Fans of Naruto are well aware that neither anime nor manga is heavy on romance. The story is more concerned with the shinobi lifestyle and saving the world from a very large threat. That said, because the audience watches the characters grow up over the course of the original series — characters who have children of their own in the sequel series Boruto — there are still plenty of relationships that form between characters.
The relationship between Shikamaru Nara and Temari of Sunagakure is a fan favorite. Set up as rivals during their Chunin Exams, they become allies and even friends. Eventually, Temari even moves to Konohagakure to marry Shikamaru and the two have a son. That doesn’t mean the rivalry that started them on the path is ever truly gone, though, which is part of what makes the two so fun to watch.
Updated by Amanda Bruce on November 9, 2021: When fans initially became interested in the Naruto franchise, “Who does Shikamaru marry?” certainly wasn’t a question on anyone’s mind. The more the story pushed him toward Temari, however, the more Shikamaru seemed to focus on just how “troublesome” both women and marriage are, clueing the audience in that these two were destined for one another. They might not get a ton of screen time together in Boruto, but fans can relive a lot of the couple’s best moments as all of the franchise is available to watch across multiple streaming platforms.
Shikamaru And Temari Respect Each Other’s Skills
Any good relationship in the Naruto franchise involves the two shinobi trusting each other to get the job done. Take Hinata and Naruto, for example. No one but Naruto ever seemed to have faith in her skills, and that did a lot for Hinata’s confidence as she trained. Shikamaru and Temari didn’t exactly have a problem with confidence, but neither of them stepped on the other’s toes for a lack of faith either.
Shikamaru never tries to bail Temari out as though she’s a damsel in distress, and Temari only helps Shikamaru when her assistance is requested. They respect that they are both capable shinobi, just in different areas. Even as adults, when Shikadai hesitates to ask to train with Temari’s fan because he’s afraid of hurting his father’s feelings, they both encourage him to train in whatever areas interest him.
Temari Saves Shikamaru On His First Big Mission
It’s true that Temari doesn’t make it easy for him when Shikamaru’s first mission as a team leader goes badly. But what’s important is that she decides to make up for her and her brothers betraying Konoha by saving Shikamaru’s life during one of the longest arcs of the original Naruto anime, the “Sasuke Recovery” arc.
Temari makes sure that Shikamaru is just fine before she starts teasing him, bantering with him along the way, and distracting him enough from his failure that it doesn’t really hit him until he’s back in Konoha. Either Kankuro or Gaara could have been sent after Shikamaru, but it’s Temari who gets to see him during one of his most vulnerable moments in the series as a result.
Shikamaru Also Saves Temari On A Mission
Shikamaru isn’t one to just let the fact that Temari saved his life slide. When given the chance to return the favor, he does it handily. Shikamaru is sent on a mission to help Temari and her siblings when Gaara is targeted.
As it turns out, one of Gaara’s students is actually kidnapped when there’s a plot to get to the tailed beast inside of him, and Shikamaru leads the team to help. It might seem petty that he feels the need to repay his life being saved, but it’s also a demonstration of how he and Temari always approach their relationship — whether as shinobi, colleagues, friends, or romantic partners — as equals.
Their Banter Is Friendly Instead Of Mean
Though both Temari and Shikamaru can be pretty sarcastic and hurtful with their comments when they aren’t careful, it’s clear that neither of them intentionally hurt the other. Most of their early interactions following the Chunin Exams involve the two of them teasing one another.
It would be easy for an outsider to think they disliked one another, but the animation is careful to include eye rolls and smiles when their words aren’t friendly. They know that the insults aren’t serious. It makes for an entertaining dynamic for the two of them, and it’s reassuring for the audience that they both understand one another well enough to not hurt each other.
Shikamaru And Temari Share An Interest In Creating A Better Future
When Shikamaru witnesses Asuma’s death, the experience has a profound effect on him. He vows to keep the next generation safe and to do his part in helping the shinobi world have a better future. The audience doesn’t know it at the time, but Temari has the same philosophy.
That might be clear by the fact that when she is shown back home in Sunagakure, she’s teaching younger shinobi new techniques. It’s also made clearer by her being one of the proctors of the next Chunin Exams with Shikamaru. Fans of the series can also see that creating a better future is listed as a goal for both characters in the fourth Naruto Databook, proving that as different as the two appear to be, they have the same life goals.
They Don’t Hold Back When Matched Up At The Chunin Exams
Fans of Shikamaru love his growth from lazy genius to capable strategist. That growth begins during the Chunin Exams in Naruto. Temari and her siblings, Gaara and Kankuro, are clearly the more dangerous opponents in the exams. They have no problem injuring someone so badly that their opponent might never be able to fight again. Shikamaru, however, is initially hesitant to have to fight a girl.
Temari uses her impressive shinobi skills, including her mastery over wind, to make Shikamaru realize that he’s going to have to actually work to keep up. When Shikamaru folds and gives Temari the victory after a hard-fought match, some might have thought he was “letting her win.” In reality, Shikamaru was playing the long game. He knew his chakra reserves were tapped out and if he kept going, Temari could have seriously hurt him. He didn’t hold back in his skills, but he also knew exactly when to stop taunting her. Their match-up made them take notice of one another.
Temari Regularly Crosses The Desert To Hang Out With Him
After Shikamaru becomes a Chunin and relations between Konoha and Suna thaw, Temari becomes a diplomatic ambassador of sorts. When messages are passed between the two nations, it’s Temari making the trek across the desert.
It’s not clear if this is an assigned position for her or a voluntary one. Either way, every time she makes her way to Konoha, she spends her days with Shikamaru. He’s the one who acts as her escort around town and goes to meetings with her. Most of the time, the two don’t even appear to be working as Naruto wonders if the two are dating at one point.
Shikamaru Gets Up At Sunrise To Escort Her Out Of Town
A handful of Temari’s trips to Konoha end with her getting up with the rising sun to begin her journey to Suna. Leaving town at an assigned time isn’t something she needs an escort for, but it’s something she gets.
Shikamaru might be the smartest shinobi of Naruto’s generation, but he’s also the one who would prefer to spend his days napping and daydreaming, yet he gets up when Temari does so he can walk her to the village entrance. That’s quite a step for someone who is very much not a morning person. It’s also a nice gesture showing he cares about her long before the two admit how they feel.
Temari Motivates Shikamaru To Be A Better Shinobi
Though Shikamaru is incredibly skilled early on, he lacks the motivation to want to engage in training. It’s not until his early meetings with Temari that he becomes inspired to try.
Shikamaru thinks he has everything figured out when he leads his first mission. One by one as his friends try to track down Sasuke Uchiha, they are pulled from the search to fight more powerful opponents, and Temari is sent to rescue Shikamaru. She’s one of the only people to see him completely break down at the possibility of getting all of his friends killed. Temari doesn’t show any sympathy. Instead, she masks her own emotions and is sarcastic with him. Her treatment is harsh, but it’s very much what Shikamaru needs in the moment to realize that he has to put in the work.
They Forgive Each Other But Don’t Forget
Though Shikamaru and Temari aren’t always the nicest or most supportive teenagers, they don’t hold their words against one another. Temari repeatedly calls Shikamaru a “cry baby” after his first mission fails. She doesn’t let him forget how emotional he got. For his part, Shikamaru rolls his eyes and wonders when she’ll let that go, but he doesn’t get angry.
Likewise, he constantly refers to Temari as “troublesome,” his go-to term for any woman who stands her ground. He’s not afraid to stand up to Temari or snark back when she makes remarks about him. Though the two bring up a lot of things from their past, they never seem to truly get mad at one another during those teenage years and still continue to pursue each other.
Shikamaru Talks Temari Up To Other Shinobi
Though Shikamaru might initially not be too fond of getting beat by a teenage girl in the Chunin Exams, he has no problem telling everyone he knows what a great shinobi she is. In fact, he talks her up at every opportunity. That’s true when Konohamaru Sarutobi challenges her to a match as well.
Konohamaru often thinks his skills are greater than they are when he’s still enrolled at the Academy. When he takes on Temari, he genuinely thinks he can beat her. It’s Shikamaru, not Temari herself, who warns him against it, and Shikamaru who gets a genuine kick out of watching Temari take the younger ninja down a peg. Though Konohamaru grows up into a very powerful fighter, he’s not there yet, and Temari shows him a little mercy.
They Can Multitask On Missions
In the anime, Shikamaru, Temari, and Ino end up on a mission together. While it seems like business as usual for the viewer, it makes Ino uncomfortable the longer their team-up goes on. As the English dub points out, she feels like a third wheel.
Temari and Shikamaru are able to tease one another about their past, their current mission, and their skills, while still devoting all of their attention to the mission at hand. Though neither of them admits how they feel, it’s obvious to Ino, and it distracts her from the mission. It’s not a huge moment for the couple but an endearing one for the audience.
Temari Saves Shikamaru From A Cult
During the Naruto: Shippuden seasons, many of the story arcs are borrowed from light novels. One is Naruto and Hinata marrying, another is Shikamaru being sent to investigate shinobi disappearances. He ends up in the thrall of a cult leader.
Temari takes charge of the mission to find out just what happened. It’s Temari who manages to snap Shikamaru out of the jutsu that has him pledging loyalty to the leader, though the methods are different in the novel and anime. She stops at nothing to bring him back to Konoha and even agrees to share a meal with him after.
Shikamaru Leaves Work Early For His Family
By the time the events of Boruto take place, Shikamaru is a busy man. He’s the right-hand to the Hokage, and that has him working a lot of long hours. Despite that, Shikamaru makes time for his family.
He takes time out from his workday to go home to his now-wife Temari and their son Shikadai. It’s unusual enough of an occurrence for Temari to comment on it, but not unusual enough for them to have a big conversation (or argument) about it. It’s a sweet moment considering the audience is often reminded of what little time other characters, like Hinata and Sakura, get with their significant others.
Shikamaru And Temari Find A Way To Be Together
One thing that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the anime, but does in the light novels, is that Temari and Shikamaru are from two very different villages. Shikamaru becomes the head of his clan after his father dies. Temari is essentially royalty in Suna. The two aren’t initially allowed to marry.
Despite the political pressure placed on Temari and her siblings, Temari doesn’t stop planning their future together. Gaara supports them and gives them his blessing. Temari gives up her life in Suna to move to Konoha and be with Shikamaru.
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