Naruto wouldn’t be the same without the many unique and colorful characters that make up its cast. Even though certain characters can be annoying at times—be it Naruto’s overused catchphrase or Sakura’s fixation with an uninterested Sasuke—their desires and dreams drive the story forward in unique ways. In many cases, characters who begin as unpopular or unlikable shoot up in fan opinion over time as they grow throughout the course of the series.
However, not every character in the series is well-received by fans. Though it’s a harsh reality, for every incredibly popular character in a franchise, there’s likely another that most viewers could do without. There are official Naruto popularity polls, but they don’t tally votes for all characters and only go up to a maximum of fifty characters. Because of this, information for character popularity has been pulled from MyAnimeList votes—minor characters who only appear once or twice are skipped over entirely.
10 Most Popular: The Titular Hero, Naruto Uzumaki, Earns His Spot As The Number-One Ninja
Naruto Uzumaki starts out as the underdog—most don’t have any belief in him and don’t even think he can become a ninja, let alone the Hokage of the entire village. He ends up proving everyone wrong, and not only accomplishing his dream of becoming Hokage, but of having a loving family to call his own as well with Hinata.
Although he can be irritating, Naruto’s determination and ever-unwavering strength are admirable and it’s hard not to root for him. Many fans grew up alongside him, so it’s no wonder that he’s cemented himself as the single most popular character by far.
9 Least Popular: Gato Is A Poor Excuse Of A Villain, Taken Down By One Of The Series’ Best
Gato is one of the antagonists of the Land of Waves arc. He’s the one who hires Zabuza to take down the Bridge Builder, and shows up at the end of the arc to have his men kill Zabuza—just so he can avoid paying him for his services.
Zabuza ends up taking him out by wielding only a kunai with his mouth in an incredibly memorable scene. This only serves to increase Zabuza’s popularity while cementing Gato as one of the least-liked Naruto characters of all time.
8 Most Popular: Itachi Bore The Weight Of Being Seen As A Villain For Sasuke’s Sake
Itachi originally seems like a cruel villain without a reason for most of his actions aside from making himself an antagonist for Sasuke. After all, he’s responsible for the Uchiha Massacre, and the reason that he gives Sasuke makes it seem like he doesn’t care for his family.
However, this couldn’t be further from the case. After it’s revealed that everything Itachi does is actually for the sake of Sasuke and for the sake of his village, both his brother and fan opinion change drastically and he leaps to one of the most beloved characters out of the entire cast.
7 Least Popular: Tazuna Has A Disagreeable Personality & Lies About The True Nature Of His Mission
Tazuna is the bridge builder assigned to complete the bridge in the Land of Waves to open their poor village up to trade with neighboring countries. As doing so would mean the country could pull itself up from its impoverished state and regain control from Gato, the crime lord naturally disagrees with this.
Tazuna knew that his mission would be B-rank or higher, and still disguises it as a lower rank in order to afford it. He could’ve at least warned Naruto and the others after the mission had begun, but even after their first encounter with danger, he still tries to lie about just how dangerous things are.
6 Most Popular: Kakashi Shows His Students That The Real World Won’t Wait For Them To Take Things Seriously
When Kakashi first meets Team Seven, he states bluntly that his first impression of the group is that he outright despises them. Sasuke is too arrogant for his own good, Sakura would rather focus on boys than training, and Naruto is a prankster who believes he can do everything himself while also being the least accomplished ninja of all at the time.
He grows to like them in time, and in turn, he becomes the single most well-liked sensei in the entire series. He cares deeply for his team but doesn’t pull any punches, showing them how easily a mission can turn into a hostage or life-and-death situation if one isn’t careful.
5 Least Popular: Inoichi Yamanaka Simply Doesn’t Have Enough On-Screen Time To Capture Fans’ Hearts
Inoichi, Ino’s father, is a calm and perceptive person who uses these traits to help Shizune uncover the mystery behind the Six Paths of Pain. He cares deeply about the traditions of his Clan and does his best to pass these on to his daughter, whom he also has absolute faith in.
He’s a great father and has an agreeable personality, but there’s one thing that harms fan opinion of him. He simply doesn’t get enough screen time for viewers to get a good impression of him and vote for him over the many other colorful characters that make up Naruto’s cast.
4 Most Popular: Sasuke’s Redemption Arc Solidifies Him As One Of The Series’ Best Characters
In the beginning, even though Sasuke’s got a cool personality and the prodigious skills to back it up, his edgy lone-wolf personality and fixation on revenge get old. This is especially true when he decides to turn on his comrades to obtain power himself rather than working with Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura, who he himself admitted he’d grown to like.
Thankfully, he ends up redeeming himself after the truth about Itachi is finally revealed. He mends his bonds with the Hidden Leaf and becomes the pseudo-Shadow Kage who protects the village from the outside while Naruto protects it from within.
3 Least Popular: Hizashi Hyuga Is A Prisoner Of The Hyuga Clan’s Rules
Hizashi Hyuga is born moments after his brother Hiashi, sealing his fate as a member of the Branch House. He grows up resentful of his eventual fate and passes this bitterness onto his son, Neji, which is very clearly shown when Hinata and Naruto go up against him during the Chunin Exams.
He eventually fulfills his fate by giving his life for Hiashi, but he chooses to do so of his own free will, as Hiashi actually didn’t want him to do so. He’s not a bad character by any means, but he also suffers from not having enough screen time or development for fans to latch onto.
2 Most Popular: Shikamaru Is The Most Intelligent Out Of The Konoha 11 But Doesn’t Flaunt It
Shikamaru Nara is not only the most intelligent out of his graduating class but likely one of the most intelligent members of the entire cast. He has an IQ of 200, but this over-intelligence makes him find most tasks boring, and he instead prefers to laze about and relax by cloud-watching or playing shogi.
He does bloom into a capable and reliable shinobi, and while he prefers being able to take it easy, he’ll do whatever’s asked of him out of a sense of responsibility. His relationship with Temari—another popular character—and how they complement each other also adds bonus points.
1 Least Popular: Mizuki Is A Poor Excuse Of A Villain Who Overstays His Welcome (In The Anime)
Mizuki is technically Naruto’s first antagonist, as he tricks the boy into stealing a scroll for him, and then nearly kills both Naruto and Iruka. If he had only appeared in Episode One, that would be one thing, but the anime chooses to bring him back in a filler arc that destroys any hope of him being labeled an entertaining villain.
Mizuki breaks out of prison in order to take his revenge on Iruka and Naruto and uses a potion to greatly enhance his physical capabilities. However, its side effects cause great harm to his body and he ends up right back in jail. He just doesn’t have anything going for him that makes him either a compelling or sympathetic villain.
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