Top Fifteen Naruto Characters

I love countdowns. I love this blog. Enough said. And since this is the first one I thought I should do, in honor of one of my top three fandoms of life. (Next to Harry Potter and CSI) I thought this would be fitting anyway, since I don't have anything else Naruto to look forward to, as I've already watched Boruto. Wait, aren't countdowns normally top tens? Why is this fifteen?

Because I couldn't narrow it down to ten, damn it. 

Disclaimer: Credits to all the owners, in the case of fan art and edits. You are all marvelous owners.
Disclaimer II: Actual powers, jutsus, kekkei genkai's and etc are only a tiny part of the criteria. While I did put that in mind while writing this, my personal thoughts and connections to the characters play a bigger role in this countdown. That being said, no flaming on how the ridiculously more powerful characters should be on this list - we all have our opinions.  

15. Uzumaki Himawari

A. Dor. A. Ble. 

Starting off the list is Uzumaki Himawari, Naruto and Hinata's youngest child. I swear to Kami I love this little one so much. The moment I first saw this character, leaving sunflowers for Neji no less, I thought she was adorable. Even though I wished that she had Hinata's eyes, I still adore those sparkling blue eyes on her. Character design aside, I love her soft hearted-ness, which obviously comes from her mother. She's just so sweet and gentle from what I saw in Boruto, and I couldn't help but slowly fall in love with her. Oh, and I also have a headcanon wherein I'm sure she can still see Neji, so that's a bonus, too.

14. Umino Iruka

Iruka-senseeeeei~!

This guy is on my list over other characters because of his attitude. I loved him in the first few episodes - he was so nice to Naruto, being the only one who could understand him. Basically, Iruka was Naruto's first father figure before Jiraiya, and was the first person to see him as a person and not as a monster. If that's not something to admire, I don't know what is. And seeing him at Naruto and Hinata's wedding in the credits of The Last, looking so proud of him, made me tear up. Jeez.

13. Tsunade

Dayumm.

Who doesn't love Tsunade? Who doesn't?! I love everything about this powerhouse; she's strong, she's loud, she's amazing all around, and has a beautiful backstory. My heart goes out to her, the young woman who lost almost everything important to her, and just wallowed in her grief for a long time until Naruto came along. The thing I admire about her is the fact that she must continuously stay strong throughout the series, like her protege (more on Sakura later). That and all of her jutsu are on fleek. She is ridiculously strong.

12. Hyuga Hinata

My favorite kekkei genkai, hands down.

Hinata. Precious, precious wallflower Hinata. While she didn't make a very good impression when I first saw her - twiddling her thumbs, speaking in small, cute whispers, turning red as a beet, and that awful defeat to Neji - but it's what happened to her afterwards that really made me look up to her. She's stronger than you'd give credit for; emotionally and physically. I also find her bravery in the face of (Naruto-kun's!) danger; stepping in front of him during his battle with Pein/Deva Path and during the war. And in the end, all of these actions finally, finally made him recognize her as a woman. /cue 'Careless Whisper'

11. Uchiha Itachi

Bad. Ass. Mofo.

Why yes of course I had to include Itachi on this list. I keep saying I love it when a character has a wonderful, heart-wrenching back story, and it's true again for this character. But hell, Kishimoto was good at presenting Itachi. When he first showed himself with Kisame, I was impressed. Very. Very. Impressed. He made such a huge impact on me; his seiyuu is a marvelous human being, his speaking lines are gold, and his genjutsu is the stuff of nightmares. Not to mention that bloody plot twist - Itachi was actually protecting Sasuke? Sasuke's complete hatred for his brother was... almost in vain? I loved all of it. This is a perfectly complex character.

10. Uchiha Sasuke (tied with his daughter, Uchiha Sarada)

Translation: See you next time (or something like that)

Why Sasuke-kun, I had no idea you'd be so behind on the list, especially since you were my first Naruto crush! I had a heart attack when Haku decimated you, and cried when Orochimaru branded you, and in a sense, I felt a lot like Sakura, back then. But you see, the thing is, I hated the character you turned into, and that's why you're so behind on this list. I could count so many reasons why you aren't at least in the top five, but I'll name the one reason you're even on this list, and that is because of Sarada. Sarada also makes the list because I adore her character. There is so much depth in her character that I want to explore (that, and I ship her with both Boruto and Mitsuki), and I just want to know so much more about her. There's something about Sarada that just drew me in, especially during the Gaiden. I love that the power of the Sharingan is paired with Sakura's wonderful chakra control; such wonderful combinations.

As to why Sarada helped her father struggle into this list, I'll just say it - Sasuke is a pretty damn good father. You know, once he starts going home, and basically connecting with Sarada. The father-daughter relationship here is sooo cute! That, and Sasuke also makes a pretty decent husband. Now, I read lots of fanfiction, and there are so many good fanfictions that depict Sasuke's road to redemption, and I guess that helped me start liking him again. Boruto also made me fall in love with Sasuke again; seeing him as one of Naruto's best friends again, interacting with Sakura and Sarada and Boruto... It felt right for me. 

9. Uzumaki Naruto

Nothing makes me prouder than seeing Naruto in this get-up. Nothing.

But why is the freaking titular character soooo down on this list?! I hear you scream out loudly as you stare in shock at the screen. While Naruto has a lot of redeeming qualities, there are just eight other characters that mean more to me. That, however, does not change the fact that I was so happy and proud when Naruto finally became Hokage. I was nervous for a few chapters that it wouldn't actually go to Naruto, but breathed a sigh of relief when it did. I admire Naruto for believing (DATTEBAYO!) in his friends, especially in Sasuke, even when it was pretty clear that they were so far into evil or despair. And just to end Naruto's entry on a good note, here is one of my favorite pictures on the internet:

With Tsunade as Club President. Wooooh. 

8. Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina (tie!)

Uhm, relationship goals. Obviously.

These two need to share the same spot. They were destined to be together. All right, all right, I'll cut the dramatics. There's a reason why they're higher on the list than their own son, so I'll cut to the chase. Simply put, these two struck a chord with me - their sincerity, love for each other, their son, and the country. They have sacrificed so much. So. Much. And while it's obvious that their son has suffered, it all turned out in the end, just how they wanted it to be. I personally feel very attached to Kushina, who should obviously win best mother of the year (Note to Self: Do an awarding ceremony, Oscar's Style), and her fiery attitude and hair. Minato is also a very wonderful father, bar none. #RelationshipGoals. Period.

7. Gaara

Panda-sama!!! 

Remember when I said that Sasuke was my first Naruto crush? Well, Gaara was the second. Jesus, this guy left an impression on me. He was ridiculously strong right off the bat - an impenetrable shield of sand that no one had ever broken. Don't even get me started on that whole 'Holier than thou' attitude he was carrying around or even his sand. Best. Ever. Still. I'm a fan of character development, and this guy is right up there, next to Sakura. He literally does a 360 and goes from hating his village to full out protecting it with all of his might. He leads an entire freaking army, for Kami's sake. Oh - another thing I absolutely adore - his backstory. Almost everyone on this list has a delicious backstory that I am in love with, and Gaara's no exception. You can't help but feel sorry for the little boy that was shunned by the village, and fall in love with what he's become.

6. Hatake Kakashi

That book, though.

KAKASHI-SENSEI. Where do I even start? This man has been through too much in his lifetime; and there's a specific limit as to what you can handle. Surprisingly this man has (deep breath) survived the death of his two best friends, family issues, a problematic team, his favorite turning into a traitor, the breakdown of his own team, the lack of a mentioned lovelife whatsoever, the death of people close to him, a reputation he has to live up to, numerous battles which would eventually make him blind in one eye, an entire term of being Hokage, and emotional turmoil at seeing Rin's death all over again, and finding out that Obito isn't real death. Jesus. You never see him complain, though. All right, maybe he does. A little. But Kakashi deals with it and damn he looks good without his mask. Haven't seen it yet? Kekeke. Check the last chapters of Naruto.

And now we're finally onto the top five. Yaaaay! This is the part of the countdown where I obviously disregard power, jutsu, and everything. Because these top five characters are my favorite, absolute favorite, and I will literally spout out anything to defend their presence.

5. Haruno Sakura

I swear those eyes could bring fear to the hearts of men.

Once upon a time, I was a member of the 'I Hate Sakura' Club. She was so, so so annoying, dependent on Naruto and Sasuke, and was always crying out for the latter's attention for every single effing thing ("SAUCE-KAY!!!!") and ughhhhh this girl was just everything I hated in a real life girl. She only earned just a pinch of pity from me when Sasuke left (I felt more for Naruto, dattebayo), mainly because I was relieved I wouldn't have to hear her screaming 'Sauce-kay' every five minutes. (I only watched the dubs before Shippuden, that's why) But after the timeskip, we meet Sakura again, and she's different. She's more mature, she packs hell of a mean punch, and can hold her own in battle without leaning on Naruto. I was impressed; okay, she's not as annoying as before, but what else? It turns out, a whole freaking lot more. She trained under one of the Sannin, and survived.  The whole 'rescue Gaara' arc was the time when my opinion of Sakura changed - Class A* medic nin, force to be reckoned with, and one kick ass female protagonist. The series progressed and I started feeling that sympathy I should've felt before Shippuden. She was genuinely wanting her friend back, even getting to the point where she wanted to be the one to deal the final blow. Sakura's not bad - her character development is the best I've ever seen so far. And to top it all off, she got named as a Sannin, alongside Naruto and Sasuke, got both of her friends back after the war alive, married the love of her life, and lived happily ever after.

4. Tenten 

Bricks and bones may break my bones but chains and whips... whoops.

Let me get this off my chest: If I hear one word about how Tenten is useless simply because she has less screen time and is of minor importance, I will literally scream. You do not speak about my favorite female character like that, and here's why; shoving all favoritism aside, that jutsu of hers kicks ass. You don't earn the title 'Weapons Master/Mistress' for nothing, and hey, what do all ninjas at least know how to use minimally? Weapons. She's being smart by mastering things that people normally overlook I mean hey, if I were someone with a kick ass kekkei genkai, you can bet my last shuriken I'd use that over some sword. But Tenten overcomes that; she easily masters every weapon she can, uses it to the best of her abilities, and kicks. ass. I swear to Kami that she's one of my favorite characters because of that. Her leadership's a bonus, she deals with lunatics on a day to day basis, and lost one of her teammates (MORE ON THAT LATER), and suffered a devastating loss to Temari (which made me wince). Doesn't anyone agree with me when I say that if she had been given more screen time, she would've shone as brightly as any other member of Team Gai? 

3. Rock Lee

The good guy pose.

I'm not going to lie and say I adored him right on the spot. In fact, even though I found Rock Lee's first appearance in the anime very funny, I found him weird. I found him creepy. And lord was I glad at the time that he chose Sakura to bestow upon his endless love. But just like most characters, he grew on me. Especially since he's always in the presence of my favorite character, but more on that later. Simply put, I admire Lee for a whoooole lot of reasons. I was once like him; bullied and underestimated at every turn. But Lee's achieved something I never tried to do, and that was to prove all of the haters wrong. Not being able to do ninjutsu or genjutsu is pretty hard to live with, and yet Lee lives through that every day with a smile. You can't help but laugh at his antics, especially with Team Gai, and most especially with his sensei. Personality aside, his fighting style is one of my favorites; his speed being one, and his Drunken Fist. I laughed a lot at that, and I sure as hell admire all of his fights. I don't have favorite moment with Lee, or a favorite fight, because there are too many of them. 

2. Nara Shikamaru

One of my favorite jutsu, hands down.

I feel like I don't have to be defensive this time. Who doesn't love Shikamaru? Who doesn't admire how incredibly smart and lazy this guy is? His technique is admirable, character design flawless, his attitude something we all relate to, and Kami that jutsu. I was drawn into Shikamaru the first few times I saw him - and seeing him during the Chunin exams was remarkable. I loved that fight between him and Temari, and I also love the fact that he actually gave up. He just knew he didn't have the upper hand there, and just let go. I also loved the fight between him and Tayuya. Oh, and the one with Kakuzu. Amazing. There's nothing I hate about this character. Absolutely nothing.

I am so sure you all saw this coming. Subtle hints along the way weren't really subtle, but oh, hell.

1. Hyuga Neji

I just... I just can't.

One of the most horrifying moments of my life was when Neji died on my eighteenth birth month. This was traumatic to me as I had never had one of my absolute favorite characters die before. I mean sure, Fred Weasley died, but at the time, he wasn't my absolute favorite. Now Neji, who I had adored since his battles with Hinata and Naruto, was dying in the presence of the same said characters and I was so angry I just... I imploded. People who were with me at the time I read his death saw a side of me that was completely different. I went into mourning mode. I was a complete wreck. There are just so many reasons why Neji is my favorite character - besides being completely bad ass, I love how protective of Hinata he became, I adored how mature he became on dealing with his clan, and that backstory of his is just incredible. There are no other words to describe my favorite character, as I can't even form coherent sentences. Confession - I haven't seen the anime version of his death because I know I can't handle it; seeing that little snippet in Boruto was the first time I'd seen any part of it, and that was what caused me to burst out in tears for the fourth time during that movie. Oh, Neji. R.I.P.

Sooooo there you have it! My top fifteen Naruto characters. If you were curious as to who else might have made it in, I would have included Gai-sensei, Sasori, Deidara, Jiraiya, and Kiba. Ciao!