Narutois one of the longest-running anime series of all time. The series creator, Masashi Kishimoto, put a lot of effort into it, which ensured that it would be successful. There are several things that make the series stand out, and one of them is the diverse cast of characters.
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In Part I, Kishimoto introduced many characters with unique powers, and they managed to win over the fans. These characters impressed the fans throughout Part I. Unfortunately, for different reasons, most of these characters were completely sidelined inNaruto Shippuden. Since these characters had shown a great deal of promise, seeing them treated so harshly disappointed many fans.
7Rock Lee
Rock Lee was one of the highlights of Part I. He managed to impress the people around himwith his incredible taijutsu skills. Lee was born without any affinity for ninjutsu, which made it really hard for him to become a ninja, although this wasn’t enough to stop him from pursuing his dream.
In Part I, Lee was an equal match for characters such as Gaara, Sasuke, and Naruto. It was incredible to see an underdog beat up the favorites so easily. So whenNaruto Shippudencame out, there was a lot of expectation from him. Sadly, in the subsequent part, he did not get any kind of development. Lee’s character completely stagnated, which disappointed the fans.
6Neji Hyuuga
Neji Hyuuga was considered a genius by themembers of the Hyuuga Clanand his teachers. His talent was so immense that Hiashi Hyuuga, the leader of the Hyuuga, was jealous that Neji was born into the Branch House. As a kid, Neji was only focused on becoming better than anyone else.
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He worked extremely hard to train his Byakugan, and he ultimately reached a level where he could kill his opponent. In the Chunin Exams, Neji proved that he was just as talented as the other participants. Despite losing to Naruto, there was hope that he would become one of the strongest ninjas in the series. However, Neji could never live up to his hype and he was killed off in a rather underwhelming fashion.
5Kakuzu
Kakuzu wasthe oldest Akatsuki member, and he was one-half of the Zombie Combo. In comparison to his teammate Hidan, Kakuzu was a perfectly well-rounded ninja, who had lived through various eras. Living for such a long time helped Kakuzu to gather fighting experience.
Due to his immortality, Hidan could afford to be reckless, but this decision often backfired and Kakuzu had to rescue him. In their fight against the ninjas from the Hidden Leaf, the two Akatsuki members had a clear advantage. As the fight progressed, it looked increasingly improbable for the Hidden Leaf ninjas to beat them, especially Kakuzu. So, Kishimoto had to take things into his own hand, and he decided to nerf Kakuzu, which led to his death. Seeing such an experienced ninja die in this fashion did not go down well with the fans.
4Tenten
Tenten was a member of Team Guy. In comparison to her teammates, Tenten was weak, but she never gave up. Inspired by Tsunade’s medical ninjutsu, Tenten wanted to be like the Legendary Sannin, but she suffered a huge setback when she found out that she did not have the required level of chakra control.
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Many fans believed that Tenten would get her chance to shine inNaruto Shippuden, and yet again, they were left fuming as she spent most of her time out of the spotlight. Suffice it to say, she could have definitely been handled in a better way by Kishimoto.
3Sakura Haruno
Sakura’s case is quite unique because her character fluctuated throughout the series. In Part I, she came off as an annoying, and clingy character, who had absolutely no fighting ability. In Part II, Sakura became better, and she showed off the fruits of her training with Tsunade.
Sakura even seemed to be over Sasuke, but her character was once again mismanaged, and she went back to being irritating. Compared to her teammates, Sakura’s character was not given enough attention, ultimately making her look bad.
2Orochimaru
Orochimaru is one of two surviving members of the Legendary Sannin. He was introduced in Part I, and his appearance drove fear into the hearts of even the most intrepid characters. Orochimaru’s intimidating personality and his unorthodox fighting methods made him avery scary character.
After his defeat at the hands of his teacher, Orochimaru had to retreat and find a new body. Fans were expecting that he would be heavily involved in Part II as well, but they were proven wrong as he was taken down by Sasuke, and he didn’t make a valuable contribution until the Fourth Great Ninja War.
1Madara Uchiha
Everything at the beginning of theFourth Great Ninja Warpointed toward Madara being the last hurdle that Naruto and co. would have to face. Much to the dismay of the fans, Madara was not the final villain of the series. For some reason, Kishimoto decided it would be better to include a completely new villain and ruin Madara’s character.
As soon as Madara placed the entire world under the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Black Zetsu betrayed him. The mighty Uchiha was nothing more than a vessel needed for the rebirth of Kaguya Otsutsuki. This particular incident ruined Madara’s reputation, and he was eventually forgotten by the fans.
