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- Kabuto "was awesome this episode, while he didn't attack her yet he really made her feel like crap with his comments about how she's always dragging Naruto down and that's she's weak. I don't know about you, but I take enjoyment from watching Sakura get insulted. Maybe with so many insults coming her way it'll inspire Sakura to learn something that could be helpful to a team for once. She's usually resulted in protecting someone." [1]; "One of the most fascinating characters from the volume is Kabuto, a seemingly meek ninja, but an entirely unforeseen agenda". [2]
- Jirobo: "The battle between Choji and Jirobo continues. The more this fight goes on the more it feels like this is the perfect opponent for Choji to face. Both are very similar in particular when it comes to their size. Both have been teased about their weight by their respective peers. The only difference is that Choji came out of it with the same gentle kind heart he's always had. Jirobo on the other hand is completely opposite to the point where he doesn't have a kind bone in his body. The fight itself isn't the best fight we've seen on Naruto, but it manages to be very entertaining". [3]; 4th place in the Top 5 Ninja Battles [4]
- Kidomaru: "Kidomaru's knack for analyzing everything is absolutely fun to watch." [5]
- Sakon and Ukon: "The rest of the fight comes off pretty decently and the reveal that Sakon basically has a whole other person in side of him, who happens to be his brother, turns out to be pretty surprising." [6]; "Kiba/Akamaru vs Ukon/Sakon: Howl! Two-headed Wolf. Little commentary from the peanut gallery on this one, but they did make the point that this battle increased the popularity of the Kiba/Akamaru team." [7]; "That's about all we get with Kiba, but Ukon's plan was an intelligent plan. It's always nice to see great and practical tactic being used." [8]
- Tayuya: "Shikamaru also had his hands full as Tayuya is putting him through the ringer. She makes it impossible for Shikamaru to get anywhere near her and is good at keeping her distance so Shikamaru can't use his shadow possession jutsu. Watching this battle definitely hasn't been the most interesting battle we've ever seen, but Shikamaru comparing this battle to a game of chess does add a bit of tactical strategy intrigue to it now though and hopefully will start to get better from here on out." [9]
- Kimimaro: "Of particular note is the fight between Gaara and Kimimaro. It reveals the unusual Sound ninja’s past with Orochimaru and Gaara’s new outlook on life. The fight itself is astonishing." [10]; "This episode serves as the launching pad for Gaara facing off against Kimimaro. It ends up being a great addition to an already great library of fights the show has offered before." and "While I still couldn't make up my mind by the episode's end if I liked or hated him. You do feel sorry for him and you understand him a lot more." [11]; "The ending shows Gaara almost get killed, but by luck Kimimaro succumbs to his crippling body disease and dies. It's not a pretty sight and you feel sorry for Kimimaro." and "It's pretty interesting that Kimimaro was actually supposed to be involved in the attack on the leaf village and it makes you think a bit about what would have actually happened had Kimimaro made it in time. Kimimaro also started developing his disease sometime around the Chunin exams, but never told anyone about it until he collapsed. It's too bad we didn't get to learn more about the disease that Kimimaro ends up dying from, but apparently Kabuto didn't seem to know much about it anyway." [12]; "Kimimaro vs. Rock Lee ended up being graphically one of the best fights to watch." and "This episode really shows us how useful and powerful Kimimaro's ability is, something we didn't get to see when Naruto was facing him." [13]; "Rock Lee facing off against Kimimaro is a breath of fresh air, because when Naruto was fighting the battle it just never took off. So this is definitely a battle that is looking much better for future episodes." [14]
- Akatsuki: "Team Guy and Team Kakashi have closed in on where the Akatsuki have Gaara, but they might be too late! Breaking into the place is hard enough but now the Akatsuki show just how clever they are by dividing the good guys and facing off" [15]; "We also got a scene with all the members of the Akatsuki in a meeting. Even though we did not see any of their faces, they were still terrifying." [16]
- Kisame Hoshigaki: "No such luck for Naruto and company though, as Itachi and his cohort Kisame, two ninja exiled from their villages, make a dramatic and well-timed entrance into the story." and "Kisame provides us with an easy-to-hate villain who uses interesting mental attacks. All in all, he's a welcome addition to the cast." [17]; "As for the newcomers, Kisame is an interesting villain, as he has the facial features and eyes of a human bred with a shark (not to mention the fact his wrapped up sword is made out of shark scales that rip his victims to shred)." [18]
- Deidara: "Naruto and Kakashi have to stop Deidara and that is one seriously deadly ninja." [19]. IGN: Nothing.
- Itachi Uchiha: "But first a new threat appears and Itachi is as cold and as ruthless as any villain yet. Sasuke goes up against the man responsible for the destruction of his clan but at great cost to himself. His failure only shows Itachi’s incredible and deadly skills as a ninja." [20]; "He has a freaky totally overwhelming power. He pulled it out on Kekkashi last volume and this time it’s Sasuke who gets the full force of it. Just what is it this guy can do? Bend time and space? Alternate realities? Dimensional warping? He’s like a sci-fi ninja! He is a serious big bad." [21]; "It seemed Itachi cared for Sasuke also, but at the same time came across distant at the same time. While Itachi was the best in the village, the downside seemed to be with him having to maintain greatness since it was expected from him from the village." [22]; "though the battle between Itachi and Sasuke looked good, it wasn't as epic as it should've been. We wanted a really drag out brawl and instead we got Sasuke getting his butt handed to him, and an inner monologue where he sums it up by thinking all his work has all been for naught." [23]; "Funny enough, Itachi didn't seem like a terrible guy in the beginning, because though he brushed Sasuke's plea of helping him with a move, you can't really fault an older brother not wanting to hang around the younger one." and "There is just something about the cold and numb Itachi, who never gets caught up in the moment and is always cool - perhaps even too relaxed and nonchalant - that makes us want to breakout in chills."[24]; "When Orochimaru says even he is stronger than he is, you know you are looking at something special, as we got to watch Itachi swiftly avoid and deflect moves. It looks like everyone should be afraid, very afraid." [25]; "Itachi and his cohort Kisame, two ninja exiled from their villages, make a dramatic and well-timed entrance into the story." [26]
- Sasori: "It’s grandma Chiyo with Sakura facing off against the creepy and deadly Sasori in the colossal final battle between Sakura and the puppet master Akatsuki member" [27]; "Granny Chiyo team up to take on Sasori, a puppet master who can create bizarre constructs to do his fighting for him. He uses everything from brute force to poison to achieve his goals" [28]; "This battle proves to be more interesting because it opens up a domestic drama subplot involving Sunagakure's elders and their prodigal son." [29]
- Zabuza Momochi: "My other problem with the show is really just a small nit-pick, in that sometimes the show falls into the typical trappings of shonen shows of a similar nature, like when we're quite beaten over the head with the relationship between Zabuza and Haku, even if there's barely anything new that other shows haven't done a hundred times over." [30]; "It wasn't the best idea to mention Zabuza and Haku in this episode, because it just showed that Raiga and Ranmaru are worse versions of the two." [31]