One of the best parts about Naruto is that, at least when it comes to most of the main cast, characters start with having seemingly one end goal that they're desperately determined to achieve. Although it can make characters feel somewhat one-dimensional, they never remain that way, growing for the better through real-world experiences and relationships with other characters.
One stellar example of this is Choji Akimichi, who begins as a character often used for comedic relief whose jokes don't always land. He ends up having an incredibly deep, connecting bond with Shikamaru and is inspired to be a better version of himself for his teammates. Even with all of this positive growth, of course, there's always still going to be areas in which he could improve.
10 Strength: He's Able To Stop And Appreciate The Little Moments Of Life
One quality that's hard to come by in the Naruto universe is the ability to take things slow and not get unhealthily consumed by one's end goals. Alongside his best friend Shikamaru, Choji is the Konoha 11 member who's shown to be able to relax the most and take in life's little joys.
After all, the two of them originally bond over watching clouds pass and eating chips together while laying on a rooftop. It's a friendship story that doesn't exactly sound like it would fit into a series such as this, which makes Choji stand out all the more.
9 Weakness: Choji Lacks Self-Confidence, Often Having To Be Supported By Others
Choji spends a good part of his childhood being bullied and excluded by others. And while Shikamaru becomes a true friend to him and helps him get past some of these things, experiences like that at a young age aren't something one can put behind them so easily.
Originally, Choji doesn't possess a wealth of self-confidence like many of his peers, and it typically falls to his teammates to reassure him and be a source of strength. Over time, and especially after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Choji possesses much more faith and confidence than his younger self.
8 Strength: The Techniques Unique To His Clan Are Immensely Powerful
Choji's often on the receiving end of harsh jokes due to his hyperactive eating habits, but this actually has a powerful reason within the show. Choji does this not only because he loves food, but whenever he eats, he stores the calories as chakra within his body.
This is how he powers not only his multi-expansion jutsu, but he can also transform himself into a large, rolling ball. This technique enables him the ability of, essentially, super-speed, and can also run down opponents or add weapons like spikes or kunai for an extra-lethal touch.
7 Weakness: Back At The Academy, He Has More Fondness For Skipping Class Than Learning
Choji may blossom into an incredibly powerful shinobi, but his origins include much more slacking off than they do training. His laid-back personality may be good for catching must-needed moments of relaxation, but it also means he doesn't take studies as seriously as he should.
When he's still an academy student, Choji often skips class with the likes of Naruto and Shikamaru. Considering that Choji was bullied heavily in his younger years, it does make sense that he'd prefer to spend time out of the classroom with his few new friends.
6 Strength: He's Eventually Recognized As The Single Physically Strongest Man In Konoha
Choji's physical strength is nothing to sneeze at. The most obvious reason for this is due to how his unique abilities work, especially his human boulder technique which allows him to easily mitigate damage from attacks and steamroll into enemies.
Even without these extra powers, though, Choji is dubbed as the single physically strongest man in all of Konoha. Considering the fact that he's bullied throughout childhood, to rise to such public recognition has to feel like a dream come true and push him even further.
5 Weakness: Early On, He Fixates Too Much On Food, Much To His Team's Detriment
While Choji has his reasons for eating as much as he does, there's also no denying that he also simply loves food itself as well. And while there's nothing wrong with this inherently, younger Choji fixates on food so much that it starts to hurt the team.
He tends to put his desire to eat above his need to help his team or remain stealthy during missions. He does work to overcome this, and by Part II of Naruto, this habit no longer gets in the way of his shinobi duties.
4 Strength: He's Undoubtedly Loyal, Valuing His Friends Above All Else
Choji isn't always surrounded by supportive friends who help him grow while also reminding him that his perceived weaknesses are actually hidden strengths. He spends much of his youth being bullied, which is one of the reasons why he treasures the friends he does make even more strongly.
Given that he has one of the kindest hearts within the series, it only makes sense that Choji is willing to go to any lengths to ensure that his friends are safe. This even comes potentially at the cost of his own life - though he survives during his fight with Jirobo, it's seen that he pushes himself to the brink of death to ensure a tough enemy doesn't reach his team.
3 Weakness: He Sometimes Has Trouble Doing What's Necessary Due To His Gentle Heart
Although Choji's gentle, kind nature is one of his biggest strengths, it also has the ability to be used against him in the worst of ways. After his old mentor Asuma is resurrected during the Fourth Shinobi World War, it's Choji's squad tasked with bringing him down.
The only issue with this is that Choji lacks the heart to go through with the plan at first, struggling to attack his late mentor even if it's just a hollow resurrected version. He's thankfully able to do so after some inspiration from his teammates, but it still takes longer than necessary due to his emotional reluctance.
2 Strength: He Makes A Great Husband And Father, Prioritizing His Family's Happiness
Growing up, Choji always wishes that he's able to find someone who will love him for who he is, and accept his deep love of food. He does eventually find this in the form of Karui, and the two of them have an adorable daughter together.
Given how loyal and kind Choji is, it's only natural that he values his family to the extent that he does. He's also shown to have grown a playfully competitive side, having eating contests against his daughter, who seems to share his appetite.
1 Weakness: While His Physical Strength Is Immense, He's Lacking In Other Areas Such As Genjutsu And Hand Signs
When it comes to strength, ninjutsu and stamina, Choji excels. The Official Naruto Databook puts him at a 4.5 and two 3.5s out of 5 in these areas. However, he's lacking heavily in other areas such as genjutsu and hand signs. Both of these only rank a measly 1 out of 5, and his speed and intelligence are only sitting at 2. While these make for inherent weaknesses, it's good to see that he isn't excelling in too many areas and is thus a balanced character.