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Over one million people voted for various characters in Naruto's top 99 popularity poll in just one week after it officially launched. Characters like Shisui Uchiha and Sakura Haruno are pleasant surprises in the current top ten, joining established favorites like Minato Namikaze, aka the Fourth Hokage.
Some of the characters' popularity has ebbed and flowed with the seasons, while others have maintained a steady following. While the likes of Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake—who have consistently topped such polls in the past—are hardly a surprise, the likes of Sakura and Obito have come as complete shocks.
This list will cover 5 Naruto characters who have always been popular, and 5 that are surprisingly leading the pack.
Disclaimer: Since the poll results don't appear to be updating live, these listings will be from the last time the Narutop99 poll was reported on. Spoilers abound for Naruto and the only opinions reflected are those of the author and fans.
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5 Naruto top poll characters that were always popular
1) Itachi Uchiha
The fact that there are no fewer than six Uchiha on the top 10 of the poll so far speaks volumes as to how popular the clan is to Naruto fans. Itachi Uchiha is currently polling second place overall, and this fits the character's skyrocketing popularity since his first appearance back in the manga in 2002.
While it would take a while for fans to truly get to know and understand Itachi, he never stopped being popular. After debuting at #33 in Popularity Poll 2 in 2002, his meteoric rise to #5 in Popularity Poll 7 in 2011 is well documented.
This mega popularity is generally seen as owing to Itachi's powers, his contributions to the story, his personality, and his position as a conflicted figure. His last words to Sasuke at the time of Naruto Shippuden helped cement that status.
2) Kakashi Hatake
On an introductory note, Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Gaara were always among the top 10 during earlier popularity polls. Kakashi Hatake himself has never left the top three in any of the previous popularity polls. A closer examination of Naruto's first teacher sheds light on his popularity, and it's not just the mask.
Kakashi has gotten popular owing to his smooth attitude, his powers over lightning, and he is an extremely competent mentor. His backstory is important to the narrative with being on Team Minato alongside Obito and Rin, and his Sharingan was one of the first that was shown off, and his general air of mystery made fans love him and continue to do so throughout Naruto Shippuden.
The fact that he's currently ranked fifth demonstrates his longevity as a character, and Kakashi isn't going anywhere, even in Boruto.
3) Minato Namikaze
No surprises on this one or the next two, the Fourth Hokage is practically the most popular Hokage to ever be profiled throughout Naruto. His popularity extends both on an in-universe and a meta-level.
The Fourth Hokage as a character was regularly referred to as a hero due to stopping the Nine-Tailed Fox Kurama from destroying Konoha prior to the series' beginning. When Minato got more than that, everything about Naruto Uzumaki fell into place. It's very easy to see where Naruto got his personality, hair, and even his "never say die" attitude.
Though Minato only broke the top 10 in two prior character polls, it's very easy to see why he's so far at the top. He was seen as the best Hokage, the fastest one, and probably a great father if he hadn't sacrificed himself for his son.
4) Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto Uzumaki is the protagonist, the titular character. He has always been at or near the top of many popularity polls during the manga and anime's lifespan. The top listings haven't been updated since we covered them, so it's easy to see why he's trending at number four right now.
Naruto has had quite a legacy of his own throughout the anime. He went from a loud-mouthed kid who could barely get off a Shadow Clone Jutsu to fighting a goddess and becoming Hokage. His romantic prospects were a pipe dream at best with his one-sided crush on Sakura, only to blossom into an adult marrying Hinata and having two kids with her.
Most importantly, Naruto Uzumaki is still alive and able to fight even as Hokage with an artificial arm. It may have taken him a while to be with his family cira Boruto, but it goes to show that you never stop growing even as an adult.
5) Sasuke Uchiha
Despite being the poster child for arrogant rivals similar to Vegeta from Dragon Ball, Sasuke always had a healthy fanbase that practically ate up everything he did. The only odd thing is that he is currently ranked eighth when one would expect him to be much higher.
Sasuke's popularity can be traced back to almost everything he does, from his clothing, to his snarky attitude, to his plethora of abilities. The fact that he goes off on his own and has betrayed his friends multiple times over didn't decrease his popularity for a minute. If anything, giving Sasuke his own arc revolving around finding himself amid the pursuit of revenge only made him more popular.
It's obvious that Sasuke became one of the most popular characters as a result of his complete 180-degree attitude shift following his and Naruto's final battle. The fact that he's also a rather awkward father in Boruto also earns him more points.
5 Naruto characters leading the poll that nobody expected
1) Sakura Haruno
Sakura Haruno making the top 10 was a huge surprise, given how maligned her character has been throughout the franchise. Seriously, if you were to tell a Naruto fan back in 2003 that Sakura Haruno would one day be in the 10 most popular list out of 99 characters you'd get laughed at. This requires a ton of explanation as to why the fandom's attitude towards Konoha's best medic turned around.
To be concise, most people began to realize that not only could Sakura fight but just how much her skills with medical jutsu came in handy more than once during Naruto Shippuden. Similarly, her character arc from a girl who could barely defend herself to Sasuke's wife who helped seal Kaguya and save Naruto and Sasuke warmed fans' hearts.
She's one of the trio of main characters in the anime, so it's good that people have warmed up to her. A concentrated effort has been made by fans to keep Sakura in the top 10, especially those that feel she was robbed of good moments in the series.
2) Shisui Uchiha
Another rather surprising addition to the top three as of now is Itachi's former best friend, Shisui Uchiha. To be fair, he was a popular side character in the Itachi Shinden manga and anime adaptation. However, nobody expected a side character to really get as high up as number three on the top 10 of 99 characters.
Shisui served as a voice of reason between the Uchiha and the rest of Konoha since the Uchiha were trying to overthrow Konoha's government. He also reported directly to the Third Hokage with a solution, i.e., to put everyone into a stasis state with Kotoamatsukami to get them to abandon the coup attempt. If not for Danzo and Root, it would've worked.
Shisui's death accelerated more than a few events, including the Uchiha Clan massacre, with Itachi getting his left eye and implanting it in a bird inside Naruto. Shisui is popular because he felt like a man with morals cut down before his time, resulting in further tragedy.
3) Jiraiya
Speaking of good men being cut down, Jiraiya was Naruto's second mentor and was instrumental in both halves of the series. It's surprising a long-dead character got as far as number 7 since there are other characters most people would consider more popular.
Jiraiya was one of the three Legendary Sannin alongside Tsunade and Orochimaru. This pervy sage, as Naruto refers to him, is still pretty popular. His list of accomplishments includes teaching taught Naruto the Rasengan, how to summon Gamabunta properly, teaching the trio of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, and ultimately providing the weakness to Pain's Six Paths jutsu.
Jiraiya's legacy lives on through his participation in this poll, even though many fans believe that there are others in the rankings who deserve it more. It probably helps that his final stand against Nagato/Pain was one of the best in anime history.
4) Obito Uchiha
The man currently holding 10th place in the popularity poll is one of the main villains of the entire series, Obito Uchiha. It's certainly a surprise Obito made it here, considering other villains like Nagato/Pain or even Orochimaru haven't reached the top 10. Some may be expressing surprise at that.
Obito has a long history as a character. He went from being a ninja on Team Minato with world-saving aspirations, to being groomed by Madara into agreeing with the Moon's Eye plan after nearly being crushed to death. Obito would ultimately relent after witnessing Rin Nohara's death at the hands of Kakashi Hatake.
This ultimately led to Obito influencing many of the series' events: from Nagato becoming Pain to the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha that led to Minato's death. He's a surprise to be on the list, considering other villains have done more and been in the series longer.
5) Madara Uchiha
Madara Uchiha was a persistent force before the beginning of the series. His influence was vast since it was the peace accord signed between him and Harashima Senju that led to Konoha's foundation. Their subsequent fallout and massive battle led to the formation of the infamous Valley of the End, where the final battle was fought.
So why is it a surprise that he's currently trending at number six? Well, he's a very popular antagonist considering his battle prowess and snide attitude. He was considered the toughest opponent that the heroes fought up to that point. The problem, of course, is that his epic final battle was cut far too short and blindsided fans.
While Madara influenced many events including Obito going evil and the forming of Konoha, he came in a little late for some fans' tastes. The real surprise is that he's not higher than number six, but trying to overcome Itachi or Minato's popularity isn't something that's easy to do.
Here are the top five characters from the Narutop99 poll, including both newcomers and old favorites. These can and arguably will change as the January 31, 2023 deadline approaches and the official results are announced in April 2023. So fans should keep voting and look forward to the final results!
