Highlights
- Shino, Neji, Hinata, Tenten, Kiba, and Rock Lee were all disappointing in the Fourth Great Ninja War, as they didn't get the attention or showcase their true potential.
- The author failed to fulfill the potential of these characters, resulting in their lackluster performances in the war.
- These characters, especially Rock Lee, had the potential to make a big difference in the war, but the author neglected their development and disappointed the fans.
The Fourth Great Ninja War is one of the most catastrophic events to have occurred in the world of Naruto. This war was fought between the Akatsuki members, who had allied with Kabuto, and the Shinobi Alliance. This war was certainly the biggest to have ever taken place in the Naruto world and it saw shinobi from all over the world band together to fight against a common enemy.
Naruto: 5 Characters Who Should've Joined The Akatsuki Â
These characters would have made a perfect fit for the Akatsuki.
While quite a lot of powerful ninjas made a great name for themselves in this war, there were others who couldn't do anything other than disappoint the fans.
6 Shino Aburame
Strongest Enemy Fought: Torune
Shino was a member of Team 8 and he was certainly one of the strongest Chunin in Konoha around this time. In Part 1 of Naruto, Shino was certainly a dark horse. He wasn't at the center of attention at all times, however, his strength was much greater than anything that fans would have expected from a character such as himself.
However, sadly, in Part 2 of Naruto, Shino did not get as much attention as he deserved and, as a result, he was greatly weakened. Shino didn't play any major role in the 4th Great Ninja War and was largely disappointing. Even if his character was completely cast aside in the war, not much would change, and that speaks volumes about his role in the war.
5 Neji Hyuga
Strongest Enemy Fought: Ten Tails
Neji was one of the most popular characters in Naruto, especially during Part 1. As one of the members of the Branch family of Hyuga, Neji had a compelling storyline where he battled against his own fate. This storyline could have flourished in Part 2 of Naruto, however, the author did not pay much attention to it. In the 4th Great Ninja War, he had great responsibility thrust on his shoulders, however, just as with many other characters, he just did not get enough time to showcase what he was truly capable of.
The most significant thing that he did in the Fourth Great Ninja War was to die and even his death was handled abysmally by the author. It felt almost as if the author wanted to get rid of this character and give a moment to Naruto and Hinata, which is something that he confirms he did.
4 Hinata Hyuga
Strongest Enemy Fought: Ten Tails
Another member of Team 8, Hinata is a member of the Main Family of the Hyuga clan. In the war, Hinata didn't have much to do. Even though she fought some fights here and there, she did not do anything significant that fans would remember for years.
Hinata had some moments as emotional support for Naruto and that was pretty much all that her character was capable of achieving in the war. She had great potential, however, the author, once again, failed to fulfill what her character was destined to be. In the end, she ended up doing nothing but disappointing the fans in the Fourth Great Ninja War and this is yet another indication of the fact that Kishimoto could have done better.
3 Tenten
Strongest Enemy Fought: Reanimated Ninjas
Tenten has always been a character that was irrelevant in the story and this was consistent throughout Part 1 and Part 2 of Naruto. The fact is that Tenten is a female character and Kishimoto certainly does not know how to write one properly. Even among the female characters that he didn't do a bit of justice to, Tenten probably falls at the bottom of the list. She has been irrelevant from the beginning of Naruto, right until the very end.
In the war, Tenten hardly did anything other than use the Tools of the Sage for a short period of time. Much like most of the characters on this list, she was largely irrelevant and, in the grand scheme of things, even removing her from this arc wouldn't change anything.
2 Kiba Inuzuka
Strongest Enemy Fought: White Zetsu
At the beginning of Naruto, Kiba had quite a lot of potential and, while it was quite clear that he would never reach the same heights as the main characters, he would still have been an admirable ninja, especially given the fact that he could keep up with the likes of Naruto to some extent. Even in the mission to retrieve Sasuke, Kiba did well and certainly proved that he was the future of his clan.
However, as Naruto progressed, he received less and less attention. In the 4th Great Ninja War, he was insignificant. In fact, what's worse is the fact that Kiba was actually turned into a joke and his character was simply there because he had to be in the war. Other than that, he didn't accomplish anything and he certainly disappointed the fans quite a lot.
1 Rock Lee
Strongest Enemy Fought: N/A
Rock Lee is easily the most disappointing character in the Fourth Great Ninja War of Naruto and this is because this character had the most potential out of them all. When Rock Lee was first introduced, it was clear that this was a character that many fans would relate to. At the same time, his showings in Part 1 of Naruto were sensational.
In Part 2, his character started to fade away slowly and, in the war, he simply couldn't do much. Rock Lee could have become one of the best characters in Naruto had the author paid attention to him. He had the potential to make a big difference in the Fourth Great Ninja War, however, sadly, the author never cared about him that much and he ended up disappointing the fans greatly as well.
