Naruto is undoubtedly one of the most popular shonen franchises in anime. Though the series concluded in 2017, it continues to be a huge hit among its dedicated fan base and has generated even more fans in recent years. Naruto Uzumaki's hard-fought journey from ostracized jinchuriki to savior of the shinobi world, and eventually Hokage of Konohagakure, is one of the best storylines in anime.

RELATED: 10 Best Character Arcs In Naruto

Naruto is naturally one of the most beloved characters in the medium alongside several others like Jiraiya, Minato, and Hinata. For every beloved character, however, there are others who are disliked by fans. Whether they're increasingly annoying and disrespectful like Sakura Haruno or cruel and vicious like Orochimaru, some Naruto characters are the absolute worst.

Updated on May 23rd, 2023 by Xandalee Joseph: Naruto fans continue to consume and analyze the popular series despite its conclusion six years earlier. Still, time has not been kind to Naruto's most hated characters. Instead, fans find more evidence to support why some Naruto characters will always receive hate.

16 Shikamaru Nara

Shikamaru from Naruto on the battlefield.

Shikamaru Nara is the smartest member of the Konoha 11. His battle strategy skills are unmatched and there's no doubt that his Shadow Possession Jutsu is one of the most unique and powerful Kekkei Genkai in the Hidden Villages. Unfortunately, Shikamaru is also extremely lazy and spends a lot of his time complaining about exerting any energy. He also has chauvinistic views on women.

His complaints are unfounded, however. No one asks any more of him than anyone else, and his sexist complaints boil down to his disinterest in hearing concerns from women. Further, Shikamaru waists his Kekkei Genkai's potential. He hates training or doing any more than absolutely necessary. As a result, his Shadow Possession suffers. He isn't able to hold it for long and his overall stamina runs out very quickly in battle. As his father Shikaku has demonstrated, Shadow Possession is capable of much more.

15 Kurenai

Kurenai wearing her jonin vest in Naruto.

Kurenai Sensei isn't a particularly awful character, though she does suffer from terrible writing. Aside from her relationship with Asuma, there isn't anything interesting about her. Though she is the leader of Team 8, which consists of Kiba, Shino, and Hinata, she is rarely seen training them. Most importantly as a Konoha Jonin, Kurenai never displays any strength.

RELATED: 10 Worst-Written Character In Naruto, Ranked

When she joins Kakashi's battle against Itachi alongside Asuma, she attempts to use genjutsu which has become a running joke among Naruto fans considering Itachi is one of the best genjutsu users in the series. Though fans feel for her when she loses Asuma and are filled with love when they learn she is carrying his child, it's sad to see her reduced to a damsel that needs protection after showing little strength in the first place.

14 The Village Elders

Konoha Village Elders Homura Mikokado and Koharu Utatane

The Village Elders consist of Homura Mikokado and Koharu Utatane – they both serve on the Konoha Council. Though they are welcomed additions today, they were not always the best representatives of Konoha's government. During the Third Hokage's reign, they work alongside Danzo and often support his extremist ideals and methods. They are also complicit in the Uchiha Massacre. Rather than seek a peaceful resolution, they believe the Uchiha should be eliminated.

After the Third Hokage's death, Homura and Koharu want Jiraiya to fill the position. He turned them down and insists Tsunade is better suited for the role. When Tsunade is appointed as the Fifth Hokage, the Village Elders fight with her often on how to handle government crises. Most notably when they learn the Akatsuki want Naruto, their main concern is how powerful they would become if they obtain the Nine-Tails. They want to lock Naruto away, and it isn't until Tsunade loses her temper and demands that they not only respect Naruto but also entrust the future of the Leaf to the next generation just as their forebearers did with them, that they concede.

13 Shizune

Shizune smiling in Naruto.

Shizune is introduced as Tsunade's right hand and her apprentice. During the Search For Tsunade arc, she is a kind new friend who expresses how much she cares for her mentor. Shizune's character is full of potential, unfortunately, she falls victim to poor character development.

Shizune is a medical-nin and a jonin, the fact that she studies under Tsunade should make her one of the most powerful kunoichi in the shinobi world. Sadly, this isn't the case. Despite studying under a Legendary Sannin, Shizune is quite weak. She is easily bested by Kabuto and if it wasn't for Nagato's change of heart, she would be one of the many people who are killed during Pain's assault.

12 Karin

Karin is most known for being a former member of Sasuke's rogue group, Taka. Karin comes from the famed Uzumaki Clan, yet she does little with her unique chakra abilities. She is reduced to a lustful fangirl who serves as a chakra reserve for Sasuke whenever he needs it. This is especially disturbing considering how horribly Sasuke treats her.

During his fight against Danzo, he shoots through her when Danzo takes her as a hostage and even tells Sakura to finish her off to prove her loyalty. After Kakashi arrives, Sakura is instructed to heal a depressed Karin who realizes Sasuke left her to be a prisoner of the Hidden Leaf. Karin gives all of herself to a man who clearly doesn't love her back, and she wastes her healing and chakra sensory abilities when she could've been a strong kunoichi.

11 Rasa

Gaara's father

Rasa was the Fourth Kazegake of Sunagakure and Tamari, Kankuro, and Gaara's father. Rasa is a terrible father to Gaara, and he is the main reason Gaara becomes a murderous villain for part of his adolescent years. As the One-Tail jinchuriki, Gaara is ostracized and hated, and his father does nothing to protect him. Rasa only sees Gaara as a weapon for the Sand Village. He even ruins the one loving relationship Gaara has by ordering Gaara's uncle Yashamaru to provoke Gaara emotionally to see if he can control the One-Tail Shukaku.

Yashamaru attacks Gaara, and Gaara's sand kills Yashamaru. Gaara is immediately grief stricken and Yashamaru continues his mission by telling Gaara he resents him and that his mother never loved him. When Gaara reacts and releases Shukaku, Rasa watches from afar and calls Gaara "a failed experiment." During the Fourth Shinobi War, a reanimated Rasa reveals that Yahamaru and his mother Karura loved him dearly. Rasa made Gaara grow up believing that he was never loved.

10 Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke running in a forest

Sasuke's journey takes a serious turn when he defects from the Leaf and joins Orochimaru. Sasuke quickly surmises that his emotional attachments are holding him back. As a result, Sasuke embarks on a dark path he nearly doesn't come back from. Sasuke has one goal for most of his journey, kill Itachi and restore his clan. During this time he commits terrible acts including attempting to Sakura twice and attacking Killer B.

Though his anger is completely understandable, Sasuke eventually becomes an aimless child whose thoughts are all over the place. He makes Konoha his enemy and joins the Akatsuki, creates his own rogue group, Taka, fights for the Leaf during the War, then traps the Tailed Beasts and asserts that he will destroy the Shinobi world and bring about a revolution. Sasuke is as hurtful as possible, and he's lucky Naruto never gives up on him.

9 The Third Hokage

Third Hokage fighting orochimaru

Hiruzen Sarutobi is the worst Hokage to ever serve Konha. After the Fourth Hokage's sudden death, Hiruzen takes up the honored mantle once again. However, many fans wonder if the Hidden Leaf Village would've been better off with a new leader instead. Hiruzen allows Danzo to see too many of his heinous crimes through, this includes the Uchiha Massacre. Hiruzen also fails to take down Orochimaru when he has the chance.

RELATED: Every Hokage's Greatest Failure, Ranked

When he discovers Orochimaru is performing forbidden jutsu, he still can't bring himself to take him down. As a result, Orochimaru takes countless lives and subjects an innumerable amount of people to physical and mental torture. One of Hiruzen's most criticized crimes among the Naruto fandom is his failure to protect Naruto. Hiruzen leaves Naruto alone with no guidance or support. He allows villagers to treat him terribly, knowing his parentage and the sacrifice they parents make.

8 Nagato (Pain)

Nagato/Pain during the invasion of the Leaf Village in Naruto.

The Six Paths of Pain is the leader of the Akatsuki and one of the most prominent villains in the Naruto series. Pain commits the most heinous acts to actualize his idea of peace. Though Pain's backstory is extremely heartbreaking, and fans sympathize with his heartache, it doesn't excuse his behavior. Pain is actually Nagato, one of the three orphans Jiraiya trains during the Second Shinobi War.

After losing his best friend Yahiko, Nagato becomes cold and callous. He orders the extraction of every Tailed Beast from their Jinchuriki knowing it would kill them, and devastates villages, including Konoha, so that the "world can know pain." Though Naruto's famous Talk No Jutsu convinces Pain to bring back everyone he kills in the Leaf during his assault, many of his previous crimes can not be undone. Pain is still responsible for killing Jiraiya, and fans are still heartbroken today.

7 Sakura Haruno

Sakura looking concerned and holding a hand to her hair in Naruto.

Sakura is arguably the most frustrating character in Naruto. She is an extremely annoying individual that also suffers from poor writing and poor character development. From her first introduction, Sakura is completely obsessed with Sasuke. She allows her crush to keep her in a deluded state and hinder her growth as a kunoichi. She forces herself onto Sasuke countless times despite his obvious disinterest in her. Further, she treats Naruto horribly even though he is also her teammate. She consistently berates him and physically abuses him unnecessarily.

Once Shippuden begins, fans learn Sakura trains under Tsunade and gains a considerable boost in strength, she also becomes a medical-nin. This excitement doesn't last long, however. After her fight against Sasori, Sakura becomes a Sasuke obsessed useless character once again. She rarely uses her strength, is paralyzed whenever she encounters Sasuke and has to be saved on numerous occasions. Though she does help during the War, when all is said and done she still ends up crying after Sasuke even after he states that he saves her accidentally because she was near Naruto when the Infinite Tsukuyomi is cast.

6 Kabuto

Naruto-Kabuto

Kabuto rubs many fans the wrong way with his creepy devotion to Orochimaru. Orochimaru doesn't hide his malicious intent and the fact that Kabuto not only supports him, but aids in his kidnapping, murder, and terrorism, makes him almost worse. Kabuto helps Orochimaru gain intel on Sasuke by posing as a harmless ally during the Chunin Exams. Once his true nature is revealed, fans learn that Kabuto is just as unfeeling as his master. Kabuto spends most of Naruto as Orochimaru's lapdog. When he eventually branches off on his own, he becomes a Snake Sage but doesn't use his abilities in battle.

Instead, he hides in a cave and uses Edo Tensei to revive countless shinobi and force them to fight against their former allies and family members during the Fourth Shinobi War. What makes this even more frustrating is Kabuto has no clear reason for why he participates in the War. He just wreaks havoc for the fun of it and instead of coming across as a cool villain, Kabuto seems like a poser who's trying too hard.

5 Orochimaru

Orochimaru is Naruto's first major antagonist. He sets his sights on Sasuke very early on, and fans witness exactly what he is willing to do to get him. Orochimaru made it clear that his goal is to learn every jutsu in the world and discover the secrets to immortality. This isn't a particularly evil goal, but Orochimaru makes it as sinister as humanly possible. He spends several years kidnapping young children and experimenting on people to find answers.

He stopped seeing people as humans and at one point he even encourages his prisoners to engage in a brawl to earn their "freedom" and the honor of becoming one of his henchmen. Orochimaru is also responsible for the Konoha Crush, where he destroys much of the Leaf Village, kills the Sand's Kazekage, and causes the Third Hokage's death. Orochimaru is a disturbingly creepy character who has little regard for human life, which is why it is so surprising that all of his crimes asre just forgotten by the end of the series.

4 Obito UchihaObito unmasked in Naruto Shippuden.

Obito is responsible for much of the pain and heartache several characters experience in the Naruto. Once a member of Team Minato alongside Kakashi and Rin, Obito was a kind young shinobi with a lot of potential. Sadly, tragedy struck when Kakashi and Obito embark on a mission to save a kidnapped Rin. Obito seemingly died after being crushed by a boulder leaving his teammates devastated. Fans are shocked when "Tobi/Madara" is unmasked during the Fourth Shinobi War and they learn Tobi was Obito all along. Obito miraculously survives his accident thanks to Madara.

RELATED: Every Akatsuki Member In Naruto (In The Order They Died)

He was desperate to get back to his life until he sees Kakashi kill Rin, the girl he loved. This is all a misunderstanding, but it doesn't matter. Obito lets his emotions get the best of him, and he adheres to Madara's ideologies. Obito is responsible for countless deaths including Naruto's parents. Kakashi loses just as much as Obito if not more, and he is able to rise above. Obito causes so much pain and heartache just to be with Rin in a hallucination, and it comes across as one big tantrum.

3 Danzo

danzo shimura holding a sword in battle

Danzo is the most despicable and conniving character in Naruto. He serves as a member of the Konoha Council, but he always has his own agenda. Danzo plays a part in many political events behind the scenes. He ensures the Uchiha Massacre takes place by attacking Shisui and preventing him from using his Sharingan's persuasive abilities, and he orchestrates Yahiko's death which inadvertently creates the villainous Akatsuki fans know today.

Dazno truly believes he has Konoha's best interest at heart, and this lie allows him to ignore his own selfishness. Danzo even manages to steal 10 Sharingan eyes which he embeds in his arm and eye. Danzo always moves in the shadows constantly manipulates people to serve his purpose. Though he thinks his actions are justified, he sets many catastrophic events in motion.

2 Black Zetsu

Black Zetsu from Naruto.

Black Zetsu is one of the most controversial characters in Naruto. As Kaguya's partner, he is part of the disappointment fans feel for the series' final "big bad." Black Zetsu is the physical manifestation of Kaguya's will. Its entire life's purpose is to ensure Kaguya's revival after she's sealed away by her two sons. Black Zetsu is paired with White Zetsu, and together they are the Akatsuki member Zetsu.

Although fans are curious about where Zetsu comes from, they don't expect it to be a devoted evil minion with no personality or drive of its own. Black Zetsu upset fans even further with the revelation that it orchestrated every event that occurred up until that point. This essentially trivialized every climatic moment from the feud between the Uchiha and the Senju to every Shinobi War and made every character an impressionable child.

1 Kaguya

Kaguya about to attack Naruto with her All-killing ash bones technique

Kaguya is arguably one of the most hated characters in Naruto. Her arrival negates everything fans know, and completely upends the entire storyline. Madara is set up to be the series' main villain throughout Naruto, but Kaguya's existence ruins this. Kaguya is initially tasked with planting a God Tree on Earth and collecting its Chakra Fruit. Kaguya eventually betrays her clan and takes the fruit for herself which awakens the Rinnengan and causes her to the first being to use chakra.

She then decides to rule the Earth after witnessing humanity's cruelty. Though she ends all wars, she becomes a fearsome creature that eliminates anyone who defies her. Her sons Hogoromo and Hamura seal her away to stop her, and she creates Black Zetsu as an insurance policy. Kaguya is an unnecessary villain that is forced into the storyline. Fans don't develop any attachment to her and her motivations are foolish.

NEXT: 10 Greatest Final Battles In Anime