In shonen action anime that Narutowill the glorious hero reach his full potential for the end game. Sure enough, the likes of Naruto, Ichigo, Luffy, and Deku have all reached their potential as fighters and heroes, but not all of them get to that point. In it Naruto Especially anime, the cast of characters is so vast that there isn't room for everyone to reach their ultimate potential. It's a necessary sacrifice so that the likes of Naruto and Kakashi can get there instead.
Plenty of supporting cast in Naruto the anime made an impressive effort to tap into its full potential, and it led to some great fights and personal moments in various arcs. This includes both heroes and villains, some of whom were killed before realizing their full potential, while others were simply sidelined and stopped trying so hard to get ahead. In some cases it felt inevitable and even acceptable, while in others it was a real shame to see Naruto characters are not all they could be.
Rock Lee only made it as far as a Taijutsu specialist
Maybe the guy took over this role against Madara
If Naruto fans only mentioned one character who was wasted and didn't live up to his full potential, that would be Rock Lee. This energetic member of Team Guy was a welcome addition to the Chunin Exam Arc as a taijutsu specialist who constantly defied the odds with nothing but muscle. Rock Lee may have lost to Gaara and suffered permanent damage, but he still impressed Naruto fans and returned for more in the Sasuke Retrieval Mission Arc.
Rock Lee still needed saving against a talented foe, and after that his character arc went limp. The fight against Kimimaro was not the last time Naruto fans saw Rock Lee, but that was the last time the character seriously surprised anyone in a meaningful way. Rock Lee was supposed to be the ultimate antithesis of talent with his hard work, but he took a back seat to the members of Team 7 and even his own jonin mentor. It was Might Guy, not Rock Lee, who stood up to the Madara Uchihas with taijutsu.
Sakura Haruno never overcame her personal misery
Sakura's growth felt half done in Naruto Shippuden
Team 7's Sakura Haruno is one of several Naruto characters who have almost reached their potential, but not quite all the way, which makes the situation all the more frustrating. Sakura seriously lit up Naruto Shippuden after training with Tsunade, returned as a powerful taijutsu-oriented chunin capable of advanced medical jutsu. Sakura was promising in the Gaara Rescue Arc, and she was the one who saved Kankuro from poison before defeating Sasori, but then Sakura's arc turned sour again.
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Sakura did well with her chosen types of jutsu, but she never became extraordinary and remained only a miniature version of Tsunade in many respects. On a personal level, Sakura wasted even more potential. She never fully got over Sasuke and never developed a truly healthy friendship with Naruto. Sakura needed to become independent of her insecurities and bad feelings for Sasuke, which would take her personal arc in more positive directions. However, it never happened, so fans were skeptical about Sakura's possible marriage to Sasuke.
Neji Jonin died a fool's death in Naruto Shippuden
Neji Hyuga worked hard and made the most of his Byakugan eyes to become a notable member of the Konoha 11, but he only got so far with it. He lost to Naruto in the Chunin Exam Arc and then narrowly won against Kidomaru while trying to retrieve Sasuke. After that, Neji and the rest of Team Guy became much less important, so Neji's growth stalled. He impressed everyone by becoming a jonin at the beginning of Naruto Shippudenbut it actually mattered little.
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Most of Neji's best moments were in Part I, which means it felt like he was going to be really awesome in Part II, or Naruto Shippuden. Instead, Neji started coasting until he ended up dying stupidly against the Ten-Tails. And like Sakura, Neji's personal potential was also wasted, as he didn't show off enough of his kuudere personality and didn't spend enough quality time with his cousin Hinata or his uncle Hiashi.
Orochimaru could have been unstoppable with better luck
Orochimaru didn't become the Ultimate Shinobi after all
Orochimaru made some serious strides as an ambitious villain in Narutobut like many other characters, most of his best moments came early on and didn't go far beyond that. Orochimaru impressed viewers with his cunning Operation Konoha Crush and his fight against the rest of the Sannin, but after that point, Orochimaru quickly fell from grace. He felt less prominent and relevant than ever, and not even his best jutsu and medical science could save him from Sasuke. Given the chance, Orochimaru could have become what he wanted to be: the immortal, unstoppable master of all jutsu.
Naruto fans can also say that Orochimaru wasted his potential as a would-be hero. Like Tsunade, Orochimaru understood the medical side of jutsu and the human body quite well, and he could have worked with Tsunade to become a hero in that field. He may have become a famous scientist with plenty of support from everyone, but being a villain Orochimaru limited his own options. He was too scary and unethical for his own good, when he could have competed with the other Sannin for the position of Hokage if he had a better heart.
Torune Aburame could have done more as a chakra beetle expert
Chakra bugs are underutilized in the Naruto anime
Even relatively minor supporting characters like Torune Aburame and his friend Fu can end up wasting their potential. It's common for smaller actors like Torune to just pop in, do something cool, and then leave the story without having time to grow or even provide signals for future growth. But if someone like Torune uses a familiar and powerful fighting style, fans expect a little more from them. Or rather, fans expect the likes of Torune to be the vehicle or display the full potential of their chosen fighting style.
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The chakramage-based fighting style of the Aburame clan had its moments, usually through Shino Aburame, but the true power of this hidden jutsu was left on the table. Torune could have done a lot more as an older, more experienced Aburame ninja compared to the teenage chunin Shino, but it didn't happen. Torune was just a Root member working for the villain Danzo who ended up a victim of the Edo Tensei technique along with Fu, and not much else, and that's a real shame.
Hayate Gekko was Baki's jobber in the Chunin Exam Arc
Hayate could have been an example of an Everyman Jonin
Hayate Gekko was a jonin in the Chunin Exam Arc, but he really didn't seem like one. He had the role of proctor in the Tower matches, giving him a similar role to Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino before him, and there isn't much else to say about Hayate. Naruto fans might call him a “normal” jonin, along with “normal” chunin and genin like Kotetsu Hagane, who don't have flashy hiden jutsu or kekkei genkai to spice things up. Still, Hayate must have earned his rank as jonin too some reason, and fans want to see what it is.
It's easy to conclude that Hayate was skilled in tracking, stealth, taijutsu, and regular ninjutsu like most chunin and genin are, but Naruto fans want to see even more. Hayate didn't live up to even the most modest expectations for his rank as a jonin, but was nothing more than a jobber for the villainous Baki to raise the tension and stakes as Orochimaru's plan neared its climax. Fans got to see Hayate fight as a returned ninja due to Edo Tensei in Naruto Shippudenbut it's a terrible mockery of Hayate reaching his true potential, not the real deal.
Naruto
- Release date
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2002 – 2007-00-00
- Showrunner
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Masashi Kishimoto
- Directors
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Hayato date
- Author
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Masashi Kishimoto
