Shonen anime are often accompanied by promotional material either in the form of a character handbook or cards. Naruto’s databooks serve a similar function, presenting each character’s talent and skill levels, primary techniques, and overall attributes. Supervised by author Kishimoto himself, the databooks largely supplement the manga in terms of presenting a clear comparison between the power levels of characters, and how well they would fare against each other in speculated match-ups.
Despite the immense value databooks offer to the franchise, these handbooks have been marred by critique over glaring issues such as inconsistent information, retcons, and exaggeration of power. While some fans consider Naruto’s databooks to be canon, others doubt the authenticity of the handbook’s claims, an argument that certainly holds merit considering its accounts of inaccuracy.
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The Purpose of the Databooks
Naruto’s databooks are a largescale database comprising the information of shinobi belonging to each nation. These handbooks detail the ranks, skills, and techniques of each shinobi on a point system, all based on attributes such as intelligence, stamina, speed and ninjutsu. The databooks are an integral part of the series, as this data not only supplements the manga but also serves as an in-universe handbook for the village leaders.
As promotional material, the databooks are the go-to source for fans who want to delve into the details of their favorite characters, or even compare the power-scaling of certain ninja. On the other hand, this data serves as a guidebook for villages to form shinobi teams based on the attributes of their shinobi. However, the concept of databooks within the series was never exactly explored, nor were any details of characters revealed, meaning fans only have access to the promotional databooks that are often questioned for their credibility.
The Glaring Issues With Naruto’s Databooks
Despite being greenlit by the author, the series’ databooks are riddled with inconsistent information, which becomes all the more apparent when compared to events in the anime and manga. Some issues stem from errors in translation, since Japanese is a complicated language, and getting the nuance across can be troublesome.
However, other issues that are much more prominent include a few retcons and inaccurate information. Despite there being multiple updated versions of the databooks, incongruities are still rampant, forcing fans to question whether this database can be trusted as a canonical source of information.
Characters’ Strengths Are Exaggerated
As promotional material for the anime, the purpose of the databooks is to hype up characters and present their true strengths. However, databooks also serve as a comparison tool, meaning unnecessary hyperbole should be avoided. Instead, the databooks are laced with embellishments that present characters to be much stronger than their actual place in the manga. Describing Kakashi as “omnipotent” and Kinshiki as a character capable of “splitting worlds” are a few instances of the databooks’ exaggeration.
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While these could merely be metaphors used to hype the characters or even mistranslation, such statements being present in the official databooks of the Naruto franchise certainly show a lack of authenticity. Since databooks are meant to present stats without any embellishments, entries such as these adversely affect the status of these guidebooks.
The Databooks Conflict With the Manga
The databooks are meant to be an add-on to the manga, aiding fans in understanding the power levels of characters. However, some entries conflict with the events of the anime and manga, further lowering their credibility. Characters with lower stats have defeated those with higher attributes time and again in the anime, proving the information in the databooks to be incorrect.
Sasuke’s strength during his time as a member of Team Hebi has been stated to be greater than that of the Akatsuki, a statement that is clearly false, as he was barely able to defeat Deidera. The databooks also claim that Sakura’s strength was equal to that of Sasuke and Naruto during the Fourth Great Ninja War, another overstatement considering the latter two possessed the Eternal Mangekyo and Kurama Mode respectively.
Retcons and Inconsistencies
Long-running anime are prone to retcons, and Naruto is no different. Several elements of the franchise have been retconned to better suit the narrative, and a few details of the databooks are also victim to these changes. The Otsutsuki Clan’s origins is one major example, as the The Last: Naruto the Movie databook provided a glimpse of the Otsutsuki Clan’s origins.
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The books state that the Otsutsuki went to Earth to serve Kaguya, though she was later sealed by her two sons, and the rest of the members moved to the moon. While this could merely be an explanation of the events of Kaguya’s own lineage, it still presents an inaccurate start to her account. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations later expands on her origins, stating the fact that Kaguya was merely a subordinate of another Otsutsuki.
Are the Databooks a Reliable Canon Source?
Despite databooks being marketed as a canon source of information, the blatant inaccuracies in several entries point towards the contrary. Considering these incongruities, it’s not recommended to solely rely on the databooks for information regarding power-scaling and overall strength.
That said, the databooks are still a large database of information that can come in handy for those looking up character backstories and techniques. Since Kishimoto has approved and even written most databook entries, these guidebooks are certainly canon, though fans should look towards the manga and anime to find concrete information on any character. If all else fails, the databooks can serve as a last resort to fill the gaps that the Naruto anime and manga have missed out on.
Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video.
Naruto
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- October 2, 2002
A popular shonen anime based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga, Naruto follows its eponymous shinobi's journey as he goes from his town's outsider to its hero.
