The second son of Konoha Military Police captain and Uchiha clan head, Fugaku, Sasuke grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi. Itachi was an acknowledged prodigy who graduated at the top of his Academy class at age 7, mastered the Sharingan by age 8, became a Chunin at age 10, and an ANBU squad leader at the age of 13. The Uchiha clan took great pride and interest in Itachi and viewed him as a genius whose work would further strengthen the bonds between the village and the clan. In particular, Sasuke's father took an active interest in Itachi. Itachi, on the other hand, was rather ambivalent and full of oddly conflicting undercurrents, acknowledging Sasuke by taking interest in his progress as a ninja when even their father did not, but spending little quality time with Sasuke. Even after Sasuke enrolled in the Ninja Academy, he still was unable to escape Itachi's shadow. Despite consistently scoring at the head of every class, Sasuke failed to receive any recognition from his father, who defined Sasuke's success only in terms of his older brother. Itachi acknowledged the rivalry Sasuke felt, telling him, "We are unique siblings. I am the barrier you must overcome, so you and I will continue to exist together."
Itachi's relationship with his father deteriorated further when Itachi was questioned by other members of the Uchiha clan regarding the death and suicide note of his best friend, Shisui. As Itachi's behavior became increasingly bizarre, Sasuke's father, on a whim and partly due to Itachi's growing distance, decided to spend time with Sasuke. He taught him the Great Fireball Technique, a common family jutsu. Sasuke (age 7 at the time) proved himself to be a genius as well in his own right by succeeded in performing the jutsu in front of his father after only one week of training, surprising him. At that moment, Sasuke finally received his father's recognition; the Uchiha clan considered the ability to perform fire jutsu as proof that one had become an adult. Sasuke's father told him that he could now proudly wear the clan's emblem on his back. More forbiddingly, Sasuke also received a stern warning not to follow in Itachi's footsteps.
Shortly thereafter, Itachi massacred every member of the Uchiha clan, sparing only Sasuke. Itachi said that Sasuke was not even worth killing. In addition, Itachi told him, "You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live. By all means flee, cling to your wretched life." Itachi also revealed to Sasuke where the secret meeting place of the Uchiha was hidden and suggested that Sasuke go there to learn what the true history and purpose of the Sharingan is. Sasuke thought he had fainted after this, but he recently remembered that he managed to stand back up, awaken his Sharingan and chase after Itachi. Sasuke managed to knock off Itachi's forehead protector, and Itachi was seen shedding a tear after picking up the forehead protector and reapplying it to the side of his head then proceding to incapacitate Sasuke who awoke in the hospital not remembering anything but what Itachi showed him.
Personality: When first introduced during his assignment to Team 7, Sasuke displays a great indifference to his teammates. Feeling that his abilities are far superior to their own, he is unwilling to cooperate with Naruto Uzumaki or Sakura Haruno, as doing so would do nothing to help him kill Itachi. These perceptions are quickly proven wrong, for despite their failings, Sakura is an excellent source of information; while competition with Naruto acts as an effective way to get stronger. While he retains a confidence in himself throughout the series, Sasuke increasingly relies on his friends over the course of Part I. As he starts to get close to others he also begins to risk his own life to save them, even though his death would leave him unable to fulfill his goal of vengeance upon Itachi.
Although Sasuke becomes content with a life of happiness in Konoha, he never allows his ambition to gain power to leave his thoughts. During the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru noticed how Sasuke's desire for revenge seemed to have lessened, and branded him with the Cursed Seal of Heaven to give him a taste of the power he could have if he keeps to his previous path of vengeance. Even when Kakashi Hatake sealed the Cursed Seal, Sasuke began to draw more and more power from it in hope to get stronger. While initially complacent with his development, Naruto quickly starts to grow stronger at a faster rate. This, coupled with his quick defeat by Itachi during a brief return to Konoha, leads Sasuke to believe that his growth is slowing. In an attempt to reassess his strength, he begins to treat his friends as opponents so as to test his abilities against their own.
Dissatisfied with his progress in Konoha and believing Orochimaru holds the keys to getting strong enough to kill Itachi, Sasuke defects from Konoha at the end of Part I. Naruto attempts to stop him, but Sasuke, believing the death of Naruto, his closest friend, will give him the power he desires (as he was told by Itachi), tries to kill him instead. He is ultimately unable to follow through with this idea, because he felt that is what Itachi would have wanted him to do, and instead continues on to Orochimaru.
In Part II, Sasuke showed that he had stayed true to his original personality. In the 2½ years he spends with Orochimaru, Sasuke's goal to kill Itachi takes precedence above all else; he even claims he is willing to give his body to Orochimaru if it means killing Itachi, but later turns on Orochimaru after reaching the conclusion that he can learn nothing else of value. After achieving his goal of bringing about Itachi's death, in the process learning how his brother was manipulated by Konoha's higher ups, Sasuke abandons all of his hate for Itachi and resolves to destroy Konoha for both of their sakes.
Unlike Kabuto Yakushi or any of Orochimaru's subordinates, who address Orochimaru as "Orochimaru-sama" (which shows that they highly respect him), Sasuke simply refers to him as Orochimaru. Sasuke also never called Kakashi "Kakashi-sensei" (teacher) like the others did, something the Japanese would consider as very insulting or rude. Despite his association with Otogakure, Sasuke does not wear a Sound forehead protector, unlike most other subordinates of Orochimaru. He still wears the fan symbol of the Uchiha clan on his back, albeit much smaller and higher up by his shirt collar. Despite this lack of allegiances to those close to him, Sasuke seems to be unable to bring himself to needlessly harm those that have nothing to do with his quest for vengeance against Itachi, and makes it a point to prevent their deaths when possible.[1] However, this attitude has changed after he learns the truth about Itachi's death and swears revenge against Konoha. Not only does he resolve to destroy all of Konoha (despite the majority of its villagers having no involvement in the Uchiha massacre), he is willing to take the lives of anyone who stands in the way of his revenge.
Shino
Shino Aburame (油女シノ, Aburame Shino) is a ninja from Konohagakure and a member of Team 8.
Personality: Shino Aburame is a cool, collected, and solitary Chunin who is quite mysterious. He is portrayed as being somewhere between being merely stoic and matter-of-fact, rarely ever smiling or showing emotion at all; rather than thank his teammates for congratulating him on his victory in the preliminaries, he tells them that he expects them to do the same (both Kiba and Hinata lose their matches). He also has a tendency of holding grudges and being rather intimidating, such as seen when Naruto fails to recognize him in Part II, but easily recognizes Kiba and Hinata, despite him wearing clothing that covers much of his body. Shino seems to be aware of these odd personality traits and is apparently proud of them; in the anime, when he eats food poisoned with a chemical that forces him to laugh, he menacingly tells Naruto to forget it. His interest in bugs only helps him strengthen this viewpoint; by spending most of his spare time watching bugs and often making analogies to bugs when talking, people have come to identify Shino as "creepy" and tend to dislike being in his company for prolonged periods of time. Despite occasionally arguing with Kiba, 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 with Kiba and Hinata. He even helps Hinata to improve her abilities, and is one of the few people besides Naruto who openly professes confidence in her. The fruits of his efforts are seen in the anime where Shino is able to carry out a mission successfully while also keeping others safe. He also proves to be able to understand his teammates' inner workings, sensing when the slightest of things is wrong with either of them. Shino speaks in a curious fashion, as noted by both Naruto and Kiba: a rudimentary explanation of his syntax is that he will ask a question before explaining a point, whereas most people will leave the question unspoken. Also, he tends to restate facts in a more technically correct fashion.
Hinata Hyuga
Hinata Hyuga (日向 ヒナタ Hyūga Hinata?) is a member of Team 8 who suffers from a lack of self-confidence throughout the series. She is always reluctant to speak her mind or to do something that might antagonize another character, causing her difficulties whenever she is on a mission.[45] This results in her effective expulsion from the Hyuga clan even though she is the eldest daughter of the clan's leader and thus its heiress. Hinata's inability to stand up for herself caused her father to disown her at a young age, leaving her in the care of her teacher, Kurenai Yuhi.[46] Soon after her introduction, Hinata begins training to become stronger, both to overcome her own weaknesses and to prove her worth to her father. Her efforts begin to prove successful towards the end of Part I, as her father takes a greater interest in her training.[27] Though Hinata's training has in large part been to prove herself, she also trains to try and win the attention of series protagonist Naruto Uzumaki. Inspired by Naruto's confidence and determination, Hinata becomes infatuated with Naruto to the extent that she immediately blushes or faints upon seeing him. However, as the series progresses, she goes out of her way to help him.[45] While Hinata is hesitant to openly admit her feelings for him, most characters (except for Naruto, who only considers her behavior "weird") are aware of her feelings.[47] In the anime, Hinata's attempts to impress Naruto result in her creation of a new ability capable of instantly blocking or attacking anything in her extended field of vision.[48] During Part II, Hinata finally admits her feelings to Naruto while protecting him from Pain. Her seiyū in the Japanese anime is Nana Mizuki, and her English voice actor is Stephanie Sheh.[15][16]
Sai
Sai was orphaned as a child and recruited into The Foundation, a secret branch of the ANBU. There he was raised and conditioned to have no personality, personal connections, or a name, "Sai" being given to him for the purposes of joining Team Kakashi. Though largely successful in this regard, Sai retained an interest in art. When Shin, an older Foundation member, discovered Sai's drawing ability, he encouraged Sai's talent and they became very close.
Over time, Sai came to think of Shin as an older brother and looked up to him. Eventually, his "brother" died of an unnamed illness, and Sai's Foundation training suppressed most of the memories he had for his brother. Before Shin's death, Sai was making a picture book that would depict all the opponents that they faced and illustrate the feelings that they shared for each other. Sai's and Shin's portraits are located at opposite ends of the book, and in the center pages would be a picture of both him and his brother holding hands. He had forgotten that this was his intention, but after bonding with Naruto Uzumaki he remembers and is able to complete the book, causing Sai to give the first genuine display of emotion in a long time: a smile.
Personality: When first introduced, Sai was distinguished by total lack of emotion which he often masks with a false, cheerful, yet transparent facade. After much mental conditioning and training while in Foundation, Sai had suppressed almost all of his emotions, laying all of his loyalty to whoever commands him, and thus making it easier for him to accomplish dangerous, unpleasant, or unethical missions. Due to this training, both his own lack of social experience and personal initiative cause for Sai to have great trouble in understanding how bonds and friendships between people can motivate others. He often showcases this confusion after thinking about why Naruto would go so far to save Sasuke, even though Naruto had not been ordered to do so. After spending more time with Team Kakashi, Sai comes to appreciate bonds, particularly the bond that exists between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. This causes him to break out of his emotionless shell and he starts to remember the times he had with his own "brother." In doing so, Sai was able to start giving genuine smiles. Wanting to experience personal bonds for himself, Sai sets out to make as many friends as he can. However, since he is learning most of this out of books and by trial and error, he often accidentally ends up offending people with his nicknames and conversation. He has come to develop his own, more pleasant, and thoughtful personality, while showing signs of more emotion, such as enthusiasm and occasionally nervousness. After his first time with Team Kakashi, Sai is seen being friendly towards others, helping companions when they need it, referring to peers kindly, and having fun in social situations.
Sai is very observant, and is always focused on his missions. He pays much attention to detail, allowing him to notice if something is not as it appears or should be, as shown from how he easily sees through Yamato's tricks.
Naruto was born the son of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki. Before his birth they had decided to name him after the main character in Jiraiya's first book, hoping their son would be as great a ninja as the character (who was based on Jiraiya and Nagato) was. This made Jiraiya Naruto's godfather. Soon after his birth, however, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked the village of Konohagakure. To save the village Minato sealed the fox into Naruto's body, believing his son would someday have use of it. Minato died afterwards, leaving Naruto to grow up knowing nothing of his parents. He received his mother's last name since Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, felt that it was best that nobody knows he was related to the Fourth Hokage.
Before Minato died he asked that the villagers of Konoha to view Naruto as a hero who had helped to stop the demon fox. Few did as he asked, instead of openly resenting him for containing the monster that had destroyed their home. In light of this, the Third Hokage made a decree that nobody should ever speak of the demon fox sealed within Naruto, hoping that their children would not resent him as they did. The children, however, followed their parents' lead, not knowing why. Naruto was forced to live confused over why the villagers hated him so and strived to win their recognition. Iruka Umino would be one of the few exceptions, who was always compassionate to Naruto's plight. For this, Naruto came to view Iruka as the father-figure he never had.
Personality: Before graduating from the Academy, Naruto had a craving for acknowledgment. He would play pranks all around the village in an attempt to be recognized by its inhabitants. He would also tell everyone who doubted him on a near-constant basis that he would one day become Hokage. As he tells Iruka, he wishes to achieve this rank in order to be recognized by those around him, and to have the responsibility of defending them. Even after graduating, Naruto is still determined to be recognized, and becomes the "Number One Loudest, Unpredictable, Hyperactive Knuckleheaded Ninja" of Konoha, as described by Kakashi Hatake. As the series progresses with Naruto makes more and more connections with others, his reasons for wanting to become Hokage undergoes a change, having less to do with the desire for recognition, and more to do with wanting the strength to protect his home and the people close to him.
Naruto's exuberant personality and fiery desire for self-improvement strongly impacts the lives of those around him. At the beginning of the series, Naruto befriends Konohamaru Sarutobi, the grandson of the Third Hokage, and it is through his brief tutelage that Konohamaru learns that the path to success is through plenty of hard work. Kakashi describes this as Naruto's "unique power," as he seems to change the world views of everyone he meets and inspires courage for the future within them. This is most prominently shown when Naruto earns the trust of Nagato, the leader of Akatsuki and one of the main antagonists of the series.
Naruto is relatively naive, being slow to understand jutsu principles and often requiring a dumbed-down analogy in order to grasp what is being explained to him. This assumes he is able to keep his attention long enough, as he commonly seeks to change the subject in light of his ignorance, outwardly insisting that he already gets the concept. Though he retains this confidence in himself to great degrees, loudly proclaiming that he will master whatever technique he is learning in a fraction of the usual time, he will not hesitate to ask for help if he needs it.
As an extension of his naivety, Naruto has a number of childish traits. His pajamas always include a comical black nightcap with eyes and teeth, and he keeps his money in a chubby, green-frog wallet he affectionately calls "Gama-chan." He almost exclusively eats ramen, and is a frequent customer at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. He has a natural affinity for perverted ideas and jutsu, something he tends to be reprimanded for by Sakura and that is only brought to new levels after meeting Jiraiya. He also smiles near-constantly, which during his childhood was to mask the sadness of his lonely life. Those who are closest to him are able to recognize when his smile isn't genuine.
When the situation calls for it, typically when someone dear to him is in trouble, Naruto can be very serious and will instantly come to their aid. This is most commonly seen in the series through his interactions with his teammates, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. With Sasuke, Naruto views him as a brother and throughout Part II strives to bring him back to Konoha despite his defection from the village. With Sakura, Naruto has a long-standing crush on her, and will do all in his power to make her happy, even if it is at the expense of his own happiness. Recently, Hinata Hyuga has confessed her love for Naruto. He was greatly angered when she was seemingly fatally wounded afterward and was relieved to hear that she had survived, but it is unclear whether he now has feelings for her.
Jiraiya
Personality: Jiraiya grew up in the village of Konohagakure under the tutelage of the Third Hokage. As he grew older Jiraiya and his two teammates, Orochimaru and Tsunade, collectively became known as the "Legendary Three Ninja" (伝説の三忍 Densetsu no Sannin?) owing to their exemplary ninja abilities.[3] The rank of sannin was given to them by the legendary Hanzou the Salamander after only the three of them survived Hanzou's powers out of battling a legion of Konoha Shinobi at Naruto Chapter 369. For most of his adult life, and thus many of his appearances in the series, Jiraiya periodically leaves his hometown to explore the Naruto world. Although he spends comparatively little time in Konoha (the leaf village), Jiraiya maintains deep loyalty to the village; soon after his introduction, he makes clear his intentions to kill Tsunade if she should ever turn against Konoha despite their history together.[4] Throughout the series Jiraiya's talents and dedication to the village lead to him being offered the position of Hokage, Konoha's protector and leader. Because of his perceived weaknesses (his inability to keep Orochimaru from becoming a criminal and his failure to protect his teacher and his student from dying in their own tenure as Hokage) Jiraiya always declines the offer, feeling that he is unworthy of the responsibility.[5]
During many of his appearances he makes at least one attempt to either woo women or spy on them while they bathe in the hot springs. While Jiraiya makes no attempt to hide these habits, going so far as to brag about his talents with voyeurism,[6] he gets irritated whenever series protagonist Naruto Uzumaki affectionately calls him "Pervy Sage" (エロ仙人 Ero-sennin?). His interest in women has on occasion been his downfall; sometime in the past he tried spying on Tsunade, and was nearly fatally wounded when she caught him in the act. However, he has been able to use his peeping jutsu to good use during reconnaissance and stealth missions, like his entrance into Pain's village[7] Jiraiya's experiences in love, particularly those with Tsunade, are recorded in his Make Out (イチャイチャ Icha Icha?) series of novels. The books, a favorite of Kakashi Hatake, are runaway best-sellers within the Naruto world and have earned Jiraiya vast wealth.[8] Before penning the Make Out series Jiraiya published an "autobiography" where the main character was named "Naruto." Despite the book's poor sales Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya's student, named his son after the main character in the hopes that he would grow up to be just like the Naruto in the book, subsequently naming Jiraiya Naruto's godfather.[5]
Abilities: Across the Naruto world Jiraiya is known as the "Toad Sage" (蝦蟇仙人 Gama Sennin?). Having been trained by toads to utilize their secret arts, Jiraiya can summon them to his side as allies during battle.[9] If need be, he can also summon parts of toads, on one occasion blanketing an area with a toad's esophagus to immobilize and trap an opponent.[10] In the second half of the series, around the time of his death, Jiraiya is shown to possess a number of toad-based abilities not wholly reliant on summoning. Most prominent of these is being able to enter "Sage Mode" (仙人モード Sennin mōdo?), a transformation that drastically increases his physical abilities and the strength of his attacks. Despite the advantages the form allows him, he does not like entering Sage Mode; the transformation gives him a bulbous nose, webbed hands, and a number of warts, all of which make him unappealing to girls.[11] While toads make up the bulk of his ninja abilities, Jiraiya displays a variety of miscellaneous talents throughout the series. He can breathe fire, create swamps to immobilize enemies, and grow and sharpen his hair for both offensive and defensive purposes.[12] He was taught how to use the Rasengan by Minato, which Jiraiya in turn teaches to Minato's son, Uzumaki Naruto, shortly after his introduction.[8] At various times in the series Jiraiya has been shown to be knowledgeable with seals. This expertise most commonly comes to light in relation to the nine-tailed demon fox sealed within Naruto's body, a force Jiraiya constantly tries to help Naruto gain control of.[9] Though he usually doesn't show it, he is also skilled at hand-to-hand combat.
Kakashi Hatake
Kakashi is the son of the genius ninja, Sakumo Hatake who had respect on par with the Sannin. Like his father, Kakashi has been known since a young age as an extremely gifted ninja, regarded by many as the best of his generation. He received top marks and showed an innate aptitude for the ninja arts while in the academy. This allowed him to graduate from it in a single year at the top of his class at the age of 5, and then become a Chunin a year later. However, his success came at a great loss; his mother died when he was still very young. His father sometime after fell into disgrace after choosing to save his comrades rather than complete an important mission, causing Konohagakure to suffer in the war effort. Dishonored, Sakumo committed suicide after deep depression and a drop in his skills, which caused Kakashi to lead his life strictly by the ninja code. Kakashi was teamed with Obito Uchiha and Rin under the leadership of Minato Namikaze. Kakashi's relationship with Obito and Rin was very much similar to that ofSasuke's relationship with Naruto and Sakura respectively as he was the indifferent genius who shared a complicated relationship with his teammates that later developed into a close friendship.
See also: Kakashi GaidenSoon after becoming a Jonin (age 13 at the time), Kakashi was assigned to lead Rin and Obito on a mission that would benefit Konoha in the ongoing Third Great Shinobi War. They were to destroy a bridge being used by Iwagakure forces to move into Kusagakure. Along the way, Kakashi’s team was ambushed by an Iwagakure ninja. Kakashi saw this as a good opportunity to use his newly created jutsu, the Chidori, only to nearly be struck down by the original's counterattack.
On their way to the bridge Rin was kidnapped. Obito immediately stated his intention to rescue her, but Kakashi disagreed on the basis that they needed to complete their mission, opting not make the same mistake his father did. Before leaving to save Rin, Obito then states that Sakumo made the right decision. Shortly after parting ways Kakashi, he reflected on Obito’s words and Rin's prior kindness, he realized that his father wasn't wrong after all. This prompted him to rejoin Obito in the rescue effort.
In the ensuing battle, Kakashi's left eye is damaged by Taiseki. Obito awakens his Sharingan in order to kill Taiseki and save Kakashi, allowing them to proceed onto Rin. Once they locate and free her the three are trapped in an enemy cave-in. Obito pushes Kakashi out of the way of a falling boulder but is crushed himself. Unable to free himself, Obito asks Rin, amedical-nin, to give his Sharingan eye to Kakashi as a gift to replace his damaged one. She complies and after the procedure Kakashi is able to use the Sharingan to perfect his Chidori and kill the remaining enemy ninja. He returns to see if there is anything he can do for Obito, but the cave continues to collapse and Kakashi and Rin are forced to leave him behind and escape. With the help of Minato they complete their mission, allowing them to mourn Obito's death. His reputation was widely increased thanks to his success from the first mission he performed as a Jonin and later increased even further from word of him acquiring the Sharingan and amount of copied jutsu (hence his nickname). Kakashi eventually joined the Konohagakure ANBU where he served as a squad leader. During this time, Kakashi rose to fame as Konoha's Copy Ninja (sometimes known as Sharingan Kakashi), a nickname he earned due to use of his Sharingan eye. He cultivated a group of students that included Yugao Uzuki and Tenzo, and recognized the latter as the most successful of this group. He later left for unknown reasons, but maintains strong connections with the ANBU and still wears the characteristic iron guards on his gloves.
Personality: Obito's death had a huge impact on Kakashi's personality. At the start of the series, Kakashi was characterized as carefree and laid back. He rarely shows any excitement towards anything in his daily life. Even when he gave Team 7 their final exam, he showed more interest in his book than how each of his potential students performed. Like Shino Aburame, Kakashi has a rather solitary and matter-of-fact attitude. His calm and detached demeanor has been called “cool, hip, and trendy” many times by Might Guy. Despite his increasingly growing reputation and prowess as a ninja, Kakashi shows no arrogance; rather is very modest about his abilities. His naturally calm attitude is used to his advantage in battle as it is easier for him to maintain his composure to stay focused on the situation at hand and ultimately notice everything around him. Through this, he can make keen and thought-out decisions allowing him to stay steps ahead of his opponents. Kakashi is a fan of the Make-Out series of novels implying that he is slightly perverted. He is typically seen reading one of the books when not involved in a fight, making it the only of one (of his reportedly many) hobbies that is ever seen in the series. Despite his fondness for the books, he grows uncomfortable when reading passages to others, presumably embarrassed by the adult content. Naruto has on one occasion used these books against Kakashi, threatening to spoil the ending of the latest installment to force Kakashi to let down his guard (by shutting his eyes and ears) to prevent learning about the ending.
Despite his nature in everyday life, he has shown to be a very responsible and dedicated man when it matters. As he learned from Obito, Kakashi knows what it means to have devotion to what is important in life; people he cares for. He does everything in his power to protect his village and allies. Even his signature jutsu, the Lightning Blade, was made on the principle of duty and perfected on the principle of protecting loved ones. He places their safety over the successful completion of a mission. Kakashi used this belief when deciding whether or not to take on a Genin team, requiring that the Genin work together instead of doing as he told them. He is also regularly late for appointments. This is because of his frequent visits to the memorial where Obito's name is engraved, where he loses track of time.
Kakashi has an ongoing, albeit one-sided, rivalry with Might Guy. In trying to prove himself superior to Kakashi, Guy challenges him to competitions of questionable value ranging from Rock, Paper, Scissors to running races. Guy has a record of 50 wins to 49 loses, which he is particularly proud of. Kakashi shows little interest in their competitions, which only further inspires Guy to defeat Kakashi and his "coolness".
Naruto & The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox
As the host of the demon fox, both Naruto's mind and body are occasionally influenced by it. Physically, Naruto has some of the demon fox's characteristics, such as whisker-like marks on his cheeks and larger than normal canines. He also has increased stamina and healing ability, which allows him to recover from major injuries within a day and minor injuries within a few seconds. Mentally, Naruto remains largely unaffected, save for a few animalistic traits that slip through, such as his occasional tendency to leap between trees on all fours. Since the demon fox was sealed inside Naruto at birth, it is unclear just what parts of his personality it has had an effect on; however, it could explain Naruto's impish side for pulling pranks to gain attention, as well as his stubbornness to never back down from a challenge.
Naruto's normal chakra level is considered extremely high, partially because of the demon fox. Even without directly drawing upon it, a small amount of the demon fox's chakra is always mixed with his own. His body instinctively rejects the bulk of it due to the damage it would cause. Ebisu implies that Naruto's poor chakra control stems from this, as a portion of his chakra is used to reject the demon fox's overwhelming chakra. According to Kakashi, Naruto's regular chakra level is about double that of Kakashi's own. As such, he is naturally suited to jutsu that use a large amount of chakra, such as his signature jutsu: Shadow Clone Technique. While most ninja are only capable of creating a few clones safely, due to the jutsu's hazard of equally dividing the user's chakra among the clones, Naruto is able to create up to two thousand while maintaining a decent supply of chakra in each one.
The demon fox's chakra usually comes to Naruto during life threatening or other stressful situations, given to him by the demon fox itself to ensure its survival. Naruto eventually learns to contact the demon fox and demand some of its chakra, which it seems to comply to out of amusement. The reason Naruto is able to access its chakra is because of the unique way in which it was sealed. Though the demon fox remains trapped within Naruto, its chakra can leak out through the seal and mix with Naruto's. The demon fox's near-limitless supply of chakra becomes an invaluable weapon for Naruto, often turning the tide of a difficult battle in his favor. Though useful, expanding the magnitude of his other abilities, Naruto cannot handle too much of the demon fox's influence. As he draws upon additional amounts of the demon fox's chakra, "tails" are produced, and from the fourth tail onwards he is reduced to animal instincts and can no longer differentiate between friend and foe. Although he usually has success from stopping himself from getting too far, once the fourth tail is attained he needs outside assistance to force the demon fox's influence to recede.
Rock Lee
Rock Lee is a Taijutsu specialist, devoted to his Taijutsu, and is mostly well known for his high-energy, single-minded, over-enthusiastic, over-zealous, and gung-ho personality. Lee is also characterized as being the epitome 'nice guy', having assumed many of his sensei, Might Guy's, personality quirks. During a disscussion between Rock Lee and Might Guy in Part I, it is mentioned that Guy once referred to Lee as "a Genius of Hard Work", highlighting that Lee always puts his heart and soul into his training.
During one of Lee's brief appearences in the anime-only episode 158: Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge, in Part I, it is highlighted that Rock Lee can easily get carried away; when his three-man squad of Academy students addresses him as "Lee-Sensei", Lee becomes so overjoyed that he starts into a dramatic rave, heading off into the wrong direction, forgeting that he's supposed to be leading his team on a mission exercise. During the Anime only 'Three-Tails Arrival' arc in Part II, Lee is described by Tenten as just a "Work-out Addict", though it would be fitting to have called him a 'work-out maniac'.
Although Lee did not start out this way, he has always been a hardworking and an overly-persistant character: During his time as a student in the Konoha Ninja Academy, Lee's stubborn attempts at learning to use--and failure to perform basic level Ninjutsu and Genjutsu--were mocked by his fellow students, (and apparently even most of his Chunin-sensei had no kind words to offer to him, (with the possible exception of Iruka Umino)). Rock Lee was labeled as just another failure, a 'Dead-Last'. Only in the area of Taijutsu could Rock Lee make any progress, putting much effort into it, and in the end became the only student in his graduating class to graduate using only Taijutsu.
Under the tutelage of his Jonin-Sensei, Might Guy, (whom he always addresses and refers to as "Guy-Sensei", and from whom Lee got his more-extreme personality traits,) Lee now focused only on his Taijutsu, specializing in the Strong Fist Taijutsu Style, and trained ardently to prove that, even without any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu in his repertoire, that he too could become a "splendid ninja".
Lee has a number of other odd personality traits, though whether or not they are results of Guy's mentorship is unknown. One such trait is his apparent lack of common sense, believing at times that he can get what he wants by not wanting it. At other times, he takes copious notes, but forgets that he cannot check them during a fight. He also has a keen sense of honor and respects his opponents, refusing to hold grudges against those who have defeated him and returning favors to those that have helped him. This is shown by his readily befriending Gaara and forgiving him for crushing his arm and leg and putting him in the hospital. Lee feels others should show the same respect towards their opponents, and is disgusted whenever someone is unnecessarily cruel to their enemies.
Lee is known for speaking respectfully to others, being very proper in both English and Japanese language versions, and never using contractions or swearing. He also uses formal Japanese, applying proper titles ("-san", "-kun", etc.) to anyone he meets. His relationship with Guy has also caused him to acquire many of Guy's traits; in addition to his personality, his dedication to his promises as well as his belief that one cannot dislike food are characteristics of Guy.
Lee's attempts to prove and better himself are recurring themes for his actions throughout the series. He is generally optimistic and believes that with hard work and passion, he can surpass a natural genius, but can be prone to depression when faced with setbacks. His drive to succeed is initially most evident with his rivalry with Neji Hyuga, having learned from Guy that having a rival will provide incentive to succeed. Neji, a "genius" ninja, finds Lee's efforts of bettering himself to be in vain, believing Lee to be stuck as a "failure" for the rest of his life.
As such, Lee resolves to prove Neji wrong, and confronts another "genius", Sasuke Uchiha, in an attempt to test his worth. While Lee maintains the desire to defeat Neji in a fight throughout the Chunin Exam arc, after Neji's eventual defeat by Naruto Uzumaki, another labeled "failure", Lee becomes less interested in this goal. Neji's rejection of his previous belief in fate may also have contributed to this, as he now respects Lee, believing that he will surpass the gifted with enough work.
Shortly after his introduction, Lee reveals that he likes Sakura Haruno, asking her to be his girlfriend and vowing to protect her immediately after they meet. While she does not seem to share these feelings for him and considers him weird, Lee maintains these feelings and goes out of his way to help her throughout the Chunin Exams. Sakura becomes more appreciative after this and punches Naruto whenever he insults Lee.
Despite this, Sakura does not seem to return any romantic feelings for Lee, as she refers to him by the more formal "Lee-san", as opposed to "Lee-kun". After the Exams' conclusion, Lee's interest in Sakura goes largely unaddressed. Despite this, when Naruto fights Lee in the Lee's Dojo arc, he transforms into Sakura, causing Lee to forget about the fight long enough for Naruto to attack him. In Part II of the anime, he is especially pleased that Sakura is doing well against Sasori.
Kiba & Akamaru
During Kiba's time at the academy, he was often cutting class with Akamaru--stating that he wasn't made to sit still at a desk--or otherwise getting into trouble along with Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Naruto Uzumaki. Together these four would cut class or otherwise be testing the patience of Iruka Umino, their Chunin-sensei.
Personality: Kiba is often short-tempered and impulsive, in stark contrast to his teammates Shino and Hinata, and can be prone to making mistakes when he is agitated in battle. The fact that he enjoys the company of combat, as well as a habit of showing a joyful smile when facing a particularly strong opponent indicates that he's willing to risk his life for a mission. He deeply cares for Akamaru, and is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect him. And despite his rather gruff attitude, many of Kiba's actions reveal that he's very close to his older sister, Hana Inuzuka, and remains fiercely loyal to the Inuzuka clan.
Kiba often argues with Shino over what course of action the group should take, particularly when Shino advises caution. Kiba often sees himself as the group leader, and becomes offended at any of Shino's actions that he perceives as challenging his leadership. It seems as if there was a contest for the leadership of Team 8 during the Chunin Exams because Kiba says Hinata voted for him. Despite his disagreements with Shino, he considers Shino a friend, and respects his fighting capabilities. Kiba gets along well with Hinata, but tends to worry about her, urging her to be strong before the second phase of the exam, and forfeit rather than face a dangerous opponent.
Kiba apparently likes to tease Hinata about her affections for Naruto. These teasings usually manifest consist of telling her that Naruto is near or just mentioning her reactions to him to other people, much to her embarrassment.
Akamaru: At some point while Kiba was still in the academy, his mother, Tsume Inuzuka, entrusted him with Akamaru. Although Akamaru almost immediately urinated on Kiba's face, much to Tsume and Hana Inuzuka's amusement [1], the two grew close.
Gaara is the son of the Fourth Kazekage and the younger brother of Temari andKankuro. During Gaara's birth, his father ordered Chiyo to seal the One-Tailed Shukaku within him in hopes that Gaara would become the ultimate weapon for Suna. Because a sacrifice was needed, Gaara's mother, Karura, was used. Before she died, Karura cursed Sunagakure, hoping Gaara would avenge her death. Gaara was trained by his father, but raised mainly by his uncle, Yashamaru. Because of the power of Shukaku, the villagers of Suna hated and feared Gaara, seeing him only for the monster sealed within him. For a time, Yashamaru seemed to be the only person who cared about Gaara. When Gaara would mistakenly harm others due to the subconscious abilities granted to him by Shukaku, Yashamaru would be the only one who understood that Gaara hadn't intended to harm anyone. Gaara's father, however, did not see Gaara in the same light, and viewed Gaara's frequent attacks upon villagers as a result of a failed experiment that was a threat to Suna.
Because of the danger Gaara imposed, his father began sending assassins to kill him, though when all attempts met with failure, the Kazekage asked Yashamaru to kill Gaara. As a result, Yashamaru tried to assassinate Gaara, only to fail just as those before him had. Gaara dealt a lethal blow to him. But when Gaara realized that it was Yashamaru, he was horrified and screamed before bursting into tears. Although Gaara tried to dismiss Yashamaru's attack as an order of the Kazekage, Yashamaru corrected him by saying that he had willingly accepted the mission. Having never truly loved Gaara, Yashamaru hoped that killing Gaara would avenge the death of his sister, who had named Gaara after the phrase "a self-loving carnage" (我を愛する修羅, Ware wo ai suru shura), a sign of her hate for Gaara. In a last ditch effort to kill Gaara, Yashamaru detonated a number of explosive tags covering his body, asking Gaara to, "Please die." Gaara survived the blast and lost the only person he thought had cared for him.
Personality: While Gaara had initially tried to be friendly towards others despite their fear of him, Yashamaru's actions and words changed him. Realizing that nobody loved him, Gaara used his sand to create the kanji on his forehead "love" (愛) as a symbol of a "demon loving only himself." Gaara became emotionally withdrawn, all but silent, and consumed with a bitter loathing for everyone but himself and "mother," the voice of Shukaku in his head. He learned to find pleasure and eventually a reason to live in annihilating the numerous assassins sent to kill him – and by extension, anyone who threatened his existence. This was only worsened by the occasional demand by Shukaku for blood to sate its blood lust. Gaara's insomnia, forced upon him by the fear that the demon inside him would eat away at his personality if he were to fall asleep, only furthered his instability and desire to kill. In time, Gaara's father would come to appreciate Gaara and the uses he could serve, and canceled all assassination orders in the hopes that Gaara would become an effective tool. Gaara's childhood was somewhat similar to Naruto Uzumaki's, even though more unfortunate due to his lack of anyone to call a friend. Both were lonely and desired to be liked, loved, and acknowledged as an individual, free of others' prejudices — they are themselves, not the demons they were forced to "contain" — and both were driven into a desperate state. While Naruto consequently developed the misconception that pranks and mischief would bring him the attention he sought, Gaara came to the conclusion that he could preserve and confirm his own existence by killing any and all who challenged it, securing an extreme form of existentialism as his key personality trait. In the absence of others' acknowledgment, he could compensate by valuing only himself to the exclusion of everyone else. Furthermore, while Naruto eventually hadIruka Umino and Team Kakashi to acknowledge him, Gaara never had anyone to bond with, with the exception of Yashamaru's deceitful friendliness, and did not understand the concept of fighting for anything other than himself until his confrontation with Naruto.
After being defeated by Naruto, Gaara was shocked to find that Naruto knew very well the pain that Gaara had endured all his life. He was even more surprised that Naruto never gave up hope on being acknowledged as a person and ultimately found friends who truly cared for him. Seeing the determination that Naruto had to protect his friends made Gaara question his own path in life. Realizing that he gave up too easily, Gaara decided to follow Naruto's path, wishing to become Kazekage of Sunagakure so he could be connected to his people and hopefully have them finally acknowledge his existence as a person. Over the next few years, Gaara's determination to find happiness became apparent from his decision to rely on his own power rather than his inner demon's. Gaara eventually formed a close friendship with Naruto.
Yamato
Shortly after his birth, Yamato was one of 60 infants that became test subjects of Orochimaru. They were injected with theFirst Hokage's DNA in the hopes that they could replicate the First's ability to use Wood Release techniques, as well as an unquantified ability to control Tailed Beasts. Orochimaru was forced to flee Konoha before he could finish his experimentation, but believed that all of his test subjects had died. Yamato, however, was the lone survivor, and found himself endowed with the First's abilities. Yamato would go on to join the ANBU, and for a time he would serve under the guidance of Kakashi Hatake. Yamato would also come to have the best performance record of any ANBU serving under theThird Hokage, leading the Third's successor, Tsunade, to have the utmost confidence in Yamato.
Personality: Like other ANBU members, Yamato projects a calm, stoic demeanor in stressful situations. Despite this, he can also be quite laid back when not on duty, and is not above using his Wood Release techniques for creating comforts such as making a house to "camp out" in. While he has been good natured so far, Yamato claims to be a different sort of leader than Kakashi, one who is not above "ruling by the use of terror" when his team misbehaves. Despite this, he greatly respects Kakashi. Aside from his obviously intimidating skills as a ninja, however, this "terror" has so far primarily consisted of casting a creepy "ghoul-eyes" expression directed at his charges, which seems more humorous than terrifying. Naruto, however, is easily creeped out by it, and states that it feels like Yamato is controlling him with fear. He is somewhat reluctant to pay for things unless he has to, as he initially protests having to pay for lunch at Ichiraku ramen, stating that Kakashi should pay as the senior ninja, but is flattered into paying when Kakashi says he considers Yamato an equal. His favorite food is walnuts and he dislikes any food that is oily, which is why he couldn't eat ramen at Ichiraku.
Sakura Haruno
Sakura Haruno is a member of Kakashi Hatake's Team 7, originally consisting of herself, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha. Contrary to her teammates, Sakura did not experience any kind of tragedy during her childhood, and as such, often fails to realize what Naruto and Sasuke went through without parents (Sakura's parents have never been revealed in the manga or anime, however her mother's voice was heard in episode 3 of the anime, and again in episodes 55 and 83).
However, during her early years in the Academy, Sakura was frequently bullied by others due to her large forehead. To try and combat this, Sakura used her bangs to hide her forehead, fueling the other kids' teasing by indicating she was sensitive about it. Ino Yamanaka, realizing this, helped Sakura by giving her a ribbon that she used as a way of drawing attention to the cuter features of her forehead, which helped Sakura overcome her phobia. The two became good friends and Sakura grew more confident and developed her own unique personality under Ino's guidance. Despite this, Sakura felt that she was living in Ino's shadow and longed to prove herself as Ino's equal. Later, when the two girls eventually realized out that they were infatuated with Sasuke, Sakura ended their friendship so that the two could properly compete for Sasuke's affection, thus beginning a bitter rivalry between the two.
Personality: At the start of the series, Sakura has a deep infatuation for Sasuke, rooted primarily in his good looks, cunning, cool attitude, and prodigious talents. For that reason, many of Sakura's early appearances are dedicated to her continuing effort to win his affection. As the story progresses, she begins to know Sasuke more as a real person with imperfections instead of the cool, flawless boy she had a crush on, which develops into sincere, loving feelings as she begins to care for him as a person who needs her. Sakura also develops a concern that Sasuke will someday abandon her and the rest of Konohagakure in his quest for power. When her fears come true at the end of Part I, Sakura does all that she can to stop Sasuke from leaving, such as professing her love for him and offering to join him. Though touched by her words, they do not stop Sasuke from defecting from Konoha. Since then, Sakura has made her personal goal to bring Sasuke home, which becomes a recurring component of her role in Part II. Although she still worries about his well-being and doesn't tolerate others to insult Sasuke, Sakura is willing to attack him if it means returning him to Konoha.
Sakura's relationship with Naruto, like with Sasuke, also changes throughout the series. When first teamed up together, Sakura viewed Naruto as a talentless idiot who deliberately tried to ruin her life, due to Naruto's attempts to win her heart, which in turn ruined her chances to win Sasuke's. However, as the story progresses and Naruto continually shows his worth as a ninja as well as his dedication to his teammates, Sakura realizes that her initial perceptions of him were wrong. After Sasuke defects from Konoha, Sakura pleads to Naruto, believing him to be the only one able to bring him back. Although Naruto fails and is left in the hospital afterwards, he vows to someday complete the task she has given him. Realizing the lengths Naruto will go to for her, Sakura spends the three years training with Tsunade so that she can join Naruto in his quest to bring Sasuke back, determined not to be useless like she was before. During Part II, Sakura learns of the various hardships Naruto faces: the Nine-Tailed Demon Foxand Akatsuki.[1] Saddened by the impact both forces have had on his life, Sakura becomes protective of Naruto and tries to do whatever she can to help him overcome these obstacles. Yamato has seen that Sakura feels very strongly for Naruto, however his analysis was interrupted by a waking Naruto.[2] Sai has also brought up the subject before on their way to retrieve Sasuke. Sakura grows to be very close to and fond of Naruto, due to their spending a lot of time together, their similarities in personality, and their shared goal of finding and saving Sasuke. During the Invasion of Pain arc, when Sakura is healing a wounded Hinata, she realizes that Hinata loves Naruto and at the same time showing a sad expression, but it is unclear why she appears so. Within Sakura resides "Inner Sakura" (内なるサクラ, Uchi Naru Sakura), a manifestation of her inner emotions. In addition to comic relief, Inner Sakura represents Sakura's actual opinion on things when she outwardly displays something opposite. Inner Sakura's appearances are typically marked by an exclamation of "Shānnarō!" (しゃーんなろー). The phrase has no literal meaning, but is usually translated as "Hell yeah!," "Hell no!," or "Damn it!," depending on the situation. The English anime, for censorship reasons, replaced the aforementioned phrases with a forceful "Cha!." Inner Sakura is unique as it is in a way a second will within Sakura's mind. When Ino used the Mind Body Switch Technique on her, Inner Sakura was able to repel the user from her body, suggesting that Inner Sakura is a split personality, as Sakura comments that she is a girl with "two minds." Although she appears quite frequently at the start of the series, Inner Sakura all but disappears midway through Part I, her only other appearance being at the start of Part II. Sakura, likewise, now performs the emotional, violent outbursts she once relied on Inner Sakura for, much to the dismay of those who are around her at the time.
Shikamaru Nara
Shikamaru Nara (奈良 シカマル Nara Shikamaru?) is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the anime and manga, Shikamaru is a ninja affiliated with the village of Konohagakure. He is a member of Team 10, a group of ninja consisting of himself, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, and team leader Asuma Sarutobi. Shikamaru is portrayed as a lazy character, unwilling to apply his prodigious intelligence; Kishimoto has noted that he likes Shikamaru due to his easygoing nature.[8] Outside of the Naruto anime and manga, Shikamaru has appeared in two of the feature films in the series: Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel and Naruto: Shippūden the Movie, as well as several other media relating to the series, including video games and original video animations.
Numerous anime and manga publications have commented on Shikamaru's character. Many reviewers commented on his laziness and intelligence,[9][10] and noted his transformation into a leader; Anime News Network celebrated Shikamaru's emergence as "an unlikely hero" in the Naruto storyline.[11] Shikamaru has also been highly popular with the Naruto reader base, placing high in several popularity polls.[12][13] Merchandise based on Shikamaru has been released, including action figures, key chains, and patches.[14][15][16]
Personality: Shikamaru is a highly unenthusiastic person, and he attempts to go through life with minimum effort. In his free time, he takes naps, watches clouds, and plays strategy games such as shogi and go. When put into a situation in which he needs to exert effort, he attempts to try to find a way to avoid it; for instance, he will forfeit battles or pretend to be preoccupied.[18] In the instances where he can not avoid these situations, Shikamaru tends to remark "how troublesome" (めんどくせぇ mendōkusei?, English TV: "what a drag" or "such a pain").[19] Another aspect of his unenthusiasm is his dislike for bossy women, as he refers to them as "a pain".[20] Despite this perception, he has expressed an interest in marriage and raising a family with a son and daughter.[21]
Contrary to his lazy tendencies, Shikamaru is extremely intelligent; his teacher, Asuma Sarutobi, determined that Shikamaru's IQ was over 200.[22] Shikamaru works well with his teammates Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, as the trio's fathers were in the same team in their youth. Among his teammates, Shikamaru is closest to Choji, who repays Shikamaru's confidence with unyielding loyalty.[23] Shikamaru also has a strong bond with Asuma and often spends time with him playing strategy games. After Asuma's death, he vows to protect Kurenai Yuhi, who is pregnant with Asuma's child.[24]
Choji
When Choji was younger, he was often put down for not being good at a childrens game called "Ninja," which appears to be a cross between tag and hide and seek, often using shuriken made out of cardboard. His peers were always berating him; telling him that any team that he is on is bound to lose. One day they simply refused to let him play at all. However, Shikamaru sticks up for him saying that the teams would be uneven if Choji doesn't join them. This gives Choji a little hope, although in the end they still refuse to let him play.
Choji and his father are later seen talking on the roof of a building, the former still upset over the way he was treated by the other children. His father tells him that one day he will meet someone that he can get along with and that eventually they will be the best of friends. Soon after, Shikamaru walks up the stairs and Choji recognizes him as the one who had defended him earlier. He asks Shikamaru why he isn't playing the game, to which Shikamaru responds that it was too troublesome. He then tells Choji that he likes to come up there to watch the clouds, and that Choji happens to be sitting in his spot. Choji moves over to give him room and Shikamaru proceeds to lie down, who tells Choji that he should watch the clouds with him. This delights Choji and he eagerly asks Shikamaru if he wants to eat some snacks that he has brought. Shikamaru takes him up on the offer, causing Choji to be overjoyed since someone is being so nice to him. From that day forth, the two became the best of friends.
During Choji's time at the academy, he was often caught eating in class, or otherwise getting into trouble along with fellow 'Dead-Lasts'; Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka & Akamaru, and Naruto Uzumaki. Together these five would cut class or otherwise be testing the patience of Iruka Umino, their Chunin-sensei. During the 'Find Tsunade' arc, when Naruto was struggling to learn the second step of training for the Rasengan, he recalls how once during his days at the academy, he along with Shikamaru, Kiba & Akamaru, and Choji were held back in class and lectured about their all around lack in concentration--in Choji's case, he was thinking more about food then in doing his school work. During the arc involving the trap master Gennou from the long-gone Village of the Dragonfly, it was mentioned how Shikamaru, Kiba & Akamaru, and Naruto would skip class together and hang out at the Kunai practice course which was situated under the academy to hide from Iruka-sensei.
Personality: Choji is easily motivated by the prospect of food and becomes highly agitated when somebody calls him "fat" (he refers to himself as "big boned," "chubby," or "pleasingly plump"). However, he does not hide his love for food, wearing the kanji for "eat" on his shirt. His nigh-constant hunger is also a constant annoyance for his teammates, as sating himself often comes before other necessities such as stealth and teamwork. Choji's favorite foods are Korean barbecue, snacks and sweets, though he enjoys anything that is edible just as well. His favorite hobby is buying snacks and his favorite phrase is "Meat." Food can also make him over react about silly things such as who gets the last piece of meat or when Akamaru tries to take his food. Choji also tends to eat a lot when he is angry.
Choji has a longstanding friendship with Shikamaru. The two have complete trust in each other, with Shikamaru being one of the few people to look past Choji's athletic deficiencies and see that he was good-hearted and recognized Choji's true strength. Because of this, Choji has unconditional faith in Shikamaru and, if necessary, would give his life for him.
Choji is a very kind and caring person that both his father and Asuma have said is his greatest strength.
Ino
Ino was a considerably more popular and self-confident girl than Sakura when they met at the Ninja Academy. She convinced Sakura that hiding the size of her forehead was pointless, and gave her a ribbon to draw attention elsewhere, suggesting that Sakura had great potential, but had yet to reach it. She helped Sakura gain her confidence. When Sakura became attracted to Sasuke, and found out that Ino was attracted to him as well, Sakura ended their friendship so she could compete with Ino for his affection. Ino later made friends with Sakura again during the Chunin Exams, but they are still considered rivals by many, including Asuma.
Personality: Ino is somewhat superficial, constantly thinking about boys and hoping that dieting to lose weight will make her be more attractive to them. Ino can also be very confident and outspoken, and isn't afraid to speak her mind and sometimes suggests that Choji should lose weight. She is attracted to Sasuke, but her reasons for that attraction, apart from Sasuke being a popular student and the best in his class, are unknown.
In her team, Ino tends to boss the others around, though she clearly cares for them as shown by her relief when Choji survived near fatal injuries. Shikamaru, despite thinking of most girls as "troublesome," typically offers no resistance, being unwilling to deal with how she reacts if she is unable to have her way. Asuma recognizes the control she has over the others, and while dying, tells her to look after Choji and Shikamaru and ensure that they do not get into trouble.
Ino has shown to possess a great level of intelligence and quite perceptive; in the Chunin Exams she uses her hair to make a chakra rope to bind Sakura, and in the Konoha 11 filler she is able to tell a person's occupation by glancing at the condition of their hands. Also during Pain's invasion, she was able to conclude that Pain's real body must be around the village for his technique to work since it is similar to her clan's.
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