Naruto Shippuden Episode 309: The A-Rank Mission: Food Fight
Filler/LOW
OSHIMETER
5.7
70 Fans
5
4
3
2
1
PacingVisualWritingEmo ImpactSoundtrack
OSHIMETER
5.7
70 Fans
5
4
3
2
1
PacingVisualWritingEmo ImpactSoundtrack
QUICK TAKES
blue
It is such a weird experience watching the world end in the main story and then suddenly you are watching Choji and Naruto compete in an eating contest, but the animation on the ramen and meat looked incredible. The samurai kidnapping felt like an afterthought compared to the jokes and the nostalgia of seeing Team Asuma together again before everything went wrong.
larxene
You can tell this is just a filler episode because the whole samurai kidnapping plot felt so lazy, and they just wanted to show off the animation on the food instead.
giovanni
Those Akatsuki cameos were a weird choice and you just know the writers were struggling to fill time with that weak samurai villain
momo_creati
Deidara and Sasori appearing for a bit was the best highlight of this and the way Naruto got so stressed about that eating contest was such a classic Part 1 vibe
unohanas_unbeaten
Another filler episode is the last thing you want during the war and this one did nothing to help the pacing even if Yamato was there for a bit
billen
Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji reuniting for a mission was such a great surprise, honestly, I missed seeing them together! And that eating contest was legendary; I was in stitches watching Naruto try to match Choji's pace, but my man was just on a whole other level of hungry.
virgil
The humor in this was okay and the food looked better than the actual fighting but you can definitely skip this if you only care about the actual war plot
maryrie
I missed seeing this version of Naruto and the old team dynamic and seeing Yamato show up made me really happy even if the samurai stuff was kind of a mess
yeti_291
Watching Part 1 flashbacks in the middle of a war arc feels so out of place even if seeing Choji eat a whole mountain of food was pretty funny
clarissa_ss
The animation on the food actually made me hungry and seeing Choji go all out like that was such a throwback to the original series and it felt like my childhood
kunzite
Oh man, I was so stoked to see Yamato back on screen, even if it was just for a filler episode, because I really missed his presence. And honestly, all that food they were making looked absolutely delicious, it made me seriously hungry and wish I could try some of those dishes with him.
cwunched
Okay, a cooking competition smack dab in the middle of the Fourth Great Ninja War? I was definitely taken aback by that, but honestly, seeing Naruto interact with Tatewaki like they're just old pals really grounded the whole weird situation. It's actually kinda nice to see the teams cooperating on something totally different for once, and I gotta admit, Menma's antics made me crack up a few times.
maki_maverick_137
I wasn't surprised at all to see Shikamaru trying to keep everyone focused on the mission while they were all just thinking about food; honestly, I'm pretty sure he's been dealing with that kind of nonsense since he was a kid. It just reminds me how much he always has to be the most responsible one, which sometimes makes me feel a little bad for him.
anouki
Throwing us into a random cooking mission flashback in the middle of this crazy war just yanked me right out of the action, and I'm left scratching my head. How am I supposed to care about Tatewaki's story when everyone else is literally fighting for their lives?
zoro_zenith
I can't believe how much Naruto still gets fired up over ramen, it's such a classic Naruto thing to do and honestly, I just love seeing that side of him. It really brings back memories of earlier episodes where he was always obsessing over it, and it's nice to know some things never change.
hop_355
Seriously, after all that build-up for the war to finally explode, I was so invested, and then they throw in a whole Menma chef flashback? It totally yanked me out of the moment, like, what was the thinking behind interrupting such a huge conflict with that random cooking side-story?
ghosthardware
I was genuinely surprised by how much I laughed watching Sakura and the others totally bungle that food mission, it was such a refreshing break from all the intensity. It kinda reminded me of the earlier, goofier days before everything got super serious.
alexj1995
I was so relieved to see Team Asuma lend a hand there, they really helped out in the thick of it for me. Honestly though, that whole Menma the chef storyline felt totally out of left field, I was pretty surprised by how random it got.
jushiro_jubei
I gotta admit, the Tatewaki samurai plot felt kinda random in the middle of everything going on, and for a second I was like 'what even is this?' But then I realized it was actually pretty cool to see a totally different kind of mission the village sends out, especially when it's not all about the war. It's a nice change of pace.
sanemi_storm_133
Seriously, a cooking contest right when the Fourth Great Ninja War is raging? I couldn't believe it, it completely pulled me out of the intense storyline and just made me feel like the momentum we had built up was totally gone. It's like, come on, my dudes, we've got bigger fish to fry than who can make the best ramen!
EPISODE CONTEXT
Episode 309 lands deep within a stretch of filler content that interrupts the Fourth Great Ninja War arc, which dominates the back half of Shippuden. The surrounding episodes similarly pull away from the main conflict to explore standalone missions and character backstories. Skipping this episode has zero impact on following the core war storyline when it resumes.
QUICK TAKES
blue
It is such a weird experience watching the world end in the main story and then suddenly you are watching Choji and Naruto compete in an eating contest, but the animation on the ramen and meat looked incredible. The samurai kidnapping felt like an afterthought compared to the jokes and the nostalgia of seeing Team Asuma together again before everything went wrong.
larxene
You can tell this is just a filler episode because the whole samurai kidnapping plot felt so lazy, and they just wanted to show off the animation on the food instead.
giovanni
Those Akatsuki cameos were a weird choice and you just know the writers were struggling to fill time with that weak samurai villain
momo_creati
Deidara and Sasori appearing for a bit was the best highlight of this and the way Naruto got so stressed about that eating contest was such a classic Part 1 vibe
unohanas_unbeaten
Another filler episode is the last thing you want during the war and this one did nothing to help the pacing even if Yamato was there for a bit
billen
Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji reuniting for a mission was such a great surprise, honestly, I missed seeing them together! And that eating contest was legendary; I was in stitches watching Naruto try to match Choji's pace, but my man was just on a whole other level of hungry.
virgil
The humor in this was okay and the food looked better than the actual fighting but you can definitely skip this if you only care about the actual war plot
maryrie
I missed seeing this version of Naruto and the old team dynamic and seeing Yamato show up made me really happy even if the samurai stuff was kind of a mess
yeti_291
Watching Part 1 flashbacks in the middle of a war arc feels so out of place even if seeing Choji eat a whole mountain of food was pretty funny
clarissa_ss
The animation on the food actually made me hungry and seeing Choji go all out like that was such a throwback to the original series and it felt like my childhood
kunzite
Oh man, I was so stoked to see Yamato back on screen, even if it was just for a filler episode, because I really missed his presence. And honestly, all that food they were making looked absolutely delicious, it made me seriously hungry and wish I could try some of those dishes with him.
cwunched
Okay, a cooking competition smack dab in the middle of the Fourth Great Ninja War? I was definitely taken aback by that, but honestly, seeing Naruto interact with Tatewaki like they're just old pals really grounded the whole weird situation. It's actually kinda nice to see the teams cooperating on something totally different for once, and I gotta admit, Menma's antics made me crack up a few times.
maki_maverick_137
I wasn't surprised at all to see Shikamaru trying to keep everyone focused on the mission while they were all just thinking about food; honestly, I'm pretty sure he's been dealing with that kind of nonsense since he was a kid. It just reminds me how much he always has to be the most responsible one, which sometimes makes me feel a little bad for him.
anouki
Throwing us into a random cooking mission flashback in the middle of this crazy war just yanked me right out of the action, and I'm left scratching my head. How am I supposed to care about Tatewaki's story when everyone else is literally fighting for their lives?
zoro_zenith
I can't believe how much Naruto still gets fired up over ramen, it's such a classic Naruto thing to do and honestly, I just love seeing that side of him. It really brings back memories of earlier episodes where he was always obsessing over it, and it's nice to know some things never change.
hop_355
Seriously, after all that build-up for the war to finally explode, I was so invested, and then they throw in a whole Menma chef flashback? It totally yanked me out of the moment, like, what was the thinking behind interrupting such a huge conflict with that random cooking side-story?
ghosthardware
I was genuinely surprised by how much I laughed watching Sakura and the others totally bungle that food mission, it was such a refreshing break from all the intensity. It kinda reminded me of the earlier, goofier days before everything got super serious.
alexj1995
I was so relieved to see Team Asuma lend a hand there, they really helped out in the thick of it for me. Honestly though, that whole Menma the chef storyline felt totally out of left field, I was pretty surprised by how random it got.
jushiro_jubei
I gotta admit, the Tatewaki samurai plot felt kinda random in the middle of everything going on, and for a second I was like 'what even is this?' But then I realized it was actually pretty cool to see a totally different kind of mission the village sends out, especially when it's not all about the war. It's a nice change of pace.
sanemi_storm_133
Seriously, a cooking contest right when the Fourth Great Ninja War is raging? I couldn't believe it, it completely pulled me out of the intense storyline and just made me feel like the momentum we had built up was totally gone. It's like, come on, my dudes, we've got bigger fish to fry than who can make the best ramen!
©岸本斉史 スコット／集英社・テレビ東京・ぴえろ
AnimeOshi.com refers to anime titles, character names, logos, and other trademarked or copyrighted materials to identify and describe the works being reviewed, discussed, ranked or otherwise referenced on this site. This usage is believed to be nominative fair use or non-infringing and is not intended to imply any affiliation with the respective rights holders.
All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their owners. If you are a rights holder and have concerns about any content on this site, please contact us at legal@animeoshi.com