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Masashi Kishimoto is notorious for his weak portrayal of women, but Mikio Ikemoto possibly made it his mission to slander them even further. IfNarutofans hate Sakura Haruno, then they might wonder what the mangaka were thinking with their decisions about this former student of Orochimaru.
Anko Mitarashi was a genin on the team led by Orochimaru. She was loyal to him but this all changed afterhe used her as a test subject for his Cursed Seal of Heaven. She was the sole student who survived and now holds a grudge against him.
Narutofans were incredibly curious about her connection to Orochimaru and to explore her character. After all, he was one of the most malicious villains in the series. But to nobody’s surprise, Anko was never given the chance, thanks to Kishimoto’s writing.Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, however, does worse.
Anko Mitarashi is reduced to a joke inBoruto: Naruto Next Generations
Anko’s personality wasfierce and determined inNaruto,especially during the Chunin Exam Arc. She caught the attention of Orochimaru and he taught her several of his signature jutsu. Afterhis vile actions, she made it her duty to stop him when Konohagakure wouldn’t lift a finger. However, she never stopped being loyal to her village.
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So it was safe to say fans were shocked that Anko was sidelined inNarutoand then reduced to a fat joke inBoruto: Naruto Next Generations.
Her decline needs to be studied. As a former student of one of the most deplorable villains in the series, fans thought she would get more attention and care for her character. However,Masashi Kishimotoseemed done with her after the Chunin Exam Arc.
WhatMikio Ikemotodid to her inBoruto, however, was downright criminal. In general, the token fat person stereotype is offensive, but the show made it her entire personality. Her potential was wasted the moment she became like this.
One Reddit user did see some potential for a story behind this significant weight gain.
Still, it’s jarring to see Anko, who could’ve been much more than just her weight, reduced to it. Her physique could’ve been a realistic part of her character, like the Reddit user says, rather than her entire personality revolving around it.
How plus-sized characters are treated in anime
Anime doesn’t have the best track record in the portrayal of plus-sized characters. FromDragon Ball’sMajin Buu toNaruto’sChouza Akimichi and Chouji Akimichi, it’s downright offensive. Being plus-sized and eating becomes the center of their personality.
Anko shouldn’t have been treated differently either way. A weight gain is not unimaginable with her stress, but why would her personality be erased? Despite being a teacher,Borutodoesn’t present that as her main characteristic.
All ties to Orochimaru are somehow forgotten as well. Instead of showing us how she overcame the trauma, she became the token plus-sized joke.
Forget Team 7, Masashi Kishimoto Should’ve Given Naruto’s Other Pre-Shippuden Team a Lot More Screen Time
A large part of the problem is the pattern Kishimoto has with his female characters.He undermines them rather than build them up. Anko Mitarashi isn’t the last female character to be done dirty but she was certainly written the worst.
NarutoandBoruto: Naruto Next Generationsare available on Crunchyroll.
Bidisha Mitra
Articles Published :802
Bidisha is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with over 700 published articles. With over 7 years of writing experience, she’s versatile and adept. When she’s not writing, she’s also a voice actor on the side.Bidisha is currently continuing to learn Japanese and gets more fluent everyday. Her expertise is One Piece, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Haikyuu, but has been watching anime for over a decade. She was previously a Content Writer reviewing the latest Kpop music.
