15 'Naruto' Characters Who Could Have Been More

Shisui Uchiha, besides his brother Sasuke, was the person Itachi cared for most. Both men desperately wanted peace. They were willing to break their clan and make huge personal sacrifices to get it. For Shisui, that sacrifice was his life.

Change the backstory isn't necessary; some characters existing in the past makes sense. However, flashbacks should show him developing more. How did his views differ from Itachi's? What did they share besides their shared trauma? Did he ever meet Kagami Uchiha, who supposedly gave him the Will of Fire? Why did Danzo trick him into dropping his plans to stop the coup d'etat? What regrets did he hold before he ended things?

The guy is.He is strong.He possesses the Body Flicker technique, a unique ability that drew serious attention. His true power was Kotoamatsukami, one of the strongest genjutsu in the series.Naruto.history outside Infinite Tsukuyomi. People feared and respected him for his raw strength. We hardly see that strength used.

Neji passing during the Fourth Shinobi War was one of the most unfair things in the whole series.happenedin the whole series. War means major loss, so it makes sense someone had to die. But did Neji really have to be the one?

He should have been one of the greatest shinobi of his generation. He could use the Byakugan fully; at his peak, he saw 800 meters ahead. He could also learn forbidden techniques just by watching. Though he fought in some battles, he stayed on the sidelines. Why didn't the Byakugan develop more? The Sharingan upgrades multiple times, but the Byakugan saw no real growth until the main series ended. Neji could have been a powerful rival to Sasuke if the Byakugan grew in his timeline.

Neji's powers need better writing, not just his arc. When he chose to sacrifice himself for Hinata, he copied his father's choice for Hiashi. Watching a man mistreated his whole life willingly give his life for his oppressors was terrible. Neji doing the same thing did not serve his character or the story. Hinata losing her life is not what we want, but it would have meant more ifShe.She sacrificed herself forhim.instead—reversing their family's terrible history and setting them on a better path.

Sakumo surviving is not necessary; his death was part of Kakashi's background. Given the flashbacks in Naruto, the story could have focused more on him.Narutothe narrative could definitely have spent more time on him.

Sakumo was Konoha's White Fang for using the White Light Chakra Sabre. Sakumo was one of Konoha's most fearsome ninja. Seeing him fight would have been thrilling.

Sakumo could have added more to the story. He quit because he chose saving teammates over mission success, which led to his death. Expanding this story would show village priorities.

We could see a direct comparison to Kakuzu, who also faced harsh punishment from his village for failing a mission.

Darui started as the Fourth Raikage's right hand and took over as Raikage. He is one of Kumogakure's strongest ninjas. This status comes from his role and because the Third Raikage taught him a powerful jutsu he shared with no one else. Darui helped during the Fourth Shinobi War and fought several good battles, but he could have done more.

Darui could have combined his Black Lightning jutsu with Kakashi's Chidori attack. Perhaps they could have improved each other's moves by learning from one another. Maybe he could have taken down a bigger villain. We could learn why the Third chose Darui for the technique, or how he became his student. He was underused.

Rock Lee is a fan favorite. He becomes a taijutsu master through hard work with his mentor, Gai, despite limited chakra molding. Lee nearly finished the Eight Gates technique and is also skilled at the Drunken Fist. This was likely a one-time thing.Naruto.itself, because he was young. This could appear again inBoruto.

Lee fights a decent number of times. He could have had a bigger role in the more important fights.

Lee's struggle to mold chakra raises questions the series avoids.Why.can't he do this? Is it seen as a disability? Are there others like him? A character unable to use in-universe powers like others is the setup for shows likeBlack Clover.andMy Hero Academia.This makes it an interesting story with much to explore.

We get less actual Lee development instead.Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals. It is cute, but not the same.

Yamato survived an Orochimaru experiment that killed 59 children, giving him Wood Release. He later worked as a Root operative, fighting Danzo. Yamato started working with Itachi and Kakashi, becoming a respected ANBU member. Yamato became the temporary leader of Team 7 while Kakashi recovered from an injury.

Yamato has accomplishments and a rare technique, yet he gets few chances to show it off. He appears in few major fights. They barely touch on his backstory. They focus more on his scary faces than showing his valuable kekkai genkai in action.

Shino Aburame is criminally underused. His signature ability, though strange, is incredible. Since birth, he shared a link with Kikaichu bugs. The insects help him in battle by using their chakra. Shino is also a skilled tactician. He might not match Shikamaru, but he remains highly skilled.He is on Shikamaru's level.Shino Aburame reaches Shikamaru's level.

We do not know Shino's full capability. Shino never gets a chance to do anything worthwhile in the series. He has moments, but he never gets to truly shine.

How is it that Naruto has a Mizukage whose main goal is to get married?Naruto has a whole Mizukage whose defining trait is wanting to marry.Shino becomes the Ninja Academy teacher. This job is important, and seeing him in an unexpected role is interesting. However, it is not a place where he shows off his shinobi skills.

But Mei Terumi barely thinks about anything besides marriage. Wanting to marry is fine, but Mei is as one-note as Shikamaru was at the start of the show, only saying "how troublesome."Somebody as strong as Mei should not seem like a caricature. If she is strong enough to be the Mizukage, she deserves more character traits, a story arc, and more chances to show her skills.Mei Terumi has a Mizukage whose main trait is wanting to get married.

Mei Terumi possesses two kekkai genkai strong enough to affect the nearly impenetrable Mangekyo technique Susano-o. She is recognized as the strongest ninja in her nation. Kirigakure ninja are high caliber; this matters.

Despite Mei's great talent, she mostly thinks about wedded bliss. Wanting to marry is fine. But Mei is as one-note as Shikamaru was early on, when he only said, "how troublesome."

Someone as strong as Mei should not be a caricature. If she is strong enough to be the Mizukage, she deserves more traits, a story arc, and chances to show her skills.

Anko Mitarashi was Orochimaru's former student. He taught her everything he knew about immortality and his signature jutsu. He also used her to create Cursed Seals; she survived those initial experiments alone. Anko learned Orochimaru's evil plans. She left him. Orochimaru changed her memory, making her think he abandoned her because she failed as a Cursed Seal candidate. Anko then decided she had to stop her former teacher.

She tries to take him down once but fails. Later, her unconscious body helps Orochimaru gain chakra for his reincarnation through Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation.

A character who suffered trauma from a major villain gets no closure. She barely shows what she learned from him; she does not use her Curse Mark. This choice was hers, but she could have connected with any of Orochimaru's victims. She could have defeated him temporarily or given key info to others. She could have done much more than almost nothing throughout the series.

Tenten was part of the original Konoha Twelve. We know almost nothing about her; we lack her last name. Teammates get story arcs; she remains background. She possesses an ability nobody else has but everyone needs: wide knowledge and skills in all ninja weaponry. She also had serious Fuinjutsu skills. She could have found a legendary weapon. She could have sealed it away alone.

The series never gave Tenten screen time to show her talents. She faded into the background.

Kurenai Yuhi was supposed to master genjutsu, a rare and hard jutsu type. We rarely see her using it. A memorable scene showed Itachi completely overpowering her with his Mangekyo abilities. Showing Kurenai using her skills before that scene would have been more effective.

She teaches a genjutsu user in a filler arc, but not in the main series. None of her three students show interest in genjutsu. Why teach Kiba instead of someone who could benefit from her expertise? She should be Konoha's greatest genjutsu user!

Kurenai's skills will be wasted later in the series. Towards the end, Kurenai's role shifts from her career to being Asuma's grieving, pregnant lover.Naruto's tendency to sideline female characters when they become parents is a hard thing to accept.This tendency is hard to swallow.

Yūgao Uzuki replaced Itachi Uchiha as an ANBU member. If she earned that spot, she possesses great strength. Kenjutsu seems her specialty, but she could have learned many other skills with some training.

Kurenai gets a character arc from her boyfriend Hayate's death. When he returns via Edo Tensei, she nearly fails a mission because she cannot fight him.

Her role in the Uchiha massacre is more important. Kurenai was an ANBU member who found Sasuke among the clan's wreckage. She could have solved many questions about how Sasuke survived the immediate aftermath.

Jugo became one of Orochimaru's experimental victims. Jugo sought Orochimaru willingly, hoping to manage his intense anger and uncontrolled Sage Transformations. Orochimaru used his clan's power to absorb natural energy to build the Curse Seal instead. Jugo joins Team Taka because Sasuke controls him.

Jugo shows off his great power a few times, but he mostly stays in the background, supporting Sasuke. Few details explain how he manages when Sasuke travels for years post-canon. He gets medication that helps control his rages, but they still occur.Jugo needed Sasuke.Sasuke forgot about Jugo, but how does Jugo handle being gone? This remains unclear.

Jugo actually gets a small arc in Boruto.Boruto sees Jugo's development.But by that time, it is too late.

Sakura Haruno gets screen time, but this does not mean she mastered her full potential. She starts as highly intelligent, capable of more chakra control than Naruto or Sasuke.

Sakura becomes one of the world's most talented medical ninjutsu users. However, less time develops her real skills than she spends on her crush on Sasuke and her early aggression toward Naruto. Her inferiority complex, which she never overcomes, keeps her depicted as...actuallyinferior to her legendary teammates.

Sakura, a main character and Tsunade's disciple, deserved a legendary role.

Ebizo appeared with his sister Chiyo. However, Ebizo played a nearly nonexistent role in the series, unlike Chiyo. Ebizo felt sad about Sasori's life choices. He knew how to defeat Sasori; he was one of the few people who did.

Everything about Ebizo mirrored Chiyo's. Ebizo could have offered a counter-narrative. He could have proposed other ways to handle Sasori, or become an ally if the series aimed for conflict. Ebizo possessed a "strong and analytical mind" and was a highly respected ninja in Sungakure. His action—joking about Chiyo—was depressing.

Ebizo had potential. He would not stand out from Chiyo. Scraping him entirely might have made more sense.