Naruto: Who is Anko Mitarashi?

Naruto overflows with all kinds of interesting characters with unique personalities or amazing backgrounds. Among them is Anko Mitarashi. She is a kunoichi from the Hidden Leaf Village. Anko makes her first appearance in the Naruto series in the Chunin Exam arc. Her appearance and skills set her apart from many of the other ninjas in the series.

Personality-wise, Anko is loud, energetic, and slightly ditzy. She is brave and not easily frightened. She has a mix of being tough and likable, which makes her memorable to the show's fans. Even though she can be playful and silly, she becomes serious when needed.

Anko's backstory in Naruto is one reason why she’s so interesting. At this point in the series, Orochimaru was not a villain. He was the captain of the squad to which Anko was assigned as a genin. Orochimaru took an interest in her before teaching her some things. Ultimately, he selected her to become one of his test subjects for the cursed seal.

This cursed mark makes the user stronger, but it also lets Orochimaru control them. Of the many test subjects, Anko was the only one who survived the experiment. But she turned her back on Orochimaru and came back to the Hidden Leaf Village. As his protégé, she believed that it fell to her to stop him.

Anko carries the weight of her past with her throughout the show. Being Orochimaru’s former student brings her both shame and regret. At times, she struggles with the fear that she could have become like him. But Naruto demonstrates that she simply will not allow her past to dictate her future. Fortunately, she was surrounded by people who did not shame her for it. The Third Hokage told her numerous times not to feel guilty.

Anko is a very talented ninja in the series. She is a ninjutsu specialist, particularly in techniques involving snakes, similar to her former master. Her capabilities are made apparent when she proctors the Chunin Exams. This is one of the biggest things she does in Naruto.

The Chunin Exams are an important part of Naruto's story. Anko’s role in them shows what she can do and gives her story meaning. Anko supervises the young ninjas as they are faced with dangerous challenges in the test. She is tasked with making the exams fair and keeping the participants safe, despite the fact that the exams are filled with a lot of dangers.

Anko finds Shiore’s body, which is missing its face, and she knows that Orochimaru somehow made it through the exams. Orochimaru’s goal for entering the exam secretly was to hunt and check for Uchiha Sasuke’s strength. Anko is one of the first to confront him. This moment shows both her bravery and the fear that Orochimaru can cause. Even though she understands how risky her choice was, she doesn't think twice about confronting him to defend the village.

As Naruto goes on, Anko's part gets smaller, but she stays true to the Hidden Leaf Village. After the Chunin Exam arc, she keeps supporting the village in various ways, always prepared to lend a hand when necessary. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, she becomes more vital to the story. She and her team investigated the corpses they found when tracking Kabuto in the Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown arc.

Anko finally found Kabuto and fought him, but lost. Later on, during the intense battles of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke uses the Evil Releasing Method to bring Orochimaru back from her cursed seal. Orochimaru aids Sasuke during his journey and is essential during the war. In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Anko becomes a proctor again for the Chunin Exams.

In Boruto, we see her as a teacher at the Ninja Academy. She doesn’t fight much, but the world is much more peaceful than it was in Naruto’s time. She joined in the Bell Test for the students alongside Shino, Konohamaru, and Hatake Kakashi. Fans get to see a different side of her as she takes on the role of a teacher.

Naruto uses Anko Mitarashi’s character to show how people can change and grow. While her story began with a darker and more painful history, she made the choice to take the path of loyalty and honor. The lesson of her story is that the past does not have to dictate who one becomes. That’s a very common lesson in Naruto, and Anko emphasizes that point a little bit further.

Anko’s abilities in Naruto

In Naruto, Anko’s powers come from her ninja training and her time under Orochimaru. She knows many techniques and is skilled at Fire and Yin Release. She is immune to poison and is an excellent tracker. One of her main skills is the "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands jutsu", which she mainly uses to fight.

This jutsu lets her summon snakes from under her sleeve and fight for her as directed. This ability alone has a lot of functional uses as opposed to just fighting. It can be used to restrain opponents, grab onto things, and pull the user forward to move faster. This makes her a strong fighter even without using the cursed seal’s power.

Compared to other characters in the show, Anko is strong but not among the top fighters. Ninjas like Kakashi, Tsunade, and Naruto himself are much stronger because of their special powers and training. Still, Anko’s skills are decent for a special jonin.

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Conclusion

Anko has gathered quite a fanbase within the Naruto fandom for her story and personality. She may not be a main and popular character of the series, but she sure does a lot to prove her worth. She shows that even side characters can have meaningful stories that illustrate important lessons about fortitude, redemption, and hope.

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