Naruto Shippuden: Inheritors of the Will of Fire – Movie 3 Review

Inheritors of the Will of Fire is nothing you haven’t seen before. Bad guy Hiruko plays the bad guy role by threatening the very balance of the ninja world by doing the usual bad guy type of things. Worse yet Hiruko has that oh so overused “I get to copy your techniques because we the writers can’t come up with anything original” power. Of course, it’s up to our spiky yellow-haired hero to set things right and rescue Kakashi in the process who is in a bind himself.

As expected the story begins at a snail’s pace before anything of real interest happens, though a brief battle starts off to introduce the main villain and his BSDM loving underlings. If you’re anything like me you will be confused by this androgynous child’s sex for half the movie.

I actually came to like Hiruko. In most of these stand-alone movies, the villain is simply an afterthought, without any real connection to the series and just there for the good guys to beat on. Hiruko comes off that way himself for most of movie, but after all the back-story was revealed and its small connection to the Naruto lore established, I came away happy with his character development. Hiruko’s underlying intentions were sincere; the execution just got twisted along the way.

Naruto is relentless in beating the theme of the movie into you over and over. We freaking get it! Screw the rules, friends first right? Everything Naruto does is based on it, always on the prowl to bust it out for anyone that questions his actions. You will either be slightly annoyed after the sixth time he brings it up or pulling your hair out as I was. Naruto does manage to squeeze in a thoughtful line or two, mainly about Konoha’s decisions about Kakashi.

Story aside, the only other reason anyone would watch this movie are for the fights. Luckily, there is a plethora of action as the movie uses many of the cast to tag along and aid in the mission. Large group battles take place which makes things hectic and in the fray underrepresented characters are given a chance to shine. The animation during fighting sequences are smooth as to be expected.

The whole concept of the “Will of Fire” just totally flew over my head. Everyone refers to it and it’s in the title for crying out loud. The context is obvious, the reference though I must have missed from the manga, of which I do not read. Maybe I totally missed it during the beginning segment of the movie or something.

In closing, Naruto Shippuden: Inheritors of the Will of Fire is an entertaining watch. A good sit back and enjoy flick if anything. The story starts somewhat slow and stagnates until the end, but the action will keep you entertained all the way through.

Rating: 3.5/5