Naruto is fondly remembered by fans as one of the best shōnen series of all time. Masashi Kishimoto’s masterpiece has many positive aspects, as seen in its worldbuilding, unique powers, and Naruto‘s greatest battles. However, one of Naruto‘s flaws was its handling of its large cast of supporting characters, many of whom deserved more attention and lacked screen time.

Naruto features some of the best shōnen characters, with fascinating ideologies and relatable backstories that brought tears to fans’ eyes. However, it’s no secret that, due to the unfolding events of Naruto‘s story, some characters with great potential were wasted. Some Naruto characters were poorly developed and didn’t live up to fans’ expectations.

Konan

Konan was one of the strongest female ninja in Naruto. In the Akatsuki Hidden novel, it was revealed that Obito wanted her to die to increase Nagato’s hatred, choosing to send Konan to capture the Five-Tails’s jinchuriki. Moreover, Konan was able to devise a great strategy that forced Obito to use Izanagi during their fight in order to defeat her.

Konan had the potential to be more than a side character after the Pain Arc. Although Konan died protecting the bodies of Yahiko and Nagato so that Obito wouldn’t obtain the Rinnegan, as the outcome ended up in the Uchiha’s favor despite her sacrifice, her death felt meaningless.

If Konan had remained in the Hidden Leaf Village, she could have become a powerful ally in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Ultimately, Konan’s development and that of the Village Hidden in the Rain felt lackluster, as despite Naruto’s promise to Nagato to take care of their village, this didn’t happen.

Yamato

Yamato was the only ninja besides Hashirama Senju who could use the Wood Style after having had some of the first Hokage cells implanted by Orochimaru. However, in the Fourth Great Ninja War, Yamato was basically used as a battery to amp up the White Zetsu, being unable to fight for the ninja alliance and falling into the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Yamato also has one of the most tragic pasts in the Hidden Leaf Village, having been manipulated by Danzo during his childhood. This was demonstrated in his Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, which showed Yamato craving to be acknowledged. But at the end of Naruto, Yamato is tasked with watching over Orochimaru, the same one who experimented on him as a child.

Sai

Sai was introduced as a strong ninja with a fascinating backstory. Not only was Sai already a jonin, but he also belonged to Root, a secret branch of Anbu, and possessed skills valued by Danzo, who tasked him with infiltrating Team 7 and killing Sasuke. However, despite having changed from his cold and emotionless personality, Sai’s development never felt complete.

Sai’s past in Anbu was never explored, and his Super Beast Scroll jutsu could have been better utilized in the series, with more imaginative applications. Furthermore, Sai didn’t contribute much to the later events of the series, fading increasingly into obscurity after his role disappeared following Sasuke’s reappearance.

Shino Aburame

Shino Aburame was Naruto‘s most underrated gennin, as he possessed one of the most intriguing jutsus. Shino’s great intellect and ability to use insects as lethal weapons in unimaginable ways was seen during the Chunin Exams, where he blew up his opponent’s arms from the inside out. Shino also had the ability to stealthily scatter his insects for detection.

Sadly, being a sensory ninja became Shino’s greatest utility in Naruto Shippuden, as he was no longer relevant in the second part of the story. However, Shino’s powers had an amazing potential for strategy, and he could have received a boost that would give him more options in battle. Even in Boruto as a sensei, Shino didn’t have much participation.

Konohamaru Sarutobi

Konohamaru, the grandson of the Third Hokage, became Naruto’s disciple. Konohamaru aimed to become Hokage like Naruto, but despite promising to be more relevant in the long run, Konohamaru never lived up to fans’ expectations. In the Pain Invasion Arc, Konohamaru managed to disable one of the Six Paths of Pain with a Rasengan, despite being only 12 years old.

This puts Konohamaru in a position above many jonin at the time. Fans expected much more from Konohamaru in Naruto‘s sequel, where it seemed he would have a role similar to Kakashi’s. Yet, Konohamaru has failed to excel, unlike his students Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki. In Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Konohamaru lacks development and feels weaker than the new generation.

Shisui Uchiha

Shishui Uchiha is one of the strongest Sharingan users in Naruto, but he is also the least developed despite his relevance to the story. Shisui is known to possess a powerful Mangekyo Sharingan; his reputation reached other villages, as even Killer Bee recognized his name, and he mentored Itachi and became his closest friend.

However, the circumstances surrounding Shisui’s death differ considerably in the Naruto anime, game, and Itachi Shinden novel. While it’s stated that Danzo took him by surprise and obtained one of his eyes, it’s implied that he chose to end his life. Yet, in the Itachi Shinden novels, Shisui was poisoned by a member of the Aburame clan working for Danzo.

Additionally, the fact that he was so strong makes Shisui’s death feel like a waste, with many fans speculating that his body never appeared for him to come back to the story. Still, despite the contradictions, Shisui became a fan-favorite character, with many fans claiming he deserved better and asking for his backstory to be more fleshed out.

Kakuzu

Kakuzu was able to survive a battle against the First Hokage, Hashirama, and after mastering a forbidden jutsu, he became nearly immortal, forming a nearly invincible duo with Hidan. However, Kakuzu’s death was disappointing, as despite all his previous combat experience, Naruto outsmarted him twice. Kakuzu left his back exposed to Naruto after being overwhelmed by his shadow clones.

Kakuzu was easily killed by a surprise Rasen Shuriken. Having demonstrated his skills in his fight against Kakashi, the fact that Kakuzu didn’t choose to retreat after acknowledging Naruto’s threat, or at least to separate himself, makes it seem that his death was only to showcase Naruto’s new jutsu, making him suffer the worst defeat among the Akatsuki members.

Kimimaro

Kimimaro was simply too powerful during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, possessing a unique bloodline and a Kekkei Genkai that he harnessed to his full potential, giving him a brutal fighting style. So, if Kimimaro hadn’t been ill, it’s hard to imagine any other way to defeat him and have both Gaara and Rock Lee survive.

Still, since he later became a foreshadowing of Kaguya’s appearance, and since Kimimaro was considered a candidate to be Orochimaru’s vessel, his death seemed premature to many fans. Had Orochimaru succeeded in taking over Kimimaro’s body, he may have become one of the most powerful characters in Naruto history.

Rock Lee

One of Rock Lee’s most interesting aspects was his philosophy that hard work trumps natural talent, which led him to become one of the best underdog characters in anime. Rock Lee had an impressive performance in the Chunin Exam arc, proving that he was on par with characters like Neji, Sasuke, and Naruto, shocking viewers during his fight with Gaara.

Even after undergoing risky surgery, he continued training and faced Kimimaro, a character with a powerful Kekkei Genkai. However, in Naruto Shippuden, Rock Lee didn’t have any memorable fights, and his philosophy was instead demonstrated through his sensei, Might Guy. Still, just like Might, Rock Lee should have had his own one-on-one battle that showcased his growth.

Neji Hyuga

Neji was one of the strongest genin at the beginning of the story, but his character was completely wasted in Naruto Shippuden. Unlike the first part of the series, where Neji fights Naruto in the chunnin exams and has a deathmatch with a ninja from the Sound Village, he didn’t have any battle that demonstrated his skills in Naruto Shippuden.

Neji was called a genius even by Hiashi Hyuga, and despite not having so much participation, he was confirmed in the second Boruto novel as the best Byakugan user in the history of his clan. This underlying potential is the reason why Neji’s sacrifice felt unnecessary for many fans.

Although losses are natural in a war, Neji became the only death among the Konoha Twelve. Furthermore, while some fans might believe that Neji’s sacrifice symbolizes that he chose to not be bound by fate, Masashi Kishimoto later revealed that the purpose of his death was to strengthen the romance between Naruto and Hinata.

First Episode Air Date

October 3, 2002

Cast

Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei