10 Naruto characters who best fit the 'Sigma male' criteria
The Naruto universe indeed portrays a variety of characters; some dominate Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, and some character types many in the fandom seem to go gaga for over the rest.
From the lovable and goofy protagonist to the very serious Neji Hyuga, the show has created many memorable figures.
In layman's definition, Sigma male is a term used to describe a popular and very successful man who is also highly independent and self-reliant. In other words, an exciting adaptation of the lone wolf trope.
Many characters in the show can be attributed to the Sigma male personality, and today's article will specifically talk about 10 of those.
Note: Characters mentioned below are not universally acknowledged, and this is the author's subjective opinion on the matter. Just because the author considers a Naruto character a Sigma male doesn't mean that it agrees with the rest of the community.
10 Naruto characters who are considered to be Sigma males or Lone Wolfs
1) Madara Uchiha
It's safe to say that Madara was the product of his time in Naruto. Having to fight from an early age constantly had turned him into a perfectionist, and he would keep struggling at one thing till he was able to master it. His prowess in battle eventually made him confident in his abilities, and he soon started acting aloof from the rest of his clan.
While Madara was shown to be compassionate at first, Izuna's death made him turn against the Senju and have a more ruthless approach to his means. This was when he started to completely live up to his personality of being a Sigma male and went on to do things independently.
He did what he thought was in the village's best interest and did not find it necessary to run his decisions by Hashirama, whom he had come to despise. After embracing his Clans Curse of hatred, he defected from the Hidden Leaf. He focused his energy and machinations on the Eye of the Moon Plan to manipulate countless others to realize his twisted goals.
2) Tobirama Senju
Tobirama's strictness and his blunt replies on most topics are what most times alienated him from the rest of his comrades. His high principles led him down the path of a lone wolf. However, he was always fair and compassionate.
He would never sugar-coat facts and acted as a countermeasure to Hashirama, who would always get carried away by his passion and ideals. Tobirama does come off as cold and insensitive; however, he would remain calm and take confidence in his prowess regardless of the situation.
When Tobirama became Hokage, he would model his leadership role in the Hidden Leaf but implement Hashirama's and Madara's ruthless approach to adversity. While not many understood the man during his lifetime, all Tobirama wanted was to have the Hidden Leaf villagers think about the village as a whole and not just look after their clans.
This was one of the reasons why Tobirama had frequent clashes with a lot of clans, especially the Uchihas.
3) Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke was quite a happy child growing up. However, the seed of hatred and revenge was planted in him after Itachi murdered his family. Sasuke soon became aloof from those around him, and his personality twisted to the point where he would continually evaluate people's abilities every time he met someone.
He would always be arrogant and disregard those he thought were weaker than him, and if he deemed someone to be stronger than him, he would often fixate on them and look to surpass them with his abilities.
Sasuke was never much of a team player, and during the initial days of his time with team seven, he would always act on his own accord, even when Kakashi would lecture him on the strengths of teamwork.
While by the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, he makes amends and grows to be gentler, he remains a lone wolf and would often set off on his own and do things that he would consider to be of the best interest of the village.
4) Orochimaru
While a genius and a prodigal talent, Orochimaru possessed a complex personality described by many of his peers as "twisted." After Tsunade lost Nawaki and Dan, he began to question the frailty of human existence and desired immortality above all things in life.
That is why he began all those human experiments, with the final goal of his self modifications being to attain immortality. His experiments sought to test how much the human body would be able to endure. After reaching the state of the 'ultimate being,' Orochimaru wanted to embark on the singular goal of learning every single ninjutsu that was available in the Naruto universe.
Much like most Sigma males, Orochimaru too suffered from arrogance, which is one true weakness. While his modifications extended his lifeforce, they did not make him immortal. However, he would consider himself to be one and fight in a way where he would underestimate his opponents.
He always wanted to make his enemies suffer, and despite what seemed like a lack of morals, Orochimaru was quite tactful with his plans and was a master of psychological warfare.
5) Kakashi Hatake
From the beginning of Naruto, Kakashi Hatake has been portrayed as someone who never really liked to mix with his peers. He was typically always relaxed, boasting a bored attitude, and was never prone to get worked up or agitated towards anything around him.
He spent most of his spare time alone, reading a book or visiting Rin and Obito's grave. Even when his reputation grew in the village, he showed no arrogance and was always modest about his capabilities.
During the episodes when Kakashi's past was portrayed, he was described as a very independent and self-confident child who was also very condescending and arrogant, always trying to keep those around him at a distance.
After his father's death, he became even more aloof and cold, and audiences can see glimpses of his past self even after he became the teacher of Team 7.
6) Itachi Uchiha
While Sasuke was always very cheerful as a child, his older brother Itachi on the other hand, was much more calm and insightful. He showed noticeable signs of maturity at a very early age and was considered a prodigal talent amongst the youth of the Hidden Leaf.
Like Kakashi, Itachi did not allow any fame or recognition to get to his head and was very humble about his capabilities. He loved to keep people at a distance and never really liked to get more involved with those around him, except with his brother.
He had a knack for observing individuals and their ideals without getting involved with them, which prevented him from becoming close with many people. This allowed him to have an objective view of those around him, making him incredibly intelligent and analytical.
He was able to think and act without prejudice or preconceived notions, and contrary to "adult Sasuke," he was a pacifist and constantly evaluated things on their own merits.
7) Killer B
Killer B's identity as a jinchuriki has always been an extension of who he was. He took great pride in his power and his status as an outcast, wearing it almost like a mantle.
Killer B was also often overconfident and never really tried to play things by the books. He was cocky, stubborn, and never went according to the plan; even his brother the Raikage observed that asking Killer B to go with a set goal in Naruto was a waste as he would always do things independently.
As a loner, Killer B was always aloof from the rest of his comrades and liked to spend time alone with his tailed beast. However, he was always compassionate, and when someone close to him was in danger, he would never have any qualms about helping them out or even putting himself in danger.
Though stubborn and overconfident, Killer B always knew his priorities in life.
8) Shikamaru Nara
Shikamaru had as much a bildungsroman in Naruto as the protagonist himself. Shikamaru starts as a rather lazy person who always seems aloof. While he befriended his team members, he always seemed to be alone in his thoughts and contemplations, constantly looking to give the slightest effort to get things done.
He would often wander off and spend his days either sleeping, watching the clouds pass by, or playing a game of Shogi and Go.
His goal was always to live unremarkably, even though he knew how capable being a strategist he was. When faced with conflict or the potential for a commitment, he would always try to brush it off as something very troublesome to him. However, even with his lone-wolf nature, Shikamaru would always be there for his friends.
After Asuma's death, he goes through a noticeable transformation. However, he does still cling to his lazy self.
9) Kabuto Yakushi
Kabuto was one of the most complicated characters in Naruto; while, at times, he would come off as a very open character who loved approaching people, his time as a spy did not allow him to have a straightforward personality.
By his admission, Kabuto was always an introvert who never really wanted to be looked at or get along with people and would instead stick to the background.
He would often dismiss his desires, which made him alienate those around him even more; however, he was always very confident in his skills and capabilities. While he served Orochimaru for the longest time in the show, even his master was not precisely sure of Kabuto's inner feelings and motives.
He would trust Kabuto implicitly on the surface, but he would always be suspicious of him deep down.
10) Deidara
The explosive ninja was always very confident about his abilities and was a rather loud personality in the show. He would always boast about his bomb-making skills and often denote many of his creations as masterpieces.
While he traveled with a companion during his time with the Akatsuki, Deidaa never really portrayed the vibe of being a team player. He always did what he wanted and when he wanted to and went in guns blazing into battle.
However, his arrogance would get the better of him at times, and Deidara always seemed to have a habit of underestimating his opponents, no matter who they were.
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