List of major Naruto characters

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Major characters before the timeskip. First row: Shino, Neji, Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji. Second row: Tenten, Ino, Hinata, Kiba. Back row: Lee
File:Naruto characters after timesskip.jpg
The 3 major Konoha teams besides Team 7 after the timeskip: Team Guy (Tenten, Neji, Lee), Team 10 (Choji, Shikamaru, Ino) and Team 8 (Shino, Kiba, Hinata)

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

Team 7

The members of Team 7, led by Kakashi Hatake, are the series' main protagonists. Sasuke Uchiha defects at the end of Part I, causing the team to split up over the timeskip. The remaining members reassemble into Team Kakashi in Part II, with Sai and Yamato eventually being added to its ranks.

Kakashi Hatake

Main article: Kakashi Hatake

Naruto Uzumaki

Main article: Naruto Uzumaki

Sai

Sai (サイ) is added to Team 7 as a replacement for Sasuke Uchiha. 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".[2]

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, lion-like creatures that he can use for attack, 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.

Sakura Haruno

Main article: Sakura Haruno

Yamato

Yamato (ヤマト) is first added to Team 7 as a temporary replacement for Kakashi Hatake, though has since come to be a recurring member of the team. 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). Kakashi, having served with Yamato in the past, is in the habit of calling him Tenzo.[3] 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.

Yamato was kidnapped as a child 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.[4] With the ability, Yamato is able to use and combine water and earth to create wood for varying purposes, such as creating wooden copies of himself or erecting wooden barriers instantaneously. 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.[3]

Team 8

Team 8 is led by Kurenai Yuhi. The team specializes in tracking, causing its members to be called upon when something or someone needs to be found. Though not an official member, Akamaru is always depicted alongside Kiba, so he is listed with the rest of Team 8.

Akamaru

Akamaru (赤丸) is Kiba Inuzuka's ninken (忍犬, nin-dog), best friend, and companion. 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 takes Kiba's form (albeit having a much more feral appearance) upon Kiba's use of Beast Human Clone (獣人分身, Jūjin Bunshin, English TV "Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: Man Beast Clone"),[7] or combining with Kiba into a single entity in more desperate situations. Because Akamaru lacks his own chakra reserves Kiba performs many of the jutsu that Akamaru takes part in, though Akamaru is able to contribute when it comes to 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.[8] This scent is essential to some of their combined attacks, as the speed of those attacks makes normal eyesight useless.

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 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 as he began training her younger sister instead.[9] Throughout her early time in Team 8, Hinata's lack of self-confidence and unwillingness to fight would cause to her fail on every mission she is assigned. In an attempt to change herself Hinata enters the Chunin Exams, where she is forced to fight against her cousin, Neji Hyuga. Although Neji easily outmatches her and taunts her for the battle's duration, Hinata perseveres in an attempt to prove her own worth. After recovering from the wounds she receives, Hinata continues training to improve herself. 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.[10] 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, though he now enjoys her company more than he once did. 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), 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.

Before her appearance Masashi Kishimoto had intended not to make her a ninja and to give her normal clothes instead of the Hyuga clothes.[11]

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 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, he cares deeply for his teammates' well-beings. This is most evident in his attempts to remove his teammates from harm's way as well as his constant attempts to avoid hampering his teammates' progress.

Akamaru also 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.[12] 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. Once Kiba and Akamaru are on an even footing the two combine efforts to perform spinning physical attacks that inflict multiple wounds to opponents. They often join together in transformation as well, such as using Man Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf (人獣混合変化・双頭狼, Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō, English TV "Inuzuka Style:Man Beast Transformation Combo: Two-Headed Wolf") to become a single, large, two-headed wolf that can attack others with blinding force and speed. Because Akamaru lacks his own chakra reserves, Kiba must provide the chakra necessary for these transformations.[13]

Kurenai Yuhi

Kurenai Yuhi (夕日　紅, Yūhi Kurenai) is the leader of Team 8. 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 appear from the tree to kill them as she pleases.[14] 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.

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 addition to liking bugs, Shino is characterized by his emotionless, solitary, and collected way of doing things. 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.[15] 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 is able to carry out a mission successfully while keeping others safe. He also proves to be 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. Like Shikamaru Nara, Shino prevails in battles by systematically staying steps ahead of the enemy.[15]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. Still, Shino enjoys fighting and dislikes being denied a chance to battle a skilled opponent, as seen when he tracks down Kankuro despite the latter's forfeit of their earlier match. As a member of the Aburame clan, 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, usually while Shino distracts them, and carry out other tasks as he commands. Shino has found a number of uses for these bugs, and as such has devised a number of jutsu that utilize them for varying purposes. He is also capable of understanding these bugs, and as such uses them to gain information.[16]

Team 10

Team 10 is led by Asuma Sarutobi. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji are the second generation of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" Trio, their fathers having been on a team when they were young. As such, the three get along very well. After Asuma's death in Part II, the three stay together and keep the name of "Team 10", though they now function without a leader.

Asuma Sarutobi

Asuma Sarutobi (猿飛　アスマ, Sarutobi Asuma) is the leader of Team 10 and the son of the Third Hokage.[17] After having a falling out with his father during his younger years Asuma left Konoha to pursue his personal interests. Prior to returning to Konoha to resume active military duty, he accumulated a bounty of 35 million ryō, something he seems to be particularly proud of. Upon returning, 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 died. Asuma's primary weapons in battle are his trench knives (brass knuckles with a blade on one end) 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.[14]

During the course of a mission, Asuma is drawn into battle with Hidan, who is able to cause any damage to himself to be transferred to Asuma. After Hidan stabs himself in the heart, fatally injuring Asuma, Ino Yamanaka tries to heal his wounds. Knowing he can't be healed, Asuma leaves his young students some parting words before dying.

Choji Akimichi

Choji Akimichi (秋道　チョウジ, Akimichi Chōji) is a long-time friend of Shikamaru Nara. When his fellow peers would keep Choji from playing with them because of his size, Shikamaru would stick up for him and spend time with him instead of playing with the others. Because of Shikamaru's willingness to look past Choji's deficiencies and recognize 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, his favorite being Korean barbecue, general snacks and sweets, and basically anything that is edible. His nigh-constant hunger is a frequent 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" (he refers to himself as "big boned," "chubby," or "pleasingly plump"). Once called "fat," Choji's resolve to fight is elevated to new levels and he becomes much more hostile to his opponents. In Part II he starts to look more muscular than obese, causing him to look like he always claimed he did: big-boned. Even with this new look, he is apparently still sensitive about his size, and others (with the exception of Naruto) make it a point to avoid using the word "fat" around him.

As a member of the Akimichi clan, 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. While he is seen using the Partial Multi-Size Technique in Part I, Choji also becomes more adept with it in Part II, and is now able to use it with little effort and with a better reaction time.

In early color illustrations of the Naruto manga, Choji is depicted with sandy-blond hair.[18] After his fight during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, his hair switches to brown.[19]

Ino Yamanaka

Ino Yamanaka (山中　いの, Yamanaka Ino) is a childhood friend of Sakura Haruno. Sakura was often picked on due to her sensitivity about her large forehead, though through Ino's influence, she was able to overcome this and 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 Exam, 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 she became superficial, thinking highly of her looks and having no problem telling people what she thinks, such as telling Choji that he should focus more on his appearance because girls dislike overweight boys. Although both of her teammates fit the profiles of people she wouldn't associate with because of her apparent shallowness (Choji for his appearance and Shikamaru for his laziness), she actually cares deeply for their well-beings and maintains a strong bond with them.

As a member of the Yamanaka clan, 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 (even animals as seen in Part II) and control it as her own for a short period of time. Despite the number of times she has used this ability, 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.

Shikamaru Nara

Main article: Shikamaru Nara

Team Guy

Team Guy is named after and led by Might Guy. The focus of the team's abilities is in various forms of close combat. Team Guy was formed a year before Teams 7, 8, and 10, excluding its members from the "Rookie Nine" group.

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. Because Lee's goal in life is to master taijutsu, Guy's goal has become to help Lee achieve this dream, dedicating his free time to teaching Lee all that he knows about taijutsu.[20] 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 tougher self-imposed penalties for failure in the belief that the punishment will make them stronger.[20]

Guy specializes in using taijutsu, though unlike Lee, does so as a matter of preference on his part. 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 using 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, with each gate giving him more power for short periods of time. 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.[21]

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.[22]

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. 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.[23] Neji is also plagued by the belief that one's destiny is inescapable, and that a weak person will never be able to get stronger.[24] 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 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 many of its most powerful attacks through simple observation, a feat which surprises many members of the main branch.[25] 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.[26]

Rock Lee

Rock Lee (ロック・リー, Rokku Rī) is Might Guy's favorite student. 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.[27] As a result, Lee's dream is to become a splendid 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.[28] Because of the danger these abilities can pose to those around him and even to his own body, Lee is only permitted to use some of the stronger attributes of these techniques 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"). 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 drunkedly attacks any friend or foe that is near him.[29]His alcoholic lapses are relatively brief, and he has no memory of his actions once he has returned to his normal self. Since he can only use taijutsu, when he needs to run fast he removes the weights attached to his ankles so he can match, and often surpass, the speed of his teammates and opponents.[27]

Tenten

Tenten (テンテン) is the least seen member of the primary Konoha ninja. The only battle she has in the first part of the manga is almost entirely skipped, with the anime's rendition of the same battle being slightly more drawn out to fill the gap between the battle's start and her defeat. 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, although strong winds can deflect her attacks. 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's most powerful technique is Twin Rising Dragons (双昇龍, Sōshōryū, English TV "Rising Twin Dragons"), which rapidly summons dozens of weapons that she can throw at opponents in quick succession and then controls them with wire for continued attacks. In Part II she creates a stronger projectile throwing attack, Dragon Scattering Destruction (Sōryū Tensakai), which drastically increases the number of weapons thrown.

Sand Siblings

File:Sand Siblings.png
Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro in Part II

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.[30]

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. Though, this seems to have gone away as time passed by. This is most evident when he is with Gaara,[31] who Kankuro is forced to put up with due to the fear his younger brother imposes on him. Despite their apparent differences, Gaara and Kankuro become very close over the timeskip as Gaara begins to confide in Kankuro and shares his dreams of wanting to risk his life to protect Sunagakure. As such, Kankuro has become very protective of Gaara, willing to challenge 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 and even after being nearly killed as a result he does not falter in his resolve to find Gaara.

Kankuro has shown to be a rather violent and brutal opponent, often leaving his opponents in extreme pain after battle. He is a talented puppeteer, and with each of his appearances in the major arcs is seen with a new puppet in his arsenal. The three puppets that have been introduced were all originally created by Sasori, and came into Kankuro's possession some time after the former left Sunagakure. Karasu (烏, "Crow"), the first of Kankuro's puppets to make an appearance, has been heavily modified by Kankuro. Because of this it 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. Once an opponent is captured within it each of Kuroari's arms convert to saw-blades and slice through the confined opponent.[32]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 can take cover in to defend against attacks. These puppets seem to be designed to work together to some degree, as Kankuro frequently uses them in tandem to increase their effectiveness. Karasu, for example, can blanket an area in smoke while Kuroari fires weapons at the blinded opponent.

Temari

Temari (テマリ) is generally overbearing, if not crude, toward those around her, often not being afraid to speak her mind. She seems to value peace, and questions Sunagakure's justifications for going to war with Konohagakure.[33] 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. The two face each other during the Chunin Exam in Part I, where Shikamaru forfeits his match instead of defeating Temari. Temari later comes to his aid during the Sasuke Retrieval arc and defeats Tayuya to save him. Shikamaru returns the favor in the last of the anime's filler arcs and saves her from one of the Shiitenshounin. In addition, the two are seen together in their Part II debuts. In this instance, Naruto Uzumaki asks if the two are on a date, though both 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. For actual 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.[34] The winds her fans create can also be formed into tornadoes that immobilize opponents and leave them open to attack. Particularly strong winds can also be used to manipulate the surrounding environment to her advantage, 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 gusts of wind, akin to a storm, that are capable of decimating an entire forest.[35]

Snake

File:Snake-1.jpg
Suigetsu, Sasuke, Jugo, and Karin

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.[36] The main purpose of the team, however, has always been to stop anyone from interfering with his fight against Itachi when it actually commenced.

Jugo

Jugo (重吾, Jūgo) is the largest member of "Snake." He is mentally unstable, sporadically fluctuating between a bloodthirsty and a docile personality.[37] 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 these 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 agreed to accompany Sasuke since he believes that Kimimaro's spirit continues to live on in Sasuke.[38]

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 "impulses."[39] Jugo has trouble controlling his rage, in which he transforms into a berserk demon. Upon examination, Orochimaru was able to isolate enzymes in Jugo's blood as the cause of this change. By extracting these enzymes, Orochimaru was able to use them to produce similar, but more controlled, effects in other people. When assuming one of these transformations, Jugo is able to exercise a great deal of refined control over it. In addition to being able to transform only portions of his body, Jugo can alter his transformation to better suit a situation, greating blades, bludgeoning objest, or even moving parts. Jugo is also able to understand animals, using them as scouts and to help him accomplish tasks.[40] It is unknown if this is a trait of his enzymes.

Karin

Karin (香燐) is a former subordinate of Orochimaru who assisted him in his experimentations and was left in charge of one of his bases while he was away. After learning of his death she remains loyal to him by keeping the prisoners of the base 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.[41] 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 prisoners through the standard concentration pose for molding chakra. 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.[42]

Sasuke Uchiha

Main article: Sasuke Uchiha

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.[43] He is also very confident in his abilities, since he has threatened Sasuke Uchiha on more than one occasion. After joining Snake, Sasuke 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.[44]

Suigetsu is able to reduce himself to liquid form and return to bodily form at will.[45] 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, if necessary.[46] 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 suggested that Suigetsu requires regular hydration to sustain his watery form.

Other

Chiyo

  • Age: ? (deceased)
  • Rank: N/A (retired)
  • Seiyu: Ikuko Tani

Chiyo (チヨ) is Sunagakure's poison specialist. Chiyo is very knowledgeable when it comes to handling poisons and used her skills often during the many Ninja Wars, only to be countered numerous times by Tsunade's medical expertise. 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 newfound knowledge to build puppets resembling his parents out of old malfunctioning puppets. 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. After this event she removed herself from Sunagakure's affairs and maintained the notion that the village should not affiliate with other countries. Years later Sasori returns to Sunagakure and kidnaps Gaara, and in the hopes of getting to see her grandson again she joins the retrieval team from Konohagakure. Chiyo and Sakura Haruno are eventually forced into battle with Sasori, and she battles his puppet army with her own. As Sasori tries one last effort at defeating Chiyo, 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. 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. With Gaara's revival, Chiyo offers her blessings to Naruto Uzumaki as the next Hokage, and dies peacefully with her view of the world changed in the end thanks to Naruto and Sakura.

Jiraiya

Main article: Jiraiya

Nine-Tailed Demon Fox

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 additional amounts of the fox's chakra, the fox begins to manifest itself in the form of 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 converse 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. It also acts in order to preserve its own well-being, as Naruto's death would also result in its own.

Third Hokage

The Third Hokage (三代目火影, Sandaime Hokage) is a former student of the First Hokage and Second Hokage. Because of his name, Sarutobi (猿飛), the Second Hokage called him "Monkey" (猿, Saru). He is the father of Asuma Sarutobi[17] and the grandfather of Konohamaru. The Third was called The Professor (プロフェッサー, Purofessā) due to his vast knowledge of jutsu, purportedly knowing all the jutsu within Konoha. During the only battle he is seen in he utilizes a number of attacks that deal with spiting 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.[47] 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 and even succumbs to Naruto Uzumaki's Sexy Technique on one occasion.[48]

The Third was the sensei of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. While Orochimaru was his student, the Third came to appreciate his natural talent and, after becoming Hokage, hoped to someday pass the title on to him. As he neared retirement, however, the Third realized that Orochimaru was only interested in the role of Hokage as a way to get power, and thus could not give him the role as village's protector. The Third instead passed on the role 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, allows Orochimaru to escape.[49]

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 and seal away Orochimaru's soul, though the injuries he has received 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.

Tsunade

Main article: Tsunade

References

  1. ^ Naruto manga chapter 300, page 3
  2. ^ Naruto manga chapter 312, pages 12-13
  3. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 317". Naruto, Volume 35. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874273-1. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  4. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 291". Naruto, Volume 33. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874108-6. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kishimoto, Masashi (2002). NARUTO―ナルト―［秘伝・臨の書］. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08873-288-X.
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  7. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 76". Naruto, Volume 9. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0239-9.
  8. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 203-204". Naruto, Volume 23. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1859-7.
  9. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 78". Naruto, Volume 9. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0239-9.
  10. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 80". Naruto, Volume 9. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0239-9.
  11. ^ Naruto First Official Data Book, page 241
  12. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 75". Naruto, Volume 9. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0239-9.
  13. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2005). NARUTO―ナルト―［秘伝・闘の書］. Shueisha. p. 234. ISBN 4-08873-734-2.
  14. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 141". Naruto, Volume 16. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1090-1.
  15. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 125". Naruto, Volume 14. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1088-X.
  16. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2004). "Chapter 76". Naruto, Volume 5. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-359-5.
  17. ^ a b Naruto manga chapter 314, page 15
  18. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 99. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  19. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 107. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
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  22. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 143. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
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  25. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 101". Naruto, Volume 12. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0242-9.
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  30. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 127. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  31. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2004). "Chapter 36". Naruto, Volume 4. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-358-7.
  32. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 214". Naruto, Volume 24. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1860-0.
  33. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 95". Naruto, Volume 11. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0241-0.
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  37. ^ Naruto manga, chapter 351, page 17
  38. ^ Naruto manga, chapter 352, page 13
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  47. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 120". Naruto, Volume 14. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1088-X.
  48. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2003). "Chapter 1". Naruto, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-56931-900-6.
  49. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 121". Naruto, Volume 14. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1088-X.
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