The cast of Naruto is insanely varied and colorful, and fans will be able to find at least one character who truly resonates with them. This is one of the series' strongest points, and nearly all of its characters are well-designed and compelling in some way. Whether they're one of the students from the Academy who viewers follow from the very beginning, a jonin who guides them on their path to growth, or one of the villains they face, nearly every character who's fleshed out whatsoever is a contender in someone's favorite list.
However, just because almost every character is beloved by audiences doesn't mean they're treated equally when it comes to how much time they get on screen. In fact, there are quite a few characters who are general fan-favorites who simply don't get shown enough, and it's quite the shame as most of them have a lot they could bring to the table if the writers would have only let them.
10 Haku Is An Incredibly Beloved Villain Whose Arc Was Cut Far Too Short
Haku is the most compelling villain from the early days of Naruto because his motivation is entirely understandable. Instead of being evil for evil's sake or trying to gain power or crush the Leaf Village like most villains, Haku instead simply wants to protect Zabuza as thanks for giving him purpose after being abandoned.
In popularity polls all the way up until chapter 300, Haku continued to rank fairly high on the list despite only being present for a short while. He was an incredibly skilled ninja with a rare, interesting and powerful Kekkei Genkai, and it's a shame he wasn't utilized more besides the time when he and Zabuza were revived by Kabuto to fight for him.
9 Despite Being Crucial To Naruto's Growth, Iruka Isn't Utilized Much, Especially Later On
Iruka is a character who's absolutely essential to Naruto's growth. This is true both in the sense that he helps Naruto begin to mature emotionally and give him someone in his life who cares for him, and that he ensures Naruto can grow physically as he saved him from being killed by Mizuki.
Iruka really isn't utilized much after this, though, and the only times he seems to make an appearance are when he has to once again be emotional support for Naruto. It would've been nice to see more of his own personal growth aside from that, and his biggest arc is sadly a non-canon, anime-only one.
8 Anko's Past With Orochimaru Gets A Lot Of Build-Up But Not Any Satisfying Payoff
Anko quickly shot up to fan-favorite status after her first appearance, both for her character design and her out-there personality. She comes off as someone who might be somewhat crazy, but it's endearing at the same time, and it's hard not to like her.
Despite her personality quirks, she cares deeply about her village, and goes as far as trying to stop Orochimaru herself when he threatens the safety of the students during the exam. Her history with him is well built-up and it seems as if she'll be more central to that arc of the story, but aside from a single encounter with him, she isn't seen much at all until post-timeskip where her design was done a great disservice.
7 Kurenai Had Potential As A Genjutsu Prodigy But Was Severely Underused
Kurenai naturally had a lot of potential surrounding her character given the fact that there really aren't many genjutsu specialists in the series. Her original design was also striking and unique, and she was initially the leader of an incredibly strong team character-wise, so it seemed like she had room to grow.
However, she didn't end up being used much aside from a few occasions, and her knack for genjutsu was hardly ever shown off. To make matters worse, two of the arcs in which she had the most involvement are anime-only, meaning they aren't counted as canon.
6 Tenten Has A Unique Fighting Style But Isn't Seen Outside Of A Handful Of Arcs
Tenten is incredibly unique in her fighting style in that she's really the only specialized weapons expert shown throughout the series. Her mastery of ninja tools combined with her use of fuinjutsu makes for fun fights, but sadly she isn't used much - and she's easily outclassed even when she is, like when she fought Temari.
She originally wanted to be a medical-nin but lacked the proper chakra control to do so, so she decided to become a specialist in her own field, much like Rock Lee. Unlike him, though, she isn't really given the space and screen time to truly show off her capabilities, only being seen after the Chunin Exams near the very start and very end of Shippuden.
5 Hanabi Could Have Been A Brilliant Fighter But Was Completely Forgotten In The Manga
Hanabi isn't as much of a favorite as most others mentioned, but this is simply because she wasn't allowed to live up to her potential, especially in the manga. Most of her appearances only take place within the anime, meaning she doesn't have much canon growth at all to speak of.
This is a shame, as not only was she noted to have even more potential than Hinata, but she's a sweet girl. She loves spending time with her elder sister and is inspired by her growth, and even supports Hinata and Naruto's partnership.
4 Yamato Helps Train Naruto At The Start Of Shippuden But His Powers Aren't Properly Utilized
Yamato is introduced as a powerful figure at the beginning of Shippuden as the stand-in for Kakashi in terms of Naruto's squad. He's seen using his Wood Release in a number of creative ways, but most of them don't involve actual combat.
It feels as if he was mostly added in order to be an additional mentor figure to Naruto, and isn't utilized much outside of this. The few times he is shown afterward, he's either losing fights or doesn't arrive fast enough to be of much help.
3 Sai Is Underutilized After His First Arc, Only Used Sparingly Afterwards
Sai is introduced as the third member of the new Team Seven while Sasuke is still gone, and his initial character arc is actually rather interesting. Due to how he was brought up, he had difficulty feeling or understanding emotions, and much of his character arc revolved around breaking these barriers.
His combat style is unique, as well, combining artistry with jutsu to bring them to life in order to fight for him. Sadly, he isn't seen nearly as much as fans would have liked after his character arc wraps up - which is fairly early on in Shippuden - and many of his major appearances afterwards are anime-only.
2 Rock Lee Shines In Part One But Doesn't Get To Do A Whole Lot Afterwards
Rock Lee is another incredibly intriguing character when it comes to his combat style. Without access to ninjutsu or genjutsu, he had no choice but to heavily specialize in taijutsu instead, and some of the techniques he has access to are deadly. After the Sasuke Retrieval Arc and his fight against Deidara at the beginning of Shippuden, Lee isn't really seen again until the war, which is a shame.
1 Shino's Creepily Endearing Fighting Style Should Have Been Showcased More
Although Shino can come off as creepy, his method of fighting is both creative and unique. He consistently ranks within the top twenty-five in official popularity polls, which isn't anything to sneeze at given just how many characters are in the series.
Despite this, he's another character who isn't utilized in Shippuden until the war besides a few filler arcs that only exist in the anime. With his intelligence combined with his unique way of fighting, it's disappointing that he isn't shown more often.