Responsibilities of Anbu in Naruto, Explained: What Do They Actually Do?

Summary:

• Anbu isn’t a rank in Naruto — it’s an organization within a ninja village that is essentially the CIA.
• They do most of the village’s dirty work, and there are strict prerequisites for joining.
• Funnily enough, they seem to always lose in the manga and anime.

The ranks of shinobi in the world of Naruto are mostly straightforward. You get promoted from genin to chunin to jonin — from the lowest rank to the highest. There’s also a special jonin (or tokubetsu jonin) rank, which is given to shinobi who have jonin-tier skills only in select areas.

That, however, doesn’t explain who the Anbu are. They are mysterious ninja in masks that almost never talk yet seem to always be mentioned as elite forces. Anbu isn’t actually a rank, but a specific organization within the village — with very specific ranks and responsibilities.

What do they do?

Anbu, essentially, are covert operatives who do most of the dirty work. In that sense, they’re the closest the series actually has to historical ninjas. They can be seen as the CIA and FBI of the village in one organization, and their members can hold any rank — at least on paper. The hierarchy seems to be based on experience, not the actual ninja rank.

The name of Anbu comes from Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai — “Special Assassination and Tactical Squad” — and that is, more or less, what they actually do. Anbu are usually involved with assassinations, espionage (both external and domestic), maintaining peace from the shadows, and generally being the backbone of the village.

In fact, Anbu are so dedicated to their village that they are required to destroy their own bodies — or the bodies of their comrades — to avoid divulging the secrets of the village. They would rather die than get captured, which is actually quite realistic for spies and assassins.

It’s hard to get into Anbu

With Anbu being responsible for the “dirty work” of the village, it’s understandable that the joining prerequisites are very specific. Shinobi are supposed to be extremely skilled — and have personalities that are suitable for the job. As such, there’s also a rule that you can’t join Konoha’s Anbu before you are 13 (although Itachi Uchiha was an exception).

Anbu refer to each other via code names and mask names — they are supposed to wear the masks all the time — and only obey orders from their squad captain and from the Kage. The exception to that is Root, a subsection of Konoha’s Anbu that works for Danzo Shimura. Still, ordinary citizens can’t tell who Anbu are — perhaps it's even their own neighbors.

They don’t actually do much on-screen

Funnily enough, for a supposedly elite group like Anbu, their on-screen appearance often ends up with them losing. They’re supposed to be some of the best fighters in their own village, yet they somehow end up useless every time. Perhaps Kishimoto should have thought their fights out before making them lose every time a strong enemy appeared.