Naruto is renowned for the mark it left on viewers' lives thanks to Naruto's motivating journey of struggling to fulfill his dream of becoming Hokage and going from being discriminated against as a kid to becoming the hero and savior of his village and the ninja world. However, there's a dark stain at the end of Naruto: Shippuden's story that has stayed at the bottom of viewers' opinions: his Hokage inauguration.

This one-off special episode, released as an OVA, while presenting for the first time the children of Naruto and Hinata, Boruto and Himawari, and serving as an introduction to Naruto's sequel Boruto: Naruto's Next Generations, suffers from the worst narrative decision in the series, causing "The Day Naruto Became Hokage" to be heavily criticized and feeling like an outlier in the series that betrayed the expectations of fans.

Why "The Day Naruto Became Hokage" Is Considered The Worst Episode

An Awful Pay-Off to Fans After Following Naruto's Journey

"The Day Naruto Became Hokage" was an OVA included with the release of Boruto: Naruto the Movie (with some scenes being later included as a flashback in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 18) covering the beginning of the Uzumaki family day, prior to the appointment of Naruto as the seventh hokage. However, what sparked controversy about the episode among fans is the fact that Naruto missed his Hokage inauguration ceremony in the worst possible way, due to a childish argument between Boruto and Himawari.

Although being knocked down by Himawari was supposed to be just a funny moment, many fans agree that Naruto deserved better than not making it to his inauguration as Hokage and being supplanted by Konohamaru. Not only because fans have been awaiting to see Naruto being named Hokage since the beginning of the series, but also because the episode doesn't make sense within the story, as Naruto didn't out even after Neji attacked his sixty-four chakra points in the Chunin Exam Arc but couldn't stand a single punch from Himawari's gentle fist at the prime of his power.

Also, there are still some brilliant aspects of the episode, such as Iruka being the only one able to notice that Konohamaru was posing as Naruto and the illustrations during the credits of Naruto with his cloak in front of the Hokage Rock Monument, returning after a drink night with his friends, and taking a commemorative photo with Gaara or Tsunade visiting Jiraiya's memorial. Yet, this doesn't add enough value for fans after the episode, with many preferring to forget about the OVA's existence.

Naruto's Story Always Included Gags in Serious Moments

The Omission of Naruto's Big Moment Threw Viewers Off

However, some viewers may argue that missing his big day, partially due to bad luck and due to something out of his control, is actually the most classic thing that could happen to Naruto, as he was known in his childhood as the number one most unpredictable, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja. Moreover, the series always included random humor, adding comedic relief to important moments, like Naruto defeating Kiba by throwing off his sense of smell in a disgraceful way, Rock Lee using his drunken fist against Kimimaro, or him using the Reverse Harem Jutsu as his plan during the fight against Kaguya.

However, the humor could have been used in another way, like the inauguration being suspended and not someone else pretending to be Naruto. Additionally, the author, Masashi Kishimoto, didn't actually delve into Naruto's Hokage ceremony in the manga and instead showed him already holding the position in the last chapter of the series.

This might have been to convey that becoming Hokage wasn't the meaning behind Naruto's story, as Kishimoto had revealed that he wanted to transmit to readers that people should never give up despite their circumstances, and he was already recognized by the village long before in the Pain Assault Arc. Nevertheless, because the fans who followed Naruto throughout his story were disappointed that they didn't get to see his reaction once he achieved his dream title, "The Day Naruto Became Hokage" is still one of the most hated episodes in the franchise.