Hunter X Hunter

Hunter × Hunter (ハンター×ハンター, Hantā Hantā), pronounced "Hunter Hunter", is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi with an anime adaptation. The first chapter of the Hunter × Hunter manga series was published in March of 1998, in Weekly Shōnen Jump.

The story of Hunter × Hunter focuses on a young boy named Gon Freecss, who one day discovers that the father he had always been told was dead was alive and well. He learns that his father, Ging Freecss, is a legendary Hunter. Despite the fact that his father abandoned Gon with his relatives in order to pursue his dreams, Gon becomes determined to follow in his father's footsteps, pass the Hunter Examination, and eventually find his father to prove himself as a Hunter in his own right.

The manga series was adapted into an anime produced by Nippon Animation, along three OVAs as well. It premiered on the Japanese terrestrial television network Fuji TV and the satellite television station Animax on October 6, 1999.

List of Hunter × Hunter characters

Twelve years prior to the start of the story, a legendary Hunter named Ging Freecss leaves his infant son, Gon Freecss, with his cousin Mito on Whale Island. Gon, raised believing his parents were dead, finds out from Ging's apprentice, Kite, that his father is still alive. As such, Gon leaves his home to follow in his father's footsteps as a Hunter by taking the Hunter Exam. Prior to the Hunter Exam, Gon meets and befriends three of the other applicants, Kurapika, Killua Zoldyck, and Leorio. Another of the applicants in the Hunter Exam is Hisoka, a villainous examinee who takes it upon himself to test the worthiness of his peers attempting to become Hunters and takes an interest in Gon and his friends.

The Hunter Exam tests Gon's physical and mental strengths through a series of bizarre stages. During the final portion of the exam, after confronting his elder brother in the tournament, Killua returns home to his family on Kukuroo Mountain. Determined to get him back, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio all head to the Republic of Padokea to retrieve Killua to what they succeed. After the retrieve, Kurapika departs to find work and Leorio leaves to attend medical school. Gon and Killua decide to gain combat experience by training at the Heavens Arena, a 251-story building where over 4,000 fighters compete daily in fighting tournaments. There, they meet the assistant a master Wing, who teaches them about Nen, a chi-like life energy that can be used to manifest superhuman powers.

The third story arc reunites the main characters for the world's largest auction in a sprawling metropolis called Yorknew City. Gon, Killua, and Leorio try different methods to make enough money to buy Greed Island, a video game that could help Gon find his father. This story arc introduces the Phantom Troupe, a group of thieves who, among many other crimes, slaughtered all the other members of Kurapika's clan. Kurapika crosses paths with them while working as a bodyguard. By the end of the Phantom Troupe story arc, Kurapika has killed two members of the Troupe. These are accomplished via an unsteady alliance with Hisoka, who betrays the Phantom Troupe in exchange for a chance to fight Chrollo Lucilfer, though when he learns that Kurapika has sealed Chrollo's nen-abilities and loses interest.

Finally Gon and Killua's find the Greed Island, the seemingly-magical video game that sucks players within. It is later revealed that the game is actually set on an island in the real world, created and run by a group of powerful Nen users led by none other than Gon's own father, Ging. The goal of the game is to collect a number of set cards, although almost everything in the game, from food to money, can be turned into cards. Inside Greed Island Gon and Killua are joined by Biscuit Krueger, a master and experienced teacher of Nen who trains them. As part of their reward, they are allowed to take three cards to be used in the real world. Using the card 'Accompany', Gon and Killua travel to a player under the username 'Ngig', who they believe to be Ging. However, it ends up bringing them to Kite instead.

Gon and Killua meet up with Kite, the Hunter who told Gon about Ging and Hunters in the very first chapter. They are all hired to investigate a strange insect leg that washed up on a beach. Genetic testing determines that the leg belongs to an abnormally large queen chimera ant, an insect that eats other insects and animals, and then gives birth to children that inherit the characteristics of all the different insects and animals it has eaten. The queen chimera ant itself happens to wash up on the shore of an island nation called the NGL (Neo Green Life) inhabited by a neo-luddite culture. She quickly develops a taste for humans after given the opportunity to eat them. The Chimera Ants proceed to wipe most of the population out and spawn hundreds of offspring before Gon, Killua, and Kite arrive.

The queen dies due to the King ripping himself out of her womb too early. With the Queen dead and their inhibitions gone, many of the warrior Ants proclaimed themselves kings and departed the hive; two of them end up joining the Hunters' side. The King and Royal Guard Ants pull a "coup d'etat" on the nearby Republic of East Gorteau and from there begin the process of "selecting" humans that have the capability to gain Nen powers. This causes many deaths as only a small amount of humans are able to gain Nen powers. As warrior Ants from the old hive rejoin the King, the Hunters mobilize quickly to stop the massacre.

List of Hunter × Hunter chapters

The Hunter × Hunter manga is currently serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan. Shueisha compiles the manga's chapters into tankōbon volumes, of which 26 have been released. The manga is currently being published in the United States by VIZ Media, with 22 English volumes released in North America as of September 2008.

The publication history of the Hunter × Hunter manga has been plagued with hiatuses, the longest of which lasted from February 2006 through October 2007. These hiatuses are often attributed to the author suffering from an unspecified illness. The most recent hiatus started in mid-May, and the series is scheduled to return on October 6, 2008.

List of Hunter × Hunter episodes

The anime adaptation was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi, produced by Nippon Animation, and broadcast on Fuji Television and Animax from October 16, 1999 to March 31, 2001.The television series concluded at 62 episodes, adapting the first eleven volumes of the manga series.

Viz Media has licensed the Hunter × Hunter anime for distribution in the Region 1 market. Season box sets of the series will be released starting on December 9, 2008 with subsequent box sets being released every two months.

List of Hunter × Hunter OVA episodes

Since the completion of the television series, three subsequent OVAs have carried the story from where the broadcast left off. The first OVA was directed by Satoshi Saga and released from January 17, 2002 to April 17, 2002. It adapts volume 11 and half of volume 12 into eight episodes. The next two OVA releases, Greed Island and G.I. Final, were directed respectively by Yukihiro Matsushita and Makoto Sato while released from February 5, 2003 to August 18, 2004. They adapt the rest of volume 12 through most of volume 18 into a total of 22 episodes.^[9][10]

An early pilot was also shown only at the 1998 Jump Super Anime Tour.

The background music for the anime was composed by Toshihiko Sahashi, and released onto six different soundtracks. The first three soundtracks correspond to the first series, while the latter three each were released in response to each Hunter × Hunter OVA.

There have been three musicals^{[citation needed]}, the second of which very little is known about. In the musicals, Killua, Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Hisoka, are all played by their Japanese voice actors;

The first is just called "Hunter × Hunter: Musical". It was originally performed during December of 2000. It is an original story that appears to take place in between the end of the "Yorknew City" arc and the beginning of the "Greed Island" arc. Gon gets a mysterious phone call, to come aid the citizens of Elrais. Once they get there they find that the country's four best performers have been kidnapped. It is later found that the kidnappers are controlling Madame Isabel (who is like a ghost). They plan to use her power to take revenge on Elrais. It is up to Gon and party to rescue the performers, and save the country.

The second Musical is called "Hunter × Hunter; Deja-vu in Summer." It ran from Aug 15 until Aug 26, 2001. This musical has not been released on DVD. The third Musical is called "Hunter × Hunter; The Nightmare of Zoldyck." It was originally performed during August of 2002. This is an alternate re-telling of when Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon go to Kukuroo Mountain to fetch Killua back. This includes a farewell party at the Zoldyck mansion, and Illumi placing a "switch" in Killua's mind. This switch will cause Killua to become murderous and attack his friends, if he ever tries to fight Illumi.

There is also a play called "Hunter × Hunter: Real Stage; A Longing for Pakunoda ~ A Spider's Memory ~"^{[citation needed]}. It was originally performed during August of 2004. It is a darker retelling of the kidnapping in the Phantom Troupe Story Arc. It has no singing and not too much humor unlike in the Musicals. In addition, Kurapika is played by Kimura Akiko; the voice actress of Mito Freecss and Biscuit in the Hunter × Hunter Anime. Killua and Gon are played by their respective voice actresses. It contains flashbacks of Pakunoda's (played by Ikeda Yukiko) memories and experiences with the Spiders.

Killua

Killua was born as the middle child to a family of renowned assassins, the Zoldyck family. Showing great promise from birth, Killua has already mastered many killing techniques at a tender age, and is set to be one of the best assassins the family has ever produced. Bored and tired of killing, Killua unexpectedly rebelled against his family, injuring both his mother and brother, and ran away to join the Hunter exam. He met Gon during the first portion of the Hunter Exam and became great friends.

Killua divulges that ever since his birth, he has been in constant training for the occupation of a professional assassin. Killua had spent years trying to perfect unique skills that assassins portray and possess. He is forced to battle in the Heavens Arena fighting tournament at the age of 6, which he took two years to get to the 190th floor.

From the outside, Killua seems just to be the rich boy; cheeky, cheerful and full of mischievous ideas. However, his ruthlessness and aptitude in killing shows the other side of him-- deadly, violent and bloodthirsty.

Having been repeatedly tortured since birth, Killua has been conditioned to possess extreme tolerance for poison, electricity and pain. He possesses extraordinary agility and strength that makes Killua a one man killing machine-- not one to be trifled with, as many of his adversaries had witnessed.

However, until recently, his greatest flaw was to fear those who are more powerful than him, one of whom is his elder brother, Illumi. Killua had been trained as an assassin by his brother to be extremely cautious that he only engages in combat provided that victory is absolutely certain. This impeded him as a Hunter, as Biscuit stated more than once that victory is never certain, and that depending on the circumstances, a person has the potential to defeat a stronger opponent.

Killua struggled with these conflicting ideas during the latter half of the series, as he started to encounter stronger opponents. However, his brother's teachings remained firmly entrenched in his mind, to the point that Biscuit prophesied that he would one day abandon Gon because of this. Biscuit gave Killua an ultimatum: Defeat Shoot to claim the right to go with Gon and fight the Chimera Ants. Killua lost, and resolved to leave after Gon had recovered from his fight, protecting him in the meantime.

Finally he had to face Biscuit's prophecy when he encountered a Chimera ant while Gon (who couldn't use nen at the time) wasn't far off and had no way to defend himself. Killua made an attempt to save Gon. While fighting with the Chimera Ant, Killua is also battling his inner-self. Preoccupied, Killua is losing to the chimera ant. At the last moment, Killua realized that Illumi had implanted a needle in his brain way back in the first Hunter Exam. This needle was responsible for forcing Killua to retreat and jailed himself on his comfort zone whenever any situation would potentially endanger his life. Upon extracting the needle, Killua was freed from this restraint and gained full control of his subconscious to make his own decision whether or not to flee whenever there is a need to fight stronger opponents.

At first part of the series, Killua does not usually employ or use any weapons in combat. Instead, he relies on his assassin-type abilities, his hands that have been modified that changes into razor sharp claws, delivering swift and fatal attacks that can rip out beating hearts or behead opponents in a split second.

During the Greed Island story arc, Killua started experimenting with using multiple yo-yo's, made of special alloy, as weapons. The yo-yo's are extremely durable and heavy, weighing 50 kilograms each. They can be used in conjunction with Killua's electrical Nen abilities. Killua is reluctant to use the yo-yos in combat thus using only his raw physical abilities in order for his opponent to know as little about his combat abilities as possible.

As a Transmuter, Killua's most efficient in changing the form of his nen. As such, Killua developed several electricity based nen techniques. This feat was both inspired and made possible by the years of electric shocks he received as a child, both as training against torture and as punishment from his older brother Milluki.

• Nen Ability: Lightning Palm (イズツシ 「雷掌」), Izutsushi

The first and most basic ability Killua developed. As the name suggests, Killua is able to shock an opponent by touching them.

• Nen Ability: Thunderbolt (ナルカミ 「落雷」), Narukami

A natural evolution of his Lightning Palm ability, Killua is also able to project a large bolt of lightning from his hands, striking an opponent with electricity from a distance. The name of the ability, Narukami, comes from the famous Kabuki play, Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura, in which the character Narukami transforms into a thunder god at the end of the fourth act.

• Nen Ability: Kanmuru (カンムル 「神速」), lit. "Godspeed"

Developed by Killua during his fight against the Oroso Siblings, Killua's Kanmaru ability allows him to react and move his body at speeds that would normally be impossible (even in the fictional Hunter × Hunter universe). This ability changes Killua's aura into a field capable of transmitting all electrical impulses from his brain in a straight line directly to the part of the body he wants to use, completely bypassing his nervous system.

Kurapika

Kurapika is a member of the Kurta clan, a reticent group of people that chose to live in obscurity in the Lukso Province. They possess eyes that turn flaming scarlet in times of anger or emotional agitation - a color that remains eternally in the iris at the time of death. The legendary brilliance of such scarlet eyes caused them to have high demand as a collector's treasure.

A few years ago, the Phantom Troupe came to Kurapika's hometown and massacred all the members of his tribe, leaving behind scores of dead bodies with eyes gouged out in their wake. As the last surviving member of his clan, Kurapika vows to gain back all the stolen eyes of his people, by tracking the Phantom Troupe down and seeking revenge, even if he must sacrifice his life in the process.

Kurapika is a level-headed and intelligent individual, possessing vast knowledge. Of sound judgment, his focused analyses have saved his friends from the brink of death many times.

Kurapika has proven to be a balanced fighter on several occasions. He has two large tantō hidden below his overshirt in the first story arc. In the Yorknew City arc, he uses a set of chains on his right hand materialized from his nen. When Kurapika's emotions are being enraged, his eyes turn scarlet red-- a trait only possessed by all members of the Kurta tribe . As of the Yorknew City arc, Kurapika has trained himself to activate his scarlet eyes at will. In this state, he is able to use nen of all categories to their maximum potential.

Kurapika is both a Conjurer and a Specialist, one that can materialize objects that act according to his imagination. The weapon that he conjures is a unique one--five chains extending from his fingers of his right hand. Some of the fingers were specially designed to deal vengeance upon the Phantom Troupe. He is even able to conceal his chain using In and bind his opponent without him or her realizing it until it's too late.

• Nen Ability: Emperor Time (エンパラータイム 「絶対時間」), lit. "Absolute Mastery"

When Kurapika's eyes turn scarlet, he shifts from a Conjurer to a Specialist. This state is called Emperor Time, and it allows him to utilize all the types of nen to 100% efficiency. In the manga, Kurapika explains using the terms "Level" and "Force/Accuracy". Kurapika's "Levels" in the various nen categories remain the same during Emperor Time, however, his Force & Accuracy for every category is raised to 100%. Thus, if Kurapika's Level in Conjuration nen were 10, his Level in Emission (the polar opposite nen type) would be 4, and during Emperor Time, he would be evenly matched against a Level 4 Emission type nen-user. Outside of Emperor Time, his Force & Accuracy in Emission would at most be only be 40%, causing him to lose.

To increase his effectiveness against the formidable Phantom Troupe, Kurapika places strict restrictions on the usage of his nen blades:

• Thumb Nen Ability: Holy Chain （ホーリーチェ－ン）, lit. "Healing Thumb"

Shaped like a cross, it cures wounds by drawing from the enhancement ability. When Kurapika is in his Specialist state, its ability is enhanced and can heal serious injuries within seconds.

• Index finger Nen Ability:

The purpose of this chain has yet to be revealed.

• Middle finger Nen Ability: Chain Jail (チェーンジェイル）, lit. "The Restraining Middle Finger"

Shaped like a hook, it wraps around enemies and restricts their movement. Also forcefully causes its prisoners to enter Zetsu, shutting off their aura and preventing the use of Nen abilities. Escape from the Chain Jail is only possible through brute force. Kurapika imposed a limitation onto this chain--it can only be used to deal with members of the Phantom Troupe. If this condition is violated, Kurapika will die. This condition was necessary in order to increase the strength of the ability.

• Ring finger Nen Ability: Dowsing Chain （ダウジングチェーン）, lit. "The Guiding Ring Finger" （ダウジングチェーン）

Kurapika uses this frequently under normal situations, for defense and attack purposes. It is also useful for other investigative activities, like determining the location of missing individuals. It has a small ball-like weight at the end which moves in the direction of whatever he is dowsing for.

• Little finger Nen Ability: Judgment Chain （ジャッジメントチェーン）, lit. "Arbiter Little Finger"

The Stake of Retribution, a blade on the end of the chain, enters the victim's body and wraps around the heart. Kurapika sets two conditions and if the victim violates either one, the chain crushes the heart, killing them. It can only be used while Kurapika's eyes turn scarlet.Kurapika himself has a blade wrapped around his heart, which he used to set the conditions of use for his Chain Jail ability.

Yamato

Yamato (ヤマト, Yamato) is the temporary leader of Kakashi Hatake's Team 7, consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sai. "Yamato" is actually a codename given to him for the purposes of joining Team 7, his real name being Tenzo (テンゾウ, Tenzō). Yamato, however, seems to prefer going by his codename while near his teammates.

Shortly after his birth, Yamato was one of 60 infants kidnapped for the purposes of becoming a test subject of Orochimaru. They were injected with the First Hokage's DNA in the hopes that they could replicate the First's ability to use Wood Release techniques, as well as an unquantified ability to control tailed beasts. Orochimaru was forced to flee Konoha before he could finish his experimentation, but believed that all of his test subjects had died. Yamato, however, was the lone survivor, and found himself endowed with the First's abilities. Yamato would go on to join the ANBU, and for a time he would serve under the guidance of Kakashi Hatake. Yamato would also come to have the best performance record of any ANBU serving under the Third Hokage, leading the Third's successor, Tsunade, to have the utmost confidence in Yamato.

Like other ANBU members, Yamato projects a calm, stoic demeanor in stressful situations. Despite this, he can also be quite laid back when not on duty, and is not above using his Wood Release techniques for creature comforts such as making a house to "camp out" in. While he has been good natured so far, Yamato claims to be a different sort of leader than Kakashi, one who is not above "ruling by the use of terror" when his team misbehaves. Aside from his obviously intimidating skills as a ninja, however, this "terror" has so far primarily consisted of casting a creepy "ghoul-eyes" expression directed at his charges, which seems more humorous than terrifying. Naruto, however, is easily creeped out by it. Yamato also seems to have an attachment to money, not wanting to spend on others unless he has something to gain.

Having Hashirama Senju's DNA, Yamato possesses a lot of his jutsus and most notably possesses the Wood Release ability of the First Hokage.

Yamato is able to use a Wood Release version of the Transformation Technique known as Wood Release: Transformation. When Yamato performs his hand seals, wood emerges and covers his entire body during transformation. Once the jutsu is done, the transformation is complete. His most often seen used jutsu is the Wood Clone Technique that a clone of him made of wood comes out of his body. Wood clones can communicate from far distances as in the manga and anime. If needed, the clones may turn into pills that a person (not the user) might take so he or she is able to communicate with the original; Tenzo in this case. During the start of Team Yamato's mission, if the team members wouldn't get along, Yamato would trap them in a jutsu known as Wood Release: Four Pillars Prison Technique which created large pillars that form a large cage. This often frightened the team. Also, for the use of luxury, which Yamato refers to as "camping" can summon a house of wood using Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique in which Team Yamato was seen spending the night in.

Because Wood Release is a combination of Water Release and Earth Release, Yamato also possesses techniques with these elements such as Water Release: Rapid Crusher and Water Release: Waterfall Basin Technique which he showed Naruto by combining it with Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart to show his Wood Release ability. Also he is seen using Earth Release: Winding Fissure to create fissures on the ground with.

Yamato is assigned to lead Team 7 in meeting with one of Sasori's spies within Orochimaru's ranks. Naruto and Sakura find it difficult to work with their newest team member Sai, and much of Yamato's time is spent trying to get them to cooperate. Upon arriving at the arranged meeting place, Yamato goes ahead dressed as Sasori to make meeting with the spy easier. After the spy arrives, who turns out to be Kabuto Yakushi, Yamato is able to learn a great deal of information until Orochimaru shows up. Just as Yamato starts to contemplate how he will fight Orochimaru and keep up his act as Sasori, Kabuto cuts off the head of the Sasori costume, having hoped to kill the real Sasori.

Faced with a combined attack from Kabuto and Orochimaru, Yamato creates a wood clone to escape, causing Orochimaru to realize that one of his test subjects had survived. A battle between Orochimaru and Naruto ensues, and Yamato spends much of his time protecting Sakura. When the battle is over, Sai is found to be missing, though a wood clone that Yamato has following Sai reveals that the latter has joined with Orochimaru. As the clone follows Sai to Orochimaru's hideout, the rest of Team 7 follows the clone. Once they arrive, Yamato uses his Wood Release abilities to infiltrate the base. When they eventually find Sai, they restrain him and are able to learn about Sai's real mission: to join forces with Orochimaru on behalf of his organization, Root, in an attempt to destroy Konoha.

Sai is eventually freed by Kabuto, who in turn is restrained by Sai. Sai, touched by Naruto's words about Sasuke Uchiha, rejoins Team 7 in their other mission of retrieving Sasuke. When the group splits up again, Yamato discovers a bingo book when going through some of Sai's belongings. In doing so, Yamato learns that Sai once again has an ulterior motive: to kill Sasuke Uchiha. In desperation, Team 7 goes looking for Sai, hoping to stop him from fulfilling his mission. Sai, however, really has had a change of heart, and attempts to bring Sasuke back to Konoha on Naruto's behalf. Due to Sasuke's exponential growth in fighting abilities, however, Sai is no match for him.

Due to an explosive attack from Sasuke, Team 7 is able to find Sai and learn that he really has allied with them. Upon failing to persuade Sasuke to return to Konoha, the team decides to use force instead. Sasuke's growth, however, is too much for the four's joint effort, and he is able to repel them all. After a brief confrontation between Naruto and Sasuke, Yamato attempts to capture Sasuke with his Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall, though Sasuke is able to escape. As an answer to this, Yamato declares that he had no intention of getting too rough on him in front of Naruto and Sakura, but has no choice. Despite this, Sasuke prepares what appears to be a finishing move, Orochimaru and a freed Kabuto arrive to stop him, and they disappear to leave Team 7 defeated.

After returning to Konoha, Yamato is recruited by Kakashi to help with Naruto's training in creating a new jutsu. In addition to being able to create training devices for Naruto with his Wood Release abilities, Yamato is also able to subdue Naruto if he loses control of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's chakra. Once Naruto completes the initial stages of his training, he moves on to perfecting his preexisting Rasengan. Kakashi, however, is not able to oversee Naruto in these final stages due to his volunteering to help Team 10 in the fight against Akatsuki. As such, he leaves Yamato in charge of the jutsu's perfection. Yamato is able to give advice in the jutsu's creation, and eventually bears witness to the fruits of Naruto's training.

Once Naruto has perfected his jutsu enough to be used in battle, Yamato, Naruto, and the rest of Team 7 join Kakashi and Team 10 in their battle. After teaming up with Naruto to stop an attack by Kakuzu, Yamato convinces Kakashi to allow Naruto to fight Kakuzu alone. Once Naruto is successful in defeating Kakuzu, Yamato joins everyone else in returning to Konoha.

When Kakashi received permission from Tsunade to lead a special team to capture Itachi Uchiha in order to bait Sasuke, Yamato joined him as acting head of Team 8, with the pregnant Kurenai remaining behind in the village. Following a confrontation with Sasuke's cohorts on Team Snake and members of the Akatsuki, the group was forced to abandon the mission and return to Konoha.

Gejimayu=Rock Lee

Rock Lee (ロック・リー, Rokku Rī) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto. Kishimoto considers Lee his favorite character to draw, and at first designed Lee to symbolize human weakness. In the anime and manga, Lee is a ninja affiliated with the village of Konohagakure, and is a member of Team Guy, which consists of himself, Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Might Guy, the leader of the team. Unable to use most ninja techniques, Lee has dedicated himself to using solely taijutsu, ninja techniques similar to martial arts, in order to achieve his dream of becoming a full-fledged ninja, despite his inabilities. Lee has appeared in several pieces of Naruto media, including the third and fourth featured films in the series, the third original video animation, and several video games.

Numerous anime and manga publications have commented on Lee's character. IGN compared Lee to Bruce Lee and Noel Gallagher,and Anime News Network called Lee the "goofiest looking character" in the series. Among the Naruto reader base, Lee has been popular, placing high in several popularity polls. Numerous pieces of merchandise have been released in Lee's likeness, including figurines and plush dolls.

In an interview in Shōnen Jump's Naruto Anime Profiles Episodes 1-37, Masashi Kishimoto claimed that he enjoys drawing Lee more than any other character in the series.When designing Lee's appearance, Kishimoto intended to have Lee wield a variety of weapons, including nunchaku; however, due to time constraints while creating the series, he was unable to do so. Kishimoto has noted that he originally designed Lee to symbolize human weakness; Kishimoto's design of Sakura Haruno was also intended to carry the same symbolism. Due to the popularity Lee garnered over the course of the series, Kishimoto tends to place him towards the front of promotional artwork he appears in.

While attending the Ninja Academy, a school for prospective ninja in the village of Konohagakure, Lee was mocked for his inability to perform basic ninja techniques. As as a result, Lee began training constantly to become stronger. After graduating from the Academy, Lee was assigned to Team Guy, a four-man cell of ninja led by Might Guy. Inspired by Lee's determination to become stronger, Guy took a personal interest in Lee, deciding to help him achieve his dream of becoming a distinguished ninja. This relationship with Guy has caused Lee to acquire many of Guy's traits. For example, Lee's green jumpsuit and shiny mop-top haircut are the same as his teacher's, as is his dedication to keeping promises and seeking rivals to develop his skills. Lee believes he can surpass the natural talents of others through hard work and passion; throughout the series, he attempts to surpass Neji Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha, both of whom are labeled "geniuses". Despite his search for rivalries, Lee has a sense of honor and respects his opponents, refusing to hold grudges against those who have defeated him and returning favors to those that have helped him. Lee uses formal language in both the English and Japanese adaptations of the anime and manga. In the Japanese anime and manga, he always utilizes honorifics such as "san and "kun", and in the English adaptations, he never uses contractions.

Lee is unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, two types of techniques ninja in Naruto utilize. To compensate for this disability, Lee has specialized in taijutsu, techniques focusing solely on physical attacks. Under Guy's instruction, Lee has learned several advanced taijutsu techniques, and created a training regimen for himself. As part of his training, Lee wears heavy weights on his ankles at all times; however, he has trained himself to the point that his peers still consider him fast when he is wearing them. When he removes his weights, Lee's speed increases to the point where he appears to be a blur while moving.

The taijutsu techniques Guy has taught Lee are centered around the Strong Fist style of combat. Part of this style involves the eight chakra gates, limits on the body's ability to use chakra, a form of energy that allows ninja to perform supernatural feats. Opening these gates increases the power and speed of Lee's taijutsu techniques at the cost of his health, and is a feat that is difficult for even the most talented ninja. Many of Lee's taijutsu techniques take advantage of the extreme power and speed he gains from opening chakra gates, most notably his Lotus (蓮華, Renge) techniques, many of which begin with a flurry of attacks to force the opponent into the air and are followed by a blow that sends the opponent into the ground at high speed.Aside from his Strong Fist techniques, Lee has a natural predisposition towards the Drunken Fist (酔拳, Suiken, English TV: "Loopy Fist") style of combat. When he drinks anything more than a drop of alcohol, he becomes inebriated, and his attacks gain an element of unpredictability due to his lack of coordination.

Rock Lee first appears in the series as a participant in the Chunin Exams, yearly exams for ninja that wish to increase their rank. During the Chunin Exams, Lee battles Gaara, a ninja from the village of Sunagakure, who cripples Lee by crushing his left arm and leg, injuring him to the point that he cannot continue being a ninja. When Tsunade, a Konohagakure medical ninja, returns to lead the village as the Fifth Hokage, she offers to operate on him, with the operation having a fifty percent chance of success.With Guy's encouragement, Lee undergoes the operation, which succeeds in healing his arm and leg. Immediately after the operation, Lee follows a team of ninja led by Shikamaru Nara who are attempting to stop Sasuke Uchiha from defecting from Konohagakure to the village of Otogakure. Lee battles the Otogakure ninja Kimimaro; however, he is defeated and saved by Gaara, who continues the battle with Kimimaro. In Part II, Lee obtains the rank of Chunin, and is dispatched with his team to help save Gaara following his abduction by the criminal organization Akatsuki.

Yamanaka Ino

Ino Yamanaka (山中いの, Yamanaka Ino) is a secondary character in Naruto who is on Team 10 with Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara, under the leadership of Asuma Sarutobi.

Ino has known Sakura since the two were very young, and was a considerably more popular and self-confident girl than her at the time they met. She convinced Sakura that hiding the size of her forehead was pointless, and gave her a ribbon to draw attention elsewhere, suggesting that Sakura had great potential, but had yet to reach it. When Sakura became attracted to Sasuke, and found out that Ino was attracted to him as well, Sakura ended their friendship so they could properly compete for his affection. She later made friends with Sakura again during the Chunin exam, but they are still considered rivals by many, including Asuma.

Ino is somewhat superficial, constantly thinking about boys and hoping by dieting to lose weight will make her be more attractive to them. She sometimes suggests that Choji should lose weight, but in the filler arcs, suggests that his fat is essential for his techniques. She is attracted to Sasuke, but her reasons for that attraction, apart from Sasuke being a popular student and the best in his class, are unknown.

In her team, Ino tends to boss the others around. Shikamaru, despite thinking of most girls as "troublesome," typically offers no resistance, being unwilling to deal with how she reacts if she is unable to have her way. Asuma recognizes the control she has over the others, and while dying, tells her to look after Choji and Shikamaru and ensure that they do not get into trouble.

In the anime, Ino plays a small role in Episode 3, being upset when she does not get onto Sasuke's team while Sakura does, and being dismayed to be on the same team as Shikamaru and Choji.

Ino later reappears in the Chunin Exam. She uses her Mind into Body (or mind transfer) technique to enter Sakura's mind and memorize all her test answers, then sends her mind into Choji and Shikamaru's minds to give them the answers. In the Forest of Death, she helps Sakura and Rock Lee fight off the Sound Genin until Sasuke, his Cursed Seal having awoken, forces the Sound Genin to retreat.

Ino's first match in the Chunin Exams is against Sakura. The two do not battle seriously at first, until Sakura, unwilling to have Ino pity her, denounces her. Ino and Sakura battle seriously afterward and use up most of their energy in the process. Ino then attempts to enter Sakura's mind after cutting her hair and sending chakra into it to immobilize her. She succeeds, but is expelled by Inner Sakura (after encouragement from Naruto). Low on chakra, Ino and Sakura charge each other for one last attack, and knock each other out, resulting in both of them being eliminated. When they regain consciousness, they start becoming friends again, but still maintain their rivalry over Sasuke.

Ino accompanies Sakura to visit Sasuke in the month between the preliminaries and the finals, but finds that he is gone. She goes to the finals with Sakura, and notes that Sakura's team is extraordinary after seeing Naruto defeat Neji. When the invasion starts, she is rendered unconscious by Kabuto's genjutsu; Sakura briefly considers waking her to help pursue Sasuke, but Kakashi tells her that a group of more than four people (herself, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Pakkun) would not move effectively.

In the filler arcs, Ino accompanies Naruto, Shino and Anko to the Land of the Sea, and helps defeat Misumi Tsurugi by possessing him and tying his arms to pillars, leaving him trapped in a collapsing room. Ino then uses Mind-Body Break (or Mind Destruction) Technique on Yoroi as he attempts to attack Shino, allowing Shino to punch Yoroi away. When Yoroi attempts to attack Ino, Shino sends his bugs after him, defeating him.

She later appears in a mission with Naruto, in which she tries to replace a princess who has grown overweight in an attempt to woo her suitor. Ino is barely able to stand the man, but the mission succeeds after Naruto, while interfering, accidentally exposes the real princess.

In the Konoha 11 arc, Ino and Sakura are sent to examine a corpse that is believed to be that of Genno. Ino hesitates, but eventually enters the room, and concludes from the condition of the hands that the corpse was not a ninja or a carpenter, and that Genno is still alive. After the group finds Genno, she attempts to possess him when he tries to make his escape on a summoned bird; while he lets go of the bird, Ino is unable to maintain the technique, as she notes that he has been suffering terrible pain the entire time. Genno dies shortly after his plans are foiled, possibly from what had caused that pain. In the final filler arc, Ino's attempt at possessing Kyaku fails, leaving her at risk, but Kyaku is defeated by Shikamaru and Temari's combined efforts. Feeling guilty that she did not contribute much to the mission, she asks Sakura to ask Tsunade to add her as a second apprentice. Sakura agrees, but adds that she will be Ino's senior apprentice (leading to yet another fight).

In Part II, Ino knows medical jutsu, but her skills have not been shown as often as Sakura's. She attempts to save Asuma with her medical jutsu, but his wounds are too severe to be healed.

Ino uses the Mystical Palm technique healing method to heal Kiba, While along with Naruto, Sakura, Choji, Lee, Kiba and Shikamaru try to tame a pseudo-jinchuuriki, During the Konoha invasion.

It is also shown that she is starting to become attracted to Sai. While he refers to her as "Gorgeous," he does so while trying to give her a pet name (after having come to the conclusion that with women it was best to say the reverse of what you actually think of their appearances).

Later, Ino and Choji arrive as backup for Shikamaru and Asuma in their fight with Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu. As the Akatsuki pair flees due to their arrival, Ino tries to use medical ninjutsu to heal Asuma's injuries, though she knows that there's nothing she can do to save her sensei. Asuma, also knowing that he won't make it, gives some parting words to his team. To Ino, Asuma says that her spirit is strong and that she is a helpful child, so she should take care of Choji and Shikamaru. Asuma also tells Ino not to lose to Sakura in ninjutsu or in love, to which Ino agrees. After smoking one last cigarette, Asuma dies, leaving Ino, Choji, Shikamaru to set out in an attempt to avenge him. By using her Mind Body Switch Technique on a hawk, Ino is able to find the Akatsuki duo. During Team 10's fight with Hidan and Kakuzu, Ino plays the role of an observer, her Mind Body Switch Technique being too much of a risk to use in battle. She heals Naruto after he defeats Kakuzu.

Ino is considered one of the more talented kunoichi in the academy, and is fairly skilled in most ninja arts. She primarily uses mind-affecting jutsu, such as the Mind Body Switch Technique, a jutsu used for reconnaissance also a jutsu that is a coming of age jutsu for the Yamanaka clan, which allows her to possess someone and control that person's actions for about two to three minutes. However, her body feels any pain that the target feels while possessed, and she will die if the target dies. Missing results in her being unconscious for several minutes while her mind returns to her body, leaving her extremely vulnerable. The anime takes her skills a bit further by giving her the Mind Body Disturbance Technique, which causes the person effected to lose control of their body. As long as Ino can hold the hand seal and the amount of chakra she has is how long the technique lasts. By Part II, Ino can use medical ninjustu to a small extent and has also become a Chunin.

Jiraiya

Jiraiya is named after the character of the same name from Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari (児雷也豪傑物語, "The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya"). The Jiraiya in this story excelled in summoning a giant toad (the toad itself was sometimes called "Jiraiya") and toad magic. In that story, Jiraiya and Tsunade were a married couple. There, his name is written as "児雷也" meaning "Young Thunder" which in turn comes from the name Garaiya (我来也, "I came") from the Chinese story Kaishi (諧史).

Masashi Kishimoto originally planned to draw Jiraiya with a different design and with a different style of hair. He also intended for Jiraiya to summon Toads that were of a similar size to humans. However, this idea was deemed a failure. During an interview, he comments that, of the student-teacher relationships in Naruto, Jiraiya and Naruto's is the one he likes the most.

Jiraiya grew up in the village of Konohagakure under the tutelage of the Third Hokage. As he grew older Jiraiya and his two teammates, Orochimaru and Tsunade, collectively became known as the "Legendary Three Ninja" (伝説の三忍, Densetsu no Sannin) due to their exemplary ninja abilities. For most of his adult life, and thus many of his appearances in the series, Jiraiya periodically leaves his hometown to explore the Naruto world. Although he spends comparatively little time in Konoha, Jiraiya maintains a deep loyalty to the village; soon after his introduction, he makes clear his intentions to kill Tsunade if she should ever turn against Konoha despite their history together. Throughout the series Jiraiya's talents and dedication to the village lead to him being offered the position of Hokage, Konoha's protector. Because of his perceived weaknesses (his inability to keep Orochimaru from becoming a criminal and his failure to protect his teacher and his student from dying in their own tenure as Hokage) Jiraiya always declines the offer, feeling that he is unworthy of the responsibility.

Jiraiya is a self-proclaimed super-pervert with no equal. During many of his appearances he makes at least one attempt to either hit on women or spy on them while they bathe. While Jiraiya makes no attempt to hide these habits, going so far as to brag about his talents with voyeurism, he gets irritated whenever series protagonist Naruto Uzumaki affectionately calls him "Pervy Sage" (エロ仙人, Ero-sennin). His interest in women has on occasion been his downfall; sometime in the past he tried spying on Tsunade, and was subsequently fatally wounded when she caught him in the act. Jiraiya's experiences in love, particularly those with Tsunade, are recorded in his Make Out (イチャイチャ, Icha Icha) series of novels. The books, a favorite of Kakashi Hatake, are runaway best-sellers within the Naruto world and have earned Jiraiya a vast wealth.Before penning the Make Out series Jiraiya published an autobiography where the main character was named "Naruto". Despite the book's poor sales Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya's student, named his son after the main character in the hopes that he would grow up to be just like the Naruto in the book.

Across the Naruto world Jiraiya is known as the "Toad Sage" (蝦蟇仙人, Gama Sennin). Having been trained by toads to utilize their secret arts, Jiraiya can summon them to his side as allies during battle. If need be he can also summon parts of toads, on one occasion blanketing an area with a toad's esophagus to immobilize and trap an opponent. In the second half of the series, around the time of his death, Jiraiya is shown to possess a number of toad-based abilities not wholly reliant on summoning. Most prominent of these is being able to enter "Sage Mode" (仙人モード, Sennin mōdo), a transformation that increases his physical abilities and the strength of his attacks. Despite the advantages the form allows him, he does not like entering Sage Mode; the transformation gives him a bulbous nose, webbed hands, and a number of warts, all of which make him unappealing to girls.

While toads make up the bulk of his ninja abilities, Jiraiya displays a variety of miscellaneous talents throughout the series. He can breathe fire, create swamps to immobilize enemies, and grow and sharpen his hair for both offensive and defensive purposes. He was taught how to use the Rasengan by Minato, which Jiraiya in turns teaches to Minato's son, Naruto Uzumaki, shortly after his introduction. At various times in the series Jiraiya has been shown to be knowledgeable with seals. This expertise most commonly comes to light in relation to the nine-tailed demon fox sealed within Naruto's body, a force Jiraiya constantly tries to help Naruto gain control of.

Jiraiya makes only sporadic appearances for most of the series, returning to Konoha after long absences to report on information he has learned during his travels. Initially this information concerns Orochimaru's continued efforts to destroy Konoha, though as the series progresses he also begins reporting on the criminal organization, Akatsuki. During some of his returns Jiraiya takes the time to train Naruto, teaching him his own signature abilities and how to control the nine-tailed demon fox sealed within him. His training with Naruto marks the gap between Part I and Part II of the series, wherein Jiraiya takes him away for two-and-a-half years of training.

In Part II, Jiraiya begins investigating the leader of Akatsuki, Pain. In the course of his investigation he is drawn into battle with Pain, a fight that spans most of Naruto manga volume forty-one. During this volume parts of Jiraiya's background are explored. While he trained with the toads a prophecy concerning Jiraiya was made: that he would someday have a student with the power to save or destroy the world. Soon afterwards he met Nagato, a boy Jiraiya assumed to be the subject of the prophecy and thus trained him to be the world's savior. Believing Pain to be Nagato, Jiraiya tries to kill his student to prevent the world's destruction.At the battle's conclusion Jiraiya realizes that he was mistaken; not only is Pain not Nagato, but Naruto was actually the boy foretold in the prophecy. Before he is killed, Jiraiya sends the secret of Pain's identity to Naruto and the rest of Konoha, and then dies happily knowing he did all he could for the future hero of the world.

Hatake Kakashi

Kakashi Hatake (はたけ　カカシ, Hatake Kakashi, alternately spelled 畑 案山子) is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Kishimoto originally planned to introduce Kakashi in the manga to the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, early on, but pushed back this meeting so that Naruto's teammates could be better developed.

In the story, Kakashi is the leader and teacher of Team 7, consisting of the series' primary characters, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto. He is initially portrayed as a detached and apathetic figure, but as the series progresses, his loyalty to his friends and students becomes increasingly apparent. Kakashi's past has been extensively explored in the series, resulting in a gaiden being devoted to his past experiences. Kakashi has appeared in several pieces of Naruto media, including three of the four featured films in the series, all of the original video animations, and several video games.

Numerous anime and manga publications have praised and criticized Kakashi's character. Although he has been noted to be an echo of similar detached shōnen characters, the duality of Kakashi's apathetic and serious sides have been praised. Kakashi's popularity has been noted by reviewers; T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews commented that the series could simply be renamed "Kakashi." Kakashi has been highly popular with the Naruto reader base, placing high in several popularity polls. Merchandise based on Kakashi has also been released, including key chains and plush dolls.

Obito's death greatly changed Kakashi, as he adopted many of Obito's traits and philosophies. Most recurring of these is his concept of teamwork: when first forming Team 7, Kakashi gauges their abilities with a bell test in which the three must capture the two bells he keeps on his person. Only by working as a team, regardless of the fact that there aren't enough bells for each of them, are they able to pass, instilling in them the concept of teamwork early on. Kakashi continues to further this philosophy for the duration of Part I upon Sasuke Uchiha, whose drive to get stronger causes him to slowly turn against his friends and teammates. Though Kakashi frequently reminds Sasuke of the importance of teamwork and tries to show him how strength can be found in friendship, he is unable to get through to him before the latter's defection.

Kakashi keeps his personal life separate from his interactions with his students, only going so far as to say that he has a number of hobbies and dreams that are "none of [their] business".He also states that everyone precious to him is dead.What is known of Kakashi's personal life is that he spends much of his free time at a memorial site where Obito's name is engraved. He tends to lose track of time when he is there, and is frequently late to his appointments as a result (another trait adopted from Obito). Similarly, Kakashi constantly keeps the lower half of his face covered, and thus the appearance of his face remains a mystery. Episode 101 of the anime, an omake episode dedicated to Team 7's efforts to unmask Kakashi, implies he is quite handsome, as two employees from the Ichiraku ramen shop (male and female) were left awestruck after he briefly removes his mask to eat. (He actually shows Team 7 that under his mask is another mask at the end of the episode.)

One pastime that Kakashi makes no attempt to hide from even his students is his fondness for the Make Out (イチャイチャ, Icha Icha) series of erotic novels. The books, detailing the author's (Jiraiya) experiences in love, are runaway best-sellers within the Naruto world. When asked more specifically about the contents of the books, Masashi Kishimoto explained that Naruto's target demographic was not old enough for him to disclose the details of the plot. Kakashi is usually seen reading one of the books during events that do not require his complete attention, such as his early conversations and training sessions with Team 7. Naruto has on occasion used Kakashi's attachment to the books against him; he threatens to spoil the ending of the latest installment in the series, forcing Kakashi to shut his eyes and ears to avoid learning the secret and leaving him off guard in the process.

Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan.

The Sharingan given to him by Obito is a sticking point to Kakashi's fame in the Naruto world. Granting him the ability to mimic the movements and jutsu of others, the Sharingan gives Kakashi an edge in battle by allowing him to turn his opponent's abilities against them. Because the Sharingan only naturally occurs in those of Uchiha lineage, Kakashi needs to exert much more energy when using his own. Similarly, because his is a transplanted eye, Kakashi's Sharingan is always active, and so he keeps it covered with his forehead protector when he is not using it to keep from tiring out. Despite these shortcomings he is very proficient with his Sharingan, being of comparable mastery to experienced Uchiha like Itachi Uchiha. During the gap in time between Part I and II, Kakashi even develops a Mangekyo Sharingan through unknown means. With it he can use a jutsu called Kamui (神威, Kamui^? literally "God's Authority") that creates a localized interdimensional space-time warp, allowing him to send any targeted object to another dimension. Because performing this ability requires extended bed rest afterwards, Kakashi avoids using it unless absolutely necessary.

With his ability to mimic the jutsu of others, Kakashi has added over one thousand different attacks to his repertoire, leading to his nickname of "Copy Ninja Kakashi" (コピー忍者のカカシ, Kopī Ninja no Kakashi^?). Much of this extended arsenal is composed of ninjutsu, making him a specialist in the field. Kakashi is also well-rounded in all other jutsu-types, shown to be adept with taijutsu and at least having a cursory knowledge of genjutsu Because of his abilities, Kakashi is noted to be an obvious candidate for the position of Hokage, the protector of Konoha, should the position ever become vacant.

Kakashi using Lightning Blade.

Although most of Kakashi's abilities were acquired with his Sharingan, Kakashi has two abilities he developed by himself. Lightning Blade, a collection of lightning chakra in one's hand, was created by Kakashi in his youth. By rushing at the enemy and thrusting the Lightning Blade into a target, Kakashi can kill most opponents with one strike. Because of the speed at which the technique is performed, regular eyes experience a tunnel-vision effect when using it and leaves the user open to counterattack. After gaining his Sharingan, Kakashi was able to overcome this flaw, and uses its analytical capabilities to better react to enemy movements. His second unique ability is the pack of eight ninja dogs (忍犬, Ninken) he is able to summon to his side. The dogs are capable of talking and have presumably been raised by Kakashi since they were puppies. He primarily uses them for tracking purposes, but he can use them as tools in combat as well should he need to locate or hold an enemy down for a finishing attack.