Asuma Sarutobi was one of the prominent characters in the series Naruto, which is why his death hit viewers like a truck. The laid-back leader of Team 10, unfortunately, met his demise during his fight against Hidan and Kakuzu, proving them as sufficient threats to the protagonists.
Asuma was killed off quite early in the series. To put “early” into perspective, he died at chapter 300 of a series that stretches to 700 chapters. Fans wondered why the mangaka decided such a fate for the character. However, the death of relaxed smoking Jonin later proved meaningful for the series as well as for a character’s development.
Why was Asuma Sarutobi killed off so early in Naruto?
One of the significant reasons why Kishimoto decided to kill Asuma early in the series was to state a purely narrative standpoint. Viewers weren’t expecting any prominent characters from Konoha to die at the hands of the vicious Akatsuki, but here we are.
Despite Sarutobi being a noticeable character, he was not a crucial one. His death was indeed devastating, and fans were quite thrilled to see his being avenged later in the series. His death might have a pivotal role for viewers to stay invested in Naruto.
Killing him off before the birth of his daughter, Mirai Sarutobi, was disheartening. But his death also serves as an excellent platform for Shikamaru’s character development. While he was on his final breath, Asuma wished for his daughter to be trained by Shikamaru, which was crucial for building his character and letting him step into the shoes of his previous mentor.
Asuma’s death might have been a way of introducing character development for Shikamaru
Shikamaru’s entire development as a character and a shinobi is connected directly to Asuma’s death. He entrusted his daughter’s training to him and allowed his students to continue his legacy. It also gave Shikamaru and the rest of Team 10 a goal: avenging their mentor by defeating his killer, Hidan of the Akatsuki.
When Shikamaru finally defeated Hidan, he was congratulated by his mentor’s spirit, who passed on his Will of Fire to his apprentice. This also allowed room for Shikamaru to help Naruto later in the series by becoming his right-hand man after the protagonist became the Seventh Hokage. The role suited him well since the son of a Hokage trained him.
When he was resurrected during the Fourth Great Shinobi War against his will, his death was disrespected. He came face-to-face against Team 10 and noticed how much his students had grown. Maybe that was Kishimoto’s way of portraying character development by pitting him against Team 10.
