Kankuro (Naruto)

Kankuro (カンクロウ, Kankurō) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto.

Background

Kankuro controlling Karasu.

As the son of the Fourth Kazekage, Kankuro is the brother of Gaara and Temari, and a ninja from Sunagakure who specializes in ninja puppetry. In his first appearance, he carries a large marionette wrapped in bandages on his back called Karasu (烏, "Crow"). In combat, Kankuro tends to use Karasu in combination with a technique similar to a Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique); he first lures his opponents into getting close to Karasu (disguised as himself), then unveils himself from the bandages to finish his opponent off. His puppets are also equipped with various traps and numerous concealed weapons, such as hidden poison-coated blades, poison gas, and projectile launchers. In addition, the heads and limbs of his puppets can be disengaged from their respective bodies and used as projectiles themselves.

Kankuro appears to add new puppets to his arsenal as the manga/anime progresses, reflecting an increase in his skill level. He later uses Karasu in conjunction with a second puppet called Kuroari (黒蟻, "Black Ant"), a puppet designed to be a trapping unit that holds opponents still for Karasu. However, in the second Naruto movie (Naruto the Movie 2: Great Clash! The Illusionary Ruins at the Depths of the Earth), it is revealed that Kuroari can also be used as a lethal offensive puppet by Kankuro.

Part I

Chunin Exam arc

Upon first arriving in Konoha, Kankuro is run into by Konohamaru. After he threatens to injure Konohamaru, Naruto tries to intervene, but is tripped by Kankuro's chakra strings mid-stride. Sasuke soon arrives to reinforce the threat, which almost causes Kankuro to unveil Karasu. The appearance of Gaara discourages him from doing so.

In the Forest of Death section of the Chunin exams, Kankuro unsuccessfully tries to reign in Gaara's bloodlust, even advising the Rain ninja they run into that they can't possibly win. Though Gaara kills all three Rain ninja with ease, his bloodlust is still unsatisfied; it takes a combined effort from Kankuro and Temari to get him to calm down.

During the preliminaries preceding the third round of the Chunin exam, Kankuro is matched up against Misumi Tsurugi. Kankuro acts overconfident at first, allowing Misumi to catch him in an inescapable hold by unhinging his own joints. He then proceeds to snap Kankuro's neck. Though it seems as if he has won at first, Kankuro turns out to be a puppet. The real Kankuro is in the bandages, having switched places with Kawarimi no Jutsu. Kankuro then proceeds to return the favor by snapping Misumi's spine. Misumi's contortional abilities allowed him to survive.

Later, in the third round of the Chunin exam, Kankuro forfeits his match against Shino Aburame in order to avoid revealing his techniques to the observers (much to Shino's annoyance).

During the invasion of Konoha by Sand and Sound nin, Kankuro attempts to stall Sasuke in order to cover Temari and Gaara's retreat, only to have Shino appear and challenge him, claiming that Kankuro was supposed to be his opponent. With Sasuke free to pursue Temari and Gaara, the two have a short battle, ending with Shino draining Kankuro's chakra. Shino is injured in the process, however, having inhaled some of Karasu's poison gas. Kankuro returns later to help carry Gaara after Gaara's battle with Naruto.

Sasuke Retrieval arc

Kankuro accompanies Temari and Gaara in their mission assigned by the Fifth Hokage, now an ally of Sunagakure. He saves Kiba Inuzuka, who was about to be killed by Ukon. He then battles both Sakon and Ukon, and despite Kiba's pleas to retreat, refuses to leave after Ukon insults his puppets. He ultimately wins when he traps the brothers in Kuroari and finishes them off with Kurohigi Kiki Ippatsu (Black Secret Technique Machine One Shot).

Naruto the Movie 2

In a appearance sometime before the timeskip, Kankuro helps defend the Hidden Sand Village from an onslaught of mysterious knights, utilizing Karasu and Kuroari to battle the seemingly unbeatable foes. Later, in one of the wrecks of the invading ships, he fights one of Haido's henchmen. Using Karasu to trick her into thinking it's him, he nearly kills her before she transforms into a bat-like form to escape. He eventually kills her using the Kurohigi Kiki Nihatsu (Black Secret Technique Machine Two Shot), after Shikamaru tricks her into falling into it.

Part II

File:Kankuropart2.png

Kankuro in Naruto II with Karasu, Kuroari, and his new puppet, Sanshouo.

After the timeskip, Kankuro has become a Jonin-level ninja and has acquired more facial paintings. He also adds a third puppet named Sanshouo (山椒魚, "Salamander") to his arsenal. Unlike Karasu and Kuroari, this new puppet is much larger and resembles a lizard-like creature rather than a multi-armed humanoid. He no longer carries his puppets around with him; instead, he now summons them from scrolls. Sanshouo's full abilities are unknown, however, as it was destroyed during the battle with Sasori.

While his relationship with Temari was always well enough off, his relationship with Gaara has grown much stronger than before. Originally, the two brothers acted hostile towards each other; Gaara cared little for either sibling while Kankuro was divided between walking on thin ice around his dangerous brother and exploding with anger when Gaara's refusal to follow guidelines went too far.

File:Kankuro.PNG

Kankuro in Naruto II with an unidentified puppet. He still wears his headgear, but he seems to have neglected it in this instance.

In a post-timeskip flashback, Gaara is shown explaining his dreams and feelings to his older brother, treating him with respect and closeness. Kankuro, for his part, is now fiercely defensive of his younger sibling, going so far as to physically assault a Suna elder who dared put down the Kazekage in his presence. Kankuro even tried to rescue Gaara by himself after he was captured by Akatsuki, but failed. He asked Naruto to bring Gaara back, openly referring to Gaara as his brother. There is also a scene where Kankuro, in an act of friendliness, lightly teases Gaara after he had been revived by Chiyo; no longer was he deathly afraid of Gaara as was seen during the Chunin exams. All signs point towards each brother caring deeply for one another.

Kankuro's puppets are eventually revealed to be the original creations of Akatsuki member Sasori. After Gaara was kidnapped, Kankuro fought and was defeated by Sasori, with all three of his puppets apparently destroyed in the process. In addition, Sasori used his puppet tail to poison Kankuro with a poison that no member of the Hidden Sand Village could identify. Given about three days to live, Kankuro was saved by the arrival of Team Kakashi and Sakura Haruno, who uses the medical techniques Tsunade had taught her to save his life. After recovering from his fight with Sasori, Kankuro is seen ready for battle once more with a bandaged, unidentified fourth puppet. Template:Endspoiler

Trivia

"Kankuro" is the name of a famous ninja, and he often was pictured as a ninja with a crow (Karasu) as his pet. "Kankuro" is also the name of many famous Kabuki actors which shows in his face paint and quirky style of speech in the original Japanese versions.
In the official data books, the age Kankuro became a Genin is not given. This is odd, since Temari's and Gaara's ages are given. It might mean there is something about the way Kankuro became a Genin that Masashi Kishimoto doesn't want the readers to know yet.
According to the official databook, Kankuro's favorite food is hamburgers; his least favorite food is spinach. His hobby is installing mechanisms in his puppets.
In the original Japanese, Kankuro often ends his sentences with "jan", じゃん. This is from Yokohama dialect.
Kankuro seems to have a reputation of being a bully, as can be seen when he, Temari, and Gaara first arrive in Konoha and have a run in with Konohamaru. He has also shown dislike to kids. This was explained shortly after Gaara attempted a killing spree in the Forest Of Death.
Tenten, Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara appear to be the only Genin in the Chunin Exam with no last name. They all appear to go by their first name.
Oddly enough, in the Viz English translation of the manga, Kankuro's puppet Karasu, or "Crow", is instead referred to as "Scarecrow", which is what Kakashi would translate into. Whether this was intentional or a mistranslation is unknown.
Kankuro seems to change his style of face paint with every appearance he makes in the story. It's unknown if he has an actual reason to change his face paint so often or if it's just something Kishimoto likes to change. It may have to do with how many puppets he has mastered.
Kankuro's team is the only team to have all three members make it to the third part of the Chunin exam.