User:Artist Formerly Known As Whocares/Naruto Template Sandbox

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This is a list of characters of the Naruto anime and manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe, where different countries vie for power through using ninja, who can utilize supernatural abilities in combat. The Naruto storyline is divided into two parts, simply named Part I and Part II, with the latter taking place two and a half years after the conclusion of Part I. The series' storyline follows a group of young ninjas from the village of Konohagakure as they develop and progress as ninja in skill and character.

The titular character of the series is Naruto Uzumaki, an energetic ninja of Konohagakure who wishes to become Hokage, or the leader of Konohagakure. During the early part of the series, he is assigned to Team 7, in which he meets Sasuke Uchiha, a taciturn and highly skilled "genius" of the Uchiha clan; Sakura Haruno, whom is infatuated with Sasuke yet has Naruto's affection; and Kakashi Hatake, the quiet and mysterious leader of the team. Over the course of the series, Naruto interacts with and befriends several other of his fellow ninja in Konohagakure, and from other villages. He also encounters the series' antagonists, including Orochimaru, a former ninja of Konohagakure scheming to destroy his former home, and the elite ninjas of the criminal organization Akatsuki.

While developing the series, Kishimoto initially created the three primary characters as a base for the designs of the other three-man teams in the series.^[1] He also utilized characters in other shōnen manga as references in his design of the characters, a decision that was criticized by several anime and manga publications.^[2][3] Despite this, the characters were praised for incorporating many of the better aspects of previous shōnen characters, although many publications lamented the perceived lack of growing out of such stereotypes.^[4][5] The visual presentation of the characters was commented on by reviewers, with praise and criticism given to Kishimoto's work in the manga and the anime adaptation.^[6][3]

[edit] Creation and conception

When originally creating the Naruto series, Masashi Kishimoto looked to other shōnen manga as influences for his work, although he attempted to make his characters as unique as possible.^[2] Kishimoto cites Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball series as one of these influences, noting that Son Goku, the protagonist of Dragon Ball, was a key factor when creating Naruto Uzumaki, the titular character of the Naruto manga, due to their energetic and mischievous personalities.^[7] To complement Naruto, Kishimoto worked on creating a rival that was a "cool genius," as he believed that this was "the archetypal rival character." After reviewing different manga for ideas, he ultimately developed Sasuke Uchiha. When making the primary heroine, Kishimoto has admitted that, "I don't have a definite image of what a heroine should be." Nevertheless, he created Sakura Haruno, emphasizing "her energy and flirtatious spirit" as her primary characteristics. These three characters would be the mold for the other three main teams that most of the major Naruto characters are situated in.^[1]

The separation of the characters into different teams was intended to give each group a specific flavor. Kishimoto wished for each member to be "extreme," having a high amount of aptitude in one given attribute yet be talentless in another. This approach was used to make each team perform best when the team members worked with one another and overcame their differences. Having watched tokusatsu dramas as a child, Kishimoto wished for his teams to be different from the superhero teams in these dramas, dismissing the value of a team in which all the teammates were "strong to the point of perfection." Kishimoto notes that the different roles the characters assume is similar to many role-playing games, and that "each character stands out better that way."^[8]

The insertion of villains into the story was largely to have them act as a counterpoint to the characters' moral values. Kishimoto has admitted that this focus on illustrating the difference in values is central to to his creation of villains to the point that, "I don't really think about them in combat." The villains' appearances were also emphasized in order to differentiate them from the characters, and make it easier for a reader to follow the story and identify the villains, even in heated battle scenes. Kishimoto notes that making the villains "flamboyant" with a "showy costume" is "one of my guiding principles," as well as making them "more memorable."^[9]

When drawing the characters, Kishimoto follows a five-step process that he consistently follows: concept and rough sketch, drafting, inking, shading, and coloring. These steps are followed when he is drawing the actual manga and making the color illustrations that commonly adorn the cover of tankōbon, the cover of the Weekly Shōnen Jump, or other media, but the toolkit he utilizes occasionally changes.^[10] For instance, he utilized an airbrush for one illustration for a Weekly Shōnen Jump cover, but decided not to use it for future drawings largely due to the cleanup required.^[11]

[edit] Protagonists

[edit] Team 7

Team 7 is a group of ninja affiliated with the village of Konohagakure, and it is composed of the series' primary characters. Due to Sasuke Uchiha's departure from Konohagakure at the end of Part I, the team is disbanded. During Part II, the team is reformed with two new members, Sai, who occupies Sasuke's position, and Yamato, who acts as Kakashi's replacement when he is briefly incapacitated and later stays with the team when Kakashi returns.

[edit] Naruto Uzumaki

Main article: Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki (うずまき　ナルト, Uzumaki Naruto^?) is the primary protagonist of the Naruto series. He was the first character created by Kishimoto during his initial conception of the series, and was designed with many traits from other shōnen characters, including Son Goku of the Dragon Ball series.^[7] In the series, Naruto is a ninja affiliated with the village of Konohagakure, and has ambitions of becoming Hokage, or the leader of the village. Due to being the host for the nine-tailed demon fox, a malevolent creature that attacked Konohagakure, he is ostracized by the other villagers.^[12] He compensates for this with his cheerful and boisterous personality, and over the course of the series, manages to befriend several other Konohagakure ninja, as well as ninja from other villages. He obtains an especially close relationship with Sasuke Uchiha, one of his fellow ninja in Team 7, and treats him as his brother.^[13] In the original Japanese anime, Naruto is voiced by Junko Takeuchi,^[14] and his English voice actor is Maile Flanagan.^[15]

[edit] Sasuke Uchiha

Main article: Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke Uchiha (うちは サスケ, Uchiha Sasuke^?) is one of the members of Team 7. He was created by Kishimoto to be a rival to Naruto, as well as a "cool genius," which Kishimoto intended to be an integral part of an ideal rivalry.^[1] He is one of the sole remaining members of the Uchiha clan, the other being his brother, Itachi Uchiha, who wiped out the other clan members.^[16] Due to this, Sasuke's sole desire is to kill his brother, and he is cold and withdrawn as a result.^[17] His interactions with his fellow teammates, especially Naruto Uzumaki, make him focus less on revenge, but an encounter with his brother, who leaves Sasuke beaten physically and mentally, causes Sasuke to leave the village to seek more power from the criminal Orochimaru.^[18] His teammates' attempts to recover him from Orochimaru form a major component of the plot in Part II of the Naruto storyline. In the Japanese anime, Sasuke's seiyū is Noriaki Sugiyama,^[19] and his English voice actor is Yuri Lowenthal.^[20]

[edit] Sakura Haruno

Main article: Sakura Haruno

Sakura Haruno (春野　サクラ, Haruno Sakura^?) is the sole female member of Team 7. Kishimoto created her as the heroine of the series, although he has admitted that he has little perception of what an ideal heroine should be.^[1] As a child, Sakura was taunted by other children for her particularly large forehead, a feature Kishimoto has tried to emphasize in Sakura's appearances,^[21] but was comforted by Ino Yamanaka. As the two continued to grow, however, they became increasingly distant due to their shared affection for Sasuke Uchiha. During most of Part I, Sakura is infatuated with Sasuke, and spurns the advances of Naruto Uzumaki.^[22] After Sasuke leaves the village, she resolves to become stronger by training with Tsunade.^[23] In Part II, she displays highly developed skills from her training, and a more open disposition towards Naruto.^[24][25] In the Japanese anime, her seiyū is Chie Nakamura,^[26] and she is voiced by Kate Higgins in the English adaptation of the anime.^[27]

[edit] Kakashi Hatake

Main article: Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake (はたけ　カカシ, Hatake Kakashi^?) is the leader of Team 7 and the sensei of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Kishimoto originally had intended for Kakashi to be introduced earlier in the series, and created him as an easygoing person that would be able to keep the members of Team 7 in check.^[8] Kakashi treats his leadership position with a detached manner, and is consistently late to meetings as a result.^[28] In a gaiden on Kakashi's past, this is shown to be the result of an incident where he witnessed the death of one of his teammates, Obito Uchiha, who gave Kakashi his Sharingan eye and imparted many of his habits, including his tardiness.^[29] Due to Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi has amassed a reputation as a skilled and powerful ninja, earning the moniker "Copy Ninja Kakashi" (コピー忍者のカカシ, Kopī Ninja no Kakashi^?).^[30] Although he mentors all three members of Team 7 early in the series, he particularly concentrates on training Sasuke as the series continues, teaching him his Chidori technique;^[31] however, he is unable to prevent Sasuke from leaving the village to seek Orochimaru for greater power.^[32] Kakashi is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue in the Japanese anime,^[33] and his English voice actor is Dave Wittenberg.^[34].

[edit] Sai

Sai (サイ, Sai^?) is introduced during Part II of the series as a replacement for Sasuke Uchiha. Having been a member of Root since he was a child, Sai has been trained to not possess or desire any type of emotion or camaraderie. After spending time with Naruto Uzumaki, however, he begins to crave bonds with other people, which has since become his primary role in the series. Sai's attempts at bonds have been largely comical in nature; he tries to give pet names to others, but makes the mistake of choosing names like "fatso" and "ugly". As these names are a reflection of how he actually perceives the particular character, Sai tries the opposite approach, such as calling Ino Yamanaka "beautiful".^[35] When not making an attempt at bonding, Sai spends his time painting, and as a result has produced thousands of works. His artistic talents extend to his choice of attacks in battles: anything he paints on a scroll that he carries with him comes to life, allowing Sai to accomplish virtually any task. Sai is voiced by Satoshi Hino in the Naruto: Shippūden anime.^[36]

[edit] Yamato

Yamato (ヤマト, Yamato^?) is introduced during Part II of the series as a temporary replacement for Kakashi Hatake. After Kakashi's return, he stays on the team in a sort of additional leadership position. Though "Yamato" is a codename assigned to him for the purposes of joining Team 7, he seems to prefer going by it as opposed to his real name, Tenzo (テンゾウ, Tenzō^?).^[37] During his infancy Yamato was abducted by Orochimaru and experimented upon in an attempt to replicate the First Hokage's unique abilities. Orochimaru was forced to flee Konoha before he could complete his testing, and thus never knew that Yamato had successfully obtained the First's Mokuton techniques.^[38] With Mokuton, Yamato can form anything out of wood at will, and is not above using this ability for making creature comforts like two-story houses to "camp out" in. Mokuton also allows Yamato to suppress a tailed beast's influence over its host. This is the primary reason he is assigned to Team 7, as he can stop Naruto Uzumaki if the nine-tailed demon fox within him gets out of check.^[37] In the Naruto: Shippūden anime, Yamato's seiyū is Rikiya Koyama.^[39]

[edit] Team 8

[edit] Kiba Inuzuka

Kiba Inuzuka (犬塚　キバ, Inuzuka Kiba^?) is characterized by a dog-like traits, such as being very protective of his teammates and enjoying any food that he can chew on. Most obvious of his connections to dogs is the fact that he always appears with his ninja dog (忍犬, ninken^?), Akamaru. Kiba is fiercely loyal to Akamaru, being unwilling to abandon him and will readily put himself in harm's way for Akamaru's sake. For Kiba's devotion, Akamaru acts as an invaluable ally in battle; he uses his heightened senses to Kiba's advantage and helps to double team opponents with volleys of physical attacks. Since Akamaru is naturally better equipped for combat, Kiba usually modifies his abilities at the start of a battle, giving himself claws and traveling with his arms and legs to increase his speed.^[40] He can also drastically increase his sense of smell, and by the second half of the series he can use it to track things down that actual dogs cannot. Kiba's seiyū in the Japanese anime is Kōsuke Toriumi,^[41] and his English voice actor is Kyle Herbert.^[42]

[edit] Akamaru

Akamaru (赤丸, Akamaru^?) is Kiba Inuzuka's ninja dog (忍犬, ninken^?), best friend, and constant companion. At the start of the series, Kiba carries Akamaru around on his head or inside his jacket. By Part II of the Naruto storyline, Akamaru grows large enough for Kiba to ride atop his back. Since Kiba spends so much time with Akamaru, he fails to notice this drastic difference. With his heightened sense of smell, hearing, and the ability detect others' chakra levels, Akamaru acts as a valuable tool for Kiba in hostile situations. To help Kiba keep track of opponents, Akamaru can urinate on them, giving them a strong odour that can easily be tracked. He also doubles as an ally in battle, but relies on Kiba to provide the chakra in order perform jutsu they both take part in. In the original Japanese anime, Akamaru is voiced by Junko Takeuchi, who is also the seiyū for Naruto Uzumaki, and Kōsuke Toriumi when Akamaru transforms into a human state.^[14][41] In the English adaptation of the anime, he is voiced by Jamie Simone,^[43] but when Akamaru transforms, he is voiced by Kyle Herbert, who additionally provides the voice for Kiba.^[42]

[edit] Shino Aburame

Shino Aburame (油女　シノ, Aburame Shino^?) is highly connected with insects; he spends his free time capturing and studying insects and often uses them as analogies during conversation. Fascination with insects runs in Shino's family, as each person born in to the Aburame clan is infused with a special breed of bugs during birth. In exchange for using Shino as a hive, the bugs do as he commands, such as eavesdropping for him or forming defensive barriers. During a battle, Shino directs his bugs towards an opponent, boxing them in without their knowledge and then absorbing their chakra once they have been surrounded. Shino's merciless tendencies in regards to opponents as well as his attachment to insects causes him to appear "creepy" to other characters. Nevertheless, Shino cares deeply for his teammates, being acutely aware of their inner workings and always regretting when he is unable to help them.^[44] In the Japanese anime, he is voiced by Shinji Kawada.^[45] His first voice actor in the English anime was Sam Riegal, who voiced Shino in episodes twenty-three and twenty-four,^[46] but in all following appearances, he has been voiced by Derek Stephen Prince.^[47]

[edit] Hinata Hyuga

Hinata Hyuga (日向　ヒナタ, Hyūga Hinata^?) is the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan's main branch, and thus is the heiress of the clan. Her seiyū in the Japanese anime is Nana Mizuki,^[48] and her English voice actor is Stephanie Sheh.^[49] Series creator Masashi Kishimoto had not originally intended to have Hinata be a ninja, instead having act as a regular member of the Hyuga clan.^[50] Her father trained her to use the clan's more basic abilities such as the Gentle Fist style of combat, though in time he came to deem her a lost cause and abandoned her to Kurenai's care.^[51] Throughout her early time in Team 8, Hinata's lack of self-confidence and unwillingness to fight would cause her to fail on every mission she is assigned. In an attempt to change herself Hinata enters the Chunin Exams. After her defeat by her cousin, Neji Hyuga, Hinata starts training to make herself stronger. Her efforts eventually allow her to acquire a better relationship with her father, who encourages her to continue working on improving herself.

Hinata has a long-standing crush on Naruto Uzumaki, which has been present since their time in the Academy. Her feelings for him are rooted in his determination, confidence, and strength, all of which she feels she lacks.^[52] Despite her rather obvious feelings, Hinata has yet to openly admit that she likes Naruto, though many characters have been shown to be aware of it. Similarly, Naruto has remained completely oblivious to Hinata's feelings, identifying her blushing as just her being weird. Hinata tends to break away from her usually timid self when around Naruto, such as going out of her way to help him or putting more effort into something because he is nearby. She also becomes more assertive on Naruto's behalf and never hesitates to defend him, even to himself. Naruto also acts as a key component in her quest to better herself, as she trains so that she can be like him and impress him at the same time.

In the anime, her training eventually results in her creation of Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms (守護八卦六十四掌, Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō^?, English TV: "Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms"), a combination of the Hyuga clan's more powerful techniques. With it, Hinata creates blades of chakra that she can use to hit any target in her Byakugan's field of vision. Due to the speed at which these blades move as well as the amount of control she has over them, Hinata can use this technique to attack and defend simultaneously.

[edit] Kurenai Yuhi

Kurenai Yuhi (夕日　紅, Yūhi Kurenai^?) is the leader of Team 8. Of all her students, Kurenai is closest with Hinata, acting as a surrogate parent in the absence of Hinata's father and does her best to help Hinata overcome her own weaknesses. Though Kurenai does not appear in the series often, she is almost always seen with Asuma Sarutobi. Because of this, many of the other characters assume the two to be a couple, though they both deny this and try to change the subject whenever it is brought up. During Part II of the series, Kurenai is revealed to be pregnant with Asuma's child, making their relationship clear. In battle she specializes in genjutsu, and is shown to be particularly skilled with illusions involving plants.^[53] In the Japanese anime, her seiyū is Rumi Ochiai.^[54] In the English adaptation of the anime, she was voiced by Saffron Henderson in episode three, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in all subsequent appearances.^[55][56]

[edit] Team 10

[edit] Choji Akimichi

Choji Akimichi (秋道　チョウジ, Akimichi Chōji^?) is a long-time friend of Shikamaru Nara. His seiyū in the Japanese anime is Kentaro Ito, and his English voice actor is Robbie Rist.^[57][58] When his peers would refuse to play with Choji because of his size, Shikamaru would stick up for him and spend time with him instead of the others. Because of Shikamaru's willingness to overlook Choji's deficiencies and appreciate his true strength, Choji came to view Shikamaru as his best friend who he would do anything for. Choji is characterized by his love for food, an annoyance for his teammates as satiating himself often comes before other necessities such as stealth and teamwork. Despite his eating habits Choji is very sensitive about his size and becomes highly agitated when somebody calls him "fat" or any other form of the word, such as "fatso", "fatty", or "pig" (he mantains that he is "pleasingly plump"). Once called "fat," Choji's resolve to fight is elevated to new levels and he becomes much more hostile to his opponents. Though he looks more muscular than obese in Part II, he is still apparently sensitive about his size, and others make it a point to avoid using the word "fat" around him.

As an Akimichi, Choji's style of combat focuses on increasing his size. At the series' start he uses the Multi-Size Technique to serve this purpose, reshaping him into a large, round form. Once in this form he can use Human Bullet Tank (肉弾戦車, Nikudan Sensha^?, Viz "Human Juggernaut", English TV "Human Boulder") to tuck his limbs inside his increased mass and roll at opponents at rapid speeds. Choji sees a number of advancements in Part II; the Multi-Size Technique, while still increasing his size, no longer makes him round. This more manageable form gives him better maneuverability, as he can now fight as he normally would only with the added bonus of his increased size. Choji also gains the ability to increase portions of his body at will, gaining such advantages as larger, stronger arms without taking on gigantic proportions.

In early color illustrations of the Naruto manga, Choji is depicted with sandy-blond hair.^[59] After his fight during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, his hair switches to brown.^[60]

[edit] Shikamaru Nara

Main article: Shikamaru Nara

[edit] Ino Yamanaka

Ino Yamanaka (山中　いの, Yamanaka Ino^?) is a childhood friend of Sakura Haruno. In the Japanese anime, she is voiced by Ryōka Yuzuki,^[61] and her English voice actor is Colleen O'Shaughnessey.^[62] When Sakura was picked on as a result of her lack of self-confidence, Ino stuck up for her and helped her develop her own identity. As Sakura's confidence in herself grew she became aware that Ino liked the same boy as she did: Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura soon ended their friendship so that the two could properly compete for Sasuke's affection, beginning a bitter rivalry between them. The two maintain this rivalry until the end of their match in the Chunin Exams, after which they begin to rekindle their friendship. Nevertheless, the two maintain a competitive relationship and constantly attempt to outdo the other. During their feud Ino became superficial, thinking highly of her looks and having no problem telling people what she thinks. Although she constantly faults both of her teammates (Choji for being overweight and Shikamaru for his laziness), she actually cares deeply for their well-beings and maintains a strong bond with them.

In her spare time, Ino works in her family's flower shop and has become particularly talented in ikebana. The anime's filler arcs show that she's been able to find other uses for her time in the shop and can tell a person's profession by simply glancing at the condition of their hands. Being a Yamanaka, she specializes in mind-altering jutsu. With the Mind Body Switch Technique, Ino can transfer to another's body and control it as her own for a short period of time. Despite the number of times she has used this ability throughout the series, the slow speed and very nature of the jutsu has caused her to have little success when using it. Over the timeskip she acquires the ability to use medical jutsu. While this is not explained in the manga, the anime shows it to be a result of Ino finding herself to be of no use to her teammates in direct combat. As such, Ino becomes Tsunade's secondary apprentice in learning medical abilities, hoping to be more useful to her friends.

[edit] Asuma Sarutobi

Asuma Sarutobi (猿飛　アスマ, Sarutobi Asuma^?) is the leader of Team 10 and the son of the Third Hokage.^[63] His seiyū in the Japanese anime is Jūrōta Kosugi,^[64] and he is voiced by Doug Erholtz in the English adaptation of the anime.^[65] After having a falling out with his father during his younger years Asuma left Konoha to pursue his personal interests. Upon returning to Konoha he begins a long-standing relationship with Kurenai Yuhi, whom he frequently appears with. While the two deny a relationship and try to write off the amount of time they spend together, the revelation that Kurenai is pregnant with Asuma's child in Part II makes their relationship clear. After the creation of Team 10 Asuma begins to spend much of his free time playing Shogi or Go with Shikamaru Nara, though Asuma has never been able to beat Shikamaru.

Asuma is a laid-back individual, and does not get himself involved in things unless necessary. He is often seen smoking a cigarette, and smokes about two packs of cigarettes a day. Despite this, he will break the habit when something is bothering him, such as when the Third Hokage dies. Asuma's primary weapons in battle are his unique brass knuckles equipped with a blade that are capable of being infused with chakra.^[66] Once infused with his wind-based chakra, Asuma can use the blades to easily pierce through rock. With his Flying Swallow (飛燕, Hien^?), he can extend the blades with his chakra to injure an enemy several feet out of the physical blade's range.^[53]

During the course of a mission, Asuma is drawn into battle with Akatsuki member Hidan, who is able to cause any damage to himself to be transferred to Asuma. Though Shikamaru does his best to lift Hidan's influence, Hidan eventually stabs himself in the heart, killing Asuma.^[67]

[edit] Team Guy

[edit] Rock Lee

Rock Lee (ロック・リー, Rokku Rī^?) is Might Guy's favorite student. He is voiced by Yoichi Masukawa in the original Japanese anime,^[68] and his English voice actor is Brian Donovan.^[69] Lee is very dedicated to Guy, modeling his appearance and many of his habits after Guy's. One such trait is his unwillingness to give up, always being optimistic and confident that he can complete a task. This has resulted in his personal goals in life being to defeat a "genius" such as Neji Hyuga and to make Sakura Haruno his girlfriend. While Lee puts a great deal of effort into accomplishing each goal during the Chunin Exam arc, his appearances in later arcs see little to no attempts to make either a reality. Independent of Guy's influence, Lee is very respectful, never using contractions and always applying proper titles ("-san", "-kun", etc.) to anyone he meets. He is likewise very honorable, never holding a grudge and always treating his opponents with great respect.

Lee is unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu.^[70] As a result, Lee's dream is to become a respected ninja by using only taijutsu. Through Guy's mentorship, Lee has become very proficient with taijutsu, mastering the Strong Fist style of combat and being able to open the first five of the eight chakra gates.^[71] He constantly wears ankle weights, and when they are removed his speed is drastically increased.^[70] Because many of the techniques he has learned can pose a great threat to himself and others, Lee is only permitted to use them to protect something or someone dear to him. While Lee's training has made him a formidable opponent, he is a natural-born user of the Drunken Fist (酔拳, Suiken^?, English TV "Loopy Fist", Viz "Potion Punch"). Should he drink as little as one drop of alcohol, he becomes an unpredictable source of inebriated destruction. His actions while drunk are usually a combination of misguided attempts to impress Guy, regardless of whether or not Guy is around, and he drunkenly attacks any friend or foe that is near him.^[72] His alcoholic lapses are relatively brief, and he has no memory of his actions once he has returned to his normal self.

Lee is commonly ranked in the top 10 of the character popularity polls with the the lowest he ever got being 13 and the highest 5.

[edit] Neji Hyuga

Neji Hyuga (日向　ネジ, Hyūga Neji^?) is a child prodigy of the Hyuga clan, yet because he is a member of the clan's branch house he is not permitted to learn the clan's most secret techniques. In the Japanese anime, his seiyū is Kōichi Tōchika,^[73] and when he is featured as a child, he is voiced by Keiko Nemoto.^[74] His voice in the English anime is provided by Steve Staley,^[75] and Wendee Lee provides his child voice.^[76] At the start of the series, Neji hates the main house and its members because of this, readily attacking his cousin, Hinata Hyuga, when given the chance.^[77] Neji is also plagued by Fatalism, the belief that one's destiny is inescapable, and that a weak person will always be weak.^[78] After being defeated in battle by Naruto Uzumaki, someone who has time and again proven his "destiny" wrong by getting stronger, Neji has a change of heart. He abandons the idea of a predetermined fate, and resolves to get strong enough to never lose a battle. To do so he begins putting more emphasis on working well with his team, something he had previously neglected to do. In addition, Neji begins trying to remedy the estranged relations between himself and the main house members, most particularly by being kinder to Hinata. His efforts seem to be effective, as in Part II he starts to wear traditional Hyuga robes.

As a Hyuga, Neji possesses the Byakugan, which grants him a nearly 360-degree field of vision. Though his Byakugan's range of sight is the standard 50 meters in Part I, he increases it to over 800 meters in Part II. The Byakugan also allows him to use the Gentle Fist style of combat to directly attack an opponent's chakra circulatory system. Despite not being permitted to learn many of secret techniques of this style, Neji has been able to recreate its most powerful attacks through simple observation, a feat which surprises many members of the main branch.^[79] In addition to refining these techniques into more powerful counterparts, Neji has been able to use the fundamentals of the style to create entirely new abilities. In Part II, this results in his creation of techniques such as the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm (八卦空掌, Hakke Kūshō^?), with which he can expel chakra from his palm to attack opponents out of his physical reach.

Neji commonly ranks within the Top Ten of the Shonen Jump's popularity polls, usually between 6th and 7th place.^[80]

[edit] Tenten

Tenten (テンテン, Tenten^?) is the least seen member of the primary Konoha ninja; her only battle during the first half of the manga is almost entirely skipped, with only the start of the match and her defeat being shown. Her Japanese seiyū is Yukari Tamura,^[81] and her English voice actor is Danielle Judovits.^[82] What is known of Tenten is that she strongly believes that female ninja can be just as skilled as male ninja. As such, her goal in life is to someday be as great as Tsunade. Because neither Tenten nor Neji can train on the same level as Guy or Lee, the two are usually seen together having more "normal" training sessions. As a result, Tenten has come to hold Neji's abilities in high regard.

Tenten specializes in weaponry, and according to Guy she can hit a bullseye 100 out of 100 times. In battle she summons varying types of weapons from the scrolls she carries with her. In Part I she has many scrolls that serve this purpose, but in Part II she has consolidated her arsenal into a single large scroll. The weapons predominately consist of steel projectiles and an assortment of close-combat weapons, though she is seen using a crossbow in the anime and even a spiked bomb in Part II. Tenten prevails in battle by rapidly throwing dozens of weapons at opponents in quick succession, bombarding them repeatedly with the contents of her scrolls.

Series creator Masashi Kishimoto states that out of Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten, that Tenten is more his type because he likes her design.^[83]

[edit] Might Guy

Might Guy (マイト・ガイ, Maito Gai^?) is the leader of Team Guy, though much of his time with this team is focused on Rock Lee. In the Japanese anime, he is voiced by Masashi Ebara,^[84] and his English voice actor is Skip Shellrecht.^[85] Because Lee's goal in life is to master taijutsu, Guy's goal has become to teach Lee all that he knows about it.^[86] Because of Guy's dedication to Lee, Lee has modeled himself in his sensei's image, such as mimicking Guy's distinctive green jumpsuit and shiny bowl haircut (having already had Guy's characteristic thick eyebrows). Lee has also adopted Guy's "nice guy pose," which consists of giving a thumbs up, winking, and smiling with teeth so white they give the proverbial "ping." This action is often used by both Guy and Lee to indicate commitment to a statement they had just made, their highest form of a promise. Guy, and by extension Lee, lives his life by his own "My Rules" philosophy, which involves setting tough self-imposed penalties for failure in the belief that the punishment will make them stronger.^[86]

Guy specializes in using taijutsu, though unlike Lee, does so as a matter of preference. Instead he simply chooses not to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, even going so far as to use a regular (albeit bad) disguise during one of the anime's filler arcs instead of the Transformation Technique. In the few instances that he has used ninjutsu, it has always been offscreen, such as when he summoned a large turtle prior to his first appearance. Through his mastery of taijutsu Guy specializes in the Strong Fist style of combat. Likewise, he can open at least six of the Eight Gates, each gate giving him a brief boosts in strength. As the self-proclaimed rival of Kakashi Hatake, Guy has developed an effective counter against Sharingan users: by focusing on their feet, Guy can both predict the movements of the enemy and negate the hypnotic abilities of the Sharingan that require eye contact.^[87]

Series creator Masashi Kishimoto states that Guy's passionate and hot-blooded personality are much like that of a gym teacher he had in junior high school, though the teacher was not a model for Guy's character. Kishimoto goes on to say that he probably wouldn't get along with Guy, as Guy is too intense for him.^[88]

[edit] Sand Siblings

The Sand Siblings are ninja from the village of Sunagakure, and the children of the Fourth Kazekage, the leader of the village. During the Chunin Exam arc, they come to Konohagakure under the supervision of Baki, and serve as antagonists in the subsequent Invasion of Konoha arc. Due to their interactions with Naruto Uzumaki, they return as allies of Konoha in the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Kishimoto changed their costumes for their return due to the difficulty in drawing their former attire, as well as to symbolize their new friendship with Konoha.^[89]

[edit] Gaara

Main article: Gaara

Gaara (我愛羅, Gaara^?) is the youngest of the three siblings. He was created by Kishimoto as a foil to Naruto Uzumaki, with a similar background yet a highly divergent personality.^[9] When Gaara was born, his father intended to make him a military weapon for Sunagakure by sealing the One-Tailed Shukaku inside him.^[90] Similar to Naruto, Gaara was tormented by his fellow villagers for being the host of a tailed beast.^[91] After one of his few remaining relatives tried to kill him, Gaara developed a sadistic and withdrawn personality, killing others to affirm the value of his existence.^[92] His battle with Naruto during the Invasion of Konoha arc changes this mentality; as a result, he becomes more willing to aid others as the purpose for his existence, and he assumes his deceased father's position as Sunagakure's Kazekage during Part II.^[93] Gaara's seiyū in the Japanese anime is Akira Ishida,^[94] and his English voice actor is Liam O'Brien.^[95]

[edit] Kankuro

Kankuro (カンクロウ, Kankurō^?) is initially characterized by his apparent dislike for children, as seen when he is noticeably irritated while in the presence of someone younger than him. In the Japanese anime, he is voiced by Yasuyuki Kase,^[96] and his English voice actor is Michael Lindsay.^[97] This is most evident when he is with Gaara,^[98] who Kankuro is forced to put up with due to Gaara's murderous tendencies. Despite their apparent differences, Gaara and Kankuro become very close over the timeskip as Gaara begins to share his dreams exclusively with Kankuro. As such, Kankuro becomes very protective of Gaara, instantly challenging anyone who puts Gaara down in his presence. When Gaara is captured by Akatsuki, Kankuro rushes to his brother's aid in an attempt to save him. Even though he is almost killed in the process, he immediately resumes his attempt once he regains the ability to walk.

Kankuro is a talented puppeteer, and with each of his appearances in the major arcs is seen with a new puppet in his arsenal. Karasu (烏, Karasu^? "Crow"), the first of Kankuro's puppets to make an appearance, is highly offensive, having numerous concealed weapons and being able to detach any of its limbs for separate attacks. Kuroari (黒蟻, Kuroari^? "Black Ant"), the second of Kankuro's puppets to make an appearance, is used to capture opponents for assassination purposes. Each of Kuroari's arms can convert to saw-blades and slice through the opponent it has confined.^[99]Sanshouo (山椒魚, Sanshōuo^?, "Salamander"), the third of Kankuro's puppets to make an appearance, is not seen in action in the manga. In the anime, Sanshouo is shown to have a hollow body that Kankuro and at least two people can take cover in to defend against attacks.

[edit] Temari

Temari (テマリ, Temari^?) is overbearing to those around and typically speaks her mind without hesitation. Her seiyū in the Japanese anime is Romi Paku,^[100] and her English voice actor is Tara Platt.^[101] She is very attached to both of her brothers, often worrying about their well-being when she is away from them. She seems to value peace, as she questions Sunagakure's justifications for going to war with Konohagakure.^[102] This trait carries over to Part II where she begins acting as a liaison between Sunagakure and Konoha as the two villages prepare for the next Chunin Exam. Many of Temari's appearances are associated with Shikamaru Nara, with the two repeatedly coming to each other's aid over the course of Part I. When they make their Part II debut together, Naruto Uzumaki asks if they are on a date, though both Shikamaru and Temari state that this is not the case.

Temari is a keen analyst, and can deduce an opponent's strategies and weaknesses soon after a battle begins. In combat she uses her giant iron fan that, in addition to serving as a makeshift club, she can use to glide upon for short distances. The fan's primary usage is for performing Cutting Whirlwind Technique (カマイタチの術, Kamaitachi no Jutsu^?, English TV "Wind Scythe Jutsu"), which creates guidable gusts of wind that she can use to attack opponents over long distances.^[103] If the environment inhibits her during a battle, she simply creates particularly strong winds to clear the area, such as uprooting trees to eliminate any potential cover. Temari is able to use the fan as a medium for summoning Kamatari (カマタリ), a one-eyed sickle weasel that creates winds her own fan is incapable of.^[104]

[edit] Sannin

[edit] Jiraiya

[edit] Tsunade

[edit] Orochimaru

Main article: Orochimaru (Naruto)

[edit] Antagonists

When designing villains, series creator Masashi Kishimoto first devises the character's unique motives and how those motives differ from those of the protagonists.^[105] In some cases, villains are created to take part in a particular fight scene. In these instances, Kishimoto keeps in mind who the character will be fighting when deciding what their unique traits will be so as to keep the battle interesting.^[106] Kishimoto also makes sure that villains stand out, both by giving the characters a sinister face and a costume that catches the reader's eye.^[105]

[edit] Akatsuki

Main article: Akatsuki (Naruto)

[edit] Haku

• Age: 15^[107] (deceased)
• Seiyu: Mayumi Asano
• Voice actor: Susan Dalian, Mona Marshall (as a child)

Haku (白, Haku^?) was born during a time when people with a kekkei genkai were feared. Because Haku's mother possessed such an ability, so too did Haku. Once Haku's father learned of this he rallied a small mob and had his wife murdered. He would have done the same to Haku, but Haku inadvertently killed both the mob and his father via his kekkei genkai. Orphaned, Haku wandered the country as a beggar child until he was found by Zabuza Momochi. Zabuza took Haku in as a tool of battle and nothing more. For his part, Haku readily accepted this role due to the purpose it gave him, devoting his life to becoming the ultimate weapon for Zabuza. In time, Haku became fiercely protective of his master, so much so that he would not allow anyone to touch Zabuza. He looks so much like a girl that Naruto confuses him with a girl when they meet prior to their battle. In his devotion to Zabuza, Haku finds purpose in life only by being of use to Zabuza, and does whatever is asked of him to continue to give his own life meaning. When he is defeated by Naruto Uzumaki, Haku feels as though his reason for living is gone as he is no longer of use to his master. His moment of abandonment is short-lived, as he is soon able to give up his life to protect Zabuza from Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Blade.

Haku's kekkei genkai, Hyoton (氷遁, Hyōton^?, literally "Ice Release"), allows him to mix wind and water to create ice. Haku's ice is reinforced by chakra, making normally effective methods of melting ice, namely fire, practically useless. Haku's signature attack with this ability is his Demonic Ice Mirrors (魔鏡氷晶, Makyō Hyō Shō^?, English TV "Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors"), which creates any number of mirrors made of ice to trap opponents. Haku can freely merge with and move between these mirrors, allowing him to attack opponents from multiple angles simultaneously. Haku is also skilled with senbon, and can incapacitate or kill a person with a single senbon. Despite these abilities, Haku dislikes needing to kill in his role as a tool, and avoids doing so whenever possible. When forced to face an opponent Haku does all that he can to avoid bringing them great harm, even putting them into a death-like state to prevent them from fighting further.

[edit] Kabuto Yakushi

• Age: 19^[107]-20^[108] in Part I
• Rank: Missing-nin
• Seiyu: Nobutoshi Canna
• Voice Actor: Henry Dittman

Kabuto Yakushi (薬師 カブト, Yakushi Kabuto^?) is Orochimaru's personal medic, assistant, and general right-hand man. Kabuto was found as a young boy by a chief medical officer of the Konoha Medical Unit Squad. The officer brought Kabuto with him back to Konoha and raised him as a son. Kabuto eventually began acting as a spy for numerous countries and organizations (such as Akatsuki) before coming under the servitude of Orochimaru. Kabuto has since used his various former affiliations as a means to gather intelligence on Orochimaru's behalf, such as entering the Chunin Exams as a Konoha ninja to gather information on his fellow participants for Orochimaru's use. Despite his apparent loyalty to Orochimaru, Kabuto's true personality is difficult to discern; he frequently switches from a lighthearted and polite teenager to a twisted and sadistic maniac that enjoys playing mind games with his opponents. While he generally obeys Orochimaru's orders, he is not above healing Orochimaru's enemies or trying to strike up polite conversations with Naruto Uzumaki when they meet. Orochimaru himself seems to have a hard time determining Kabuto's thoughts, and has suggested that Kabuto secretly works against him.

Kabuto is a talented ninja, being compared to Kakashi Hatake in ability on more than one occasion, as well as being shown capable of killing ANBU members with relative ease. The bulk of Kabuto's fighting ability lies in the medical jutsu taught to him by his adoptive father. These abilities have been further enhanced through his allegiance to Orochimaru, as he has been able to experiment on others to increase his medical knowledge. As a result, Kabuto is able to reactivate dead cells in a concentrated area and grow new ones. While he uses this ability in battle to immediately recover from attacks, it can also be used during his experiments to keep test subjects alive for much longer than is feasible. Kabuto can even temporarily reanimate a corpse for use as an ally or a decoy. During his battle with Tsunade, she remarks that his fighting and healing abilities surpass her own when she was his age. Despite his talents, Kabuto has always served others, a fate he is dissatisfied with. As such, after Orochimaru's defeat, Kabuto integrates his master's remains into his body as a means to become more powerful and to no longer be the mere tool of others. The remains have since begun trying to take over his body.

[edit] Orochimaru

Main article: Orochimaru (Naruto)

[edit] Snake

After breaking his ties with Orochimaru, Sasuke Uchiha gathers a four-man group consisting of himself and three of Orochimaru's former subordinates under the name "Snake" (蛇, Hebi^?). All of them have a certain ability that Sasuke requires to locate Itachi Uchiha.^[109] The main purpose of the team, however, has always been to stop anyone from interfering with his fight against Itachi when it actually commenced.

[edit] Jugo

Jugo (重吾, Jūgo^?) is the largest member of "Snake." He is mentally unstable, sporadically fluctuating between a bloodthirsty and a docile personality.^[110] While in the former mindset, Jugo attacks anyone around him with the intention to kill, sometimes determining which gender he will kill first during conversations with himself. It is because of this uncontrollable drive for blood that Jugo, while docile, consents to being confined since he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Kimimaro was able to control Jugo during his outbreaks, allowing him to assume a somewhat natural lifestyle where he viewed Kimimaro as a friend. After hearing that Kimimaro sacrificed his life for Sasuke, Jugo agrees to accompany him since he believes that Kimimaro's spirit continues to live on in Sasuke.^[109]

Jugo is the source and means behind Orochimaru's development of the cursed seals. Some time in the past, Jugo purposely sought out Orochimaru to cure him of his murderous tendencies.^[111] Upon examination, Orochimaru was able to isolate enzymes in Jugo's blood that produced a unique transformation. By extracting these enzymes, Orochimaru was able to use them to produce similar, but more controlled, effects in other people. While others are confined to a single transformation, Jugo can alter his own transformation to better suit a situation, creating blades or bludgeoning objects on isolated parts of his body. Jugo is also able to understand animals, using them as scouts to help him accomplish tasks.^[112]

[edit] Karin

Karin (香燐, Karin^?) is a former subordinate of Orochimaru who assisted him in his experimentations. After learning of his death she remains loyal to him by keeping the prisoners of the base she is stationed at in check. Karin has red eyes, matching hair color and an unusual hairstyle; her hair is short and unkempt on one side, and long and combed on the other. She will at times appear tough and in control, particularly when Suigetsu or Jugo are present. When Sasuke Uchiha is around, however, she switches to a flirtatious personality where she tends to imply a team consisting of only the two of them would be considerably better.^[113] She has a dramatic and sometimes almost obsessive interest in Sasuke, as she goes so far as to keep one of his battered, sweat-drenched shirts for herself and plans to "ravage" him after everyone falls asleep.

Karin's special ability allows her to track specific individuals through chakra, as seen when she is able to discern that Jugo is not among a crowd of escaped prisoners. It also allows her to pick up chakra from long distances and notice changes in an individual's chakra. Kakashi Hatake surmises that Karin is a particularly skilled chakra-sensing ninja, as she is not only able to tell that his group is approaching, but can also sense how many of them are present and that one is a dog.^[114]

[edit] Sasuke Uchiha

Main article: Sasuke Uchiha

[edit] Suigetsu Hozuki

Suigetsu Hozuki (鬼灯　水月, Hōzuki Suigetsu^?) is a former experimental subject of Orochimaru. Suigetsu once trained to be one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and as such has a number of traits consistent with other known members. In addition to having shark-like teeth, Suigetsu enjoys killing. Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Seven Swordsmen, claims Suigetsu is a prodigy at the art of murder, as he has a habit of chopping off his victim's limbs before beheading them.^[115] After joining Snake, Sasuke Uchiha takes Suigetsu to retrieve Zabuza Momochi's giant Kubikiri Hōchō (首斬り包丁, Decapitating Knife^?) from his graveside. Suigetsu can wield the weapon with relative ease, despite its enormous size and weight. In his allegiance with Sasuke, Suigetsu hopes to acquire the sword of Kisame as well, which Karin assumes to mean that he wants to collect all of the swords of the Seven Swordsmen.^[109]

Suigetsu is able to reduce himself to liquid form and return to bodily form at will.^[116] This ability also allows him to change his body shape, giving him the ability to increase the size of his limbs, proportionally increasing his strength in the process.^[117] It also makes striking him somewhat difficult; since he is made of liquid, any sufficiently powerful strike will go right through his watery form. Suigetsu is the first ninja seen carrying water bottles on his outfit. Given his somewhat frequent desire to consume water, it is possible that Suigetsu requires regular hydration to sustain his watery form.

[edit] Zabuza Momochi

• Age: 26^[107] (deceased)
• Rank: Missing-nin
• Seiyū: Unshō Ishizuka
• Voice actor: Steven Blum

Zabuza Momochi (桃地　再不斬, Momochi Zabuza^?) first gained renown during one of Kirigakure's Academy graduation events, where he singlehandedly killed all of his peers. Zabuza would later become one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist where he acquired his giant Kubikiri Hōchō (首斬り包丁, Decapitating Knife^?). At some point in time, Zabuza found a young boy named Haku wandering the countryside, and offered to take Haku in as his tool. Haku accepted and became loyal to Zabuza, learning from Zabuza and protecting him whenever necessary. Zabuza eventually attempted a coup d'état on Kirigakure by trying to assassinate the Mizukage. The coup failed, forcing Zabuza and his subordinates to leave the country. In the hopes of gaining funds for a second coup, Zabuza becomes a mercenary assassin, killing anyone if the price is right.

Being from Kirigakure, Zabuza excels in water-oriented jutsu, frequently launching large bodies of water at opponents for attack. In addition to the offensive capabilities of his water jutsu, Zabuza is a highly skilled assassin. By blanketing the area in mist, Zabuza can blind an opponent and then locate them by the sounds they make and kill them without their noticing his presence. This talent with assassination is very well-known, as even the ninja of Konohagakure are familiar with Zabuza's history. Despite his abilities, Zabuza repeatedly fails to kill Tazuna, a target given to him by Gato, because of the protection of Kakashi Hatake. After Kakashi leaves Zabuza unable to battle further, Gato revokes their contract and instructs his men to kill Tazuna and Zabuza. Unwilling to let Gato have his way, Zabuza kills him, though he is heavily injured in the process and dies of his wounds.

[edit] Other characters

See also: List of minor Naruto characters

[edit] Chiyo

• Age: ? (deceased)
• Rank: N/A (retired)
• Seiyu: Ikuko Tani^[118]

Chiyo (チヨ, Chiyo^?) is Sunagakure's poison specialist; she is very knowledgeable when it comes to handling poisons and used her skills often during the many Ninja Wars. Chiyo took care of her grandson, Sasori, during his childhood after the death of his parents. At some point, she taught Sasori how to use the Puppet Technique, and Sasori used his this knowledge to build puppets resembling his parents. Wanting Sasori to be able to feel love from his puppet parents, Chiyo developed a jutsu that would allow her to bring puppets to life at the cost of her own. Before she could use this ability for Sasori, however, he left the village, leaving Chiyo with the desire to see her grandson again.

Chiyo would go on to seal the One-Tailed Shukaku inside of Gaara under the orders of the Fourth Kazekage, Gaara's father.^[119] She removed herself from Sunagakure's affairs after that, though becomes active once again after learning of Sasori's kidnapping of Gaara. Hoping to see her grandson again she joins a rescue team and eventually fights Sasori alongside Sakura Haruno. After prolonged battle with Sasori, Chiyo stabs him through the heart with the puppets of his parents, allowing him to be close to them in death as he couldn't be in life.^[120] After reuniting with the rest of the retrieval team, Gaara is found dead, a result of Shukaku being extracted from him. Because it was her fault that Shukaku was sealed in him in the first place, she uses her life-giving jutsu to bring him back to life, dying peacefully once he is revived.^[121]

[edit] Nine-Tailed Demon Fox

• Seiyu: Tesshō Genda^[122]
• Voice actor: Paul St. Peter^[123]

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox (九尾の妖狐, Kyūbi no Yōkō^?, English TV "Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit/Demon") is the most powerful of the tailed beasts. Its power is such that it is regarded as an age-old natural disaster, as a single swipe of one of its nine tails is enough to raise tsunamis and flatten mountains. Twelve years before the start of the series Madara Uchiha used his Mangekyo Sharingan to have the fox attack Konohagakure. None of the ninja of the village were able to defeat it until the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, arrived to deal with it. Minato sacrificed his life to seal the fox into the body of his newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki. Rather than completely seal off the fox's great power, however, Minato only sealed away a portion of it, giving Naruto access to the rest for unknown reasons. Minato left a key to Jiraiya that could either strengthen or weaken the fox's seal should the need arise. The seal naturally becomes weaker as the years pass, and in the event that it is broken the demon fox will be released.

The only initial indication that Naruto is the fox's host are the whisker marks on his face and his ability to rapidly heal from injuries and fatigue. Once learning of the fox's presence within him, Naruto makes better usage of its chakra by performing jutsu that would ordinarily be impossible for ninja of his age. Though small amounts of the fox's chakra constantly mix with Naruto's own, he can draw upon its reserves in two ways: he can enter his own subconscious and converse with the fox to ask for a donation of its strength. Alternatively, he can succumb to rage, allowing the fox's violent personality to influence his own. As Naruto draws upon greater amounts of its chakra the fox begins to manifest itself in the form of a fox-shaped red aura with multiple tails. Naruto can only maintain control over his mind for the first three tails; at the fourth, he loses all sense of self and readily attacks anyone nearby. In these instances, the fox can only be stopped by suppressing its influence, either with Yamato's Mokuton abilities or with a special seal created by Jiraiya that is directly applied to Naruto's body.

In the few instances where Naruto converses with the fox it is shown to have a loathing respect for both Naruto and Minato. While the fox initially complies to Naruto's requests out of curiosity, it later does so in an attempt to further its influence over Naruto and weaken the seal. It also acts in order to preserve its own well-being, as Naruto's death would also result in its own.

[edit] One-Tailed Shukaku

• Seiyu: Hiroshi Iwasaki
• Voice Actor: Kirk Thornton

The One-Tailed Shukaku (一尾の守鶴, Ichibi no Shukaku^?, English TV "Shukaku the Sand Spirit") has been in the possession of Sunagakure for many years, being sealed into two previous citizens before being sealed in Gaara. Chiyo sealed it into Gaara under the Fourth Kazekage's orders, and Gaara's mother was used as a sacrifice for the sealing process. Shukaku is intelligent but also incoherent, giving him the demeanor of a drunkard; this fits well with the typical depictions of tanuki in Japanese folklore. Like other tailed beasts, its innate rage and bloodlust influence its behavior, and it relishes in the opportunity to kill anyone in sight.

As a host of Shukaku, Gaara has the ability to move and levitate sand at will. He is also given constant protection by his sand, as it surrounds him to block any and all damage regardless of his will. As a symbol of the beast sealed within him, Gaara has Shukaku's characteristic rings around his eyes. Although they are a part of his physical appearance, their presence is further amplified by his lifelong insomnia; should he fall asleep, Shukaku will supplant his personality and take control of his body. If need be, Gaara can bring out Shukaku in battle to deal with more powerful opponents; Gaara first creates a life-sized replica of Shukaku from sand that he is merged with at its forehead. He then forces himself to sleep to release the demon at its full power. Once released Shukaku takes control of the sand-body to do with as he please until Gaara awakens, suppressing its spirit once more.

In Part II, Deidara of Akatsuki is assigned to capture Shukaku. After defeating Gaara in combat and taking him to Akatsuki's lair, Shukaku is forcefully extracted from Gaara's body. Gaara is killed in the process, though he is later revived by Chiyo to make up for the fact that she sealed Shukaku into his body in the first place. Gaara's ability to manipulate sand still appears to be intact, though to what degree he can use it remains unclear.

[edit] Third Hokage

• Age: 69^[107] (deceased)
• Rank: Hokage
• Seiyu: Hidekatsu Shibata^[124]
• Voice actor: Steve Kramer^[125]

The Third Hokage (三代目火影, Sandaime Hokage^?) is a former student of the First and Second Hokage. Because of his name, Sarutobi (猿飛), the Second Hokage called him "Monkey" (猿, Saru^?). The Third was once called The Professor (プロフェッサー, Purofessā^?) due to his vast knowledge of jutsu, purportedly knowing all the jutsu in Konoha. During the only battle he is seen in he utilizes a number of attacks that deal with spitting fire or manipulating earth. The Third also has a personal summon: the Monkey King, Enma (猿猴王・猿魔, Enkōō: Enma^?). Enma can transform into an indestructible, extendable staff that the Third can wield with great proficiency.^[126] Despite all of his abilities, the Third seems to have had some sense of lecherousness in him as he spends much of his free time talking to young girls^[107] and even succumbs to Naruto Uzumaki's Sexy Technique on one occasion.^[127]

The Third was the sensei of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. He took a special interest in Orochimaru, whose natural talent would have made him a great Hokage. Though the Third wanted to give him this title upon his retirement from the position, Orochimaru's sole interest in the role of Hokage as a way to get power forced him to find an alternative. The Third passed on the title to Minato Namikaze, though was forced to reassume the position after Minato's death. During his second stint as Hokage, the Third discovered that Orochimaru had been kidnapping and experimenting on villagers of Konoha. The Third, unable to bring himself to harm his favorite student, allowed Orochimaru to flee the village.^[128]

Years later, Orochimaru invades Konoha in an attempt to kill his former master. After struggling with the battle due to his old age the Third uses the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to try to seal away Orochimaru's soul, though the injuries he receives from the battle make it impossible. Doing what little he can and hoping to rectify his mistake of allowing Orochimaru to escape years earlier, the Third seals Orochimaru's arms to ensure that he will never again be able to use jutsu, a punishment for Orochimaru's obsession with power. With the village saved from Orochimaru, the Third dies with a smile on his face, death being the result of performing the sealing.^[129]

[edit] Merchandise

The characters in the Naruto series have had several types of merchandise based on their likeness. Apparel such as clothes,^[130][131] backpacks,^[132] and another accessories, have been released, as well as full costumes used for cosplay.^[133] Other merchandise includes action figures,^[134] plush dolls of characters' Part I and Part II appearances,^[135][136], key chains,^[137], and other collectibles, including figurines, many of which are limited edition with a small number produced.^[138][139] Many of the characters are also featured on posters, wallpapers,^[140] and trading cards that are part of the Naruto Collectible Card Game.^[141]

[edit] Reception

The characters of Naruto have received praise and criticism from several publications for anime, manga, and other media. Active Anime lauded the characters for not being "simple cardboard cut-out characters" due to their "fleshed out personalities" and "underlying dramatic motivations," and praised the "deeply moving emotional trials" they undergo over the course of the series.^[142] Anime Boredom agreed with this assessment, extolling the characters as "well rounded" and "imaginative," and celebrated how the characters allowed the series to successfully incorporate comedy, action, and drama together in a "convincing" manner.^[143] T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews digressed, dismissing the characters as echoes of stereotypical shōnen characters, and noted that several of the characters were not likeable.^[3] While a second review from T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews mediated this view, as they commented that Naruto combined the finer values of his shōnen predecessors, they lamented that the characters' personalities tended to fall between Naruto's "charisma and coolness" and Sasuke's "blandness," and noted that it was difficult to think about the characters on "any deep or meaningful level."^[4] AnimeOnDVD asserted that the series lacked the "tremendous depth in it’s [sic] characters" or "the most flushed out backgrounds" seen in other shōnen series, and believed the primary focus of the series was on the fighting.^[5]

The visual appearances of the characters in the anime and manga have also received notice from reviewers. Anime News Network praised the characters' "distinctive clothing, hair, faces and personalities" that made it easy to identify them, as well as Kishimoto's "clear eye for geography, movement and the human form" and "impeccable visual timing."^[6] T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews considered Kishimoto "an average artist at best" and derided the poor transition of his artistic style into animation.^[3] Despite this, the second review from T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews admitted that when the animators were at their best, they produced "artistic renderings that leave little to be desired on the part of fans of the manga," but concluded that the animation was "a mixed bag."^[4]

[edit] See also

• List of Naruto episodes
• List of Naruto manga volumes
• List of Naruto media

[edit] References

v • d • e Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto Franchise Volumes (Part I & II) • Naruto episodes (Seasons 1-2 · 3-4 · 5-6 · 7-9) • Naruto: Shippūden episodes • OVAs • CCG Characters Naruto Uzumaki • Sasuke Uchiha • Sakura Haruno • Kakashi Hatake • Jiraiya • Orochimaru • Tsunade • Shikamaru Nara • Gaara • Antagonists Movies Naruto the Movie 1 • 2 • 3 • Naruto: Shippūden the Movie 1 • 2 Video games Clash of Ninja (series) • Ninja Council series • Ultimate Ninja series (Storm) • Rise of a Ninja • Path of the Ninja Other Jutsu • Naruto universe

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