In Naruto Shikamaru's first major appearance in the series is during the Chunin Exams; held twice a year, Genin take part in them to advance their ranks. He is part of Team 10 alongside
Choji Akimichi and
Ino Yamanaka. He is a highly unenthusiastic person, and he attempts to go through life with minimum effort. Contrary to his lazy tendencies, Shikamaru is extremely intelligent; his teacher,
Asuma Sarutobi, determined that Shikamaru's
IQ was over 200. Shikamaru's abilities are based on the , the signature technique of his clan, with which he merges his shadow with an opponent's shadow, making them immobilized and forced to mimic Shikamaru's movements. As the series progresses, Shikamaru becomes able to manipulate his shadow in new ways. By
Part II of the series, Shikamaru is capable of utilizing multiple shadow-based techniques at once and can lift his shadow from the ground in order to interact with physical objects; for instance, he can pierce enemies with the shadow tendrils or use them to throw weapons. Shikamaru approaches the exams with a sense of apathy. When he battles
Temari, a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Sand or Sunagakure, he defeats her but forfeits his match to her, due to his chakra being low. Despite this loss, he is the only ninja among his peers to be promoted to the rank of Chunin, as Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, was impressed by the insight and intelligence he demonstrated during Orochimaru's invasion of the Leaf village. Although Shikamaru's team manages to defeat the Sound ninjas barring their way, Sasuke manages to escape. In
Part II of the series, Shikamaru is assigned the task of locating two members of the criminal organization
Akatsuki. While his team manages to find their targets, the immortal Akatsuki member
Hidan kills Asuma Sarutobi during the course of the battle. After Asuma's funeral, Shikamaru sets out with the surviving members of Team 10 to avenge their mentor with the aid of
Kakashi Hatake. As the others deal with Hidan's partner
Kakuzu, Shikamaru avenges Asuma by defeating Hidan and making sure the Akatsuki member's body is never found. Following the fight, Shikamaru vows to protect
Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma's newborn daughter. After the Akatsuki formally declared war on all the Hidden Villages, therefore starting the Fourth Great Ninja War, Shikamaru is later assigned to the Fourth Division alongside Temari and Choji. He is named a proxy general under Gaara. In the series epilogue, stating his personal desire during the series of final battles, Shikamaru becomes advisor to the Seventh Hokage
Naruto Uzumaki after marrying Temari and gaining a son in
Shikadai Nara. During Part 2 of Boruto, following Naruto's disappearance and presumed murder, for which Boruto was framed, Shikamaru serves de facto as the Eighth Hokage, without however having been officially inaugurated.
Appearances in other media Besides the
Naruto anime and manga, Shikamaru is featured in seven of the featured films in the series: in the
second film, he aids
Naruto Uzumaki and
Sakura Haruno in fighting against Haido, a utopian idealist seeking to rule the world with a power called Gelel; in the
fourth, Shikamaru appears in a brief sequence, fighting against a large group of stone soldiers; in the
fifth, Shikamaru is sent alongside Kakashi and
Sai in search of the base of the Land of Sky, who plans to invade Konoha; in the
sixth, Shikamaru, alongside Sakura and Sai, battles the chimera beast summoned by Hiruko; in the
eight, Shikamaru participates in the battle against the demon Satori; in the
ninth, the Limited Tsukuyomi universe presents a portly Shikamaru, the exact opposite of his teammate, Choji, who becomes the team strategist instead; and in the
tenth, Shikamaru leads the team consisting of himself, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and
Hinata Hyuga that is sent to rescue Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, who was kidnapped by
Toneri Otsutsuki. He is also present in the
third original video animation, in which he participates in a tournament. Shikamaru is a playable character in nearly all
Naruto video games, including the
Clash of Ninja series and the
Ultimate Ninja series. In some games, he utilizes variations of his Shadow Imitation Technique not seen in the anime or manga.
Ultimate Ninja 4 and
Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX 2 marks the first appearance of Shikamaru in his Part II appearance in a video game. A
light novel titled
Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness, written by Takashi Yano and illustrated by Kishimoto, stars Shikamaru as the main character and narrator. The novel is set two years after the Fourth Ninja War, focusing on Shikamaru's assignment as organizer of the newly formed Shinobi Union to capture a rogue ninja who rules over the distant Land of Silence and attempts to establish a new world order ruled by the common people. It also explores his growing relationship with Temari, culminating in him struggling to name
his child with her, years after the end of the novel. An upcoming novel by Mirei Miyamoto will focus on Shikamaru's life as a father. == Reception ==