Nara Shikamaru
Encyclopedia : N : NA : NAR : Nara Shikamaru
| Nara Shikamaru | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (奈良シカマル) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Nara Shikamaru (ordered Shikamaru Nara in the English anime) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto.
Contents
Naruto Part 1Personality and AbilityOriginally a Genin level ninja that graduated with Uzumaki Naruto, Shikamaru is a lazy, easy-going genius who was promoted to Chūnin level after the Chūnin Exam Arc. He is from a family of shadow manipulators and deer herders. His main technique is Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique). Later in the series, his father teaches him his second jutsu, Kage Kubi Shibari no 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. Shikamaru even decided to sleep during the attack of Konoha by the Sand and Sound, as he thought it would be too troublesome to get up and fight, 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. 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 how "Mendokusē" (めんどくせ～, from "Mendōkusai," 面倒臭い, meaning "Bothersome," or "Tiresome", or "Troublesome" - although in context it carries a sort of "Aw man..." and "Screw it..." meaning as well; translated as "a drag" in the English dubbed version) the whole thing is. 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 Ninjas, giving Naruto enough time to catch up with Sasuke. Since he has been promoted to Chūnin, 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, Sarutobi Asuma, often plays Go and Shogi against Shikamaru, he 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 circle 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 way ahead of his opponent. Shikamaru has a longstanding friendship with Akimichi Chōji, in whom he has complete trust. Before they were promoted to Chūnin rank, Shikamaru, Chōji and Yamanaka Ino were on the same Genin team under Asuma. Their fathers were on the same team as well. Their teamwork is unparalleled. Chūnin Exam
 Initially introduced as nothing more than a lazy person who is always complaining, it is during his organized matches in the Chūnin 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. 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 Chūnin after this Chūnin exam. Later, when the attack by the Sand and Sound Villages on the Leaf Village commences, Shikamaru is one of only three Genin (along with Sakura and Shino) who successfully dispels the sleeping genjutsu cast on the Chūnin 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 'awoken' 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 Hidden Sound Chūnin, 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 clever strategy, he is able to trap all eight with his shadow. However, an ninth Sound ninja hides in the trees, protecting the captured seven against Shikamaru's attacks. Despite correctly predicting the presence of the eighth ninja, he cannot fight off the Sound ninjas after being drained from his earlier match in the Chūnin exam. Fortunately, his sensei, Asuma, comes in to help him and defeats all eight Sound ninjas himself. Sasuke Retrieval Arc
 Shikamaru's first job as a Chūnin is to lead the team of Uzumaki Naruto, Hyūga Neji, Akimichi Chōji and Inuzuka Kiba (also known as Team Shikamaru) on a mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke 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 flute magic. 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 even Shikamaru's shadow choke 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 the Sand are allies of 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 Hidden 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 Chūnin. His father berates him for being such a coward and explains to him that if he quits being a Chūnin 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. Anime filler arcsShikamaru is seen in the Mizuki Strikes Back Arc backing up Naruto along side his teammates Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chōji against Fūjin and Raijin, the Legendary Stupid Brothers. Through Ino-Shika-Chō's teamwork, they are able to subdue the two powerful criminals, but ultimately need the help of Tsunade when the brothers prove too strong.Shikamaru also shows up overseeing Konoha's genin in the survival-training mission for young academy students. He also has a very important role in the second Naruto Movie where it becomes obvious that the reach of his shadow and chakra stamina has increased greatly. He also appears in Episode 193, for a brief period. Team 10 was transporting cargo and ran into some trouble. A large group of monkeys were chasing them because they wanted Chouji's snacks. Ino ended up calling for a rescue becasue she thought they were under attack, so Might Guy was sent to help. Ino and Chouji began fighting over his snacks, Ino believing it was his fault because he had a large stash of snacks tied down with their cargo. Guy commented that it must be difficult for Shikamaru dealing with such troublesome teammates. Shikamaru agrees and asks Guy how he ended up with his bad disguise(an afro and moustache). Ino gives Guy her mirror and he realizes that he forgot to go to challenge Rock Lee, taking off and leaving Ino-Shika-Cho totally surprised. Naruto II Arc
 Shikamaru makes his Naruto II debut in Chapter 247 with Temari. 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 developed a new jutsu, "Ninpo: Kage Nui no Jutsu", which uses shadow tendrils that can move off the ground to impale multiple targets. Shikamaru first demonstrated this technique to destroy several of Sai's picture lions. Currently as a Chūnin, he also takes on the responsibility as a chūnin 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 Chūnin Exam. Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, promoted Shikamaru shortly before she sent him, along with Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, and Chōji 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. Shikamaru told Naruto he found out about Sasuke's change from Tsunade. He told Naruto that he would help Naruto get Sasuke back. This suggests that Shikamaru may provide a major role later on. Shikamaru also informs Naruto that the chūnin exams are now over. Interestingly, when Team Asuma and Team Kakashi head for dinner at a Yakiniku, Shikamaru disappears. When Sakura inquires about his whereabouts, Chōji informs her that he left to help his father collect horns for medicine. Ino finds this strange because Shikamaru is always good at showing up for team meetings. It is unclear what Shikamaru is up to. Trivia
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||