Temari Nara (奈良テマリ, Nara Temari) is a kunoichi from Konohagakure's Nara Clan and a former member of Sunagakure's Kazekage Clan. She is Shikadai Nara's mother and Shikamaru Nara's wife. She currently works as a kunoichi and Ambassador for the village. Together with Kankurō and Gaara she is the former member of the Three Sand Siblings.
Background
Early Life
Temari was born the eldest child of Karura and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. While it was customary for close relations to a Kage to be a jinchūriki, neither she nor her younger brother Kankurō were compatible with the One-Tail[1].
Personality
Temari is a prudent, stoic and blunt individual who is rarely afraid to speak her mind, a trait she would later pass on to her son. In Part I, similar to her siblings, she was rather dismissive with a cruel streak which was demonstrated when Gaara killed Team Shigure; she simply smiled and waved goodbye to them before they were crushed[2]. However, Temari seems to value peace, as she questioned the reasoning of starting a war with Konoha in Part I[3]. In Part II, her value for peace increased, which as she acts as a diplomatic intermediary between Sunagakure and Konohagakure to prepare for the next Chūnin Exams[4], as well as by risking her life several times during the Kage Summit and the Fourth Shinobi World War to save her comrades, don't matter if they are from her village or not as initially did other shinobi[5][6][7].
During the Chūnin Exams, it is revealed that the one person she is afraid of is Gaara. When Gaara and Kankurō were fighting, she showed a light and happy mood to make sure Gaara didn't harm her or Kankurō. Despite this, during the short time between then and the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, she no longer expressed fear around him, having been one of the first to accept the new Gaara. Like Kankurō, her relationship with Gaara has greatly improved after he sought redemption after being reformed by Naruto. Temari is shown to be a loving sister who deeply cares for her siblings: when Gaara was captured by the Akatsuki, she hurried back to the village to save him; and when Kankurō was poisoned, she watched over him until he had recovered[8][9].
Temari frequently appears alongside Shikamaru Nara. Though they were opponents during the Chūnin Exams, they came to each others' aid at different points in Part I. Despite her usual tough demeanor, she has a tendency to show a softer nature around Shikamaru[10], such as showing sympathy for him after his father scolded him for questioning if he should be a ninja after the Sasuke Uchiha rescue mission failed[11]. When Naruto returned to Konoha at the start of Part II and saw the two of them walking together, he asked them if they were on a date, which both of them denied[12]. Later, after Shikamaru had escorted her to the village gates near the beginning of Part II, she told him that he should take his duties more seriously, and to quickly become a jōnin like herself. This topic was continued when she was assigned to the Fourth Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces with Shikamaru. She tells him to "look alive" and act more like a leader now that he was essentially the division's acting general in Gaara's place[13].
The manga hints several times of Shikamaru and Temari's feelings for each other very subtlety. After the war, she would marry Shikamaru and give birth to their son Shikadai. Temari seems to be a rather strict mother, as she was very upset to hear him get involved in any trouble at school and sharply tells him to give his uncle, Gaara, a proper greeting[14]. She is not above physically disciplining her son. Temari is also shown a similar attitude towards her husband, finding his lack of discipline towards their son unacceptable[15]. Overall, she is shown to be the matriarch of her family, as both men greatly fear her wrath and she is easily able to guess what they are thinking[16]. She also became very loyal to the Nara Clan. At same time, Temari shows a carefree side too, smiling and cheering her son during the Chūnin Exams[17].
Appearance
Temari bears a great resemblance to her mother; she has dark green eyes and sandy blonde hair, which is gathered into four consecutive pigtails. She also a tall woman, becoming the tallest of her generation.
Temari's outfit in Boruto.
Two years after the war, Temari changes from wearing four pig tails to tying her hair in two high ponytails. Her hair is also parted to the right side of her face and significantly longer. Her attire resembles the one she wore during the Sasuke Recovery Mission. Her clothing consists of a purple long-sleeved blouse with a high collar under a grey top, and a dark blue skirt with a split in the middle revealing her leggings. Her giant fan adorns her back at all times. She wears fingerless gloves and her sandals are slightly different. Noticeably, she isn't wearing her forehead protector. She also started wearing lipstick.
By motherhood, she wears a dark blue kimono robe that reaches her mid thighs. She wears a black obi to tie her kimono and also support her giant fan on missions. Her hair is parted to the right with longer bangs that pass her ears. She also styles her hair back into four pigtails again.
In the manga, Temari's changes; now it has only two ponytails at the bottom of the back of her head. She wears a pair of simple white earrings, a light pink lipstick, and also a shuriken holster on her right thigh. Temari's outfit consists of a dark blue short sleeved dress that reached her above her knees, a beige belt with white polka dots around her belly (which also serves to carry her fan), fingerless black gloves, and high-heeled boot-sandals with wooden soles.
Abilities
Being one of the Fourth Kazekage's children who underwent the grueling training of Sunagakure, where she was instructed in the art of tessenjutsu and Wind Release. Temari is a highly talented and skilled kunoichi who specializes in long-range combat[18][19]. Even as a genin, Temari easily managed to kill Tayuya, the second strongest member of the Sound Four, without a single scratch[20]. By Part II, she was promoted to the rank of jōnin. Further attesting to her skills, she was chosen to be the bodyguard of the Fifth Kazekage, and was chosen to lead a team in dealing with the Third Raikage during the Fourth Shinobi World War. By adulthood, Temari managed to overpower the Byakuya Gang by forcing them to retreat[21]. She's also regarded as the best Wind Release user of her village[22], and probably the world[23].
Ninjutsu
Tessenjutsu and Nature Transformation
Temari's giant fan.
Temari wields a giant iron fan (鉄扇, tessen) in battle, which she uses in tandem with her Wind Release nature manipulation to create severe torrents of winds. In addition to being used as a makeshift club or to block attacks, the fan can be used to glide upon in order to intimidate her foes, and it seems to be made of some sort of steel, since it is able to deflect kunai and shuriken when opened[24].
Inscribed on her fan are three purple circles spaced equally across its length, which she calls "stars" (星, hoshi, English TV: moons). As she opens the fan to reveal each star in sequence, the fan's power increases greatly. Once all three moons are revealed, Temari can create slicing whirlwinds that she can guide with her chakra. Her winds allow her to attack from afar and alter the battlefield to her liking, as well as deflect or divert most ranged attacks. A stronger variant of her whirlwinds can be used as a counter against sound wave attacks that can cause genjutsu, making it both a defense and an attack at the same time.
Temari using Sickle Weasel Technique.
In Part II, Temari is shown to have far greater control of the winds she creates with her fan. She demonstrates the ability to slice through multiple points on a Samurai's armor without injuring the man inside[25]. She also developed a stronger variant of the Sickle Weasel Technique. By the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Temari was claimed to be the best Wind Release user in the Fourth Division, which was shown when she could injure the Third Raikage, whose body is known to be extremely durable[26], and counter the resulting wind force caused by a swipe of one of the Ten-Tails' tail by using the Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique alongside the other tessenjutsu users[27]. Likewise, she could counter the Ten-Tails' arms alongside the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces[28]. Two years after the war, she was recognised as the best Wind Release user in Suna, and possibly the world[23].
Intelligence
Temari is a keen analyst, able to easily deduce an opponent's strategies and weaknesses soon after a battle begins. During her Chūnin Exams finals fight, she easily calculated the distance it would take for Shikamaru to reach her with the Shadow Imitation Technique, and was able to consistently keep out of its grasp[29]. Despite ultimately being out-witted in her fight against Shikamaru, she was praised by the jōnin Asuma Sarutobi who called her "an excellent strategist"[30]. She has also shown to have keen senses, able to tell when a Wind Release technique is being used, as well as when Naruto was attempting to use the Tailed Beast Ball. She is also apparently very studious as since marrying into the Nara clan, she has become well-versed in its techniques (or least the knowledge of them) and helped develop a new technique[31].
Other Skills
Temari's summon: Kamatari.
Temari also possess a summon, Kamatari, a one-eyed weasel able to aid her in battle by creating strong gusts of wind in unison with her own. She is also quite skilled in taijutsu, able to easily block Rock Lee's Leaf Whirlwind with her fan, much to the latter's surprise. She also uses her giant fan to attack or to defend herself from direct hand-to-hand combat.
New Era
Upon getting married to Shikamaru and taking residence in Konoha, she would later give birth to their son, Shikadai. At some point, she taught a range of Wind Release techniques to Mirai Sarutobi[32]. She also works as a jōnin for the village, taking missions frequently.
Academy Arc
In the anime, during the early part of Shikadai's first semester in the Academy, he was punished along with some other students for causing a commotion. While Shikadai insisted he was unintentionally caught in Boruto Uzumaki's antics, Temari gave him a serious scolding for being involved at all, noting that it was unmanly to not take responsibility. When Shikamaru came home from work and learned about it, he took the news of Shikadai's school punishment indifferently, viewing it as yet another learning curve for him. Temari was annoyed by this attitude, deciding to deprive both men dinner for the night. Later, when Temari learned that her son skipped classes one day (mainly due to Mitsuki's poor cover story), Temari soon disciplined her son, leaving a deep red mark across his check.
On the day of the Five Kage Summit in Konoha, Temari would host her brothers during their stay in the village, and reprimand Shikadai when he failed to address Gaara, the Kazekage, appropriately[33].
Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day.
Main article: Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day (novel)
When Konoha celebrated their new holiday, Parent and Child Day, Temari learnt that the winner of the eating contest would get unlimited free dumplings from Ankorodō for one year, she forced Shikamaru and Shikadai to participate to have the prize for herself. Upon learning that they lost, Temari almost killed them in rage. In the anime, Temari watched her husband and son eating dinner in fear of her fury.
Byakuya Gang Arc
Temari meets his son before leaving for a mission.
In the anime, the Byakuya Gang threatened Konoha by causing trouble, and Temari is sent on a mission as all shinobi of chūnin rank and above are sent to investigate them. On her way out, she met her son, who was waiting for a friend, and told him that she would be coming late that night but that she had left dinner ready at home. During her mission, she discovered that Team 15 were being attacked by the Gang and intercepted them, forcing their retreat. Temari followed one of them to the park, where she found Boruto and Shikadai, and asked them to divert the enemy. However, Shikadai hesitated, allowing them to escape. Noticing his behavior, Temari scolded Shikadai for being too slow at making quick decisions and not being useful as a backup for a jōnin. She later told him that it's alright to take risks sometimes in order to protect those things precious to him, and left to take report.
Versus Momoshiki Arc
In the anime, Temari helped Team 10 prepare for the upcoming Chūnin Exams with a training session, easily defeating them despite her son using strategies to handle the battle. After the loss, Temari told them that they were taking the exams lightly, and revealed that Sunagakure would send strong shinobi, with Shinki, Gaara's adoptive son, among the participants. Days after, Temari met with Sakura Uchiha and Ino Yamanaka to eat dango, on her way she saw Naruto using his Shadow Clones to help villagers with their tasks.
Temari watching the Chūnin Exams.
On the day of the Chūnin Exams, Temari sat with Sakura and Ino and watched her son's match against Boruto Uzumaki. During the fight Shikadai used a jutsu developed using Temari's ideas according to Shikamaru. When Shikadai admitted defeat during the battle, much like his father did when he was younger, Temari laughed. When Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki began their attack, Temari and Sakura helped protect people in the arena from the falling debris.
Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc
In the anime, after Mitsuki presumably betrayed Konoha by attacking two chūnin guards and leaving, the village was put on lockdown. When Boruto and Sarada leave the village to find their teammate, Shikamaru sends Team 10 to retrieve them before they're classified as missing-nin. Temari went to the Hokage Residence to bring her husband lunch, taking the opportunity to confront him about sending their son and his friends to pursue such a difficult task concerning Shikadai's best friend, disappointed in Shikamaru for taking that decision. However, Shikamaru reassured her and told her that Shikadai thinks similar to himself, and the experience would motivate their son's growth by helping him figure out the truth and the inconsistencies of the situation.
Temari visits Shikamaru in his office.
Days later, for being the elder sister of the Kazekage, Temari was invited to a meeting with the Wind Daimyō and Gaara. Upon learning this, Enchū Nara, the Clan's Chief Counselor, is disappointed in the Head of the Nara Clan for not joining his wife in such an important political event. He expressed his condescension at how much their clan hadn't progressed since the Fourth Shinobi World War and the gossip spreading around the Land of Wind that the alliance of the Nara and Kazekage Clan is unworthy ever since Shikamaru married Temari. After Enchū offers Shikadai an apprenticeship under the Fire Daimyō, Temari is disappointed that her son accepts and Shikamaru agrees without complaints. In the end, Shikadai rejects the offer and decided to prove the worth of the Nara Clan by learning Wind Release techniques from Temari.
One-Tail Escort Arc
In the anime, Temari decided to take Shikadai with her to Sunagakure, insisting that he should visit his uncle one in a while. After arriving, Temari expressed concern as her brothers had not yet returned after meeting with Sasuke. She took Shikadai with her to investigate by herself, finding Yodo and Araya carrying an injured Gaara back to the village. They explained that Urashiki Ōtsutsuki had teleported Sasuke to another dimension and Gaara was attacked while trying to temporaily seal the enemy. Both chūnin tell Temari that Kankurō had acompanied Boruto and Shinki to escort Shukaku back to Konoha and decided to pursue them, leaving Gaara in Yodo and Araya's care.
They soon reach the place where Kankurō's fought against Urashiki's puppets, which ended in a huge explosion and the puppet master's disappearance. While searching for Kankurō, Temari and Shikadai found that Boruto had returned, desperate to help Shinki's uncle. While Boruto explained he had to come back to help Kankurō, despite Shinki's cold protests, Temari explained that Shinki wasn't as uncaring as he appears, but rather was determined to make his family proud. Temari showed gratitude for Boruto wanting to help her brother and insisted that as ninja, they had to think of the bigger picture, including respecting their allies' wishes. After heading out, they found evidence of a hole being dug as a means to escape the explosion, prompting the Konoha ninja to catch up with Shinki and Shukaku.
Temari fighting against Urashiki's puppet.
They ultimately find them as they were attacked by the last of Urashiki's last puppet. While Boruto helped Shinki and Shukaku escape, the puppet's large array of weapons and attacks made it difficult for the shinobi to go against and Temari was ultimately wounded and partially paralyzed while protecting her son. Boruto and Shikadai worked in tandem and they managed to destroy the puppet. Afterwards, it was decided for Boruto to head on with Shinki and Shukaku while Temari tended to her wounds with Shikadai and resumed their search for Kankurō. Shortly afterwards, they were attacked by Urashiki, who stole some of their chakra and knocked them out. The mother and son were later found by Suna ninja, who revealed that Kankurō was alive and safe, and were brought to Konohagakure for treatment.
Shikamaru Shinden: A Cloud Dancing in Forlorn Falling Petals
Main article: Shikamaru Shinden: A Cloud Dancing in Forlorn Falling Petals
In the night of their wedding anniversary, Temari prepared her husband dinner, which wasn't touched after Shikamaru returned from work. Annoyed by this, Temari decided to ignore Shikamaru the morning after, but prepared breakfast for him regardless after he had got ready for the day. After questioning, Temari told her husband about what he had forgotten and he apologized before leaving for work.
Kara Actuation Arc
In the anime, Konoha sent Temari to inform the Kazekage of Kara's threat.
Ao Arc
In the anime, Temari attended the memorial for the vicitms of the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Quotes
- (About her match with Tenten) "Wasn't much of a match; kinda boring."
- (About Shikamaru) "Sacrifice is an inevitable part of missions… Didn't you receive emotion training?"
- (To Shikamaru) "Unexpected fragility… men are strange…"
- (To Naruto) "Naruto… You really are a mysterious person. You have the power to change people… Lady Chiyo was always saying how she didn't care about the future of the village… She wasn't the kind of person who would do something like this for Gaara… "
- ↑ Naruto chapter 547, page 3
- ↑ Naruto chapter 59, page 11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 34, page 16
- ↑ Naruto chapter 247, page 5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 458
- ↑ Naruto chapter 459
- ↑ Naruto chapter 464
- ↑ Naruto chapter 252
- ↑ Naruto chapter 254
- ↑ Naruto chapter 214
- ↑ Naruto chapter 235
- ↑ Naruto chapter 247, pages 4-6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 515, page 17
- ↑ Naruto chapter 700
- ↑ Boruto episode 3
- ↑ Boruto episode 43
- ↑ Boruto: Naruto the Movie
- ↑ Fourth Databook, page 122
- ↑ Naruto chapter 515
- ↑ Naruto chapter 214, pages 16-19
- ↑ Boruto episode 44
- ↑ The Last: Naruto the Movie guidebook
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding, chapter 3
- ↑ Naruto chapter 106, pages 15-16
- ↑ Naruto chapter 464, page 5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 553, page 13
- ↑ Naruto chapter 611, pages 15-16
- ↑ Naruto chapter 617, page 7
- ↑ Naruto chapter 107, page 10
- ↑ Naruto chapter 108, page 8
- ↑ Boruto episode 59
- ↑ Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls
- ↑ Naruto chapter 700