Naruto has many intelligent characters like Itachi, Minato, and Shikamaru. At the same time, fans despise some characters for their lack of common sense. Naruto Uzumaki presents himself as a knucklehead ninja from the show's start. However, characters other than Naruto also make foolish decisions no matter how much other characters respect them.
Although plot armor sometimes saves these Naruto characters, other times they must face the consequences of their decisions. They can lose their likability due to these poor decisions, as well, since fans may not approve of how they think and approach difficult situations.
10 Sakura Makes Decisions That Puts Others At Risk
The number of bad decisions Sakura makes seems endless. In Naruto Shippuden, Sakura and her Leaf Village group members have the responsibility of retrieving Sasuke, but she decides to knock her teammates out into a deep sleep to pursue Sasuke by herself. When she confronts Sasuke, she fails to fulfill her team's mission and doesn't apologize for letting the team down. Additionally, Sakura lies to Naruto by pretending she fell in love with him to deter him from chasing Sasuke.
Sasuke is Naruto's best friend, and Sakura trying to intervene in their friendship shows how insensitive she is. Furthermore, Sakura hesitates to destroy Obito's Rinnegan before Madara has the opportunity to steal it during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Thanks to her hesitation, Madara receives a massive power boost, giving the Shinobi Alliance a much harder fight.
9 Hiruzen Fails His Titular Duties As Hokage
When Shisui informs the Leaf Village's leaders of the Uchiha clan's coup d'etat, Hiruzen has the responsibility of coming up with a solution to ensure the village remains peaceful. Danzo believes that sacrificing the Uchiha and killing many people would result in peace, but Hiruzen disagrees and thinks they need to negotiate with the Uchiha.
Nevertheless, Shisui neither initiates negotiations with the Uchiha nor holds Danzo accountable for forcing Itachi to slaughter his clan. Hiruzen doesn't take care of Naruto after Minato dies, and he lets Orochimaru escape the Leaf Village without consequences.
8 Kurenai Decides To Use Genjutsu Against Itachi
Despite knowing how proficient Uchiha clan members — especially those who possess a Sharingan — are at Genjutsu, she still opts to try putting Itachi in a Genjutsu. Although Kurenai is a Genjutsu specialist, her skills don't compare with Itachi's. Itachi easily evades her attack, uses her Genjutsu against her, ultimately embarrasses her without putting in much effort. Kakashi eventually comes to Kurenai's rescue and protects her from sustaining severe injuries. In the end, good luck saves Kurenai from suffering the repercussions of her decision to a greater degree.
7 Sasuke Sometimes Has Too Much Confidence In His Abilities
Sasuke's excessive pride in himself and his abilities can sometimes get the best of him. He charges into fights, underestimates his opponents, and doesn't consider the potential consequences. For instance, Sasuke challenges all Five Kages to a fight despite almost dying multiple times when fighting against Killer Bee not too long before. Plot armor ultimately leads to Sasuke's survival at the Kage Summit, as Gaara has sympathy for him and doesn't try to kill him. Zetsu replenishes Sasuke's chakra supply, and Obito saves him from Onoki.
6 Danzo Gets Away With Many Decisions He Makes
Danzo commits crimes that show he does more harm than good to the Leaf Village. He claims to be fully committed to the prosperity of the Leaf Village, but his actions don't back up his words. Danzo orders the slaughter of the Uchiha clan instead of working to alleviate tensions within the village.
In addition, as soon as he rises to the status of Hokage, Danzo conspires to gain power over the other nations by using Kotoamatsukami at the Kage Summit. Consequently, he loses the trust of the other nations and damages the reputation of the Leaf Village.
5 Orochimaru Is Smart But Thinks He Can Do Whatever He Wants
Orochimaru is one of the smartest characters in the show, as he has the scientific knowledge to conduct experiments which give him insight into how he can make himself even stronger. Even so, Orochimaru can be arrogant at times, leading to unfavorable consequences. For example, Orochimaru believes he can beat Itachi, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan, during his time on the Akatsuki. Orochimaru attacks him, but Itachi defeats Orochimaru by putting him under a Genjutsu, forcing Orochimaru to cower in fear and leave the Akatsuki.
4 Tobirama Only Increased Tensions Within The Village
Tobirama never completely trusts the Uchiha clan even after Hashirama and Madara decide to stop fighting. His prejudice against the Uchiha clan further divides the village, especially when he steps up to the position of Hokage and institutes questionable policies. Not only does Tobirama establish an Uchiha police force, but he also isolates the Uchiha clan from the rest of the village. The Uchiha clan comes to live on the outskirts of the Leaf Village, facing discrimination as a result of Tobirama's unjust policies.
3 Konan Doesn't Destroy Nagato's Rinnegan
Konan knows that Obito wants to gain possession of Nagato's Rinnegan to aid in his mission to put the entire world in a Genjutsu. She has the opportunity to destroy Nagato's Rinnegan before Obito can procure it. Instead, she believes she can beat Obito in a fight. Despite her preparation of 600 billion paper bombs, she underestimates Obito's strength. Konan's decision to fight him not only ends with her death but also gives Obito the power boost needed to give him and Madara a big advantage during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
2 Mizuki Lost A Fight To A Kid
Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals, leading to Mizuki's utter defeat and humiliation. Mizuki believed he could frame Naruto as the culprit to obtain the Scroll of Seals. Nevertheless, his decision ended up tarnishing his reputation, as Iruka Sensei defends Naruto.
Mizuki also embarrasses himself by losing to Naruto, a student who had yet to graduate from the academy. Naruto beats Mizuki up using the Shadow Clone Technique, and Iruka Sensei congratulates Naruto for graduating.
1 Naruto Is The World's Best Knucklehead Ninja
As a kid, Naruto is usually only concerned with trying to look cooler than Sasuke and pulling pranks both in and outside the classroom. After growing up, he still reacts impulsively and allows his emotions to control him. Whenever Naruto becomes angry, it becomes harder for him to control the chakra of the Nine Tails. Hence, sometimes the Nine Tails chakra makes him lose control of his mind as shown in his fight with Orochimaru, leading him to unwittingly harm people he wants to protect.