page:  = <unk> <unk> = 
   
   <unk> <unk> ( <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> ) is a fictional character in the <unk> manga and anime series created by <unk> <unk> . In the anime and manga , <unk> is a ninja affiliated with the village of <unk> . He is a member of Team 10 , a group of ninja consisting of himself , <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , and team leader <unk> <unk> . <unk> is portrayed as a lazy character , unwilling to apply his prodigious intelligence ; <unk> has noted that he likes <unk> due to his <unk> nature . Outside of the <unk> anime and manga , <unk> 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 <unk> 's character . Many reviewers commented on his <unk> and intelligence , and noted his transformation into a leader ; Anime News Network celebrated <unk> 's emergence as " an unlikely hero " in the <unk> storyline . <unk> has also been highly popular with the <unk> reader base , placing high in several popularity polls . Merchandise based on <unk> has been released , including action figures , key chains , and patches . 
   
   = = Creation and conception = = 
   
   <unk> <unk> has noted that he likes <unk> due to his <unk> nature despite being a genius , and contrasted him against <unk> <unk> 's intelligent but <unk> personality . <unk> also <unk> remarked that he would marry <unk> if he were a girl , noting that <unk> would likely be successful in life . When designing <unk> 's Part II appearance , <unk> wanted to give <unk> 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 <unk> = = = 
   
   <unk> first major appearance in the series is during the <unk> <unk> , bi @-@ yearly exams for ninja who wish to advance in rank . He is part of Team 10 alongside <unk> <unk> and <unk> <unk> . He is a highly <unk> person , and he attempts to go through life with minimum effort . Contrary to his lazy tendencies , <unk> is extremely intelligent ; his teacher , <unk> <unk> , determined that <unk> 's <unk> was over 200 . <unk> 's abilities are based on the Shadow <unk> <unk> ( <unk> , <unk> no <unk> , English TV : " Shadow Possession <unk> " ) , the signature technique of his clan , with which he <unk> his shadow with an opponent 's shadow , making them <unk> and forced to mimic <unk> 's movements . As the series progresses , <unk> becomes able to manipulate his shadow in new ways . By Part II of the series , <unk> 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 <unk> enemies with the shadow <unk> or use them to throw weapons . 
   <unk> approaches the exams with a sense of apathy ; when he battles the <unk> ninja <unk> , he defeats her but forfeits his match to her , due to his <unk> being low . Despite this loss , he is the only ninja among his peers to be promoted to the rank of <unk> , as the <unk> of the exams were impressed by the insight and intelligence he demonstrated against <unk> . As a <unk> , <unk> is appointed the leader of a team to prevent <unk> <unk> from <unk> to the village of <unk> . Although <unk> 's team manages to defeat the <unk> ninja barring their way , <unk> manages to escape . 
   In Part II of the series , <unk> is assigned the task of locating two members of the criminal organization <unk> . While his team manages to find their targets , the immortal <unk> member <unk> kills <unk> <unk> during the course of the battle despite <unk> 's best efforts . After <unk> 's funeral , <unk> sets out with the surviving members of Team 10 to avenge their mentor with the aid of <unk> <unk> . As the other deal with <unk> 's partner <unk> , <unk> <unk> <unk> by defeating <unk> and making sure the <unk> member 's body is never found . Following the fight , <unk> vows to protect <unk> <unk> and <unk> 's newborn daughter . He is later assigned to the Fourth Division alongside <unk> and <unk> . He is named a <unk> general under <unk> . In the series <unk> , stating his personal desire during the series of final battles , <unk> becomes advisor to the Seventh <unk> <unk> after marrying <unk> and gaining a son in <unk> <unk> . 
   
   = = = Appearances in other media = = = 
   
   Besides the <unk> anime and manga , <unk> is featured in seven of the featured films in the series : in the second film , he aids <unk> <unk> and <unk> <unk> in fighting against <unk> , a <unk> idealist seeking to rule the world with a power called <unk> ; in the fourth , <unk> appears in a brief sequence , fighting against a large group of stone soldiers ; in the fifth , <unk> is sent alongside <unk> and <unk> in search of the base of the Land of Sky , who plans to invade <unk> ; in the sixth , <unk> , alongside <unk> and <unk> battle the <unk> beast summoned by <unk> ; in the eight , <unk> <unk> in the battle against the demon <unk> ; in the ninth , the Limited <unk> universe presents a <unk> <unk> , the exact opposite of his teammate , <unk> , who becomes the team strategist instead ; and in the tenth , <unk> leads the team consisting of himself , <unk> , <unk> , <unk> , and <unk> <unk> that is sent to rescue <unk> 's younger sister , <unk> , who was kidnapped by <unk> <unk> . He is also present in the third original video animation , in which he <unk> in a tournament . <unk> is a playable character in nearly all <unk> video games , including the Clash of <unk> series and the Ultimate <unk> series . In some games , he utilizes variations of his Shadow <unk> <unk> not seen in the anime or manga . <unk> <unk> : <unk> <unk> <unk> ! <unk> 2 marks the first appearance of <unk> in his Part II appearance in a video game . 
   A light novel titled <unk> <unk> : A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness , written by <unk> <unk> and illustrated by <unk> , stars <unk> as the main character and narrator . The novel is set two years after the Fourth <unk> War , focusing on <unk> 's assignment as organizer of the newly formed <unk> 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 <unk> , culminating in him struggling to name his child with her , years after the end of the novel . 
   
   = = Reception = = 
   
   <unk> 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 <unk> was in ninth place , behind <unk> and ahead of <unk> . Merchandise based on <unk> has also been released , including action figures , key chains , and patches in both his Part I and Part II appearance . <unk> customers voted him as their sixteenth favorite black haired male anime character . <unk> CEO Hiroshi <unk> referred to <unk> as one of his favorite characters from <unk> . 
   Several publications for manga , anime , video games , and other related media have commented on <unk> 's character . IGN stated that <unk> 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 <unk> 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 <unk> <unk> and agreed that the decision to make him <unk> was fair . Anime News Network also commented on this development , calling <unk> '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 <unk> has failed and the members of <unk> 's team were critically injured , IGN lauded the " great moment " in the episode in which <unk> began to cry after learning his friends will recover , and declared that he will be a better leader for the sake of his friends . <unk> Entertainment 's Justin Rich celebrated his " sheer <unk> " , calling him " one of the most fascinating characters in the series " and " one of the few truly brilliant fighters in <unk> anime " . <unk> <unk> , another reviewer from the same site , noted about his battle with <unk> during the <unk> <unk> that it was " one of the better fights involving the supporting players " . 
   
   