Naruto (ナルト Naruto) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and dreams to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.

The manga was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Currently, the manga is still being serialized; sixty-three tankōbon volumes have been released so far. The manga was later adapted into an anime, which was produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo network and the anime satellite television network Animax on October 3, 2002. The first series lasted 220 episodes, while Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, has been airing since February 15, 2007. In addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed eight movies for the series and several original video animations (OVAs). Other types of merchandise include light novels, video games and trading cards developed by several companies.

Viz Media has licensed the manga and anime for North American production. Viz has been publishing the series in their Shonen Jump magazine, and as well as the individual volumes. The anime series began airing in the United States and Canada in 2005, and later in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The films, as well as most OVAs from the series, have also been released by Viz, with the first film premiering in cinemas. The first DVD volume of Naruto: Shippuden was released by Viz in North America on September 29, 2009, and it started broadcast on Disney XD in October of the same year. Viz Media will begin streaming both series on their upcoming streaming service Neon Alley this fall.

Naruto is one of the best-selling manga series of all time having sold more than 126.5 million copies in Japan alone. Serialized in Viz's Shonen Jump magazine, Naruto has become one of the company's best-selling manga series. The English adaptation of the series has also appeared in the USA Today Booklist several times and volume 7 won the Quill Award in 2006. Reviewers from the series have praised the balance between fighting and comedy scenes, as well as the characters' personalities, but have criticized it for using standard shōnen plot elements.

Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki (うずまき ナルト Uzumaki Naruto) is the primary protagonist of the Naruto series. He was the first character created by Kishimoto during the conception of the series, and was designed with many traits from other shōnen characters.In the series, Naruto has ambitions of becoming Hokage, the leader of Konohagakure. Because he is the host of Kurama, the nine-tailed fox that attacked Konoha, he is ostracized by the other villagers.He compensates for this with his cheerful and boisterous personality, and over the course of the series, manages to befriend many foreign and Konoha ninja. He develops an especially close relationship with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, two of his fellow ninja in Team 7.Naruto's voice actor in the Japanese anime is Junko Takeuchi, and he is voiced by Maile
Flanagan in the English adaptation.

Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke Uchiha (うちは サスケ Uchiha Sasuke) is one of the members of Team 7. He was created to be a rival to Naruto, as well as a "cool genius", which Kishimoto believed was an integral part of an ideal rivalry.He is one of the few remaining members of the Uchiha clan along with his brother, Itachi Uchiha, who killed the rest of their family. Due to this, Sasuke's sole desire is to kill his brother, and he develops a cold and withdrawn personality. His interactions with his fellow teammates, who are all considered precious to him, make him focus less on revenge at the start of the series. During an encounter with his brother in Part I, Sasuke is easily beaten, which leads him to leave the village to seek more power from the criminal Orochimaru.His teammates' attempts to recover him from Orochimaru forms a major component in the first half of the Part II plot before he later begins an apprentice of Obito Uchiha, who convinces Sasuke to aid him. But during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke learns the full truth of his family history and aids his friends against Obito. In the Japanese anime, Sasuke is voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama, and his English voice actor is Yuri Lowenthal.

Sakura Haruno

Sakura Haruno (春野 サクラ Haruno Sakura) is the sole female member of Team 7. Kishimoto created her as the heroine of the series, although he has admitted that he has little perception of what an ideal heroine should be.As a child, Sakura was taunted by other children because of her large forehead, a feature Kishimoto has tried to emphasize in Sakura's appearances. She was comforted by Ino Yamanaka.As the two continued to grow, however, they became increasingly distant due to their shared affection for Sasuke Uchiha. During most of Part I, Sakura is in love with Sasuke, and depises Naruto Uzumaki.But after Sasuke leaves the village, Naruto makes a lifelong promise to her to bring him back. After his 1st attempt is delayed by the Sound Ninja 4, she resolves to become stronger by training with Tsunade. In Part II when Sakura and Naruto are 16, she displays highly developed skills from her training giving her the brutal power and strength of about 10 men.In the Japanese anime, her voice actress is Chie Nakamura, and she is voiced by Kate Higgins in the English
adaptation.

Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake (はたけ カカシ Hatake Kakashi) is the leader of Team 7 and the sensei of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Kishimoto had originally intended for Kakashi to be introduced earlier in the series than he actually was, and created him as an easygoing person that would be able to keep the members of Team 7 in check.Kakashi treats his leadership position with a detached manner, and is consistently late to meetings as a result. In a gaiden on Kakashi's past, Kakashi is revealed to been trained by Naruto's father during the Third Great Ninja War and obtained his Sharingan eye from one of his teammates, Obito Uchiha.With Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi has amassed a reputation as a skilled and powerful ninja, earning the moniker "Copy Ninja Kakashi" (コピー忍者のカカシ Kopī Ninja no Kakashi?).Although he mentors all three members of Team 7 early in the series, Kakashi focused on Sasuk'es progress and taught him his personal Chidori. However, he is unable to prevent Sasuke from leaving the village to seek Orochimaru for greater power.During the events Part II, his remaining students excelling his expectations, Kakashi learns of Obito's survival as Naruto's enemy. Kakashi's Japanese voice actor in the anime is Kazuhiko Inoue, and his English voice actor is Dave Wittenberg.

Zabuza Momochi

Zabuza Momochi (桃地　再不斬 Momochi Zabuza) is a former member of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of ninja that use particularly large swords in battle. Zabuza possesses a massive sword called Kubikiri Bōchō (首斬り包丁, lit. Decapitating Knife), which is later claimed by Suigetsu Hozuki after Zabuza's death. After a failed coup d'état wherein he tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, Zabuza and his followers fled the village and began working as mercenary assassins.[ch. 30] He also took in a young boy, Haku as his apprentice, mostly treating him as a tool although he ultimately does care for him.Like most Kirigakure ninja, Zabuza is skilled in water-based abilities. His area of expertise, however, is in assassinations; by blanketing an area in mist, Zabuza can blind an opponent, locate them by the sounds they make, and kill them without them ever noticing his presence.His talents lead to him being hired by a criminal mastermind named Gato to kill a man named Tazuna, a job he is never able to finish due to interference by Tazuna's bodyguard, Kakashi Hatake. Because he takes too long to complete the task, his contract is revoked, and his employer tries to have Zabuza killed. Zabuza kills him first, though is mortally wounded and dies soon afterwards.The Kubikiri Bōchō served as Zabuza's gravemarker until it was taken by Suigetsu. He is one of the shinobi resurrected by Kabuto to fight on the Akatsuki side and is defeated and released from Kabuto's control in a rematch with Kakashi, his soul being put to rest after the resurrection's cancellation.In the Japanese anime, his voice actor is Unshō Ishizuka, and his English voice actor is Steven Blum.

Haku

Haku (白) is Zabuza Momochi's right hand man and most faithful follower. Before he started working for Zabuza, Haku lived as an orphan. His father killed his mother when it was discovered that he possessed a genetic ability, and Haku then killed him. After wandering from place to place for a time he was found by Zabuza. He recognized Haku's talents and agreed to take him in as a tool. As a result, Haku becomes unquestioningly protective of and loyal to Zabuza, and only by being useful does he find a purpose in life. He ultimately gives his life in his mission to be useful to Zabuza, becoming a human shield to protect his master from Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Blade.Haku's genetic inheritance, Hyōton (氷遁, lit. "Ice Release"), allows him to mix wind and water elements to create ice. He commonly uses this ability to surround an enemy with ice mirrors that he can freely merge with and instantly move between. He then bombards them with needles, and with his superb accuracy, he can hit pressure points to put opponents in a death-like state. This reflects his pacifistic nature; despite being a ninja and Zabuza's tool of battle, Haku dislikes fighting and does all that he can to subdue opponents without actually killing them. Haku is resurrected by Kabuto later in the series to fight in the Shinobi World War., however, the alliance managed to seal him with his soul put to rest after the resurrection technique is cancelled. His voice actress in the Japanese anime is Mayumi Asano, and his English voice actress is Susan Dalian. Mona Marshall voiced
 Haku as a child.

Orochimaru

Orochimaru (大蛇丸) is a criminal who was previously affiliated with Konohagakure. To emphasize his role as a villain, Kishimoto worked towards making him appear "pasty and sickly" as part of his theme of distinguishing villains from the protagonists. In the series, Orochimaru is a former ninja of Konohagakure and a student of the Third Hokage. During his time in the village, he distinguished himself as one of the village's most powerful ninja along with his teammates, Jiraiya and Tsunade.His desire to obtain immortality led him to conduct experiments on other Konohagakure ninja, and he eventually fled the village and joined the criminal organization Akatsuki. After attacking fellow Akatsuki member Itachi Uchiha, who defeats him, he leaves Akatsuki and establishes his own ninja village, Otogakure, as both his personal laboratory to continue his work and to amass a personal army to destroy Konoha with.His immortality technique involves transferring his consciousness between different host bodies, and his desire for a new host, particularly Sasuke Uchiha, is one of his driving motivations throughout most of series.However, Madara's intentions force Orochimaru into allying himself with his former allies against him and Obito. Because of his different host bodies and the disguises he assumes, a panoply of voice actors are utilized for Orochimaru; his most common voice actor in the Japanese anime is Kujira, and the corresponding English voice actor is Steven Blum.

Kabuto Yakushi

Kabuto Yakushi (薬師 カブト Yakushi Kabuto) is a spy working for Orochimaru, though he acts on his own whims. As a child with no memory of his past, he was found on a battlefield by a nun, Nono Yakushi from Konohagakure who raised him as a son before he was recruited by the Foundation as a covert spy for the village to infiltrate numerous countries and organizations.However, after the Foundation declared him too great a security risk to be kept alive, Kabuto left with Orochimaru after being promised an identity he can call his own. Using his former affiliations, and infiltrating the Akatsuki, Kabuto gathers intelligence on Orochimaru's behalf; for instance, he participates in the bi-annual Chunin Exams as Konoha representative to gather information on his fellow participants.Highly proficient with medical techniques and genetic manipulation, Kabuto devises means to heal wounds by reactivating dead cells in order to grow new ones and can form a scalpel with chakra to deal surgical strikes to his opponents using his knowledge of human anatomy.

In Part I, Kabuto initially introduced as an experienced Konohagakure genin that takes Team 7 under his wing during the Chunin Exams before dropping out to conceal his true abilities. It was only after the finals that Kabuto's true loyalties are revealed and he remained by Orochimaru's side since then, overpowering Tsunade by using her fears before being defeated by Naruto. In Part II, after his mentor's defeat by Sasuke, Kabuto integrates some of Orochimaru's remains into his body in order to become powerful enough to not serve anyone again. Though Orochimaru's cells attempt to consume him, Kabuto's desire to kill Sasuke Uchiha and eventual intent to settle things with Naruto enabled him to control his new powers.Kabuto also assimilated the DNA of Karin, Jugo, Suigetsu and the Sound Five to utilize their abilities as his own while mastering Senjutsu through the White Snake Sage. Once perfecting the Reanimation Jutsu, using Madara's revived body as leverage, Kabuto forces Obito Uchiha into a tenuous alliance with him under the promise that he can have Sasuke once they win the war against the Ninja Alliance. However, during the second day of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Itachi manages to break free of Kabuto's control and ends up finding and defeating him after forcing him to end the reanimation jutsu. Furthermore, the revived Orochimaru extracts his cells from Kabuto and restores his former apprentice to his original state. In the Japanese anime, Kabuto is
voiced by Nobutoshi Canna, and his English voice actor is Henry Dittman.

Sound Four

The Sound Four (音隠れの忍四人衆 Otogakure no Shinobi Yonin Shū, lit. "Hidden Sound Shinobi Four People", "Sound Ninja Four") are Orochimaru's elite bodyguards. The group was originally known as the "Sound Five" as they were forced to accept Kimimaro (君麻呂?), the last of the Kaguya Clan who has his kin's ability to manipulate his bone structure, as leader after he defeated the entire group in battle. After Kimimaro became bedridden due to his illness, the group resumed calling themselves the Sound Four.As a group they specialize in barriers, defensive walls, sealing techniques as well as possessing their own individual unique techniques and Curse Marks that increase their strengths.

The group is composed of Jirobo (次郎坊 Jirōbō), a large-sized man who specializes in absorbing chakra and close-quarters combat,Kidomaru (鬼童丸 Kidōmaru), a six-armed ninja who can produce spider-webs to fight and specialized in ranged combat, Sakon (左近?) and twin brother Ukon (右近?), who are the strongest of the Sound Four and count as one member due their merging abilities,and Tayuya (多由也), a woman that uses a flute to control summoned demons and cast illusions. Though introduced during Orochimaru's invasion of Konohagakure, the Sound Four do not become a prominent part of the story until sent by their leader to escort Sasuke Uchiha to him. Even with Kimimaro joining the group to ensure Sasuke's passage to Orochimaru, the Sound Five all died in the process During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kimimaro is revived by Kabuto for the war against the allied Shinobi Forces.In the anime adaptation, unaware that Kabuto brought them back instead of Orochimaru, the Sound Four were also reanimated and were allowed to act on their impulse for revenge before being defeated. It was also at the time of the war's climax that Kabuto reveals that he assimilated the Sound Five's DNA to access their abilities.

Akatsuki

Akatsuki (暁, lit. "Dawn" or "Daybreak") is an organization of criminal ninja that serves as the primary antagonistic force of the Naruto series. It was founded by Yahiko, Nagato and Konan under instruction from Obito Uchiha. After Yahiko's death it was led by Obito with Nagato as the figurehead leader, the Akatsuki's goal is world domination by using the power of the nine tailed beasts.The members of Akatsuki are ninja who have abandoned their villages, and are considered by their former homes to be S-class criminals, the most powerful and wanted ninja in the Naruto universe. At any given time, Akatsuki is composed of ten members, who operate in two-man teams; it was later reduced to nine after Orochimaru's departure. They share similar clothing, most notably a long, dark cloak bearing red clouds and a chin-high collar. Each member also possesses a stone-embedded ring, all of which are worn in their positions they occupy on the fingers of Gedo Mazo fingers. These rings are meant to link with the Gedo Mazo. Hence Orochimaru leaving with his ring left no option for Akatsuki to replace him. Aside from an attempt by two Akatsuki members, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, to capture Kurama (the nine-tailed fox sealed within Naruto Uzumaki) Akatsuki is not prominently featured in Part I.In Part II, they take a more active role, capturing Gaara and extracting the one-tailed tanuki, Shukaku, from his body, as well as working towards capturing the remaining tailed beasts. Kishimoto called the Akatsuki's members antiheroes as he wished to expand their backgrounds as much as the ones from the series' protagonists, contrasting them with other types of villains.

Itachi Uchiha

Itachi Uchiha (うちは イタチ Uchiha Itachi) is a former ninja of Konohagakure and the partner of Kisame Hoshigaki. Though having spent his early youth as the child prodigy of the Uchiha clan, Itachi is treated as a villain for much of the series. He is initially portrayed as being solely responsible for the killing of his entire clan and family, sparing only his brother, Sasuke Uchiha, with the explanation that he was testing his abilities. Around the time of his death his villainous role is downplayed; not only is he revealed to have had help from Obito Uchiha in killing the clan, but he performed the massacre under the orders of Konoha's leadership so as to prevent an Uchiha coup d'état.During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Itachi is resurrected under control of Kabuto, but manages to release himself using a genjutsu through his best friend, Shisui's eye which he placed in a crow he implanted in Naruto, meant for Sasuke. He then searches for Kabuto, teaming up with Sasuke along the way. They defeat him, destroying the resurection jutsu, but Itachi fades away because of it. In the Japanese anime, Itachi's voice actor is Hideo Ishikawa. His first voice actor in the English anime was Skip Stellrecht, who voiced Itachi in episodes 29 and 30, but in all following appearances, he has been voiced by Crispin Freeman.

Kisame Hoshigaki

Kisame Hoshigaki (干柿 鬼鮫 Hoshigaki Kisame) is a former ninja of Kirigakure and partnered to Itachi Uchiha, having a unique appearance with pale blue skin, a gill-like facial structure, and sharp triangular teeth. While he was still loyal to Kirigakure, Kisame was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of violent ninja that use particularly large swords in battle. His sword, Samehada (鮫肌 "Sharkskin" in Shippuden), is a living weapon covered in scales that can absorb untold amounts of an opponent's chakra. Only allowing those it sees as worthy to wield it, Samehada can provide the user with the chakra it holds, ensuring him an infinite amount of stamina. Kisame himself has massive amounts of chakra, comparable to a tailed beast, enough so that a clone created by the Akatsuki that held only 30% of his power contained an amount of chakra comparable to Naruto when using the Nine-Tails' chakra.By fusing Samehada into him, Kisame can assume a more shark-like form that increases his abilities. In battle, he frequently shapes water into the forms of sharks to damage opponents.[ch. 258] After discarding Samehada when it chose Killer Bee over him, Kisame is decapitated by Bee and the Raikage. It is later revealed that was just a shapeshifting technique performed by Zetsu; the real Kisame having hidden inside Samehada.He attempts to flee from the ninjas but is defeated by Guy and captured. Kisame commits suicide by summoning sharks and allowing them to eat him, but not before using one of them to steal back the information he had compiled and send it to the Akatsuki.His voice actor in the Japanese anime was the late Tomoyuki Dan,and his English voice actor is Kirk Thornton.

Deidara

Deidara (デイダラ) is a former ninja of Iwagakure, having previously left the village after bombing it. He was a terrorist bomber-for-hire before Itachi Uchiha forced him to join Akatsuki. Though he came to embrace the organization, Deidara holds a grudge against Itachi and all Uchiha throughout the series, as he feels their Sharingan eyes look down on his art work.Upon joining the Akatsuki, he is partnered with Sasori, and Sasori is replaced by Obito Uchiha after his death. Though he abuses Obito when he annoys him, Deidara becomes more like a teacher to Obito, and adopts a genuine care for his well-being.Each of Deidara's hands have mouths on them that, by infusing clay or other fine-grained minerals with chakra, create "sculptures" that are actually bombs that explode with varying intensities. Deidara's bombs can take any form he chooses, and from the time of their creation to their detonation, he can animate and control them remotely.Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's younger brother, is able to systematically nullify his bombs in combat, and so Deidara transforms himself into a living bomb in a last effort to kill Sasuke and to prove the supremacy of his art, but fails in the attempt, literally "going out with a bang" as his fellow Akatsuki members put it.He is later resurrected by Kabuto for the war against the Shinobi Alliance but is defeated.His voice actor in the Japanese anime is Katsuhiko Kawamoto.In his cameo appearance in episode 135 of the English adaptation, he is voiced by Quinton Flynn,and in the anime of Shippuden by Roger Craig Smith.

Sasori

Sasori (サソリ) is a former ninja of Sunagakure and known as "Sasori of the Red Sand" (赤砂のサソリ Akasuna no Sasori?). His parents were killed by Sakumo Hatake, also known as the White Fang of Konoha. This left him in the care of his grandmother, Chiyo who taught Sasori the art of puppetry, which he refined to fit his needs over the years. In due time he secretly devised a way to convert the corpses of humans into puppets, allowing him to use any of the ninja abilities they possessed during their life for himself. Lacking the love of parents, Sasori left Sunagakure when he got older and joined Akatsuki where he is initially partnered with Orochimaru.After Orochimaru's defection, Sasori used a mind-controlled Kabuto Yakushi as his agent to spy on Orochimaru. Sasori teamed with Deidara, who looks up to him and his artistic knowledge with reverence.In time he even converted his own body into a puppet, which essentially gives him eternal life and allows him to control hundreds of puppets at once.He used his spy in Sunagakure and aided Deidara in the capture of Gaara. Sakura Haruno and Chiyo eventually destroy his heart, the only part of his humanity he kept when converting himself to a puppet, resulting in his death, but not before telling Sakura about his rendezvous with one of Orochimaru's henchmen who had been working for him as a spy. After being resurrected by Kabuto, Sasori fights Kankuro, but is defeated and captured. Kankuro then convinces him to be at peace with himself. Due to a flaw in Kabuto's jutsu that releases the soul from its binds, Sasori comes to terms with his life and is finally able to pass on and rest in peace. In the Japanese anime, Sasori is voiced by Akiko Yajima as a child; and in the English version he is voiced by Kari Wahlgren and as an adult, he is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai and the English version by Johnny Yong Bosch. His scorpion-like puppet body, Hiruko, is voiced by Yutaka Aoyama in the Japanese version and in the English version by J. B. Blanc.

Zetsu

Zetsu (ゼツ) is the only member of the Akatsuki to regularly act without a partner, he is also the only nonhuman member and Obito's right hand. One half of Zetsu, White Zetsu (白ゼツ Shiro Zetsu?), was created by Madara among his clone brothers from the DNA of Hashirama blended with plants through the power of the Gedo Statue. Near death, Madara infused part of his mind into Zetsu, causing his right side to turn black with a second personality named Black Zetsu (黒ゼツ Kuro Zetsu) manifesting. The two personalities differ with Zetsu tending to talk and argue with himself. Through Hashirama's blood, Zetsu can merge into the ground or vegetation to quickly travel to a new location. This make him not only of use to the Akatsuki as a spy, but also to devour bodies of deceased Akatsuki members or those the organization does not want found. Zetsu can also split his personas in two separate bodies with White Zetsu able to create perfect clones of himself or whoever he touches along with using spores in his attacks. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the original White Zetsu is killed by Sasuke Uchiha while Black Zetsu is defeated and captured. As Kishimoto originally planned Akatsuki to be a group of individuals with close to no human characteristics, he decided to make Zetsu half black and half white to emphasize his split personality.In the Japanese anime, Zetsu is voiced by Nobuo Tobita.In his cameo appearance in episode 134 of the English adaptation, Zetsu has two voice actors: Black Zetsu voiced by Michael Sorich and White Zetsu by Brian Beacock, and in the English Shippuden anime both halves are voiced by Travis Willingham.

Hidan

Hidan (飛段) is the immortal, foul-mouthed, and sadomasochistic partner of Kakuzu and a former ninja of Yugakure, the Village Hidden in Boiling Water.He is a member of the Jashin (ジャシン?, lit. "evil god") religion, a religion that worships a deity of the same name and where wreaking anything less than death and utter destruction in battle is considered a sin.His religion's experimentations have led to the creation of his unique abilities; by consuming an opponent's blood and then drawing Jashin's triangular-design on the ground, Hidan can create a voodoo doll-like link with his opponent. Once this link is created, any damage done to Hidan's body is reflected on his opponent, allowing him to kill them by giving himself fatal injuries. Because he is immortal, Hidan is not impaired while doing this, instead finding pleasure in the pain it causes him.After Hidan uses this ability to kill Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara fights him to avenge his teacher. Their battle culminates in Hidan being blown up, and Shikamaru burying his still-speaking remains in a place Akatsuki will never be able to reach.As such, Hidan is no longer considered a member by the rest of Akatsuki.In the Japanese version of the anime, Hidan is voiced by Masaki Terasoma.In the English version, he is voiced by Chris Edgerly and in Naruto Shippūden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 by Wally Wingert.

Kakuzu

Kakuzu (角都) is the partner of Hidan and a former ninja of Takigakure, the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls. Kakuzu is motivated by greed and joins the Akatsuki to seek out valuable bounties. However, his extreme temperament led Kakuzu to dislike having a partner and eventually killing whomever he is partnered with in a fit of rage, being paired up with the immortal Hidan as a result.Kakuzu's body is composed of large amounts of black threads, allowing him to reattach any bodypart, his or another, back onto its owner. The threads are also capable of piercing flesh, which Kakuzu uses to remove the still-beating hearts of his opponents for his personal use while executing a jutsu called Jiongu (地怨虞?) to integrate their hearts into his body to cheat death and extend his life indefinitely.Kakuzu can store up to four spare hearts in animal masks that are sewn to his back. The masks can be detached during combat situations to shoot elemental blasts at his opponents, and can quickly be recalled to his body if he needs a replacement heart.Kakuzu's hearts are systematically destroyed soon after his introduction by a group of Konohagakure ninja. After Naruto Uzumaki leaves his final heart on the brink of failure, Kakuzu is easily finished off by Kakashi. After being resurrected by Kabuto, he is sent out to participate in the war until being sealed. In the Japanese anime, Kakuzu's Japanese voice actor is Takaya Hashi and in the English version he is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.

Nagato

Nagato (長門?), primarily known as Pain (ペイン Pein) is the figurehead leader of Akatsuki and a ninja from Amegakure, partnered to Konan, with Obito acting as his benefactor. He is one of the few known surviving members of the Uzumaki clan, which gifted him with long lifespan and special chakra; thus he is related to the series' main protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki.He is also the principal figure in the tailed beast sealing ceremony. The "Pain" that is normally seen in the series and uses the Deva Path abilities is actually Nagato's deceased friend, Yahiko (弥彦), who had turned as one of six animated corpses collectively known as The Six Paths of Pain (ペイン六道 Pein Rikudō) that are all controlled by Nagato and each use one sixth of his full power.At a young age, Nagato was secretly visited by Madara Uchiha who implanted his Rinnegan (輪廻眼, lit. "Saṃsāra Eye") into the child's body, giving him the ability to use powerful abilities based on the six Buddhist paths of reincarnation. Orphaned from the war-torn country of Amegakure, Nagato met fellow orphans Konan and Yahiko before they are all trained by Jiraiya. Nagato desired peace for the world, aiding Yahiko to create the Akatsuki to achieve that shared dream.However, a trap laid by Amegakure's dictator Hanzo led to Yahiko's death, causing Nagato to take over as the new leader of the organization. Though the encounter crippled Nagato, the experience of having his best friend die caused Nagato to come to the realization that peace could only be attained by teaching the world the pain caused by war.

To that end he adopted the alias "Pain" to conquer Amegakure and invented the Six Paths of Pain to overcome his handicap and kill Hanzo, becoming a "god" in the eyes of Amegakure's citizens.Having made cosmetic alterations to the other Paths by dyeing their hair to match Yahiko's, the Paths are all outfitted with a number of body piercings that serve as a means for Nagato to control them and to give them a "more dangerous" appearance in relation to their name's installation.Through Nagato's Rinnegan, they can also share visual information and coordinate attacks.

Jiraiya would later confront Nagato in the Deva Path vessel while infiltrating Amegakure, resulting in a fight with Nagato dismissing his former mentor's ideals while killing him. However, Jiraiya managed to take out Nagato's Animal Path vessel and he fashions a new one from a female corpse. During Pain's attack on Konoha, the rest of the Paths destroyed in the fight, the Deva Path is defeated by Naruto. Talking with Naruto, Nagato's faith in their mentor and world peace is renewed as he sacrifices his life in order to revive the people he killed in Konoha.From there, Nagato and Yahiko's body are taken back to Amegakure for a proper funeral. However, after Nagato took back the Rinnegan from him, Nagato is reanimated by Kabuto and sent alongside Itachi to battle Naruto and Killer Bee. Though he regained his ability to fight at his full potential, Nagato is defeated by Itachi and sent back to the afterlife. In the Japanese anime, Yahiko/Pain and the other male Paths are voiced by Kenyu Horiuchi while Nagato's voice actor is Junpei Morita.In his cameo appearance in episode 135 of the English adaptation, Yahiko/Pain is voiced by Dave Wittenberg, and in the Shippuden anime he is voiced by Troy Baker,while Nagato is voiced by Vic Mignogna.

Konan

Konan (小南) is the only female ninja in Akatsuki. As such, Kishimoto originally wanted her to have an obscene appearance showing more of her bust.Being a partner of Nagato, Konan was also a pupil under Jiraiya after she was orphaned as a child by one of Amegakure's many wars and forced to fend for herself. Because she serves under Nagato, she is referred to by villagers of Amegakure as "God's angel". While under Jiraiya, Konan learned to take advantage of her natural talent with origami, using it as a key component in her battle style.Konan can divide her body into countless sheets of paper, which she controls and reshapes remotely to scout out an area, form weapons for attack, or create wings that mirror her title. While Konan's abilities are restricted when the paper is wet; since paper will cling to itself and lose its stiffness, she is able to use this weakness to her advantage as she implements explosive tags into her paper clones. After Nagato's death, Konan withdraws her position in Akatsuki and leaves the organizationLater, she is confronted by Obito over the location of Nagato's Rinnegan eyes. She fights him, but is killed after being forced to reveal Nagato's resting place.In the Japanese anime, Konan is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka and in the English anime, her voice actor is Dorothy Elias-Fahn. Taka

Taka (鷹, "Hawk") is a group formed by Sasuke Uchiha that consists of Orochimaru's former subordinates. When first formed it goes by the name "Hebi" (蛇, "Snake"), with its mission being to find and kill Sasuke's brother, Itachi Uchiha, to avenge the latter's slaughter of the Uchiha clan by the time the name change occurs.Its first recruited member is Suigetsu Hozuki (鬼灯 水月 Hōzuki Suigetsu), former test subject of Orochimaru whose Kekkei Genkai allows him to change his body to liquid form, who wishes to restore the Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen by taking their swords.He utilizes the regenerative sword Kubikiribōchō, formerly owned by Zabuza Momochi. The second member is Karin (香燐), a former assistant to Orochimaru who specializes in tracking specific individuals through chakra over long distances,and is highly flirtatious when she is alone with Sasuke.She is later revealed to be one of the few surviving members of the Uzumaki clan; thus she is related to other characters descended from the clan, including the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, and the Akatsuki's figurehead leader, Nagato.The third and last member is the prisoner Jugo (重吾 Jūgo), the source of Orochimaru's cursed seals due to enzymes that render him mentally unstable, who follows Sasuke as he sees him as the living legacy of his late friend Kimimaro.

After Itachi's death and Sasuke's discovery that the Uchiha were wiped out under the orders of Konohagakure, Sasuke renames their group "Taka" and changes its mission to the destruction of Konoha. Prior to carrying out this intent, Sasuke agrees to work with Akatsuki to help them obtain Tailed Beast Gyuki though his group failed to capture Killer Bee.After Sasuke's failed infiltration of the Kage Summit in the Land of Iron, Taka splits as Jugo and Suigetsu are captured by the samurai of the Land of Iron, and Karin taken for questioning after being abandoned by Sasuke during the ensuing fight with Danzo Shimura. However, Jugo and Suigetsu escape their captors and return to one of Orochimaru's many hideouts where they find an ancient scroll of great significance. Karin later escapes from prison and reunites with Sasuke and her teammates, alongside Orochimaru and the four resurrected Hokage.


Tobi was Kishimoto's favorite Akatsuki character at the time to draw, due to his simple mask.In the Japanese anime, Obito is voiced by Naoya Uchida while his Tobi persona is voiced by Wataru Takagi. In his youth, he is voiced by Sōsuke Komori.In the English anime, Obito is voiced by Neil Kaplan with Michael Yurchak voicing his Tobi persona.Nolan North does Obito's voice in the video games while his younger self is voiced by Vic Mignogna.

Madara Uchiha

Madara Uchiha (うちは マダラ Uchiha Madara) is one of the founders of Konohagakure and the leader of the Uchiha clan and one of the main antagonists of the series.Though a childhood friend of Hashirama Senju, Madara fought with him during the Warring States Period.In time, Madara's overuse of Mangekyo Sharingan blinded him before he gained the transplanted eyes of his younger brother Izuna Uchiha (うちは イズナ Uchiha Izuna?) after he died from wounds caused by Tobirama to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to continue fighting opposing clans.However, though he agreed to have peace, Madara felt he would never be accepted and lost hope after reading Uchiha tablet, ultimately left the village to achieve his dream. While achieving his goal, Madara captures Kurama the Nine Tails and use him to in a scheme to destroy Konoha.Madara was believed to have been killed by Hashirama's hand, but survived and went into hiding, having taken a blood sample of Hashirama and used it on himself to increase his power and set the stage for his Eye of the Moon Plan.Using life support after gaining the Rinnegan as an old man, Madara takes Obito Uchiha as his apprentice and continue his work while transplanting his eyes into Nagato as means to be revived years later.

During most of the Naruto series, Obito uses the name of Madara until Kabuto Yakushi finds the real Madara and reanimates him to fight against the Shinobi Alliance.Madara manages to sever his connection to Kabuto's technique to remain after the other reanimated ninja are allowed to return to the afterlife, and defeats the five Kage before joining Obito in battle. Though he eventually decides to force Obito to truly resurrect him, Madara's intent to become the Ten Tails Jinchuriki fails as he resolves to settle things with the reanimated Hashirama instead.In the Japanese anime, Madara is voiced by Naoya Uchida while Neil Kaplan voices him in the English version.

Team 8

Team 8 is a group of Konohagakure ninja led by Kurenai Yuhi. The members of Team 8 primarily concentrate on tracking, with each of the members' unique abilities being utilized in this role. During Part II, Team 8, excluding Kurenai due to her pregnancy, joins Naruto Uzumaki and Team 7 in their search for Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha.However, their mission ends up in failure, with them being unable to locate either of the Uchiha brothers.

Kiba Inuzuka

Kiba Inuzuka (犬塚 キバ Inuzuka Kiba) is a member of Team 8 characterized by a number of dog-like traits such as being very protective of his teammates and extremely keen senses such as smell. Most apparent of his connection to dogs is the constant presence of his ninja dog (忍犬 ninken), Akamaru. Kiba is fiercely loyal to Akamaru, unwilling to abandon him and putting himself in harm's way for Akamaru's sake.In exchange for Kiba's devotion, Akamaru fights with him in battle; he uses his heightened senses to Kiba's advantage, and helps to double-team opponents with volleys of physical attacks. Since Akamaru is naturally better equipped for combat, Kiba usually modifies his own abilities at the start of a battle, growing claws and traveling on all four limbs to increase his speed.He can also drastically increase his sense of smell, and by the second half of the series he can use it to track things dogs cannot.Kiba's voice actor in the Japanese anime is Kōsuke Toriumi, and his English voice actor is Kyle Hebert.

Akamaru

Akamaru (赤丸) is Kiba Inuzuka's ninja dog, best friend, and constant companion. At the start of the series, Kiba carries Akamaru around on his head or inside his jacket. By Part II of the Naruto storyline, Akamaru grows large enough for Kiba to ride atop his back, but since Kiba spends so much time with Akamaru, he fails to notice this drastic difference.With his heightened sense of smell, hearing, and the ability to detect others' chakra levels, Akamaru acts as a valuable tool for Kiba in hostile situations. To help Kiba keep track of opponents, Akamaru can urinate on them, giving them a strong odor that can easily be tracked. In battle, however, he relies on Kiba to provide the chakra for the combination attacks they execute, which requires Akamaru to transform into a clone of Kiba.In the original Japanese anime, Akamaru is voiced by Junko Takeuchi, who is also the voice actor for Naruto Uzumaki, and Kōsuke Toriumi, who voices Kiba, when Akamaru transforms into a clone of Kiba.In the English adaptation of the anime, Akamaru's vocal effects as a puppy are provided by Jamie Simone though Kyle Hebert provided the voice of Akamaru when he took Kiba's form.

Shino Aburame

Shino Aburame (油女 シノ Aburame Shino) is one of the members of Team 8 and is fascinated with insects; he spends his free time capturing and studying insects and often uses them as analogies during conversation.A deep connection with insects runs in Shino's family, as each person born in to the Aburame clan is infused with a special breed of insects known as "destruction bugs" (寄壊蟲 kikaichū) during birth. In exchange for using Shino as a hive and feeding on his chakra, the bugs do as he commands. During a battle, Shino directs his bugs towards an opponent, boxing them in without their knowledge and absorbing their chakra once they have been surrounded. Shino's merciless tendencies, in regards to opponents as well as his attachment to insects, have caused other characters to label him as "creepy".Nevertheless, Shino cares deeply for his teammates, being acutely aware of their inner workings and always regretting when he is unable to help them.In the Japanese anime, his voice actor is Shinji Kawada.His first voice actor in the English anime was Sam Riegel, who voiced Shino in episodes 23 and 24, but in all following appearances, he has been voiced by Derek Stephen Prince.

Hinata Hyuga

Hinata Hyuga (日向 ヒナタ Hyūga Hinata) 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. 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. 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.

Though Hinata's training has in large part been to prove herself, she also trains to try to win the attention of the 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.While Hinata is hesitant to openly admit her feelings for him, most characters are aware of her feelings.In the anime, Hinata's attempts to impress Naruto result in her creation of an original ability capable of instantly blocking or attacking anything in her extended field of vision.During Part II, Hinata finally admits her love to Naruto while protecting him from Pain and later fighting by his side during the Allied Ninjas' battle with the Ten Tails.Her voice actress in the Japanese anime is Nana Mizuki, and her English voice actress is Stephanie

Sheh.

Kurenai Yuhi

Kurenai Yuhi (夕日 紅 Yūhi Kurenai) is the leader of Team 8, a skilled user of genjutsu who is shown to be particularly skilled with illusions involving plants.Of all her students, Kurenai is closest with Hinata, acting as a surrogate parent in the absence of Hinata's father and helping Hinata overcome her weaknesses.Whenever Kurenai appears in the series, she is usually accompanied by her childhood friend Asuma Sarutobi. Because of this, many other characters assume them to be a couple, though they both deny this.During Part II of the series, Kurenai is revealed to be pregnant with Asuma's child, making their relationship clear.Several months after Asuma's death, Kurenai gave birth to their child; however, the child's name remains unknown.In the Japanese anime, her voice actress is Rumi Ochiai.In the English adaptation of the anime, she was voiced by Saffron Henderson in episode three, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in all subsequent appearances.

Team 10

Team 10 is a group of Konohagakure ninja led by Asuma Sarutobi. The fathers of the three team members Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka were also on a team together, and both generations refer to their team using the moniker "Ino-Shika-Cho."During Part II, Asuma is slain in an encounter with members of Akatsuki, and Kakashi Hatake briefly assumes leadership of the team to hunt down those responsible for Asuma's death.

Choji Akimichi

Choji Akimichi (秋道 チョウジ Akimichi Chōji) is a member of Team 10 who is typified by his deep love for food to the extent that he always has a snack with him during the series. Though his habit of always eating gives him a relatively large appearance, Choji insists he is not fat, instead using explanations like being "big-boned". If someone refers to him as fat, Choji instantly becomes hostile and increases his resolve to battle.Shikamaru Nara has never found an issue with Choji's weight, instead choosing to look upon Choji's inner strength. Because of this, Choji regards him as his best friend, stating he would willingly give his life to defend Shikamaru.In battle, Choji can increase the size of his body to improve the amount of damage his strikes deal upon impact.He can also use his clan's signature Calorie Control (カロリーコントロール Karorī Kontorōru) which converts his body fat to chakra (symbolized by butterfly wings in his back), although at first he can only use it through the help of three colored pills that can inflict side effects if eaten.Kishimoto stated that Chōji and Killer B are currently his favourite characters in the Naruto series during a 2012 Shōnen Jump interview. His voice actor in the Japanese anime is Kentaro Ito and his English voice actor is Robbie Rist.

Shikamaru Nara

Shikamaru Nara (奈良 シカマル Nara Shikamaru) is one of the members of Team 10. Creator Kishimoto has noted that he "likes" Shikamaru due to his easygoing nature despite being a genius, and contrasted him against Sasuke Uchiha's intelligent but abrasive personality Shikamaru's intelligence is such that Asuma Sarutobi, Team 10's leader, has never been able to defeat Shikamaru at games such as shogi or go, and he can devise complex strategies even in the heat of battle. However, his laziness frequently prevents him from effectively utilizing his intelligence.Shikamaru is a longtime friend of Choji Akimichi, his fellow Team 10 member, as he chooses to look upon Choji as a person rather than only considering his large girth.In battle, Shikamaru can manipulate his shadow, and by extending it into another person's shadow he can force the target to mimic his movements.In the Japanese anime, Shikamaru's voice actor is Showtaro Morikubo, although Nobutoshi Canna acted as a stand-in for Morikubo in episode 141.His English voice actor is Tom Gibis.

Ino Yamanaka

Ino Yamanaka (山中 いの Yamanaka Ino) is the only female member of Team 10. She is a childhood friend of Sakura Haruno, helping her to develop her own identity. When they discovered that they both liked Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura ended their friendship so they could properly compete for his affectionThe two eventually make amends and rekindle their friendship, but still maintain a competitive attitude towards each other.In the anime, when Sakura begins to excel in healing techniques, Ino becomes her surrogate apprentice, hoping to be more useful to her friends and teammates as an able medical ninja.In terms of combat abilities, Ino specializes in mind-altering techniques. To use these techniques, Ino transfers her consciousness to her target's mind, gaining control over their body which she can then use to attack others.In the Japanese anime, her voice actress is Ryōka Yuzuki, and her voice actress is Colleen O'Shaughnessey in the English adaptation.

Asuma Sarutobi

Asuma Sarutobi (猿飛 アスマ Sarutobi Asuma) was the leader of Team 10 and son of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. In battle, Asuma wields trench knives that can be infused his wind nature chakra to extend the blades' length and easily pierce through a rock.Asuma had a falling out with his father when he was younger and briefly left Konohagakure in protest, gaining fame as a member of the Land of Fire's Ten Guardian Shinobi. Though Asuma eventually returned, gaining the resolve to protect Konoha's next generation from his experiences outside his home, he never completely reconciled with his father by the time of Hiruzen's death.Asuma is usually seen smoking a cigarette, but will temporarily drop the habit when something is bothering him, such as when his father died.Among all his students, Asuma shares a particularly close relationship with Shikamaru Nara, often playing shogi or go together. Asuma frequently appears alongside his childhood friend Kurenai Yuhi, denying having a relation before it is revealed that Kurenai is bearing his child.After Asuma is killed by Hidan of the criminal organization Akatsuki, Shikamaru inherited his mentor's ideals as he uses his knuckles to defeat Hidan. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Asuma is brought back with the Reanimation Jutsu to fight for Kabuto before he defeated by his students and sealed until his soul is allowed to return to the afterlife. Asuma's voice actor in the Japanese anime is Jūrōta Kosugi, and he is voiced by Doug Erholtz in the English adaptation.

Team Guy

Team Guy is a group of Konohagakure ninja led by Might Guy. The members of Team Guy primarily concentrate on physical attacks and weapons. They are a year older than the other members of Konohagakure's teams, as Guy wanted to wait a year before they could take the test to advance in ninja rank and become Chunin. In Part II, Team Guy joins Team 7 in attempting to save Gaara from the criminal organization, Akatsuki.

Neji Hyuga

Neji Hyuga (日向 ネジ Hyūga Neji) was a boss of Team Guy and a child prodigy of the Hyuga clan, as well as being Hinata's cousin.Though a member of the branch house, Neji displayed his title as a prodigy of the Hyuga throughout the series as a master of his clan's Gentle Fist style of combat that he taught to himself.At the start of the series, Neji openly hated the main house because his father was killed in the place of the main house's leader, his uncle and Hinata's father.

Originally, Neji believed in a fatalistic philosophy: that one's destiny is inescapable and that a weak person will always be weak.After being defeated in the Chunin Exams by Naruto Uzumaki, who defied his own "fate" by getting stronger, Neji had a change of heart once Hiashi revealed the full story of his twin brother's death as an act of self-sacrifice. Since then, Neji abandoned the idea of a predetermined fate and resolved to get strong enough to never lose a battle.As the series progressed, Neji refined his Gentle Fist and devised original variations that either increase their potency or to fix an inherent flaw such as a blindspot in his Byakugan.Neji also remedy the estranged relations between himself and the members of the main house, resulting in his training with Hiashi and Hinata at the end of Part I.Neji is killed during the Fourth Great Ninja War as he sacrifices himself to protect Naruto and Hinata from Obito Uchiha's attack, telling a horrified Naruto that he made the choice to die protecting those dear to him as his father had. In the Japanese anime, his voice actor is Kōichi Tōchika, and when he is featured as a child, he is voiced by Keiko Nemoto.His voice in the English anime is provided by Steve Staley, and Wendee Lee provides his child voice.

Rock Lee

Rock Lee (ロック・リー Rokku Rī) is a member of Team Guy and the favorite student of team leader Might Guy. In the ninja academy, Rock Lee was unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu techniques, but his persistence impressed Guy. Guy spends much of his free time training with Lee to help him accomplish his dream of becoming a respected ninja by using only taijutsu. Lee has adopted several of Guy's habits because of this, such as his wardrobe and his perseverance.Guy has taught him a number of powerful, even forbidden, techniques. Because some of these techniques, such as the ability to open the eight chakra gates, can pose a severe risk to Lee's body, he is only permitted to use them to protect something or someone dear to him.In the Japanese anime and manga, he almost always utilizes honorifics such as "san" and "kun". In the English adaptations, he never uses contractions other than sensei, though neither do any other characters. In the Japanese anime, his voice actor is Yoichi Masukawa, and his voice actor is Brian Donovan in English.

Tenten

Tenten (テンテン) is the only female member of Team Guy, and longs to prove that a female ninja can be just as skilled as a male ninja. Of all the Naruto protagonists, Tenten receives the least amount of screen time in the series, such that her only fight in Part I of the manga is almost entirely skipped; the battle's start and her eventual defeat are the only portions shown.Despite her lack of appearances, series creator Masashi Kishimoto favors her design more than those of any of the other female characters he has created.In battle, Tenten specializes in weaponry, ranging from projectiles to close-combat weapons and even explosives by the second part of the series. During a fight she uses the hundreds of weapons kept stored in scrolls she carries with her to bombard opponents with pinpoint accuracy. Tenten uses this expertise to help Neji Hyuga train his defensive techniques, and she holds him in high regard since he can always block her attacks.Her Japanese voice actress is Yukari Tamura, and her English voice actress is Danielle Judovits.

Might Guy

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Might Guy (マイト・ガイ Maito Gai) is the leader of Team Guy, and dedicates most of his time to only one of his students, Rock Lee. Because of Guy's dedication to him, Lee has modeled himself in his master's image, mimicking Guy's distinctive green jumpsuit and shiny bowl haircut. Lee has also adopted many of Guy's mannerisms, including his "My Rules" philosophy, which involves setting tough self-imposed penalties for failure in the belief that the punishment will make him stronger.Series creator Masashi Kishimoto likens Guy's passionate personality to that of a physical education teacher he had in junior high school, but notes that the teacher was not a model for Guy's character.

In battle, Guy specializes in physical attacks, which he constantly tries to teach to Lee. While Lee is forced to concentrate on physical attacks due to his inability to use other types of techniques, Guy deliberately chooses not to use techniques other than physical attacks.When not teaching Lee a new ability, Guy is usually found in competition with his self-proclaimed rival, Kakashi Hatake. Throughout the series, Kakashi has never displayed a particular interest in their rivalry, which only further motivates Guy to defeat Kakashi and his "coolness".He is also an extremely capable ninja, being able to handle Itachi Uchiha and also beating Kisame Hoshigaki single-handedly on two occasions. In the Japanese anime, his voice actor is Masashi Ebara, and his English voice actor is Skip Stellrecht.

Hokage

The Hokage (火影, lit. "Fire Shadow") is the leader of Konohagakure. Over the course of the series, there have been five Hokage, who are honored by the village by having sculptures of their faces carved into the rock formation overlooking Konohagakure. The First Hokage was Hashirama Senju, who founded the village along with Madara Uchiha. The First was succeeded by his younger brother, Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage who created Konoha's government system and attempted to keep Uchiha clan members from ending up like Madara.He in turn was followed by one of his students, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who became the Third Hokage. After a long rule, the Third abdicated in favor of Minato Namikaze, who took the position of Fourth Hokage, but reclaimed his position after the Fourth gave his life to save the village from Kurama, the nine-tailed fox.The Third is the Hokage at the beginning of the series, but he dies in battle with his former student, Orochimaru, during an invasion of Konohagakure.Another of his students, Hashirama's granddaughter Tsunade, succeeds him as the Fifth Hokage. Danzo follows Tsunade becoming the unofficial leader of Konoha, the candidate Sixth Hokage, after she enters a coma as a consequence of defending the village from Pain. After Danzo's death, Kakashi is considered for the Hokage title until Tsunade's recovery, at which point she resumes her duty.

Hashirama Senju

Hashirama Senju (千手 柱間 Senju Hashirama), the First Hokage (初代火影 Shodai Hokage) is the co-founder of the first ninja village, Konohagakure, and the former leader of Senju Clan. He is also the husband of the first host of Kurama, Mito Uzumaki, and the grandfather of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. He was a respected ninja of his era and was known as the "God of Shinobi" (忍の神 Shinobi no Kami). He was also the only person in his clan who was naturally born with the Wood Style kekkei genkai. Despite this, Hashirama had a cheerful and happy-go-lucky personality, which can be compared to that of Naruto Uzumaki. Hashirama lived his childhood during the Warring States period, and had witnessed his two brothers being killed by the enemies. He made friendship with Madara Uchiha who helped him found Konoha, but his brother Tobirama objected their relation and eventually Madara left the village. Hashirama then captured the Tailed Beasts as offerings for the stability between the villages, including Kurama, who he captured after a long battle with Madara.He later died through many wars of his era, yet was brought back by the Reanimation jutsu twice by Orochimaru the first of which to battle his former student Hiruzen, while the second to help Sasuke understand the Konoha's history before battling Madara in the Fourth Great Ninja War. In the Japanese anime, he is voiced by Takayuki Sugō, and his English voice actor are Jamieson Price in Part I, Peter Lurie in Part II, and J.B. Blanc in some video games.

Tobirama Senju

Tobirama Senju (千手 扉間 Senju Tobirama), the Second Hokage (二代目火影 Nidaime Hokage?), is the younger brother of Hashirama and the former teacher of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is credited as being the Hokage who created the infrastructure of Konohagakure, including the Ninja Academy and Police Force. He was skilled in Water Style techniques and is known throughout the Ninja World for creating the Flying Thunder God Jutsu (飛雷神の術 Hiraishin no Jutsu), the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and the controversial Reanimation Jutsu, although he abandoned its completion due to its sinister nature.His knowledge of the Uchiha anatomy and source of their power shows that he was into anatomical research and studies. In contrast to his humble, simple, and easygoing brother, Tobirama is proud, cunning, skeptical, spiteful, cynical, and self righteous as a result of his traumatic childhood. Tobirama lived his childhood during the Warring States period, in which his two brothers were murdered by the rival Uchiha clan. Consequently, he disapproved of Hashirama's friendship with Madara Uchiha despite after the rival clans had reconciled, eventually leading to Madara's departure. Tobirama later received the title of Hokage after Hashirama's death. However this was short-lived as he was killed in an ambush during the First Great Ninja War Before his death he appointed Hiruzen as his successor, much to the dislike of Danzo Shimura. He was later brought by the Reanimation Jutsu after it was perfected by Orochimaru and forced to battle Hiruzen.Tobirama is later brought back gain to inform Sasuke Uchiha about the Uchiha Clan and to participate in the battle against the Ten Tails. In the Japanese anime, he is voiced by Ken'yū Horiuchi, and his English voice actor are Peter Lurie in Part I, Jamieson Price in Part II, and Steven Blum in some video games.

Hiruzen Sarutobi

Hiruzen Sarutobi (猿飛 ヒルゼン Sarutobi Hiruzen?), the Third Hokage (三代目火影 Sandaime Hokage), has been the longest-ruling Hokage, being forced to return to duty after the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze's death.He is a peace-loving leader, preferring nonviolent discussions to his advisers' more militaristic suggestions. He is highly revered by the villagers, and even by his all time rival Danzo Shimura. Throughout the series, he acts as a source of wisdom to younger generations; and from the start, is one of the few characters to treat Naruto Uzumaki as a person, not as the host of Kurama.He was also known as "The Professor" (プロフェッサー Purofessā), as he purportedly knew every jutsu in Konohagakure, and was also revered as the "God of Shinobi" (忍の神 Shinobi no Kami).He is able to use the Summoning Jutsu, which allows him to summon the Monkey King Enma (閻魔), who takes the form of a long rod when not summoned. He was also the teacher of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. Orochimaru had always been his favorite student, and Sarutobi could never bring himself to recognize Orochimaru's evil qualities. When Orochimaru invades Konoha years later, Sarutobi fights him to repent for never prosecuting Orochimaru as he should have.While he is unable to seal Orochimaru with the forbidden Reaper Death Seal, Hiruzen still manages to rob Orochimaru of his ability to use jutsu by sealing just his arms, bringing an end to the invasion and thus allowing him to die happily.It is eventually revealed that Hiruzen was a reluctant member in the conspiracy behind the Uchiha clan massacre, attempting to solve the idea without violence and promising Itachi Uchiha to look his younger brother. Years later during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Orochimaru releases Hiruzen's soul from the Reaper and reanimates him so Sasuke can confirm the events behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre. In the Japanese anime, he is voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata, and his English voice actor is Steve Kramer.

Minato Namikaze

Minato Namikaze (波風 ミナト Namikaze Minato), the Fourth Hokage (四代目火影 Yondaime Hokage), is the father of Naruto Uzumaki and spouse to Kushina Uzumaki. Although Naruto and Minato are noted to have a number of similar physical traits throughout the series, their familial relationship is not revealed until Part II of the series. He was the student of Jiraiya and the teacher of Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara. The entire village respects Minato as a hero of the village except Obito and later the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, both being of the opinion that Minato is always presumptuous and cocky. Up until his death many, even the Fourth Raikage, recognised him as the saviour of the Ninja World, being a student of Jiraiya as mentioned in the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage. Minato was a prodigy among ninja, such that enemy villages issued flee-on-sight orders if ever he appeared on a battlefield. While the technique was created by Tobirama, it was Minato who perfected the coveted Flying Thunder God Technique, which is essentially a teleportation technique capable of transporting its users between pre-made seals, thus earning him the title of "Konoha's Yellow Flash" (木ノ葉の黄色い閃光 Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō).He has learned many transportation and sealing techniques, the latter from the texts of the near extinct Uzumaki clan, one of which is the Reaper Death Seal. Before the start of the series, after battling the mysterious masked ninja who released the nine Tails Kurama, using the Reaper Death Seal, Minato sacrificed himself to seal Kurama into Naruto's body to save Konoha while absorbing the yin half of Kurama's being into himself so his son can only access the Nine Tails's yang chakra.Years later during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Orochimaru releases Minato's soul from the Reaper and reanimates him. After Sasuke listens to his answers, Minato and the other Hokage decide to fight alongside Sasuke on the battlefield and defeat Madara Uchiha once and for all. Minato is the first to arrive and meets his son Naruto the moment of his arrival, revealing his own Nine Tails Chakra mode during the fight before learning that Obito was the masked man he faced the night of his death. Kishimoto has expressed desire to make a spin-off series with Minato as the protagonist, but much younger.His Japanese voice actor is Toshiyuki Morikawa and his English voice actor is Tony Oliver.

Tsunade

Tsunade (綱手), as well as her former teammates Jiraiya and Orochimaru, is a former student of Hiruzen Sarutobi.Despite looking like a buxom woman in her twenties, Tsunade is actually an older woman in her fifties who uses a transformation technique to maintain her youthful appearance.Tsunade is also the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki with many referring to her by the Japanese honorific "hime" (princess). Despite her connections to the three first Hokage, Tsunade hates the position when she is first introduced. After her boyfriend Dan Katō and brother Nawaki died in pursuit of their dreams to become Hokage, she lost faith in the title and the concept of dreams. She regains her faith in both after meeting Naruto Uzumaki, who consistently overcomes any obstacle in his own dreams of being Hokage. As a result, Tsunade accepts the position of Fifth Hokage (五代目火影 Godaime Hokage) to protect Konohakagure on behalf of everyone she has loved.Despite the importance of her position, Tsunade tends to avoid her everyday duties, instead leaving them for her assistant Shizune. She will fulfil her role to address matters important to the village, and throughout Part II leads Konoha in combating the Akatsuki. Inheriting this aspect from the First Hokage, Tsunade is a compulsive gambler with terrible luck with a rare winning streak perceived by her as a bad omen. Despite her odd personality, Tsunade is a talented medical ninja with superhuman strength that allows her to reduce buildings to rubble and can heal injuries that most others would consider incurable. Utilizing her Uzumaki bloodline, Tsunade devised a method of mitotic regeneration for herself that make her nearly unkillable in battle yet greatly shortens her overall lifespan. In the Japanese anime, Tsunade's voice actress is Masako Katsuki, and her English voice actress is Debi Mae West.In some of the video games, however, her English voice actress is Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.

Danzo Shimura

Danzo Shimura (志村 ダンゾウ Shimura Danzō) is one of the oldest villagers in Konohagakure, a moderately cantankerous war hawk who believes that all of the former Hokage have placed world peace above the village's best interests. However, his attitude and thoughts is quite similar to that of Tobirama Senju. He believed that ninja are supposed to be emotionless, working from the shadows and willing to take up any means and go to any end to achieve goals. Danzo had orchestrated many events that would earn him hatred from many parties, including the Uchiha Clan massacre, as well as the secret alliance with the leader of Amegakure, Hanzō of the Salamander to get rid of Akatsuki, which resulted in the death of its leader, Yahiko, and the organization's subsequent shift from being a liberation group to a criminal corp. The right half of his body is covered in bandages to hide a damaged Sharingan eye transplanted from the body of Shisui Uchiha, as well as the vast amount of Sharingan eyes grafted to his arm. He also had himself injected with the cells of the First Hokage allowing him to use the Senju Clan's unique skills. From his early youth he had seen Hiruzen as his rival. Consequently, he opposed all the teachings of Hiruzen. He was considered for the position of Third Hokage, but that title was given to Hiruzen Sarutobi by Tobirama, whom he served as an advisor.Since then he has been using The Foundation, his own personal black ops team the Root, to secretly ensure he would become Hokage.Throughout Part II, Danzo has been at odds with Tsunade and acts on his agenda of killing off Sasuke Uchiha in secret. After Konohagakure is destroyed by Pain and Tsunade is left in a coma, Danzo finally convinces the Fire Country's feudal lord to make him Acting Candidate Sixth Hokage (六代目火影候補 Rokudaime Hokage Kouho) over his competition Kakashi Hatake, arguing that Jiraiya and all Hokages who believed in Hiruzen's teachings have led to the village's distress. Using his new found power he orders to have the ninja track down both Sasuke and Kabuto, the latter in order to restore Shisui's eye. However, while at the Five Kage conference, Danzo is forced into fighting Sasuke. He dies shortly after Sasuke mortally wounds him.Before his death he admits that Hiruzen and he were dichotomous analogues to the trunk and roots of the tree that is the village. His animal summon is the giant tapir Baku. In the Japanese anime he is voiced by Hiroshi Ito and in the English version he is voiced by William Frederick Knight.

Sand Siblings

The Sand Siblings are ninja from the village of Sunagakure and the children of the Fourth Kazekage, the former leader of the village.They come to Konohagakure to participate in the biannual Chunin exams, and serve as antagonists in the subsequent invasion of Konohagakure. Due to their interactions with Naruto Uzumaki, and learning their father was murdered by their supposed ally Orochimaru, the Sand Siblings return as allies of Konohagakure, aiding Naruto's group in their attempts to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha from Orochimaru's forces. Kishimoto changed their costumes for their return due to the difficulty in drawing their original attire, as well as to symbolize their new friendship with Konohagakure.By the event of Part II, Gaara became the Fifth Kazekage while his older siblings become his bodyguards.

Gaara

Gaara (我愛羅) is the youngest of the three siblings, made into a weapon by his father when he became the Jinchuriki of the tailed beast Shukaku the One-Tail (一尾の守鶴 Ichibi no Shukaku) before he was born. This act caused the death of his mother during labor and Gaara was placed in the care of his mother's younger brother. Like Naruto, and because his sand unconsciously attacked those around him when he was threatened, Gaara was tormented by his fellow villagers. His uncle was the only person who treated him with love. His uncle's out of the blue attempt to murder Gaara left him traumatised and he developed a sadistic and withdrawn personality, killing others to affirm the value of his existence.He was created as a foil to Naruto Uzumaki, with a similar background yet a highly divergent personality.His battle with Naruto during the invasion of Konoha changes this mentality; as a result, he becomes more willing to help others as the purpose for his existence, and he succeeds his deceased father as Sunagakure's Fifth Kazekage during Part II.Though Shukaku was removed from his body by the Akatsuki, Gaara still controlled sand. Later he learns the truth behind his jutsu and his uncle's actions when he confronted his reanimated father, the Fourth Kazekage during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Gaara's Japanese voice actor is Akira Ishida, and his English voice actor is Liam O'Brien.

Kankuro

Kankuro (カンクロウ Kankurō) is the second oldest of the three siblings. For the first half of the series, he is frequently at odds with Gaara, though he tends to hold his tongue for fear of being killed. In Part II, once Gaara begins to reveal his dreams and motivations to Kankuro, Kankuro becomes very protective of Gaara; he lashes out at anyone who speaks poorly of Gaara and when Gaara is kidnapped, he readily risks his life to save him.Kankuro is a talented puppeteer, normally using his bladed attack puppet Crow (烏 Karasu?) and trapping puppet Black Ant (黒蟻 Kuroari) in combination attacks. He also possesses the large puppet Salamander (山椒魚 Sanshōuo) that provides him with combination defense and offense. After his puppets were destroyed by their creator, Kankuro gains a new puppet in Sasori's lifeless body Scorpion (蠍 Sasori) and modifies it for his use as a normal puppet. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, after defeating the reanimated Sasori and breaking Kabuto's hold over him, Kankuro is entrusted with the Mother and Father puppets. In the Japanese anime, his voice actor is Yasuyuki Kase, and his English voice actor is Michael Lindsay, until he was replaced by Doug Erholtz in 2013.

Temari

Temari (テマリ) is the oldest of the three siblings. Unlike her more combat-loving brothers, Temari values peace, as she questions Sunagakure's justifications for going to war with Konohagakure.This trait carries over to Part II, in which she begins acting as a liaison between Sunagakure and Konohagakure to help the two villages work together. In her time in Konohagakure, Temari is often seen walking with Shikamaru Nara, causing other characters to think they are dating, although both deny this.In battle, Temari wields a giant iron fan that can create powerful gusts of wind capable of leveling the surrounding landscape. As she is skilled at deducing an opponent's strategies and weaknesses soon after a battle begins, she typically uses her winds to remove parts of the battlefield that might be advantageous to the enemy. During Part I of the series, Temari is also one of the only two ninja of her generation (other than Naruto) to be able to use the Summoning Jutsu, in which she can summon a scythe-wielding weasel called Kamatari (カマタリ) who can inflict a large hurricane capable of cutting down an entire forest.Temari's voice actress in the Japanese anime is Romi Paku, and her English voice actress is Tara Platt.

Iruka Umino

Iruka Umino (うみの イルカ Umino Iruka) is a Konohagakure ninja and instructor at the Ninja Academy, a school for prospective ninja. Masashi Kishimoto's initial design of Iruka featured "evil" eyes and sharper cheekbones, but this was abandoned in favor of a more relaxed appearance.When Iruka was a child, his parents were killed by Kurama, the nine-tailed fox, which was sealed into Naruto Uzumaki. He bears no ill will towards Naruto, instead being one of the few people at the start of the series to recognize Naruto as a person and not just a container for Kurama. Naruto thinks of Iruka as a father-figure because of this, and Iruka in turn has immense faith in Naruto's potential to be a great ninja.In the Japanese anime, his voice actor is Toshihiko Seki, and his English voice actor is Quinton Flynn.

Konohamaru Sarutobi

Konohamaru Sarutobi (猿飛 木ノ葉丸 Sarutobi Konohamaru), named after Konohagakure, is the grandson of the Third Hokage. He strives to replace his grandfather as Hokage so the villagers of Konohagakure will recognize him by name, not as the Hokage's grandson. He looks to Naruto Uzumaki as a mentor in this quest, emulating his work ethic, determination, and signature jutsu such as the Rasengan and a variety of other techniques. Konohamaru insists, however, that he will only become Hokage after Naruto has been Hokage first.Konohamaru's design caused great difficulties for Masashi Kishimoto; he intended for Konohamaru to look like a "punk" smaller than Naruto, yet all of his attempts resulted in a mere recreation of Naruto. He eventually gave Konohamaru small, angry-looking eyes, and was instantly happy with the design.He is voiced in the Japanese anime by Ikue Ōtani, and by Akiko Koike as a stand-in.Colleen O'Shaughnessey is his English voice actor.

Jiraiya

Jiraiya (自来也) was a Konohagakure ninja, being not only Naruto's teacher but also his god-father. Kishimoto has commented that out of all the master-pupil relationships he has created in the Naruto series, the bond between Naruto and Jiraiya is his favorite, noting that it makes drawing them "worthwhile".As a child, Jiraiya was under the tutelage of Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with his teammates, Tsunade and Orochimaru.Jiraiya is known throughout the Naruto world as the "Toad Sage" (蝦蟇仙人 Gama Sennin) due to his toad-related jutsu and learning Sage Jutsu. Prior to Naruto, due to a prophecy he heard that his pupil would be great man, Jiraiya also trained a few others like Minato and Nagato. Although still affiliated with Konoha, Jiraiya spends much of his time traveling to watch over potential threats to his home. Jiraiya's personality is openly lecherous, proudly describes himself as a "super pervert" while authoring a series of best-selling adult romance novels.He also wrote the epic "Tale of the Gutsy Ninja", with Naruto named after its protagonist. During Part I, he takes Naruto as his student, and returns him to Konoha in Part II before leaving to investigate the Akatsuki. However, finding Nagato leading the organization, Jiraiya dies fighting his former student's Paths of Pain while sending a message of them to the village. In the Japanese anime, Jiraiya is voiced by Hōchū Ōtsuka, and his English voice actor is David Lodge.

Shizune

Shizune (シズネ) is a Konohagakure ninja introduced in the series as Tsunade's assistant. She left Konohagakure with Tsunade after the death of her uncle, and over the years, Tsunade taught her medical techniques. Despite her medicinal affinity, many of the attacks she uses in the series are poison-based, including using concealed poisoned needles or emitting toxic gas from her mouth.Shizune is one of the few characters that Tsunade trusts with absolute certainty, as she identifies details that Tsunade tends to overlook. In Part II of the series, Shizune's concern for details causes her to question Tsunade's judgment, creating interference with Tsunade's plans and temporarily straining the relationship between the two.During Pain's attack on Konohagakure, Shizune is briefly killed when her soul is stripped away as the result of the Human Path's interrogation on her about Naruto's whereabouts,though she is revived at the end of the invasion through Nagato's Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu.In the Japanese anime, her voice actress is Keiko Nemoto, and her English voice actress is Megan Hollingshead.

Chiyo

Chiyo (チヨ) was an elder advisor to Sunagakure who is introduced at the start of Part II, initially mistrustful of other ninja villages due to the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. During those wars, she played a role in formal treaties while strengthening Sunagakure's military might with her knowledge of poisons despite her efforts nullified by Tsunade's antidotes. As a skilled puppeteer, Chiyo took Sasori after his parents died at the hands of Kakashi Hatake's father, Sakumo, and taught him everything she knew before he left. Chiyo played a role in Gaara becoming a Jinchuriki, regretting the choice as she took to solitude alongside her brother. When Gaara is captured by the Akatsuki, despite attacking Kakashi at first due to his resemblance to his father, Chiyo joins Team Kakashi to rescue the Kazekage. Confronting Sasori, Chiyo is able to kill her grandson with help from Sakura Haruno. Despite their efforts, Gaara also dies before they can rescue him.Touched by the genuine bond formed between Sunagakure and Konoha, Chiyo gives up her life to revive Gaara, hoping that the relationship of peace might be continued.However, by the Fourth Great Ninja War, Chiyo is brought back by Kabuto's Reanimation Jutsu to fight against the combined Ninja army. She is eventually put to rest again after Itachi cancels the technique. In the Japanese anime, her voice actor is Ikuko Tani, and in the English version her voice actor is Barbara Goodson.

Sai

Sai (サイ) is a ninja who joins Team 7 in Part II. Replacing Sasuke in the team, Kishimoto was careful in his design to make him stand out.Having been a member of The Foundation since he was a child, Sai has been trained to not possess or desire any type of emotion or camaraderie. Had his adoptive brother Shin (シン) not died from a disease, they would have been pitted at each other's throat during the Foundation's fight-to-the-death training.After spending time with Naruto Uzumaki, however, he begins to crave bonds with other people, which has since become his primary role in the series.Sai's attempts to form bonds turn to a funnny side as he tries giving pet names to others; however, he often says what he actually thinks of a person, resulting with him choosing names such as "fatso" and "ugly". He eventually learns from his mistakes and attempts the opposite approach, for instance, calling Ino Yamanaka "beautiful".When not making an attempt to bond with others, Sai spends his time painting and drawing, and has produced thousands of works. His artistic talents extend to his choice of attacks in battles: he can infuse chakra with his inking brush to make his drawings come to life.Sai's voice actor is Satoshi Hino in the Naruto: Shippūden anime, and his English voice actor is Ben Diskin.

Yamato

Yamato (ヤマト?) is introduced during Part II of the series as a ANBU member and a temporary replacement for Kakashi Hatake as the leader of Team 7.After Kakashi's return, he stays on the team in an additional leadership position. "Yamato" is not his real name, but rather a codename assigned to him for the purposes of joining Team 7.Unlike Kakashi, who places his teammates before the mission, Yamato will leave them behind if they become a hindrance, citing that as ninja they should be able to look after themselves.During his childhood, Yamato was abducted by Orochimaru and experimented upon in an attempt to replicate the First Hokage's unique abilities. Orochimaru was forced to flee Konohagakure before he could complete his testing, and thus never knew that Yamato had successfully obtained Hashirama's Mokuton techniques. When using Mokuton techniques, Yamato can form anything out of wood at will. It also allows him to suppress a tailed beast's influence over its host. This is the primary reason he is assigned to Team 7, as he can stop Naruto Uzumaki if Kurama takes control of his host.However, because he possessed Hashirama's DNA, Yamato gets captured by Kabuto to strengthen the White Zetsu clones for the Fourth Great Ninja War. His fate afterwards is unknown, as the Gedo Statue (where he is stationed) is transformed to the Ten Tails by Obito Uchiha.In the Naruto: Shippūden anime, Yamato's voice actor is Rikiya Koyama, and in the English version he is voiced by Troy Baker.

Killer Bee

Killer Bee (キラービー Kirābī) is a ninja from the village of Kumogakure. He is introduced during Part II as one of the two hosts that have yet to be captured by the criminal organization Akatsuki, the other being series protagonist Naruto Uzumaki.The host of the ushi-oni-like eight-tailed beast Gyuki, Killer Bee has complete control over the beast sealed within him. In battle he uses its great strength to increase the lethality of his professional wrestling-styled attacks,something Kishimoto's former editor wanted to add in the series despite him being a ninja.He is also a talented swordsman capable of using up to seven swords at once and to execute attacks that are improvisible enough to render Sasuke's Sharingan useless.Killer Bee is the adoptive brother of Ay (エー Ē), the current Raikage of Kumogakure, and as such is expected to be the guardian of the village.When Akatsuki attacks him, he pretends to be captured to escape at the cost of losing some from eight-tailed's chakra and pursue a career as an enka music singer.However, Killer Bee is brought back to Kumogakure before playing a role in teaching Naruto to subdue Kurama. He also joins him in the war against Akatsuki after gaining his brother's approval to fight alongside him.Despite the difficulties in making his lines, as he always speaks in rhymes, Kishimoto wishes to make him a rich character.His voice actor in the Japanese anime is Hisao Egawa, and his English voice actor is Catero Colbert.

Kushina Uzumaki

Kushina Uzumaki (うずまき クシナ Uzumaki Kushina) is the mother of the series' protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki and the wife of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.She was the former host of Kurama, immediately preceding Naruto.Being a member of the Uzumaki Clan, Kushina possessed a special chakra that was even distinguished among her peers, causing her to be sent from her homeland to Konohagakure to be the host of Kurama, replacing Mito Uzumaki.She was very brash and hot-blooded as a child that she was nicknamed Tomato (トマト) and Red Hot-Blooded Habañero (赤い血潮のハバネロ Akai Chishio no Habanero); a trait that she passed on her son. In Konohagakure, Kushina met with Minato who, while at first deprived by his "feminine" appearance, eventually became Kushina's love after he saved her from a kidnapper, leading to their marriage.Kushina was eventually pregnant, and she had to be sent to a secretive place during labor so as to prevent Kurama's seal being broken.However, the place was subdued by Obito Uchiha, and he released Kurama who ran rampant on Konoha.Kushina survived the ordeal, although she was greatly weakened. She and Minato both sacrificed their lives to seal Kurama's half to Naruto, while also placing some of their chakra to their son as a fail-safe if he would break the seal.In Part II, Kushina's chakra appears during Naruto's subconscious battle with Kurama, helping her son to seal the fox and to tell him the truth behind Kurama's attack sixteen years ago.Before disappearing, she thanks Naruto for forgiving her about the whole ordeal of the sealing of Kurama.In the Japanese anime, Kushina is voiced by Emi Shinohara, and her English voice actors are Cindy Robinson in the anime and Laura Bailey in some video games.

Kurama

Kurama (九喇嘛), who is often called the Nine-Tails (九尾の妖狐 Kyūbi no Yōko, lit. Nine-Tailed Demon Fox), is the most powerful of the tailed beasts, as a single swipe of one of its tails can raise tsunamis and flatten mountains. Used by Madara in his attempt to wipe out Konoha at the time of its foundation, Kurama was defeated and sealed within Hashirama's wife and then transferred in Kushina Uzumaki two generations later. Through Obito's scheme, Kurama was released and attacked Konohagakure out of vengeful rage before being stopped by the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, who sealed the fox's Yin half within himself before he and Kushina sacrificed themselves to seal its Yang half within their son, Naruto Uzumaki, twelve years before the series' start. Throughout the series, after a couple isolated incidents of falling under his influence during heated battles, Naruto tries to gain dominance over Kurama and harness his great strength to perform jutsu that would normally be impossible for a ninja of his age.At the same time, Kurama tries to gain control over Naruto, provoking his rage and thus allowing his violent personality to influence and consume him.Naruto eventually takes control of the fox's chakra with help from a spirit imprint of Kushina.During Naruto's fight against Obito, seeing its Jinchuriki's resolve to aid the other Tailed Beasts, Kurama starts befriending Naruto to the point he lends his chakra willingly.When Naruto and his reanimated father join forces to battle Obito together as part of a plan to defeat him, Kurama comes in contact with his Yin half. Kishimoto was mainly inspired to create Kurama based on the character with the same name from the manga series YuYu Hakusho.In the Japanese anime, Kurama's voice actor is Tesshō Genda, and in the English adaptation, it is voiced by Paul St. Peter.


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