The official polling for the popularity of Naruto characters ended on Tuesday (31/1), and a formal announcement of the winners will be made next April. Fans were given the chance to vote for their favorite Naruto character since December 2020. The 20 characters with the most votes will receive new illustrations directly created by Naruto’s creator, Masashi Kishimoto. Meanwhile, the winner of this poll will get a short manga centered on themselves, and this is why fans rushed to vote for the character that piqued their interest.
With the closing of the polling, fans will have to wait for three months for the official announcement of the winner. The vote count is currently being carried out by the poll organizers. However, after the vote, fans can check out the top 10 characters who made it to the list. Here are the details:
10. Jiraiya
Jiraiya is one of the three legendary Sannin, and he is one of the most beloved characters in the series. He shaped Naruto’s personality while teaching him the Minato jutsu, the Rasengan. Until the end of the Naruto99 polling, Jiraiya was in 10th place. This was a drop from his previous position in 7th place, and he may even drop out of the top ten when the final results are announced.
9. Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha is the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan. He left Konoha to seek more power to kill his brother Itachi, and avenge his clan. Eventually, Naruto convinced him to come back to Konoha. In the polling, Sasuke was in 8th place, but he fell to 9th place when Naruto99 ended. It was quite surprising given his position as the deuteragonist of the series.
8. Sakumo Hatake
Sakumo Hatake, also known as the White Fang of Konoha, is Kakashi’s father. After being falsely accused by Hi no Kuni of neglecting an important mission, he committed suicide by choosing to save his teammate at the cost of the mission. Sakumo’s position in the top ten is a surprise, as he has never held such a high position before. Fans may have voted for him out of curiosity about his exploits.
7. Madara Uchiha
Madara Uchiha is the leader of the Uchiha clan, and he is also the rival of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. They both fought to control Konoha, and Madara planned to make the world fall under the Mugen Tsukuyomi. Like Sasuke Uchiha, Madara also fell one position in the polling. As one of the strongest shinobi and an iconic antagonist, fans might want to know more about him.
6. Naruto Uzumaki
The protagonist of the series, Naruto Uzumaki, is a jinchuriki of Kyuubi, with ambitions to become Konoha’s Hokage. Along the way, he spent several years trying to bring his friend Sasuke back to Konoha. Until the end of the voting process, Naruto ranked sixth, two spots down from his previous position. This is probably due to fans preferring to vote for supporting characters.
5. Kakashi Hatake
Kakashi Hatake is a former ANBU captain and Naruto’s mentor. He is known for his Sharingan and the lightning blade technique, which has helped him gain recognition as Konoha’s “Copy Ninja.” Kakashi remains one of the most beloved characters in the series, and he maintained his position from the previous polling.
Overall, fans of Naruto can now look forward to the official announcement of the winner this April. It is exciting to see who will be the most popular character from the series, and which characters will receive new illustrations from Kishimoto.
