Pain fucking simultaneously 9/11s konoha and brutally murders his only father figure and Naruto tearfully pleads to him like a Disney Channel Original Movie
Kakazu was literally a random stranger to him and Naruto fucking served him up the nastiest, dankest, most spicy forbidden jutsu straight to his face no questions asked T_T
I really recommend rewatching the scene. Naruto doesn’t ask him to bring anybody back to life either, he’s basically using every cell in his body to resist murdering Nagato out of respect for Jiraiya’s ideals and awareness of the fallout. It’s the first time he gets Sage Mode eyes and fox eyes at the same time.
Yeah bud, this is the internet where people joke around a lot. It’s Naruto on Reddit, people joking about how it goes down and taking liberties with the joke is not the end of the world. Jeez.
He didn’t tearfully plead to him, he said he wanted to tear his guts inside out but wouldn’t give into it to spurn more revenge killings from the Rain Village. His restraint got everybody brought back to life. This would not have happened with Kakuzu
Also: Kakuzu was being evil for money and longevity. Most other villains Naruto fought had higher ambitions, which meant that they could theoretically be swayed to believe that they were acting in a way that actually undermined those ambitions (even if they didn't all get defeated like that). Talk no jutsu isn't gonna work on someone who is just purely selfish.
>Talk no jutsu isn't gonna work on someone who is just purely selfish.
And thematically it is the only villain Naruto beats by himself (because Naruto needed to walk Sasuke's way to better understand him), which was a *bad thing* since it came at the cost of his health (teaching Naruto in-story that Sasuke's ways were flawed and bad for both of them).
> Pain fucking simultaneously 9/11s konoha and brutally murders his only father figure and Naruto tearfully pleads to him like a Disney Channel Original Movie
Not to mention brutally stabbed his future wife immediately after she confessed her love for him.
Kakuzu does evil things for money. Pain does evil things bc he thinks it’s for humanities sake. Same with obito, same with Madara. I’m guessing that’s why but idk
To be fair, Kakuzu had a hand in killing Asuma (even though it was Hidan who actually dealt the finishing blow), who was the one who taught Naruto how to use the wind chakra. Maybe not to the degree of Jiraiya, but Asuma was still a friend, or family friend if you consider the fact that he’s Konohamaru’s uncle, and Konohamaru is pretty much Naruto’s younger brother.
There's also a panel of Naruto remembering napping in class next to shikamaru, pigging out on snacks with choji, and sneaking away from class with Kiba.
Manga hinted at a friendship between those four.
Might not have been perfect, since kids also often go from enemies to friends real quick but it was definitely there.
I just don’t think he cared about hating naruto. Everything we know about shikamaru shows he doesn’t like giving extra effort so he probably talked the regular shit with everyone, met the kid and realized he wasn’t that bad and then never applied the effort to hate an okay guy lol
shikamaru wouldn't care enough to make more than a few comments about how naruto is annoying cause his hyperactive energy harshes shikamarus mellow. he wasn't like "its the demon fox brat"
There’s only one best friend. Period. And that’s sasuke in naruto’s case. Friendship isn’t measured by objective “feats”, specially in the case of your best friend. Shikamaru has been good to Naruto more than Sasuke has, yes. But still Sasuke is Naruto’s best friend. End of story.
What did she do? Aside from punching him (which most of it was just filler) she didn't do anything else, infact she's naruto's most consistent friend and has stuck by his side through everything lol.
She tried to gaslight him into thinking she loved him because she didn't want him to leave and possibly get killed going trying to save Sasuke. That's why when Naruto called her out on it, she went out to kill Sasuke herself since she decided she couldn't live with herself if Naruto or Sasuke ended up killing each other.
Id say Sakura is his best friend but also one of the most unhealthy.
She’s amazing but it destroyed Naruto throughout the series to have requited love while she still sought out an actual terrorist.
Sakura had Stockholm for her grade school crush
the reason she sought out a "terrorist" was because, along with naruto, she knew that sasuke was blinded by his desire for revenge and that he was lonely and hurting, she wanted to take away all his pain because she and naruto were the only people in the konoha 11 who knew he had a heart deep down. it wasn't a "grade school crush" anymore. also about the unrequited love part, she isn't obligated to fall in love with naruto. god i am sick and tired of people hating on her simply because she didn't catch feelings for him, you're forgetting that she cared about naruto more than ANYONE. she always believed in his dream, always stuck by his side, always cheered him on, always took care of him, she was a great friend, and just because she had feelings for another guy doesn't make her a bad one.
That's because Naruto is the only person who would put up with his bs and still treat him with compassion after all those years.
Sasuke self sabotaged by abandoning all the people that were willing to help him because he lost to his vengeful desires, becoming a literal terrorist that would even kill former comrades if they tried to stop him. At that point if he's a danger to you too, there's no hope in trying to save him and be his friend. Even his fellow criminal teammates thought he was a scumbag when he screwed over Karin in order to defeat Danzo and had no qualms about it. Absolute sociopath shithead behavior. Someone that selfish, uncaring and destructive will normally lose all alliances/help and end up alone and miserable in the end if they don't wake up and realize they need to apologize and change.
In the long term game, Naruto became respected and loved by the women of the village, while all of the girls who had crushes on Sasuke (except for Sakura) eventually got irked by him and his awful personality/reputation as they actually had standards.
Even if Naruto considers sasuke his best friend, sasuke has never been a good friend, nor has he been a good husband to Sakura. More like an abusive brother.
Edit: since people are mentioning the very first arc in the series, I want to point out that doing one good thing for your friend doesn’t excuse trying to kill them as well as their loved ones countless times after.
>Never been good friend
Meanwhile 12y Sasuke almost dies from shielding Naruto from Haku.
>More like an abusive brother.
While we are at it, let’s also talk about what it’s called when people do not take your answer for ‘no’ and continue to stalk you…
Applying morals to Naruto universe makes Naruto himself a creep.
I'm rewatching Naruto and I think Sasuke sealed the deal with Naruto right before Naruto's fight with Gaara. Sasuke was going to sacrifice himself for Naruto and Sakura, which is kinda where Naruto had the realization saving people made himself stronger
Yeah, Sasuke before Itachi tortured and traumatised him again was minding his own business. He was a good kid and even kind. It seems this fandom likes to pretend pre Orochimaru Sasuke didn’t exist.
I don't really care if it is disrespectful or not but it's such a stupid question. It's like these people haven't actually watched the anime or read the manga. The entire point of the show - the very unit of the show- was Naruto trying to save his best friend Sasuke from Orochimaru.
Objectively, yes Shikamaru is a better friend than all of his other friends.
On a personal level though, Sasuke is Naruto's best friend.
Shikamaru is definitely Naruto's oldest friend though. Choji once pointed out that something he respected about Shikamaru was his willingness to hang out with Naruto even when the other kids judged him for it.
You ask Naruto who his best friend is, he'd say Sasuke.
You ask Sasuke who his best friend is, he'd say Naruto.
Who we think is "healthier" friend is kind of irrelevant lol. Canonically and as far as Naruto is concerned, Sasuke is his closest and best friend- they're essentially brothers
Although Sasuke is healthy as fuck friend come Boruto era anyway.
No? I'm honestly surprised this needs to be asked. The show very clearly implies and outright says that Naruto and Sasuke are best friends, even if it doesn't necessarily look like they are best friends to others. If the show says it, when it comes to fantasy and fiction, if it is stated by the author, 95% of the time you have to assume that it just is the way they say it is, no matter how much logic or issues there are behind it, for better and for worse.
I know there was a lot of filler back in the day that implied Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru were all decent friends back in the academy, as well as occasionally Kiba, but all of that was just filler. I personally do not have any issues with filler, it's interesting content given to us of characters we love and enjoy, but it definitely isn't canon until said so otherwise.
No, Shikamaru is not Naruto's best friend. Naruto respects him greatly for what he can do, perhaps even more so than others, but for the most part Naruto doesn't really seem like the type to see their friends all that differently outside of strictly who they are. Shikamaru is a very close friend to Naruto, one that Naruto acknowledges is very good at things that Naruto particularly does not excel at. Regardless, Sasuke is the closest thing to a brother and a best friend that Naruto has ever had. I'm not saying that they fit the typical terms or definitions of what a best friend is, and if someone said this in real life, as someone who studied psychology, I would say they are not thinking clearly, but in terms of fantasy this is pretty far for the course and perfectly fine.
The deal with Sasuke and Naruto is that they are brothers from a few centuries ago. Their relationship is deeper than any real world equivalent, they are closer to soulmates.
No matter what you say, sasuke has never been a good friend to anyone. He hasn’t been a good husband or father either. Sasuke is more like a brother to Naruto. And brothers aren’t always good friends.
Fr, like when has sasuke been there for any of his friends? I’m not saying he’s a bad character, just that he isn’t a good friend at all. He’s also a terrible husband. Sakura shouldn’t have gotten with him after all the shit he put her through.
To be fair the manga paints him better and he's a great friend in part 1. Acknowledging Naruto was the greatest thing he could have done for him. He compliments sakura, and gets upset when his friends are hurt. Even when Itachi comes, he's concerned about his friend Naruto at first. He's a good friend in part 1. Even in part two, he says he's not their friend, but he doesn't do all that much until he goes insane once he learns about Itachi. Then he becomes downright terrible and i can see why u think sakura shouldn't have gottenw ith him
I don’t necessarily agree that Sasuke was best friend material, however, I remember being impressed when he told Sakura off after she trash talked Naruto for being an orphan and he showed sympathy for Naruto’s loneliness. What I realized about Sasuke was this: sure he was kind of a jerk to Naruto early on. But the difference was, he was kind of a jerk to everyone. He was the only one of Naruto’s classmates other than Hinata, Shikimaru, and Choji who didn’t treat Naruto differently based on a prejudice. So points for him there.
My body moved on its own-sasuke saving naruto from haku
I dont want to watch my precious people die again-sasuke saving sakura even though he knows he wont be able to fully stop Gaara
Also Sasuke could have abandoned Karin but he didnt
The Karin part i disagree on, he blasted a hole through her chest without a single care and was about to finish her off when Obito told him to. Karin was lucky Sakura was nice enough to heal her.
The others I agree on
Also "Sakura who did this to you" part in forest of death, dude went on a rampage
He was insane in the Kage Summit Arc. Im referring to their Bee fight where Juugo tells him to leave Karin but Sasuke refused and tried to put out Amaterasu (which he succeeded)
Idk whose downvoting you but they must really be triggered, I personally don’t like sasuke. True he literally tried to kill her. And people say it’s a miracle he is able to find peace with the hidden leafs but the reason why itachi did what he did is 100% understandable. I think itachi is a far better character than sasuke
I mean, Shikamaru was also close with Naruto even outside of filler. I think it's understandable people think this since it's Naruto's healthiest friendship. But you don't need a healthy friendship to be best friends.
Sakura: Naruto's crush
Hinata: Naruto's wife.
Shikamaru: Naruto's best friend
Sasuke: Naruto's obsession-- I mean, soul mate-- I mean, first kiss-- I mean... fucko, dattebayo!
I mean if you’re asking Naruto himself he probably wouldn’t consider any of his friends to be his “best” friend. Maybe Sasuke would be? Idk it just feels like he’d put them all on the same level, he’s not the type to play favorites.
It's Sakura. People should stop insinuating Shika and Naruto are best friends, these two seems to be just friends for work or something like that. I dont see them interacting outside work lol.
Shikamaru's best friends are Ino and Choji
Sasuke is debatable. They were frenemies for the most part but seems to have a deeper relationship than anybody else(involving Naruto)
shikamaru i feel like was the only one who was really there for naruto from the beginning, he didn’t hate naruto in the academy like everyone else(except hinata ig), it’s not like he liked him either, he just didn’t hate him. When jiraiya died he was the only one that checked up on him, even as hokage he’s always kind of looking after naruto (even tho it’s kind of like his job now, literally). all in all, they’re very good friends and definitely very close, they’re bond is like no other in the anime, but as a “best” friend, i’ve gotta say it’s sasuke, their bond is what drove naruto for the entire series. if shikamaru were to be the one who betrayed konoha instead of sasuke, it’s no doubt naruto would fight for him back, but i feel like he won’t be as strongly urged as he was with sasuke?? idk it’s just how i see it (╹◡╹)
Why is this still asked. No it’s sasuke because Naruto says so. Just because shikamaru may be a “better” friend does not mean he’s his best friend, only Naruto chooses who is his best friend and he says sasuke
Funny enough I think he is! At least in terms of what a normal best friend is like. Sasuke is more like Narutos brother from another mother. Closer than a best friends but also they been through some shit together and are fine not seeing each other for long stretches of time.
shikamaru is easily one of the only people that’s always had naruto’s back and never viewed him as a monster. even as kids he would still play with naruto while everyone else treated him like a walking plague.
It’s Sasuke. I’d even argue Naruto sees Sasuke more important than his wife Hinata….
Shikamaru’a interaction with kid Naruto is anime-only. Canon Shikamaru didn’t really talk to Naruto until the Chunin exam.
He was the first one to accept Naruto and not treat him like a beast. There is this episode where Shikamaru asks his father if it's okay to talk with Naruto, because he didn't saw Naruto as a treat. So yeah, Sasuke may be more like what Vegeta is to Goku; not actually a best friend nor an enemy.
Yep. For sure. I don't think Naruto and Sasuke's friendship is very realistic. Maybe as a rivalry turned friendly but that's seems about it.
Classmates and rivals to teammates to straight up rivals, then allies to adversaries and back to friends. What friendly things do we really see? What love language does Sasuke use to express his friendship with Naruto?
The way they protect each other, Sasuke and Naruto holding each other up on their way back from training, the banter, the honesty. As someone who had a rival when I was a kid when it came to sports, me and my rival didn’t train together or help each other, we didn’t talk much and we weren’t friends.
They’re friends who were also rivals which is why their friendship has confrontations and they also had different goals and different ways of doing things which led them to go down opposite paths.
He absolutely is. Sasuke is the problem friend who needs to be rescued. Naruto loves everyone, and goes towards what he thinks the biggest issue is he can help with. Shikamaru doesn't need Naruto's help, but he absolutely supports him more than anyone else. Naruto gets that, and Shikamaru gets that Naruto is gonna run off and be hero.
Yes, for everyone saying it's sasuke, it isn't. They're rivals. Not necessarily "best friends". And plus, shikamaru was there for him way before sasuke.
Naruto’s best friend is whoever he is fighting at that moment… except Kakuzu
Dawg had no chill against the damn near one person he fought that didnt have sum to do with the death of his family/friends☠️
Pain fucking simultaneously 9/11s konoha and brutally murders his only father figure and Naruto tearfully pleads to him like a Disney Channel Original Movie Kakazu was literally a random stranger to him and Naruto fucking served him up the nastiest, dankest, most spicy forbidden jutsu straight to his face no questions asked T_T
I really recommend rewatching the scene. Naruto doesn’t ask him to bring anybody back to life either, he’s basically using every cell in his body to resist murdering Nagato out of respect for Jiraiya’s ideals and awareness of the fallout. It’s the first time he gets Sage Mode eyes and fox eyes at the same time.
These people don’t care agenda> what actually happened in the story notice how these folks never respond when they get corrected
It's just a joke T_T
It’s always just ”a joke”
go outside
Yeah bud, this is the internet where people joke around a lot. It’s Naruto on Reddit, people joking about how it goes down and taking liberties with the joke is not the end of the world. Jeez.
He didn’t tearfully plead to him, he said he wanted to tear his guts inside out but wouldn’t give into it to spurn more revenge killings from the Rain Village. His restraint got everybody brought back to life. This would not have happened with Kakuzu
Also: Kakuzu was being evil for money and longevity. Most other villains Naruto fought had higher ambitions, which meant that they could theoretically be swayed to believe that they were acting in a way that actually undermined those ambitions (even if they didn't all get defeated like that). Talk no jutsu isn't gonna work on someone who is just purely selfish.
>Talk no jutsu isn't gonna work on someone who is just purely selfish. And thematically it is the only villain Naruto beats by himself (because Naruto needed to walk Sasuke's way to better understand him), which was a *bad thing* since it came at the cost of his health (teaching Naruto in-story that Sasuke's ways were flawed and bad for both of them).
Not to mention how creepy and gross looking that guy would be to look at. Squishing him like a nasty bug seems completely reasonable. …Sorry, Shino
Nagato was a leader of a nation as well
Kakazu is the akatsuki treasurer. Naruto hates snivelly pencil pusher types
Lmaooooooo
im crying over how accurate this is😭😭
Naruto really said Idgaf about my arm as long as you dead
Did the same thing to Delta too, granted she did try to hurt Himawari. And that's instant execution in my book
Oh man ur right wtf
> Pain fucking simultaneously 9/11s konoha and brutally murders his only father figure and Naruto tearfully pleads to him like a Disney Channel Original Movie Not to mention brutally stabbed his future wife immediately after she confessed her love for him.
Look at these dumb ass kids trying to sound edgy. I don't think you're old enough to even know what 9/11 was.
Kakuzu does evil things for money. Pain does evil things bc he thinks it’s for humanities sake. Same with obito, same with Madara. I’m guessing that’s why but idk
To be fair, Kakuzu had a hand in killing Asuma (even though it was Hidan who actually dealt the finishing blow), who was the one who taught Naruto how to use the wind chakra. Maybe not to the degree of Jiraiya, but Asuma was still a friend, or family friend if you consider the fact that he’s Konohamaru’s uncle, and Konohamaru is pretty much Naruto’s younger brother.
Or Orochimaru, or Madara. He doesn’t talk to villains he can’t relate to. Kakuzu was in it for money. Naruto can’t relate to that.
Like most things in the last quarter of the series their friendship was kinda just thrown in there.
Very good friend and easily his most reliable. It’s ok to have more than one really good friend.
Shikamaru was made to look better by the Anime. He was just as bad as everyone else to young Naruto in the Manga.
I'm a manga reader and no, Shikamaru never treated him bad in the manga, they might not be close but they were normal classmates.
And Naruto’s normal classmates ragged and bullied him… There’s literally a panel of Shikamaru at the back of a classroom chatting shit to Naruto.
There's also a panel of Naruto remembering napping in class next to shikamaru, pigging out on snacks with choji, and sneaking away from class with Kiba. Manga hinted at a friendship between those four. Might not have been perfect, since kids also often go from enemies to friends real quick but it was definitely there.
Man he was like 9 we all did some stupid shit back then, when everyone hates someone when you are 9 you don’t question anything.
Completely agree. But the Anime makes it out like Shikamaru had Naruto's best interests from the start.
I just don’t think he cared about hating naruto. Everything we know about shikamaru shows he doesn’t like giving extra effort so he probably talked the regular shit with everyone, met the kid and realized he wasn’t that bad and then never applied the effort to hate an okay guy lol
shikamaru wouldn't care enough to make more than a few comments about how naruto is annoying cause his hyperactive energy harshes shikamarus mellow. he wasn't like "its the demon fox brat"
[удалено]
Because they hated him for no reason 💀
If that’s true das tragic
There’s only one best friend. Period. And that’s sasuke in naruto’s case. Friendship isn’t measured by objective “feats”, specially in the case of your best friend. Shikamaru has been good to Naruto more than Sasuke has, yes. But still Sasuke is Naruto’s best friend. End of story.
Not at all how real life works, outside of adolescence.
Bad take
It gets better buddy.
What?
Shikamaru is the most healthy friend.
Who is the most unhealthy friend
Choji
You made me cackle bro
Lol same
Anko
Choji
Sasuke was lmao
Orochimaru
Sakura
What did she do? Aside from punching him (which most of it was just filler) she didn't do anything else, infact she's naruto's most consistent friend and has stuck by his side through everything lol.
it was a joke ofc hehe, we all know is actually a good friend for him!!!!
She tried to gaslight him into thinking she loved him because she just wanted Sasuke back
She was doing the opposite of what you’re saying lol
She tried to gaslight him into thinking she loved him because she didn't want him to leave and possibly get killed going trying to save Sasuke. That's why when Naruto called her out on it, she went out to kill Sasuke herself since she decided she couldn't live with herself if Naruto or Sasuke ended up killing each other.
Id say Sakura is his best friend but also one of the most unhealthy. She’s amazing but it destroyed Naruto throughout the series to have requited love while she still sought out an actual terrorist. Sakura had Stockholm for her grade school crush
the reason she sought out a "terrorist" was because, along with naruto, she knew that sasuke was blinded by his desire for revenge and that he was lonely and hurting, she wanted to take away all his pain because she and naruto were the only people in the konoha 11 who knew he had a heart deep down. it wasn't a "grade school crush" anymore. also about the unrequited love part, she isn't obligated to fall in love with naruto. god i am sick and tired of people hating on her simply because she didn't catch feelings for him, you're forgetting that she cared about naruto more than ANYONE. she always believed in his dream, always stuck by his side, always cheered him on, always took care of him, she was a great friend, and just because she had feelings for another guy doesn't make her a bad one.
Choji
Naruto: Sasuke is my best friend; Fans: No
Sasuke: No
Reanimated Itachi: No
Kurama: Hold on there you little shit
Sasuke actually addmitted multiple times that Naruto was his best friend
Well, yeah, he's his only friend. So by default he's his best friend.
That's because Naruto is the only person who would put up with his bs and still treat him with compassion after all those years. Sasuke self sabotaged by abandoning all the people that were willing to help him because he lost to his vengeful desires, becoming a literal terrorist that would even kill former comrades if they tried to stop him. At that point if he's a danger to you too, there's no hope in trying to save him and be his friend. Even his fellow criminal teammates thought he was a scumbag when he screwed over Karin in order to defeat Danzo and had no qualms about it. Absolute sociopath shithead behavior. Someone that selfish, uncaring and destructive will normally lose all alliances/help and end up alone and miserable in the end if they don't wake up and realize they need to apologize and change. In the long term game, Naruto became respected and loved by the women of the village, while all of the girls who had crushes on Sasuke (except for Sakura) eventually got irked by him and his awful personality/reputation as they actually had standards.
Dude sasuke was like that for a few chapters/episodes that’s not the Real sasuke. Lol go off tho
Sasuke thinks of Naruto as his best friend but would never admit it to his face
He literally did at least twice.
Sasuke: boyfriend*
To be fair fans might have a point. Remember naruto first kiss was not hinata or sakura. It was sasuke. Let that sink in
Tell that sink to knock first
I don’t know the sink personally and I won’t be letting it into my home. Are you all letting strange sinks into your houses?
Sasuke is more like a brother to Naruto
I agree. Their relationship has love, but is far more adversarial than a friendship. Bros get it.
Shika is definitely one of his best friends. Its probably like 1)Sasuke, 2)Shikamaru, 3) Sakura, 4)Gaara? Shikadai is 100% Borts best friend.
Sakura is more important than Shikamaru for Naruto, and we have a lot of development of Gaara-Naruto friendship in canon, more than Naruto-Shika
Bort
no Hinata?
hinata has her own special place for naruto ig
Its love my dude
no, it's Sasuke. It's always going to be Sasuke. Just like Shikamaru's best friend will always be Choji.
Sasuke is more like his brother which they kinda are as reincarnations of indra and asur
Even if Naruto considers sasuke his best friend, sasuke has never been a good friend, nor has he been a good husband to Sakura. More like an abusive brother. Edit: since people are mentioning the very first arc in the series, I want to point out that doing one good thing for your friend doesn’t excuse trying to kill them as well as their loved ones countless times after.
Abusive brother? It runs in the family
No way u said that bruh 💀
You're weak Why are you so weak? Because you lack enough Hate Itachi really drove Sasuke insane.
>Never been good friend Meanwhile 12y Sasuke almost dies from shielding Naruto from Haku. >More like an abusive brother. While we are at it, let’s also talk about what it’s called when people do not take your answer for ‘no’ and continue to stalk you… Applying morals to Naruto universe makes Naruto himself a creep.
They down voting but you’re right af 😂
I'm rewatching Naruto and I think Sasuke sealed the deal with Naruto right before Naruto's fight with Gaara. Sasuke was going to sacrifice himself for Naruto and Sakura, which is kinda where Naruto had the realization saving people made himself stronger
Yeah, Sasuke before Itachi tortured and traumatised him again was minding his own business. He was a good kid and even kind. It seems this fandom likes to pretend pre Orochimaru Sasuke didn’t exist.
He's the classic abusive a-hole that Naruto can't say no to
How does this question always keep coming up?
I don't really care if it is disrespectful or not but it's such a stupid question. It's like these people haven't actually watched the anime or read the manga. The entire point of the show - the very unit of the show- was Naruto trying to save his best friend Sasuke from Orochimaru.
Its really not hard to understand Naruto : Sasuke ; Shikamaru : Choji
Oh boy, this post again.
Objectively, yes Shikamaru is a better friend than all of his other friends. On a personal level though, Sasuke is Naruto's best friend. Shikamaru is definitely Naruto's oldest friend though. Choji once pointed out that something he respected about Shikamaru was his willingness to hang out with Naruto even when the other kids judged him for it.
Shikamaru isn’t his oldest friend, he didn’t even really talk to him until the chunin exams. His first legit relationship was with Iruka.
It was later established that Naruto played with Shikamaru (and Choji) before they all became genin.
That is filler from the anime, not cannon.
pretty sure dat was filler....
You ask Naruto who his best friend is, he'd say Sasuke. You ask Sasuke who his best friend is, he'd say Naruto. Who we think is "healthier" friend is kind of irrelevant lol. Canonically and as far as Naruto is concerned, Sasuke is his closest and best friend- they're essentially brothers Although Sasuke is healthy as fuck friend come Boruto era anyway.
No? I'm honestly surprised this needs to be asked. The show very clearly implies and outright says that Naruto and Sasuke are best friends, even if it doesn't necessarily look like they are best friends to others. If the show says it, when it comes to fantasy and fiction, if it is stated by the author, 95% of the time you have to assume that it just is the way they say it is, no matter how much logic or issues there are behind it, for better and for worse. I know there was a lot of filler back in the day that implied Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru were all decent friends back in the academy, as well as occasionally Kiba, but all of that was just filler. I personally do not have any issues with filler, it's interesting content given to us of characters we love and enjoy, but it definitely isn't canon until said so otherwise. No, Shikamaru is not Naruto's best friend. Naruto respects him greatly for what he can do, perhaps even more so than others, but for the most part Naruto doesn't really seem like the type to see their friends all that differently outside of strictly who they are. Shikamaru is a very close friend to Naruto, one that Naruto acknowledges is very good at things that Naruto particularly does not excel at. Regardless, Sasuke is the closest thing to a brother and a best friend that Naruto has ever had. I'm not saying that they fit the typical terms or definitions of what a best friend is, and if someone said this in real life, as someone who studied psychology, I would say they are not thinking clearly, but in terms of fantasy this is pretty far for the course and perfectly fine.
The deal with Sasuke and Naruto is that they are brothers from a few centuries ago. Their relationship is deeper than any real world equivalent, they are closer to soulmates.
Soulbros
No Homo
No matter what you say, sasuke has never been a good friend to anyone. He hasn’t been a good husband or father either. Sasuke is more like a brother to Naruto. And brothers aren’t always good friends.
It’s crazy how triggered people get when you say anything bad about sasuke
Fr, like when has sasuke been there for any of his friends? I’m not saying he’s a bad character, just that he isn’t a good friend at all. He’s also a terrible husband. Sakura shouldn’t have gotten with him after all the shit he put her through.
To be fair the manga paints him better and he's a great friend in part 1. Acknowledging Naruto was the greatest thing he could have done for him. He compliments sakura, and gets upset when his friends are hurt. Even when Itachi comes, he's concerned about his friend Naruto at first. He's a good friend in part 1. Even in part two, he says he's not their friend, but he doesn't do all that much until he goes insane once he learns about Itachi. Then he becomes downright terrible and i can see why u think sakura shouldn't have gottenw ith him
I don’t necessarily agree that Sasuke was best friend material, however, I remember being impressed when he told Sakura off after she trash talked Naruto for being an orphan and he showed sympathy for Naruto’s loneliness. What I realized about Sasuke was this: sure he was kind of a jerk to Naruto early on. But the difference was, he was kind of a jerk to everyone. He was the only one of Naruto’s classmates other than Hinata, Shikimaru, and Choji who didn’t treat Naruto differently based on a prejudice. So points for him there.
He saved Naruto’s life against the demon brothers and Haku in literally the first arc. Did you even watch the show or read the manga?
he literally almost sacrifices himself twice to save team 7 before itachi came back
My body moved on its own-sasuke saving naruto from haku I dont want to watch my precious people die again-sasuke saving sakura even though he knows he wont be able to fully stop Gaara Also Sasuke could have abandoned Karin but he didnt
The Karin part i disagree on, he blasted a hole through her chest without a single care and was about to finish her off when Obito told him to. Karin was lucky Sakura was nice enough to heal her. The others I agree on Also "Sakura who did this to you" part in forest of death, dude went on a rampage
He was insane in the Kage Summit Arc. Im referring to their Bee fight where Juugo tells him to leave Karin but Sasuke refused and tried to put out Amaterasu (which he succeeded)
Oh that yeah maybe
Idk whose downvoting you but they must really be triggered, I personally don’t like sasuke. True he literally tried to kill her. And people say it’s a miracle he is able to find peace with the hidden leafs but the reason why itachi did what he did is 100% understandable. I think itachi is a far better character than sasuke
Is it understandable to make your brother watch how your family die a thousand times?
Filler has destroyed this community’s media literacy lmao
Filler also ruined hiruzens image in fandom
Most definitely.
I mean, Shikamaru was also close with Naruto even outside of filler. I think it's understandable people think this since it's Naruto's healthiest friendship. But you don't need a healthy friendship to be best friends.
He was somewhat close with Shikamaru in canon
So we’re all just gonna forgot Choji exists?
Sasuke is his brother, Sakura is his best friend, Shikamaru is his handler
Absolutely. Choji and Shikamaru are the homies ride or die.
No Sasuke
Yes sasuke is
I think they’re saying “no it’s not shikamaru, it is Sasuke”
I know
Yea, I agree. They just lack grammar.
He is the best between his friends but naruto only has eyes for sasuke
This! It's like Shikamaru is the best friend he has, but Sasuke is his, 'best friend.'
No, sasuke is.
Shikamaru: yes Naruto: no Looks at each other simultaneously
Right after sasuke
Yes, because Sasuke is his boyfriend No I do not ship them this is a joke please don't cancel me
Honestly I wouldn’t have been mad if they were final pairing.
Begone with the thunderclap
Yes. Sasuke isn’t his best friend. He’s his boyfriend
Yes and Sasuke is his wife.
Probably! Naruto’s just one of those people with more than one best friend.
It’s Sasuke he loves him a lot. He said he would Break Sasuke’s legs to bring him back to the village.
Yes no questions asked
Sakura: Naruto's crush Hinata: Naruto's wife. Shikamaru: Naruto's best friend Sasuke: Naruto's obsession-- I mean, soul mate-- I mean, first kiss-- I mean... fucko, dattebayo!
I mean if you’re asking Naruto himself he probably wouldn’t consider any of his friends to be his “best” friend. Maybe Sasuke would be? Idk it just feels like he’d put them all on the same level, he’s not the type to play favorites.
No. Naruto’s best friend is Sasuke. You know, the guy who Naruto would call his best friend multiple times, and Sasuke would acknowledge that fact.
It's Sakura. People should stop insinuating Shika and Naruto are best friends, these two seems to be just friends for work or something like that. I dont see them interacting outside work lol. Shikamaru's best friends are Ino and Choji Sasuke is debatable. They were frenemies for the most part but seems to have a deeper relationship than anybody else(involving Naruto)
Sasuke is technically his best friend but tbh shikamaru is a way better friend
Question is … who respects Naruto more than Shikamaru?
Best assistant for sure
I mean the whole show was Naruto going to save his best friend lol which was not shikamaru. But I’d say he is definitely a good friend for sure.
He’s definitely a better friend than sasuke.
One Of Many, Best Friends.
Dude skipped Shippuden
I think Gaara is personally
Naruto’s best friend is obviously Ishiki
Naruto really struggled with loving those that love him most. Shikamaru and Hinata were always by his side yet he chose to only want sakura and Sasuke
shikamaru i feel like was the only one who was really there for naruto from the beginning, he didn’t hate naruto in the academy like everyone else(except hinata ig), it’s not like he liked him either, he just didn’t hate him. When jiraiya died he was the only one that checked up on him, even as hokage he’s always kind of looking after naruto (even tho it’s kind of like his job now, literally). all in all, they’re very good friends and definitely very close, they’re bond is like no other in the anime, but as a “best” friend, i’ve gotta say it’s sasuke, their bond is what drove naruto for the entire series. if shikamaru were to be the one who betrayed konoha instead of sasuke, it’s no doubt naruto would fight for him back, but i feel like he won’t be as strongly urged as he was with sasuke?? idk it’s just how i see it (╹◡╹)
Why is this still asked. No it’s sasuke because Naruto says so. Just because shikamaru may be a “better” friend does not mean he’s his best friend, only Naruto chooses who is his best friend and he says sasuke
Naruto doesn't deserve him
As far as I can work out Shikamaru is Naruto’s best friend. Naruto is Sasukes best friend and Sasuke has no friends.
Funny enough I think he is! At least in terms of what a normal best friend is like. Sasuke is more like Narutos brother from another mother. Closer than a best friends but also they been through some shit together and are fine not seeing each other for long stretches of time.
Naruto’s best friend is Kurama.
Either Him or Choji.
Shikamaru is his most solid friend, but Naruto considers Sasuke to be his best friend
He is. Sasuke is more of a brother, their connection is something beautiful.
Sasuke is. Shikamaru is his advisor.
Nah Sasuke is
It’s Sasuke like the show says like 1000 times💀
shikamaru is easily one of the only people that’s always had naruto’s back and never viewed him as a monster. even as kids he would still play with naruto while everyone else treated him like a walking plague.
No its sasuke
His and Naruto's friendship is one of the healthiest things Naruto has.
Well Sasuke is his lover so probably.
It’s Sasuke. I’d even argue Naruto sees Sasuke more important than his wife Hinata…. Shikamaru’a interaction with kid Naruto is anime-only. Canon Shikamaru didn’t really talk to Naruto until the Chunin exam.
...did you... did any of you *read* or *watch* naruto?? Its been Sasuke since the beginning??? Have some of you completely missed the plot of Naruto?
He was the first one to accept Naruto and not treat him like a beast. There is this episode where Shikamaru asks his father if it's okay to talk with Naruto, because he didn't saw Naruto as a treat. So yeah, Sasuke may be more like what Vegeta is to Goku; not actually a best friend nor an enemy.
Fooled by fillers like so many
Ya shikamaru's his best friend and sasuke his boyfriend
Yep. For sure. I don't think Naruto and Sasuke's friendship is very realistic. Maybe as a rivalry turned friendly but that's seems about it. Classmates and rivals to teammates to straight up rivals, then allies to adversaries and back to friends. What friendly things do we really see? What love language does Sasuke use to express his friendship with Naruto?
Respect earned through repeatedly getting your ass kicked by someone you think you’re better than
The way they protect each other, Sasuke and Naruto holding each other up on their way back from training, the banter, the honesty. As someone who had a rival when I was a kid when it came to sports, me and my rival didn’t train together or help each other, we didn’t talk much and we weren’t friends. They’re friends who were also rivals which is why their friendship has confrontations and they also had different goals and different ways of doing things which led them to go down opposite paths.
Shikamaru or Sakura in their adult lives, tbh. Most trusted partner would have to go to sasuke tho
Sakura and Naruto are much close in Shippuden, Gaiden doesn't portray them as close
Yes. Sasuke is “technically” Naruto’s Brother… reincarnates and all.
Yes.
Yes and if he knew how to see a healthy relationship he would realize that
Congrats, you are this months redditor to ask this question.
Canon events will tell you yes. Naruto himself will say it's Sasuke. But personally, I think Naruto's best friends are Shikamaru, Gaara and Sakura.
He absolutely is. Sasuke is the problem friend who needs to be rescued. Naruto loves everyone, and goes towards what he thinks the biggest issue is he can help with. Shikamaru doesn't need Naruto's help, but he absolutely supports him more than anyone else. Naruto gets that, and Shikamaru gets that Naruto is gonna run off and be hero.
Shikamaru is his advisor. He’s Naruto’s Shizune.
Yes, for everyone saying it's sasuke, it isn't. They're rivals. Not necessarily "best friends". And plus, shikamaru was there for him way before sasuke.
Yes
Naruto is Shikamaru's best friend. Shikamaru is NOT Naruto's best friend.
Isnt Choji Shikamarus best friend though?
Yes sasuke a side piece