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No matter how much praiseNarutogets, the conversation makes its way back to the female characters every once in a while. Masashi Kishimoto gets rightfully criticized for his poorly written female characters. What’s worse is that we can see glimpses of his vision for them, but he fails to take it anywhere. This is also why some female characters have great introductions but their character development is abysmal.
One such character was Anko Mitarashi from the originalNaruto. She had immense potential and her introduction was exciting, but that’s it, there was no other follow-up. We still see her quite often inBorutoanime, but it’s safe to say that her character has only regressed since her first appearance.
Anko’s Introduction and Her Boundless Potential
Anko Mitarashi was introduced during the Chunin Exam arc. She was the invigilator for the second stage. Besides the brilliance that was visible in her character initially, it was her intriguing association with the other characters that could develop into interesting plotlines. Anko was Orochimaru’s student and the only one to survive the cursed seal’s aftereffects.
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She could have played an important role in every plot line that involved Orochimaru, as she was among the few characters who could fully grasp his twisted thought process. This was the reason why she detected Orochimaru’s intentions early on during the Chunin Exams. She even warned the Third Hokage about Orochimaru’s sinister intentions. Fans had another interesting possibility in mind, she could be Kakashi’s wife. Besides this wholesome possibility, fans expected her to play an important role in the story.
Both Kakashi and Anko were capable Jonins who had years of experience and the maturity to deal with the darkness without making a fuss. They also had a rough childhood but also knew their responsibilities quite well. They would have made a great couple. If not that, then she could have been the guiding force for Sasuke as she was the only human who could stay alive after Orochimaru’s cursed seal experiment.
If she had focused on Sasuke and built a rapport with him, he could have trained under her. Gaining full control of the seal and becoming stronger were the reasons why he sought Orochimaru after all. Unfortunately, the numerous possibilities were never fully explored byMasashi Kishimoto.
Here’s How Anko’s Character was Pushed to the Sidelines
Besides relying on her association with the other characters, there were other ways to develop her character. Anko was an exceptional individual. After a strong introduction and a brief period of relevance during the Chunin Exams arc, her appearance was limited to minor missions throughoutNarutoandNaruto Shippuden. She was used by Kabuto during the Reincarnation, even during that fight she stood no chance against Kabuto. InBoruto, she has become an instructor at the Academy.
Naruto’s Infamous Talk no Jutsu is How Masashi Kishimoto Gave Him Some Much Needed Character Development in 1 Scene
In the long list of underutilized female characters, Anko’s presence stands out. Her characteristics are pretty self-explanatory as far as her character development is concerned. There are many loose ends to her character which could have been developed into so much more. She experienced a tragic past and had the necessary combat abilities as well as perception to see through her opponent’s attack in battle. She might not have been the strongest character but her capabilities can’t be denied. Yet all of that was dismissed by Kishimoto, similar to what happened to numerous other female characters inNaruto.
Narutois available to stream on Netflix.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :926
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
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Masashi KishimotoNarutoNaruto Shippuden
