However, this does not mean that all characters are preoccupied with keeping their family’s traditions alive. Either from a lack of knowledge, a personal need, or simply because they had no other choice, some Naruto characters have been unable to teach newer generations about family traditions.

In this list, we will present five examples of characters who did not keep their traditions alive, as well as five who made sure to keep theirs going.

Disclaimer: This list reflects the author’s opinion.

Hinata and 4 other Naruto characters who left their traditions behind

1) Itachi Uchiha

For centuries, the Uchiha clan had a tradition of absolute loyalty to the family. Members of this clan always valued the lives of the members of their own family over others. This loyalty was so ingrained into the clan, even though the elders were planning a coup against Konoha, only two Uchihas tried to stop it.

One of the said individuals, Itachi Uchiha, let go of the blind loyalty his clan asked of him to save the people of Konoha. Even though it broke his heart, Itachi ended the lives of his family members, preventing Konoha from suffering civil war.

2) Hinata Hyuga

The Hyugas are one of the most ruthless clans in all of Konoha. To keep the secrets of their Dojutsu, the Byakugan, safe from their enemies, the family is divided into the main and side branches. The main branch is free to live their life without any conditions, as they are considered to be the most powerful and capable Shinobi in the clan.

The side branch lives a life of servitude and pain, as they are implanted with a seal that takes away their free will. Hinata, who was never considered powerful enough to be a part of the main branch, should have gotten the Cage Seal in her head after not marrying a Hyuga. Thankfully, she was able to avoid this family tradition, ending the cycle of hatred that plagued her family for decades.

3) Naruto Uzumaki

The Uzumaki were a proud clan of Fuinjutsu masters who passed down their knowledge to each new generation. Sadly, most of them were whipped out during the siege against Uzushiogakure that occurred before the start of Naruto.

Because of this, and the fact that the third Hokage prohibited everyone from telling him about his origins, Naruto was never able to learn Fuinjutsu.

For most of his life, Naruto was not even aware that he was part of a clan, much less that they had a Fuinjutsu tradition. Even after learning about his origins, there was no one who could have taught him about his family’s signature Jutsu, so he mostly forgot about it.

4) Hashirama Senju

The Senju were a clan with a tradition of fighting and dominating any of the neighboring families they could encounter. They were proud warriors who valued strength above all else. For most of their lives, they would fight tirelessly against the Uchihas, their sworn enemies.

However, Hashirama was not fond of the violent traditions of his clan. He dreamed about a world where every clan could coexist and cooperate to bring peace into the world. Thanks to his unconventional ideas, Konoha was created and the clans who were once enemies started to act like allies.

5) Rock Lee

The Lee clan does not have the same ancient Shinobi tradition as many others in Naruto, seeing as its members are unable to use any kind of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Because of this, they had a long tradition of civilian life that no member ever tried to question.

However, this changed when Rock Lee started his journey into becoming a powerful and famous ninja. Despite his clan’s past and traditions, Lee worked hard to become the first Shinobi in his family. He would later go on to inspire more members of the Lee clan to join the ninja forces of Konoha, forever changing his family.

Gaara and 4 other Naruto characters who would make their ancestors proud

1) Neji Hyuga

As stated before, the Hyuga secondary members are branded as children with the Cage Seal to prevent the Byakugan from falling into enemy’s hands. Neji was no exception, as he was still a small kid when he received this curse.

Another tradition the members of the side branch had to follow was acting like protectors of those in the main branch. Neji followed these instructions to the T, as he was Hinata’s most ardent defender.

2) Gaara

Gaara comes from a long line of rulers in Sunagakure, with his father being the fourth Kazekage and strong ties to the third Kazekage as well. At first, no one would have imagined Gaara would be able to keep this tradition of leadership going, seeing as he was extremely unstable at the time. However, he was able to change into a magnificent leader.

Gaara is one of the best Kazekages Sunagakure has ever seen, as he is not only a caring man, but also a great diplomat. He ended the rivalry between Konoha and Suna, creating an alliance between the two villages. Fans have no doubt that Gaara is making his bloodline proud with his actions.

3) Shikamaru Nara

The Nara clan has a particular trait of producing brilliant individuals and sharp commanders. Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru’s father, acted as Konoha’s head ninja for decades, using his enormous intellect to help the village in any capacity.

As his son, Shikamaru has not only used his intelligence for the betterment of the village, but also to help Naruto rule as his right-hand man. The Nara clan had a tradition of producing future leaders, something Shikamaru made sure to follow.

4) Kushina Uzumaki

Unlike Naruto, who had never heard of his clan before meeting his mother, Kushina lived the first few years of her life in Uzushiogakure. She was trained in many aspects of Fuinjutsu, mainly because she was a member of the main branch of the family.

Kushina took her Fuinjutsu training very seriously, as she wanted to make her family proud, more so after their demise. She became so good at Fuinjutsu, even Minato asked her for help when he tried to learn this art. Kushina certainly made the members of her family happy with the dedication she showed.

5) Tobirama Senju

After Hashirama became the first Hokage, he made sure to take care of everyone inside Konoha, even risking his life to do so. His brother, who acted as his advisor and confidant, took over the position after Hashirama was unable to keep acting as the Hokage.

Without a doubt, Tobirama followed the tradition of amazing leadership his brother started. He created the Ninja Academy to train children before they were sent to die in war, as well as the Shinobi ranking system that is still used to this day. There is no doubt that the Senju brothers were some of the best leaders the Shinobi World ever saw.

Final thoughts

Family is one of Naruto’s core values, driving the plot of the story from the very beginning. Many characters’ arc revolve entirely around family, like Sasuke or Neji. This means that family traditions are a big deal inside the Shinobi World, which is why many ninjas try their best to always follow them.

Nonetheless, because of a detachment from their family or a simple need, some ninjas prefer to keep away from their clan’s traditions. Characters like Hinata and Hashirama saw the flaws their family traditions had and worked hard to break them.

As important as family is for Naruto characters, some have proven that following traditions is not always the best way to honor your family.

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