The show Naruto has shined a spotlight on its strongest ninjas but at the cost of some characters never getting an opportunity to show how good they are. Even with the continuation on Boruto, some ninjas just don't get to show their skills.
Ninjas with their own unique style of fighting are not able to get the character development to show they are meant for more than the little roles that they receive. These are characters that are forgotten or too memorable that they deserve better.
Sai
One of the new characters introduced in Naruto Shippuden, Sia ed team 7 as part of a secret mission with the Anbu black ops and Danzo. His skill with a paintbrush has allowed him to take on and help beat Akatsuki brought back to life. Sai learned emotions through Naruto and became a friend that s Naruto during a fight.
The problem with Sai is that once he s team 7, he becomes Sasuke's replacement. This is true going into Boruto as he gets together with Ino. Ino moved on from Sasuke to the man that replaced him. Sai was never given the opportunity he deserves to completely step out of Sasuke's shadow.
Tenten
The long-distance fighter of team Guy, Tenten's most memorable moment on the show is having her back broken by Temari. She is a ninja who masters summoning and weaponry of all fighting styles. Her lack of screen time has made her a running joke within the Naruto community.
Team Guy was often the team sent in as backup with Neji and Rock Lee proving just how skilled they are. The summoning ninja on the team was never given the same focus as her two Taijutsu teammates. If given the same opportunity as her peers, she could prove that she is someone with main character energy.
Kiba
Son of the Inuzuka clan leader, like Naruto, Kiba's goal is to become Hokage. Along with his trusty ally Akamaru, Kiba was able to fight against one of the Sound Ninja Four when retrieving Sasuke. He was never given the opportunity to become close to being Hokage.
After his fight with Sakon and Ukon, Kiba wasn't used as much. He was often put on missions to sniff out targets but never for his fighting ability. It would have been awesome to see him and Akamaru turn into a giant two-headed dog more as that completely redeemed him from losing by a fart against Naruto.
Kimimaro
Despite only having a brief part to play in the show, Kimimaro is a villain that fans love. His Kekkei Genkai allows him to use his bones as weapons but at the cause of making him sick near death. His loyalty to Orochimaru allowed him to fight through the sickness and against Naruto, Rock Lee, and Gara.
If it wasn't for his sickness, Kimimaro could have stayed as Orochimaru's loyal guard. Opening more fights such as defending his master against Sasuke. He would have connections to the series' final villain Kakguya as he was a member of a clan named after her and resembles the pale skin and red dots on her head.
Zetsu
Some of Naruto's best moments featured the Akatsuki, but none of those moments included Zetsu. Zetsu served as the spy for the Akatsuki and didn't appear to do anything until near the end of both series. Half of him was turned into easily defeated clones, and the other half was connected to Obito.
Zetsu wasn't a fighter but even as a spy it feels like he hasn't really done much. Kabuto and Itachi prove that a character can be a spy and not do other things. He stayed in the shadows for so long that when he started doing something at the end of Shippuden it was a bit underwhelming to fans.
Kankuro
Part of the Sand Siblings, Kankuro is the middle child and son of the Fourth Kazekage. While his younger brother uses sand and his older sister uses wind technique, Kankuro masters the use of puppetry.
In Naruto Shippuden, he would get a new puppet from the former Akatsuki member Sasori as he turns him into his own personal puppet. Fans never got to see exactly what he could do with his Sasori puppet. Tamari is with Shikamaru and Gaara is Kazekage, but Kankuro is just there as he never got the same level of character development as they did.
All Sound Ninjas
Founded by Orochimaru, the Sound Village houses rogue ninjas in search of power. These ninjas were used as a ploy to enter the leaf village as part of the chunnin exam to wipe out the village and take Sasuke. Sound Ninjas only played a role in the original series as Orochimaru's henchmen that were there to lose.
The idea of an existing village with ninjas made stronger through Orochimaru's experiments has vanished in Naruto Shippuden. Orochimaru has brought powerful enemies in team Dosu in the Forest of Death and the Sound Ninja Four. Assuming all Sound Ninjas gained power through curse marks, could have continued being a threat to the leaf village and Orochimaru's personal assassins.
Shizune
Shizune serves as Lady Tsunade's assistant and loyal ally. Providing encouragement and , Shizune is a master medic as she learns under the training of Lady Tsunade as her first apprentice. Shizune is equipped with a concealed wrist-mounted device that shoots poison when she feels the need to protect her master.
Shizune is only seen as an assistant throughout the show with her fighting ability only seen once. Her skills as a medic were rarely seen as her master or fellow apprentice Sakura were often used instead. Shown too much as a helper to the Hokage Shizune was never given the attention that she deserves as a medic and a ninja. She was seen so rarely that fans can only theorize what secret forbidden Jutsu she uses her pig Tonton for.
Suigetsu
Part of team Taka Suigetsu was the loudmouth who would spit unpopular opinions about Naruto and any ninja he didn't like. Brother of one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist Mangetsu Suigetsu grabs Zabuz's sword one of seven he wishes to collect. Suigetsu has invulnerability as he is made of water.
Sasuke grabbed Jugo for his strength and loyalty to Kimimaru and Karin for her sensory and medical Jutsus but Suigetsu was picked for his endurance when taken on a large group of enemies. This isn't shown much as it was rare to see him fight large groups or strong opponents. Suigetsu showed that he can go against the strongest of tailed beast hosts as he is able to take the tails off of Killer Bee in jinchuriki form. If he can survive a fight with a jinchuriki, who else could he have gone against?
Shino
Shino's control over insects makes him an all-around threat. Part of the Aburame clan, Shino uses his intellect and insects as spies and weapons in combat. He has a quiet demeanor which makes him an opponent that is underestimated. His fights against Zaku and Kankuro don't last long as his chakra-eating insects are able to get the win before his opponents are able to get offense.
Shino had an opportunity to get more screen time in the Sasuke retrieval arc but was too late at meeting the team. This was the start of his downfall he hasn't been used in a fight since the exams. Shino's control allowed him to take minor damage and defeat opponents with little to no problem. He was dangerous and this was never explored enough to allow fans to determine how he would fare against a high-level threat found in the Akatsuki.
