10 Reasons Shikamaru Would Make A Great Hokage

As the Naruto franchise's best strategist, Shikamaru Nara has a lot of traits that could make him a great Hokage.

The Naruto franchise has an interesting political system in place. In the village of Konohagakure, the Kage is selected by village elders. In the village of Sunagakure, the Kage is an inherited position. Every village has a different system for selecting their leader, but all of the Kages work together to keep the world at peace. When Naruto was revealed as the Hokage with the launch of the Boruto series, fans quickly began speculating as to who could follow up Naruto in the position - if Konohagakure even ends up with another Hokage.

There are a handful of candidates who are clear frontrunners for the position. There is one person, Shikamaru Nara, who might make for a surprisingly effective leader of his home village. It's unlikely he would find himself in the position, but if he was called to action, he'd be more than prepared for the task.

10 Shikamaru Is Committed To Protecting The "King"

Konaha doesn't have an actual king. Instead, the title is a term used by Asuma Sarutobi to explain what the most important thing should be to a shinobi. After Asuma's death, Shikamaru makes a promise to his late sensei and himself that he will always work toward making sure the "king" of Konoha is safe.

That most important thing is the next generation. There's nothing more important to a shinobi than making sure the next generation has a chance to survive and thrive. Shikamaru devotes himself to not only protecting Asuma's daughter after his death, but making sure Konoha has policies in place to protect all of its children.

9 He Advised Three Different Hokages

Shikamaru first became an unofficial advisor to the Hokage at the ripe old age of 15. Freshly made a Chunin, Shikamaru was one of the few trusted in Lady Tsunade's inner circle. She handed him missions that he probably shouldn't have taken at 15, and she trusted his judgment nearly implicitly.

When Kakashi Hatake took over after her, Shikamaru remained in his position and even called the shots for how Konoha's most secure prison was run. He further retained the position when Naruto became Hokage. Shikamaru has already witnessed the methods of three different Hokages first hand.

8 Shikamaru Thinks Multiple Steps Ahead

Many of the shinobi the audience meet have a similar approach to fighting. They're impulsive, rushing in before they know the full extent of what they're in for. That's not the case with Shikamaru.

Shikamaru uses his intelligence to his advantage and approaches fights the same way he approaches any puzzle or game of strategy. He quickly analyzes the steps he could take and all of their possible outcomes. That's a needed trait in a Hokage, someone who looks at all of the potential consequences of the actions they're about to take.

7 He Has A Great Capacity For Learning

In addition to his ability to parse out potential outcomes, Shikamaru also demonstrates a great capacity for picking up new skills. He shows an affinity for his family's jutsu - using their shadows - but that doesn't mean he isn't adept at others.

One of the reasons Shikamaru doesn't excel at the Ninja Academy as a child is because he finds it boring. He knows what's coming in the lessons before they're done, and he doesn't find the instruction challenging or fun. When given a chance to learn through a creative method, like Asuma teaching him new games or testing him through puzzles, Shikamaru shows a great aptitude for learning new things.

6 Shikamaru's Peers Look To Him For Leadership

Even as young as 15 years old, Shikamaru demonstrates an innate ability to lead that his peers don't. Ino and Choji, his teammates, always look to Shikamaru when Asuma isn't available. Even when they don't always agree with him, they let him take charge. That also extends to the other shinobi during the Fourth World War.

Shinobi with significantly more experience than Shikamaru look to him to plan battles. When he becomes the chief strategist for the Allied Forces after the death of his father, no one even bats an eye, accepting that he has the ability to lead that they don't. That doesn't stop when the war is over.

5 He Has A Willingness To Cooperate

When young ninja graduate from the Academy, they are placed on three person teams to learn to work together as Genin. As anyone who witnessed the first team up of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke knows, not all shinobi are ready to cooperate with others.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, spends his childhood knowing that the Nara clan has a history of cooperative ninjutsu with the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans. They also regularly work with members of the Sarutobi clan to hone their skills. That family history means that Shikamaru is always ready to work with other shinobi, no matter how skilled he might be.

4 Shikamaru Has A Familial Relationship With Suna

One thing Konohagakure needs is to maintain working relationships with other shinobi villages. It would be easy enough for Shikamaru to maintain a relationship with Sunagakure since he ends up marrying the sister of its Kage.

Temari leaves her life in Suna behind to be able to marry Shikamaru and live in Konoha. She does it with her brother's blessing, and the couple maintain a relationship with her family. They might not be getting together for dinner every week, but the relationship between the two makes for a strong alliance between the two villages, much like Naruto's friendship with Gaara does.

3 He Has The Capacity For Ruthlessness

While the Hokage needs to be someone the village can trust to do what's in their best interest, they also have to rely on the leader to do whatever needs to be done to keep them safe. That might mean taking a strong (and harsh) stance that others wouldn't necessarily approve of.

When the different Kages meet up on various occasions to discuss actions that concern all of the hidden villages, Shikamaru hasn't been shy about outright threatening the lives of those who risk the peace amongst the villages. He also took it up himself to literally dismember one of the Akatsuki and bury them alive.

2 Shikamaru Defeats Hidan

All of the Hokages demonstrate their proficiency in battle at some point - often before even becoming Hokage. They all usually have flashy abilities that prove to the villagers that they can personally handle threats. Tsunade has her super strength, Kakashi has his sharingan, and Naruto has his enormous chakra reserves to backup his skills.

Shikamaru doesn't have the same kind of flashy skills that these Hokages have, but he doesn't need them. He uses his wits and his knowledge of enemies to take on Hidan after Hidan kills Asuma in battle. Shikamaru knows that Hidan is functionally immortal, so he uses explosive charges to dismember Hidan during a carefully constructed attack, then buries Hidan's head away from his other body parts to make sure the Akatsuki member can't find a way to put himself back together or continue to draw power. He does this all without an audience, but it more than proves he has what it takes to personally handle his village's threats.

1 Shikamaru Doesn't Actually Want The Job

It may seem counterintuitive, but someone who spends their time angling for the Hokage position isn't necessarily the best for it. Naruto sees Hokage as something to aspire to, a position of respect and honor. That's different than how some of the other villagers see the leadership role.

Danzō, for example, wants the power that goes with it, and schemes for years to take over the village. Shikamaru isn't interested in the adulation or the power. He just wants to help the village wherever he's needed. As the events of Boruto have unfolded, it's unlikely that Shikamaru would be the next selected Hokage, but he could certainly step in as an interim one until another was selected.

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