Character Analysis - ABURAME SHINO (Naruto)
NAME: Aburame Shino (油女シノ)
BIRTHDAY: January 23
AFFILIATION: Konohagakure
TEAM: Team Kurenai
Shino is a character whose personality quirks often go unnoticed. He is a background character, and usually less well-known than his teammates, Hinata and Kiba. He is rarely shown in anything less than minor, irregular roles and appears more in anime fillers than in canon.
So what do we know about Shino? At face value without looking deeper than the surface, we know this: he dresses in neutral colours, with baggy and concealing clothes. He wears sunglasses (goggles in Shippuuden). He comes from a strong clan specialising in kikkaichu (destruction bugs) - his body hosts chakra-eating insects in exchange for their services as weapons.
He is very quiet and stoic. He often assumes a leadership role, even though others complain about it. Naruto proclaims him to be 'weird' and says that he doesn't like him. Shino is often equally hostile in return.
There is much more to Shino than this. One of the most striking things about him is the complex layering of personality he has despite being a minor character. Let's break it down bit by bit.
Appearance
Shino's appearance is appropriate, in a nutshell. He is a shinobi - and a long-range one, specialising in espionage and stealth to keep himself protected in battle. His neutral colours suit his needs, his clothing simple and practical as opposed to a bright orange jumpsuit (sorry Naruto, but it has to be said).
He wears high-collared jackets, in both pre and post Shippuuden. The reasons are unknown, but most likely relate to either tactical concealment or his kikkaichu. The same can be said for his sunglasses/goggles. There are many theories as to why not only he but the Aburame clan in general (as shown in very recent chapters of the manga) wear them. But Kishi hasn't elaborated and probably never will.
Shino's general appearance tends to be one of practicality. In Shippuuden he conceals himself even more than before, yet takes offence when Naruto doesn't recognise him. This implies that he doesn't choose to dress in such a way as a fashion statement, but as a necessity.
Body language
Shino stands with his feet roughly shoulder-width apart. This is a relaxed pose, indicating being grounded and confident. When in battle, he takes a wider stance, giving an impression of power, dominance, and 'increasing territory'.
His head is often lowered slightly, which is usually a defensive and cautious gesture. His hands are almost always in his pockets, which suggest poor communication, defiance, and sometimes a symbol of displaying a willingness to listen but not take part. The constant furrow between his brows can be both intense concentration and frustration.
Speech
Shino's speech is one of the biggest defining characteristics there are. He doesn't often speak, but not because he fears peer pressure - even when another character has reacted negatively to him, Shino continues to pursue his point regardless of how hurtful or condescending the response he receives is.
Shino, instead, is not a word wastrel. He is not patient with phatic speech and meaningless communication, which is misinterpreted by others as being standoffish rather than simply waiting for something sincere to say. When he speaks, Shino's words have been carefully considered but not always worded in a very good way.
His voice is deep and somewhat monotonous, though he has shown irritation towards Naruto that is clearly audible. He rarely raises his voice, and has never been heard shouting.
Shino's language is very formal and mature, lacking colloquialism and the sort of dialect expected of his age. This could be the way of his clan, but Shino's words also reflect his mental age.
He has a pattern of speech where he will ask a rhetorical question and then answer it himself. This strange adjacency pairing of rhetoric followed by elaboration shows Shino's need for clarity, understanding, and to be understood. One of the points of rhetorical questions is to to hook the attention of the listener and pull them into your argument.
So Shino, who supposedly likes to be alone...is attempting to catch the interest of his peers and earn his audience. Unfortunately for him, his social skills paired with his maturity make it difficult for him to strike the right not, with Naruto regularly dismissing Shino's 'annoying' way of talking.
If people paid enough attention to Shino's words, they would realise that he is actually startlingly honest about his feelings. He not only isn't the emotionless robot people mistake him for, but he is also open about his feelings. He talks tell Kiba in the Team Kurenai ending of one of the Shippuuden episodes that he sought revenge against him for the way Kiba treated Shino. This shows several things at once - that he's vengeful and underhanded in his means of revenge (attacking Kiba's sense of smell). That being ignored hurt him. That he has enough pride and self-worth not to put up with that kind of treatment.
He has mentioned that he doesn't like being alone, also in a Team Kurenai ending. This doesn't pair up to what people believe about him at all.
Family and Abilities
Shino isn't given much family background or information. We learn about his clan from Neji and Lee in the Chuunin exams - both of whom react with disgust at his bloodline trait - something which influences the point of view of the audience, and shows the stigma other ninja have against the Aburame clan.
In truth, his family must be very valuable. Their kikkaichu would be incredible espionage weapons, and the nature of the bugs are just as good in offence - in Naruto Shippuden Movie 2: Bonds, Shino uses his kikkaichu and single-handedly takes down a fleet of corsairs by dismantling them piece by piece.
With fighters like this, the Aburame clan is invaluable. Espionage, fighting, defence - introduce the clan's intelligence and potential biological information to advance medicine, and you've got a family that deserves huge kudos.
We meet Shino's father, Shibi, after the Oto-Suna attack on Konoha. He is dressed very similarly to Shino and speaks in a similar way. Shino calls him 'dad' as opposed to 'father', showing their close relationship. During Pein's invasion on Konoha, we see more of the Aburame clan, though we sadly learn nothing about them. Shino fights alongside his father, who treats him as an equal in battle.
So why the apparent stigma towards them? Unless there are old clan jealousies we haven't been told about, then I'd say it's a purely shallow prejudice. People fear and are repulsed by what they don't understand, and Shino's clan is certainly unusual. Even Neji, from a prolific clan himself, reacts badly.
The nature of the Aburame bloodline trait paired with the usual issues with insects, and then Shino's maturity and lack of social skills all equal disaster when it comes to peer pressure.
As A Fighter
Shino is well-rounded. He displays brilliant use of strategy, always staying steps ahead of his opponent. He never underestimates another, and treats every battle with the same level of respect and caution. He is capable of defence and offence equally. He can create bug clones and use his kikkaichu to extract most poisons from his system.
In the exams he displays speed and taijutsu skills. He relies on the idea of a 'trump card', which is his catchphrase. It embodies him well - the secretive maverick, the ace in the hole.
He is also a natural leader. Shino is quick to assume responsibility in a team dynamic, often annoying his teammates with how easily he slots into the role. Shino is confident in his abilities, not out of arrogance or cockiness but knowledge of his limits and strengths. He is a dominant character - while most of his actions may suggest passivity, Shino is merely more observant and analytical than impulsive. But no less active.
He argues with Naruto over his leadership role often throughout filler arcs, using intimidation to force him to back down. Even when he is not in a position to act as the leader, Shino often acts in a leaderly way. In the Chuunin exams, his expectations for the rest of his team to fight like he did sounds arrogant at first, but given Shino's lack of eloquence and his later concern for Hinata, it is obvious that he was trying to raise morale and encourage them to win.
Another reason for his desire to be a leader is to be recognised for his abilities. He is often irritated when left out of missions, holding grudges over it for a long time and trying to prove his worth for a long time afterwards.
Team
Shino's team has one of the worst personal dynamics when studied closely. Ability-wise their tracking and espionage skills fit together perfectly. Personality-wise, it's a different story.
Kiba, as a canine-influenced ninja, is very dominant - the alpha, as it were. Shino is also a dominant male. Two men like these in the same group, or 'pack', is trouble.
It seems, however, that Shino often concedes a fair bit of his dominance to appease canid Kiba in order to improve team relations. He fades to the background, often unnoticed by both Hinata and Kiba. They ignore Shino - it's not often you see them interacting with him outside of missions. This could be because of the minor role he plays, or because Kiba is choosing to treat Shino as a submissive to establish his own dominance.
The fact remains that Shino is ostracised by his own teammates quite often. And yet he harnesses his natural abilities and fades out.
Personality Breakdown
--DOMINANT
Shino's need to take control and exert his influence shows that he is a natural alpha male. He is aware of his abilities and has faith in himself. A good example of his dominance is just about all interaction with Naruto, where Shino intimidates him into submission.
--INTELLIGENT
Shino's intelligence is rarely given credit. But his intelligence appears to be much more logical rather than emotional. He, similar to Sai, is smart enough to attempt to tune into social ice breakers such as rhetoric, though sadly he doesn't fare well. He is strategic, always one step ahead, and good at analysing people.
--OPEN
He is very open. He speaks candidly about everything, not always to offend though he proves that his tongue can be sharp. His honesty is part of what annoys his peers, who choose to ignore him instead.
--HUMOROUS
Although it was a filler episode, the Laughter Filler proved that Shino has a sense of humour. Apparently, Shino's humour revolves around cheesy Japanese puns - which reduce a whole room of people and Naruto to hysterics.
--KIND
This is notthe most obvious of traits for some people, sadly, but it's there. He shows concern for his teammates and revealed the bikouchu insect in order to pacify Hinata - despite how she is just as guilty of ingoring him as Kiba. He shows understanding of Kurenai's situation and tries to make Kiba understand as well. When Naruto returns to Konoha, Shino grets him without indication of their past rivalry, only for Naruto to not recognise him.
--TEMPERSOME
Oh, Shino has a temper. He varies between holding grudges, sulking, and lashing out (like he did with his revenge on Kiba). He is cold and sharp in his annoyance, aiming for the strongest attack. His grudges last a long time and he mentions them often, most likely fishing for an apology from whoever has annoyed him.
--UNDERHANDED
Shino has shown, especially in his revenge on Kiba, that he doesn't always fight fair.
--ROMANTIC
This is where so many people raise their eyebrows, and I can see why. To understand this part of Shino, don't think of romance as a the Valentine's stereotype - think of romance as the attitude, the all-encompassing abstract idea.
Shino makes it clear that he doesn't want to be alone. He says this while looking up at the sky with a wistful tone. I doubt he was only talking about his just-departed teammates, who go off by themselves whenever possible. Shino doesn't necessarily mean a lover, either.
Shino means an ideal. He strikes me as the type who tries to pass his idealism off as realism, but his expectations and hopes are rarely met. His idealism is a romantic notion where he is authoritative, respected, and has good friends.
He is also romantic in a compassionate sense - he understands Kurenai's loss and sympathises. He understands Hinata's need to help Naruto.
Shino is very romantic - just not in a typically lovey dovey way.
--AGGRESSIVE
He displays his aggression most often with Naruto, and also in his revenge on Kiba. He is not needlessly aggressive, and it takes a lot for Shino to lose his temper.
Shino is by no means a character without personality or intrigue. He is a minor character, yes, but his quirks and social standing create a very complex character.