List of Naruto characters

This is a list of characters of the Naruto anime and manga.

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. 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. 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.

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."

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, "[he doesn'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."

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. 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.

Protagonists

Team 7

Naruto Uzumaki

Main article: Naruto Uzumaki

Sasuke Uchiha

Main article: Sasuke Uchiha

Sakura Haruno

Main article: Sakura Haruno

Kakashi Hatake

Main article: Kakashi Hatake

Sai

Sai (サイ) is added to Team 7 as a replacement for Sasuke Uchiha. He is voiced by Satoshi Hino in the Naruto: Shippūden anime. As a member of Root, Sai has been trained to have no emotions, a trait meant to make him impartial to his missions. This lack of personality causes him to meet with hardship upon joining Team 7, as he makes the mistake of insulting the other members in an attempt to seem sociable. After spending more time with his team, Sai comes to appreciate bonds, particularly the bond that exists between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Wanting to experience bonds for himself, Sai sets out to make as many bonds as he can. His initial attempts consist of giving people pet names, though his habit of calling people as he sees them ("fat", "ugly", etc.) finds little success. Realizing that people dislike hearing the truth of how he sees them, Sai begins to say the opposite of how he perceives them instead, such as calling Ino Yamanaka "beautiful".

Sai is a talented artist, and claims to have drawn tens of thousands of pictures. Despite the magnitude of things he has drawn, he has never given any of his works a title, a side effect of his lack of emotion. Sai's drawing ability doubles as the source behind his jutsu; he is able to bring to life anything he draws on a scroll he carries with him. These creations range from birds that he can use for flight to copies of himself that can act on his behalf. Sai can also transform words he writes on his scroll into small animals that seek out their target and revert back to words upon reaching their destination, giving Sai a discreet way to communicate across long distances.

Yamato

Yamato (ヤマト) is first added to Team 7 as a temporary replacement for Kakashi Hatake, though he has since come to be a recurring member of the team. He is voiced by Rikiya Koyama in the Naruto: Shippūden anime. Although "Yamato" is a code name given to him for the purposes of joining Team 7, he seems to prefer it over his real name, Tenzo (テンゾウ, Tenzō). As a child Yamato was kidnapped by Orochimaru and injected with the First Hokage's DNA in an attempt to replicate the First's abilities. Orochimaru was forced to abandon Yamato before he could complete his research, and thus never knew that Yamato had survived the experiment and was able to use the First's Mokuton techniques.

With his Mokuton ability, Yamato is able to combine water and earth to form wood for varying purposes, such as creating wooden copies of himself or erecting wooden barriers instantaneously. Despite his range of abilities, Yamato states that his Mokuton is greatly inferior to that of the First. He is also able to suppress the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's influence over Naruto Uzumaki, which is the primary reason he is assigned to Team 7. Yamato is a member of the ANBU, and although he usually projects a calm, stoic demeanor like other ANBU, he can be quite laid back when not on duty, and is not above using his Mokuton techniques for material comforts such as making a house to "camp out" in.

Team 8

Kiba Inuzuka

Kiba Inuzuka (犬塚　キバ, Inuzuka Kiba) is characterized by his almost symbiotic relationship with his dog Akamaru, as the two are always seen together. Kiba's seiyū in the Japanese anime is Kōsuke Toriumi, and his English voice actor is Kyle Herbert. Kiba is extremely devoted to Akamaru, and he is more than willing to risk his own life if it means saving Akamaru. Kiba has acquired a few dog-like qualities from the time he has spent with Akamaru, such as being able to understand Akamaru's barking and disliking any food that he can't chew on. He is also very loyal, and despite often being overconfident and headstrong, he cares deeply for his teammates' well-beings. This is most evident in his efforts to remove his teammates from harm's way as well as his constant attempts to avoid hampering his teammates' progress.

Akamaru acts as a valuable ally in battle, joining Kiba in attacking opponents and using his heightened senses to help Kiba find things. Because Akamaru is naturally better equipped for combat, Kiba typically starts a battle by using Four Legs Technique (四脚の術, Shikyaku no Jutsu, English TV "Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu") to make himself more animalistic. Predominately, this jutsu increases his speed and strength, lengthens his nails to claw-like quality, and, as the name suggests, causes him to travel using his arms and legs. Once Kiba and Akamaru are on an even footing the two combine efforts to perform spinning physical attacks that inflict multiple wounds to opponents. Kiba also can gather chakra to his nose to exponentially increase his sense of smell, allowing him to pick up on the faintest of scents. In Part II he becomes so proficient with this sense of smell that he can track things down that actual dogs cannot.

Akamaru

Akamaru (赤丸) is Kiba Inuzuka's nin-dog (忍犬, ninken), best friend, and companion. 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. In the English adapatation of the anime, he is voiced by Jamie Simone, but when Akamaru transforms, he is voiced by Kyle Herbert, who additionally provides the voice for Kiba. In Part I, Kiba carries Akamaru around on top of his head or inside his jacket. In Part II, Akamaru grows large enough for Kiba to ride on his back, a difference Kiba fails to notice due to the amount of time they spend together. Akamaru's heightened senses, such as smell and hearing, along with Kiba's ability to communicate with him, make him a powerful ally for gathering and sharing information. He can also sense chakra with his nose, so he can judge an enemy's strength and warn Kiba if they are particularly powerful.

In combat, Akamaru typically transforms into other, more combat-oriented states, such as turning into a more feral version of Kiba.. Because Akamaru lacks his own chakra reserves Kiba performs these transformations for him, leaving Akamaru to perform a variety of physical attacks. Akamaru can also use Dynamic Marking (ダイナミックマーキング, Dainamikku Mākingu) by urinating on a target with great accuracy, allowing either Kiba or Akamaru to easily find the target by scent. This scent is essential to some of their attacks, as the speed at which they move in these instances makes their eyesight useless.

Shino Aburame

Shino Aburame (油女　シノ, Aburame Shino) is fascinated with bugs; most of his spare time is spent watching bugs and he often makes analogies to bugs when talking. In the Japanese anime, he is voiced by Shinji Kawada. His first voice actor in the English anime was Sam Riegal, who voiced Shino in episodes twenty-three and twenty-four, but in all following appearances, he has been voiced by Derek Stephen Prince. He speaks very bluntly and never allows emotion to interfere with his judgment, sometimes offending people in doing so. Despite his odd personality, Shino has a very strong sense of connection with his teammates and allies, first seen when he regrets being unavailable and therefore unable to help with retrieving Sasuke Uchiha. From that point further he resolves to work on his teamwork skills, even helping Hinata Hyuga to improve her abilities. The fruits of his efforts are seen throughout the anime's filler arcs where Shino proves able to understand his teammates' inner workings, as he can sense when the slightest of things is wrong with either of them.

In battle, Shino takes great use of his intelligence, being able to use his analytical and observational skills to make shrewd judgments with pinpoint reasoning. He prevails in battles by systematically staying steps ahead of the enemy. Because of this, Shino is fairly confident in his abilities and that he will win a battle, and tends to try to communicate this to an opponent for their own well-being. Being an Aburame, Shino was infused at birth with a special breed of insects that feed on chakra. In return for becoming a living hive, the insects attack opponents and carry out other tasks as he commands. Shino has found a number of uses for these bugs, such as having them form into copies of himself and creating defensive barriers for himself and others.

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, and her English voice actor is Stephanie Sheh. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Kurenai Yuhi

Kurenai Yuhi (夕日　紅, Yūhi Kurenai) is the leader of Team 8. In the Japanese anime, her seiyū is Rumi Ochiai. In the English adaptation of the anime, she was voiced by Saffron Henderson in episode three, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in all subsequent appearances. Kurenai acted as an Academy Instructor for many years, eventually becoming a Jonin soon before the start of the series. Once Team 8 was formed, Hinata Hyuga was left in her care, Hinata's father having little use for her. Kurenai has since begun to act as a parent for Hinata and tries to help her in overcoming her own weaknesses. Kurenai has a long-standing relationship with Asuma Sarutobi, with whom she frequently appears. Despite this, the two deny being a couple and try to write off the amount of time they spend together, though numerous characters suspect otherwise. In Part II the revelation that Kurenai is pregnant with Asuma's child makes their relationship clear.

Kurenai specializes in genjutsu, and as seen in the anime is very proficient with it. Through the use of Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death (魔幻・樹縛殺, Magen: Jubaku Satsu), Kurenai can disappear and sneak up on an opponent unnoticed. Once she has done so she creates the illusion of a tree growing around the opponent to effectively immobilize them, allowing her to kill them as she pleases. The Kurama Clan arc shows Kurenai capable of using this jutsu multiple times in a row, as well as being able to create any kind of foliage with which to capture the opponent.

Team 10

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. 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. After his fight during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, his hair switches to brown.

Shikamaru Nara

Main article: Shikamaru Nara

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, and her English voice actor is Colleen O'Shaughnessey. 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.

Asuma Sarutobi

Asuma Sarutobi (猿飛　アスマ, Sarutobi Asuma) is the leader of Team 10 and the son of the Third Hokage. His seiyū in the Japanese anime is Jūrōta Kosugi, and he is voiced by Doug Erholtz in the English adaptation of the anime. 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. 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.

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.

Team Guy

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, and his English voice actor is Brian Donovan. 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. 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. He constantly wears ankle weights, and when they are removed his speed is drastically increased. 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. 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.

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, and when he is featured as a child, he is voiced by Keiko Nemoto. His voice in the English anime is provided by Steve Staley, and Wendee Lee provides his child voice. 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. Neji is also plagued by Fatalism, the belief that one's destiny is inescapable, and that a weak person will always be weak. 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. 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.

Tenten

Tenten (テンテン) 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, and her English voice actor is Danielle Judovits. 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.

Might Guy

"Maito Gai" redirects here. For the Japanese actor nicknamed "Maito Gai", see Akira Kobayashi.

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, and his English voice actor is Skip Shellrecht. Because Lee's goal in life is to master taijutsu, Guy's goal has become to teach Lee all that he knows about it. 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.

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.

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.

Sand Siblings

The Sand Siblings are the children of the Fourth Kazekage; Temari is the oldest and Gaara is the youngest. During the Chunin Exam in Part I, the three are organized into a team under the supervision of Baki.

The Sand Siblings receive new costumes for their appearance in the Sasuke Retrieval arc because the outfits they wear during the Chunin Exams were too difficult for Masashi Kishimoto to draw. The new costumes also symbolize their newfound alliance with Konoha, having been enemies during the Chunin Exams. All three costumes cover the neck, reminding Kishimoto of The Matrix.

Gaara

Main article: Gaara

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, and his English voice actor is Michael Lindsay. This is most evident when he is with Gaara, 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, "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, "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.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.

Temari

Temari (テマリ) is overbearing to those around and typically speaks her mind without hesitation. Her seiyū in the Japanese anime is Romi Paku, and her English voice actor is Tara Platt. 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. 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. 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.

Other

Jiraiya

Main article: Jiraiya (Naruto)

Tsunade

Main article: Tsunade (Naruto)

Antagonists

Main article: List of Naruto villains

Orochimaru

Main article: Orochimaru (Naruto)

Akatsuki

Main article: Akatsuki

Other characters

Main article: List of minor Naruto characters

Merchandise

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

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. 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. 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." AnimeOnDVD asserted that the series lacked the "tremendous depth in it’s characters" or "the most flushed out backgrounds" seen in other shōnen series, and believed the primary focus of the series was on the fighting.

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." T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews considered Kishimoto "an average artist at best" and derided the poor transition of his artistic style into animation. 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."

See also

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