Why Naruto Will Never Match One Piece: Kishimoto’s Treatment of a Top Female Jonin Says It All
Naruto didn’t need pirates to fall behind One Piece—it did the damage itself by fumbling Kurenai Yuhi. Once touted as one of Konoha’s most promising kunoichi, she was pushed to the sidelines after part 1 and practically vanished following the Hidan arc.
Every anime has that one character the story hypes up and then quietly forgets. In Naruto, that might be Kurenai Yuhi. Early on, she was sold as one of Konoha's sharpest weapons, a genjutsu expert with elite Jonin cred. Then the show basically parked her on the bench. And yeah, when you glance over at One Piece tossing Nami and Robin headline moments like they own the place, it stings a little more.
Kurenai was set up to be a force. Then the show blinked.
From her first appearance, Naruto frames Kurenai as a calm, clever operator: Konoha Jonin, the village's go-to genjutsu specialist, and mentor to Team 8 with key clan heirs like Hinata and Shino under her watch. The narrative really talks her up.
Even outside the episodes, the official material fuels the hype. The second Naruto character databook by Masashi Kishimoto, To no Sho - which covers character info and chapters 120 to 244 - floats the idea that Kurenai's genjutsu could stand alongside Itachi Uchiha's. That is not a small claim.
The proof never shows up
Here's the problem: the anime never gives her a single definitive "oh wow" genjutsu moment to match the talk. Meanwhile, Itachi - a rogue Uchiha and top-tier genjutsu monster with the Sharingan - gets scene after scene showing exactly why the hype exists. He breaks Kakashi's mind with Tsukuyomi. He toys with opponents using straight-up Sharingan hypnosis. You get it because you see it.
Kurenai's one proper canon fight comes in Naruto Episode 82. She lays a trap, and Itachi flips it on her instantly, locking her in her own illusion. Kakashi steps in, dispels the mess, and ends the clash before it escalates. Nobody expected her to beat Itachi. Fans just wanted the series to show why she was billed as his genjutsu rival. It never does.
The slow fade
Kurenai starts drifting to the background after Part 1, and even more after the Hidan and Kakuzu arc - also known as the Akatsuki Suppression Mission. From there, the character mostly disappears from the action. No dojutsu to lean on, no showcase win, and no follow-through on the early promises.
- Anko Mitarashi enters as Orochimaru's cursed-seal protege with a scary aura, but she never lands a major win in Shippuden and her screen time shrinks post-Chunin Exams.
- Shizune, Tsunade's right hand and a legit medical-combat fighter, spends more time reacting to crises than actually fighting them.
- Konan does get one phenomenal swing - that paper bomb ambush on Obito - but even she ends up with fewer battles and big beats than a lot of male antagonists.
- Meanwhile, over in One Piece, Nami and Robin keep getting defining arcs and spotlight episodes like the franchise was built around making sure they hit those peaks.
Why this sticks with fans
Naruto has a habit of telling you certain women are powerhouses and then not giving them the scenes to prove it. Kurenai is the most frustrating example because genjutsu is one of the coolest weapons in the series, and it could have been her entire playground. Instead, she gets one fight, the worst possible opponent for a showcase, and then a seat on the sidelines. Years later, people are still arguing whether the "she rivals Itachi" angle was meant to be real or was just marketing that never got backed up on screen.
Do you think Kurenai was ever intended to match Itachi's genjutsu, or was that always just talk with no plan to deliver? Drop your take.
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are streaming on Crunchyroll.