With the Naruto universe juggling so many characters, they unfortunately delegate a disproportional amount of time to its title protagonist. As a result, many strong individuals with unique abilities are disregarded, leaving them with only one (or in some cases, no) awesome fight scenes to accommodate their fierce visuals and distinct roles in the story.
This is disappointing, given the potential that the characters have displayed through what little screentime they had. By acknowledging those who had the potential for narrative greatness, they can be further appreciated for their skillsets and diverse histories.
10 Ibiki Never Got To Show Off His Torturous Genjutsu
Ibiki was a proctor of the Chunin Exams and Konoha's foremost expert on psychological warfare. He possesses arguably the most nefarious ability to be employed by a hero. Those caught within his genjutsu are whisked to a torture chamber to have their spirits broken and information extracted.
Unfortunately, the only opportunity he actually had to use this was against one of the paths of Pain - an undead that his spell was incompatible against. This rendered his tactics entirely useless and entailed that fans would never glimpse what suffering he could potentially inflict against a living subject.
9 Tenten Barely Made Use Of Her Arsenal Of Traditional Ninja Weapons
Out of all of those introduced at the beginning of the Chunin Exams, Tenten's narrative role has observably been the most insignificant. She has been virtually invisible ever since her debut, with her greatest accomplishment being her surprising resistance of Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi.
This is unfortunate, considering the skillset at Tenten's disposal. Armed with virtually every weapon known to the ninja world, she fights much more like a traditional ninja than most of the characters in the series. Since she has a scarce number of battles (losing what few encounters she gets), it's difficult to gauge how viable her tools are in the Naruto universe.
8 Dosu Was Killed Too Soon By Gaara
Dosu was one of the series' most horrifying early villains, eclipsed only through the malevolence of Orochimaru himself. His gauntlets were able to produce a sound frequency almost impossible to avoid that could puncture his opponents' eardrums and disrupt their senses.
Regrettably, he has only participated in two real fights (against Rock Lee and Choji), both of which had ended in under a minute. Since he was killed almost instantly by Gaara, fans will never have a viable gauge of the strengths and limitations behind his mysterious jutsu and what it can do.
7 Mifune's Samurai Skills Were Overlooked In A World Of Shinobi
Unlike almost every other character in the anime, Mifune isn't a shinobi at all. He is a traditional samurai warrior from the Land of Iron, using only his steel and wits to bring his enemies to their knees.
This is an extremely original concept and one redolent to Rock Lee's taijutsu mastery (combining it with Tenten's proclivity for weapons). Tragically, the only real reference given for what he is capable of is through his multiple battles against Hanzo the Salamander. Given how much he protrudes from the rest of the cast, he is a man worth investigating further.
6 Shino & His Bugs Were Excluded From Major Events Like The Sasuke Recovery Mission
An early glimpse of Shino's ability was shown in the Chunin Exam arc, where he dispatched one of Orochimaru's henchmen and would later fight to a draw against Kankuro. His insects are iconic, considering that they aren't his summoning juts. Rather, they are permanent residents of his body.
However, Shino was not included in the Sasuke recovery mission and failed to regain his prominence throughout the events of Shippuden. As a result, his chakra eating insects have fallen into obscurity despite being one of the most memorable skills of the original cast.
5 Kurenai Retired Early From The Shinobi Life After Becoming Pregnant
Kurenai was Konoha's foremost authority on genjutsu (after Itachi had fled the village). An experienced ninja, she taught her own team and was a respected member of the Leaf.
However, she had virtually no opportunities to display her skill and was humiliated by the elder Uchiha during their encounter. Once she became pregnant, the kunoichi was no longer able to fight, resulting in an early retirement and not much to show for her career. After she had given birth, she was not inclined to rejoin her previous vocation and remained a caretaker for the foreseeable future.
4 Shisui Uchiha Died Before The Series Began But Had Potential To Be Reincarnated With A Larger Role
Shisui Uchiha was in a difficult position for exposure since he was canonically dead before the series began. Nonetheless, considering that his actions had shaped its future, one might expect him to have played a more active role (especially since he could have been resurrected through the Edo Tensei and participated in the Fourth Shinobi War).
Instead, he was relegated to fighting Danzo's Foundation minions and was almost instantly defeated when fighting Danzo himself. It was a pathetic display from one of the Uchiha clan's most influential members.
3 Shikaku Was Killed In The War Before Showing Off The True Extent Of His Intelligence
Shikaku Nara was Shikamaru's father and one of the most brilliant strategists in the Leaf. During the invasion of the Sand village, he defeated dozens of marauding soldiers in order to save his family and countrymen.
However, he has seldom participated in a direct fight against a named foe, limiting the extent of his strength and how much credibility it might be given. During the Fourth Shinobi War, he was killed in a single powerful blast, perishing along with everyone else in the intelligence headquarters. This unceremonious death would end any hopes of seeing what the elder Nara was capable of when pushed to his limit.
2 Konan Failed To Stop Obito In Her Final Battle
Among the Akatsuki, Konan had perhaps the least amount of fights. Though she was present during Jiraiya's confrontation with Pain, she was not an active combatant in the battle which would claim her former sensei's life.
The kunoichi's most famed performance was against Obito Uchiha, where she detonated paper bombs for 10 consecutive minutes in order to override the elusive power of his Kamui. Though this was nearly successful, the villain managed to survive it, kill his opposition, and steal Nagato's Rinnegan. Consequently, Konan had nothing to show for her demise.
1 Danzo Didn't Have Enough Opportunities To Showcase His Sharingans
Mastering the power of the Sharingan's Izanagi, Danzo was stronger than his decrepit appearance might suggest. Responsible for many of the series' worst villains and enabling the likes of Orochimaru, one might expect him to have a few memorable fights to show for his long and active life.
However, aside from his brief attack against Shisui, his only battle was against Sasuke. Though he had put up an admirable struggle against the avenging ninja, he could not overcome his opponent's burgeoning power or the unstoppable might of the Susanoo. If he had more opportunities to combat other adversaries and expend his Sharingan, it would have been more believable than dying the way he did to the intrepid Uchiha.