Shino Naruto Guide

Shino Naruto Guide: The Insect Master

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Naruto is a Weekly Shonen Jump manga produced by Shueisha in 1999. The manga later on ended in 2014. It also got an anime adaptation produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex, which aired on 3 October 2002. Part two of the series, Naruto Shippuden, was the last series, and it ended on 21 March 2017.

Naruto is one of the animes that made the anime industry famous. This can be seen as the manga Naruto sold over 250 million copies worldwide.

For Naruto to become such a popular anime was no fluke. Masashi Kishimoto made the story of a young 12-year-old boy trying to reach his goal and prove his worth really engaging and tear-jerking. Moreover, the art style was really entertaining to look at just what the fans and I wanted. This is why Naruto is one of my favorite series of all time.

However, this is not the only thing Naruto has been loved for as a series. Naruto, a long ongoing series, took its time to carefully explain every little detail and make each point vital to the story. The large cast of loveable characters was no exception. Each character had a role and was given his moment to shine in the series.

Shino Aburame, a mysterious and quiet character, was no exception. Shino is a character that didn’t do much on-screen; however, he has his own role in the series. Moreover, he is a character that doesn’t instantly appeal to the fans due to his unique personality, unlike other characters.

However, he becomes a likable character to those fans who try to understand him. So here is a detailed guide to know who Shino Aburame is and his significance in the Naruto series.

Shino Aburame
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Shino Aburame: the Teacher and the Insect Master

Description: Personality and Character

Shino was introduced at the start of the series. Shino was an introvert, and he stayed away from people. He never expressed his feeling about anything like other kids of his age did. Moreover, he kept his presence unknown to people so that they won’t annoy him. He sat quietly and looked at his insects. 

He deeply cared about the insects that surrounded him all the time. Shino always used them to help his friends. However, if someone were to hurt his beloved insects, he would express that it was he who got tortured. Furthermore, he would also grudge against people who would harm his insects and call them insensitive. Shino was the type of person who would hold grudges for quite some time for reasons that might not be apparent. 

As seen when Naruto didn’t recognize him. Shino got very sad because of that and didn’t forgive Naruto for a long time. Shino also didn’t have a humorous side. The only time he laughed was when someone injected him with laughing gas. Shino expressed to Naruto in great anger that no one should know that he hysterically laughed all day.

All these attributes of Shino were for comedic purposes. However, Shino shows excellent analytical skills in difficult situations and keeps a level-headed mind to get his job done. Shino also cares deeply for his friends and village and lets no getaway after hurting them.

Appearance

Shino is a member of the Aburame clan. So Shino wears an outfit customary to the clan to show his allegiance. At the start of the series, Shino’s outfit consisted of a sea-green jacket with a high upturned collar. He also wore black sunglasses like every other member of his clan. Furthermore, he wore brown pants with Shinobi sandals.

He, later on, changed his outfit to a more mysterious look. This change included a longer jacket that hung down to his knees. The jacket also had a darker color and included a hood which hid his face even more. Shino also wore the hood over his head. Under his hood, it can be seen that he has fair skin and sharp brown eyes behind those sunglasses he wore, which were only shown in the anime, along with spiky brown hair.

Shino is also the tallest member in his ninja academy, and it can be seen as he has a height of over 185 cm.

shino
Image from Narutopedia Fandom

Abilities And Skills

Taijutsu

Shino is a very capable shinobi and has excellent Taijutsu skills. Even though he prefers using his insects in a battle, he can still fight using Taijutsu. This can be seen as he effortlessly stopped Zaku’s strike and then defeated him with just one punch.

He even showed that he can efficiently react to sneak attacks. As he dodged Kankuro’s puppet and Karasu’s sneak attack very quickly. He, later on, fought Kankuro, which ended in a stalemate. Shino then trained with Hinata and Kiba and improved his Taijutsu skills. Even though he was a chunin, his skills were considered Jonin level.

He showed his improved Taijutsu skills as he fought on par with Suika and overpowered him.

High Intelligence

Shino has shown to be a very intelligent shinobi. Like Shikamaru, he reads his opponent’s moves and plans several steps ahead. Furthermore, by putting his ear on the ground, he can tell the number of people in an area or the number of people approaching him and plan accordingly. He also keeps a reasonable distance away from the enemy to avoid any attack that comes at him. This also helps him to avoid traps set between him and the enemy.

As Shino strives to become a teacher by the end of the series. He teaches himself many new things that would help him in combat. Moreover, he learns many tactics that would allow him to end a battle quickly.

Shuriken Jutsu

Shurikens are one of the primary weapons in the series. These are tools made with metal in the form of four-pronged stars. Shurikens are used to improve throwing accuracy in the ninja academy. However, Shurikens are not very useful in close combats. 

Even so, Shino is well versed in the use of Shuriken, as shown in the anime and manga. He can easily manipulate the Shuriken’s mid-flight trajectory, making it difficult to dodge. By the Fourth Great Ninja War, his accuracy of Shuriken throwing also improved drastically.

Ninjutsu

Shino is a capable shinobi and is well versed in Ninjutsu. By the Fourth Great Shinobi War, his skills as a Ninjutsu user really improved. As he could use Fire, Earth, and Yang Release.

Moreover, Shino can also use the summoning technique and summon a giant beetle. This beetle is beneficial as it can fend off enemies and is an excellent animal for transportation. The beetle also has its own techniques, which are helpful in fighting. 

Abilities of the Aburame Clan: the Insect Master

Being part of the Aburame clan, Shino has had some insects close to him since he was born. These insects are of the breed called KiKaichu.

KiKaichu insects resemble small fly beetles in look. However, Kikaichu is a special breed as these insects are like parasites and feed their host’s chakra. Even though they prey on their host’s chakra, these are beneficial insects as they fight against enemies and help their host survive. Moreover, these insects can also track enemies.

In a battle, Shino doesn’t use Kikaichu is not used for small precise strikes. Instead, he spreads them across an area and stops the targets escape. These insects can also consume the chakra of their prey. Kikaichu can also help their host perform maneuvers tt are otherwise not possible for a regular ninja.

Kikaichu can also remove poison as they did for Shino when he was poisoned by Kankuro. The Kikaichu are beneficial species and have helped Shino in many situations. Shino can also use them to fend off genjutsu as genjutsu doesn’t affect Kikaichu’s complicated system.

aburame clan
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The Tale of the Insect Master: Shino Aburame

Shino is a stoic and quiet kid who lived his academy days in solitary, away from all the kids in his class. He liked to live in peace watching his insects walk on the desk. Shino has had an affiliation with bugs and insects since he was born. He is of the Aburame clan, and this clan specializes in a specific breed of insects.

Furthermore, the other kids in his class also thought he was creepy and never interacted with him. It was not until he graduated from the ninja academy that he was teamed with other class kids. Shino’s team included the outspoken and reckless Kiba of the Inuzuka clan and Hinata Hyuga, a quiet and shy kid. The team was led by Kurenai, a specialist in genjutsu.

Shino did appear at the start of the series. However, his official debut was during the chunin exams. Shino showed his capabilities as a shinobi by quickly stealing the scroll they needed from the opposing team. Moreover, by using his insects, Shino chased down many opponents that could’ve either been a threat or helpful to them.

Furthermore, Shino also fought in the preliminary rounds and effortlessly won against his opponent Zaku of the sound village. Shino explained to his already injured enemy to withdraw from the match. However, due to his pride, Zaku kept fighting.

He even used his most vigorous attack, which was quickly stopped by Shino. This resulted in Zaku’s defeat as both of his arms became useless. After demonstrating his skills as shinobi, Shino passed the round and went away from the arena.

The sand village guests were enemies, and they planned to destroy the hidden leaf village. The opponents of the Hidden Sand village tried to flee after causing chaos. To stop them, Sasuke Uchiha went to confront them as his battle was left halfway. Shino went behind him and told Sasuke to go behind Gaara. At the same time, Shino himself took on the puppet master. As the puppet master was the opponent, Shino had to face the final round of the chunin exams. 

Shino quickly caught up to the puppet master, and their battle began. In the match, Shino took the upper hand as his insects ate the puppet’s chakra strings that the Puppet Master used to control the puppet. The insects kept feeding on the puppet master’s chakra.

However, Shino was in bad condition as he inhaled some poisonous gas in the air due to the puppet master’s attack. Shino still came out victorious as his opponent fell victim to chakra loss. On the other hand, Shino was healed by his father and sent back home.

After he was fully healed, Shino went on a mission with his father. While Shino was busy on his mission, Sasuke Uchiha abandoned the village in search of getting stronger. The retrieval team went behind Sasuke; however, they failed to bring Sasuke back. Upon hearing that they failed, Shino got very angry and depressed. He believed that things might’ve turned out differently if he had gone along with the team to save Sasuke Uchiha.

Shino kept thinking about how to locate Sasuke Uchiha. He then realized that there was an insect called the Bikochu. This Bikochu is said to have extraordinary tracking abilities. Naruto went along with team 8 to find this insect. Even though team 8 was going in search of the insect Bikochu. This was a mission planned by Shino to help Hinata. 

Shino showed that he had become much closer to his friend and cared for them, so he took them on this mission. They kept finding the insect; however, there was no sign. Even so, they kept trying and finally found an egg of Bikochu.

It was finally their chance as the egg was about to hatch. So they bought Sasuke Uchiha’s forehead protector close to it. Just when Bikochu was about to detect Sasuke Uchiha’s scent from the forehead protector, Naruto farted on the insect. This resulted in the insect being attracted to Naruto Uzumaki’s scent, so the mission failed.

Everybody got angry at Naruto, including Sakura, who gave Naruto a beating. Even though the mission failed, Shino was able to help out Hinata gain some confidence in her abilities.

Shino reflected on his past and realized that he wasn’t solid and cooperative enough. So he planned to train harder and improve his teamwork. He practiced along with Hinata and Kiba and carefully observed their abilities so that they could help out each other.

After some time, another chunin exam started. This happened after Naruto had gone out of the village to train with Jiraiya. Shino and his team were once again fighting against other villages. In this chunin exam, they were against 30 other teams. They then decided to steal the scroll from the other team. So Kiba rushed them. Unfortunately, they got stuck in quicksand. 

Shino sent his insects to track the enemy while he believed that Kiba would get them out, which Kiba did. Shino then fought against another bug user in the opposing team and was victorious. Furthermore, Naruto finally came back to the village and met Shino and the others. Shino had improved quite a bit in that time. 

Sometime later, Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, attacked the Hidden leaf Village in search of Naruto. Shino confronted them and, along with his father, fought against Konan. He used his insects to eat and destroy the paper Konan threw at them. Shino held his own quite a bit. However, Konan stopped fighting and fled. Pain’s assault was later settled as the leader was defeated.

insect master
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hen Tobi, the leader of Akatsuki, declared War team 8, which was Shino’s team, went to fight on the battlefield. They became part of the allied shinobi forces to fight against the enemies and protect Naruto and Killer B from getting captured.

Shino fought bravely against the enemies and survived easily. He showed his improved teamwork by luring out the imposter white Zetsu hiding in their team. The White Zetsu had taken the form of Hinata and was injuring their fellow comrades.

 Shino played a game of rock paper scissors he made with Kiba. They found the imposter and defeated him by using signals with each other while playing the game. They later found an unconscious Hinata lying on the ground. Shino also used his bugs during the war to replenish the chakra of his comrades. He also used the bugs to check what the enemies were doing.

After the war, Shino strived to become a teacher as he wanted to teach the new generation what it meant to be a human and a shinobi.

Characters Who Had an Impact on Shino’s Life

Here is some information on some closely related characters to Shino and how much impact Shino had on their lives.

Kiba Inuzuka

Kiba is a member of the Inuzuka clan. This clan has a dog as a very close member to them. This can be seen as Kiba has Akamaru always close to him. Kiba has a feral appearance as he is shown with pronounced canine teeth and nails that he can use as claws. Moreover, at the start of the series, Kiba wore a grey fur-lined coat and greyish pants that reached his calves.

Even though he is human, Kiba has many attributes similar to an animal. As shown by black sharp vertical eyes, fang-like teeth, and two red fang-like markings on his cheeks. Moreover, he has long, spiky brown hair.

This personality and appearance of Kiba made him very different from his team. Furthermore, Shino was the polar opposite of Kiba and showed him to not underestimate his opponents many times. Shino and Kiba often had fights. 

However, Shino cared for Kiba very much and has often covered up for his mistakes. It can be seen as when the team lost their scroll due to Kiba’s carelessness, and then Shino helped Kiba retrieve it. Shino used his analytical skills to win many battles, and Kiba really admired him for it, as this was a skill Kiba lacked.

Hinata Hyuga

At the start of the series, Hinata was a shy kid with no confidence in her abilities. She had short blue hair, which she grew longer later in the series. Furthermore, she used to wear an off-white fur-coated hood, blue pants, and blue shinobi sandals. Moreover, she came from the Hyuga clan. This clan had strong visual powers, as seen from their lavender-colored eyes.

Shino knew that Hinata had no confidence and was weak. So to improve Hinata’s and his own skills, Shino trained with her. He cared deeply for her as a teammate and really helped her get better, for which she became really grateful to Shino. 

Furthermore, Shino’s care for Hinata can be seen when he quickly defeated the imposter impersonating her during the fourth great ninja war. Unlike everyone else except Naruto, Shino was the one who really believed in Hinata’s abilities as a shinobi and gave her motivation.

hinata hyuga
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Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki is the main protagonist of the series. He is a young boy who wears an orange tracksuit and blue shinobi sandals. He has blonde hair and blue eyes and is a very energetic but idiotic person. Naruto always likes to interact with people. From his childhood, he was discriminated against by the whole village for having the nine-tailed fox sealed inside of him.

Shino, however, accepted him for who he was and never talked ill of him. Naruto and Shino became close friends even though Shino found Naruto annoying. Whereas Naruto found Shino creepy. Naruto, after some time, left the village along with Jiraiya to do some training.

When Naruto came back, he was met with Kiba and Hinata, whom he recognized instantly. Shino was there as well. However, Naruto couldn’t recognize him, and Shino felt hurt by this and held a grudge. He, later on, forgives Naruto and teaches him an important lesson that you shouldn’t ignore people that are close to you.

Kankuro

He was one of the intruders who came from the sand village. He disguised himself as an opponent in the chunin exams. Moreover, Kankuro wore a black full-body outfit called bunraku. It is a puppeteer costume as Kankuro was the secret puppet master. 

Kankuro, as a character, didn’t like unnecessary fighting, unlike Shino, who fights to test his abilities. However, Shino, too, doesn’t pick fights for no reason. Shino fought against Kankuro during the destruction of Konoha village. Shino defeated Kankuro in a very close battle as both got severely injured. Kankuro got his chakra depleted while Shino was poisoned due to a poisonous gas that Kankuro sprayed on him.

After the war between the two villages ended and they became close friends. Shino and Kankuro also became good friends and left their hatred for each other behind. Moreover, Kankuro really admired Shino’s ability as a fighter.

Tenten

Tenten is one of the female side characters of the series. She wore a pink long sleeveless shirt, blue pants, and shinobi sandals. She also wore a forehead protector. Moreover, Tenten specialized in the use of weapons. She was part of team Might Guy, including Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga.

Shino had many interactions with her as the series went on. One of them was when she was angry that she wasn’t part of the rescue mission for Hidden Sand Village ninja, which included saving Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. As Shino wasn’t part of the Sasuke retrieval mission, he understood her pain and forgave her for being irritating. 

Shino showed his kindness to Tenten by not arguing with her. Tenten found this a very nice gesture and appreciated Shino for it.

tenten
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Kurenai Yuhi

She was the leader of the team of which Shino was a member. Kurenai was a fair-skinned woman. Moreover, she had long black hair and red eyes and wore a red mesh blouse with only the right sleeve. Kurenai was a very caring and kind woman and helped her team grow.

Shino really cared for her and respected her. Shino showed his respect as Kurenai’s student by looking out for her child many times at the end of the series. He used to take Kurenai’s child Mirai on walks and teach her the difference between right and wrong.

Torune Aburame

Torune was the adopted son of Shino’s family. He was adopted after his father, Shikuro Aburame, died. Torune used to wear a black apron over which he wore a black long-sleeved jacket. He wore matching grey pants and blue shinobi sandals. 

He also wore the customary Aburame glasses and a mask covering half of his face. Just the nose and mouth are visible. Shino used to live with him and accepted him as a close brother. Shino was never scared of his unique insects. Moreover, Shino also played with him, making Torune very happy until he joined the Roots and left Shino’s family.

My Opinion About Shino Aburame

Shino’s personality and traits are certainly not ordinary. He is a very unique character with an atmosphere of his own. His wide range of abilities makes him a very intriguing character in the series. Moreover, unlike his clan members, he is a lot more lively, as can be seen when he keeps on teasing Kiba for his mistakes. This makes him a very likable character to me.

However, Shino also takes great pride in himself and doesn’t ask others for help. This trait of his, even though admirable, is not a very nice trait to have. As in the Naruto world, asking for help when needed is very important. Otherwise, situations can worsen when Shino comes to the brink of death due to Kankuro’s poison gas. Even though I didn’t say this is not a remarkable trait, I don’t think Shino should have this trait.

Fun Facts and Trivia

Do You Know What Shino Aburame’s Name Means?

Shino’s name means faith which is also the name given to the samurai Inuzuka of the Nanso Satomi Hakkenden, a novel about a dog samurai. Aburame Shino’s family name literally means “oil woman.” However, it can also be the variation of Aburamushi which means cockroach. It might refer to their family’s use of insects as weapons.

Do You Know Shino Aburame Used To Name His Insects?

In the anime, it has been seen many times that Shino really loves his insects and cares about them. So Shino used to name his insects to show his affection towards them.

Do You Know What Shino Aburame’s Hobbies Are?

Like every human being, Shino Aburame also has hobbies. His hobbies include reading about entomology and collecting new specimens for his extensive insect collection.

What Are Shino Aburame’s Favorite And Least Favorite Foods?

Like other characters in the series, Shino too has his preference for food and is sometimes picky about eating things. Shino Aburame’s favorite foods include wild grass salad and winter melon. However, Shino is not a fan of pungent-smelling foods.

FAQs

Question: Who is Shino Aburame in love with?

Answer: Shino Aburame started to really like Hana Inuzuka, the sister of Kiba Inuzuka. They have a romantic relationship and are usually referred to as ShinoHana to show their close bond.

Question: Is Shino Aburame made of bugs?

Answer: No, Shino Aburame is not made of bugs. Instead, he was infused with a special breed of insects from birth. These insects live on Shino Aburame’s body and survive through the form of symbiosis.

Question: Why does Shino Aburame cover his eyes?

Answer: Shino doesn’t cover his eyes. Instead, he wears sunglasses for protection. Since he is known for having the characteristics of insects, it can be assumed that he has a Crepuscular Vision or Nocturnal Vision. This means he can be most active in a condition of low light or twilight.

Question: Is Shino Aburame a strong shinobi?

Answer: Yes, Shino Aburame is definitely a strong shinobi. His skills are easily above average, and he also comes from one of the strongest clans in the Naruto world. His ability is basically bugs manipulation.

Question: Does Kiba Inuzuka like Shino Aburame?

Answer: As the series progressed, Shino Aburame expressed his feelings to get closer to Kiba as a friend. Their relationship is like Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki’s relationship, meaning they have polar opposite personalities. They became close friends to the point where they started complimenting each other.

Shino Naruto Guide: Final Thoughts

When Naruto started, it was a series that didn’t have much going for it. However, as the anime industry gained popularity around the globe Naruto as a series, due to its unpredictable story, became famous. So to make the series even better than before, Masashi Kishimoto added more characters to the series as needed. So Shino Aburame, a very unique option, was introduced.

Even though he was a character who didn’t speak much, he brought a lot to the table. He was much stronger than every other character around him. Moreover, Shino Aburame was a very determined character who never liked losing. He did a lot for his village and made it a better place. 

Being very loyal to his village, he completed over 44 missions and tried to help everyone who needed help. Shino Aburame also never bothered anyone and lived his life peacefully. However, due to Shino Aburame’s introverted nature, he didn’t get much spotlight and got overlooked by the fans, including me. Shino Aburame is a very underappreciated side character, and he deserves more appreciation from Naruto fans.

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