Shikamaru

Shikamaru is a highly unenthusiastic person, and he attempts to go through life with minimum effort. In his free time, he takes naps, watches clouds, and plays strategy games such as shogi and go.He is a good teammate and very lazy. He is very smart and thinks the impossible. In the instances where he can not avoid these situations, Shikamaru tends to remark "how troublesome" (めんどくせぇ, mendōkusei?, English TV: "what a drag" or "such a pain"). Another aspect of his unenthusiasm is his dislike for bossy women, as he refers to them as "a pain". Despite this perception, he has expressed an interest in marriage and raising a family with a son and daughter.


Shikamaru

Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Shikamaru tries his hardest to lead successful missions. This might be due to the fact that Shikamaru led the mission to bring Sasuke back to Konoha after he left to join Orochimaru. The mission was unsuccessful, and everyone but Shikamaru was severely injured (Shikamaru broke one finger). After a brief argument with his father, Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru vows to carry out his future missions flawlessly.

Contrary to his lazy tendencies, Shikamaru is extremely intelligent; his teacher, Asuma Sarutobi, determined that Shikamaru's IQ was over 200. Shikamaru works well with his teammates Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, as the trio's fathers were in the same team in their youth. Among his teammates, Shikamaru is closest to Choji, who repays Shikamaru's confidence with unyielding loyalty. Shikamaru also has a strong bond with Asuma and often spends time with him playing strategy games. After Asuma's death, he vows to protect Kurenai Yuhi, who is pregnant with Asuma's child.