Guide Contents
Hyuuga Hinata (Hinata Hyuuga in the English anime) is a character in the manga and anime Naruto. She is a member of the famous Hyuuga clan and posseses the powerful advanced bloodline, Byakugan.
Her Personality and Ability
Hinata is an incredibly shy and soft-spoken member of the Hyuuga clan. She is a very determined Chuunin-level Taijutsu user originally from Yuhi Kurenai’s team 8. She possesses the Kekkei Genkai Byakugan and specialises in the Jūken, or “Gentle Fist”, fighting style. This means that her field of vision is almost 360° and she is able to damage her opponent’s chakra circulatory system and inner organs directly with even a slight tap. Since she is the main house’s elder daughter, Hinata is supposed to be the heir to the clan; however, because her father deemed her a lost cause as far as talent is concerned – apparently of even lesser skill than her younger sister, Hanabi, and not even comparable to her cousin Neji – he disowned her and left her in the care of Yuhi Kurenai, who became her sensei. In more recent chapters of the manga, he seems to have taken her back in, though the reason is not made clear; going by scenes added in the animé, Hinata seems to have finally grown enough in talent and confidence to redeem herself in her father’s eyes.
Struggling against her low self-confidence and slowly gaining ground, Hinata often has to remind herself to try her best instead of just giving up, like she used to. She has a crush on Naruto of which he is completely unaware, and has admired him for his positive and inspiring attitude years before they graduated the academy when he was still regarded by almost everyone else as a good-for-nothing reincarnation of a monster fox. Interestingly, Hinata is one of the few female characters close to Uchiha Sasuke’s age who have not expressed romantic interest in him, but rather in Naruto (who is unpopular as an object of romantic affection to such a degree that no other girl we know of has had any for him even to this point in the manga, let alone in his earlier years as an outcast).
When Naruto introduces her for the first time he says she is a “a shy, dark, weird girl who always looks away when I look at her”; However from that point on events change his view on her quite radically and she earns his sympathy and friendship. Haruno Sakura comments that they’re very similar and that come to think of it she’s always been watching him, to which the ever-sharp Naruto replies, “Huh?”.
Masashi Kishimoto says: “Humans are separated by differences they are born with but I want to believe that people can change and wanted to express that. Hinata’s theme is ‘by believing in yourself, you can become a new person.’
Chuunin Exam Arc
During the first part of the Chuunin exam, which is a written test, Naruto and Hinata end up sitting next to one another. When things start looking desperate for Naruto, she offers him to copy off of her paper (which in truth is not cheating but rather the objective of the test, as long as one manages not to get caught). Naruto refuses because this could get her in trouble and his pride won’t allow him to do that sort of thing (and promptly laments this decision).
In the third stage preliminaries, Hinata offers Naruto a case of medicine she apparently keeps with her at all times. It works amazingly quickly because of synergy effects with Kyuubi’s healing. Shortly after she faces her cousin Neji in a battle, which is one of the worst possible match-ups for her, if not the worst; he knows her own fighting style better than she does. Neji tells her that she is unfit to be a shinobi and should quit, and she responds she entered the exam to change herself. Neji then launches a vicious speech about how people can’t change at her, which practically brings her to tears before Naruto, who has been getting more and more annoyed at Neji as the speech progressed, interrupts it and yells for Hinata to stand up for herself.
She does, and even though it is utterly futile as Neji is simply much stronger than she is, she manages to throw him off balance by the mere act of continuing to fight even though her situation is hopeless. She gets up at points where she decidedly should not be getting up, and on the verge of collapse tells Neji that he is confused and suffering within the fate of the main and branch houses. Upon hearing this Neji is driven into blind rage and runs straight at her, screaming, intending to kill her. The Jounin overseeing the match stop him in time from delivering this final blow, but Hinata is very wounded as it is and must be taken to intensive care. Naruto, deeply moved by Hinata’s resolve and aggravated by Neji’s comments, picks up some of Hinata’s blood and clenches his fist, directing it at Neji and promising her he will defeat him.
One month later during the day of the third stage main matches Hinata sees Naruto again, who is feeling quite bothered because he has an upcoming match with Neji, too. He confides in her that he’s starting to doubt himself, and he’s only acting strong because he’s frustrated from screwing up all the time. For a few seconds she gets over her inability to properly form sentences in his presence to tell him that she thinks of him as a strong person who makes mistakes and learns from them, and that in her eyes he’s always been “a proud failure”. This snaps him out of his self-doubt and before he leaves, he says that he’s decided that he really likes people like her. He does not, of course, notice that this has sent her into a blushing, shocked reverie (which comically goes undisturbed even when Kiba arrives, puzzling him greatly).
Bikochu Arc
In the Anime, before the Naruto II arc begins Hinata (along with the rest of team 8) is sent on a special mission to retrieve the Bikochu (“Faint smell bug” or “scent bug”), a bug with a great tracking ability, in hopes it would help find Sasuke; Naruto is sent with them as well. During one of the mission’s nights, Naruto wakes up to relieve his bladder and has his attention drawn to a nearby waterfall where he notices a naked girl performing a sort of swirling dance, making the water sprout in an orb around her. Awed by this captivating sight he approaches her, asking who she is, only to slip on a rock and fall in the water, alerting her to his presence. He apologises but there is no response, as she is already gone.
Though it is quite obvious that this girl was Hinata, Naruto fails to make the connection and later excitedly recounts to Kiba how he saw this “Ultra-Pretty girl” during the night, embarrassing her incredibly (fans of the show have drawn amused comparisons between the overall mood of the scene and mahō shōjo themes, dubbing this appearance of her “Magical Girl Hinata” or “Sailor Hinata” ala Sailor Mercury with tongue firmly in cheek).
Later, when they reach “Bikochu valley”, they are being observed by members of the Kamizuru clan, which is also after the Bikōchū. Naruto and the others search for the Bikochu, reaching numerous dead ends; when it starts to rain, signalling that the Bikōchū will start laying eggs soon and time is nearly up, Hinata begins to lose faith and starts crying, but witnessing Naruto not giving up even in that seemingly hopeless situation proclaiming that “There’s still time” inspires her to get a hold of herself and try again. Aided by her determination and the greater difference in temperature between the bugs and their surroundings now that it is raining, she successfully focuses her chakra enough to clearly see the bugs and sends Naruto off to the direction of a Bikochu located on a nearby branch. Naruto is ecstatic at their success and hug-clutches Hinata, leaving her blushing again. After she goes to wash her face, she is attacked by the ninja from earlier and easily subdued and kidnapped, as the constant searches have almost drained her chakra and stamina completely. Just as her teammates wonder where she has gone, a kunai carrying a message is flung at them – announcing her capture, demanding the Bikōchū in exchange and placing Naruto, Shino and Kiba in a very problematic situation.
The Kamizuru clan members leave her trapped in an elaborate trap inside a wax cocoon in a waterfall, which they are sure would ensure her death at any escape attempt. Shino, similarly trapped along with Naruto and Kiba, finally offers to reveal the whereabouts of the Bikōchū in return for her life, but when they reach the site of the trap the Kamizuru find the cocoon gone and conclude Hinata must be dead. Both teams rage at each other for this unnecessary death which benefits no one and only complicated matters, and just as a horrified Kamizuru member charges a driven-over-the-edge Kyūbi-influenced Naruto with killing intent Hinata appears, alive after all. She defeats the Kamizuru bee swarms by demonstrating a new, original jutsu she has developed – Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō (Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms), a mid-range technique (atypically for the Hyūga clan) which utilises chakra beams emitted from her hands to somewhat of a hybrid effect between Rokujuyon Sho’s high speed and precision and Kaiten’s defensive capabilities. Shino explains Hinata’s motives of pushing herself to this level – she did it to be acknowledged by her father and Naruto; and as she drops to the ground from exhaustion Naruto catches her and pronounces her performance “awesome”, grinning (though he still does not figure out that the girl he saw earlier was her, training this very technique). Hinata, not unexpectedly, blushes.
Hinata joins Naruto again on a mission to capture a theif. Hinata has another moment with Naruto as she has a small picnic with him and her teammate Kiba. Hinata makes riceballs made in the shape of Naruto’s head. Naruto takes a bite and exclaims that it’s good, and then saying that Hinata would make a great wife. Hinata again, turns red and blushes.
Naruto II Arc
The manga is less elaborate regarding the status of Hinata’s growth when part I concludes and Naruto leaves for his three-year training period with Jiraiya. She is apparently on good terms with both her father and Neji, having had settled her issues with both. As Neji inquires as to what Hinata thinks of Naruto’s departure, Kiba arrives and is delighted to inform Neji that when Hinata visited Naruto in the hospital she nearly fainted after seeing him all bandaged up (the only response she can muster is an embarrassed blush). She also goes to see Naruto off personally but ultimately does not gather the courage to actually do it, instead watching him from afar as always and resolving that she must work harder, too; a vow that was to be fulfilled, since, like the rest of the “rookie nine”, she passes the exam and becomes a Chūnin during Naruto’s absence. She makes her Naruto II debut in Chapter 282, sporting longer hair and her pining for Naruto only magnified by his long absence (to the degree she can’t even bring herself to greet him, opting to hide instead and fainting when he rather loudly detects her). It is as of yet unknown how her skill changed during the two and a half years Naruto was gone as she has yet to show any new techniques; it is reasonable, however, to assume that she has attained at least the skills she has shown in her Animé Part I conclusion, as the Animé having her make progress that is inconsistent with later events in the manga would cause obvious continuity issues when the Animé catches up to these events.
Cool Facts
- Hyuuga means “In the Sun” and is the name of a city in the Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan. “Hinata” as her first name is a pun, as it is another way to read this kanji and means essentially the same thing.
- According to the official databook, Hinata’s hobby is pressing flowers. Her favorite foods are Senzai (soft bean jam) and cinnamon rolls; her least favorite foods are crab and eel. Her favorite phrase is “Self-confidence”.
- Hinata’s favorite foods are zenzai and cinnamon rolls, whilst her least favorite foods are dishes such as crabs and shrimp.
- Hinata has completed 33 official missions in total: 10 D-rank, 14 C-rank, 8 B-rank, 1 A-rank, 0 S-rank.