page:  = Shikamaru Nara = 
   
   Shikamaru Nara ( 奈良 シカマル , Nara Shikamaru ) is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto . In the anime and manga , Shikamaru is a ninja affiliated with the village of Konohagakure . He is a member of Team 10 , a group of ninja consisting of himself , Choji Akimichi , Ino Yamanaka , and team leader Asuma Sarutobi . Shikamaru is portrayed as a lazy character , unwilling to apply his prodigious intelligence ; Kishimoto has noted that he likes Shikamaru due to his easygoing nature . Outside of the Naruto anime and manga , Shikamaru has appeared in four of the feature films in the series , as well as several other media relating to the series , including video games and original video animations . 
   Numerous anime and manga publications have commented on Shikamaru 's character . Many reviewers commented on his laziness and intelligence , and noted his transformation into a leader ; Anime News Network celebrated Shikamaru 's emergence as " an unlikely hero " in the Naruto storyline . Shikamaru has also been highly popular with the Naruto reader base , placing high in several popularity polls . Merchandise based on Shikamaru has been released , including action figures , key chains , and patches . 
   
   = = Creation and conception = = 
   
   Masashi Kishimoto has noted that he likes Shikamaru due to his easygoing nature despite being a genius , and contrasted him against Sasuke Uchiha 's intelligent but abrasive personality . Kishimoto also comically remarked that he would marry Shikamaru if he were a girl , noting that Shikamaru would likely be successful in life . When designing Shikamaru 's Part II appearance , Kishimoto wanted to give Shikamaru a unique appearance despite drawing him with a vest that several other ninja wear in the series . As a result , he drew his forehead protector on his arm in order to not obscure his hair . 
   
   = = Appearances = = 
   
   
   = = = In Naruto = = = 
   
   Shikamaru first major appearance in the series is during the Chunin Exams , bi @-@ yearly exams for ninja who wish to advance in rank . He is part of Team 10 alongside Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka . He is a highly unenthusiastic person , and he attempts to go through life with minimum effort . Contrary to his lazy tendencies , Shikamaru is extremely intelligent ; his teacher , Asuma Sarutobi , determined that Shikamaru 's IQ was over 200 . Shikamaru 's abilities are based on the Shadow Imitation Technique ( 影真似の術 , Kagemane no Jutsu , English TV : " Shadow Possession Jutsu " ) , the signature technique of his clan , with which he merges his shadow with an opponent 's shadow , making them immobilized and forced to mimic Shikamaru 's movements . As the series progresses , Shikamaru becomes able to manipulate his shadow in new ways . By Part II of the series , Shikamaru is capable of utilizing multiple shadow @-@ based techniques at once and can lift his shadow from the ground in order to interact with physical objects ; for instance , he can pierce enemies with the shadow tendrils or use them to throw weapons . 
   Shikamaru approaches the exams with a sense of apathy ; when he battles the Sunagakure ninja Temari , he defeats her but forfeits his match to her , due to his chakra being low . Despite this loss , he is the only ninja among his peers to be promoted to the rank of Chunin , as the overseers of the exams were impressed by the insight and intelligence he demonstrated against Temari . As a Chunin , Shikamaru is appointed the leader of a team to prevent Sasuke Uchiha from defecting to the village of Otogakure . Although Shikamaru 's team manages to defeat the Otogakure ninja barring their way , Sasuke manages to escape . 
   In Part II of the series , Shikamaru is assigned the task of locating two members of the criminal organization Akatsuki . While his team manages to find their targets , the immortal Akatsuki member Hidan kills Asuma Sarutobi during the course of the battle despite Shikamaru 's best efforts . After Asuma 's funeral , Shikamaru sets out with the surviving members of Team 10 to avenge their mentor with the aid of Kakashi Hatake . As the other deal with Hidan 's partner Kakuzu , Shikamaru avenges Asuma by defeating Hidan and making sure the Akatsuki member 's body is never found . Following the fight , Shikamaru vows to protect Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma 's newborn daughter . He is later assigned to the Fourth Division alongside Temari and Chōji . He is named a proxy general under Gaara . In the series epilogue , stating his personal desire during the series of final battles , Shikamaru becomes advisor to the Seventh Hokage Naruto after marrying Temari and gaining a son in Shikadai Nara . 
   
   = = = Appearances in other media = = = 
   
   Besides the Naruto anime and manga , Shikamaru is featured in seven of the featured films in the series : in the second film , he aids Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno in fighting against Haido , a utopian idealist seeking to rule the world with a power called Gelel ; in the fourth , Shikamaru appears in a brief sequence , fighting against a large group of stone soldiers ; in the fifth , Shikamaru is sent alongside Kakashi and Sai in search of the base of the Land of Sky , who plans to invade Konoha ; in the sixth , Shikamaru , alongside Sakura and Sai battle the chimera beast summoned by Hiruko ; in the eight , Shikamaru participates in the battle against the demon Satori ; in the ninth , the Limited Tsukuyomi universe presents a portly Shikamaru , the exact opposite of his teammate , Choji , who becomes the team strategist instead ; and in the tenth , Shikamaru leads the team consisting of himself , Naruto , Sakura , Sai , and Hinata Hyuga that is sent to rescue Hinata 's younger sister , Hanabi , who was kidnapped by Toneri Otsutsuki . He is also present in the third original video animation , in which he participates in a tournament . Shikamaru is a playable character in nearly all Naruto video games , including the Clash of Ninja series and the Ultimate Ninja series . In some games , he utilizes variations of his Shadow Imitation Technique not seen in the anime or manga . Naruto Shippūden : Gekitō Ninja Taisen ! EX 2 marks the first appearance of Shikamaru in his Part II appearance in a video game . 
   A light novel titled Shikamaru Hiden : A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness , written by Takashi Yano and illustrated by Kishimoto , stars Shikamaru as the main character and narrator . The novel is set two years after the Fourth Ninja War , focusing on Shikamaru 's assignment as organizer of the newly formed Shinobi Union to capture a rogue ninja who rules over the distant Land of Silence and attempts to establish a new world order ruled by the common people . It also explores his growing relationship with Temari , culminating in him struggling to name his child with her , years after the end of the novel . 
   
   = = Reception = = 
   
   Shikamaru has ranked highly in the Weekly Shōnen Jump popularity polls for the series , continuously placing in the top ten and reaching fourth place in one poll . The last such poll was in 2011 , in which Shikamaru was in ninth place , behind Sasori and ahead of Hinata . Merchandise based on Shikamaru has also been released , including action figures , key chains , and patches in both his Part I and Part II appearance . NTT customers voted him as their sixteenth favorite black haired male anime character . CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama referred to Shikamaru as one of his favorite characters from Naruto . 
   Several publications for manga , anime , video games , and other related media have commented on Shikamaru 's character . IGN stated that Shikamaru was one of their favorite characters in the series , and referred to him as " the poster child for any card @-@ carrying member of Generation X " due to his general lack of enthusiasm and his unwillingness to utilize his potential . In a review of episode 110 , IGN praised how Shikamaru managed to transcend his lazy nature in order to take on the mantle of a leader when assigned to lead a team in order to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha and agreed that the decision to make him Chunin was fair . Anime News Network also commented on this development , calling Shikamaru 's emergence as " an unlikely hero " one of the highlights of the arc . In a subsequent review of episode 135 , in which the mission to retrieve Sasuke has failed and the members of Shikamaru 's team were critically injured , IGN lauded the " great moment " in the episode in which Shikamaru began to cry after learning his friends will recover , and declared that he will be a better leader for the sake of his friends . Mania Entertainment 's Justin Rich celebrated his " sheer intellect " , calling him " one of the most fascinating characters in the series " and " one of the few truly brilliant fighters in shōnen anime " . Dani Moure , another reviewer from the same site , noted about his battle with Temari during the Chunin Exams that it was " one of the better fights involving the supporting players " . 
   
   