Basic Information
Name: Shikamaru Nara
Nickname:
Gender: Male
Age: 16-17
Clan: Nara
Looks:
Shikamaru is regularly seen with a lazy or irritated expression. He has fairly long jet black hair tied in a spiky ponytail, narrow brown eyes, and wore ring earrings. During Part I, his attire was rather plain, wearing a fishnet undershirt and a short jacket with his forehead protector worn around his left arm and gray pants. During Part II, he has grown noticeably taller. He has also gone under a costume change, sporting a different undershirt and pants, and changing his earrings from rings to studs, though the placement of his headband is the same place. Since Part II, Shikamaru has been equipped with a Chūnin's Tantō, which he used to try and decapitate Hidan with in the 'Hidan and Kakuzu' arc. Shikamaru first started wearing a flak jacket when he first becomes a Chūnin.
Personality:
As a Genin, Shikamaru Nara was the sort of unenthusiastic kid who liked to watch clouds. He preferred not to get involved in "troublesome" activities, pretending to be busy to avoid responsibility. He is fully aware of this side of his personality. He even named himself "the number one at running away" or "the number one coward". In fact, his most commonly used phrase is "how troublesome" in the Japanese version, and "what a drag" in the English version.
However, when duty calls, Shikamaru has a strong moral compass and sense of commitment to his comrades. Even though, by his own testimony, he lacks bravery, he will sacrifice himself and face almost certain death for the sake of his friends or villagers without a second thought. Because of his raw leadership skill, he was the first Genin from the rookie 9 to become a Chūnin. The weight of the decisions he must make as a Chūnin and, thus, team leader have caused Shikamaru to mature rapidly. This was most evident after the death of Asuma. He vowed to protect and later mentor Asuma's unborn child, so that he could grow up to be a "cool adult" like Asuma. Shikamaru's sense of duty and commitment to the future of his village is also reflected in his willingness to enforce Konoha 11's recent decision to stop Sasuke at all costs, even in the face of potential objections on behalf of the original members of Team 7.
Shikamaru loves to play thinking games that older men are usually into, such as Shogi and Go (His teacher, Asuma, even said at one point "That kid is like an old man. He likes to take things slowly"). He is a brilliant strategist. The Hokage often seeks his advice on defense strategies[4]. Although his former sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, often played against Shikamaru, Asuma had never actually managed to beat him. Asuma became suspicious upon realizing that Shikamaru was so good at board games, despite his abysmal grades. As a result, Asuma administered an IQ test disguised as a game to Shikamaru, which revealed that Shikamaru was beyond a genius, with an IQ of over 200. Sakura once states Shikamaru as being the smartest person in the Fire Country.[5] During the Chūnin exams, even the Daimyo was impressed by his intelligence and offered him a position as his personal guard.
Shikamaru's most distinctive character trait is that he considers most women bossy and "troublesome", particularly Temari, his mother, and Ino. He usually defines them as aggressive, demanding, and sometimes even scary. Given his mother's tyrannical personality, this isn't too surprising. However, his father shares the exact same attitude, even though he married Yoshino in the first place. When Shikamaru questioned his father about why he would marry such a domineering woman, his father responded that even the toughest woman will show her gentle side to the man she loves."[6] Nevertheless, Shikamaru is generally courteous to women, doing them favors and avoiding fights with them. He feels that men, like him, should be the ones protecting them and not the other way around. Despite the latter point, he exclusively fought against women during Part I of the manga.
He has expressed a notably mature interest in marriage and raising a family. He hopes to "marry a regular girl who isn't too ugly and not too pretty. Have two children, first a girl, then a boy. Retire after my daughter is married and my son becomes a successful ninja, and spend the rest of my life playing Shogi or Go. Then die of old age before my wife."[7]
Shikamaru has also shown a little devious sign. When he gets food for Chōji while he's in the hospital during the Chunin exams, the nurse tells him that Chōji has indigestion and that he can't have food. So, Shikamaru goes to Naruto's room to give him the food. When Naruto tells Shikamaru he wants to eat it in front of Chōji to annoy him Shikamaru states "evil... I like it."
Village Info.
Village of Birth: Hidden leaf village
Village of Alliance: N/A
Rank//Chakra Info.
Ninja Rank: Genin
Specialty:
Elements: Wind, Water
Your ninjutsu:
Shadow Imitation Technique
Class Supplementary
Range Short to Mid range
Hand seals Rat
The Shadow Imitation Technique allows the user to extend their shadow for as far as it has sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. Therefore, the two can throw shuriken at each other at the same time if the user desires that. (Of course, to prevent hurting themselves, the user just has to have the shuriken holster in a place where you don't normally have it, like the back, so that the opponent draws nothing when the user draws a shuriken.) If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on preexisting shadows for their shadow to freely travel through.
The major downside of the Shadow Imitation is that it is tiring to use repeatedly; Hidan notes that the ability is subject to some form of diminishing return and decreases in potency after repeated use. If the user is low on chakra, the performance rate of the technique also deteriorates. Insufficient lighting will make the jutsu less effective. A particularly strong opponent can also resist the shadow's forced imitation.
Background Info.
History:
Shikamaru has a long-standing friendship with Chōji Akimichi. They met even before joining the Ninja Academy. When others ridiculed Chōji for his weight, Shikamaru instead chose to recognize his strength and worth as a person. Because of the kindness Shikamaru has always shown him, Chōji is unquestioningly loyal to him, and will gladly give his life for Shikamaru.
Once they entered the Academy, Shikamaru and Chōji were, among their classes, "dead-lasts", along with Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki, spending their day pursuing more interesting pastimes. In Shikamaru's case, he would spend all day sleeping; to Shikamaru, even the very effort of putting pen-to-paper was just too much effort for him to put into it unless he had to. Iruka Umino, their instructor, would give them all the same condemnation.
During the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, Team 10 stumbled across Sakura being attacked by some Sound Genin. Although he said he didn't want to get involved, Shikamaru dragged Chōji along once Ino joined the fray. The team then initiated the Ino-Shika-Chō battle formation, Shikamaru immobilizing Dosu Kinuta. Soon after, Sasuke Uchiha awakened, his newly received Cursed Seal activated. As Sasuke prepared to attack the Sound Genin, Shikamaru told Ino and Chōji to join him in abandoning their roles in the battle as Sasuke's onslaught ensued.
In his preliminary battle, Shikamaru fought against Kin. He defeated Kin by sneaking his shadow under the thin strings she was using to control her bells; she did not notice that a string that thin and that far from the floor could even make a shadow. Shikamaru then took a shuriken from his pouch, with Kin, caught in his Shadow Imitation Technique, doing the same thing. Because of Kin's increased proximity to the wall of the arena, she knocked herself unconscious as Shikamaru ducked under her projectile.
In the final round, Shikamaru was matched against Temari, where it initially seemed as if he was just pointlessly attempting strategy after strategy. Temari assumed that he was simply buying time for the sun to set, furthering the range of his shadow. He was in fact manipulating her into a position in front of the exit to a tunnel which was dug out by Naruto during an earlier match, where he could guarantee that she was caught by his shadow from behind. However, after Temari was actually caught in his shadow imitation, he then simply forfeited the match, claiming to have spent too much chakra to proceed with any additional matches. Moreover, he said he did not like to hurt or hit women. Despite having forfeited, Shikamaru's brilliant strategy impressed everyone, including the Hokage.
When the invasion of Konoha began, Shikamaru was able to dispel the genjutsu that swept through the stadium, though he pretended to be asleep to avoid taking part in the battle. Sakura noticed this and forced him to help in pursuing Sasuke. As they pursued Sasuke, they discovered that eight Sound ninja were following them, and Shikamaru chose to stay behind so he could stall them while the others continued to follow Sasuke. Using a clever strategy, he was able to trap all eight with his shadow. However, a ninth Sound ninja hid in the trees, protecting the captured eight against Shikamaru's attacks. Despite correctly predicting the presence of the ninth ninja, he could not fight off the Sound ninja, after being drained from his earlier match against Temari. Asuma arrived in time to save him, and defeated all nine Sound ninja single-handedly.
Because of his performance during the Chūnin Exam finals, Shikamaru was promoted to the rank of Chūnin. Shikamaru was given his first assignment of forming and leading the Sasuke Retrieval Squad to stop Sasuke from defecting from the village. Because Konoha suffered heavy casualties during the failed invasion of Sunagakure, Shikamaru was forced to limit the members of his team to Genin. He immediately recruited Naruto and Chōji, and then added Neji and Kiba to the team. Upon setting out, Shikamaru formulated a plan on how to approach Sasuke's escorts, the Sound Four. Their presence was detected, and they were trapped by Jirōbō. However, Shikamaru was able to find a way to escape. He was ultimately forced to leave Chōji behind to fight Jirōbō, but had no concerns that Chōji would lose, and marked the team's path so that Chōji could follow them.
The team continued to break apart, one member of the Retrieval Squad engaging one member of the Sound Four. To give Naruto a chance to go after Sasuke, Shikamaru fought Tayuya. Tayuya summoned three demons, that she controlled with her flute and easily gained the upperhand against Shikamaru. Counting his remaining weapons, Shikamaru devised an elaborate plan. He threw eight kunai at Tayuya to see what finger movements she would use to protect herself with. Being unable to read her music he eventually took control of the three with his shadow, telling her how he found Shogi fun because he can take over his opponent's pieces. Shikamaru then attacked with the three demons prompting Tayuya to remove the demons but she was still caught by his shadow. By activating the second stage of her cursed seal, Tayuya was able to resist Shikamaru's shadow.
Shikamaru struggling with Tayuya
Picking up a kunai that had missed her earlier she tried to slit his throat but was suddenly punched in the gut and caught by his shadow again, revealing that he only pretended to fall prey to her genjutsu, as he had used his shadow to break his finger to escape it. Shikamaru then explained about his plan and how he missed with that kunai on purpose to get her close while he then prepared his Shadow Neck Bind Technique. As he was about to run out of chakra, he was saved by Temari. After Shikamaru gave her a tactical update she blew away her sound based genjutsu with her wind and then used a summon to finish her off.
Temari accompanied him back to Konoha, where they learned that Sasuke has escaped, and that everyone on the team suffered injuries despite being helped by Temari's two siblings, Gaara and Kankurō. Shikamaru's initial reaction to the failed mission was to quit being a ninja altogether, but his father scolded him for being such a coward, explaining that his friends would then only be led by some other ninja. If they were to die under that ninja's command, Shikamaru would feel worse for not having been there to try and save them. When he was informed that everyone on the team would make a full recovery, Shikamaru cried out of joy and relief, and resolved to do better next time.
He later saw the Sand Siblings off and, in the anime, was appointed as an Academy instructor.
Shikamaru did not make as many appearances as his teammates during the anime's arcs, being preoccupied with his Academy duties. He assisted with missions around the village, but did not play a major role until the Konoha 11 arc. Shikamaru was assigned to lead the other primary Genin in the investigation of a man named Gennō. Gennō had stolen blueprints that could be used to plan a potentially devastating attack during Konoha's period of reconstruction. Shikamaru proved to be a shrewd detective, quickly catching onto seemingly minor clues and predicting the enemy's plans. He also proved more comfortable in his role as leader, though not without complaining to Tsunade first about having to do anything at all. In the end, he led his team to victory and beat Gennō at his own game, leading to the old man's death.
He appeared again when Gaara was challenged by the Four Celestial Symbols Men, a group of ninja wielding strange and powerful weapons. When they kidnapped one of Gaara's students, Shikamaru led the Konoha 11 (minus Tenten) to provide assistance, and repay their debt from the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Along with Ino, Shikamaru rescued Temari from Kujaku, another wind-user. After the mission, he sees the Sand Siblings depart from Konoha, including Matsuri, pondering, "another Naruto-fan, huh."
Other
Picture:
Theme Song and Background Music: N/A
Battles
Won: N/A
Lost: N/A
Name: Shikamaru Nara
Nickname:
Gender: Male
Age: 16-17
Clan: Nara
Looks:
Shikamaru is regularly seen with a lazy or irritated expression. He has fairly long jet black hair tied in a spiky ponytail, narrow brown eyes, and wore ring earrings. During Part I, his attire was rather plain, wearing a fishnet undershirt and a short jacket with his forehead protector worn around his left arm and gray pants. During Part II, he has grown noticeably taller. He has also gone under a costume change, sporting a different undershirt and pants, and changing his earrings from rings to studs, though the placement of his headband is the same place. Since Part II, Shikamaru has been equipped with a Chūnin's Tantō, which he used to try and decapitate Hidan with in the 'Hidan and Kakuzu' arc. Shikamaru first started wearing a flak jacket when he first becomes a Chūnin.
Personality:
As a Genin, Shikamaru Nara was the sort of unenthusiastic kid who liked to watch clouds. He preferred not to get involved in "troublesome" activities, pretending to be busy to avoid responsibility. He is fully aware of this side of his personality. He even named himself "the number one at running away" or "the number one coward". In fact, his most commonly used phrase is "how troublesome" in the Japanese version, and "what a drag" in the English version.
However, when duty calls, Shikamaru has a strong moral compass and sense of commitment to his comrades. Even though, by his own testimony, he lacks bravery, he will sacrifice himself and face almost certain death for the sake of his friends or villagers without a second thought. Because of his raw leadership skill, he was the first Genin from the rookie 9 to become a Chūnin. The weight of the decisions he must make as a Chūnin and, thus, team leader have caused Shikamaru to mature rapidly. This was most evident after the death of Asuma. He vowed to protect and later mentor Asuma's unborn child, so that he could grow up to be a "cool adult" like Asuma. Shikamaru's sense of duty and commitment to the future of his village is also reflected in his willingness to enforce Konoha 11's recent decision to stop Sasuke at all costs, even in the face of potential objections on behalf of the original members of Team 7.
Shikamaru loves to play thinking games that older men are usually into, such as Shogi and Go (His teacher, Asuma, even said at one point "That kid is like an old man. He likes to take things slowly"). He is a brilliant strategist. The Hokage often seeks his advice on defense strategies[4]. Although his former sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, often played against Shikamaru, Asuma had never actually managed to beat him. Asuma became suspicious upon realizing that Shikamaru was so good at board games, despite his abysmal grades. As a result, Asuma administered an IQ test disguised as a game to Shikamaru, which revealed that Shikamaru was beyond a genius, with an IQ of over 200. Sakura once states Shikamaru as being the smartest person in the Fire Country.[5] During the Chūnin exams, even the Daimyo was impressed by his intelligence and offered him a position as his personal guard.
Shikamaru's most distinctive character trait is that he considers most women bossy and "troublesome", particularly Temari, his mother, and Ino. He usually defines them as aggressive, demanding, and sometimes even scary. Given his mother's tyrannical personality, this isn't too surprising. However, his father shares the exact same attitude, even though he married Yoshino in the first place. When Shikamaru questioned his father about why he would marry such a domineering woman, his father responded that even the toughest woman will show her gentle side to the man she loves."[6] Nevertheless, Shikamaru is generally courteous to women, doing them favors and avoiding fights with them. He feels that men, like him, should be the ones protecting them and not the other way around. Despite the latter point, he exclusively fought against women during Part I of the manga.
He has expressed a notably mature interest in marriage and raising a family. He hopes to "marry a regular girl who isn't too ugly and not too pretty. Have two children, first a girl, then a boy. Retire after my daughter is married and my son becomes a successful ninja, and spend the rest of my life playing Shogi or Go. Then die of old age before my wife."[7]
Shikamaru has also shown a little devious sign. When he gets food for Chōji while he's in the hospital during the Chunin exams, the nurse tells him that Chōji has indigestion and that he can't have food. So, Shikamaru goes to Naruto's room to give him the food. When Naruto tells Shikamaru he wants to eat it in front of Chōji to annoy him Shikamaru states "evil... I like it."
Village Info.
Village of Birth: Hidden leaf village
Village of Alliance: N/A
Rank//Chakra Info.
Ninja Rank: Genin
Specialty:
Elements: Wind, Water
Your ninjutsu:
Shadow Imitation Technique
Class Supplementary
Range Short to Mid range
Hand seals Rat
The Shadow Imitation Technique allows the user to extend their shadow for as far as it has sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. Therefore, the two can throw shuriken at each other at the same time if the user desires that. (Of course, to prevent hurting themselves, the user just has to have the shuriken holster in a place where you don't normally have it, like the back, so that the opponent draws nothing when the user draws a shuriken.) If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on preexisting shadows for their shadow to freely travel through.
The major downside of the Shadow Imitation is that it is tiring to use repeatedly; Hidan notes that the ability is subject to some form of diminishing return and decreases in potency after repeated use. If the user is low on chakra, the performance rate of the technique also deteriorates. Insufficient lighting will make the jutsu less effective. A particularly strong opponent can also resist the shadow's forced imitation.
Background Info.
History:
Shikamaru has a long-standing friendship with Chōji Akimichi. They met even before joining the Ninja Academy. When others ridiculed Chōji for his weight, Shikamaru instead chose to recognize his strength and worth as a person. Because of the kindness Shikamaru has always shown him, Chōji is unquestioningly loyal to him, and will gladly give his life for Shikamaru.
Once they entered the Academy, Shikamaru and Chōji were, among their classes, "dead-lasts", along with Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki, spending their day pursuing more interesting pastimes. In Shikamaru's case, he would spend all day sleeping; to Shikamaru, even the very effort of putting pen-to-paper was just too much effort for him to put into it unless he had to. Iruka Umino, their instructor, would give them all the same condemnation.
During the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, Team 10 stumbled across Sakura being attacked by some Sound Genin. Although he said he didn't want to get involved, Shikamaru dragged Chōji along once Ino joined the fray. The team then initiated the Ino-Shika-Chō battle formation, Shikamaru immobilizing Dosu Kinuta. Soon after, Sasuke Uchiha awakened, his newly received Cursed Seal activated. As Sasuke prepared to attack the Sound Genin, Shikamaru told Ino and Chōji to join him in abandoning their roles in the battle as Sasuke's onslaught ensued.
In his preliminary battle, Shikamaru fought against Kin. He defeated Kin by sneaking his shadow under the thin strings she was using to control her bells; she did not notice that a string that thin and that far from the floor could even make a shadow. Shikamaru then took a shuriken from his pouch, with Kin, caught in his Shadow Imitation Technique, doing the same thing. Because of Kin's increased proximity to the wall of the arena, she knocked herself unconscious as Shikamaru ducked under her projectile.
In the final round, Shikamaru was matched against Temari, where it initially seemed as if he was just pointlessly attempting strategy after strategy. Temari assumed that he was simply buying time for the sun to set, furthering the range of his shadow. He was in fact manipulating her into a position in front of the exit to a tunnel which was dug out by Naruto during an earlier match, where he could guarantee that she was caught by his shadow from behind. However, after Temari was actually caught in his shadow imitation, he then simply forfeited the match, claiming to have spent too much chakra to proceed with any additional matches. Moreover, he said he did not like to hurt or hit women. Despite having forfeited, Shikamaru's brilliant strategy impressed everyone, including the Hokage.
When the invasion of Konoha began, Shikamaru was able to dispel the genjutsu that swept through the stadium, though he pretended to be asleep to avoid taking part in the battle. Sakura noticed this and forced him to help in pursuing Sasuke. As they pursued Sasuke, they discovered that eight Sound ninja were following them, and Shikamaru chose to stay behind so he could stall them while the others continued to follow Sasuke. Using a clever strategy, he was able to trap all eight with his shadow. However, a ninth Sound ninja hid in the trees, protecting the captured eight against Shikamaru's attacks. Despite correctly predicting the presence of the ninth ninja, he could not fight off the Sound ninja, after being drained from his earlier match against Temari. Asuma arrived in time to save him, and defeated all nine Sound ninja single-handedly.
Because of his performance during the Chūnin Exam finals, Shikamaru was promoted to the rank of Chūnin. Shikamaru was given his first assignment of forming and leading the Sasuke Retrieval Squad to stop Sasuke from defecting from the village. Because Konoha suffered heavy casualties during the failed invasion of Sunagakure, Shikamaru was forced to limit the members of his team to Genin. He immediately recruited Naruto and Chōji, and then added Neji and Kiba to the team. Upon setting out, Shikamaru formulated a plan on how to approach Sasuke's escorts, the Sound Four. Their presence was detected, and they were trapped by Jirōbō. However, Shikamaru was able to find a way to escape. He was ultimately forced to leave Chōji behind to fight Jirōbō, but had no concerns that Chōji would lose, and marked the team's path so that Chōji could follow them.
The team continued to break apart, one member of the Retrieval Squad engaging one member of the Sound Four. To give Naruto a chance to go after Sasuke, Shikamaru fought Tayuya. Tayuya summoned three demons, that she controlled with her flute and easily gained the upperhand against Shikamaru. Counting his remaining weapons, Shikamaru devised an elaborate plan. He threw eight kunai at Tayuya to see what finger movements she would use to protect herself with. Being unable to read her music he eventually took control of the three with his shadow, telling her how he found Shogi fun because he can take over his opponent's pieces. Shikamaru then attacked with the three demons prompting Tayuya to remove the demons but she was still caught by his shadow. By activating the second stage of her cursed seal, Tayuya was able to resist Shikamaru's shadow.
Shikamaru struggling with Tayuya
Picking up a kunai that had missed her earlier she tried to slit his throat but was suddenly punched in the gut and caught by his shadow again, revealing that he only pretended to fall prey to her genjutsu, as he had used his shadow to break his finger to escape it. Shikamaru then explained about his plan and how he missed with that kunai on purpose to get her close while he then prepared his Shadow Neck Bind Technique. As he was about to run out of chakra, he was saved by Temari. After Shikamaru gave her a tactical update she blew away her sound based genjutsu with her wind and then used a summon to finish her off.
Temari accompanied him back to Konoha, where they learned that Sasuke has escaped, and that everyone on the team suffered injuries despite being helped by Temari's two siblings, Gaara and Kankurō. Shikamaru's initial reaction to the failed mission was to quit being a ninja altogether, but his father scolded him for being such a coward, explaining that his friends would then only be led by some other ninja. If they were to die under that ninja's command, Shikamaru would feel worse for not having been there to try and save them. When he was informed that everyone on the team would make a full recovery, Shikamaru cried out of joy and relief, and resolved to do better next time.
He later saw the Sand Siblings off and, in the anime, was appointed as an Academy instructor.
Shikamaru did not make as many appearances as his teammates during the anime's arcs, being preoccupied with his Academy duties. He assisted with missions around the village, but did not play a major role until the Konoha 11 arc. Shikamaru was assigned to lead the other primary Genin in the investigation of a man named Gennō. Gennō had stolen blueprints that could be used to plan a potentially devastating attack during Konoha's period of reconstruction. Shikamaru proved to be a shrewd detective, quickly catching onto seemingly minor clues and predicting the enemy's plans. He also proved more comfortable in his role as leader, though not without complaining to Tsunade first about having to do anything at all. In the end, he led his team to victory and beat Gennō at his own game, leading to the old man's death.
He appeared again when Gaara was challenged by the Four Celestial Symbols Men, a group of ninja wielding strange and powerful weapons. When they kidnapped one of Gaara's students, Shikamaru led the Konoha 11 (minus Tenten) to provide assistance, and repay their debt from the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Along with Ino, Shikamaru rescued Temari from Kujaku, another wind-user. After the mission, he sees the Sand Siblings depart from Konoha, including Matsuri, pondering, "another Naruto-fan, huh."
Other
Picture
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Theme Song and Background Music: N/A
Battles
Won: N/A
Lost: N/A
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