Naruto is full of memorable heroes, villains who are unforgettable, and heartfelt stories. However, not all the characters gained the attention of the audience. There are those who rubbed fans the wrong way right at the beginning and those who became more and more frustrating as the story continued. These characters caused more frustration than appreciation, whether in their bad decisions, squandered talent, or irreparably damaging mistakes.
This is not a list of who was the most evil or most powerful. It centers on characters that fans could hardly bear. Whether it is manipulative figures of authority or characters who undercut big arcs, these are the Naruto characters that always pushed viewers to the limit and created endless discussions throughout the series.
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8 Kabuto Yakushi
Kabuto's character was instantly portrayed as someone you cannot trust, or at least should not trust, given how good he appeared to be. His unwelcome appearance as a presumed friend of goodwill raised massive red flags over his cynical manner and his apparent deceit. Fans could feel something was wrong even before his true allegiance was shown.
The uneasiness increased in Shippuden. His transformation into a puppet master of himself was more annoying than motivating, and the more he became self-indulgent in his motives. Kabuto never made one feel afraid or sympathize, only frustrated. His unceasing intrigue and opportunism reduced him to a less tragic antagonist and overstayed visitor.
7 Karin
Karin left a terrible first impression, a first impression that did not change. From the moment she was introduced, she has devoted all her life to being obsessed with Sasuke. Instead of making the story emotionally rich, her addiction appeared shallow and repetitive.
Her loud and reactive nature and the fact that she was mostly irrelevant to the storyline of Sasuke were all found distasteful to the fans. Even instances that might have enriched her character were lost amidst melodramatic acting and monotonic prose. She was left clinging there, which became more irritating as the narrative went on.
6 Sakura Haruno
Sakura happens to be one of the most controversial characters of the series and for good reason. During the early stages of the series, she had herself depicted as insulting, vicious, and unnecessarily cruel towards Naruto, who was the most supportive person towards her. The fact that she was obsessed with Sasuke even though he did not care at all, aggravated the frustration of the audience.
Although Shippuden improved her status somewhat, it provided her with strength, determination, and valuable contributions. But scenes such as lying to Naruto about her emotions and saying that she was equal to Naruto and Sasuke kept up old criticisms. Although she won a lot of fans in the end, the initial impression she made never left her.
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5 Hiruzen Sarutobi
The legacy of Hiruzen has been greatly criticized. He ought to have provided security for Naruto as a Hokage; instead, he left Naruto to grow up alone, poor, and emotionally neglected. Fans were furious about this contradiction as he turned a blind eye to most of the destruction caused throughout the show, most of which he easily could've resolved had he been more competent.
There are opinions that he did it because he wanted to save Naruto, but that argument falls flat when put into consideration. Naruto had to struggle through life by himself as the elders of the village spent comfortable lives without any concern. His negligence is less strategic and more of a failure. His lack of action is one of the most irritating moral blind spots of the series, since he was portrayed as an extremely wise and loving man.
4 Sasuke Uchiha
The character of Sasuke evokes both love and hatred. His trauma is indisputable, and a lot of fans can feel his suffering. But his rash actions and refusal to be assisted at all times drove other people away.
What actually made him even less likable to others were the actions that he took before the Fourth Great Ninja War. The way he behaved was a direct defiance of all that Itachi gave up to help him, and his story arc was self-destructive. Although admittedly complicated, the decisions made by Sasuke tended to be exhausting, as opposed to being tragic.
3 Hanzo Of The Salamander
The role of Hanzo in the history of Naruto is short but disastrous. His betrayal directly caused the death of Yahiko, the former leader of the Akatsuki, causing Nagato to shatter his ideals and spawn the latter Akatsuki as the world came to dread it.
Hanzo is not only despised by the fans due to his actions, but also their impact. He not only killed a character, but he also poisoned a whole philosophy. His unnecessary violence was used to create some of the darkest moments of the series, which made him a bitter name despite his lack of screen time.
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2 Danzo Shimura
Danzo is probably one of the most despised characters in Naruto, and rightly so. Though he thought what he was doing was in the best interests of the village, his ways were cruel, manipulative, and destructive. He manipulated most of the betrayals throughout the series, drove Itachi into a choice that he did not deserve, and turned the political core of Konoha toxic.
It is difficult to excuse the amount of pain inflicted by him, even in the recognition of his intentions. Almost all the favorite characters fell victim to the intrigues of Danzo in one way or another. Whereas Madara and Black Zetsu had a more cosmic role, Danzo was much more intimate and much more irritating.
1 Black Zetsu
Black Zetsu takes the first place among the most unlikable characters of Naruto because of one thing: disappointment. His unmasking as the real mastermind destroyed decades of hype around Madara, a character who was presented as a character on the verge of being a god.
Instead of adding seriousness to the story, Black Zetsu deprived the story of seriousness. His character was sterile, his reasons unenthusiastic, and his position turned a superstar villain into a chess piece. To a lot of fans, Black Zetsu is the moment that Naruto fell the most, and never bounced back.
- Release Date
- October 2, 2002
- Network
- Adult Swim
A popular shonen anime based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga, Naruto follows its eponymous shinobi's journey as he goes from his town's outsider to its hero.
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 5
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Number of Episodes
- 220
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.99
