Too many characters isn't an excuse for shytty writing.
No series had as many characters as LotGH they developed them all. They felt like real people with real motivations not just fodder for the main character.
I used to love Naruto until it went to pure shyt in the end. Then I found out kishimoto straight up plagiarized Hunterxhunter and lost all respect for him. chuunin exams are a carbon copy of the hunter exam arc. The whole uchiha/sharingan /sasuske story is all stolen directly from kurapika and the scarlet eyes. Itachi stolen from illumi. Tsunade blonde hair old woman that hides her appearance but had super strength is biscuit. Hisoka orichimaru etc... He wasn't even subtle with that shyt