Naruto, an anime set in a ninja universe that sees us follow a seemingly pathetic yet hilarious ninja aptly named Naruto, premiered on October 3, 2005 on TV Tokyo. It was slammed with international success, and soon became one of the top animes/mangas ever. It was picked up by Cartoon Network in 2005, where the network began airing the show on Toonami adding to its ever-growing popularity.
The show featured intense hand-to-hand combat action, over the top comedy, and introduced the world to timeless characters like Naruto, Sasuke, and the hilariously gross Jiraiya Sensei. Whether the show has a special place in your heart or not, it’s hard to deny its global popularity or the insufferable love that fans have for the show. This popularity only seems to grow as time goes by.
With 220 episodes in the original and 500 in the continuation, Naruto Shippuden, it’s almost impossible to remember every stunning moment or witness every hilarious story-line across the show’s extensive timeline. Who could forget that time Rock Lee fought while out of it? Or when Kakashi was bit by the love-bug? Hopefully you’re not kicking yourself for missing out on those unforgettable moments, but just in case you are, here’s 20 hidden plot lines you might’ve missed in Naruto.
20 A Tale Of Young Love, Shika-Tema
Romance is a polarizing topic in the Naruto fanbase, but whether you’re a fan of Naru-Saku (Naruto and Sakura), or even Sasu-Naru (Naruto and Sasuke), most fans can find common ground when it comes to the relationship between Shikamaru and Temari.
And believe it or not, this relationship has been in the works since the earliest episodes of Naruto.
Shikamaru and Temari first met during the Chunin Exam and while it didn’t seem like love at first sight, it definitely seemed like the most natural chemistry between two characters in the show. Their relationship and rivalry progressed throughout the course of the show, notably on missions like the Sasuke retrieval mission where their teamwork and chemistry had fans hooked on their possible relationship. Shikamaru might think most things are a drag, but he finally found his one exception.
19 Keep Things Away From Rock Lee
While fans of the series will never forget when Rock Lee drunkenly fought one of the coolest baddies in the series, Kimimaro, Lee’s progression to get to that unforgettable moment was actually just as awesome as the fight. Rock Lee had just one of the worst fights in the series. Lee was told he’d never fight again, and it was truly one of the saddest moments in Naruto. But that didn’t stop Lee. He underwent an experimental surgery that had a 50/50 chance of curing him or ending him.
Despite the success of the surgery, he missed the crucial mission to recover Sasuke. But the “Leaf’s Hurricane” continued to train non-stop with his youthful Sensei, Might Guy, who had Lee perform tasks like eating 50 bitter dumplings of rejuvenation. Thankfully, Lee showed up to the mission when the team needed him most.
18 Kisame, A Baddie Amongst Baddies
The Akatsuki are undoubtedly one of the most infamous yet awesome groups of villains in a Shonen. They’re tasked with capturing all the tailed-beasts and doing what villains do best, bringing terror (or what they call peace) to the world. However, while much is known about the group and their intentions, the recruitment of some of the group’s coolest characters remain extremely mysterious.
Notably, one of the group’s most dedicated members, Kisame.
Feared as the Monster of the Hidden Mist and one of the notorious Seven Swordsmen, Kisame was one of the earliest members to join the Akatsuki. When Obito approached the swordsman disguised as Madara, Kisame immediately became intrigued when he heard Obito’s plan to provide world peace. Kisame went onto join the group and partnered with another one of the show’s strongest villains (Or heroes), Itachi Uchiha.
17 Everbody’s Favorite Naruto Clone
Love him or hate him, just like Naruto, Konohamaru has heart. I say just like Naruto because, let’s face it, Konohamaru is basically a Naruto clone. Minus the tailed beast, and a lineage to The Sage of the Six Paths. Oh, and basically everything else that makes Naruto overpowered. So Konohamaru is basically a discount Naruto. But what happened to our favorite Naruto clone?
While Konohamaru was the joke of the Ninja Academy only using jutsus like the infamous technique, he really made something of himself later into his life. As an adult and a Jonin, Konohamaru became a teacher at the academy and actually became Boruto’s (Naruto’s son) Sensei. However, his late-success didn’t stop him from copying his idol. Konohamaru’s strongest technique is the Rasengan, a lot like one other character in the show.
16 The Fourth Hokage’s Legacy
While filler is usually frowned upon in any anime, The Fourth Hokage’s Legacy actually offered some entertaining filler. In an effort to give himself an edge in the chunin exams, Naruto seeks out the fourth Hokage’s legacy in this actually exciting series of filler. And this means a lot, considering that this show has a ton of these kinds of episodes!
The filler features some nail-biting action between Naruto, Sakura, and Team 10’s Shikamaru, Ino and Choji.
It ends with Naruto finding the scroll left behind by his father that reveals “there are no shortcuts to becoming a ninja.” It may be cheesy, but if you’re binging the show again, or for the first time, make sure to give this filler a try.
15 Ino And Discount Sasuke
There aren’t too many fans of Ino, so unless you paid close attention to the Leaf’s formidable female ninja, you’d never figured she’d end up with Sai, Sasuke’s similar-looking replacement. Ino’s only love interest prior to Sai had been the ever-mysterious bad boy Sasuke, so it did end up making sense when she showed attraction towards another ninja who had strikingly similar looks to Sasuke.
Ino’s interest for Sai became less subtle when she was put into the dream world of Infinite Tsukuyomi. She dreams of Sai and Sasuke fighting over her affection. In the end, Ino ended up with Sai and the two went onto have a child named Inojin Yamanaka. Their relationship might not be as good as Shikamaru’s, but it holds more weight than most relationships in the series.
14 The Most Underrated Character In Naruto
Remember Shisui Uchiha? Yeah, even some of the truest die-hard fans of Naruto have to think long and hard about the tale of Shisui Uchiha. While most remember that he was Itachi’s best friend, he made a substantial impact in the Uchiha story and the story of Naruto as a whole.
Shisui knew the Uchiha were planning to overtake the Leaf Village and did everything in his power to stop it.
When that wasn’t enough, Danzo came knocking to take Shisui’s valuable eyes. Danzo was able to take one, but thankfully Shisui escaped and was able to give his remaining one to his best friend Itachi, whom he also entrusted to stop the Uchiha coup at all costs. Shisui caused Itachi to awaken his own Mangekyou Sharingan. Yeah, Shisui is pretty legit and is arguably one of the most underrated characters in the series.
13 Hidan + Cult-Like Experiments = Immortality
Hidan was a pretty interesting character. He’s one of the most hated villains in the Akatsuki for ending the beloved Asuma, leaving most of our heroes pretty sad as a result. But he boasts one of the coolest powers in the series: immortality. How did he come about this insanely strong power? Simple: he joined a cult.
That’s right, Hidan joined the cult-like faith known as Jashin. The religion was pretty brutal, with members just outright performing sacrifices. Hidan became part of an experiment performed by Jashin, and the results left him with the awesome power of immortality. Pretty cool, except for the part where he was defeated by Shikamaru and was left incapacitated in a pit slowly perishing of a lack of nutrition. Hey, you can’t win them all.
12 Asuma’s Fabled Daughter
A direct result of Hidan’s ending of Asuma was leaving Asuma’s significant other, Kurenai, alone and extremely sad at that. Her only silver-lining was that she was pregnant with his child, who she would later give birth to.
Mirai Sarutobi is the daughter of Kurenai and Asuma, and packs a punch that her father would be proud of.
She was watched over by Shikamaru, who she calls big brother and has a great fondness for. She still holds her father in high regard, with moments of her visiting her father’s grave to pay her respects. Mirai wields chakra blades just like her dad and boasts the rank of Chunin. This is one Kunoichi that even Hidan wouldn’t mess with.
11 Behind The Mask, Kakashi’s Love Story
Who would’ve known that a series that features ninja fights and off-the-wall comedy would also have so much romance? But this time from a character who no one would expect it from: Kakashi. While it might be another filler episode, this one offers a side of Kakashi that you rarely see in the series.
Hanare, a spy for another village, was captured by the Hidden Leaf Village. Through some craftiness, she manages to find a way to escape. She meets with an unaware Kakashi and romantic hijinks ensue. Kakashi and Hanare begin talking when an eavesdropping Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura surprise Kakashi after falling out of a tree. This leads to the copy ninja literally falling on Hanare and accidentally kissing her with his mask still on! It’s an extremely entertaining story that you just can’t skip when watching Shippuden.
10 Obito’s Epic Fight Against Minato
It’s still weird to think that the seemingly harmless Obito took on his Sensei at the young age of 15. While this plot line may be featured in the main story, this fight is jam-packed with interesting details. For starters, when Obito loses an arm, you can see white fluid leaking from his body. This indicates that he has some form of white Zetsu cells in him.
While many believe Obito fought Minato on equal terms, the fight was, in reality, pretty lopsided for Minato.
Obito took two hostages, one being an infant Naruto, and the other being Minato’s wife, Kushina. He still lost to his Sensei. Still, not bad for a 15-year-old kid. There’s a reason they call him the “Yellow Flash.”
9 The Untold Tale Of Iruka Sensei
For some reason, this anime is littered with orphans. Not sure if the show’s creator, Masashi Kishimoto has some fascination with orphans, but that’s beside the point. Iruka Sensei wasn’t born an orphan. In fact, his parents were ended by the Nine-Tailed Fox, the same demon that lives inside Naruto.
Iruka actually witnessed his parents’ passing during the Kyuubi’s attack. Just like Sasuke, Iruka initially had a family. But unlike Sasuke, Iruka’s childhood became a lot like Naruto’s. Iruka would pull pranks and consistently get into trouble with elders in the village. As an adult and as Naruto’s teacher, Iruka didn’t hold the grudge against him for having the Kyuubi inside him. Iruka actually became the father figure that Naruto was craving, and later in the series even took place as Naruto’s father at his wedding.
8 Kakashi Hatake, Wedding Planner For Hire
So before our ever-inspiring hero, Naruto reached his goal of Hokage, there was a 6th and his name was Kakashi Hatake. While I still get a kick of seeing Kakashi’s masked face on the Hokage monument, one begins to wonder: what did Kakashi even do as Hokage?
Well, not much is revealed, so for all we know, Kakashi could’ve cured cancer or prevented the next great war.
All we have that is concrete, is that he’s a great wedding planner. Yup, you’re reading that right, Kakashi was one of the biggest helpers in planning Naruto’s wedding. Well, in his reign he was also shown defending the village from a meteorite attack. But we all know Kakashi wants to be remembered for the important stuff. His secret hobby of wedding planning; who would’ve thought?
7 Orochimaru Was Actually An Akatsuki Member
Orochimaru’s practically been a part of anything evil in the Naruto universe, so it comes to little surprise that he found himself in this group of troublemakers. But, as with anything Orochimaru does, he had his hidden motivations in the Akatsuki as well, this time being Itachi’s sharingan.
Orochimaru actually tried to outright steal Itachi’s eyes when he used his snake to try to strangle the Uchiha. But it seems that nobody gave Orochimaru the memo that you never, ever, mess with Itachi. Orochimaru was defeated almost immediately, losing his left hand. Orochimaru was then forced out of the Akatsuki, making enemies with most of the members, most notably Sasori, who expresses his hatred for him anytime Orochimaru is brought up.
6 The Man Who Turned Down Hokage 3 Times
Jiraiya is loved by everyone. He was loved so much that he was even offered the position of Hokage three times! But each time Jiraiya turned down the position. After The Third Great Ninja War, he was offered the position for the first time. Despite Orochimaru having the better skill-set, Jiraiya was the better leader. He turned it down, making Minato the fourth.
The second and third time came when Minato perished, but once again Jiraiya turned it down. But why?
While the reasoning is never directly explained, all one must do is look at Jiraiya’s character. Jiraiya lived by a prophecy told to him by Gamamaru, the frog elder that he would one day train the Child of Prophecy. Whether that child was Naruto or Nagato, I think Jiraiya can go happily, knowing he did, in fact, complete his goal in the end.
5 Itachi’s Girlfriend
The fact that one of the most powerful ninjas to walk the planet had a love interest is just too juicy to pass up. Izumi Uchiha grew up as a friend of Itachi’s, and like most girls in the series, she developed a crush for the Uchiha. Though they rarely had any substantial romantic moments, the two talked to each other a lot growing up and Itachi knew of her crush.
Before ending Izumi, Itachi placed her in an extremely powerful genjutsu where she lived the entirety of her life in less than a second. In her dream, she went on to become a Chunin and later retired from shinobi life to become Itachi’s wife. Because of the strength of the genjutsu, Izumi collapsed after it and with her last breaths, thanked Itachi for the life she had experienced with him, even if it was a dream.
4 The Mystery Of The Village Hidden In The Sound
Remember the Sound Village? You know, the village that Orochimaru created for the explicit purpose to carry out his experiments? Well, if you don’t, it’s alright. The village really only had a prominent role in one arc of Naruto, the Chunin Arc. But whatever happened to the mysterious village?
Well, you’d be happy to know that the strange place is still around and is actually improving.
The village has improved relations with the Hidden Leaf, and Orochimaru even sends his own son there as a transfer student from the Sound Village. Orochimaru initially founded the village so skilled ninjas could develop themselves without being restricted to the fickle priorities of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. It seems the village is actually going in that direction, hopefully.
3 The Only Man To Awaken The Rinnegan
Madara Uchiha is just too cool, and seriously just too overpowered. Not only was the ninja capable of taking down armies, but he possessed the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and would become the only person to ever awaken the Rinnegan. When Madara infused himself with the DNA of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju he unknowingly activated the process to give him the Rinnegan. Since both were reincarnations of The Sage of the Six Paths children, Indra and Ashura, combining both DNA resulted in the Rinnegan.
This also proved that the Rinnegan was the next step and last power that someone could obtain in the Sharingan lineage. Despite this now known fact, Madara is the only person to ever awaken the Rinnegan and will probably always be the only person, because he’s Madara.
2 Naruto’s Father, The Fourth Hokage
Naruto might not be the brightest apple, but not knowing that the guy who looks exactly like you is your father is a new low. Despite vandalizing his father’s face numerous times as a kid, Naruto never knew who his father was until midway through Shippuden.
When Naruto is fighting Pain, he lets the Nine-Tails lose when he sees Hinata sacrifice herself for him.
Naruto is then left within his own consciousness and begins to undo the seal to let the Kyubi out completely. Just before he is able to release the demon, he is stopped by Minato who is linked to his son through chakra. Minato explains that he’s, in fact, Naruto’s father, and some beautiful father-son bonding ensues. Still, I don’t know how Naruto never noticed that spiky yellow hair that looks exactly like his!
1 The Most Important Character In The Series
The Black blob-like character known as Zetsu, or more specifically, Black Zetsu, is one of the most important characters in the series. The character has essentially been around since the beginning. After the goddess Kaguya is defeated, she doesn’t leave without leaving one last mark on the world, Black Zetsu who is the physical manifestation of her will.
Once he was created, Black Zetsu went onto subtly instigate almost every event in the Naruto universe. Whether that be to influence Ashura, The Sage’s son, to rebel against his father and the village, or the fact that he recorded many substantial events in the series (including Madara and Hashirama’s fight, or even the fight between Naruto and Pain). This character has an impact on so much that I can’t even begin to write about it all here.
