The universe of the anime and manga series Naruto is a home to the following fictional characters. Names of Naruto characters are in Japanese order, with the family name before the given name. The name of Naruto's author (Masashi Kishimoto) is written in Western order, with the given name before the family name.

Names of many characters in Naruto are puns, mythical and historical references and the like, often borrowing a bit from the story behind the name.

Main Characters

• Uzumaki Naruto - "The loud-mouthed, idiotic, hyperactive, number one ninja in surprising people", and the main character of the series. Former member of the now defunct team 7 and container of the Nine-tails demon fox, who constantly strives for acknowledgement and dreams to one day become Hokage. Disciple of Jiraiya.
• Haruno Sakura - Former member of the now defunct team 7, who is talented with Chakra control and genjutsu and has a huge crush on Sasuke. Has recently become Tsunade's Disciple.
• Uchiha Sasuke - Arrogant, even-minded survivor of the formerly powerful Uchiha clan who wants revenge on his brother, Itachi. Left Konoha to Orochimaru, its enemy, in search of power, and has a complex relationship of rivalry and mutual respect with Naruto, his former team-mate from the now-defunct team 7.
• Hatake Kakashi - A calm and collected Jōnin level shinobi assigned to train team 7. His tragedy of having had lost a close comrade in battle has affected him profoundly through the belief that teamwork is more important than following the rules and his surgically planted Sharingan eye, his skills at using which have earned him the title of "copy ninja". He is also addicted to adult manga.

Other characters

Aburame Shino

Age: 12 years old at start of manga, now 15.5
Height: 156.2 cm
Weight: 45.8 kg
Birthday: January 23
Blood Type: AB
Registration #: 012612
Affiliation: Aburame clan, Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Kikai bugs

"Damn him, now he's acting all arrogant, like he's the leader or something." - Inuzuka Kiba

Aburame Shino (Japn. 油女 シノ) is a cool, collected, confident Genin who is quite mysterious and always wears sunglasses. He (along with Hyuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba) belongs to Genin team 8, led by Yuhi Kurenai. As a part of Aburame clan tradition, at birth Shino was infused with a special type of bugs which feed on his chakra and in return, they attack and do other tasks as he commands.

Shino was the only male genin left out of the (failed) mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke when the latter decided to become a Missing-nin, and felt some bitterness and guilt over the matter, considering the eventual outcome might have been different had he been sent to help them as well.

Trivia

• "Shino" is the given name of the samurai Inuzuka of Hakkenden, a novel about a dog samurai. "Aburame" means "oil woman", and it is similar to "aburamushio", the word for cockroaches.

Akado Yoroi

Age: 23 Years Old at start of manga, now 26.5
Height: 180.0 cm
Weight: 70.0 kg
Birthday: February 21
Blood Type: O
Affiliation: Otogakure
Signature Ability: Chakra Drain

Akado Yoroi (赤胴ヨロイ Akadō Yoroi) is a part of the three-men team of ninjas from the Otogakure posing as ninjas from the Konohagakure, along with Yakushi Kabuto and Misumi. He possesses the advanced bloodline of Energy Absorption.

Trivia

• The name "Akado" means "a red armor" and "Yoroi" means "an armor" as well. This may be taken from a group of elite soldiers of Tokugawa Ieyasu who dressed in the red armor to instill fear to the enemy's heart.

Akamaru

Age: 3 years old at start of manga, now 6.5
Height: 28.0 cm
Weight: 5.1 kg
Birthday: July 7
Blood Type: ?
Affiliation: Inuzuka clan, Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Double beast clone

"Stop acting cool! Just use your dog or whatever." - Uzumaki Naruto
"You will soon regret having ever said that..." - Inuzuka Kiba

Akamaru is Kiba's Nin-dog and a useful companion in the Chûnin exam. Akamaru's heightened senses, such as smell and hearing, along with Kiba's power to communicate with him, make him a powerful tool for gathering and sharing information; he can also sense high amounts of Chakra so he can warn Kiba of a powerful enemy. Akamaru and Kiba almost always attack together and often use Jûjin Bunshin-no-Jutsu (Human Beast Clone Technique) to confuse their opponents.

Trivia

• Kiba and Akamaru were both born on the same day, the Japanese Tanabata.
• "Aka" means "Red"

Akane

Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Affiliation: The Land of the Waves

Akane is a bully from the The Land of the Waves that steals Inari's pet dog Pochi. Akane teases Inari before finally throwing Pochi into the sea and forcing Inari to follow. Inari cannot swim, which is what drew Kaiza to save him while Pochi, who Akane renamed "Shooting Star", swam to safety. When Inari regains consciousness, Kaiza says that he has "given Akane a good talking to".

Akimichi Choji

Age: 12 years old at start of manga, now 15.5
Height: 150.6 cm
Weight: 62.0 kg
Birthday: May 1
Blood Type: B
Registration #: 012625
Affiliation: Akimichi clan, Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Meat Tank, The Art of Expansion

"You're planning to quit? Ah, but then you won't be attending the all-you-can-eat Barbeque..." - Asuma

Akimichi Choji (秋道 チョージ Akimichi Chōji), a Konoha Genin, belongs to Genin team 10 along with Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru. He is a great food enthusiast and is almost always found eating something or other; he is usually indifferent until either the opportunity for food introduces itself or he is provoked with his great taboo- derogatory words ridiculing the spatially developed.

His name is spelled as Choji in the Viz manga, and it is spelled as Chouji in Roman characters in the original Japanese anime release.

Trivia

• The name "Akimichi" means "the road in the season of autumn". "Aki" means "Autumn", which is a time of harvest. "Michi" means street, which is where vendors sell food. "Chōji" means "A butterfly (Chō-)" and "the second son (-ji)" added together. Butterflies are insects known to eat sweets. Slim Ino has a name meaning a "boar" and plump Choji is "a butterfly".
• "Ino", "Shika" and "Chō" are the name of three cards needed for a highly prized trick of "Inoshikacho" in the Hanafuda.

Ami

Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Affiliation: Konohagakure

"Sorry, she has no curves so I mistook her for a vase." - Yamanaka Ino

Ami is a young girl that attended the same Ninja Academy as Haruno Sakura and Ino when they were young. During one of the lessons, where the girls were being taught about flower arrangements, she bullies Sakura. However, Ino, who was picking flowers with Sakura, defends Sakura and throws a bunch of what she tells Ami are poisonous flowers in her mouth, telling her that she mistook her mouth for a vase. Ami panics and runs away, terrified- but in actuality, only the roots of the plant Ino used are poisonous.

Baiu

Age: 19 years old (deceased)
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Affiliation: Hidden Rain
Signature Ability: Rain of a Thousand Needles

A short, stubby Ninja, he and his team-mates, Sigure and Midare, confront Gaara in the Forest of Death. Not much is known about him, except that he also carries several umbrellas on his back and also, interestingly, what appears to be an oxygen tank. Gaara uses Sabaku Kyu (Sand Coffin) followed by Sabaku SouSou (Sand funeral) to kill him (and his two team-mates).

Baki

Age: 30 years old at start of manga, now 33.5
Height: 188.2 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Birthday: July 4
Blood Type: A
Affiliation: Hidden Sand
Signature Ability: Wind Blade

A Jônin level Ninja, Baki (Japn. バキ) is a Shinobi from the Hidden Sand Village. Baki is the sensei of Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, he seems to have confidence in the ability of all of his team members, although he comments on Kankuro not taking the battles seriously enough. Not much is known about him at this point, but the Chûnin exam isn't the only reason Baki and his team are in Leaf Village.

Demon Brothers

Age: 25 years old at start of manga, now 28.5
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Affiliation: Kirigakure
Signature Ability: Chains

"Our attackers appeared to be Journeymen level ninja of the Kirigakure clan - mist ninjas. They are shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their own lives." - Hatake Kakashi (Journeyman refers to the Chûnin level in this sentence)

Chûnin level ninjas, they are Missing-nins formerly of the Kirigakure. Now under the command of Zabuza, another Missing-Nin from the Kirigakure, they contract out their ninja abilities to paying clients. Each wearing a sharp nailed metal gauntlet on opposite arms which are connected by a chain, they operate in cooperation. Surrounding their opponent with the chain, they are able to constrict the chain to the point of severing their target into two or several more pieces. When they attempt to assassinate Tazuna- who Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura were hired to protect- Naruto, it being his first battle, freezes in fear, but Sasuke and Kakashi deal with them easily.

Dosu Kinuta

Age: 14 years old (deceased)
Height: 156.0 cm
Weight: 49.0 kg
Birthday: June 12
Blood Type: A
Affiliation: Otogakure
Signature Ability: Sound Waves

"Which do you think is quicker... your sand or my sound?"

Dosu Kinuta (Japn. ドス・キヌタ) is one of the three Genin from the Otogakure (along with Kin and Zaku) who entered the Chûnin exam not for becoming a chûnin, but rather as a part of a mission from Orochimaru to assassinate Uchiha Sasuke (which in a twist turns out to merely be a mission of testing Sasuke's strength, having obtained Orochimaru's curse seal). Dosu was equipped with a special speaker tied to his wrist which served to amplify sound waves and dramatically strengthen his sound-based attacks.

Orochimaru treated him as largely a pawn, even though he was a quite powerful ninja. Dosu's undoing, however, was his own attempt to kill Gaara of the Sand in order to remove him from the chûnin exam, not realising the monstrosity he was actually going up against. His death was quick and unceremonious.

Trivia

• "Dosu" is onomatopoeia for the sound of a sword piercing flesh.

Ebisu

Age: 28 years old at start of manga, now 31.5
Height: 181.4 cm
Weight: 67.5 kg
Birthday: March 8
Blood Type: A
Registration #: 010777
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Kagebunshin-no-Jutsu

"I would never think of doing something like that! Thinking that is proof of you being a closet pervert." - Uzumaki Naruto

A Tokubetsu Jônin level ninja, Ebisu (Japn. エビス) is Konohamaru's tutor. He doesn't like the fact that Konohamaru idolizes Uzumaki Naruto, because he only sees Naruto as the container of the Kyubi. His opinion of Naruto doesn't change when Naruto defeats him with the Ninja Harem after the Ninja Centerfold fails. Later, recommended by Hatake Kakashi as a great teacher, Ebisu begins Naruto's one-month training for the Chûnin Selection Exam final. It is during this time that through being with Naruto and seeing the influence he had on Konohamaru that Ebisu realizes that Naruto is more than just the container of a demon, but that he is an outstanding Leaf Ninja. However, Ebisu does not complete Naruto's training, because Jiraiya takes over by summoning a large toad which tongue-whips Ebisu unconscious.

Trivia

• The name "Ebisu" comes from the Buddhist god "Ebisu" who is usually pictured as a well rounded man with a hammer in his hand that brings wealth and prosperity to believers.

Gaara of the Sand

Age: 12 years old at start of manga, now 15.5
Height: 146.1 cm
Weight: 39.0 kg
Birthday: January 19
Blood Type: AB
Affiliation: Hidden Sand
Signature Ability: Sand Control; Desert Funeral, Shukaku

"The pain of being alone... is out of this world, isn't it? I understand your feelings so much it actually hurts... But I have precious people now. I won't let you hurt my precious people even if I have to kill you!" - Uzumaki Naruto

Gaara of the Sand (Japn. 砂漠の我愛羅, pronounced Sabaku no Gaara) is one of the three genin from the Hiding-in-Sand who show up at the Chûnin exam (along with Kankuro and Temari, his siblings). Contrary to belief, Shukaku is not technically a demon but a sand priest. The soul of the sand priest was sealed inside Gaara at birth similarly to how the Kyūbi was sealed inside Uzumaki Naruto- he shares some similarities with Naruto, such as being rejected and hated by his own village (The only person Gaara thought cared for him, his uncle Yashamaru, was ordered to assassinate him by his own father, letting Gaara know before his death that he was never loved by anybody- he had always resented him for taking away his sister, his mother didn't want to have him and died cursing the village, and his father saw him as nothing more than a tool). But unlike Naruto he withdrew into himself rather than attempting to gain attention and appreciation, and was acknowledged by nobody (as opposed to Naruto, who was acknowledged by his Sensei, Umino Iruka). Gaara had lost all emotion and sense of purpose years ago and filled the gap with the unrelenting goal of killing anybody in the world that was not him. His insomnia- forced upon him by the fact that the demon inside him would eat away at his personality if he were to fall asleep deeply enough- made his personality further unstable.

In Gaara's case, much like in Hyuga Neji's case, getting beaten up by Naruto acted as a most effective form of therapy for a very skewed vision of life. When they did battle, Gaara's unending hatred for and alienation from the world eventually waned as a source of power, while Naruto's desire to protect those close to him kept fueling his fighting spirit. After that battle Gaara had to be carried away by his brother and sister, and to their utter amazement, he thanked them.

Gaara carries a gourd on his back. Instead of water being carried in it, the gourd contains sand and the blood of his enemies. His best combination is desert graveyard and desert coffin. He is one of the most feared and powerful in the Chūnin exam.

Gaara was responsible for saving Lee from Kimimaro and destroying the latter. His power and his jutsu arsenal increased dramatically from the time of the chunin exam.

Trivia

• The name "Gaara" is made up of three Kanji, "Ga" (我, meaning I or me), "A" (愛, more commonly "Ai" meaning love), and "Ra" (羅, used here to mean a demon). Added together, they can mean "I only love myself. I'm a demon." which really explain what kind of character he is.

Gama Family

Gama

Mid level toad that Jiraiya uses to defeat Ebisu (because he annoyed him) at hot springs.

Gama Bunta

Gama Bunta, or literally "Frog Boss", is the chief of the toad spirits that are summoned. He is huge, about 50-100 meters high and is used to do battles with the biggest of enemies. Uzumaki Naruto can summon him with his kyubi chakra (whereas with his own, he is only capable of summoning up tadpoles or some of Gama Bunta's small children). Naruto first summoned him in the month long training session with Jiraiya when Jiraiya pushed him over a cliff in order to induce life threatening fear in Naruto so that the kyubi chakra could come out.

Gama Bunta is a grumpy and highly apathetic character. He uses some Japanese words that only a yakuza gangster would use. Still, he is portrayed as an ultimately powerful and positive force.

During first summoning, Naruto demanded to become Gama Bunta's subordinate if he could ride the toad until sundown. Naruto showed his great resilient spirit and almost made it. Regardless, Gama Bunta accepted him as a subordinate.

In the next summoning, Naruto is almost killed by Gaara's Sabakukyō attack when he performs the kuchiyose-no-Jutsu. Gaara is in his full form of Shukaku (although he has not gone to sleep yet). Gama is his usual grumpy self, and shares a dialog with Naruto about the fact that he promised to have a subordinate/mentor relationship with him but only after sharing sake ceremony (which of course is 8 years away, and wouldn't be of any good use to Naruto here and now in the current battle). At which point, Gama Kichi tells his pop that Gaara bullied him and that Naruto saved him. Gama then tells Naruto he will show him all about "Jingi" which is another yakuza term describing a highly argumentative honor code (although its portrayed as a completely positive thing in this anime).

In the next summoning, while drunk from Tsunade's potion, Jiraiya, after summoning Gama Kichi, finally collects his chakra focus and brings out Gama Bunta for battle against Orochimaru's snake demon, Manda.

Gama Kichi

Is the minuscule and cute child of Gama Bunta about the size of Naruto's head . He is a weak creature summoned because Naruto could not focus his chakra during beginning battle with Gaara. Gama Kichi wants to play with Naruto for summoning him.

Gama Tatsu

The weak, inexperienced brother of Gama Kichi, and son of Gama Bunta. Summoned for the first time by Naruto while fighting Orichimaru due to Naruto's inability to focus his chakra. Fixates on snacks after a comment made by Gama Kichi that made him think he'd get one.

Gatô

Age: 48 years old (deceased)
Height: 162.5 cm
Weight: 69.0 kg
Birthday: April 30
Blood Type: A
Affiliation: None
Signature Ability: Hiring Shinobi

"Once we're in hell, I can take my time, and show you over... and over... who is, or is not, 'a baby demon'!" - Momochi Zabuza

Gatô (Japn. ガトー, pronounced Gatō) is a powerful ship magnate whose shipping company is actually a front for much shadier activity, such as smuggling illegal goods and dealing drugs. He takes control of the The Land of the Waves's shipping routes and created a monopoly by isolating the country from the outside world, preventing free import and export and turning it into an impoverished, hunger-stricken country in the process. He is a cruel, greedy man, also responsible for humiliating and killing Kaiza for being the country's hero, traumatising Inari, who saw Kaiza as a father figure, in the process. Gatô is protected by two bodyguards, Zouri and Waraji. Gatô hires Missing-nins from the Hidden-in-the-Mist- including Momochi Zabuza, Haku and the Demon Brothers- to assassinate Tazuna and stop him from finishing to build the bridge which would connect the Land of the Waves to the outside world and allow its economy to recover; however, after Zabuza broke his arms in battle with Hatake Kakashi (who was hired to defend Tazuna, along with Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke), Gatô assumes that Zabuza would be able to do no damage with broken arms and informs him of his plan to dispose of him since, in Gatô's words, "No one cares what I do to your kind once the job is done." Therefore, he calls a swarm of thugs to finish the job. Since Zabuza was still able to wield a kunai in his mouth, this mistake cost Gatô his life. In the manga, Zabuza chopped off Gatô's head with the knife after being struck by several of his cronies. In the anime, Gatô was thrown into the water. Zabuza died, and the renegades were driven away by Kakashi and Naruto. The bridge, dubbed by Kakashi "The land's hope", was completed and named the "Great Naruto Bridge", after Naruto.

His name is spelled with and without a circumflex in the English manga, while in the original Japanese anime his name is shown without a circumflex.

Gekko Hayate

Age: 23 years old (deceased)
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: November 2
Blood Type: ?
Registration #: 011671
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Dance of the Crescent Moon

"The Dance of the Crescent Moon... and you can use it at such a young age. The shinobi of Konoha seem to be very talented..." - Baki

"We'll be sure to avenge you... Hayate." - Nameless female Black Ops (ANBU)

Gekko Hayate (Japn. 月光ハヤテ, pronounced Gekkō Hayate) was a Tokubetsu Jônin level ninja who served as the judge for the Chûnin exam third stage preliminary matches and suffering from a chronic cough and bags under his eyes, always appeared to be sick. Hayate ended up accidentally eavesdropping on Baki and Kabuto and hearing about the Sound Village and Sand Village's conspiracy against Konoha; he was discovered and, while a talented ninja, was no match for Baki, who killed him using Kaze no Yaiba-no-Jutsu (Wind Blade Technique).

Trivia

• The name "Gekkō" means "lunar light" and "Hayate" means "quick as wind". Both are names of Japanese fighter planes from World War II.

Gi'ichi

A worker and friend of Tazuna. Gi'ichi quit his job working on The Great Naruto Bridge because he feared the consequences of angering Gatô. He later joins Inari in rallying up the villagers to fight against Gatô and push his thugs out of the Land of the Waves for good.

In the English manga, his name is spelled with the apostrophe while in the original Japanese anime, his name is spelled in Roman characters without the apostrophe.

Hagane Kotetsu

Age: 24 years old at start of manga, now 27.5
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: July 21
Blood Type: ?
Registration #: 012050
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Signature Ability: ?

Hagane Kotetsu (Japn. はがねコテツ) and his comrade, Izumo, attempted to hold their very own Unofficial First Test of the Chûnin exam. Before the Chûnin exam has even begun, they used Genjutsu to change the meeting room's number. Later, they tried to persuade the Genin who showed up to quit right there and then. He and Izumo had attempted to pass the Chûnin Exam but failed three times in a row. Now they are Chûnin moderators for the first test. Kotetsu carries two large Kunai-style weapons on his back.

Trivia

• The name "Hagane" means "steel" and "Kotetsu" also means "steel".

Haku

Age: 15 years old (deceased)
Height: 155.92 cm
Weight: 43.2 kg
Birthday: January 15
Blood Type: O
Affiliation: Momochi Zabuza
Signature Ability: Demonic Ice Mirrors

"But you should care! That fat scumbag is desecrating him!!! He was your comrade... your partner... he worked for you for years!!!" and later, "He... he really cared about you!!! He was devoted to you!! But you think that's just nothing, that he was nothing. You don't feel a thing! Are you really that heartless? Is that how you get... when your powers are as strong as yours are? He gave his life for you! - Uzumaki Naruto (to Momochi Zabuza)

Haku (Japn. 白) was a former Hidden Mist Ninja, and a very powerful one at that; he also may have been a former member of the Hunter-nin team. In his first appearance, he masqueraded as a hunter-nin from the Mist village, sent to kill/capture Momochi Zabuza. Haku came from an advanced bloodline and had many special techniques, the most powerful being the Ice Mirrors (Makyō HyōShō Hijutsu, the Demonic Ice Mirrors secret technique), but he also attacked using Ice Needles (Sensatsu Suishō Hijutsu, the Flying Water Needles secret technique) and Senbon (Acupunture Needles). Haku is a master of Acupuncture - he manages to strike Zabuza in such a way that he appears to be dead, but is actually in a death-like state and awakened later.

During Haku's childhood, wars ravaged the Land of the Waves, and since those of advanced bloodlines were commonly used as the most terrifying tools of war, many people irrationally dreaded and hated people of advanced bloodlines. When Haku's father found out that his mother was of an advanced bloodline he killed her and then tried to kill Haku, too, but Haku overpowered him and killed him, instead. He wandered the wave country as an unwanted child until he was found by Zabuza, who agreed to take him in and wanted to merely use him as a tool.

In Zabuza's last battle over the great Naruto bridge, Haku sacrifices his life by taking Hatake Kakashi's Lightning Blade (Raikiri) which was aimed at Zabuza. Haku says he was fighting for his own dream- making Zabuza's dreams come true- but in the end, he fought for the dreams of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura as well, by putting Sasuke in a temporary death-like state like he does to Zabuza, when he could easily kill him.

Trivia

• The name "Haku" means "white" but also carries the meaning of "blank", or "unwritten" and also "untarnished" . Some say that Haku also means "snow" like the country he was originally born in.
• In the malay dubbed anime version, "Haku" is called "Shiro". This might have been a mistake by the translaters because the japanese charcter for "Haku" & "Shiro" are the same.

Sarutobi - 3rd Hokage

Age: 68 years old (deceased)
Height: 163.1 cm
Weight: 50.6 kg
Birthday: February 8
Blood Type: A
Registration #: 000261
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Koenma the Demon Monkey, Seal of the Death God

"My precious people? Well... Konohamaru, my grandson over there... and... everybody else in this village."

"Still you do not understand, Orochimaru? There is more to strength than seals and techniques!"

A Ninja who has achieved the name of Kage (Shadow), strongest ninja of a Hidden Village, the Third Hokage (Japn. 三代目火影, or "Sandaime Hokage") was the leader of Konohagakure. Sometimes referred to as Sandaime (3rd) because he was the 3rd of four Konoha ninjas to gain the title Hokage; he was also the 3rd face on the monument carved on the mountain overlooking Konoha Village. Said to be the strongest among all the generations of Hokages because of his genius, he was called The Professor. He had a large and impressive arsenal of jutsus which he had learnt over his many years serving Konohagakure- in fact, he was said to know all of the Jutsu that exist in Konoha. However, his strength had begun to decrease with his old age, and he was- initially, at least- no match for his former student, Orochimaru, when the latter led the invasion on Konoha.

Having no other choice, the Hokage decided to sacrifice his life to seal Orochimaru's soul much like the fourth did to the nine-tails demon fox. His old age and weakened state (included, but not limited to, being impaled upon Orochimaru's sword) did not allow him to seal Orochimaru's whole soul, however, so he chose to only seal Orochimaru's arms, taking away all of his techniques and losing his life.

The third was previously the student of the 2nd Hokage, and the sensei of- apart from Orochimaru- Jiraiya and Tsunade. The third Hokage has been referred to as Sarutobi, his given name, and even though Sarutobi Asuma also has Sarutobi in his name, Sarutobi is Asuma's family name and so they are not related.

Sarutobi means "jumping like a monkey", and the name may have been inspired by Sarutobi Sasuke. Many aspects of his character are borrowed from the Chinese literature classic Journey to the West.

Trivia

• "Hokage", made up from the words "Ho" (fire) and "Kage" (shadow), refers to shadows created by light casted from flames.
• Masashi Kishimoto originally planned for the Third Hokage to be a dog, but eventually dumped the idea for being "too weird".

Hokage, 4th

Age: ? (deceased)
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Registration #: ?
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Rasengan, Toad Summoning, Seal of the Death God

"If only the fourth were here..." - Mitarashi Anko
"Don't say that. He has died and saved this village already." - Third Hokage

The 4th Hokage (Yondaime), also known as "The Yellow Flash of Konoha", was the brave Ninja who was responsible for sealing the Nine-tails Demon Fox inside Naruto, is remembered for his heroic acts on the monument which overshadows Konohagakure. Before he performed the seal which would destroy the Demon Fox and himself, he said that he did not want Naruto to be viewed as the container of a monster but as a hero who saved the Leaf Village from annihilation. He was a student of Jiraiya's, and later the sensei of Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Rin. Another recent speculation has been that he could be related to Naruto due to the blond hair they both possess and the similarities in their personalities as noted by Jiraiya.

Hyuga Hiashi

Age: 41 years old at start of manga, now 44.5
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: January 8
Blood Type: ?
Registration #: 005159
Affiliation: Hyuga clan, Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Evil Eye (Byakugan or "White Eye")

Hyuga Hiashi (Japn. 日向ヒアシ, pronounced Hyūga Hiashi) is the twin brother of Hyuga Hizashi, but was born into the world first, making him a main house member. He has two daughters, Hyuga Hinata, the elder, and Hyuga Hanabi, the younger; while Hinata should have been the heir by tradition, he picks Hanabi over her because she clearly seems stronger, and goes to the extreme of all but disowning Hinata completely, putting her under Yuhi Kurenai's responsibility. He was also the one to put the Hyuga Curse Seal on his nephew, Hyuga Neji.

When he killed a shinobi from the The Land of the Lightning who came under false pretenses of signing a peace treaty and was in fact attempting to kidnap Hinata to gain the secret of the Evil Eye (Byakugan, the "White Eye"), the Lightning country demanded that the body of a Hyuga clan member be delivered to them as compensation. Hiashi's brother, Hizashi, volunteered to be killed instead of Hiashi, thus saving his life. Hiashi decided not to tell Hizashi's son, Neji, that his father volunteered to die, until he felt that Neji would be mentally ready to accept this over the much more comfortable belief that the Hyuga main house was responsible for his death. This moment came after Neji's loss to Uzumaki Naruto in battle.

Hiashi took an active role in the war between Konoha and the Sand/Sound alliance, blasting away all hostile forces who dared approach.

During the time between the chūnin exam and Uchiha Sasuke leaving the village, Hiashi seems to have realised that the family bond that should be keeping the clan together had been falling apart, and has apparently set his sights on mending it- apparently taking his elder daughter back in and training his nephew even though he is from the branch house, a former Hyuga clan taboo.

Trivia

• (日向) (Hyūga) means "Sun" and is the name of a city in the Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan.

Hyuga Hinata

Age: 12 years old at start of manga, now 15.5
Height: 147.3 cm
Weight: 37.9 kg
Birthday: December 27
Blood Type: A
Registration #: 012612
Affiliation: Hyuga Clan, Konohagakure
Signature Ability: Evil Eye (Byakugan or "White Eye")

"Let me give you this warning... Quit now. You do not make a good shinobi. You always avoid conflict and seek harmony, and just go along with somebody else's idea. The truth is that you do not want to be here at all, but the exam had to be taken in teams of three, and you couldn't resist the pressure from your two teammates... you are actually now thinking about how you want to be out of this place. Am I not right?" - Hyuga Neji

"You are not the only special guy here. Hinata... was suffering like you. She is from the head family and wanted to change herself because nobody would acknowledge her. That was her motivation, and she fought you even when she was injured. That goes for you too! The branch house should protect the head house, yet you almost killed Hinata in an EXAM! You were trying hard to fight against your fate, WEREN'T YOU?!" - Uzumaki Naruto (to Hyuga Neji)

One of the rare people who have had a positive outlook on Naruto when he was largely seen as a good-for-nothing reincarnation of a monster fox is Hyuga Hinata (Japn. 日向 ヒナタ, pronounced Hyūga Hinata), the daughter of Hyuga Hiashi and a Genin level ninja. Hinata is in Yuhi Kurenai's team 8. She is a Member of the Hyuga clan, main house, possesses the <