Naruto Creator Reveals His Favorite Female Character

When it comes to Naruto, fans may have a hard time picking who their favorite female character is. While Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are the story’s de facto leads, the pair have supporting characters propping them up. Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten are just some of the female ninjas out there keeping their squads in line. Picking a favorite may be difficult, but it isn’t impossible; After all, the creator of Naruto seems to have a favorite in mind.

If you have ever wondered which female character Masashi Kishimoto is partial to, then you don’t have to wonder anymore. The beloved artist has revealed who his favorite girl is, and the answer lies with the Hyuga clan. Kishimoto’s favorite female character from the Naruto series is none other than Hinata.

The artist has praised the quiet ninja over the years, and Kishimoto’s tune as not changed with time. Last December, the creator was asked about her preference during a celebration for Naruto at Jump Festa. Kishimoto had this to say when he was asked about his favorite female character:

“Female characters… it feels kind of creepy to say I like a character that I made. I like them all. But I like Hinata.”

This is not the first time Kishimoto has shown his preference of Hinata to the public. Back in 2015, the artist told fans at New York Comic Con he had a soft spot for the heiress. “I’m kind of a little shy of having to mention a character that I myself created… Uhh… I guess maybe I should say Hinata. Yeah, I think I’ll go with Hinata,” Kishimoto told fans who attended his convention panel. When asked why Kishimoto preferred Hinata over other female characters, the artist laughed, saying, “I guess because she’s not violent at all.”

Sorry, Sakura. When it comes Kishimoto, the creator isn’t a big fan of your ‘shannaro’ spells, but that’s okay. Sasuke doesn’t seem to mind.

You can check out Viz Media’s synopsis of Naruto below:

“Naruto is a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He’s got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world’s greatest ninja!”

Author/artist Masashi Kishimoto was born in 1974 in rural Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Like many kids, he was first inspired to become a manga artist in elementary school when he read Dragon Ball. After spending time in art college, he won the Hop Step Award for new manga artists with his story Karakuri. After considering various genres for his next project, Kishimoto decided on a story steeped in traditional Japanese culture.

His first version of Naruto, drawn in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in the world. The series would also spawn multiple anime series, movies, novels, video games and more.

[HT] Tumblr, Viz