What Does Your Favorite Naruto Character Say About You?
We used real data science to find out which people love which Naruto characters most. Then we used not-so-real psychoanalysis to explain what we found.
Photo: Nintendo
The world of Naruto is full of outsider heroes — some beloved, some misunderstood, all fighting to defend their ideas of right and wrong. With so many compelling characters to choose from, your favorite Naruto character says a lot about you. Some identify with the mischievous, hyperactive hero Naruto Uzumaki, while others might prefer his stoic sensei Kakashi. What is it that draws different fans of this immensely popular anime to characters with such different personalities and backgrounds?
We’re taking a look at readers’ favorite characters from both Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. We at Ranker used our voting data to scientifically speculate which groups of people love which Naruto ninjas the most, thanks to the 756k votes on our list of the Best Naruto Characters. We also have the ability to very unscientifically speculate about what all that data means. Here are a few things we learned about people’s taste in Naruto characters, and a few more things we completely made up for the fun of it to explain what we learned.
The Midwest favors Shikamaru
Photo: Ranker
In a universe chock-full of very intense ninjas, Shikamaru Nara is the relaxed, carefree exception to the rule. Shikamaru’s unique intellect allows him to be a talented ninja without having to exert too much physical effort. His ambition isn’t to lord his power over others, but to create a safe and moral world where people are free to do whatever they want — or to do nothing at all. Instead of seeking the spotlight, he wants to help Naruto become Hokage and act as his personal adviser.
All these traits fit right in with our notions about Midwesterners. Unlike the flashy coastal regions, constantly vying for the attention of everybody else, the Midwest focuses on the simple things in life like football, agriculture, and decent chili. It’s no surprise that this famously friendly U.S. region would be drawn to a character who avoids conflict. And if there’s any character who would love nothing more than to lazily float down the Cuyahoga river, it’s Shikamaru Nara.
Millennials like Itachi Uchiha
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Both in television and in film, the last 20 years of pop culture have been defined by sympathetic antiheroes like Itachi Uchiha. TV shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos all challenged audiences to sympathize with main characters who are morally ambiguous at best. Meanwhile, supervillains like Thanos and Killmonger had fans debating whether the “bad guys” weren’t ultimately right in the end, and the Joker got his own Oscar-nominated origin story. It makes sense that anime fans who grew up in the Age of the Antihero would love a character like Itachi so much.
Itachi is one of the most powerful antagonists in the Naruto universe, an international criminal who notoriously slaughtered most of his family. After his death, it’s revealed that these murders were done to stop a planned coup by the Uchiha clan and to protect his brother Sasuke. Whether that motivation is noble enough to justify the murder of an entire clan — including infant children — is up for debate. But it’s enough to establish Itachi as a great example of the sort of morally ambiguous character that has become so popular in the 21st century.
Our Sandiest States are Smitten by Gaara
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