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Naruto's world is inhabited by many important Shinobi who changed the course of history. However, it also has an abundance of characters who add little to nothing to the story, simply existing to fill space and time.
Some of these characters are presented as obstacles for our protagonists who ultimately do nothing, while others are among the series' worst fillers.
They are a perfect contrast to the characters without whom the story would have never occurred in the first place. So, in this list, we will talk about five Naruto characters whose appearance was not pivotal to the story and five others that made the events of the series possible.
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Disclaimer: This list reflects the author’s opinion and will contain spoilers.
Yota and 4 Naruto characters who did nothing for the plot
1) Dosu Kinuta
When he first appeared, Dosu was painted as a major threat to our heroes, able to take Kabuto down without even touching him. But as the series continued, he became more and more pointless, to the point where he could have been replaced by anyone else and the outcome would have been the same.
He was immediately frightened by Sasuke using his cursed mark, even though he was boasting just seconds before that that he would defeat him. He later tried to attack Gaara while he was asleep, getting killed moments after he arrived, cementing him as one of the most unnecessary characters in the series.
2) Zaku Abumi
Like his teammate Dosu, Zaku was a big deal the first time we saw him fight. His power over sound was something that not even Lee could defeat. However, he too became useless the second Sasuke awakened his Cursed Mark.
Uchiha broke his arms in seconds, leaving him basically defenseless. During his last fight, he faced Shino, who handed him a humiliating defeat and finished the job of destroying his arms.
3) Yota
Yota used to be a little kid with the power to control the weather, until he was killed at a really young age. Several years later, Orochimaru decided to experiment with the Edo Tensei by bringing him back.
After escaping to Konoha, he became Naruto’s first friend, allowing him to later befriend several other children from the village. Unfortunately, before passing away from a fatal accident, Yota erased the the memories of his adventures with the other kids to prevent them from being sad.
The mind wipe he caused to the children makes his whole appearance pointless, as they would have been the same whether they remembered him or not.
4) Ebisu
An Elite Jonin and personal teacher of Konohamaru, Ebisu, could have never appeared in the series and nothing would have been lost. He served as a plot device to get Konohamaru to admire Naruto during the beginning of the series.
He would later become our hero's teacher for the Chunin exams momentarily before getting completely sidelined by Jiraiya. If Ebisu had never been introduced to the series, everything would have been the same since he was basically always treated as a joke.
5) Four Ninja animals
One of the most hated fillers of the entire franchise, the Four Ninja animals are as silly and pointless as they sound. Our protagonist and his friends were tasked with capturing some missing pets from the Village, a common mission that would not surprise anyone.
Sadly, the mission was derailed by the revelation that the four animals not only know how to fight, but are under the command of a talking Ostrich named Condor. Most fillers are not great, with fans preferring to avoid them, but the Four Ninja Animals was definitely a mistake in the franchise.
Zetsu and 4 Naruto characters that made the story possible
1) Iruka Umino
Iruka is not only a pivotal character in the show, but he is also basically the person that allowed all of the events in the franchise to transpire. Without him, Naruto would have never gotten the love and validation he needed to graduate the academy, since all other teachers used to treat him like a problem.
He was also the person who saved our protagonist from Mizuki, who tricked him into stealing a forbidden scroll to later betray him. If Iruka had never arrived to save Naruto, he would most likely have died that night, ending the series in the first episode.
2) Jiraiya
Jiraiya is important to the series not only because of his role as Naruto’s mentor and grandfather-figure, but also because of all the important events he was a part of before the show began.
Jiraiya not only taught Minato, Naruto’s father and future Hokage, but he also trained Nagato and his friends when they were young.
Without Jiraiya, some of the most important events in the franchise would have never transpired, like the creation of Akatsuki. Even after the series began, he was a vital piece in moving the story forward, which unfortunately ended with his tragic death.
3) Itachi Uchiha
Itachi basically defined not only Sasuke’s future, but also Konoha’s. If the Uchiha clan was never annihilated by Itachi, there would have been a civil war inside of the Leaf Village, something that could have changed the course of the show completely.
He was also Sasuke’s main motivation, as he was so determined to get revenge against his brother, he went as far as to betray the village and join Orochimaru. Without Itachi, Sasuke could have grown to be a completely different individual.
4) Zetsu
If someone was behind most events in the anime's history, it was Zetsu. A being Kaguya created moments before she was sealed in order to assure her return in the future, Zetsu was one of the most manipulative characters in the show.
Not only did he drive Indra into the twisted path that ended with him fighting his brother, but he was also manipulating Madara and Obito the whole time. Zetsu did everything in his power to allow his mother to return, something he ultimately achieved, changing the world forever.
5) Minato Namikaze
Minato's appearance was brief. However, he was one of the most important characters in the show. His sacrifice defined Naruto’s life, since he became the Kyuubi’s Jinchuriki the night his parents died.
Even after his death, his decisions were severely important to his son’s development, like allowing Kushina to appear in front of him when he wanted to control Kurama’s Chakra.
He was not allowed a lot of screen time, but the few moments we had of him became vital pieces for the story to progress.
