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Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto franchise can be credited with introducing some of the most complex characters in anime history. From its surprisingly determined main protagonist to its many mentors and villains, Naruto continues to evolve today through its next-generation spinoff, Boruto. Some might even say Boruto's continuing the series wouldn't even have been possible without the powerful characterizations that preceded it.
Dated as some of Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden feels today, there's no denying the impact the best characters in the franchise had on fans and creators. The depth of many of the series' characters set a precedent in shōnen anime that would go on to shape future series like Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia.
Haku Is One of the Earliest Examples of True Character Depth In Naruto
Orphans are a big theme in the Naruto franchise, with the titular hero encountering more than his share of people along the way who can easily identify with his personal situation. In a lot of ways, many of the orphans he encountered had it far worse than Naruto ever did, including the young shinobi, Haku, who accompanied Team 7's first major antagonist, Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist.
When first introduced, Haku was 15-years-old, but he had been training and working under Zabuza for quite some time. He was soft-spoken and kind, which makes his alignment with someone like Zabuza hard to understand. It isn't until Haku's backstory is revealed that the reason he became Zabuza's loyal killing tool was the direct result of his own father killing his mother, and then attempting to kill him, after discovering their hidden Kekkei Genkai.
Narrowly escaping death, Haku lived on the streets until Zabuza took him in and gave him a purpose. Even knowing he'd become the very thing under Zabuza's tutelage that his father and the people of his village feared, he wanted to make the only person who saw worth in him happy. Haku tried to avoid killing and inflicting harm on his opponents, making Zabuza scold him for being too soft.
In the end, it was his own softness that got him killed That tragedy forced Zabuza to realize just how much he'd come to care for the kid he at first only saw as a means to an end. Haku's depth as a character was powerful enough to soften the heart of a ruthless ninja like Zabuza.
Kakashi Hatake Comes Off As Aloof, but it's an Act
When Kakashi is first introduced in Naruto, he presents himself as apathetic, but underneath his mask is a man suffering with PTSD and a deep depression that robbed him of hope when he was just a kid. In more ways than one, Kakashi hides behind that mask, with indifference being the most obvious lie he tells himself and everyone around him.
Kakashi idolized his father, Sakumo, when he was a kid. One of the Leaf Village's renowned ninjas, Sakumo was known far and wide as Konoha's White Fang. During a dangerous mission, Sakumo chose to abandon the mission to save his team. His depression and dishonor afterward drove him into despair. Kakashi discovered his father after Sakumo took his own life, the first of many tragedies that shaped him as a person.
Refusing to make the same mistakes his father made, Kakashi's philosophy was to always put the mission first, much to his teammate, Obito Uchiha's, annoyance. When Rin Nohara was abducted, Kakashi wanted to stick to the mission, but Obito refused. Finally coming to his senses, Kakashi joined Obito to rescue Rin, but as they were fleeing, Obito was crushed in a rockslide. Asking Rin to transplant his Sharingan into Kakashi, it was his dying gift to his friend, as congratulations for making jonin.
Later, Kakashi was forced to kill his only remaining teammate, when Rin was once more abducted and forced to become a jinchuriki. She begged him to end her life, an act he never forgave himself for and that led to crippling PTSD that forced him to distance himself from everyone for fear of them leaving him alone. Those events shape his entire teaching philosophy, which fans see during Team 7's bell test, when they eventually realize working together means always having each other's backs.
Itachi Uchiha's True Depth Is Kept Hidden for Hundreds of Episodes
Sasuke Uchiha's older brother Itachi is one of Naruto's deepest characters, and fans aren't even aware of his true depth until it's too late. First introduced as Sasuke's purpose for becoming powerful, all fans know about Itachi is that he slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan, including his own parents, and spared only his younger brother. After coming upon the scene, Itachi then forced Sasuke into a life of vengeance even he wouldn't understand until it was too late to feel anything else.
Hidden behind his Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi carried a heavy burden few knew the truth about. Forced to spy on his own clan after the Nine-Tailed Fox's attack on the village, Itachi was manipulated by Danzō Shimura into believing a bloodbath was on the horizon, brought about by his own clan. When his best friend Shisui wanted to influence the Uchiha with his Mangekyō Sharingan's mind-controlling genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, Danzō took one of Shisui's eyes from him, preventing it.
Before Shisui took his own life, he gave his other eye to Itachi, which led the Uchiha to believe Itachi murdered his friend. Further manipulated by Danzō into believing bloodshed was the only solution, Itachi carried out a brutal death sentence against his entire clan, sparing only Sasuke. The next several years saw multiple confrontations between the brothers, all in effort to push Sasuke to grow strong enough to protect himself from those like Danzō, who would seek to take Sasuke's power for himself.
The burden of Itachi's guilt and grief eventually led to an illness that would weaken him and consume him from the inside out. Even as he stood face-to-face against his younger brother, who'd finally grown strong enough to protect himself, Itachi died holding his truth inside to protect Sasuke. Unfortunately, Obito and Madara used that truth to further manipulate the last Uchiha for their own gains in the inevitable Fourth Shinobi World War to come.
Jiraiya Was Far More Than Just a Pervy Sage
Believe it or not, there are Naruto fans who remember little about Naruto's mentor, Jiraiya, beyond the fact that he was a pervert who liked to spy on girls in the bathhouse for "novel research." There's no denying that Jiraiya's despicable behavior is easily one of the worst trope exploitations across both Naruto and Shippuden. Under the surface, though, there's a surprisingly deep man with a world-changing philosophy who shaped Naruto Uzumaki immensely as a person.
Having lived through plenty of war and brutality, Jiraiya believed there was a better way than hatred and violence. Having trained at Mount Myuboku, the Great Toad Sage once prophesied a child who would be a student of Jiraiya's who brought about a great revolution. Setting out on a quest to find this student, he came upon numerous people over the years he believed might be it, but in the end there were only three who truly seemed to fit the description.
Told that the result would be directly influenced by Jiraiya's actions, he poured his heart into Nagato, Minato, and Naruto. At one time or another, he believed that each had the capacity to bring about the revolution the Toad Sage spoke of in his prophecy. He lost touch with Nagato, and then Minato died saving his son, which left Naruto, who undoubtedly went on to become not just the Child of Prophecy, but Jiraiya's greatest and most accomplished student.
Jiraiya's complexity is only hinted at in Naruto, but by the time he meets his end battling his own student in Shippuden, there is no denying that he has gained an incredible amount of depth as a character. In fact, there are more fans who remember Jiraiya as one of Naruto's greatest and most heroic teachers than there are those who only recall his unsavory behavior.
Naruto Uzumaki is the Deepest Character In His Series
It's easy to mark Naruto Uzumaki as one of the most annoying anime and manga characters in shonen history. He's loud, abrasive, immature and obnoxious on his best days, but for a lonely little boy who's only ever wanted to be noticed, that's textbook behavior. Shunned by the people of his own village because of circumstances beyond his control, Naruto felt deeply isolated.
At times, he was even verbally and physically abused by the very people who should have been looking out for him after his mother and father sacrificed themselves to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox. Because it's anime, fans sometimes have to suspend their disbelief when trying to wrap their heads around how Naruto actually grew up. With no one to look after him, he sustained himself on instant ramen, even coming to believe it was the greatest food in the world because it was all he knew.
Naruto's dream of becoming the Hokage one day is simple, but the reason behind it is pretty deep. If he was the Hokage, people would have to acknowledge him as a person. They would have to respect him and look up to him. For someone who's spent his life being looked down on, this is the ultimate form of respect. What's even more impressive is that he doesn't want this power so he can be vengeful against the people who hurt him. He wants to be strong so he can be the best Hokage Konoha has ever known.
Across the entirety of the franchise, Naruto's growth as a character has been one of the most fascinating displays of perseverance, strength and achievement. He firmly held onto his nindō, his ninja way, never running away from a challenge and never going back on his word. The kind of conviction it takes for a seven-year-old to make such a bold statement, and then stick to it throughout the course of their life, is the stuff unforgettable characters are made of.
