The manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe where countries vie for power by employing ninja who can use special techniques and abilities in combat. The storyline is divided into two parts, simply named Part I and Part II, with the latter taking place two-and-a-half years after the conclusion of Part I. It is followed by the sequel series Boruto by Ukyō Kodachi, which continues where the epilogue of the first series left off. The series' storyline follows the adventures of a group of young ninja from the village of Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves).
The eponymous character of the first series is Naruto Uzumaki, an energetic ninja who wishes to become Hokage, the leader of Konohagakure and holds a demon fox called Nine-Tails sealed in his body. During the early part of the series, Naruto is assigned to Team 7, in which he meets his long-time rival/friend Sasuke Uchiha, a taciturn and highly skilled "genius" of the Uchiha clan; and Sakura Haruno, who is infatuated with Sasuke and has Naruto's attention and Kakashi Hatake, the quiet and mysterious leader of the team. Over the course of the series, seeking out Sasuke when he ran away from the village, Naruto interacts with and befriends several fellow ninja in Konohagakure and other villages. He also encounters the series' antagonists, including Orochimaru, a rogue ninja of Konohagakure scheming to destroy his former home, as well as the elite rogue ninja of the criminal organization Akatsuki who seek out Jinchuriki like Naruto and Gaara for the Tailed Beasts.
As Kishimoto developed the series, he created the three primary characters as a basis for the designs of the other three-person teams.Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto, p. 140 He also used characters in other shōnen manga as references in his design of the characters, a decision that was criticized by several anime and manga publications.Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto, p. 138 The characters that Kishimoto developed, however, were praised for incorporating many of the better aspects of previous shōnen characters, although many publications lamented the perceived lack of growth beyond such stereotypes. The visual presentation of the characters was commented on by reviewers, with both praise and criticism given to Kishimoto's work in the manga and anime adaptations.
The English manga published by VIZ Media uses the Japanese naming order, surname before given name, while other English adaptations use the Western order, that is surname after given name.
Creation and conception When Masashi Kishimoto was originally creating the Naruto series, he looked to other shōnen manga for inspiration while still attempting to make his characters as unique as possible. Kishimoto cites Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball series as one of these influences, noting that Goku, the protagonist of Dragon Ball, was a key factor when creating Naruto Uzumaki due to his energetic and mischievous personality.Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto, p. 139 To complement Naruto, Kishimoto worked on creating a rival that was a "cool genius", as he believed this was "the archetypal rival character". After reviewing different manga for ideas, he ultimately developed Sasuke Uchiha. When creating the primary heroine, Kishimoto admitted, "I don't have a definite image of what a heroine should be". He eventually created Sakura Haruno, emphasizing "her energy and flirtatious spirit" as her primary characteristics. These three characters would be the mold for the other three main Naruto teams.
The separation of the characters into different teams was intended to give each group a specific flavor. Kishimoto wished for each team member to be "extreme", having a high amount of aptitude in one given attribute, yet talentless in another. This approach was used to make each team perform best when individual members worked together to overcome their weaknesses. Having watched tokusatsu dramas as a child, Kishimoto wished for his teams to be different from the superhero teams in these dramas, dismissing the value of a team in which all the teammates were "strong to the point of perfection". Kishimoto notes that the different roles the characters assume is similar to many role-playing games, and "each character stands out better that way".Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto, p. 141
Kishimoto inserted villains into the story to counteract the lead characters' moral values. He stated that this focus on illustrating the difference in values is central to his creation of villains to the point that, "I don't really think about them in combat". The villains' physical appearances were also embellished to differentiate them from other characters, making it easier for a reader to follow the story and identify the villains, even in heated battle scenes. Kishimoto noted that making the villains "flamboyant" with a "showy costume" is "one of my guiding principles", as well as making them "more memorable".Uzumaki Clan: the Art of Naruto, p. 142
When drawing the characters, Kishimoto consistently follows a five-step process: concept and rough sketch, drafting, inking, shading, and coloring. These steps are followed when he is drawing the manga and making the color illustrations that commonly adorn the cover of , the cover of the Weekly Shōnen Jump, or other media, but the toolkit he uses occasionally changes.Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto, pp. 112–114 For instance, he used an airbrush for one illustration for a Weekly Shōnen Jump cover, but decided not to use it for future drawings largely due to the cleanup required.Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto, p. 118
Main characters Naruto The protagonists of the Naruto series are Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake, who form of Konohagakure. After Sasuke Uchiha's defection and Naruto's departure from Konohagakure at the end of Part I, the team disbands. During Part II, the team reforms as with two new members: Sai, who occupies Sasuke's position, and Yamato, who becomes the acting Captain. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Team 7 reunites to fight Madara Uchiha and then Kaguya Ōtsutsuki when she possesses the former. Once the War is over, Naruto and Sasuke have their final battle that allow them to resolve their issues with their group fully reunited soon after.
Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto Uzumaki (うずまき ナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is the titular character and main protagonist of the Naruto franchise. He was the first character created by Kishimoto during the conception of the series and was designed with many traits from other shōnen characters. He is often shunned by the Konohagakure villagers as he is the host of Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked Konoha. After being held back for several years in the Ninja Academy, which teaches ninjutsu and taijutsu skills, he finally passes the Ninja certification exam, and compensates for this with his cheerful and boisterous personality as he developed his catchphrase "Believe it!" (～だってばよ, dattebayo), vowing to never give up on any goal he sets. In particular, Naruto has ambitions of becoming Hokage, the strongest ninja leader of Konohagakure, to gain the villagers's respect and be able to protect them. Over the course of the series, Naruto befriends many foreign and Konoha people and eventually leaves a positive influence on all their lives, which grants him worldwide fame. Naruto eventually achieves his dream of becoming Seventh Hokage, marries Hinata Hyuga and has two children: Boruto Uzumaki and Himawari Uzumaki. Naruto is voiced by Junko Takeuchi in Japanese, and by Maile Flanagan in English.
Sasuke Uchiha
is Naruto Uzumaki's main rival and best friend. He was designed by Kishimoto as a "cool genius" since he felt this was an integral part of an ideal rivalry. Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, killed the rest of their clan. Because of this, Sasuke's sole ambition is to avenge his clan and kill his brother, developing a cold and withdrawn personality and self-proclaiming Avenger, seeing people as tools to further his goal. By the events of the Boruto series, Sasuke has become a vigilante investigating the Ōtsutsuki clan for Konohagakure and a mentor for Naruto's son, Boruto Uzumaki. Sasuke is voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama in the Japanese anime, while his English voice actor is Yuri Lowenthal.
Sakura Haruno
is a member of Team 7, Naruto's classmate and Sasuke's love interest. While creating the character, Kishimoto has admitted that he had little perception of what an ideal girl should be like. As a child, Sakura was teased by other children because of her large forehead, a feature Kishimoto tried to emphasize in Sakura's appearance. She was comforted by Ino Yamanaka and the two developed a friendship. In the Japanese anime, her voice actress is Chie Nakamura, and she is voiced by Kate Higgins in the English adaptation.
Kakashi Hatake
is the easygoing, tardy, smart leader of Team 7, consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Kakashi had a dark past by suffering many significant losses which included Sakumo Hatake, his father who had committed suicide, Minato Namikaze, his mentor who sacrificed himself, Rin Nohara, who Kakashi accidentally killed, and Obito, who died during a rescue mission, although it was later revealed that he was still alive. Kakashi was a very vital key for Naruto's success, training him to be a great ninja. Kakashi succeeds Tsunade as the Sixth Hokage after the Fourth Great Ninja War has ended, with Naruto succeeding him as the Seventh Hokage years later. He is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue in the Japanese anime, and by Dave Wittenberg in English.
Naruto Shippūden
Sai is a ninja who joins Team Kakashi in Part II, carefully designed by Kishimoto to stand out as Sasuke's replacement by having the two look similar. 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, even after he killed his surrogate brother Shin under Danzo's diabolical orders. He consequently gives people labels based on their status, and his label of Sasuke as a traitor antagonizes Naruto and Sakura. After the two discover his past and warm up to him, however, he begins to crave bonds with other people, which becomes his primary goal in the series. Sai's attempts to form bonds can be humorous 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" for Choji and "ugly" for Sakura. He eventually learns from his mistakes and attempts the opposite approach by calling Ino "beautiful", causing Ino to fall for him. When not making an attempt to bond with others, Sai spends his time painting and drawing, and has produced thousands of works, although he doesn't name any of them. His artistic talents extend to his choice of attacks in battles, as he can infuse chakra with his inking brush to make his drawings come to life. In the series epilogue, Sai ends up marrying Ino Yamanaka and together they have a son, Inojin. Of all the Naruto protagonists, Sai receives the least screen time (since New Era) in the series. Sai's voice actor is Satoshi Hino in the Naruto: Shippūden anime, and his English voice actor is Benjamin Diskin except in Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals, where he is voiced by Lucien Dodge.
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