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List of major Naruto characters

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In the Naruto manga and anime series, groups of ninja are often placed into four-man squads. When a ninja graduates from the ninja academy, he or she is usually placed in a group with two other new graduates, now Genin, and one advanced ninja, a Jonin who serves as the squad's leader and sensei. As ninja gain experience, they may still be placed into squads with similarly-ranked ninja. This is a list of major teams from Konoha.

The members of Team 7, 8, and 10 are collectively known as the Rookie Nine due to the fact they had become Genin shortly before the Chunin Exams, an opportunity for Genin to increase their rank. Because Team Guy became Genin a year earlier they are not included in this group. After Sasuke Uchiha's defection, the remaining members of the four central team are organized into an anime-only group called the Konoha 11. Shikamaru Nara, having become a Chunin during the earlier Exams, leads the group in missions that an ordinary team could not complete by itself. Over the timeskip all of the remaining 11 (with the exception of Naruto Uzumaki) also become Chunin, with Neji Hyuga even progressing to the rank of Jonin.

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.

Kakashi Hatake

Main article: Kakashi Hatake

Naruto Uzumaki

Main article: Naruto Uzumaki

Sakura Haruno

Main article: Sakura Haruno

Sasuke Uchiha

Main article: Sasuke Uchiha


Team Kakashi after the time skip

After Sasuke Uchiha's defection, the remaining members of Team 7 are formed into Team Kakashi. Sai is added to the team as Sasuke's replacement while Yamato, although originally meant to be a temporary leader of the team, has joined as additional leadership.

Sai

  • Age: Approx. 15-16
  • Current rank: ANBU

Sai (サイ) is the replacement of Sasuke Uchiha in Kakashi Hatake's Team 7, consisting of himself, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno. The name "Sai" is given to him for the purposes of joining Team 7, his actual name being unknown. At a young age, Sai was one of many orphans recruited by Root, an organization that trained him to have no emotions whatsoever to make it easier for him to accomplish missions. He at some point in time met an older member of Root who took a liking to his drawing ability, and Sai came to think of him as a brother within the organization. During their time together Sai enjoyed a life of happiness and looked forward to the time he could spend with his brother in between missions. Eventually, his brother died of illness, and so too did Sai's source of happiness. Alone again, Sai reverted back to the emotionless member of Root he had been trained to be.

Because he has no emotions and little knowledge about social relationships, Sai meets with hardship when he first joins Team 7. He initially tries to seem more caring by smiling, though his teammates come to dislike it due to his obvious insincerity. After spending time with his team and seeing the bonds Naruto has formed with others, Sai begins to break out of his emotionless shell. Interested in the concept of bonds, and remembering that he once had a bond with his brother, Sai begins trying to create his own bonds. In doing so, Sai is able to start giving genuine, albeit awkward, smiles, and his team finds it easier to get along with him. In his quest to acquire bonds with others, Sai develops the habit of giving people pet names. His initial attempts at forming bonds are marred by his naming people as he sees them, such as calling Sakura a "hag". Upon concluding that people dislike hearing how they really look, Sai begins saying the opposite of how he sees them, such as calling Ino Yamanaka "beautiful". With his pet names now finding success in forming bonds, Sai has begun to try and be helpful to others. When Naruto's arm is left in a sling and he is unable to eat by himself, Sai forces large amounts of ramen into his mouth to feed him. Because Naruto wanted Sakura to be the one to feed him, Sai's actions do little to be helpful to Naruto.

Sai is a talented artist, and claims to have drawn thousands of pictures. Despite the magnitude of pictures he has drawn, his lack of emotion makes it impossible for him be inspired to give something a title, and thus all of his works are nameless. Sai's drawing ability is also the source of his jutsu; by drawing things with a brush on his scroll he is able to bring his creations to life, giving them an increased size and the ability to move. His Super Beasts Imitation Picture (超獣偽画, Chōjū Giga) allows him to create birds that he can use for flight and lion-like creatures that he can use for attack. Likewise, by creating an Ink Clone (墨分身, Sumi Bunshin) of himself, he can perform a reconnaissance of an area without actually endangering himself. Sai can also transform words he writes on his scroll into small animals that seek out their target and revert back to words upon arriving, giving Sai an easy way to communicate.

Yamato

Yamato (ヤマト) is the temporary leader of Kakashi Hatake's Team 7, and since his introduction he has joined the team in all of its endeavors. "Yamato" is actually a code name given to him for the purposes of leading Team 7, his real name being Tenzo (テンゾウ, Tenzō).[1][2] Yamato, however, seems to prefer going by his code name. Shortly after his birth, Yamato was kidnapped for the purposes of becoming a test subject of Orochimaru.[3] In Yamato's case, Orochimaru injected him with the First Hokage's DNA in the hopes that he could replicate the First's ability to use Mokuton techniques. Orochimaru was forced to flee Konoha before he could finish his experimentation, but believed that all 60 of his test subjects had died. Yamato, however, was the lone survivor, and found himself endowed with the First's abilities.[3] Yamato would go on to join the ANBU, and for a time he would serve under the guidance of Kakashi. Yamato came to have the best performance record of any ANBU serving under the Third Hokage, leading the Third's successor, Tsunade, to have the utmost confidence in Yamato.[4]

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 Mokuton techniques for creature comforts such as making a house to "camp out" in.[5] 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.[6] 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. Yamato also seems to have an attachment to money, and doesn't like to spend on others unless he has something to gain.[7][8]

Because of the First Hokage's DNA, Yamato almost exclusively uses Mokuton-based abilities. Because he has been seen in the series much more than the First, Yamato has demonstrated most of the known Mokuton jutsu. With the ability he can create wooden clones of himself to accomplish tasks or create wooden shields to protect himself and others from harm. His Mokuton abilities are the primary reason for his assignment to Team 7, as he can use them to suppress the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox influence over Naruto Uzumaki if need be. Since Mokuton is a fusion of earth and water-based chakra, Yamato can also use earth and water-based attacks. With Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart (土遁・土流城壁, Doton: Doryū Jōheki) he can create a large hill and by then using Water Release: Waterfall Basin Technique (水遁・滝壺の術, Suiton: Takitsubo no Jutsu) he can use the hill to form a waterfall. Water Release: Rapid Crasher (水遁・破流, Suiton: Hahonryū) also allows him to create a spiral of water with his hand to be launched at opponents at high speeds.

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. They also excel in survival abilities, as they are the second team to escape the Forest of Death during the Chunin Exams.

Kurenai Yuhi

Kurenai Yuhi (夕日紅, Yūhi Kurenai) is the leader of Team 8, consisting of Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga. The name "Yuhi" means "evening sun" and "Kurenai" means "crimson". Kurenai acted as an Academy Instructor for many years, eventually becoming a Jonin soon before the start of the series. Prior to the formation of Team 8, Kurenai taught a student named Yakumo Kurama. Yakumo's abilities, however, were a danger to herself and those around her, so Kurenai was forced to seal away her ability and as a result took her chance of becoming a ninja. As a Jonin leader, Kurenai is notably kind and supportive of her Genin subordinates, particularly toward Hinata. Once Team 8 was formed, Hinata 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, whom she frequently appears with. While the two deny being an item 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. Kurenai specializes in genjutsu, and as seen in the anime is very proficient with it. Through the use of her 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 tree growing around the opponent to effectively immobilize them, allowing her to appear from the tree to kill them as she pleases. The Kurama Clan arc shows Kurenai capable of using this jutsu multiple times in a row, as well as being able to create any kind of foliage with which to capture the opponent.

Hinata Hyuga

Hinata Hyuga (日向ヒナタ, Hyūga Hinata) is the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan's main branch. "Hyuga" (日向) means "toward the sun" while "Hinata" is a pun, as it is another way to read this kanji and means "a sunny place". Hinata was trained by her father, Hiashi Hyuga, to become the clan's heiress, though in time he came to deem her a lost cause. Believing her to be of lesser skill than her younger sister, Hanabi Hyuga, her father left Hinata in Kurenai Yuhi's care once she was assigned to Team 8, claiming he didn't care what happened to her. Throughout her early time in Team 8, Hinata's lack of self-confidence and unwillingness to fight would hamper her abilities. Although she would train to improve her skills, she would immediately give up when faced with competition and failed every mission she was assigned as a result.

In an attempt to change herself, Hinata enters the Chunin Exams, where she is pit against her cousin, Neji Hyuga, in the exam's preliminary matches. Neji is quick to ridicule Hinata for her personality traits and attempts to convince her that she is a failure who will never be able to change herself, bringing her to tears. Naruto Uzumaki's encouragement, however, empowers her to fight her cousin despite repeatedly being struck down. Although she is defeated, Naruto's words have a lasting effect on Hinata and she becomes more confident in her abilities, and even sticks up for herself by telling Neji that he is the one who is attempting to fight against what cannot be changed. After recovering from her wounds, Hinata continues training to improve herself. Her efforts are successful, as she is eventually able to acquire a better relationship with her father, who encourages her to continue working on improving herself. Naruto has also come to hold her in a higher standing, and he tells her that while he had considered her timid and weird before, he now views her as a likable person.

Hinata has a long-standing crush on Naruto, 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 Hinata feels she lacks. Despite her rather obvious feelings, Hinata has yet to openly admit that she likes Naruto, though many characters have been shown to be aware of her feelings. In a similar fashion, Naruto has remained completely oblivious to Hinata's feelings. She also becomes more assertive on Naruto's behalf, and also doesn't hesitate to defend him, even to himself. When they meet again in Part II, Hinata is unable to bring herself to greet Naruto and passes out when he comes to greet her, she still retains her feelings for him as well.

As a member of the Hyuga clan, Hinata possesses the Byakugan, which gives her an almost 360° field of X-ray vision. During the Chunin Exams, she displays the ability to focus the Byakugan's sight, increasing the distance that her eyes can see. She also specializes in the Gentle Fist fighting style, which allows her to damage her opponent's chakra circulatory system and inner organs directly with even a slight tap. In her quest to get stronger, Hinata creates a new ability during the anime's Bikochu arc called 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 most powerful techniques. With it Hinata emits streams of chakra from her palms to create extremely sharp blades that she can use to hit any target in her field of vision. Due to the speed at which these blades move, the amount of control she has over them, as well as her ability to manipulate their size, and her own flexibility, Hinata can use this technique to attack and defend simultaneously.

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" means "fang", while "Inuzuka" shares a number of connections with dogs. In Part I, Kiba usually carries Akamaru on his head or in his jacket, though by Part II he is able to ride on Akamaru; Kiba failed to notice the growth due to the amount of time they spend together. Kiba's devotion to Akamaru runs very deep, and he is more than willing to risk his own life if it means saving Akamaru's. Kiba himself has accquired 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. Kiba is also very loyal, and despite often being overconfident, headstrong and impulsive, 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.

In addition to finding a friend in Akamaru, Kiba also uses Akamaru as a valuable ally in battle. 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 "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. In addition, Kiba can gather chakra to his nose to exponentially increase his sense of smell, allowing him to pick up on the faintest of scents. Once doing this, however, Kiba is forced to endure whatever odors he comes across, and something as simple as a fart can leave him paralyzed due to his heightened senses. In Part II he becomes so proficient with this sense of smell that he can track things down that actual ninja dogs cannot.

Once he has prepared himself for battle, Kiba has a number of ways to proceed with a battle. He can use Human Beast Clone (獣人分身, Jūjin Bunshin, English TV "Man Beast Clone") to transform Akamaru into himself, allowing the two to take away an opponent's ability to focus on only one of them. With Double Piercing Fang (牙通牙, Gatsūga, English TV "Fang Over Fang") Kiba and Akamaru can charge at opponents at high speeds in a spinning maneuver to increase damage, or perform the same action by themselves with Piercing Fang (通牙, Tsūga). The two can even combine efforts with Man Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf (人獣混合変化・双頭狼, Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō) to transform themselves into a single, large, two-headed wolf. While in this form their Double Piercing Fang is renamed Double Wolf Fang (牙狼牙, Garōga) due to the increased speed the transformation allows them, and the attack itself becomes capable of cutting someone in two. The attack, however, is not without its drawbacks; its speed leaves the two unable to see their target, forcing them to rely on their enhanced senses of smell in conjunction with Akamaru's Dynamic Marking technique to land the blow. In addition, the sheer power of the attack leaves them both fatigued, so much so that they can only perform it twice before requiring rest.

Shino Aburame

Shino Aburame (油女シノ, Aburame Shino) is a rarely seen character who has a fascination with bugs; most of his spare time is spent watching bugs, he often makes analogies to bugs when talking, and even the name, "Aburame Shino", bears a close resemblance to the Japanese word for cockroach油虫 (aburamushi). 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. Shino seems to be aware of these odd personality traits and even seems to be proud of them, as during the anime's filler arcs he threatens Naruto Uzumaki to make sure nobody ever knows that he could tell jokes. These odd traits have caused people to identify Shino as "creepy" or "weird" and tend to dislike being in his company.

Despite his odd personality and 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 throughout the filler arcs 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, being able to sense when the slightest of things is wrong with either of them. Shino becomes team leader when Kurenai is hospitalized, and Kiba and Hinata respect his leadership.

In battle, Shino is able to take 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. 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. He tends to use very cruel methods of fighting, going as far as to even sever Zaku Abumi's arm in one case. 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 he 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, such as creating copies of himself or using bugs for defensive purposes.

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 son of the Third Hokage and the leader of Team 10, consisting of Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. After having a falling out with his father during his younger years Asuma left Konoha to pursue his personal interests and became one of the 12 Guard Ninjas of Fire who protected the Land of Fire's daimyo. 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. Once getting back he began a long-standing relationship with Kurenai Yuhi, whom he frequently appears with. While the two deny being an item 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.

Asuma is typically 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 has a very close relationship with his team, even though he believes it to consist of a "glutton" (Choji), a "loud mouth" (Ino), and a "slacker" (Shikamaru). To help them overcome their underachieving natures, he attempts to use bribery and outright trickery to manipulate them into doing what he wants. Of his students, Shikamaru seems to spend the most time with Asuma and the two play Shogi or Go in their free time, though Asuma has never been able to beat Shikamaru.

In battle, Asuma uses 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. In addition to his blades Asuma can use Fire Release: Ash Product Burning (火遁・灰積焼, Katon: Haisekishō) to breathe out a cloud of superheated ash capable of causing third-degree burns. Because it is ash and not flame, the attack remains in the air around the target, and therefore remains potent for a longer period of time. Asuma uses both of these abilities in his fight with Akatsuki member Hidan, though Hidan's immortality makes the attacks useless. By consuming some of Asuma's blood Hidan is able to form a "link" between the two, causing any damage done to Hidan to also be done to Asuma. Although Shikamaru is briefly able to prevent Hidan from using this link to kill Asuma, Hidan is ultimately able to stab himself in the stomach, fatally wounding Asuma. Although Ino tries to heal his wounds, Asuma knows he can't be healed and leaves his young students some parting words before dying.

Choji Akimichi

File:Chojo.jpg
Choji Akimichi


Choji Akimichi (秋道チョウジ, Akimichi Chōji) is a childhood friend of Shikamaru Nara. While many of his early years were spent trying to play with his peers, his fellow children felt he was unworthy of playing with them and always refused to allow him to join them. After another failed attempt to play with them one day Shikamaru stuck up for Choji, arguing that without Choji, the teams would be uneven, and Choji was excluded. Choji then went to see his father, who told him that he was kinder than anyone else, and would one day find a person who would be his best friend. Shortly afterward, Shikamaru arrived, and they shared snacks while watching the clouds. Because of Shikamaru's willingness to look past Choji's athletic deficiencies and recognize his true strength, Choji came to view Shikamaru as his best friend. The two have since developed complete trust in one another, with Choji willing to give up his life to defend Shikamaru, and considering the act of insulting him unacceptable.

Choji has a love for food, his favorite being Korean barbecue, general snacks and sweets, and basically anything that is edible. He openly displays this love of food by wearing clothing with the kanji for "eat" in Part I and "food" in Part II, and is commonly seen eating from a bag of chips. His nigh-constant hunger is a constant annoyance for his teammates, as sating himself often comes before other necessities such as stealth and teamwork. Because of this, his teammates often use food against him, such as offering him food as a reward for accomplishing a task or simply using his favorite foods as a form of blackmail. Despite his open display for his love of food, 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 than he would otherwise. Just as they use food against him, Choji's teammates use this personality trait against him as well. Should Choji be reluctant to fight, one of them need only comment on his size to spur him into combat form. 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 make it a point to avoid using the word "fat" around him.

As an Akimichi, Choji's style of combat focuses on increasing his size. At the series' start he uses 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 Jutsu") to tuck his limbs inside his increased mass and roll at opponents at rapid speeds. With the Spiked Human Bullet Tank (肉弾針戦車, Nikudan Hari Sensha, English games "Human Needle-Boulder") variant he can increase the amount of damage this technique does to a target, either by wrapping himself in a cloak of kunai or, as seen in Part II, by lengthening and sharpening his hair. Choji sees a number of other advancements in Part II; the Multi-Size Technique, while still increasing his size, no longer makes him round. Because of this he has developed the Mega Palm Thrust (超張り手, Chō Harite), and after increasing his size with the Multi-Size Technique he can funnel chakra into his enlarged hands to cause extensive crushing damage to anything caught under his palms. 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.

Ino Yamanaka

Ino Yamanaka (山中いの, Yamanaka Ino) (Yamanaka means "in the mountains" while Ino means "boar") 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 and self-worth. As Sakura's confidence in herself grew, she developed a crush on Sasuke Uchiha, whom Ino also had a crush on. When Sakura found out about this, she ended their friendship so that the two could properly compete for Sasuke's affection, beginning a bitter rivalry between the two. The two maintain this rivalry until the end of their match in the Chunin Exam, after which they begin to rekindle their friendship, but it seems each of them have too much self-pride to admit it. Nevertheless, the two maintain a competitive relationship and constantly attempt to outdo the other.

Ino is somewhat egocentric and superficial, apparently thinking highly of her looks and seeming to dislike "ugly" people. Ino also has no problem telling people what she dislikes about their physical appearance, 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 like for these reasons (Choji being overweight and Shikamaru being "uncool"), Ino actually cares very deeply for their well-beings and maintains a strong bond with both. 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 has been able to find other uses for her time in the flower shop, and can tell a person's profession by simply looking at the condition of their hands. The anime has also shown that Ino, like Sakura, has developed her own inner-self named "Inner Ino".

In addition to becoming talented with flowers, Ino's membership in the Yamanaka clan has also shaped the mind-altering jutsu she uses. With the Mind Body Switch Technique, Ino can transfer to another's body and start using it as her own for a short period of time. In Part II, Ino is able to use this ability on a hawk, and flies into the air to perform reconnaissance, which is the technique's intended purpose. In the anime, Ino also learns the Mind Body Disturbance Technique, which she can use to force opponents to fight each other while still remaining in her own body. The anime expands upon Ino's abilities more than the manga; she develops the New Approaching Technique (Shin-dashin no Jutsu) to engulf a target in a puff of smoke and drag them to her location. The anime also addresses her learning of medical jutsu, as the manga leaves it unexplained. During the final filler arc, Ino finds herself unable to be of use for her teammates and becomes envious of Sakura's ability to heal others. As such, Ino becomes Tsunade's second apprentice in learning medical jutsu, 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. All of its members, including Guy himself, seem to have been inspired by various Chinese themes. The focus of the team's abilities is in various forms of hand-to-hand combat and weapons usage.

Might Guy

Might Guy (マイト・ガイ, Maito Gai) is the leader of Team Guy, consisting of Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten. Although Guy gets along well with all of his students, he shares a particularly strong bond with Lee. Because Lee's goal in life is to master taijutsu and prove that he can become a splendid ninja, Guy's goal has become to help Lee achieve this dream, dedicating most of his free time to train Lee and teach him all that he knows about taijutsu. Because of Guy's dedication to Lee, Lee has likewise become dedicated to Guy, and models himself in his sensei's image. In doing so he has reproduced Guy's distinctive green jumpsuit and shiny bowl haircut, having already had Guy's characteristic thick eyebrows. Lee has also acquired many of Guy's personality traits and habits, and the two typically join together in carrying out odd methods of training. Because of this Neji and Tenten are for the most part left to find their own methods of training, both being unable and unwilling to take part in Guy and Lee's training methods. To enhance the similarities between Guy and Lee, both are modeled after the martial artist Bruce Lee.

Guy has many mannerisms unique to him in the series that are meant to be seen as corny and old fashioned, a reference to common clichés of "youth" (青春, seishun) anime. He is best known for his "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 so something good comes of it. Guy also values his youth to a great degree, and dislikes the idea that he may not be as young as he once was. To help remedy this problem he spends large amounts of time with his students, hoping to acquire some of their youthful properties. Likewise, he often refers to himself as "Konoha's Prideful Green Beast" (木ノ葉の気高き碧い猛獣, Konoha no Kedakai Aoi Mōjū).

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 Ninkame prior to his first appearance. Through his mastery of taijutsu Guy specializes in the Strong Fist style of combat. Likewise, he can also 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.

Neji Hyuga

Main article: Neji Hyuga

Rock Lee

Main article: Rock Lee

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 Might Guy or Lee (nor do they even want to), 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 her more powerful enemies can often block her attacks. Tenten's accuracy seems to have allowed her extra benefits, as the anime's Konoha 11 arc shows her to be a keen observer that can pick up on facts others overlook. 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 weapon summoning 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. She frequently uses this ability to help Neji train with his Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin.

Sources

  1. First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book)
  2. Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book)
  3. Taken directly from the Naruto manga chapters and anime episodes.

References

  1. ^ Naruto manga; chapter 284, page 15
  2. ^ Naruto manga; chapter 317, page 7
  3. ^ a b Naruto manga; chapter 291, page 16
  4. ^ Naruto manga; chapter 285, page 15
  5. ^ Naruto manga; chapter 287, page 14
  6. ^ Naruto manga; chapter 286, page 13
  7. ^ Naruto manga; chapter 301, page 14
  8. ^ Naruto manga; chapter 321, page 2
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