Learn about Naruto’s most poorly developed characters right now!
Asuma Sarutobi
Some of Naruto’s supporting cast feels incomplete, and not due of any mistakes in the narrative. Asuma Sarutobi, Konohamaru’s uncle, has charm as Team 10’s captain and guardian, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Asuma thought he was very cool at first, but he quickly reached a plateau and the author ran out of ideas for his character. He played shogi with Shikamaru and had some touching parting words, but overall he felt incomplete as written by Asuma.
Kiba Inuzuka
Kiba Inuzuka is considered to be one of the weakest links of the unofficial Konoha 11 team. Kiba is a typical shonen action hero—a boisterous and dull boy whose only redeeming quality is his deep friendship with his dog Akamaru.
Kiba has little to add to the conversation that hasn’t previously been had by other Naruto characters, and his character and motivations are uninspiring. It was moderately entertaining to watch him achieve his dream of becoming Hokage in the infinite Tsukuyomi, but he’s redundant surrounding characters like Naruto Uzumaki and Rock Lee.
Shino Aburame
You may make Shino Aburame more interesting by depicting him as an introverted loner. He is a cool-headed, self-assured Kuudere who possesses a unique bug-based concealed jutsu. It earned him some notoriety in the years before Shippuden, but ultimately his success as a character writer would wane.
While Shinbo is definitely hip, his character development was merely adequate. Beyond his meticulous preparation, he had little to explore in terms of themes or personal depth. As the story progressed, Shino and others like him were written out of the narrative to make room for the true heroes.
Sakura Haruno
Because of her work, Sakura Haruno has become one of the most reviled anime protagonists of all time. Sakura, a pivotal figure in the Naruto series, fell short in her writing despite high expectations.
Fortunately, when Shippuden began, Sakura brightened up and became a much better friend to Naruto and, subsequently, Sai. However, her annoying egotism is restrained by the poor writing of her character.
Karin
Karin, Sasuke’s new comrade, was very skilled in sensory jutsu. She had many of Sakura Haruno’s terrible qualities, but despite this, she managed to be even worse than Sakura. Karin was mostly important to Naruto because she was Sasuke’s chakra sensor.
Karin’s poor character development and abrasive attitude made her an instantly unlikeable protagonist. Karin eventually broke up with Sasuke and became kinder, but the harm was already done. One of the worst written characters in all of Naruto.
