Yamato is a major supporting character in the Naruto anime and manga series, as well as Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. He is an ANBU in Konohagakure’s service. He is added to Team Kakashi as a temporary replacement for Kakashi Hatake due to his unusual jutsu. Despite the fact that Kakashi finally rejoins the team, Yamato in Naruto stays on to aid when needed.
Background of Yamato Naruto
Yamato was kidnapped by Orochimaru when he was a child and became one of sixty test subjects for him. They were given the DNA of the First Hokage in the hopes of replicating the First’s capacity to employ Wood Release and an unquantified power to control tailed animals. Orochimaru later abandoned the experiment, believing that none of them had survived; nevertheless, Yamato was the sole survivor, and he was given the skills of the First.
Yamato graduated from the Academy at the age of six and was elevated to the rank of chnin at the same time. Later, he joined the ANBU and served under Kakashi Hatake’s command for a period. Yamato would also end up having the best performance record of any ANBU serving under the Third Hokage, earning the Fifth Hokage’s complete trust.
Abilities of Yamato Naruto
Yamato has Hashirama Senju’s DNA and so possesses many of his jutsus, including the First Hokage’s Wood Release ability.
Yamato may employ Wood Release: Transformation, a Wood Release variation of the Transformation Technique. Wood bursts from Yamato’s hand seals and covers his entire body during transformation. The metamorphosis is complete once the jutsu is completed. His most well-known jutsu is the Wood Clone Technique, in which a wooden clone of himself emerges from his body. As seen in manga and anime, wood clones can converse over long distances. If necessary, the clones can be turned into tablets that a person (not the user) can swallow to communicate with the original; in this example, Tenzo.
If Team Yamato’s members didn’t get along at the start of their mission, Yamato would trap them in a jutsu called Wood Release: Four Pillars Prison Technique, which built massive pillars that formed a vast cage. The squad was frequently terrified by this. In addition, Team Yamato was seen spending the night in a house made of wood utilising the Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique, which Yamato refers to as “camping.”
Because Wood Release is a mix of Water Release and Earth Release, Yamato has techniques that combine both elements, such as Water Release: Rapid Crusher and Water Release: Waterfall Basin Technique, which he demonstrated to Naruto by combining them with Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart. He also appears to be employing Earth Release: Winding Fissure to make cracks in the ground.
Personality of Yamato Naruto
Yamato is an exceptionally watchful, wary, cautious and completely ready individual. He extends a quiet, indifferent attitude in unpleasant circumstances. Yamato additionally takes incredible interest in architecture which should be visible when he goes out on missions and makes a house to “set up camp” in.
This expertise to consolidate his leisure activity with his kekkei genkai was likewise seen after the intrusion of Pain where he was key in reproducing the town. While he has been laid back up until this point, Yamato professes to be an alternate kind of pioneer than Kakashi, one who isn’t above “administering by the utilization of dread” when his group gets into mischief.
Beside his clearly scary abilities as a ninja, be that as it may, this “dread” has up until this point principally comprised of projecting a frightening “demon eyes” articulation at his charges. Naruto, particularly, is effortlessly unnerved by it, and expressed that it seemed like Yamato was controlling him with dread – something Yamato himself has noticed that he has no doubts with.
He is, in any case, additionally inclined to being a casualty of a brutal joke when given misdirecting data, as witness his noticeable dread and ensuing irritation when Killer B malevolently kidded with regards to the risks of ajinchūriki attempting to control their followed monster.
Appearance of Yamato Naruto
Yamato in Naruto has short earthy colored hair and dark, almond-molded eyes. At the point when he débuted, Yamato wore the standard clothing of the ANBU, with a blade lashed to his back, a veil that looks like a feline’s face shrouded in green, and red markings, and the ANBU tattoo to his left side shoulder.
At the point when he gets together with Naruto, Sakura, and Sai interestingly, be that as it may, he has changed into a variety of the standard clothing of a Konoha-nin, with a fire coat. The distinctions between his clothing and that of the standard one is that his doesn’t have the Uzushiogakure peak on the shoulders of the sleeves, and the neck of his shirt is structure fitting and goes up to his jawline. He likewise still holds two hip pockets lashed to his lower back rather than only one, something ordinary of an ANBU.
Furthermore, he has a happuri-style temple defender that outlines his face, like that of Tobirama Senju.
Yamato Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
At the start of Naruto Shippuden, Yamato is introduced as the enigmatic new commander of Team 7, and there’s a lot to learn about him.
His combat statistics are all significantly higher than the national average.
Naruto databooks provide fans with additional information on their favourite characters. Yamato is substantially above average in every element, including numbered statistics that show how proficient a character is in various combat fields.
His genjutsu, strength, stamina, and hand seals are all a three-and-a-half out of five on a scale of one to five. His taijutsu and speed are both four out of five, while his ninjutsu and IQ are a whopping four and a half.
Between missions, he plays pranks on Naruto and scares him with scary stories.
Despite his stern demeanor, Yamato has a surprise lighthearted side that he expresses most commonly during mission downtime. Naturally, Naruto is the victim of his pranks, who often pranks him back.
Yamato usually spookes Naruto by narrating terrifying stories and utilizing his distinctive “scary look” during these pranks. Despite the fact that his Wood Style is incredibly exhausting to employ, Yamato will occasionally call Wood Clones to terrify Naruto.
He’s close to Kakashi, but the two had a tense relationship at first.
Yamato and Kakashi are great friends who genuinely care about each other, but they first met as rivals. Yamato meets Kakashi for the first time during an assigned assassination attempt on the Third Hokage, which Kakashi foils.
When Yamato is tasked to steal Kakashi’s Sharingan, he is once again spared, and Yamato realizes that he shouldn’t treat fellow Leaf shinobi in this manner. With the help of the Third Hokage and Kakashi, he eventually departs Danzo. It’s strange that the two individuals who sought to kill Yamato are the ones who save him and give him a second opportunity.
He promises his team that he will rule with terror, but all he manages to scare Naruto with is silly facial expressions.
Yamato in Naruto claims to be a different kind of leader than Kakashi, and that if necessary, he can use fear to govern his troops. However, the manner he goes about it is brilliantly comic, and he only ever succeeds in bringing Naruto to his senses.
His shinobi talents may be formidable, but his facial expressions aren’t quite as frightening as he believes. It does, however, manage to terrify Naruto, who is the real member of the squad Yamato has to control, so it’s as effective as it needs to be.
He has two English voice actors working for him.
It’s not unheard of for a character’s voice actor to change midway through a series, but it’s best avoided if at all feasible. In Yamato’s instance, both of the voice actors who do his English dubbing are quite well-known and well-liked.
This isn’t the typical situation where one voice actor plays the present-day persona and other plays their younger self. While Troy Baker voices Yamato for the first 200 episodes of Shippuden, Matthew Mercer takes over the role for the rest of the series.
Who Was Yamato in Naruto? Updates 2025
Yamato (codename Tenzo) is one of the most fascinating characters in the Naruto universe. First appearing in Naruto Shippuden, he is a skilled ANBU operative from the Hidden Leaf Village (Konohagakure), temporarily assigned to lead Team Kakashi when Kakashi Hatake is injured.
What makes Yamato unique is his mastery of the Wood Release (Mokuton) kekkei genkai—an incredibly rare power once possessed only by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. This guide explores his full backstory, abilities, leadership style, and surprising trivia, with trusted sources from Naruto Wiki, CBR, and Screen Rant.
Yamato’s Early Life and Origins
Yamato’s real name remains hidden in Konoha’s classified records. As a child, he was kidnapped by Orochimaru and became one of sixty test subjects in a dangerous experiment. Orochimaru implanted them with Hashirama’s DNA in hopes of replicating his ability to control Tailed Beasts.
All the other test subjects were presumed dead, but Yamato miraculously survived—making him the only one to inherit the First Hokage’s Wood Release powers (CBR details this experiment).
By age six, Yamato had graduated from the Ninja Academy and was promoted to Chūnin. He later joined the Root ANBU under Danzō Shimura, before transferring to the main ANBU unit where he served under Kakashi Hatake. His exceptional record earned the trust of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
Yamato’s Role in the Naruto Series
Yamato enters the story in Naruto Shippuden as the temporary leader of Team 7, tasked with not only guiding Naruto and Sai but also suppressing Naruto’s Nine-Tails chakra using a unique sealing technique.
Even after Kakashi’s return, Yamato assists in dangerous missions, construction projects, and special operations requiring his rare Wood Release skills.
Abilities and Signature Jutsu
Yamato’s signature power is Wood Release (Mokuton), a combination of Earth and Water chakra. This ability allows him to create and control living wood for battle, defense, and construction.
Notable Techniques:
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Wood Clone Technique – Creates durable wooden clones capable of long-distance communication.
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Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison Technique – Traps enemies inside large wooden cages.
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Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique – Instantly constructs shelters during missions.
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Tailed Beast Chakra Suppression – A powerful method to restrain Jinchūriki like Naruto.
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Waterfall Basin & Earth Flow Rampart – Combines Earth and Water Releases for versatile combat (Manga Insider breakdown).
Although strong, Yamato himself acknowledges his Wood Release is nowhere near the full potential of Hashirama’s.
Personality and Leadership Style
Yamato is calm, calculating, and highly observant—a perfect ANBU profile. He jokingly claims to “rule through fear,” but in practice, his intimidation often comes from his comical “demon eyes” expression, which is surprisingly effective on Naruto.
Beneath his stoic demeanor lies a playful side—he enjoys pranking Naruto with ghost stories and surprise wood clone appearances.
His passion for architecture is another distinctive trait; after Pain’s invasion, he played a vital role in rebuilding Konoha with his Wood Release.
Appearance
Yamato has short brown hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, and wears a modified Konoha flak jacket without the Uzumaki Clan crest. His ANBU attire includes a cat-like mask with green markings, an ANBU tattoo on his shoulder, and dual hip pouches. His happuri-style forehead protector resembles that worn by Tobirama Senju.
Interesting Facts About Yamato
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High Combat Stats – According to official databooks, Yamato scores 4.5/5 in Ninjutsu and Intelligence, 4/5 in Taijutsu and Speed, and 3.5/5 in other areas.
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Multiple Codenames – He’s been known as Kinoe, Tenzo, and Yamato.
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Voice Actor Switch – Originally voiced by Troy Baker in English, then replaced by Matthew Mercer.
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Architectural Genius – His Wood Release has civilian uses—especially in rebuilding projects.
Yamato in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
In Boruto, Yamato remains active in the ANBU, most notably tasked with monitoring Orochimaru’s activities to ensure the former Sannin’s research stays under control.
Final Thoughts
Yamato in Naruto is more than just a stand-in leader—he’s a layered character balancing a mysterious past, rare abilities, and a mix of discipline and humor. His contributions to Team 7, the ANBU, and Konoha’s safety cement him as one of Naruto’s most valuable supporting characters.
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