Personality
Naruto's Ninja Registration Form photograph.
Naruto is exuberant, brash, inattentive, and heedless to formality or social standings. He inherited his catch-phrase "Dattebayo!" (!) from his mother, who would say "(da)ttebane" (()) when excited or frustrated.[19] Naruto has a number of childish traits, like keeping his money in a chubby, green-frog wallet he affectionately calls "Gama-chan",[20] being a very picky eater (he almost exclusively eats ramen and is a frequent customer at the Ramen Ichiraku), and being afraid of ghosts. He is also somewhat perverted, something he tends to be reprimanded for by Sakura Haruno and Iruka, but has only become even more so after meeting his mentor Jiraiya, causing many to say that Jiraiya raised a perfect replica of himself.[21] However, whenever someone dear to him is in trouble or the situation calls for it, Naruto can be very serious, and will instantly try to come to their aid. According to Kakashi, Naruto learns through his body, as he is relatively naive, simple, and being slow to understand a principle or situation, which often requires an oversimplified analogy in order to grasp what is being explained to him.[22] Overall, Naruto responds best to competition and has a great deal of self-confidence, loudly proclaiming that he will master whatever technique he is learning within a fraction of the usual time,[23] though he doesn't hesitate to ask for help if he needs it.[24] While as naive as he appears to be throughout most of the series, Naruto has proven to have a keen eye to certain things most people don't see, showing that he can be smarter than what most people, especially Sakura, are willing to give him credit for when he wants to be, something even Chji comments on once in a while. This was shown when Naruto was the first to notice the differences in Sai's book,[25] later helped to decipher Jiraiya's dying message left from Fukasaku on his back and managed to help solve the message through Kakashi's Icha Icha book.[26] He is also quite observant in regards to other people's feelings (though he was oblivious of Hinata's love for him until she confessed her feelings to him) and is able to perceive the truth from people's intentions, such as when Sakura claimed she loved him and not Sasuke any more, Naruto immediately knew she was lying about how she felt, having witnessed her most extreme and inimitable signs of love for Sasuke.[27] Naruto also saw through Iruka's lie about a new wild creature on the Island Turtle they were on by remembering Motoi stating that B had tamed all the animals on the island.[28]
Naruto making a promise in the "nice guy" pose.
Due to the prejudice and loneliness he suffered in his childhood, Naruto developed a craving for acknowledgement. In order to achieve this, Naruto would pull pranks all around the village and even going far as strive for the title of Hokage. Even after graduating from the Academy, Naruto was still determined to be recognised, but as he made more and more connections with others, his reasons for wanting to become Hokage underwent a change, having less to do with the desire for recognition, and more to do with wanting the strength to protect his home and the people close to him. As noted by Tobi, Naruto possessed the Will of Fire, likening him to Hashirama Senju in this aspect.[29] Naruto's determination and drive strongly impacts the lives of those around him, even his enemies have been affected by his empathy. Both Kakashi and Temari referred to Naruto's amazing charisma as a "unique power" that allows him to change the worldly views of others for the better, usually by helping them regain the beliefs they lost due to certain tragedies they suffered.[30][31] Son Gok also thought of him as an open and honest person.[32] Like Guy and Rock Lee, when Naruto makes a promise, he assumes the "nice guy pose" and becomes dedicated to fulfilling it. When Sasuke defected from Konoha, Naruto made a "promise of a lifetime" to Sakura to bring him back, using the "nice guy pose".[33] Even Madara saw Naruto as the "heart" of the Shinobi Alliance, further proven when Naruto's senjutsu-enhanced Tailed Beast Mode combined with telepathy causes his emotions and personal memories to be transferred to everyone, he managed to reignite their fighting spirit after being demoralised by the Shinju where Hashirama couldn't.[34]. Hashirama goes as far as to stating that Naruto's feelings and past gave "hope" to the Shinobi Alliance.[35] Sasuke's defection shocked Naruto to his core, but he never wavered in his resolve to bring him back to Konoha. When his teacher Jiraiya was killed in battle by the Akatsuki leader Pain, he vowed vengeance against the man and left Konoha for a time to train in senjutsu.[36] Upon returning home after Pain destroyed the village and succumbing to rage, he met and spoke with his father, who explained to him the cycle of hatred and entrusted him with the duty of saving the ninja world from its hate.[37] After listening to Nagato's story of how hatred can shape a person and the world into darkness, Naruto vowed he would end the cycle of hatred and bring peace to the ninja world.[38] This decision, however, would come in direct opposition in his quest to bring Sasuke home, something that at first saddened him deeply.[39] Nevertheless, after meeting again in the Land of Iron, Naruto resolved that if he had to, he would fight and potentially kill his friend to end the cycle of hatred and save Sasuke from despair, even if it costs his own life.[40] When he discovered that the Fourth Shinobi World War had started, Naruto made it his mission to end the war all by himself, so no one else would suffer.[41] He continued to do so until his battle with the reincarnated Nagato and Itachi Uchiha. After the fight, even though Itachi acknowledged Naruto had become stronger, he explained to Naruto that if he continued to believe that he could do everything alone, he would become arrogant like Madara. Itachi also
said that if Naruto were to become Hokage, he should never forget his friends or do everything on his own.[42] Afterwards, Naruto acknowledged his shortcomings in his attempts to do things himself, and allowed others to help him instead of shouldering burdens himself. After exposing Tobi's identity as Obito Uchiha and expressing disapproval of his nihilistic outlook on life, Naruto declares to Obito that he would not let him kill any of his comrades.[43] As a result, Obito resolved to put both him and the Allied Shinobi Forces into the same despair he experienced, namely by killing one of Naruto's friends, Neji Hyga. This, along with Obito's diatribe towards Naruto and his beliefs, drove the young shinobi into a period of mental and emotional turmoil. Although nearly succumbing to Obito's temptation, Naruto was brought out of his depression by Hinata, who explained to him the meaning of Neji's last words that his life was not just his own, restoring his self-confidence as he thanked her for staying by his side.[44] Soon after, Naruto tells Kakashi and his comrades that he clearly understands that shinobi are meant to endure, believing that if remembering his friends was a curse, he would gladly shoulder that burden and keep the real Neji in his heart forever.[45] This shows how far Naruto has come as a shinobi and that he is above Obito's psychological warfare, telling him that unlike Obito, he wants to maintain the bonds he made with his friends. His dedication to his loved ones and comrades is so great, that even while fighting, his chakra responds to his subconscious desire to save them by healing them on its own.[46]
