Chis Paul

Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. He serves as team captain of the franchise. His nickname "CP3" comes from family tradition, and the combination of his initials and jersey number is strictly a coincidence.

Since being drafted 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, Paul has been named a NBA Rookie of the Year Award (2006), an All-Star, listed in both All-NBA and All-Defensive teams and led the Hornets to the second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. He has also won a Olympic Gold Medal with the United States national basketball team.

Kurosaki Ichigo

Ichigo Kurosaki is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Bleach by mangaka Tite Kubo. He is the story's main protagonist. The series begins with Ichigo receiving Soul Reaper powers as a result of a run-in with Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper assigned to patrol his city, Karakura Town. These powers come at the cost of Rukia's own, and as a result, Ichigo concedes to work as Rukia's stand-in, fighting to protect people from evil spirits called hollows and sending good spirits, wholes, to Soul Society.

In addition to the main series, Ichigo appears in many other pieces of Bleach media, including the two featured films in the series, the two original video animations, and several video games. Merchandise based on Ichigo's likeness has also been released, including toys, clothing, and action figures. Ichigo's character has been well received among both fans and reviewers. In Shonen Jump character popularity polls, Ichigo consistently ranks as one of the most popular characters in Bleach, and the 2007 Japanese Newtype magazine polls ranked him as one of the top 100 most-loved anime characters. Reviewers of the series have also remarked favorably on his personality, though some considered him to be a stereotypical anti-hero during the first few episodes of the series.

Ichigo is a 15-year-old who attempts to cultivate a detached image, for which he keeps his eyebrows constantly furrowed. Ichigo has natural orange hair, a fact that annoys many bullies in his school, who constantly pick fights with him. Ichigo claims that he does not care what others think and seems to enjoy fighting the bullies. While in junior high school, Ichigo met and befriended Yasutora "Chad" Sado, a boy from another school who helped him out of a fight. Chad, although extremely strong, was often the target of beatings because he refused to fight for his own sake due to a promise he had made as a child to his grandfather. Upon discovering this, Ichigo made a pact with Chad in which they both agreed to fight and risk their lives for something the other was willing to risk their life for. Ichigo comments that thanks to Rukia his life changed, and thanks to her he is able to protect the people he cares for.

When Ichigo was nine, his mother, Masaki Kurosaki, was killed by the hollow Grand Fisher, although Ichigo did not find out the true cause of her death until early in the main Bleach storyline. Prior to learning about this, Ichigo felt guilty for his mother's death, blaming himself for wandering too close to the water and causing her to put herself in harm's way to save him. Even after that, Masaki's death continues to influence Ichigo by causing him to feel guilt for his inability to protect those close to him. Since then, Ichigo lives with his father Isshin Kurosaki and his two younger sisters, Yuzu and Karin. His father runs a small medical clinic.

Ichigo's name, written with homophone kanji, means 1 and 5 when separated as ichi and go, the reason behind the two numbers' frequent appearances in the series, notably on the sampler hanging on his bedroom door. The word ichigo, written in yet another way, means "strawberry" —one of his nicknames— in Japanese, and is normally only used as a girl's name; when teased about this fact, Ichigo proudly counters that his name is spelled with ichi as in "first" and go from "guardian". Ichigo's father once told him that his name means "he who protects." The name also means 'one's lifetime.

Pau "Spanish Gasoline" Gasol

Pau Gasol Sáez (pronounced POW gah-SOHL) (born July 6, 1980 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain) is a 2.13 m (7 ft.) Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born to Marisa Sáez and Agustí Gasol, and he spent his childhood growing up in Spain. Gasol's brother, Marc Gasol, is also a professional basketball player.
Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA Draft, but his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He currently holds the Memphis Grizzlies franchise records for career games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, blocked shots, turnovers, and points. After seven seasons with the team, Gasol was traded to the Lakers on February 1, 2008, and a USA Today newspaper article said he was "the major factor in turning around a storied NBA franchise and making it hip to be a Lakers fan again.

Dwight "Superman" Howard

Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA Draft. He was selected first overall by the Magic, and has since emerged as one of the top rebounders and players in the NBA. A two-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA member and one-time NBA All-Defensive member, he has been ranked consistently as one of the best in the league in field goal percentage. In the 2008 Olympics, he was the starting center for Team USA which went on to win the gold medal. Howard's overall play and his spectacular dunks have gained him prominence as one of the brightest young prospects in the NBA and the team leader of the Magic. Additionally, Howard, the winner of the NBA 2008 Slam Dunk Contest, is a devout Christian who contributes substantially to philanthropic causes.

Ma Kensei

Ma Kensei is old master of Chinese Kenpo and is one of Kenichi's Masters in the Ryouzanpaku dojo; also an acupuncturist. He is always trying to take revealing pictures of beautiful girls, including Shigure and Miu. He has a 16-year-old daughter named Renka Ma; his brother Sogetsu Ma is famous coldblooded Kenpo Master

Dwayne "The Flash" Wade

Wade plays the shooting guard position, but is also capable of playing point guard. On offense, he has established himself as one of the quickest and most difficult players to guard in the NBA. Wade is able to get to the free throw line seemingly at will; he ranked first in free-throw attempts per 48 minutes in 2004–05 and again in the 2006–07 season. He has proven himself an unselfish player, averaging 6.4 assists per game throughout his career. After winning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2006, Wade developed a reputation as one of the premier clutch players in the NBA. David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA players in the offseason, also cites Wade's developing post up game as one of his strengths.[52] "Watching Wade operate on the left block is literally like watching old footage of MJ (Michael Jordan)," comments Thorpe.[52] Thorpe goes on to say that Wade's best moves from the post are his turnaround jump shot,[52] double pivot,[52] and what Thorpe terms as a "freeze fake", a pump fake Wade uses to get his opponent to jump, so that he can then drive around him to the basket. The main weakness cited in Wade's ability is his lack of three-point range; he has averaged .261 on three-point field goal attempts for his career. He is best known for his ability to convert difficult lay-ups, even after hard mid-air collisions with larger defenders. As crowd pleasing as his high-flying style of basketball may be, some have expressed concerns over the dangers of playing in this manner, as Wade has already hurt his knees and wrists after mid-air collisions with larger players. Wade is also known for his defensive prowess , particularly his ability to block shots.

Furinji Miu

Miu is a first year high school student, who also happens to be in the same class as Kenichi. Miu has a gentle nature despite being a incredibly strong and talented fighter trained by her grandfather, the elder of the Ryōzanpaku Dojo, since childhood. Miu is quite eager to make friends, and treasures her friendship with Kenichi, but seems oblivious to his true feelings for her, though she does get jealous whenever another girl shows affection for him.

Tracy McGrady

Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. (born May 24, 1979, in Bartow, Florida) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing at starting shooting guard for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He can also play as a small forward/point forward, and is commonly referred to as "T-Mac."

Entering the league after graduating from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2004. McGrady was ranked #75 on SLAM magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of All Time in 2003. McGrady has never advanced to the second round of the playoffs in his whole career despite his seven trips to the playoffs: one with the Toronto Raptors, three with the Orlando Magic and three with the Houston Rockets. McGrady's style of play has been compared to that of George Gervin.

Tracy McGrady played high school basketball at Auburndale High School in Auburndale, Florida for three years. He then transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy, in Durham, North Carolina. He would have attended the University of Kentucky had he not entered the NBA right after high school. McGrady created a national buzz after his performance in the Adidas ABCD Camp, where the best high school players in the U.S. are invited annually. He was named High School Player of the Year by USA Today.

Kenichi The Strongest Diciple

The story focuses on Kenichi Shirahama, an average 15-year-old high school student who has been picked on his whole life. However, after a month into his freshman year, he meets and befriends the mysterious transfer student, Miu Fūrinji. Driven by his desire to become stronger and to protect those around him, he follows her to Ryōzanpaku, a dojo where those who are truly strong and have mastered of their art gather. After learning basics from Miu, Kenichi is able to beat a high ranking member of the school's karate club, and becomes a target for all the delinquents in the school. Subsequently, Kenichi's daily routine is divided between hellish training under the six masters of Ryōzanpaku, and his fights against the members of Ragnarok, a gang that views him as either a possible ally or an impending threat to their plans. After defeating Ragnarok, he faces a new enemy called YOMI, a group of disciples who are each personally trained by a master of an even bigger organization rivaling Ryōzanpaku, Yami. Along with former members of Ragnarok who joins the Shinpaku Alliance, a group created by Kenichi's schoolmate Haruo Niijima, Kenichi now fights Yami to prove his ideals and protect those in need.

Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant

Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the youngest of three children and the only son of Joe and Pam Bryant.

When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to begin playing professional basketball. Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian fluently. At an early age, he learned to play soccer, his favorite team was AC Milan. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player; Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and their former player Ronaldinho.

In 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States. Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. His SAT score of 1080, would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA. Bryant has stated that had he decided to go to college after high school, he would have attended Duke University.

Michael "Air" Jordan Rulezzzz....

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."[1] Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

After a stand-out career at the University of North Carolina, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as one of the stars of the league, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness." He also gained a reputation as one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat." Though Jordan abruptly left the NBA at the beginning of the 1993-94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but he returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances and three All-Star MVP, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.12 points per game, as well as averaging a record 33.4 points per game in the playoffs. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He will be eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam. He is currently a part-owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations of the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina.

LeBron "King" James

LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). James, commonly nicknamed "King James," was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while still a sophomore in high school at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, and was named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" three times. At the age of 18, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers and signed a US$90 million shoe contract with Nike before his NBA debut. He has since set numerous youngest player records. During his first season, he received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and in the following four seasons received All-NBA and All-Star honors. He has led the Cavaliers to consecutive playoff appearances in 2006, 2007, and 2008; in 2007, the team advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

James is listed as a small forward, but is often classified as a point forward due to his ability to play point guard. He is a member of the United States men's national basketball team winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and redeeming that result by winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. He finished second in the league's Most Valuable Player balloting in 2006.

haruno sakura

At the start of the series, Sakura has a deep infatuation for Sasuke, rooted primarily in his good looks, cunning, cool attitude, and prodigious talents. Because of this, many of Sakura's early appearances are dedicated to her continuing effort to win his affection. As time progressed, and she began to know Sasuke more as a teammate instead of the cool, mysterious boy she had a crush on, she both grew to love him as a person and began to fear that he would eventually leave her in his quest for power. When Sasuke finally defects from Konoha, Sakura offers to join him in his self destructive quest for revenge rather than leave his side, an offer Sasuke refuses. She has since joined Naruto in his quest to bring Sasuke back, even adopting Naruto's notion to use force to bring him back to Konoha.

Sakura's relationship with Naruto Uzumaki, like with Sasuke, also changes throughout the series. Despite Naruto's crush on her, Sakura, as with the rest of the village, saw Naruto as a burden, and was less than enthusiastic at being assigned to the same team as him. Due to his attempts to win her heart, which in turn ruins her chances to win Sasuke's, Sakura viewed Naruto as a talentless idiot out to ruin her life. However, similar to Sasuke, as they spent more time together as teammates, Sakura came to realize that her initial view of Naruto was wrong. When Sasuke defected from Konoha, she turns to Naruto believing him to be the only one able to bring Sasuke back. As such Naruto would in turn dedicate his next mission and 2½ years of training to fulfill this promise. After the failed Retrieval mission, Sakura resolves that she will be there for Naruto from now on. By Part II, when she learns the extent of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's relationship with Naruto, and the Akatsuki's goal to capture Naruto she has grown a desire to protect Naruto herself. Yamato would comment that Sakura may feel something more for Naruto while she was healing him after his four-tailed transformation, but the unconscious Naruto woke up before he could finish, only able to start the first letter of the next word, "l...".[1] Yamato was not the only one to realize Sakura's feelings for Naruto, Sai has also brought up the subject before on their way to retrieve Sasuke.
Within Sakura resides "Inner Sakura," a manifestation of her inner emotions. In addition to comic relief, Inner Sakura represents Sakura's actual opinion on things when she outwardly displays something opposite. Inner Sakura's appearances are typically marked by an exclamation of "Shānnarō!". The phrase has no literal meaning, but is usually translated as "Hell yeah!", "Hell no!", or "Damn it!", depending on the situation. The English dub, for censorship reasons replaced the aforementioned phrases with a forceful "Cha!" Inner Sakura is unique as it is in a way a second will within Sakura's mind. When the Mind Body Switch Technique was used on her, Inner Sakura was able to repel the user from her body, suggesting that inner Sakura is a split personality, as Sakura comments she is a girl with "two minds". Although she appears quite frequently at the start of the series, Inner Sakura all but disappears midway through Part I, and rarely appears in Part II. The reason behind this is that she no longer needs to hide her true feelings or reactions behind a fake smile, finally allowing herself to truly say whats on her mind. However, because Inner Sakura usually possessed somewhat violent reaction to things, Sakura is prone to violent outbursts which is not helped by a her chakra- enhanced strength.
As a ninja Sakura felt as though she was in the background, not being able to help anybody. Then in the chunin exams she made a resolution not to let anybody down and to be in the front line instead of falling behind. She kept this resolution when she asked Tsunade if she could become her apprentice after the mission to retrieve Sasuke failed in order to make herself better as a ninja and a person. After training hard for two and a half years she has finally been able to pull her own weight and creating a strong desire to protect her comrades. She has made herself stronger through her training with and still won't give up on saving Sasuke and Naruto. While Sakura does have a very strong personality in her, she also has a softer side.

Sasuke Uchiha

The second son of Konoha Military Police captain and Uchiha clan head, Fugaku, Sasuke grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi. Itachi was an acknowledged prodigy who graduated at the top of his Academy class at age 7, mastered the Sharingan by age 8, became a Chunin at age 10, and an ANBU squad leader at the age of 13. The Uchiha clan took great pride and interest in Itachi and viewed him as a genius whose work would further strengthen the bonds between the village and the clan. In particular, Sasuke's father took an active interest in Itachi. Itachi, on the other hand, was rather ambivalent and full of oddly conflicting undercurrents, acknowledging Sasuke by taking interest in his progress as a ninja when even their father did not, but spending little quality time with Sasuke. Even after Sasuke enrolled in the Ninja Academy, he still was unable to escape Itachi's shadow. Despite consistently scoring at the head of every class, Sasuke failed to receive any recognition from his father, who defined Sasuke's success only in terms of his older brother. Itachi acknowledged the rivalry Sasuke felt, telling him, "We are unique siblings. I am the barrier you must overcome, so you and I will continue to exist together."
Itachi's relationship with his father deteriorated further when Itachi was questioned by other members of the Uchiha clan regarding the death and suicide note of his best friend, Shisui. As Itachi's behavior became increasingly bizarre, Sasuke's father, on a whim and partly due to Itachi's growing distance, decided to spend time with Sasuke. He taught him the Great Fireball Technique, a common family jutsu. Sasuke (age 7 at the time) proved himself to be a genius as well in his own right by succeeded in performing the jutsu in front of his father after only one week of training, surprising him. At that moment, Sasuke finally received his father's recognition; the Uchiha clan considered the ability to perform fire jutsu as proof that one had become an adult. Sasuke's father told him that he could now proudly wear the clan's emblem on his back. More forbiddingly, Sasuke also received a stern warning not to follow in Itachi's footsteps.
Shortly thereafter, Itachi massacred every member of the Uchiha clan, sparing only Sasuke. Itachi said that Sasuke was not even worth killing. In addition, Itachi told him, "You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live." Itachi also revealed to Sasuke where the secret meeting place of the Uchiha was hidden and suggested that Sasuke go there to learn what the true history and purpose of the Sharingan is. Sasuke thought he has fainted after this, but he recently remembered that he managed to stand back up, awaken his Sharingan and chase after Itachi. Sasuke managed to knock off Itachi's headband, and Itachi was seen shedding a tear after picking up the headband and reapplying it to the side of his head and he beat Sasuke who awoke in the hospital not remembering anything but what Itachi showed him.

Madara Uchiha

Eighty years ago, when shinobi were battling as individual clans, not as villages, among a countless number of them, two clans emerged as the strongest: the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan. Madara was also the first to activate the Mangekyo Sharingan.
He had a younger brother, who was equal to him in every way and also awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Together they ruled over the Uchiha clan, with Madara taking the role as leader. But eventually Madara went blind, unaware of any side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan at the time. He became increasingly desperate to regain his eyesight. In manga during the final fight of Itachi and Sasuke, it is revealed that Madara took away his brothers eyes which killed his brother. . At some point in Madara's early life, by the decision of the entire Uchiha clan except for him, he formed an alliance with the Senju clan, Hashirama Senju's clan, and together with its leader, the future First Hokage, Madara founded Konohagakure.
However, after Hashirama was chosen to be the First Hokage of Konoha, Madara feared that the Uchiha clan would lose supremacy and he sought the help of the Uchiha in his challenge for leadership. The Uchiha clan, however, refused, believing he was greedy. None of the Uchiha would help Madara, and he decided to leave the village. Feeling hurt and betrayed, he came back and wanted revenge against Konoha which led to a legendary battle at the Valley of the End against Hashirama. During the battle, Madara used his Mangekyo Sharingan to take control of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and used it in a desperate attempt to kill Hashirama. Madara, however, was ultimately defeated and was presumed by most to have died after the battle. Madara fled, and was never seen or heard of again out in the public for decades. To commemorate the battle, two statues, one of Madara and the other of the Hashirama, were carved into the earth around the waterfall. It is for this reason that Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke's fight at that location was noted to be ironic.
Madara created the criminal organization known as the Akatsuki to look over problems. He hid behind the shadows and placed Pain as the figure-head leader, with Madara giving Pain orders from the background. Outside of Pain, the only members who are shown knowing Madara's position as the true leader are Konan, Kisame, Zetsu and Itachi.
Madara Uchiha prior to becoming Tobi.
Madara Uchiha prior to becoming Tobi.
Itachi believes it was Madara himself that controlled the demon fox to attack Konoha, though Madara denies this, saying that the demon fox was a natural disaster. Nevertheless, when he came to destroy the entire village of Konoha in revenge, he met up with Itachi, who had already been assigned his mission to kill his clan. Itachi successfully talked Madara into only killing the Uchiha clan as long as he left the rest of the village alone. Madara also taught Itachi about the Mangekyo Sharingan, helping him by teaching him how to unlock its true power. After Itachi killed off the Uchiha clan because of orders from Konoha, Madara let Itachi into Akatsuki for unknown reasons. Itachi refers to Madara today as "a pathetic shell of his former self, no longer worthy of being called the greatest Uchiha."
It has also been recently revealed that at some point after being presumably killed, Madara took the role of Mizukage.

Shikamaru

As a Genin, Shikamaru Nara was the sort of unenthusiastic kid who likes watching clouds. He prefers not to get involved in types of "troublesome" situations as during the attack on Konoha by the Sunagakure and Otogakure villages where he pretends to be unconscious. He is fully aware of this side of his personality and even named himself "The number one at running away" or "The number one coward". In fact, his most-used phrase is "How troublesome" in the Japanese version and "What a drag" in the English version. However, when duty calls, Shikamaru has a strong moral compass and sense of commitment to his comrades. Even though by his own testimony he lacks bravery, he will sacrifice himself and face almost certain death for the sake of his friends or villagers without a second thought, such as when he stayed behind to confront a team of Sound ninjas, giving Naruto enough time to catch up with Sasuke. In short, he is the very definition of how a leader should be like and it is for his raw leadership skill why he was the first genin from the rookie 9 to become a chunin.
Shikamaru has a longstanding friendship with Choji Akimichi, in whom he has complete trust with. Before they were promoted to Chunin rank, Shikamaru, Choji and Ino Yamanaka were on the same Genin team under Asuma. Their fathers were on the same team as well. Their teamwork is unparalleled. They are the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho trio, which is fully compromised from their past ancestry.
Shikamaru loves to play thinking games that older men are usually into, such as Shogi and Go. He is a brilliant strategist, and though his sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, often plays against Shikamaru, Asuma has never actually managed to beat him. Asuma got suspicious upon realizing that Shikamaru was so good at board games despite his abysmal grades, which were almost as low as Naruto's. As a result, Asuma administered an IQ test disguised as a game to Shikamaru, which revealed that Shikamaru was beyond a genius with an IQ of over 200. Shikamaru had felt that even moving his pencil in class was a bother and always slept through tests, resulting in his low grades. Nevertheless, his great wisdom and strategic expertise balanced his shortcomings.
Shikamaru has a habit of putting his fingers together to create a circle and closing his eyes so he can concentrate and come up with a strategy. Once he does, which often takes only a few minutes, he is able to think ten moves ahead of his opponent with over a hundred strategies ready to be used, even being able to plan out "the next 200 moves in advance". This hand sign intimidates the opponent, making them believe that he has an ace up his sleeve while in actual fact it just buys him time.
Since he has been promoted to Chunin, his responsibility for the lives of his friends has weighed very heavily on him on occasions. These burdens have also revealed his great maturity evolving over time.

pain

The original body of Pain was a boy named Nagato, who, like Konan and Yahiko were orphans from Amegakure, forcing them to fend for themselves. The three eventually encountered the Sannin, who at first were less than willing to help them. Orochimaru even suggested to kill them as they were orphans of war and as such would only live their lives full of misery. Jiraiya, however, decided he would care for the three and took them in. One night at dinner, Nagato cried because eating together reminded him of his family, and later that night he ran away with Yahiko.
The two were attacked by a Rock chunin, who injured Yahiko. Seeing this, Nagato activated his Rinnegan, and killed the ninja, a feat that is normally impossible for someone who has never trained as a ninja or never had any military or martial arts training. Jiraiya decided then and there he would train them in Ninjutsu. Nagato was very emotional about killing the shinobi, and asked Jiraiya for help so he can protect Konan and Yahiko, where Jiraiya said he must grow up. After three years, Jiraiya felt they were strong enough to fend for themselves and told the three he would see them again when they grow into adults. Jiraiya believed Nagato to have died with the others under unexplained circumstances[5], but has told Konan that whenever their names were mentioned outside their village, it was always about someone being killed when they opposed them.
Pain has since led one side of the Amegakure civil-war and took over the village, he has become a greatly respected leader in that village. The members of Pain's faction wear their Amegakure forehead protectors with a scratch through it the way the full members of Akatsuki do, despite the fact that none of them are rogue ninja any more, as the scratch symbolizes, because they won the civil war.