Naruto is a franchise that, without a doubt, carries a massive legacy with it. Whether it be the anime or manga, fans around the globe are familiar with the shonen title and many of its characters – even if they’ve never taken the time to get invested in the story for themselves. One of the biggest draws for fans of the series, especially when Naruto was still ongoing, was which of the shinobi from Konoha and the other villages would end up pairing off with one another. Obviously, there are plenty of canon couples throughout Naruto that have earned the love – and ire – of fans, but there’s one couple who had immense potential that was never properly explored.
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Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead for Naruto’s Ending!
While Naruto ending up with Hinata was inevitable and Sakura and Sasuke being together obvious by the end of the manga, there were plenty of other characters in the cast that seemed to have decent chemistry with one another, whether or not they ended up together. Reflecting on some of the endgame romances, one of the biggest missed opportunities and couplings that had an intriguing storyline that followed their relationship was Ino and Choji. Team 10’s Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi had many moments in both pre and post-timeskip Naruto that suggested something of a “Don’t Judge a Book” storyline between the two that was unceremoniously dropped before the two ended up being paired off with completely different supporting characters, with Ino ending up with Sai and Karui from Kumogakure.
Ino & Choji’s Bond as Teammates Gave Them the Opportunity To Grow Together
Something about the dynamic between Ino and Choji that makes the ship so interesting is their growth and bond as teammates. In the earlier arcs of Naruto, Ino is depicted as having a mean girl persona. Like many of the other young girls in Konoha, she has a devastating crush on resident bad boy Sasuke and pits herself against other girls who have feelings for him. In the same way, she oftentimes acts disgusted by any other boys who don’t compose themselves as being the cool, silent type, and when she is initially put on Team 10 with Shikamaru and Choji, she couldn’t be more displeased by their personalities and appearances. But, as seen in small moments leading up to the Sasuke Retrieval arc, Ino starts to develop a soft spot for her teammates – especially Choji.
Despite Ino goading him by making fun of his appearance in the Chunin Exams arc to make him fight better, after the boys return from trying to change Sasuke’s mind in the Sasuke Retrieval arc, Ino is shown to genuinely care for and be concerned with Choji’s near-fatal injuries. It’s a small nod to her changing her behavior to not only be a better teammate but also a better friend. This chemistry continues going into post-timeskip Naruto, where, in the Five Kage Summit arc, news that Sasuke has become affiliated with the Akatsuki has made its way back to Konoha. After it’s suggested that Konoha eliminate Sasuke to prevent any further tragedies from befalling Konoha, Choji and Ino are seen together, with the kunoichi being devastated over the village’s decision while Choji does his best to comfort her.
This deep care for one another’s feelings persisted into the Shinobi World War arc. When Team 10 is forced to fight against a resurrected Asuma, Choji can’t emotionally or mentally bring himself to fight his former mentor. In an act of mercy and even love for her teammate, Ino uses her jutsu to transfer her consciousness into Choji in order to fight. Their dedicated moments together are few and far between, but it’s made abundantly clear throughout Naruto‘s run that in their time together, Ino and Choji have each helped the other in different ways. In Ino’s case, her friendship and camaraderie with Choji makes her far less shallow – even if she does still have an eye for pretty boys – and Ino’s eye for beauty seems to embolden Choji as the series goes on. It’s an incredible dynamic that works well with both of their characters, even if they aren’t cast members who are given much screen time compared to other couples in the series.
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Why InoCho Should Have Been Endgame
While, yes, Ino does have plenty of moments with Sai that justify the two of them getting together, much of the content of them together as a romantic pairing isn’t seen by audiences until well into the epilogue of the original series and their married life in Boruto. In a similar vein, Choji’s relationship with his wife, Karui, is almost exclusively seen in Boruto or other supplemental side stories. With that said, there’s no hard justification why these two wouldn’t have worked as a legitimate endgame pairing going into Naruto‘s finale, and in many ways, it would have been the better writing direction for both of them. As mentioned above, much of the symbolism surrounding Choji, butterflies, inner beauty, and confidence plays remarkably well into Ino’s own progression as a character. Ino progresses by learning to distance herself from the shallow, preconceived ideas she forms about other people before getting to know them properly.
It would have been an absolute delight to see these two develop a closer romantic bond with each other or even learning how to process their feelings and try to find the words to express themselves. It also could have made the dynamic of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio more complex going into Boruto with two of the families suddenly being unified by marriage. Better yet, it would have created an opportunity to see the child of Ino and Choji thrive in an environment built on self-love and embracing oneself to the fullest. There are just so many little narrative nods to the two developing a relationship that leans into being more than platonic that it is disappointing, albeit understandable, that they ended up being just friends by the end of the series.
