Tropes A to K (Berserk Button, Big Brother Instinct, Bowdlerise, Broken Aesop, Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass, Famous Last Words, Hypocrite, Jerkass, Jerkass Has a Point) | Tropes L to Z (Nice Guy, Ship Tease, Shout-Out, Took a Level in Kindness, Wham Episode, Wham Line) | Anime and Others
- When Naruto is fighting Zabuza's apprentice, Haku, Sasuke ends up getting beaten. As soon as his friend's life is threatened, Naruto's inner fox emerges and the previously useless Naruto kicks Haku's ass. In fact, most of the Naruto cast has this, to a greater or lesser extent.
- Naruto just tends to be this at any time. He will be obsessed with ramen and will pull off stupid moves like a comic-relief, and he's still a genin. However, if you threaten anyone he cares about, he will show you why he is one of the most powerful ninjas in existence.
- Kakashi especially. When he first appears he appears to be somewhat slow witted and laid back. Turns out he's one of the most elite ninja the village has and is known by many elite ninja outside of the village.
- Don't even think about eating Chouji's last bite. Of anything. EVER! Because if you do, that nice, chubby and pretty laid back guy is gonna kick your ass. Oh, the same thing happens, when you insult his friends. And don't call him fat, either. Not even his best friend can get away with that one.
- Rock Lee is a total idiot outside a fight, but can take on the "Sharingan Prodigy" (Sasuke), a Jinchuriki, and one of Orochimaru's most loyal and more powerful subordinates; but even if he won against one of them, however he gave them runs for their money, he was just suffering the Worf Effect.
- Lee's teacher, Might Guy, is more or less a grown-up version of Lee who tends to not be taken seriously due to his over-the-top theatrics. However, he is one of Konoha's best shinobi, and currently, the only one of the Konoha 12's Jounin-instructors not to have lost a fight, having Killed Off for Real Kisame, one of the world's most powerful S-Rank missing-nin by himself, as well as completely overpowered and nearly killed Madara Uchihanote . Unlike Kakashi, this doesn't fall under Obfuscating Stupidity, because Guy really is a total goofball when it comes to anything except combat.
- Guy's father, Might Duy, completely forgone the traditional shinobi training process due to his lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu skills, earning him the title of Eternal Genin. However, it was not in vain; he saved his son from all Seven Swordsmen of the Mist by using the Eighth Gate he trained his whole life for, easily killing 4 of them before perishing to his own technique.
- Jiraiya is pretty much Naruto's answer to Master Roshi, old, goofy, and so unabashedly perverted that Naruto refers to him exclusively as a "Pervy Sage" (he even writes his own erotica, the Icha-Icha series (a comedic exaggeration and chronicle of his past romances) which Kakashi is a fan of). However, there is a very good reason he is considered among the legendary "Sannin": he was among the three ninja who held their own against the dangerous Hanzo, and even though he didn't become a village leader like Tsunade and Orochimaru did, he did train a ninja that went on to become a Hokage. Furthermore, he seems to be the strongest of the three according to the last Databook published (having tied with Itachi with 35.5 out of 40). And the only reason he didn't lead a village is because he didn't want to. He handed the responsibility over to Tsunade instead.
- During the Fourth Shinobi World War Arc, it is revealed First Hokage, Hashirama Senju is also an example of this trope.
- Killer Bii, adopted brother of A the Raikage and jinchuuriki for Gyuki, the 8-tailed Bijuu, at first glance would be described as an idiot who enjoys rapping terribly... And that'd be a pretty correct description. However, he's also got a close friendship with Gyuki, and one of the strongest characters in the manga, proving more than capable of easily killing Sasuke (and would have succeeded twice during their battle without Sasuke being miraculously healed both times). He also taught Naruto to wield Kurama the Kyuubi bijuu's chakra, and forced Kisame to pull out his One-Winged Angel form. AND on top of all that, physically overpowered his brother, the Fourth Raikage in a contest of physical strength.
