Shikamaru Nara
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| Shikamaru Nara | |
|---|---|
| (奈良シカマル) | |
 Shikamaru Nara by Masashi Kishimoto |
|
| Debut | Manga Chapter 34 Anime Episode 1 |
| Seiyū | Shotaro Morikubo Nobutoshi Canna (Episode 141 stand-in) |
| Voice actor(s) | Tom Gibis |
| Profile | |
| Age | 12-13 in Part I 15 in Part II |
| Date of birth | September 22 |
| Height | 152.1 cm |
| Weight | 42.9 kg |
| Notable relatives | Shikaku Nara (father) Yoshino Nara (mother) |
| Information | |
| Current rank | Chunin |
| Current affiliation | Nara clan, Konohagakure |
| Current team | Team 10 (Kakashi Hatake, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi) |
| Previous team | Team 10 (Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi) Niju Shotai (Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara, Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane) |
| Signature jutsu/Kekkei genkai | |
Shikamaru Nara (奈良シカマル Nara Shikamaru?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto.
"Shika" means deer (鹿), and "-maru" (丸) means "round" or "well-developed", but is commonly used as a suffix in boys' names. Along with Ino (meaning boar) and Choji (meaning butterfly), Shikamaru's name is a pun on the "Ino-Shika-Cho" winning combination in Hanafuda.
His surname, Nara, is from Nara Prefecture in Japan, and Nara ko-en (Nara Park) there is famous for deer whose antlers are used for medicines. Coincidentally, Nara Animation is also one of the production companies behind the Naruto anime. Nara was also the era when Buddhism was introduced to Japan. The several Buddhist monasteries founded in Nara took the deer as their symbolic protector, and made hunting deer illegal in the prefecture.
In Shonen Jump's character popularity polls, Shikamaru has been in the Top 10 since the third poll, usually in 4th or 5th place. In the most recent poll, however, he was in 10th. He is the only character on his team to make it to the top 10.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Originally a Genin level ninja that graduated with Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru is a lazy, easygoing genius that was promoted to Chunin level after the Chunin Exam Arc. He is from a family of shadow manipulators and deer herders. His main technique is Shadow Imitation Technique. Later in the series, his father teaches him his second jutsu, Shadow Neck Bind Technique, an extension of his first technique.
Shikamaru is the sort of unenthusiastic person who would rather take a nap than get excited over something and likes the thinking games that older men are usually into, such as Shogi and Go. A testament to that is the fact that Shikamaru even decided to sleep during the attack of Konoha by Suna and Oto, as he thought it would be too troublesome to get up and fight, and end up getting attacked, after he had dispelled a sleeping genjutsu cast by the enemies. This was found out after Sakura was about to cancel the genjutsu and found out he was in fact aware of his surroundings, much to her annoyance. Another example is before he was supposed to fight Temari. Shikamaru contemplates forfeiting, but is pushed into the arena by Naruto. When thrust into action-laden situations, uncomfortable situations, or indeed, any situation at all that would require him to exert himself, he tends to remark "what a drag" the whole thing is (the Japanese dub uses a similar phrase, though the meaning more closely resembles "this is troublesome"). He is fully aware of this side of his personality and even dubs himself "the number one at running away" or "the number one coward".
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 without a second thought, such as when he stayed in back to confront the Sound Ninja, giving Naruto enough time to catch up with Sasuke. Since he has been promoted to Chunin, his responsibility for the lives of his friends has weighed very heavily on him on occasion.
Shikamaru is a brilliant strategist, and though his sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, often plays Go and Shogi against Shikamaru, Asuma has never actually managed to beat him. Asuma got suspicious upon realizing that Shikamaru was so good at board games despite his abysmal grades, which were almost as low as Naruto's. As a result, Asuma administered an IQ test disguised as a game to Shikamaru, which revealed that Shikamaru was a genius with an intelligence of over 200. Shikamaru had felt that even moving his pencil in class was a bother and always slept through tests, resulting in his low grades. Shikamaru has a habit of putting his fingers together to create a square and closing his eyes so he can concentrate and come up with a strategy. Once he does, which often takes only a few minutes; he is often already thinking ten moves ahead of his opponent with over a hundred strategies already planned out.
Shikamaru has a longstanding friendship with Choji Akimichi, in whom he has complete trust. Before they were promoted to Chunin rank, Shikamaru, Choji and Ino Yamanaka were on the same Genin team under Asuma. Their fathers were on the same team as well. Their teamwork is unparalleled.
Shikamaru finds all women troublesome. He considers Temari to be the most troublesome one, followed closely by his mother. Even though Shikamaru finds women annoying, bossy, and troublesome (due to his mother's personality), he has expressed a notably mature interest in marriage and raising a family. (Shikamaru: "Marry someone who is not ugly, or beautiful. Have two children, first a girl, then a boy. Retire after his daughter is married, and his son has a job and spend the rest of his life playing Shogi. And to die before his wife.")
His favorite dish is mackerel and kelp; his least is boiled eggs. His hobbies are napping, Shogi (a Japanese game similar to chess) and cloud watching. Recently has also taken up smoking as something he picked up from Asuma, even using his lighter (which is similiar to a zippo). His favorite phrase is "Live each day quietly".
[edit] Part I
[edit] Chunin Exam arc
Initially introduced as nothing more than a lazy person who is always complaining, it is during his organized matches in the Chunin exam that Shikamaru earns acclaim as a keen strategist. In one battle, he defeats Kin Tsuchi by sneaking his shadow under the thin strings she is using to control her bells; she does not notice that a string that thin and that far from the floor should not be making a shadow. Shikamaru's shining point during the arc is his battle with Temari, where although it seems as if he is just futilely attempting strategy after strategy, and that it is only a matter of time until one of her wind attacks catches him, he is in fact manipulating her into a position where he can guarantee she is caught in his shadow bind from behind. He then simply forfeits the match, remarking that despite having thought of about 200 different strategies, he'd run out of chakra due to the extensive use of his shadow techniques. Moreover, he says he does not like to hurt or hit women. Plus, to his testimony, continuing would've been troublesome anyway, so he decided to give up. Despite having forfeited, Shikamaru's brilliant strategy impressed everyone, including the Hokage. As a result of his decisive tactical skills, he is the only Genin to become a Chunin after this Chunin exam.
Later, when the attack by Sunagakure and Otogakure on Konohagakure commences, Shikamaru is one of only three Genin (along with Sakura and Shino) who successfully dispels the sleeping genjutsu cast on the Chunin exam third stage stadium. However, he pretends to be caught in the illusion so that he can lie there and not do anything, only to be 'awakened' by Sakura attempting to dispel the genjutsu for him. Shikamaru, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi's tracking dog, Pakkun, head off to find Sasuke, who has followed Gaara's trail, determined to end their battle. They are pursued by eight Sound Chunin, however. At this point he refers to the ninja with him and himself as "An idiot, a kunoichi with no special abilities, a dog, and the village's number one coward." But Shikamaru chooses to stay behind so he can stall them while the others continue to pursue Sasuke. Using a clever strategy, he is able to trap all eight with his shadow. However, a ninth Sound ninja hides in the trees, protecting the captured eight against Shikamaru's attacks. Despite correctly predicting the presence of the ninth ninja, he cannot fight off the Sound ninjas after being drained from his earlier match in the Chunin exam. Fortunately, his sensei, Asuma, comes in to help him and defeats all nine Sound ninja himself.
[edit] Sasuke Retrieval arc
Shikamaru's first job as a Chunin is to lead the team of Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyuga, Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru (also known as Team Shikamaru) on a mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha when the latter flees Konoha. The mission fails due to interference from the "Sound Four", a special team of ninja who are specially sent by Orochimaru to ensure that Sasuke arrives at the Hidden Sound Village safely.
Shikamaru demonstrates intelligent tactical skills when it comes to formations and avoiding and placing traps for the team's foes. In the end, the team ends up splitting up one by one and taking on fights individually. Shikamaru's opponent is Tayuya, a ninja who specializes in long-range sound attacks using her flute. She uses her flute to control three demon-like creatures, and to create genjutsu to bind the opponent. Shikamaru once again demonstrates amazing strategy in his attacks, and successfully binds Tayuya with his shadow. However, when Tayuya releases her second-level cursed seal power, she is able to resist it with sheer brute force. She traps Shikamaru in a genjutsu, where he is unable to move and it seems as if he is finally through. However, just as she attempts to kill him, he uses his own shadow to break his finger, using the pain to escape the illusion, counter her attack, and bind her in his shadow, this time at point-blank range, where he can keep a stronger grip. However, her brute strength still outmatches his, and just as he runs out of energy, he is again saved, this time by Temari, as it's revealed that Suna is allied with Konoha once again.
Although Shikamaru tried his best as team leader, upon his return he is very hard on himself for the results; not only did the mission fail, but most of his team's members were in one point or another during the mission in mortal peril, and it was practically a miracle that they all came back alive. If it hadn't been for the Sand siblings arriving in time to save them from their clearly superior opponents, they probably would have perished.
Shikamaru's initial reaction is to quit being a ninja altogether. After being scolded by Temari for being such a coward, his father arrives and explains to him that if he quits being a Chunin there will still be missions and somebody else will lead them; and if Shikamaru truly believes in his own strategic ability, he will only experience worse pain when somebody else leads his friends to their deaths and he would have been able to prevent it by remaining in charge of them. Shedding tears of relief when a report arrives that his friends are all right and taking his father's advice to heart, Shikamaru resolves to do better next time for their sake. In the anime, Shikamaru is also appointed an academy instructor. This remains consistent after the timeskip, since he helps to coordinate the Chunin Exams.
[edit] Naruto the Movie 2
Shikamaru played a major role in the 2nd movie as Sasuke's replacement. Shikamaru was the first to discover that people's souls were used to create the knights. Near the end of the movie, he fights a woman named Kamina who can transform into a large bat, continuing Shikamaru's humorous predicament of being forced to fight aggressive women. He also saved many people from Haido's castle and appeared in the bonus ending (credits).
[edit] Anime filler arcs
Shikamaru is seen in the Mizuki Strikes Back arc backing up Naruto along side his teammates Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi against Fujin and Raijin, the Legendary Stupid Brothers. Through Ino-Shika-Cho's teamwork, they are able to temporarily subdue the two powerful criminals, but ultimately need the help of Tsunade when the brothers prove too strong.
Shikamaru makes a few brief appearances in later episodes before his next major arc. He oversees Konoha's Genin in the survival-training mission for young academy students in one episode. In another, he makes a brief appearance with his team. They had accidentally set off a distress signal after a large group of monkeys attacked them, intent on stealing Choji's snacks.
In the Konoha 11 arc, Shikamaru is assigned to lead the other primary Genin teams in the investigation of a man named Gennou. Gennou had stolen blueprints that could be used to plan a potentially devastating attack during Konoha's period of reconstruction. Not unexpectedly, he proves to be a shrewd detective, quickly catching onto seemingly minor clues and predicting the enemy's plans. He also proves more comfortable in his role as leader, though of course not without complaining to Tsunade first about having to do anything at all. In the end, he leads his team to victory and beats Gennou at his own game as he dies afterwards.
[edit] Part II
Shikamaru makes his Naruto II debut in Chapter 247, walking alongside Temari. Despite growing noticeably taller, his appearance has not changed overall. However, he also now wears a black long sleeve tunic, along with the vest many Konoha ninja wear. He has learned a new jutsu, "Shadow Sewing", which uses shadow tendrils to restrain or impale multiple targets. Shikamaru first demonstrated this technique to destroy several of Sai's picture lions. Currently as a Chunin, he also takes on the responsibility as a Chunin examination proctor in addition to his role as a teacher at the academy.
Unlike most of the Rookie Nine, Team Guy, and the Sand Siblings, Shikamaru was not promoted during the timeskip, as he was already promoted in the first Chunin Exam. Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, promoted Shikamaru shortly before she sent him, along with Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, and Choji to rescue Sasuke. The only other two not to have been promoted were Naruto and Sasuke, both of whom have yet to gain the opportunity.
[edit] Current arc
Shikamaru meets Naruto again while Kakashi was in the hospital after his battle with Deidara. He tells Naruto he has been informed of Sasuke's change from Tsunade and offers any help he can provide.
Later, he is seen playing shogi with Asuma. They talked about who in Konoha the game pieces represent. Shikamaru was said to be the knight, a piece that does not possess much power, but makes up for it by taking advantage of its unique ability to move over and around the enemy. Shikamaru declares that the Hokage must be the king, but Asuma disagrees, when queried further he tells Shikamaru that he will understand one day.
In Chapter 318, it is revealed that Shikamaru is a member of the Niju Shotai. He is teamed up with Asuma, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane. In Chapter 320, his team arrives at the Fire Temple to assess the damage and to pick up the trail of the two Akatsuki responsible for the destruction and the death of the head monk.
Later on, Shikamaru and his team catch up with Hidan and Kakuzu at a bounty station. Together they execute a coordinated attack on Hidan as he holds him down with his Shadow Imitation Technique. However the attack proves ineffective against the immortal Akatsuki member. As Asuma battles Hidan, Hidan activates a curse ritual that copies any damage caused to him and inflicts it on Asuma. Since Hidan is immortal, a fatal wound would kill Asuma, but he would survive. Shikamaru captures Hidan in a shadow bind once again and adopts his distinctive meditative analysis on all Hidan's action and words up to that point. He quickly realizes that Hidan needs the blood seal he drew on the ground to maintain his jutsu, so he pulls him from it. He then ties Hidan down with his Shadow Sewing technique, allowing Asuma to decapitate him.
However, even this is not sufficient to kill Hidan. After Kakuzu reattaches his partner's head, he joins the fight and pins down Shikamaru's comrades while Hidan again manages to bind Asuma to his curse jutsu again. Shikamaru rushes to the aid of his sensei just as Hidan impales himself with his pike, severely injuring Asuma. Enraged, Shikamaru rushes and tries to attack, but is stopped when Kakuzu knocks him down using Izumo as a human club. The fight is then stopped by the arrival of a backup squad. Shikamaru is rescued by Ino who takes him to where Choji has placed the injured Asuma. Sensing Asuma's pulse, he tells Ino and Choji to hurry with him back to Konoha for medical treatment.
Despite their efforts, Asuma does not reach Konoha in time. Knowing that he will not make it, he talks to his team one last time. After leaving parting advice with Ino and Choji, he tells Shikamaru that he has great potential, perhaps enough to one day become Hokage. He also whispers the meaning of the "king" to Shikamaru, but it remains a secret to the readers. Asuma's last request is for one last cigarette, which Shikamaru lights for him. As Asuma breathes his last breath, Shikamaru lights another of Asuma's cigarettes, which he begins to smoke himself to have an excuse for crying. Asuma stops breathing, and Shikamaru mumbles that he hates cigarettes as they make his eyes water, a reference to when he, Ino, and Choji first met their sensei.
When the team gets back to Konoha, Shikamaru asks Tsunade to allow him to be the one to tell Kurenai of Asuma's death and also to give a message to her from Asuma. When he finally tells her of his death, she falls on her knees sobbing. At the funeral, Shikamaru is noticeably absent, instead watching the clouds, both from the cigarette he is smoking and in the sky itself. After some reminiscing, he reads up on how to channel his chakra into Asuma's trench knives. It is unknown what chakra element he has, but his chakra is clearly darker than Asuma's or Naruto's wind chakra. He packs up his equipment (including Asuma's lighter and a short sword) and he, Choji and Ino set off after Akatsuki.
Asuma's death has had a noticeable change on Shikamaru, and he now appears much more dedicated, serious, and solemn; compared to his former lazy, complaining self. Before Team 10 can leave, they are stopped by Tsunade who tells them they cannot go out as a three-man team and that Shikamaru is acting rashly. Shikamaru calmly tells her that Asuma is still with them and that smoking Asuma's cigarettes makes them feel like he is still here protecting his team. He will stop smoking them once the fight is over. While Tsunade still orders them to remain in Konoha, Kakashi arrives and volunteers to lead Team 10. Tsunade reluctantly allows him to join. Kakashi asks Shikamaru what his plan is. Shikamaru states that he will break it down into several different patterns so they can memorize them.
