Iou in Naruto

Very little is known about Iou’s childhood and past as his heritage is still shrouded in mystery. Due to his limited appearances in the series, close to nothing is known about his lineage or background other than the fact that he is an esteemed ninja weapon creator of high stature and creates ninja weapons for Konoha.

Iou first appeared in the Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha. He belongs to Konoha but was relocated due to his experiments with ninja weapons that caused random explosions and had become a dangerous nuisance for the locals of Konoha. In this arc, to get more tools for the village, Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Naruto Uzumaki travel to the Konoha Tool Research Lab. They see Iou and his apprentice, Shoseki, heading to the research lab to work on Iou's newest weapon.

Iou is abruptly confronted by Gameru and Kusune, two ninjas of unknown origins, who want new weapons. They bought two of his prototype weapons from Shoseki and wanted more of Iou's weapons at their disposal.

Iou is loyal to Konoha and refuses to share his creations with anyone except Konoha. Not taking no for an answer, Gameru and Kusune try taking Iou's weapon by force. Iou gave Tenten his newest weapon, Jidanda, which she used to defeat both ninjas. After the ninjas were vanquished, Iou took Jidanda back from Tenten and explained that the weapon was incomplete and needed to be improved.

Three years later, Tenten and Neji go back to the research facility to get more tools and weapons for the village which recently was destroyed in Pain's Assault. Iou has not appeared since this occurrence and thus his absence makes it impossible to say for sure whether he is dead or alive. He is currently assumed to be alive and well unless any information surfaces indicating otherwise.

Due to his lack of appearance in the series and any related information, almost nothing is known about Iou’s personality. From his status and limited appearance, it can be deduced that Iou is quite eccentric. He enjoys making weapons and truly loves his craft. He often creates weapons without considering the repercussions, weapons that are either useless or excessively advanced and hence impossible to use, rendering them useless to a Shinobi. He is also seen to be resentful of not being able to experiment with his creations. Despite being relocated and forbidden from conducting his experiments within Konohagakure (The Hidden Leaf Village), Iou has remained devoted to his village, unwilling to create or give his weapons to anyone else, let alone enemies of Konoha.

Iou is a short man and has gray hair with a bald patch right in the middle of his head. He fashions a goatee and a little mustache. He is seen dressed in a high-collared yellow jacket, black trousers, and sandals. Befitting his craft, he also wears a blacksmith's red apron with Konoha's emblem on it, a pair of gray gloves, and white bandages strapped around his arms.

Iou is a highly skilled ninja weapon inventor. He, along with his apprentice Shoseki, creates ninja weapons for Konoha. He possesses a high level of technical expertise and is an expert in the creation of ninja tools. He is capable of producing unusual yet lethal weapons like Tsurukame, Dako, and Jidanda. Although he creates extraordinary weapons, they are not always as combat friendly as most weapons are because of their unconventional methods of use. He has also demonstrated some aptitude for setting traps and mastery of the Enclosing Technique, which he has used to store some of his creations. Unfortunately, due to his lack of appearance, the full extent of his abilities is still unknown.

Q. Who is Iou in Naruto?

A. Iou is a character in the Naruto series who first appeared in Naruto Shippuden Episode 184 titled, “Deploy! Team Tenten”. He is a ninja weapon inventor from Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Q. Who voiced Iou in Naruto?

A. Iou is voiced by Yasuo Muramatsu in the original Japanese version of the anime. Dave Wittenberg voiced Iou in the English Dub of the anime.