NarutoandNaruto Shippudendid a great job introducing a broad array of lasting and memorable supporting characters, chief among them being dubbed by the anime as the “Konoha Eleven”. The group’s name refers to members of Team 7, Team 8, Team 10, and Team Guy of Konoha’s genin from the start of the series, excluding Sasuke Uchiha while alternating other members later on. The fate of the Konoha Eleven is a major fixation ofNarutofans with each member’s contributions to the future of Masashi Kishimoto’s universe being uniquely fascinating and crucial.
The Konoha Eleven grows vastly different from when they started, with each shinobi growing massively over the roughly five years between the start ofNarutoand the end ofNaruto Shippuden.The characters enter their prime as ninjas, grow increasingly mature as emerging young adults, put their lives on the line of duty, and even find love within or outside this immediate circle.While not everybody in the Konoha Eleven has a happy ending, they leave a crucial mark on the future ofNaruto’suniverse going into theBorutoseries.
Tenten Becomes a Ninja Tool Collector and Purveyor
Konoha’s Top Weapons Expert
While theNarutomanga significantly overlooked Tenten,a long-running joke about the anime is thatone knows it’s aNarutofiller episodeif Tenten is in it, she still stands as the best Bukijutsu expert in Konoha. Given that she’s on Team Guy, a team already brimming with close combat experts, it’s no surprise that her extensive ninja tool expertise would fit in perfectly. However, she encounters tough times at the end ofNaruto Shippuden. Due to the lasting period of peace, her store, Ninja Tools Roll Roll Roll, encountered a period of low sales going intoBoruto’sstory.
Neji Hyuga’s Memory Is Immortalized in Future Generations
Genius of the Gentle Fist
Neji’s greatest early distinction was becoming the first of the Konoha Eleven to become a Jonin by the start ofNaruto Shippuden.Still, unfortunately, he also meets a tragic fate during the Fourth Great Ninja War Arc. Despite being doomed as a member of the Hyuga clan’s branch family,his brilliant legacy as a practitioner of the Gentle Fist is praised and admired among Konohagakure’s brightest. As it turns out,Neji’s sacrifice in the final arc is so touchingthat Naruto names his son, Boruto, in his memory, Boruto being “Bolt” to Neji’s “Screw.”
Rock Lee Builds Up the Future as a Chunin Exams Proctor
Defender of Youth
Much like Might Guy before him,Rock Lee becomes a key jonin at the end ofNarutoand helps oversee future generations of ninjasas they clear their first major hurdle, the Chunin Exams, where he was first introduced. Rock Lee’s position as Chunin Exams proctor makes great sense. Still, the fact that he gets over his crush on Sakura Haruno and marries an unknown character instead is also a wholesome victory. Lee raises his son to uphold his and Might Guy’s values, praising Metal Lee as a young taijutsu user entering the “springtime of his youth.”
Shino Aburame Teaches at Konoha’s Ninja Academy
The Bug Wrangler
Much like Tenten, Shino did not get much love in the originalNarutoseries or theNaruto Shippudenanime, with his bug-themed ninjutsu mystifying fans yet doomed to be sidelined. Shino even gets a similar characterization, complaining when Naruto or others don’t recognize him despite an obvious, if understated, remaining unmarried inBoruto’splot.However, Shino gets one exciting development in the sequel series,succeeding Iruka Umino as a teacher at Konoha’s Ninja Academy, while Naruto’s former mentor ascends to the headmaster position.
Kiba Inuzuka Hones His Tracking Senses as an Investigator
Konoha’s Top Breeder
One of the most obnoxious voices of the Konoha Eleven in the originalNaruto, Kiba mellows out throughout the plot ofNaruto Shippudenwhile ultimately finding a lover in Tamaki and becoming a beloved animal breeder.Kiba even joins the Konoha Military Police Force as an investigator, a fitting role for one whose nose is finely tuned for tracking, even though he has also been the most frequent victim of Naruto passing gas in his face. Kiba and Tamaki’s relationship is also naturally tumultuous, as she is a cat owner, although they patch things up ina Mirai-focusedNarutoside story.
Hinata Hyuga Is a Fierce Mother to Konoha’s Finest
Naruto’s Biggest Admirer
While Hinata loses her position as the heiress to the Hyuga clan, she develops immensely throughout theNarutoseries, and despite being the meekest of the Konoha Eleven at the start, by the end,she arguably has more courage than anyone.This includes standing up to Pain even when he has Naruto pinned down and fighting alongside him in the Fourth Great Ninja War, where they ultimately recognize their love for each other. Hinata becomes an intimidating mother to Boruto and Himawari, surprisingly channeling a bit of Kushina Uzumaki’s energy as a strict housewife.
Chōji Akimichi Finds His Confidence and Gets the Girl
The Big-Boned Butterfly
One of the most wholesome of the Konoha Eleven, Chōji survived alongside Ino and Shikamaru as the sixteenth generation of Team 10 while proving a deadly combatant on his own throughout the series. By the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, he blossoms like a butterfly, embracing who he is, although with some lapses in confidence inBoruto. However,he marries Karui of Kumogakure, becoming a loving husband and devoted father to Chōchō, while poised to inherit the Akamichi clan.
Ino Yamanaka Inherits Her Father’s Legacy
Leader of the Barrier Team
In light of Inoichi and Shikaku’s sacrifice during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Ino takes her responsibilities extra seriously as the leader of the Yamanaka clan. Despite this, she never forces these expectations on her son, Inojin, whom she raises with the freedom to become whatever type of ninja he aspires to be, even if Inojin has some close calls in theBorutoseries. Ino also gets over her crush on Sasuke Uchiha,instead marrying Sai while taking on the Konoha Barrier Team’s leadership responsibilities, defending her village from detection.
Shikamaru Nara Becomes Naruto’s Right-hand Man
Stepping Out from the Shadow
Shikamaru grows far beyond his one-note origins as a lazy slacker of the Konoha Eleven, using his absurdly brilliant mind whilepledging to become Naruto’s advisor should the hero one day become Hokage. In the epilogue and sequel series, Shikamaru upholds this promise whileascending to even greater responsibilities in theBorutoseries. Shikamaru, much like Ino, takes on responsibilities quickly for his clan after his father, Shikaku, passes away during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
10 Biggest Differences Between Naruto’s Anime & Manga
Naruto is a beloved franchise with a successful anime and manga series, yet there are plenty of differences spotted by eagle-eyed fans.
Shikamaru marries Sunagakure’s Temari, who was first to witness his brilliance in the Chunin Exams and with whom he raises Shikadai. Shikamaru maintains a prominent role inBoruto.
Sai Joins and Leaves His Impression on the Yamanaka Clan
Drawing a New Future
Sai’s development inNarutois gradual but hard to miss when compared to his emotionless introduction, but ultimately becomes enough of a fixture to stand in for Neji as the last of the Konoha Eleven. By the end ofNaruto, Sai develops compassion and friendship with his comrades, love for his partner Ino, and dedication as a father to Inojin, even marrying into the Yamanaka clan and taking Ino’s surname. Sai also becomes a Chunin Exams proctor like Rock Lee while taking on responsibilities asthe leader of the Anbu black ops division for Konoha.
