From the moment Naruto’s Kakashi Hatake is introduced as Team 7’s leader, it’s clear there is more to him than meets the eye. He’s the kind of character who makes viewers pay attention not just because he demands it, but because his character has earned it. With his deadly skill, calm demeanor, and tragic past hinted at in fragments throughout the story, Kakashi quickly became a fan favorite and one of the series’ best characters.

As the story plays out, Kakashi’s lore and legacy only grow. Fans learn about the heavy weight he carries, the teammates he’s lost, and the philosophies that ultimately shape who he is and how he chooses to teach the next generation of shinobi. He’s been through more than most, and how he carries himself is irable and captures attention. Kakashi’s coldest line may be powerful, but looking back, it also completely overlooks a crucial fact.

Kakashi Isn’t an Easy Man To Threaten

Out of Every Character in Naruto, Kakashi Has One of the Worst Backstories

As a former Anbu operative and one of the most elite shinobi in the Hidden Leaf, Kakashi has heard threats before. He has lived a life where danger is consistent, so when Sasuke Uchiha threatens to kill the ones closest to him, Kakashi doesn’t even blink. Instead, he plastered a smile on his face as he told Sasuke that everyone he'd ever cared about was already dead. There’s no bravado to it, and the brutal transparency lands like a punch to the gut. The moment perfectly captures who he is as a character. Calm, broken, yet impossible to shake.

Kakashi’s tragic backstory was a slow unraveling, starting with his father, Sakumo Hatake, who chose to save his comrades over completing a mission, leading to his disgrace and eventual suicide. This loss taught Kakashi that comion leads to ruin; he prioritized rules over people and viewed emotion as weakness. Then, Obito offered him an entirely new perspective on connection and teamwork, but his death and Rin’s left Kakashi torn and devastated. Left to grapple with the contradiction of valuing connections while also fearing it, he’s burdened by guilt and loss that irrevocably reshaped his worldview and identity.

By the time Kakashi became an adult, he was not just grieving. He’s bracing for loss as it's inevitable. Every bond that he formed became a countdown, and that mindset affected his personality and became the lens through which he saw the world around him. He became detached, sardonic, and outwardly composed. The tragedies he experienced became his armor. When he claims that everyone he’s loved is dead, it’s a mix of resignation and brutal honesty.

Kakashi Didn’t Take Into Who Was Right Beside Him

Despite What Kakashi Says, Everyone Knows Might Guy Is His Best Friend

While Kakashi’s response to Sasuke is easily one of the coldest lines in Naruto, it doesn’t sit quite right when you who’s been alongside Kakashi since the beginning. Might Guy isn’t just a rival or teammate. He’s Kakashi’s best friend, and while their friendship grows over the course of the series, it’s clear from the beginning that they have a close bond. The idea that Kakashi would slander Guy like that while he’s still alive and cares about him feels wrong.

Their relationship is built on competition, but it’s also filled with deep, unspoken loyalty. Guy pushed Kakashi to open up, to care again, and to laugh at life even when it feels unbearable. He’s the one who pulls Kakashi out of his own darkness over and over again. Unlike so many others in Kakashi’s life, Guy is a constant. From their youth to the war, Guy was always there. For Kakashi to act like that bond means nothing in the face of loss isn’t just inaccurate, it’s heartbreaking. Kakashi unintentionally erases the one person who’s always been in his corner.

While Kakashi’s story may be tragic and his response to Sasuke is the kind of line that only a character like him could deliver, it overlooks his best friend. Might Guy is practically family and is the last constant in a life full of loss. Omitting him disregards everything they’ve been through and ignores the impact Guy had on his life. Throughout Naruto, Might Guy has always been on Kakashi’s side, and it’s a real shame that Kakashi disregarded him so quickly, even if it was unintentional.