Naruto



Naruto is a manga by Masashi Kishimoto with an anime TV series adaptation. The anime series, produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. The main character, Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, silly, teenage ninja who constantly searches for acceptance abd dreams to one day become Hokage, who is acknowledged as the leader and strongest of all ninja in the village.

Viz Media published a translated version in the American Shonen Jump, and is currently within a few volumes of the Japanese publication. Naruto has become Viz Media's best-selling manga series.

Viz also licensed the anime for North American production. Naruto debuted in the United States on Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block on September 10, 2005, it was cancelled in early 2009.

In 2012 Naruto was added to the Toonami lineup again, this time being aired uncut.

Plot
Twelve years before the start of the series, a powerful creature known as the Nine-tailed Demon Fox attacked the ninja village Konoha, killing many people. In response, the leader of Konoha– the Fourth Hokage– sacrificed his life to seal the demon inside the newborn Naurto Uzumaki. Konoha, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. A decree made by the current Hokage, the Third Hokage, forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone else. This included Naruto, who was not aware of the demon inside of him. Years later, Naruto is tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing a forbidden scroll that would teach him a secret ninja technique, but he is stopped by his teacher, Iruka Umino. When Iruka almost dies while protecting Naruto from Mizuki, who also reveals that he is the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto uses the Jutsu he learned from the scroll that creates multiple clones of himself, Shadow Clone jutsu to defeat Mizuki.

Naruto is assigned alongside Sasuke Uchiha, whom he often competes against, and Sakura Haruno whom he has a crush on, to form a three-person team named squad 7 under an experienced and severe sensei, the elite ninja Hatake Kakashi. Like all the ninja teams from every village, Team 7 is charged with completing missions requested by villagers, such as doing chores or being bodyguards. After several missions, most notably their mission to Wave Country as Tazuna the bridge builder's guards, Kakashi allows Team 7 to participate in a ninja exam in which they can advance to a higher rank, and thus, take part in more difficult missions.



Squad 7
The protagonists of the Naruto series are part of Squad 7 (Team Kakashi), a group of ninja affiliated with the village of Konoha.

Naruto Uzumaki - Naruto is the primary protagonist of the series. Naruto has ambitions of becoming Hokage, the leader of the village hidden in the leaves (Konoha), but 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 Squad 7.

Sasuke Uchiha - Sasuke is one of the members of Squad 7. He acts as a rival to Naruto, as well as a, "cool genius". He is one of the few remaining members of the Uchiha clan along with his brother, Itachi Uchiha, who killed the rest of their clan. 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. Later in the series, during an encounter with his brother, Sasuke is easily beaten, which leads him to leave the village to seek more power from the criminal Orochimaru.

Sakura Haruno - Sakura is the sole female member of Squad 7. As a child, Sakura was taunted by other children because of her large forehead and was comforted by Ino Yamanaka making them close friends. As the two continued to grow, however, they became increasingly distant due to their shared affection for Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura is in love with Sasuke and depises Naruto, 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. 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.

Hatake Kakashi - Kakashi is the leader of Squad 7 and the sensei of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. 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, this is shown to be the result of an incident in which he witnessed the death of one of his teammates, Obito Uchiha, who gave Kakashi his Sharingan eye and imparted many of his habits, including his tardiness. With Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi has amassed a reputation as a skilled and powerful ninja, earning the moniker "Copy Ninja Kakashi". Although he mentors all three members of Squad 7 early in the series, he concentrates on training Sasuke as the series continues, teaching him his Chidori technique; however, he is unable to prevent Sasuke from leaving the village to seek Orochimaru for greater power.

Squad 8
Squad 8 is a group of Konoha ninja led by Kurenai Yuhi. The members of Squad 8 primarily concentrate on tracking, with each of the members' unique abilities being utilized in this role.

Kiba Inuzuka - Kiba is a member of Squad 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, 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.

Shino Aburame - Shino is one of the members of Squad 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" 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.

Hinata Hyuga - Hinata is a member of Squad 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. 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. 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 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.

Kurenai Yuhi - Kurenai is the leader of Squad 8. 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 Asuma Sarutobi. Because of this, many other characters assume them to be a couple, though they both deny this. In battle she specializes in casting genjutsu, and is shown to be particularly skilled with illusions involving plants.

Squad 10
Team 10 is a group of Konoha 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".

Shikamaru Nara - Shikamaru is one of the members of Team 10. Shikamaru has an easygoing, almost lazy, nature despite being a genius. 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 Squad 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.

Choji Akimichi - Choji is a member of Squad 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.

Ino Yamanaka - Ino is the only female member of Squad 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 affection. The two eventually make amends and rekindle their friendship, but still maintain a competitive attitude towards each other. 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.

Asuma Sarutobi - Asuma is the leader of Squad 10 and son of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had a falling out with his father when he was younger, and briefly left Konoha in protest. The two had not completely reconciled 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, and the two often play shogi or go together. Asuma frequently appears alongside Kurenai Yuhi, leading many characters to assume the two are a couple. Both deny this and promptly try to change the subject whenever it is brought up. In battle, Asuma wields trench knives that can be infused with chakra. When infused with his wind-based chakra, Asuma can extend the blades' length and easily pierce through rock.

Team Guy
Team Guy is a group of Konoha 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 Konoha's teams, as Guy wanted to wait a year before they could take the test to advance in ninja rank and become Chunin.

Neji Hyuga - Neji is a member 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 remedied the estranged relations between himself and the members of the main house, resulting in his training with Hiashi and Hinata.

Rock Lee - Rock 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.

Tenten - Tenten 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. In battle, Tenten specializes in weaponry, ranging from projectiles to close-combat weapons and even explosives. 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.

Might Guy - Guy 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. 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. Throughout the series, Kakashi has never displayed a particular interest in their rivalry, which only further motivates Guy to defeat Kakashi and his "coolness".