Why does Naruto have whiskers? (even after losing Kurama)

Naruto is a popular shonen anime and manga series well-known for the huge array of characters featured in the show. When it comes to character design, Naruto Uzumaki stands out compared to the rest of the characters in the series.

There are specific details that fans have noticed, also coming up with theories substantiating their claims.

The show's protagonist has whiskers, a feature unique to Naruto. However, there is quite a bit of confusion concerning why he has them.

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Real reason why Naruto has whiskers

Some fans believe that the seventh Hokage has whiskers because he is a nine tailed-beast Jinchuriki. However, this is a common misconception as he was born with these unique features before Kurama was sealed inside him.

By that logic, Kushina and other Uzumaki Clan Jinchurikis should have had whiskers, but that is not the case.

A fan explaining the reason for the character's whiskers in the series (Image via Daniel Quinlan/Quora)

Some fans are aware of Kishimoto's earlier version (pilot) of this series before it became serialized in Shueisha's magazine. Kishimoto worked on a one-shot piece featured in Akamaru Jump.

In this version, the protagonist was a demon fox who could take the physical form of a boy. His father had attacked the village, and out of fear of witnessing the same mistake, the protagonist was sent to a city to befriend someone.

In this version, Kishimoto drew whiskers on the character to show resemblance to a fox. The mangaka merely decided to keep some design elements when the revised version was published in Shueisha's magazine. This is why Naruto has whiskers in the series.

Some fans believe that Kurama's chakra was embedded into Kushina Uzumaki's child when she was pregnant. Fans believe that this could be a possible reason he had whiskers when he was born.

This claim could be further substantiated by considering Himawari and Boruto's features. They, too, have whiskers, proving that it was a genetic factor.