Top 10 Naruto Girls

Written by Shiggins

Ninjagirls! Ningirls! Nin... Female characters!

Well, this one wasn't as easy as the Dragon Ball version (CLICK HERE)! Naruto's female roster ranges from the wonderfully absurd to the absurdly wasted, and it can cause quite the internal commotion when trying to decide who is the best and who is the 10th best, especially when you're aware of a certain fandom war that raged for years during this series' runtime... Anyway, here's my top 10, while I catch up on Eden's Zero!

10. Tenten

I hate the anime and it's egregious misuse of filler, but I can't deny it actually gave us a few moments that Kishimoto's manga could have benefited from, including the meeting of other Jinchuuriki, developing the romance between Naruto and Hinata, and of course, giving the forgotten member of the Konoha 11 some time to show she has a personality. It's thanks to the anime that Tenten makes it to the top ten(ten).

Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals is pure rubbish, but... yeah, I strangely recommend it.

Ninja weapon-user to the point of addiction and straight girl of Team Gai, Tenten first appeared during the Chuunin Exam, and was notable for losing to Temari in a fairly cool fight that the manga actually ignored. Whenever the series does take a moment to let Tenten be Tenten, it's fun enough to make you want more but it's never more a tease for what could have been. Thankfully, the Rock Lee spinoff actually made her feel like a character, rather than a token third member of a fairly wonderful team.


9. Mei Terumi

The Five Kages Meeting arc isn't a wonderful one, but it did give us an introduction to quite a few enjoyable characters, including A the Raikage, Onoki the Tsuchikage, and of course, Mei the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure. At first, she can be quite exhausting with her dialogue that feels written by someone who hasn't wrote a female character in years ("I'm obsessed with getting married!") but she eventually comes into her own and stands alongside the rest of the Kages.

Still not as fabulous as Raditz's hair.

The lava style of ninjutsu is a nice way to differentiate her from the other powers we've seen so far, and Mei certainly proved herself worthy enough to go against Madara or any other opponent in her path throughout the war. She's even caring enough to watch out for lovable Chojuro during those times he's being bullied. When the series actually makes her a leader or a fighter, it's great. It's just the rest of her that gets on my nerves, .


8. Karin

When the world was at war, one side dared to dream. To dream of a future where Naruto went for Sakura, and Sasuke ended up getting together with his stalker and sort-of-friend Karin. In fact, it was this battle that makes me believe that Naruto Gaiden, in which Sarada thought she might be Karin's daughter, was in response to that wildness, because it got seriously out of control. Which is a shame, because Karin had more to her than being part of an unnecessary fandom feud.

I'm jealous of Karin right now.

For starters, she was one of the survivors of the Uzumaki clan, meaning she's actually related to Naruto himself! She unlocked the gift of Kushina's chains, was a strong underling of Orochimaru back when he was cool, an expert at stealing Sasuke's sweaty clothes, and clearly had no idea how ninjas were supposed to dress, which made her perfect for the series since nobody has any clue! It's too bad most people remember her for nothing more than a potential partner for Sasuke, because she's a lot of fun and a surprising change of pace for the franchise whenever Karin gets to be Karin.


7. Sakura Haruno

And here it is. Out of every character on this list, Sakura was the one I wrestled with the most. While she does have some damn cool moments to her name, including her fight with Sasori, using her bare hand to pump Naruto's heart alive, and curing Kankuro of poison, she's also been given some of the worst treatment the entire franchise has ever seen, to the point it almost felt cruel to see her again sometimes. I felt sorry for her!

Do all girls have this, or is Sakura just a secret a psycho?

Remember, this is the character who spent at least an entire arc shedding tears while Naruto and Sasuke worked as hard as they could to train. The one who was Genjutsu'd by her future husband to stay out of the final battle because she would only get in the way, and yet we saw her as his neglected wife only a few chapters later! I like Sakura whenever she is an active healer or fighter, but leave the crybaby at home please. It takes away what could be great.


6. Temari

Out of every relationship in the series, the one I personally wanted to see most of all was Shikamaru marrying the sister of Gaara, Temari! Eldest of the Sand Siblings and one of the best ninjas when it comes to controlling the wind, Temari was initially introduced as a sort-of reluctant villain to Konoha, until Gaara finally calmed down and she was able to sprout her own wings for the future.

Shikamaru has chosen... wisely.

Of course, good or bad, Temari is still likeable either way. She's got a wonderful design, plenty of attitude that sets her apart from the Konoha girls, and she's utterly ruthless in every fight. Remember her fight with Tayuya? Temari didn't even give that bitch a chance! No, she instead summoned a random weasel of death! And honestly, is that not enough to like someone?


5. Hinata Hyuga

In many ways, I feel like Hinata had the most potential to be at the top of this list. While it is a fairly common development for female characters in many shows, we all wanted to see Hinata come out of her shell as she watched Naruto and eventually have the confidence in herself to fight for her values and love. And while this franchise did do that with her, Hinata's screentime was so sparse that it never paid off as well as it could have.

Hinata or Shuri. Who wore them better?

Of course, Hinata is great when we see her. I love her byakugan techniques, and I loved seeing her stand up to Neji during her first arc. Having lion-fists of flame is a badass design, and she's caring enough that at least half you wanted to see her end up with Naruto by the end. If she had been given proper time to show off, I am convinced she'd be the first on this list. If you want to see this development done perfectly, check out Negima's Nodoka Miyazaki. If you want the cliff-note version, which is still likeable, then that's Hinata.


4. Ino Yamanaka

Yes, the best of the four from Konoha is the flower girl, Ino! You might think it is because I'm blonde, and so I seek to have my fellow kind rule over all the other hair colours, and you'd be right, but there is more to her than that. For starters, Ino isn't a crybaby, nor is she a token healer that sits in the back. (Even though the anime tried to make her one sometimes).

Yeah, I struggle with maths too.

Ino's turn from spoiled narcissist to brave warrior of Konoha is great and deserved, as we watch her work alongside Shikamaru and Choji to craft the perfect Ino-Shika-Cho combos. Her use of mind-swapping ninjutsu is devious, and its used in such imaginative and fun ways that you can't help but be impressed. One of the best arcs of the whole franchise is when Team Asuma fights Hidan and Kakuzu, and Ino's compassion but ferocity is exactly what we, and the others, needed at that time.


3. Kushina Uzumaki

Let's be honest, people. When Naruto meets his mum, it's one of the best moments of the franchise. I didn't cry because I'm super manly and really cool, but you did and that's what matters. After a lovely hug and some strange chain powers, what follows is Kushina telling us the story of how she met Minato, fell in love, died and how she loves Naruto so much despite only knowing him for several minutes of her life before she was gone. What a mum!

Can we all agree that Road to Ninja could have been a lot better?

In these few chapters, we get to see how much fun Naruto's mother really is and was, from her time as a violent kid who didn't let any bullies take her down, to a caring wife, and eventually the end where she gave up her life for Naruto. Sometimes, less is more and the journey of Kushina is exactly the length it needs to be to make us adore her. Her time was short, but sweet.


2. Tsunade

If there was one woman who never let me down on the fighting material, it was the fifth Hokage! This is a character who made being a healer badass while fighting Madara during the final arc with her Ninja Art Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique, and she was the first of the franchise to actually provide major destruction on a level that only men had been giving out before this point. Plus, she's just a fun character to boot. Frankly, I was needing someone like her after being disappointed by Sakura for so long.

Same, Hinata.

Granddaughter to Hashirama, Tsunade's backstory is one of misery and poor decisions, from losing her brother, her lover, her money to gambling, her friend Orochimaru to the Dark Side, to probably having back pains due to her chest expanding so much. The series talked a big game about how Sakura surpassed her, but I don't buy that. Never forget that this woman was ripped in half and she still survived! Nobody has ripped Sakura in half, have they?!


1. Sarada Uchiha

I'd be surprised if you guessed I was going to put this character on the list at all, let alone in 1st place! However, between the final chapter, Naruto Gaiden, and the few times I actually watched the unnecessary Boruto series, I have to admit that she is actually my favourite. The daughter I never thought would be born, offspring of Sasuke and Sakura, user of the Sharingan and wannabee Hokage, Sarada is everything I wished for from Naruto but never got for the longest time.

I believe the word you are looking for, reader, is "dayum".

You see, Sarada has personal arcs that keep you motivated to watch her, and the series makes sure to actually show us these arcs! While she does get upset from time to time, she's constantly active, constantly moving, part of the group, knows when to be funny, and knows when to be serious. She's engaging, and not a boring tag-on or misery guts that despairs while the men do all the work. Personally, I think Boruto can go to hell. If the series has to exist, it should be called Sarada: Naruto Next Generations.


Honourable Mentions:

Anko Mitarashi

Kaguya Otsutski

Konan

Any I missed? Who are your favourites? Let me know in the comments below!

Nice try, Naruto!

Shiggins:[Admin]
  .

Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/