I might get hate for this, but Shikaku is the best father in Naruto

The entire Naruto series is filled with a plethora of relationships, with friendship being the most common. The foundation of the series lies in its relationships, and the friendship dynamic in Naruto is one of its biggest selling points. Sasuke and Naruto, Killerbee and A, and Shikamaru and Choji are the most beautiful relationships in the entire series.

While Masashi Kishimoto didn’t skimp on friendships and other relationships in Naruto, his portrayal of fathers in the series leaves much to be desired. Many fathers in Naruto were not depicted as being present in their children's lives, which is surprising considering that many ninjas in the series were not orphans.

Many fathers in the series were shown only in passing or made decisions that endangered their children’s lives. Minato was a great ninja, but he was guilty of this, as he put his son in harm’s way by sealing the Tailed Beast inside him.

Only two ninjas in the series can be considered good fathers: Might Duy and Shikaku Nara. Among the two, Shikaku Nara stands out as the best for the way he gently guided his son into becoming one of the most important ninja in the Narutoverse.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views and may contain spoilers.

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Why Shikaku is the best father in Naruto

Shikaku and Shikamaru as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Fatherhood in anime, especially Shonen, is often portrayed poorly. While Seinen features fathers who genuinely live up to the title and are involved in their sons' upbringing, Shonen has consistently avoided that reality. The Big 3 of anime depict fathers terribly, but they do include father figures. In One Piece, Shanks serves as a father figure to Luffy; in Bleach, Kisuke acts as a father figure to Ichigo; and in Naruto, Kakashi plays a father figure to Sasuke.

Shikaku is one of those rare characters who is both a remarkable father figure and an actual father. Might Duy was also an admirable father in the series, but he had the time and opportunity to be so because he was an unaccomplished ninja. In contrast, Shikaku was a respected ninja in Konoha, serving as a top Jonin.

Despite the constraints his role must have imposed, he was present for his son. This stands in contrast to Naruto in the Boruto saga, who struggles to balance being Hokage with fatherhood. Shikaku is shown advising his son throughout the series more than any other father. He is also there during his son’s lowest emotional moments.

Shikaku was an important ninja in Konoha (Image via Studio Pierrot)

When Asuma was killed, he comforted Shikamaru. Instead of berating him when his son failed his first mission, he focused on highlighting the positives. Shikaku was a pragmatist who was always willing to see the positives in any situation.

Even at his death, his focus was not on the approaching end; it was on the survival of the Allied effort, and he did his best to speak to his son one last time. This trait was passed on to his son, which helped make Shikamaru a good Hokage in the Boruto Saga. The ability to see the positives is what led Shikamaru to deduce that something was wrong in Konoha.

He also took the time to teach Shikamaru jutsu, something that should occur more often, but often doesn’t. He boosted Shikamaru’s self-worth by never putting him down. The most important aspect of Shikaku’s relationship with Shikamaru is that he was a friend to his son. He didn’t put on any airs; he was genuine and down to earth.

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Final thoughts

Shikaku was one of the few fathers in Konoha who did not ostracize Naruto. This singular act demonstrated that he was not shallow and had a good judge of character. His son, Shikamaru, is also a good judge of character, which helped him see through Kawaki’s obsession faster than anyone else in Konoha.

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