Naruto
source: imdb.com
Naruto is a widely successful Anime series. It follows a young shinobi, Naruto Uzumaki, who dreams of becoming the strongest ninja in the village so that the people in the village will finally respect him. Naruto grows up with a tough childhood. Early on we learn that inside his body is trapped a fox demon which caused many of the people in his village to shun him. Yet, Naruto strives to prove him wrong and throughout the original series, Naruto, and its successor, Naruto Shippuden, we see him evolve as a person and as a ninja. However, this show does not solely focus on Naruto himself, instead, we get a glimpse at the lives of many other ninjas in the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha in the Japanese version.
So, for this list, I decided to put down my favorite characters from the original series. This series is important for not only paving the way for Shippuden but is also responsible for some of the best characterizations in Anime.
For this list, I have not analyzed the character’s ninja techniques, known as Jutsu, but simply listed out my favorite characters and highlighted some of their Jutsu that they use and why they stood out to me more than others. This list is in no particular order.
• Naruto Uzumaki
The title character of the Anime, this list would simply be incomplete without him. Naruto is a determined and hardworking ninja who would do everything in his power for his friends. He has dreams of becoming the Hokage, the strongest ninja in Konoha, and even though he starts as a rather weak shinobi, he grows to become one of the strongest ninjas in series, defeating people with more training and experience than he ever had.
Naruto lived through a difficult childhood with no family or friends. The entire village seemed to hate him. Naruto eventually made some friends, his teachers, and teammates, and slowly starts winning the trust of everyone in the village. This evolution from a sad lonely boy to a determined ninja is one of the reasons I love this character. His never-quit attitude and the sheer power (Chakra, the amount of Chakra dictates the stamina to use Jutsu) that pours out of him whenever the fox demon inside wakes up, all contribute to why so many people love this show.
Naruto’s most noteworthy Jutsu in this first series include the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, where he can make physical clones of himself to fight alongside him, and the Rasengan, a powerful technique that uses Wind to create a violently rotating sphere.
There is no surprise that Naruto makes it on this list and the next one too. As the main character of the show, there is no one else we know so much about, and he is one of the main reasons why I keep watching the show.
• Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha is one of two known surviving members of the famed Uchiha clan of Konoha. He is what Naruto strives to surpass. Sasuke is one of the most talented ninjas in all of Konoha during the series and his actions are what give Naruto his desire to do better. His entire clan was killed by his brother, and as a result, he is one of the few that can use the Sharingan, a visual Jutsu that grants its wielders immense powers.
Like Naruto, Sasuke also thrives to become stronger than another, his brother. His entire character is built around one of revenge. He wants to grow stronger so that he can kill his brother and avenge his clan. As a result, Sasuke decides to abandon his village in search of power.
Sasuke’s top Jutsu in the first series is probably the Chidori, which he learns around the same time that Naruto learns the Rasengan and his Fireball Jutsu. Since he uses Sharingan during most of his fights, it is the Jutsu we see the most, however, it is still not at the level it is in Shippuden.
From the start, Sasuke showed us the true powers of a shinobi great. He wields a mastery of chakra that well beyond his years and his drive is fueled by the anger he holds against his brother. We see Sasuke perform some unbelievable actions throughout the series and his intellect is matched only by a few. He truly is one of the most memorable characters from the original series.
• Kakashi Hatake
Kakashi Hatake, also known as the Copy Ninja, is the leader of Team 7, Naruto, and Sasuke’s team) and is one of the most feared shinobi in the ninja world. He is the only non-Uchiha member that wields a Sharingan. By using the powers of the Sharingan, Kakashi can copy Jutsu that any of his opponents might use against him, earning him the title, the Copy Ninja. He trained under the Fourth Hokage, who died saving the village from the fox demon now trapped within Naruto and is responsible for nurturing both Naruto and Sasuke into the powerhouses we see in Shippuden.
Kakahi is widely respected by all the shinobi of his village. He is quirky and extremely clever. His character offers some of the most comedic moments throughout the show and his viewpoint on how Shinobi should function in the world is similar to that of Naruto. He strongly believes that no matter what, the mission should not come before comrades.
Due to his ability to copy Jutsu, we see Kakashi use a plethora of techniques and as a result, it is difficult to pick his top Jutsu, however, the one that comes to mind most is the 1,000 years of death, anyone who has seen the show knows the true power of this Jutsu.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi
The Third Hokage of the Leaf, Hiruzen Sarutobi is an extremely gifted ninja. He is probably the wisest ninja around and boasts one of the most impressive varieties of Jutsu. It is said that he knows every single Jutsu in Konoha. In the original series, we see Hiruzen meet his death at the hand of his former student. However, he gave us one of the best battles in all of Naruto and acted as standard for Naruto in his early years.
The Jutsu we see The Third pull off is extraordinary. He has such an immense grasp at such a wide array of Jutsu that it becomes easy to see why he is often termed as the greatest Hokage. Even as a person out of his prime and in his final years, he was able to not only keep up with a much younger shinobi but was able to defeat him, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. This is where we see possibly his greatest Jutsu, The Reaper Death Seal, that seals the soul of an opponent but takes the life of the caster as well. With this, he was able to defeat his former student and the First and Second Hokage, who was reanimated and controlled by his student, at the same time.
Hiruzen is a master shinobi that truly deserves the title of Hokage and proves to be one of the wisest and most skilled fighters in all of Naruto. The love he has for the village and the love given to him by all the people is a constant reminder of what a true Hokage is.
• Gaara
Gaara of the Sand is the most talented ninja from the Hidden Sand Village. Like Naruto, his body houses the spirit of a sand demon named Shikaku. Gaara visits the Hidden Leaf to attend the Chunin exams, which is sort of like a graduation exam allowing them to be called Chunin. He shows the ninja there that he is not afraid to unleash all of his power, killing quite a few prospective shinobi in the process. His fights against Rock Lee, Sasuke, and Naruto are some of the best in the series.
Gaara is a character that gives us an insight into how Naruto’s life could have been having he not found a few people he called friends. Like Naruto, Gaara is also ostracized by the village he lives in and as a result, is constantly angry and filled with bloodlust. It isn’t until Naruto defeats him that he learns he always had people with him and gives away those hateful feelings.
Gaara can control sand and use this to attack or defend. Some of his best Jutsu include Sand Coffin and Third Eye, both of which we see in the Chunin Exams.
• Rock Lee/Neji
I could not pick between these two characters. Both give us a different element to the series. In a way, their relationship at the start of the series is very alike Naruto and Sasuke. Neji possesses a strong visual Jutsu known as the Byakugan that gives him 360 vision and allows him to see the Chakra points in a person’s body. Rock Lee, on the other hand, is a ninja that cannot wield Chakra like the others and thus uses Taijutsu, or physical attacks. He trains his body to perform incredible feats in combat.
Both have some amazing moves. Rock Lee’s Leaf Hurricane and Leaf Shadow Dance, both of which are extremely powerful Taijutsu moves. Neji showcases a technique called the 8 trigrams: 64 Palms, where he can completely shut off a person’s entire chakra system and leaving them immobilized.
• Iruka Umino
Iruka is unlike any of the other characters on this list, mostly because we never really see him fight. He is the teacher of the students in the academy and as a result, was vital for Naruto during the start of the series. He was the first among the leaf to accept Naruto and gave him the confidence and hope he needed to become a strong ninja.
Iruka is an especially important character in Naruto. As we see with Gaara, who did not have anybody like Iruka, Naruto could have also ended up hating everyone around him. Iruka was able to guide Naruto and show him the path to becoming Hokage early on in the series before anyone else ever believed in Naruto’s dream.
• Orochimaru
In the Hidden Leaf, three ninjas are viewed as legendary due to their actions in the Third Great Shinobi War. These three ninjas were trained by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, and the most promising of the three students was Orochimaru. In the first series, Orochimaru is responsible for killing the Third Hokage and luring Sasuke away from Leaf and thus starting Naruto’s journey of getting stronger to bring his friend back from the path he picked.
Orochimaru is easily the most talented ninja alive during much of the original series and feared by countless shinobi around the world. His need for immortality to achieve his goals of learning every Jutsu created is fueled by his entire snake-like characteristic. He gives Sasuke a taste of true power and is in turn responsible for most of the Naruto storyline, even carrying on into Shippuden. This gives his character a lot more importance. Not only was he to serve as a standard for Sasuke to achieve, but he is responsible for many of the events that turn a lot of the Leaf shinobi into formidable fighters. He is an important part of the show and his mastery of different Jutsu makes him an extremely dangerous ninja.
In the entire first series, his best Jutsu has to be the reanimation Jutsu, where he can revive the bodies of a dead person to do his bidding. He uses this Jutsu to force the Third to take his life for the village. Orochimaru uses the bodies of the First and Second Hokage, who were thought of as gods in the Hidden Leaf. This Jutsu is also responsible for the Fourth Great War we see eventually in Shippuden and dictates the final arc of the Naruto story in Shippuden.
• Zabuza Momochi
Out of all the characters that Team 7 fought in the original series, Zabuza was one of the most entertaining. Even though in this arc of the series most of the fighting we see is done by his protégé and Naruto and Sasuke, Zabuza shows us how powerful an elite ninja can be.
Zabuza is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and wields the legendary Executioner’s blade. This blade is huge, about twice the size of Zabuza himself and when used with many of his Jutsu, especially the Hidden Mist Jutsu, becomes an unmatched force. At the end of his arc, we see the humanity that still exists within this ninja who has been viewed as a demon. He strives to save his student and even fights to his death in the end to help both his opponents, Team 7, and his student. Zabuza is easily the best villain of the first series and is an instant favorite.
• Jiriaya
Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, is one of the three legendary ninjas trained by the Third. After his former teammate and friend, Orochimaru, abandon the village, Jiraiya trains hard until he is finally recognized as one of the best ninjas and prospective Hokage in the Leaf. He becomes Naruto’s trainer during the latter half of the series and is also responsible for teaching the Fourth Hokage, who was thought to be even stronger than the Third. In Naruto’s eyes, Jiraiya becomes the father he never had and nurtures Naruto into an absolute powerhouse in Shippuden.
Jiraiya is an immensely important character in the first series because he is the reason that Naruto finds a way to grow stronger to save Sasuke and he teaches Naruto his most important Jutsu, the Rasengan. Furthermore, he is responsible for giving Naruto a lot of knowledge on the demon fox residing in his body and fixes the seal so Naruto can wield chakra a lot better.
Jiraiya does not fight a lot in the first series and we only really see him fight against Orochimaru towards the end of the first series. Like Naruto, he also wields the Rasengan and also teaches Naruto another Jutsu, the Summoning Jutsu. Both of these Jutsu is not only important to Naruto but the series as a whole. These two Jutsu stay in Naruto’s arsenal till the end of Shippuden, showcasing the importance of Jiraiya as a character in the Naruto-verse and making a special place in my heart for him. Seeing him treat Naruto as his son, Jiraiya is easily the most likable ninja, even though he is somewhat of a pervert.