Very few stories have captured the hearts of millions the way Naruto’s epic journey of a low-ranking genin rising to become Hokage has. The franchise’s enduring success is a testament to how emotionally resonant Naruto’s triumphs and shortcomings were, but as iconic as the Nine Tails Jinchuriki was, Naruto wasn’t the only highlight of the story. Throughout the original series and Shippuden, several characters were introduced with the potential to usurp Naruto’s place as the protagonist.
One common criticism about the Naruto franchise is that its titular protagonist ended up betraying the series’ core themes as he progressed in power. While this can be a subjective opinion, it is a fact that Naruto's trademark themes of hard work and perseverance were explored by several other characters. On the other hand, some characters may not have had similar journeys to Naruto, but their own arcs provided some unique insight into other aspects of the ninja world.
Gaara Overcame His Hatred By Serving Others
Gaara Achieved Naruto's Dream Before He Could
As the jinchuriki of their villages’ respective Tailed Beasts, Naruto and Gaara had very similar childhoods, but this isn’t the only factor that would make Gaara a worthwhile protagonist. His journey towards redemption was one of all time. Previously, Gaara was a foil to Naruto, hating the Sand villagers as much as they did him and embracing all his sadistic urges. It wasn’t until he clashed with Naruto that Gaara was forced to look outside himself. He chose to begin using his power to protect others. Unlike Naruto, becoming Kazekage was more about service to others for Gaara, rather than a means of self-actualization.
Gaara was also incredibly powerful, even without Shukaku. He inherited his father’s Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai and was able to manipulate large volumes of sand as much as he wished. Gaara’s ultimate defense also worked automatically, protecting him from virtually any attack that was launched his way. Unlike Naruto, he never depended on his Tailed Beast as a source of power and arguably became a more dependable ninja after Shukaku’s extraction. Between his skill-set and powerful backstory, Gaara has all the makings of a powerful shōnen main character.
Kakashi’s Full Potential Was Never Really Shown
Kakashi Never Lived Up To His Reputation On-Screen
Despite being constantly hailed as one of the most powerful shinobi, fans would be hard-pressed to find canon proof of why Kakashi deserved to rub shoulders with some of the ninja world’s legends. He exemplified all the best qualities a ninja should possess and was a cautionary tale about why other qualities were best abandoned. Kakashi was a once-in-a-generation genius, but his prowess was still largely the result of hard work, much like Naruto.
With Kakashi as the protagonist, the Naruto franchise would still be able to retain its themes of hard work while exploring other areas that weren’t relevant to Naruto’s journey. For example, the inner workings of the Anbu would be focused on more and fans would be able to understand why Kakashi joining at such a young age was impressive, instead of simply being told. Also, Kakashi’s vast repertoire of jutsu would finally be shown on screen. It’s a shame the ninja referred to as the man with “over a thousand jutsu” ended up displaying only a handful by the series’ end.
Sasuke Uchiha’s Quest For Vengeance Influenced The Entire Story
Sasuke Was The Series' Unofficial Second Protagonist
While Sasuke doesn’t fit the traditional shōnen mold of an enthusiastic and affable main character, his backstory would more than make up for this shortcoming. His quest for revenge against his brother, Itachi, was one of the more interesting and heartbreaking aspects of the story. In the lead up to his epic confrontation with Itachi, Sasuke’s journey was fraught with danger at every turn. Sasuke’s strength allowed him to breeze through challenges that would have overwhelmed lesser shinobi, but they were never easy enough to make his victories seem cheap.
Sasuke’s story had equal, or arguably more, depth than Naruto himself. Even after accomplishing his original goal of defeating Itachi, he transitioned seamlessly into the controversial plan to destroy the Leaf Village. Sasuke’s journey as a rogue provided a closer look at the darker aspects of ninja society and his growth curve directly paralleled Naruto. As the main character, Sasuke would have thrived even more than his unique story would have resonated with fans just as much as Naruto’s did.
Jiraiya’s Heroic Story Was His Own All Along
Jiraiya Was Searching For a Hero That He Had Already Surpassed
Jiraiya lived his entire life in search of the shinobi that would fulfill a prophecy he was burdened with in his youth. Jiraiya was told by the Great Toad Sage that he would train a student that would either save the ninja world or doom it. His frequent travels were part of his effort to locate this hero, but Jiraiya was so wrapped up in his mission that he didn’t realize his own life was the stuff of legends. From mastering the Toad Sage Mode, albeit in an imperfect form, to forming part of the group Hanzo the Salamander dubbed The Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya made a name for himself before even realizing his self-appointed great commission.
Not only did Jiraiya train Naruto, the actual child of prophecy, but he also taught two of the most influential shinobi in history, Nagato Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. Jiraiya may not have realized it, but his own stories were more than enough to make him the exciting protagonist of an all-new set of novels. If he did lead Naruto, his story would shed more light on the established dynamics between the Hidden Villages. As a hero of both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, a story centered on Jiraiya would be best set in his heyday, allowing fans to appreciate the politics that made the Fourth Great Ninja War’s cooperation all the more impressive.
Mei Terumi Helped To Transform An Entire Village
The Fifth Mizukage Showed Promise, But Her Story Didn't Have Anywhere To Go
Whether it was through Masashi Kishimoto’s inability to properly write women characters or an insidious in-universe patriarchy, it didn’t seem like many kuniochi in the ninja world were set up for success. Powerhouses like Temari, Tsunade and Sakura were outliers, which made the Fifth Mizukage’s treatment all the more scandalizing. Mei Terumi was a blank slate and an opportunity for Shippuden to introduce another powerful and influential woman to the Naruto franchise. However, she never received any development past being used as the brunt of tired jokes, and to fulfill tropes the series already had several times before.
Mei was the Mizukage of the Mist, the Hidden Village with the most bloodthirsty past and a cutthroat reputation. It was during her era that the Mist truly embraced diplomacy and did away with many of its archaic traditions. There is a wealth of opportunity in a story that chronicles her attempts at bringing her infamous village into the modern era while honoring the leaders that came before her. Unfortunately, whatever latent potential she had was never realized, even in sequels. It seemed Mei was introduced solely to round out the number of Kages present for the fight that ended up defining Madara Uchiha’s legacy.
Minato Namikaze’s Legend Was Cut Much Too Short
The Yellow Flash Is Still One of Naruto's Most Enigmatic Characters
Minato Namikaze was yet another victim of the Naruto franchise’s shortcomings in developing supporting characters. As a character primarily featured in flashbacks, he was never expected to receive much development, but Masashi Kishimoto’s tight-lippedness hurt Minato more than it helped him. For example, there’s never mention of the Namikaze clan, Naruto’s relatives on his father’s side. Most of what fans know about Minato is that he’s a very strong shinobi, and even then, his abilities receive less of a spotlight than other Hokage.
Minato was both unrecognized and powerful enough to sell the unbeatable underdog trope that defined most shōnen protagonists. Most of all, he had an actual story to tell that would be relevant to the main plot. Even if his clan wasn’t the focus of a potential story he led, his days as a teacher would be equally interesting to witness. A focus on his time spent training Kakashi, Obito and Rin would better characterize the most heartbreaking Naruto trio, and put a lot of Obito’s rash decisions in better perspective.
Neji Hyuga Embodied An Underdog’s Story Even As a Genius
Neji Redeemed Himself and His Entire Clan
Although it isn’t popularly acknowledged, Neji had almost all the elements of the traditional shōnen protagonist package. He had an unfortunate backstory, incredible mastery over his jutsu and a drive to improve that almost guaranteed he would be at the top of every class he was in. Neji’s personality was the only lacking trait in the original Naruto series, but he quietly fixed this problem off-screen and was a more pleasant shinobi by Shippuden’s era.
The time skip that separated Naruto from its sequel would have been the perfect setting for a grounded atory that not only fleshed out Neji, but also the archaic traditions of the Hyuga clan. As it stands, despite Neji claiming to have continually trained since youth, there’s no clear distinction between his power levels in the Fourth Great Ninja War and the Chunin Exams. Neji would have been an impressive protagonist that learned to appreciate his place in the world, while striving with Hinata to leave a better legacy for the Hyuga clan of the future. Additionally, his story would be more grounded than Naruto's, showcasing tamed down threats that the average Chunin was expected to deal with.
Itachi Uchiha Was a Hokage In All But Name
Itachi Showed Discernment and Maturity That Belied His Age
Compared to other Naruto characters, Itachi Uchiha was surprisingly short-lived, but he managed to achieve more in his youth than most shinobi did in their entire lives. Like Kakashi, Itachi was a genius who joined the Anbu Corps at quite a young age. His extraordinary abilities made him the prime courting target of the factions involved in the Hidden Leaf’s Cold War. However, Itachi’s aversion to all-out war forced him to pick the most brutal path available.
While Itachi’s youth and friendship with his mentor, Shisui, were explored to some extent in Shippuden, their relegation to filler material caused many purist fans to disregard them entirely. A proper canon backstory would humanize the Uchiha legend while simultaneously legitimizing his strength with specific and impressive feats outside his fated battle with Sasuke. Even better, there’d certainly be an audience for it given the legion of Itachi fans and adorers.
Rock Lee Would Have Made a Divisive Protagonist
Rock Lee's Taijutsu Skills Make Him Formidable Indeed
As much as fans love to push the narrative of Rock Lee being a more suitable protagonist than Naruto, the sad truth is that his potential, while great, was always limited as long as the series’ power system was based on chakra. Nevertheless, Rock Lee was one of the best representatives of the theme of hard work that was essential to early Naruto. His assertiveness and constant drive to improve in the face of impossible odds easily justifies the consensus that he would make a great protagonist.
Unfortunately, the ultimate ending for a series led by one with a power as taxing as Rock Lee’s can only be tragedy. While the First through Seventh Gates afford him power enough to handle almost anything, Madara Uchiha proved during the Fourth Great Ninja War that there were certain threats in their universe that would require him to open the final fatal Gate. Even if he somehow survived the ordeal, a fate similar to Might Guy’s current state in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations wouldn’t bode well for a true protagonist.
Nagato Uzumaki Was The Protagonist Of A Story That Wasn't His
Madara's Subtle Manipulation Waylaid a Laudable Goal
As a wielder of the fabled Rinnegan, Nagato was always destined for greatness, even if he didn’t know it himself. His genius was recognized early on by Jiraiya, who trained him in hopes that Nagato would become the hero of his prophecy. Unfortunately, Nagato had already been primed by Madara and Obito, who manipulated the altruistic shinobi into spearheading their efforts to collect the Tailed Beasts.
No matter how misguided his actions were, all the missions Nagato undertook as “Pain” were part of a larger campaign to end all wars. The tragedy of his story was that Nagato never had as much agency as he believed. As a protagonist, Nagato could have realized the true vision the Akatsuki was supposed to uphold. An elite squad of jonin or higher level ninja concerned solely with protecting the disenfranchised, while solving conflicts wherever they passed would have been a true force to be reckoned with.
