Naruto is one of the most important anime series, not only because of its exciting story, but also because of its excellent characters with whom we can identify.
However, it is not a secret that many of them had a rather poor development, which did not live up to its initial presentation. This is understandable as it is a manga, since many chapters are written and modified on the fly.
Still, fans lamented seeing characters with great potential go to waste in the rest of Naruto. In this article we will review some of them.
Shizune, Tsunade’s intriguing follower
As an assistant to a legend like Tsunade and niece to the talented Dan Katou, we’d think Shizune would have learned something important. However, her role in the series is not very clear.
We met her when Naruto went in search of Tsunade accompanied by Jiraiya. In the first meeting she seems to display some medical skills that could even be used as a weapon, but after that Shizune was relegated to an assistant to the Hokage.
Kishimoto didn’t explore Shizune’s background, her dreams, or her reasons for accompanying Tsunade. Even so, he is present more than other of Naruto’s companions.
Tenten, the most forgotten kunoichi in Naruto
Team Guy seemed like a group of students as immature as their leader. However, in the chunin exams from Naruto showed us why no one should be underestimated.
Teten surprised us with his impressive ninja tool summoning technique. She was not only quick and skilled, but her determination proved to be a match for her allies and rivals alike.
Unfortunately it has no more prominence outside of this test. We know that he goes on missions with his team, but Kishimoto missed the opportunity to give him a more relevant plot. He didn’t even give her a backstory.
Anko Mitarashi, la estudiante original de Orochimaru
The tokubetsu Anko was a rather enigmatic Jounin, introduced as a proctor for the second phase of the Chūnin Exams.
Anko seemed tremendously strong, especially since she seemed to enjoy the desperation of Naruto and the rest of the participants. We soon found out that she had the special rank of Tokubetsu Jonin and she was really adept at reconnaissance and infiltration.
But what was most exciting was that he had a connection to none other than Orochimaru, the most terrifying rogue ninja in little Naruto. Unfortunately this relationship was not explored beyond mentioning that Anko served as proof of the cursed seal. Worse yet, the effect Orochimaru had on her prevented her from developing as a character.
Shino Aburame and the mysterious clan of bugs
Naruto’s Chūnin Exams stood out mainly because of the number of quirky and powerful characters that went up against each other. Some looked more intimidating than they really were, but both students and teacher agreed that Shino Aburame was a special case.
This ninja stood out as a special member of the insect master clan. In his particular case, bugs of all kinds hid in his clothes and lived inside his body. But the unusual thing was that they could be used as lethal weapons and he had the ability to spread them across the field in stealth.
However, Shino ceased to be relevant for most of Naruto Shippuden, as his powers did not receive a significant upgrade like other characters.
Suigetsu Hōzuki, el “temible” secuaz de Sasuke
Suigetsu is a shinobi from Kirigakure, a cold-blooded assassin with ambitions to become a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. This mission led him to face his brother day after day in search of the title.
Suigetsu was known as the Second Coming of the Demon before he was captured by Orochimaru. He was later captured by Sasuke, and it was in this encounter that the swordsman was introduced as a traitor to be feared.
However, Suigetsu’s development was the complete opposite. He turned out to be a support character without as much combat skills as they seemed. His rude and unpredictable personality also had no development, as she turns out to be completely loyal to Sasuke to the point of risking his life for him.
Neji Hyuga could be a great rival of Naruto
While Shino was a very intriguing opponent in the Chūnin Exams, there was another promising youngster who seemed to have even more potential. It was Neji Hyuga, another of the wasted members of Team Guy.
Neji was a talented shinobi, skilled in martial arts like not seen in generations. But the real reason he stood out was because of his impeccable use of the Byakugan, one of the three famous Doujutsus that gave him 360º vision.
The scariest thing was that his eyes allowed him to see the chakra points of his opponents and deactivate them using his blows. Everyone who witnessed their clashes agreed that he would be one of the strongest shinobi.
However, the beginning of Shippuden was practically its end. Neji did not develop again until the Fourth Shinobi World War, where he sacrificed himself for Naruto. Without a doubt, he is one of the characters who could have brought us the most exciting stories.
Rock Lee, the talentless boy with the greatest potential in Naruto
As one of the favorite characters of many, perhaps the wasted Rock Lee is one of the most painful cases in Naruto.
Lee’s story is exciting and inspiring. He was born without the ability to use chakra techniques, but he didn’t give up. He trained enough to be on a level with others using only his body, though he did find a limit when facing off against Gaara of the Arena. At some point he even came close to losing his legs.
Lee had a lot of development initially, showing us his rivalry with Neji, someone who seemed to be out of his league. But he never stopped training and striving to one day surpass them.
The bad thing about Lee is that it seems that we never saw that “day” in which he showed us the fruit of all his efforts. It seems that this role was fulfilled by Guy, but even so we were looking forward to seeing Rock Lee’s maximum potential in the main story again.
Shisui Uchiha, the ironic fan favorite
There is little to say about Shisui Uchiha, who is probably the most popular and least developed character in all of Naruto.
If Itachi seemed talented, Shisui was the foundation for all that talent. It was he who was in charge of guiding Itachi through the good ninja path as if he were an older brother, helping him train and become stronger.
Its introduction was one of the best received by fans, and it is perhaps for this reason a waste that it died or disappeared without a more exciting outcome. It might even deserve its own arc, instead of all the pointless filler we’re getting.
More Naruto Articles
Table of Contents
