Naruto: Why is Shikamaru so lazy? Explained

Shikamaru Nara comes across as an exceptionally lazy guy in Naruto, at least at first. He’s a young man who doesn’t seem to think much of anything is worth the effort, striving to do absolutely nothing important and to die an unremarkable death one day. Being lazy is his most defining character trait. It even leaks into his catchphrase: “What a drag.”

So what caused young Shikamaru to become so lazy? There are a few reasons, but part of it is that Shikamaru simply doesn’t want to put forth much effort because things already come to him easily.

Shikamaru is talented but doesn’t put in the effort to show it because he doesn’t want to. He's able to have such a devil-may-care attitude due to the type of world he grew up in.

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Naruto: Shikamaru was lazy because he had grown up in a world of peace

Shikamaru's laziness is tested when he's the only one able to form a party to recover Sasuke. (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Shikamaru was born in an age of peace. There was no hardship in his world. Warriors in Naruto rose up the ranks without even seeing battle. So while Shikamaru had plenty of talent, he may not have seen a real reason to utilize it. This made him complacent and lazy.

To many, the act of learning, being able to grasp things more and more over time is what drives them to exert effort. But for Shikamaru, it just seemed pointless, because he never faced challenges in learning things, thanks to his innate talent. This is until his world was shaken by the invasion of the Hidden Leaf Village, and the death of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

When push came to shove, Shikamaru finally put in the effort. When Sasuke attempted to betray the Hidden Leaf Village, Shikamaru was the only one able to lead an effort to chase after him - recruiting his fellow students like Naruto and team members like Choji to stop Sasuke from making a terrible mistake.

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Shikamaru matures past the laziness

Asuma Sarutobi helps Shikamaru shake his laziness over time. (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Shikamaru’s progress made in the Sasuke Recovery Mission isn’t forgotten - it's the first sign of him moving on, realizing that his lazy attitude isn’t going to fly as the world gets more serious.

The threat of Orochimaru looming inspires him to become a stronger person, especially as the only one to graduate to the Chunin rank after the exams.

He and his team grow up into great ninjas, especially as the Fourth Great Shinobi War looms on the horizon. He becomes the protege of high-ranking ninja Asuma Sarutobi, who comes to believe the world is in the hands of talented youth like Shikamaru. His death fighting against the Akatsuki drives Shikamaru further into a man driven to protect his people.

It’s no surprise Shikamaru becomes a trusted confidant of Naruto, especially after he became the Seventh Hokage. Shikamaru became a man who was far different from the lazy boy he had been before and during the Chunin exams.

Shikamaru was able to be lazy because he was born in a time of peace where the effort simply seemed unnecessary to put forward. But as the peace ended, and Shikamaru’s world began to get shaken by dark forces, he realized his attitude wouldn’t work.

He developed past that childish attitude and became a legendary ninja that fans of Naruto won't ever forget.