Name: Hinata Hyuuga
Age: 13 (I); 15-16 (II)
Birthday: December 27
Horoscope: Capricorn
Blood Type: A
Height: 147.3 cm-148.3 cm (I); 160 cm (II)
Weight: 37.9 kg-38.2 kg (I); 45 kg (II)
Ninja Registration Nº: 012612
Rank: Genin (I); Chuunin (II)
Likes: Naruto, zenzai(sweet red-bean soup), cinnamon rolls, pressing flowers
Dislikes: Crab, shrimp
Hyuuga Hinata is the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan’s main branch. “Hyuga” (日向) means “toward the sun” while “Hinata” is a pun, as it is another way to read this kanji and means “a sunny place”. Hinata was trained by her father, Hiashi Hyuga, to become the clan’s heiress, though in time he came to deem her a lost cause. Believing her to be of lesser skill than her younger sister, Hanabi Hyuga, her father left Hinata in Kurenai Yuhi’s care once she was assigned to Team 8, claiming he didn’t care what happened to her. Throughout her early time in Team 8, Hinata’s lack of self-confidence and unwillingness to fight hamper her abilities. Although she would train to improve her skills, she would immediately give up when faced with competition and failed every mission she was assigned as a result.
In an attempt to change herself, Hinata enters the Chunin Exams, where she is pit against her cousin, Neji Hyuga, in the exam’s preliminary matches. Neji is quick to ridicule Hinata for her personality traits and attempts to convince her that she is a failure who will never be able to change herself, bringing her to tears. Naruto Uzumaki’s encouragement, however, empowers her to fight her cousin despite repeatedly being struck down. Although she is defeated, Naruto’s words have a lasting effect on Hinata and she becomes more confident in her abilities, and even sticks up for herself by telling Neji that he is the one who is attempting to fight against what cannot be changed. After recovering from her wounds, Hinata continues training to prove herself to her father and Naruto. Her efforts are successful in both regards, as she is eventually able to acquire a better relationship with her father, who encourages her to continue working on improving herself. Naruto has also come to hold her in a higher standing, and he tells her that while he had considered her timid and weird before, he now views her as a likable person.
Hinata has a long-standing crush on Naruto, which has been present since their time in the Academy. Her feelings for him are rooted in his determination, confidence, and strength, all of which Hinata lacks. With her affection for Naruto, Hinata is constantly willing to break away from her normal personality traits in order to help him. She also becomes more assertive for Naruto, and also doesn’t hesitate to defend him, even to himself. Her feelings for Naruto are one of the driving forces in her self-improvement, as she tries to gain strength in an attempt to both impress him and become like him. When they meet again in Part II, Hinata is unable to bring herself to greet Naruto and passes out when he comes to greet her, her feelings for him having apparently been amplified during his absence. Despite this, she gradually becomes more comfortable around Naruto, going from being unable to look him in the eye to being able to talk to him, and is able to work with him without difficulty when they are on missions together.
As a member of the Hyuga clan, Hinata possesses the Byakugan, which gives her an almost 360 field of vision. During the Chunin Exams, she displays the ability to focus the Byakugan’s sight, increasing the distance that her eyes can see. She also specializes in the Gentle Fist fighting style, which allows her to damage her opponent’s chakra circulatory system and inner organs directly with even a slight tap. In her quest to get stronger, Hinata creates a new ability during the anime’s Bikochu arc called Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms (守護八卦六十四掌, Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō?), a combination of the Hyuga clan’s most powerful techniques. With it Hinata emits streams of chakra from her palms to create extremely sharp blades that she can use to hit any target in her field of vision. Due to the speed at which these blades move, the amount of control she has over them, as well as her ability to manipulate their size, Hinata can use this technique to attack and defend simultaneously.
