Naruto is one of the most well-known and beloved anime series out there. Many fans have sweet childhood memories of rushing to our TV sets and switching them on so that we didn’t miss even a second of the show (including its super nostalgic openings). Naruto's popularity eventually led to the creation of a sequel, titled Boruto.
However, those who’ve watched the series as adults realized more and more how much the characters we once loved and idolized were actually big jerks. They may be strong and determined, but that doesn't automatically make them immune to fan hatred. These are the most hated characters in Naruto, ranked from annoying to downright spiteful.
Updated on July 18, 2023, by Ajay Aravind: As it turns out, fans love to hate. As several anime characters have seemingly expansive arcs that ultimately lead nowhere, it often feels therapeutic to complain about such characters. Naruto, for better or worse, is no exception to this rule. As such, we've decided to expand this list containing the most hated characters in Naruto.
15 Hiruzen Sarutobi
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, comes off as an incredibly endearing character at first. He was always concerned with Konoha's safety and the well-being of the villagers. As such, his death caused consternation throughout the village. Unfortunately, even beloved shinobi like Hiruzen turned out to have shady pasts. Not only did the Third Hokage care for and protect the villainous Orochimaru, but Hiruzen also refused to see his former student as a criminal. It can be argued that Hiruzen played a major part in the destruction of the Uchiha clan, explaining why some fans hate this character.
14 Kabuto Yakushi
Kabuto Yakushi was an interesting villain for a time. He was a young and ambitious ally of Orochimaru who seemed more devoted to his master than anyone else. He participated in some heinous experiments on behalf of Orochimaru, and Kabuto often claimed to want to become the perfect ninja by any means necessary. One could argue he came close, but not for any particularly interesting reasons. In the end, he sort of just became the ultimate Orochimaru fanboy. One could argue he became the Orochimaru replacement, but that doesn't really work seeing as Orochimaru never died and may be effectively immortal after all, making Kabuto feel a little needless in the end.
13 Tenten
To put it kindly, Tenten was one of those innumerable and forgettable characters who existed simply because they had to. Despite claiming to be a powerful shinobi, she lost against the Temari pretty easily. Fuinjutsu is her specialty, and yet, she’s unable to qualify for the Chunin Exams. While many characters in Naruto do get character development, Tenten remains pointless throughout. The worst part is how poorly written her character is, almost like an afterthought.
12 Konohamaru
Konohamaru was a bit endearing as well as exceedingly grating early on in Naruto. He was a generic snotty little kid who nonetheless idolized Naruto Uzumaki and wanted to become just like him. That said, he was often getting into danger and felt a little "useless" in this world of lightning blades and summoning giant animals. On a positive note, some of this hatred has been shed. He learned the Rasengan technique from Naruto and has become a Jonin team leader in Boruto. However, many people still just remember him as the annoying kid character.
11 Karin
Karin was part of Sasuke’s unit called Taka. She boasted of coming from the esteemed Uzumaki bloodline, which Naruto's mother was also a part of. But her character was portrayed as the (negatively) stereotypical crazy girl who had nothing but obsession for a man. What was deeply ironic was how Sasuke treated her poorly, even leaving her for dead. Yet, despite everything he made her go through, Karin wanted nothing more than to be in that toxic relationship.
10 Shizune
Despite being Dan Kato’s niece and Tsunade’s right-hand woman, and being under Tsunade's tutelage longer than Sakura, Shizune was ultimately just another useless character in the Naruto-verse. What was worse was how imbalanced her powers were. While Sakura is able to unlock the Strength of a Hundred Seal Technique, Shizune fails miserably because her only function in the series is to behave as Tsunade’s personal secretary. It's not too much of a stretch to call her one of the most hated characters in Naruto.
9 Rasa
Rasa was a terrible husband, father, and an overall obnoxious human being. He performed literal experiments on his pregnant wife and unborn child, like when he sealed a beast within his baby. As a result, his wife died and his child turned out to be emotionally stunted and couldn’t control his own powers. Because he didn’t want to deal with the mess he’d created, he sent assassins to “take care of his son” instead. Very few people are going to mention him during the next Father's Day event. Rasa is definitely a hated Naruto character.
8 Hinata Hyuga
Apart from her non-existent character development and very little screen time, Hinata served no actual purpose. Except, of course, to be madly and irrevocably in love with Naruto, thus making him the epicenter of her universe. Hinata was just hanging around the story, exhibiting minimal character development at best. Despite the series' 500+ episodes, fans still have no clue as to who her friends are, what her life aspirations are, and what her life beyond Naruto could even look like. On the other hand, the blond-haired protagonist is conveniently oblivious to her feelings till the very end. It's difficult to hate Hinata, but that's exactly what ends up happening.
7 Ino Yamanaka
Ino is largely hated as something of a second Sakura character, a sort of substitute without much to do. In Part One, she was shallow, snotty, and even more temperamental than Sakura. She also had a Sasuke obsession, and that led to a schism between her and Sakura. This is never really resolved outside of a couple of moments of bravery. Like many characters, Ino became less "annoying" by simply being featured less. She doesn't have much growth and resolution beyond just not being as bratty anymore. That said, she has proven to be a great mother and competent ninja in Boruto
6 Kaguya Otsutsuki
The final boss of Naruto seemingly came out of nowhere but still had a chance to capture fans as a big bad. But alas, such hopes were dashed immediately when fans realized the crux of her character arc. Not only was this big baddie only revealed at the very last second (without any foreshadowing), but her backstory was so over the top that even die-hard fans couldn’t defend her presence. Kaguya is hands down one of the most hated characters in Naruto and for good reason.
5 Boruto Uzumaki
In a grand bit of irony, Boruto Uzumaki is largely the most hated character in his own anime. He has a similar personality to his father in many ways, but he's also so rebellious that he doesn't feel a true allegiance to his own village or his family. It's been foreshadowed that he will commit deeds in the future that will turn ultimately disastrous. It seems that fans didn't really take to this newly-minted version of Naruto Uzumaki. On the other hand, Boruto is occasionally adorable, so he has that going for him. He's also incredibly strong, so maybe he can learn to be more likable as time goes on. Then again, the exact opposite could happen.
4 Sasuke Uchiha
The problem isn’t as much with Sasuke, as it is with his fans who defend him blindly. Sure, people are allowed to love complex or inherently evil characters. But to constantly excuse Sasuke's horrible actions with justifications like “He’s nothing but a misunderstood character!” doesn’t really hold any water. Not only was Sasuke an extremely arrogant character, but his motivations weren’t consistent. Absolutely no amount of blind love for him can overshadow the fact that he was responsible for the destruction of his entire village and a host of other brutal crimes.
3 Sakura Haruno
Shallow and totally in love with Sasuke are the defining characteristics of Sakura. She breaks off her friendship with Ino over Sasuke, and she’s next to useless in important fights, like the ones against powerhouses like Kaguya and Obito. Her hatred towards Naruto exists only because it has to, but in her defense, Sasuke did a lot worse than her. But despite this, Sakura has fewer people defending her. Still, it's clear that she's one of the most hated characters in Naruto.
2 Orochimaru
Orochimaru is perhaps one of the more legitimate examples of a hated Naruto character, as he’s rightfully despised for all the evil that he’s done, like killing orphans to make himself immortal. However, it should be more appropriate to hate him for the fact that he is forgiven completely for the heinous crimes he’s committed. All of this is thanks only because of Naruto’s philosophy of “Forgiving your enemies”. Thankfully, the vast majority of Naruto fans abhor Orochimaru.
1 Danzo Shimura
Many people expected Sakura to be the most hated character in Naruto, but she’s been hated more than enough (and disproportionately so). There are characters out there who have done things ten times as bad as she has, and yet don’t even get a fraction of the hate. Danzo is one such character. He led The Foundation to make an army of perfect soldiers, ordered the mass slaughter of the Uchihas, and supported the destruction of Konoha. For his brutality and callousness, there's no doubt that Danzon deserves to be the most hated Naruto character.