Ask any Naruto fan who their favorite character is and they're sure to rattle off a list: Kakashi, Jiraiya, or Reanimated Madara. Every person chooses their favorite character from the show's main cast and can give as many reasons for why they're truly the best as the show has jutsu.
Yet, there are some Naruto characters who earn love and admiration outside the show's main storyline. These filler characters carve out names for themselves by refusing to give up, working tirelessly to create happy endings to their own stories; albeit confined to fillers, these characters deserve just as much adoration as Itachi Uchiha.
10 Jirocho's Belief In Idate Made Him Ruler Of The Land Of Tea
Jirocho was the Wasabi family head who resided in the Land of Tea. After being attacked by Idate Morino, Jirocho overpowered him and allow Idate to join his family. He later elected Idate as his candidate for the race to Todoroki Shrine, which granted the winning family political power over all the others.
Although the world turned its back on Idate, Jirocho never gave up on the rogue genin. He took Idate in despite his criminal history, forgave Idate for mugging him, and provided him with the family he desperately wanted. He believed in Idate's perseverance after the rest of the Wasabi family doubted his ability to reach Todoroki Shrine; due to Jirocho's faith, Idate won the race and the Wasabi family ruled the Land of Tea.
9 Arashi Restored His Clan's Honor By Saving Sasame
Arashi was Sasame's older cousin and the Fuma clan's most talented member. He joined Otogakure and submitted to Orochimaru's experiments in an attempt to restore his clan's diminishing power; Arashi lost his mind, memories, and humanity after using the Fuma Clan's forbidden technique, the Casualty Puppet Jutsu.
Arashi's humanity returned once Sasame's life was in danger. As Orochimaru's hideout crumbled around them due to Arashi's jutsu, he quickly returned to his senses to save Sasame's life; in a noble moment of self-sacrifice, Arashi restored his clan's honor by protecting its future generation.
8 Tsubaki Rejected Mizuki & Accepted Responsibility For His Crimes
Tsubaki was a young woman from Konohagakure. She deeply loved Mizuki and remained faithful to him during his incarceration after he tried stealing the Scroll of Sealing. Following Mizuki's prison break, Tsubaki unwittingly became an accessory to his revenge by failing to report his whereabouts to the Hokage.
As Mizuki's lover, Tsubaki faced isolation from the village due to his crimes; yet, Tsubaki also endured Mizuki's mental and physical abuse after he escaped jail. Refusing to remain silent, Tsubaki took control of her narrative and did what she felt was right; she informed the Hokage of Mizuki's plans, helped end them before anyone got hurt, then turned herself in to be held accountable for harboring a fugitive.
7 Ranmaru Gained Friends & A Family After A Decade Alone
Ranmaru was a child from Kirigakure who was born with a unique kekkei genkai stronger than the Sharingan. Due to his frailty and failing health, Ranmaru spent his life in complete isolation until Raiga Kurosuki, head of the criminal Kurosuki family, "adopted" him; Raiga conquered many villages using Ranmaru's power as his secret weapon.
Ranmaru eventually learned the value of mutual relationships after encountering Naruto and Team Guy. After capturing Ranmaru, the Konoha genin each tried to explain true friendship to him. Ranmaru risked his life to save Rock Lee from Raiga's wrath; as a result, he gained true friends and a family, the two things he'd wished for his entire life.
6 Tokichi Caught A Killer & Cleared His Own Name
Tokichi worked as a blacksmith near Konohagakure until the criminal Gosunkugi framed him for murder. This forced him to change his name, abandon his village, and live life on the run from a stream of vicious bounty hunters. Tokichi's mission was to find Gosunkugi and force his confession, effectively clearing his name so that he could resume his peaceful life once more.
Tokichi endured decades of hardship to prove his innocence. He trained until he was a master swordsman, ceaselessly tracked Gosunkugi's movements, and worked hard to evade capture. He joined forces with Naruto and Kiba when finally taking Gosunkugi down; as a result of his effort, he achieved his mission and was welcomed back to his village with open arms.
5 Naruto Healed Isaribi's Heart Before Tsunade Cured Her Body
Isaribi was a young woman who lived in the Land of the Sea. Orochimaru kidnaped Isaribi as a child and used her as a subject for his experiment to create an aquatic shinobi. The experiment's transformative effects left Isaribi's body permanently disfigured and, as a result, she became the pariah of her village and lived in isolation.
After meeting Naruto, Isaribi took her first steps toward healing. She accepted Naruto's friendship despite feeling suspicious of his intentions; together, the pair defeated Isaribi's captor, Amachi. Once freed from Orochimaru's control, Isaribi accepted Naruto's offer to accompany him back to Konohagakure. Shortly after becoming a citizen, Lady Tsunade restored Isaribi's body back to human form.
4 Chishima Sacrificed Himself For Toki & Married Her
Chishima was the assistant to the Land of Birds' daimyo. As children, Chishima developed a crush on the daimyo's daughter, Toki; later, Toki assumed her brother's identity following her family's assassination. Believing his lover to be dead, Chishima mourned his loss while serving Toki-in-disguise faithfully for nearly 10 years.
Chishima's love for Toki never diminished as the years passed; upon Toki's revealing of her identity, Chishima immediately confessed his love to her. He helped assist Toki in her revenge plot against Moso, her family's killer, and risked his own life to protect her from Moso's attacks. Luckily for them both, Moso's jutsu failed to kill Chishima and the pair were wed shortly after his defeat.
3 Hokuto Saved Hoshigakure By Telling The Truth
Hokuto was one of the weakest shinobi in all of Hoshigakure; under Hoshikage Akahoshi's orders, she participated in the village's star training until learning about its deadly effects. Hokuto defied Akahoshi when she was ordered to find and eliminate her friend, Sumaru; as a result, she was branded a rogue ninja and ex-communicated from the village.
Hokuto never allowed fear to stop her from doing the right thing. She defended Sumaru despite knowing the consequences, returned to Hoshigakure following her ex-communication to warn them about the deadly training, and stood her ground against Akahoshi after he ordered his men to kill her. Hoshigakure learned the truth about its training and leader, saving itself from destruction because of Hokuto's courage.
2 Yurinojo Avenged Kikunojo By Defeating His Killer
Yurinojo was a shinobi from the Land of Greens; he acted as a bodyguard to Haruna, daimyo to that land, after she fled during a coup d'etat. Kikunojo, Yurinojo's best friend and rival, acted as a fellow bodyguard and was regarded as the Land of Green's master ninja.
As a shinobi, Yurinojo's ultimate goal was to overcome Kikunojo in battle; he lost his chance after Kikunojo was killed by Ruiga. When told he could prove his strength over Kikunojo by defeating the man's killer, Yurinojo gave it his all and took Ruiga down. As a result of this victory, he simultaneously achieved his dream while avenging his best friend's death.
1 Todoroki Rescued Akio From The Ninja Dropouts A Decade After His Kidnaping
Todoroki's family was murdered by the Ninja Dropouts while he was out shopping for his brother's gift. Believing Akio had been killed, Todoroki trained for 10 years to avenge his brother's death. His determination to bring the Ninja Dropouts to justice culminated in his capturing Gantetsu, one of the organization's members.
Todoroki defeated half of the four Ninja Dropouts before learning two important facts: Akio was alive and Gantetsu had saved him. Tracking Akio to the gang's hideout, Todoroki saved Akio from a blazing fire and made up for the moment Todoroki had failed him 10 years ago. After successfully defeating the Ninja Dropouts, Todoroki finally gave Akio the gift he'd been holding onto, fulfilling the promise he'd made on the day they'd first been separated.