Naruto: Why Shikamaru Nara Is The Worst Hokage

by

This post contains spoilers for Naruto and Boruto.

With conflict and danger all around, strong leadership is crucial. Leaders need to guide and safeguard their people. In the anime Naruto, many villages rely on powerful leaders called Kage to protect them. The Hidden Leaf Village, for example, chooses a Hokage to fulfill this role.

Since the village began, eight people have served as Hokage, each risking their life to protect the villagers. The most recent Hokage is Shikamaru Nara, who took the position after Naruto retired. However, it’s quickly become apparent that Shikamaru is not performing well in the role – in fact, many believe he’s the worst Hokage yet.

Shikamaru Is Too Weak To Be The Hokage

Shikamaru Should Have Stayed As The Advisor

  • Shikamaru was not fit to become the Hokage
  • Ikemoto made the wrong choice

Past Hokage were all incredibly powerful, using their unique abilities to defeat enemies and keep the village safe. However, Shikamaru lacks that level of fighting strength. Throughout history, Hokage have consistently performed heroic feats – Hashirama, for example, used his Wood Release to defeat Madara Uchiha, who threatened the peace earned through great sacrifice. Beyond Hashirama, Hokage like Minato, Tsunade, Hiruzen, and Naruto have all bravely defended the village from significant dangers.

Shikamaru isn’t strong enough to handle the powerful enemies in the current Boruto storyline. The Otsutsuki clan is simply beyond his capabilities, rendering his Shadow Possession Jutsu ineffective. In a real fight, he wouldn’t stand a chance against them. The village elders made a mistake not choosing Sakura Haruno as Hokage instead. She has proven experience fighting Otsutsuki and a solid track record of success.

Shikamaru wouldn’t make a good Hokage for another key reason: he doesn’t truly represent the core values of the Hidden Leaf, known as the Will of Fire. This philosophy, started by Hashirama, has always been central to the village. While Shikamaru is dedicated, he’s more focused on strategic solutions and even revenge than on building peace through understanding and compassion. He prioritizes careful planning over the hopeful, loving approach that defines the Will of Fire.

Shikamaru Is Suited To Be An Advisor

Shikamaru’s cautious nature makes him an ideal advisor to the Hokage. He carefully considers all options and avoids unnecessary risks, unlike previous Hokage like Tobirama, Minato, and Hiruzen, who were willing to sacrifice themselves for others. Because of this, he’s better suited to supporting the Hokage than becoming one himself; staying in an advisory role is the best path for him.

Ikemoto Needs To Stop Making Bad Decisions

Shikamaru Nara is often considered one of the weakest Hokage, but the blame doesn’t lie with him. The real issue is with the writing in the Boruto series, specifically the work of author Ikemoto. While Ikemoto initially showed potential and gained some positive reception, the storyline quickly began to falter.

Shut Up About Destiny And How People Can’t Change!

Ikemoto started downplaying the accomplishments of iconic characters like Naruto, Sasuke, and Konohamaru to highlight the newer generation. While shifting focus to new characters is reasonable, there were definitely more respectful ways to achieve that.

Initially, there wasn’t a good reason to remove Kurama, the Nine-Tails. Kurama had been a companion to Naruto throughout his entire life, making him a valuable ally. Beyond that, Ikemoto chose to sideline Naruto by sealing him away, and despite many new chapters, there’s been no indication of his return to action. This felt particularly disheartening to fans.

Image by TopMob

Ikemoto’s handling of Sasuke hasn’t pleased fans either. He had Sasuke lose his incredibly powerful Rinnegan, using Momoshiki as the means to do so. Though Sasuke still possesses the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, the Rinnegan elevated him above most other characters. This, along with the way Naruto has been treated, has caused many fans to stop following the manga and anime, leading to lower sales. Luckily, the series can recover if Ikemoto gives Naruto and Sasuke more respect and actively involves them in the story. If that happens, fans would likely return.

Read More

2026-02-18 23:37