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Naruto’s Konoha 11 is one of anime’s most famous teams and groups, playing a key role in the series overall. They serve as some of the eponymous shinobi's first and oldest friends, being those he depends on for moral and emotional support several times throughout the series.
However, not all members of the Konoha 11 are created equally, especially when it comes to their kindness. Throughout the series, each member of the Konoha 11 eventually lets their true colors show, revealing just how kind or cruel they really are.
Here’s every member of Naruto’s Konoha 11, ranked based on kindness.
Naruto’s Konoha 11 all have very distinct and different demeanour
11) Sai
Kicking off the list, and rightfully so, is Sai, the last member of the Konoha 11 to join the group. From his first introduction and even though the series’ final moments, he’s undoubtedly the least kind member of the group.
He constantly points out the flaws or shortcomings of others, showing no remorse for his actions or words even when they anger those they’re directed at. While he eventually becomes kinder, he’s still undoubtedly the least kind of the group overall.
10) Ino Yamanaka
Ironically, Sai’s future wife Ino Yamanaka follows him in the 10th spot on this list. While not quite as unintentionally cruel as Sai can be, her intentionally teasing and tearing down Sakura at the beginning of the series is quite uncomfortable to sit through.
Even after the time skip, she’s still somewhat bratty and plays into the tsundere trope of shonen female characters. Although she improves her overall demeanor, her core attitude remains unchanged, earning her the number 2 spot on this list.
9) Shino Aburame
Shino Aburame is an interesting case, mainly due to how little he actually talks or interacts with people during the series. While he has been shown to be fairly kind when interacting with others, he always has an air of superiority or annoyance around him, like he’s too good for whatever situation he’s in.
He's never been outwardly or blatantly cruel to anyone in the series to the extent that prior entrants have been, but he's also no Hinata. As a result, he's ranked third from the bottom here.
8) Kiba Inuzuka
Kiba Inuzuka, despite his tough exterior towards many of his comrades, allows his true kindness to shine at several points throughout the series. His interactions with Akamaru, his canine companion who is clearly the character he is closest to in the series, provide one reliable way to judge his true character.
While he can be snappy with his fellow shinobi, it never comes off as mean-spirited or intentionally degrading. He is, however, rarely very nice to his fellow shinobi, earning him a middle-of-the-pack ranking in this category.
7) Tenten
While Tenten may be useless, she’s certainly not mean-spirited, which is a win for her when it comes to this list. She suffers from a criminal lack of screen time in the series, but when she does appear long enough to give fans a glimpse at her personality, she seems very kind and gentle.
Several times throughout the series, she is shown comforting friends and teammates, displaying that she has a sweet and caring side. While not seen often, it’s seen enough to give her a respectable ranking here.
6) Sakura Haruno
Sakura is a very interesting case, as it almost depends on which friendships and relationships you look at to decide how kind she is. However, generally speaking, she tends to be kind, loving, and compassionate to her friends, caring greatly for their safety and happiness.
Her time as a mother in the Boruto sequel series has served to further reinforce this, showing how emotionally affected she can be by her daughter’s struggles. While able to act bratty when she wants, Sakura receives the very respectable dead-center ranking on this list thanks to her clear and evident kindness.
5) Rock Lee
Rock Lee is undoubtedly one of the kindest characters in the entire series, showing his love for his comrades multiple times throughout. One of the most telling moments comes during the Sasuke Retrieval arc when he heads out to assist his comrades in their mission despite the risk it poses for the injuries he just had surgery for.
His upbeat attitude and overall kindness is predominantly what fans see from him throughout the series, with Lee rarely ever getting angry or upset. There’s almost no argument to be made against his high rank here.
4) Shikamaru Nara
Despite his crass exterior, which makes many think he doesn’t care about anything, Shikamaru is an incredibly kind and caring person. When Asuma dies, fans get a peek at how mentally disturbed Shikamaru is as a result of his loss. The depth of his anguish highlights how kind and emotionally gentle he can be.
Another moment which shows this is his interaction with Choji as a child, seen always being kind to him even when others ostracized him for it. It’s one of the most respectable moments of kindness in the entire series and shows Shikamaru’s true colors.
3) Choji Akimichi
Choji Akimichi is inarguably one of the kindest characters in the series, even canonically being called such during a flashback to his childhood. He’s consistently characterized and developed as one of the kindest shinobi in the entire Hidden Leaf, having a reverence and respect for general life rarely seen elsewhere in the series.
Despite being teased for such a gentle and kind personality as a child, this demeanor thankfully follows Choji into his teenage and adult years. It’s simply inarguable and unfair to rank Choji as anything but one of the absolute kindest of the Konoha 11.
2) Hinata Hyuga
Coming in second is, predictably, Hinata Hyuga, whose kindness has been proved several times throughout the series at large. She was one of Naruto's few childhood friends, befriending him even though the rest of the village ostracized him.
Her kindness is proven several times as a teenager as well, from the Chunin Exams to her fight versus Pain and even beyond.
One of the most telling moments was when, despite her cousin having just died in front of her, she puts her own sadness aside to comfort the eponymous ninja and remind him what Neji had meant with his final words. There’s little doubt she’s one of the Konoha 11’s kindest.
1) Naruto Uzumaki
Last but certainly not least comes Naruto Uzumaki, easily the kindest of the Konoha 11 by far. Despite being hated and ostracized by almost the entire village throughout his childhood and teenage years, he forgives it all and accepts their recognition of him gracefully.
While it has become something of a meme, his skills in Talk no Jutsu further prove his kindness. He’s able to empathize with nearly any villain in the series, even during his younger, more inexperienced and naive years. Considering the show is named after him, there can be no member of the Konoha 11 kinder than Naruto Uzumaki.
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This article was modified on Tuesday, June 27, at 6:02 pm.
