Shikamaru's Father Was One of the Best Parents in All of Naruto, and Here's Why

Spoilers ahead!

Summary:

• Shikaku, Shikamaru’s father, was a very capable shinobi — but perhaps he should also be praised for his parenting skills.
• In a world where a lot of parents didn’t do their job well, Shikaku was a great father to Shikamaru.
• In a sense, he was even smarter than his “lazy genius” son.

Shikaku Nara was Shikamaru’s father. A Jonin Commander of Konoha and head of the Nara clan, he was recognized as an extremely capable shinobi. This later earned him the position of the Chief Strategist of the Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Shinobi World War, where he proved to be integral to the success of multiple operations. However, one thing fans tend to forget is: he was a great father and one of the few reasonable adults in the series, something he definitely doesn’t get enough praise for.

A great father

Shikaku was a great father to Shikamaru — and the latter definitely inherited the former’s wits and his (lack of) work ethic. In a world where a lot of characters have some sort of conflict with their parents (think Itachi with his father, or Kakashi’s entire backstory), Shikaku performs his parental duties very, very well.

He gives Shikamaru just the right amount of encouragement after the Sasuke retrieval mission goes wrong. He consoles his son after Asuma’s death, saying that sometimes, it is okay to cry. He encourages free thinking in his son — while many of the parents in Konoha tell their children to steer clear of Naruto, Shikaku actually doesn’t — another moment where he shows his wisdom.

A symbol of connection between generations

In the world of Naruto, many events are driven by conflicts between individuals — and a lot of that comes from a lack of understanding between different generations of shinobi. In that sense, Shikaku might be seen as a bridge between his and his son’s generations. The conversations between him and Shikamaru are often very insightful, providing food for thought — and, to many fans, are some of the best in the series.

More potential for the character?

In the end, there are hardly any parents in Naruto who are as good at their job as Shikaku — and there definitely aren’t any who are also very relevant to the plot. The Nara clan is known for their intelligence and wisdom. Shikamaru is usually considered the smartest character in Naruto, being the classic “lazy genius” archetype, but he’s still a teenager by the end of the series and lacking life experience.

It can be argued that his father, Shikaku, was smarter than him in multiple areas. Who knows, if Shikaku were a stronger fighter (and if he didn’t meet his untimely end during the Fourth Great War), maybe he could have even been a Hokage in the future.