There are many anime series where the secondary characters are more popular than the main characters. The biggest example of this is Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto’s magnum opus has featured many such characters who surpassed Naruto in popularity, either because of their power or their qualities as characters that define them.
A few examples of these characters are Itachi Uchiha, Jiraya, Kakashi Hatake, Minato Namikaze, Madara Uchiha, etc. While Kishimoto had no idea that these well-written characters would become so popular, he did hope for two other secondary characters to gain a little bit of fame among the Naruto fanbase.
In an interview with Kobayashi Kendo, the Naruto creator revealed the names of two characters who he actually wanted to become popular but couldn’t. He even gave the reason behind why he thought that these characters could gain popularity among the Naruto fandom and what aspects of these characters led to their downfall.
The Two Characters That Masashi Kishimoto Wanted to Become Popular
In 2015, Kishimoto gave an interview with Japanese comedian and actor Kobayashi, and this interview was later summarized by KirinNOTKarin98 on Naruto Fandom. During the interview, Kishimoto discussed the unexpected scenarios of the secondary characters of the series, like Kakashi and Jiraya, who became extensively popular among the fans.
While talking about the popularity of such characters, Kishimoto revealed that although he understood that Kakashi’s coolness led to his popularity, there were two specific characters who he actually wanted to become popular. The first one was Kimimaro, and the second one was Sai, who came in as a replacement for Sasuke.
While Kimimaro was a villainous character, he had a sad and emotional backstory and a rare kekkei genkai ability. On the other hand, Sai’s mysterious personality and his disheartening past were also unique to the story. Both characters had a lot of potential to become popular, but they could not be as popular as other characters.
Masashi Kishimoto Explained Why Sai and Kimimaro Couldn’t Become Popular
While discussing the two characters that Masashi Kishimoto believed had the potential to become successful, the manga creator also explained why the Naruto fandom did not connect with them. Although both Sai and Kimimaro were decent characters, they had some qualities and some issues that became the biggest problem towards their fame.
In the case of Kimimaro, Kishimoto revealed that the character actually got a little bit of fame, but his rare kekkei genkai ability, which was supposed to be his uniqueness, became the reason for his downfall. In his fight with Gaara, Kimimaro pulled out his spinal cord, which grossed out the fans so much that they started hating the character.
Sai had some problems of his own. The character was a replacement for Sasuke, the second protagonist of the series, and he had to live up to great expectations. He had big shoes to fill, and while he tried his best to do so, fans just couldn’t connect with him like they could with Sasuke. Thus, the character became lost by the end of the series.
You can watch Naruto on Hulu.
