Highlights
- Many characters in Naruto had wasted potential and did not have significant roles in the story.
- Female characters like Tenten, Ino, and Hinata were particularly underdeveloped and did not fulfill their potential.
- Rock Lee, Orochimaru, and Neji were also characters with wasted potential, as they were neglected or killed off early in the series.
The world of Naruto has seen the introduction of quite a lot of incredible characters over the years. Kishimoto has written many amazing characters and it is safe to say that most of them are exciting enough for the fans to fall in love with for one reason or another.
However, there are many characters in Naruto that did not really play any active part in the story despite having a great basis to go off of. Other characters were hyped up but the payoff for investment in these characters wasn’t all that great. These are the characters with wasted potential in Naruto and there are certainly many of them.
8 Tenten
An Expert Of Ninja Tools
It isn’t a surprise to the fans that Kishimoto is one of the many shonen authors who can’t write a proper female character. In the case of this author, he admitted himself that he isn’t all that good at it. Still, fans had a certain level of expectation from him, however, that certainly failed in characters such as Tenten.
With Tenten, Kishimoto introduced a weapons expert who, one day, wanted to be a ninja like Tsunade. She barely played a significant role in the story and, even if she was cut out from the entire plot, not much would change in Naruto.
7 Kiba Inuzuka
A Member Of Team 8
Kiba was introduced as a member of Team 8 and was quite a dangerous shinobi. He had his own ninja dog, Akamaru at his side, and, at the beginning of the story, they certainly look like a dangerous duo. In fact, he was even able to give Naruto a difficult fight at the beginning of the story.
As the series progressed, Kiba played a great role which gave the fans quite a lot of hope, such as when he joined on the Sasuke retrieval mission. However, it was quite sad for the fans to see that, at the end of it all, he was completely cut out of the story in Shippuden.
6 Shino Aburame
A User Of Insect Based Ninjutsu
Shino was one of the most mysterious members of the Konoha 11 cast and while fans did not know much about him at the beginning of the story, that is exactly what made him interesting. Looking at him, he had quite a plain design which was forgettable, however, Shino used that to surprise the fans at the beginning of the story and showcase that he was actually quite powerful indeed.
Sadly, as Naruto progressed, Shino was also cut out of the plot and all his major roles were reduced to absolutely nothing.
5 Ino Yamanaka
A Genius Sensory Ninja
Ino, a member of Team 10, was always going to struggle in Naruto. Her character didn’t really have much of a dream and, even though she took but in some fights here and there, Ino’s character as a whole was largely underdeveloped.
When compared to some others, Ino certainly did play some bigger roles, especially in the fight against Kakuzu and Hidan, however, she is a character who had a much higher potential which remained unfulfilled.
4 Hinata Hyuga
The Byakugan Princess
Hinata is another one of the female characters who was wasted away in Naruto. As a member of the Hyuga clan, Hinata was blessed with talent and, at the same time, with the ability to use the Byakugan.
Even though she wasn’t as bright as Neji, she still had good potential. Sadly, in the second part of Naruto, she was largely shafted and did not get any major scenes, other than one or two minor moments here and there.
3 Rock Lee
A Master Of Taijutsu
Rock Lee is a fan favorite in Naruto and certainly for a reason. When he first appeared during the Chunin Exams, he left a big impression and turned nearly all the watchers into major fans. Rock Lee continued to play a big role in Naruto’s Part 1.
However, in Part 2, this character was completely neglected to the point where fans didn’t even expect anything from him anymore. Today, he remains one of the biggest wasted potentials in Naruto.
2 Orochimaru
A Major Naruto Villain
While this might be surprising to a few fans, Orochimaru is certainly a character with wasted potential in Naruto. In Part 1 of the series, there couldn’t have been a more perfect villain than Orochimaru. He had everything going for him, from incredible strength, to an ominous presence that made the fans shudder at his mere site.
However, much of that changed in Naruto Part 2 and he was killed off quite early. Orochimaru continued to return again and again in the story, however, his parts were not all that significant and, by this point, his threat was almost too small. Orochimaru was later used for comedic relief in the War and that is quite a big shame.
1 Neji Hyuga
A Genius Of The Hyuga
One of the biggest wasted potentials in the world of Naruto is none other than Neji. Born as a member of the Branch Family of the Hyuga, Neji was always alone on his path to forge his own destiny. Before he met Naruto, Neji fully believed that destiny could not be changed. However, after losing to him, he mended his ways and wanted to make his own faith.
Neji worked incredibly hard and even became a Jonin. However, in Naruto Part 2, he barely played any role in the story, which is a massive waste. What makes things even worse is that he was killed off in the most ridiculous manner and the Fourth Great Ninja War, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the fans.
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