Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi is the son of Sakumo Hatake, the Leaf's White Fang, who abandoned a mission to save his comrades and was so shamed for it that he took his own life. So young Kakashi follows the rules to the letter. Newly promoted to jōnin, he's on Minato's team with Obito Uchiha and Rin.

On the Kannabi Bridge mission, during the Third Ninja War, Obito calls him trash for wanting to leave Rin behind and says those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. During the escape, a boulder crushes half of Obito's body, and he asks Rin to transplant his Sharingan into Kakashi's injured eye. Kakashi never forgets the lesson.

When they introduce themselves, Kakashi says he likes and dislikes lots of things and that his dreams are none of their business. Then he welcomes Team 7 with a test: the three have to take two bells from him, and whoever ends up without one goes back to the Academy. None of them manage it, but when all three break his order to share food with Naruto, who's tied to a post, Kakashi passes them. Teamwork is what he wanted to see.

In the Land of Waves he shows his Sharingan for the first time and fights Zabuza Momochi by copying his moves. On the bridge, he pins Zabuza with his ninja dogs and goes in for the finish with the Lightning Blade, but Haku jumps in the way.

During the Chūnin Exams, Kakashi locks down the Curse Mark Orochimaru left on Sasuke with a seal, warning that it only holds if the boy doesn't give in. Then he trains Sasuke and teaches him the Chidori, the technique he created. After the Third Hokage's death, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame of the Akatsuki show up in the village. Kakashi takes them on with Asuma and Kurenai and falls into Itachi's Tsukuyomi, an illusion where he's tortured for three days that last a single second.

He ends up bedridden, and only the new Hokage, Tsunade, can wake him.

With Naruto back, Kakashi forms the new Team Kakashi with Naruto and Sakura and puts them through the bell test again. This time they pass. Their first mission is rescuing Gaara, taken by the Akatsuki.

Chasing Deidara, Kakashi reveals something new: the Mangekyō Sharingan and its Kamui, which sends whatever he targets to another dimension. He uses it to tear off Deidara's arm. The cost is steep, and he has to be carried back to the village.

When Pain invades the Leaf, Kakashi holds the line until Naruto arrives. He spends the last of his chakra on one final Kamui to protect Chōji and dies moments later.

On the other side, he finds Sakumo sitting by a campfire. Kakashi tells his father he finally understands his choice and forgives him. Sakumo moves on in peace. When Naruto convinces Nagato to use the last of his strength to revive the dead, Kakashi comes back to life.

In the war, Tobi's mask breaks and Kakashi learns he's Obito, the friend he thought was dead. Flashbacks fill in the rest: Rin, kidnapped and turned into a jinchūriki, threw herself in front of Kakashi's Lightning Blade so she couldn't be used against the village, and Obito saw it all. They fight inside the Kamui dimension, and Kakashi still tries to save him. In the end, Obito turns on Madara and sacrifices himself for Team 7. Before fading, his spirit lends Kakashi both Sharingan for a few minutes, and Kakashi gains Susanoo to help beat Kaguya.

Without a Sharingan from then on, Kakashi becomes the Sixth Hokage, with Shikamaru as his adviser. One of his first acts is promoting Naruto to jōnin.

Kakashi means scarecrow, and Kishimoto picked it from a list that included Kuwa (hoe) and Kama (sickle). His face stayed hidden for 15 years. Kishimoto only showed Kakashi unmasked in April 2015, after the manga ended, and said the mask was exactly what made him hard to draw. The books he reads, the Icha Icha series, are written by Jiraiya. Kazuhiko Inoue voices him in Japanese and Dave Wittenberg in English.