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秋道チョウジ Akimichi Chōji

  • Sixteenth Head of the Akimichi (秋道16代目当主, Akimichi Jūrokudaime Tōshu)
Debut
Manga Naruto Chapter #34
Anime Naruto Episode #1
Novel Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky
Movie Naruto Shippūden the Movie
Game Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō
OVA Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival!
Appears in Anime, Manga, Novel, Game, Movie
Voice Actors
Japanese
English
Personal
Birthdate Astrological Sign Taurus May 1
Sex Gender Male Male
Age
  • Part I: 12–13
  • Part II: 16–17
Height
  • Part I: 150.6 cm1.506 m <br />4.941 ft <br />59.291 in <br />156.3 cm1.563 m <br />5.128 ft <br />61.535 in <br />
  • Part II: 172.3 cm1.723 m <br />5.653 ft <br />67.835 in <br />
  • Blank Period: 178 cm1.78 m <br />5.84 ft <br />70.079 in <br />
Weight
  • Part I: 62 kg136.687 lb <br />69.3 kg152.78 lb <br />
  • Part II: 87.5 kg192.904 lb <br />
Blood type B
Affiliation
Team
Clan
Rank
Ninja Rank
Ninja Registration 012625
Academy Grad. Age 12
Chūnin Prom. Age 14
Family
Nature Type
Jutsu

Tools

Chōji Akimichi (秋道チョウジ, Akimichi Chōji) is one of the main supporting characters of the series. He is a chūnin-level shinobi of Konohagakure,'s Akimichi clan and a member of Team Asuma. Along with his team-mates; Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka, Chōji is also a member of the new generation of Ino-Shika-Chō, just like their fathers were before them.

Background

File:Young Chōji.jpg

Chōji as a child.

When Chōji was younger, he was often put down for not being good at a child's game called "Ninja", which appears to be a cross between tag and hide and seek, often using shuriken made out of cardboard. His peers were always berating him, telling him that any team that he was on was bound to lose. One day, they simply refused to let him play at all. However, Shikamaru stuck up for him, saying that the teams would be uneven if Chōji didn't join them. This gave Chōji a little hope, although, in the end, they still refused to let him play.[6]

Chōji and his father were later seen talking on the roof of a building where Chōji was still upset over the way he was treated by the other children. His father told him that few people have a heart as kind and caring as his, and one day he would meet someone who would see that in him and respect him for it, and that eventually they would be the best of friends. Soon after, Shikamaru walked up the stairs. Chōji recognized him as the one who had defended him earlier. He asked Shikamaru why he wasn't playing the game, to which Shikamaru responded that it was a drag. He then told Chōji that he liked to come up there to watch the clouds and that Chōji happened to be sitting in his spot. Chōji moved over to give him room. Shikamaru proceeded to lie down before telling Chōji that he should watch the clouds with him. This delighted Chōji, and he eagerly asked Shikamaru if he wanted to eat some snacks that he had brought. Shikamaru took him up on the offer, causing Chōji to be overjoyed, then Shikamaru said "This is the best, watching clouds and eating chips". From that day on, the two became the best of friends.[7]

During Chōji's time at the academy, he was often caught eating in class otherwise getting into trouble along with fellow 'Dead-Lasts' Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka, and Naruto Uzumaki. Together, these four would cut class or otherwise be testing the patience of Iruka Umino, their Academy teacher. During the 'Search for Tsunade' arc, when Naruto was struggling to learn the second step of training for the Rasengan, he recalled how once, during his days at the academy, he, along with Shikamaru, Kiba, and Chōji were held back in class, and lectured about their all around lack in concentration - in Chōji's case, he was thinking more about food than about doing his school work. During the arc involving the trap master Gennō from the long-gone Kagerō Village, it was mentioned how Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba, and Naruto would skip class together and hang out at the kunai practice course, which was situated under the academy, to hide from Iruka-sensei.

Personality

Chōji is a very kind, polite, and caring person, that both his father and Asuma have said is his greatest strength.

He is easily motivated by the prospect of food, and becomes highly agitated when somebody calls him "fat" (he refers to himself as "big boned", "chubby", or "pleasingly plump"). However, he does not hide his love for food and his near constant hunger is also an annoyance to his team-mates, as eating often comes before other necessities such as stealth and teamwork. Food can also make him over-react about silly things, such as who gets the last piece of meat, or when Akamaru tried to take his food.[8] Chōji also tends to eat a lot when he is angry. Since Part II of the series however, his eating habits are more controlled and it no longer interferes with his duties as a shinobi.

Chōji has a long-standing friendship with Shikamaru. The two have complete trust in each other, with Shikamaru being one of the few people to look past Chōji's lack of athleticism, and see that he had a kind heart; recognizing Chōji's true strength. Because of this, Chōji has unconditional faith in Shikamaru and, if necessary, would give his life for him, which nearly happened during his battle with Jirōbō.

Appearance

Chōji has brown hair, swirl marks on his cheeks, and like the rest of his clan, he has a much rounder physique than most other people. Since his childhood, he has always been quite husky, a necessity in his clan to perform their techniques. During Part I, Chōji's wore grey shorts, a rather large white scarf, a short-sleeved green jacket over a white shirt with his clan's emblem on it, ring earrings, and his legs and forearms were wrapped in bandages. His forehead protector was also worn on a bandanna around his head.

During Part II, he sports a red top with armor on his torso, arms, and upper legs, similar to his father. On the front of his chest armor is the obligatory kanji for "eat". His brown hair has grown much longer and he also changes his earrings from hoops to the studs that he got as a gift from his previous jōnin commander.

Abilities

As an Akimichi, Chōji uses the calories he eats and converts them to chakra in order to perform his technique which is the primary reason for his as well as the members of his clan's physical size. Chōji's most pronounced ability is his tremendous physical strength. Shikamaru hinted at Chōji's raw power during the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, but it wasn't until he broke them out of Jirōbō's dome that the rest of Sasuke Retrieval Team believed him. He is also shown to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat, as seen when he flipped Jirōbō, a skilled practitioner of the art, over without seeming to use much effort. He is not, however, particularly fast in his movements.

In Part I, Shikamaru says that Chōji is the strongest member of the Sasuke Retrieval Team, but that he lacks confidence in himself. In Part II, he was able to provide assistance against Deva Path with his father, and helped Kakashi Hatake decipher the weakness of Shinra Tensei.

Akimichi Clan Techniques

File:Human boulder.jpg

Chōji using Human Bullet Tank.

As an Akimichi, Chōji knows various secret jutsu that allow him to expand body parts to several times their normal size, the most common of which is the Multi-Size Technique. He uses this to perform his Human Bullet Tank attack, where he turns himself into a giant ball and attacks opponents by running them over, shouting "roll" repeatedly as he does. He can also add spikes to this attack to make it more damaging with a chain of kunai. He can also use the Partial Multi-Size Technique to expand his arms and legs as well as other body parts.

After the time skip, Chōji's Spiked Human Bullet Tank does not involve kunai wrapped around him, but instead involves a technique that hardens his hair into extremely sharp spikes that cover his body, similar to Jiraiya's Needle Jizō technique, after which Chōji spins rapidly. Also, Chōji no longer needs to take any pills to perform the Partial Multi-Size Technique.

Three Pills

File:AkimichiPills.jpg

Three Colored Pills.

Chōji can take the Akimichi clan's Three Colored Pills to greatly increase his strength, speed, and stamina for a short time. These pills convert the body's fat reserves into chakra, and are considered a last resort, since they take a tremendous toll on the body. The last pill is said to increase the clan member power 100 times than normal, but known to be always fatal, although Chōji survived the effects, thanks to the Nara clan's medical book and Tsunade's medical expertise.

Originally, Chōji requires to take these pills in order to use the more advanced Partial Multi-Size and Super Multi-Size Techniques. After two and a half years, however, he can rely on his own improved chakra to do so, without the pills forcing it out for him.

Stats

Databook Ninjutsu Taijutsu Genjutsu Intelligence Strength Speed Stamina Hand seals Total
First 3 2 0.5 0.5 3 1 2 1.5 13.5
Second 3.5 2 0.5 1 3.5 1 2.5 1.5 15.5
Third 3.5 3 1 2 4.5 2 3.5 1 20.5

3.5 3.5 2 3 4 3 4 1.5

Part I

Chūnin Exam Arc

During the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, Chōji was reluctant to join his team in helping Sakura Haruno fend off a team of Oto genin, fearing for his own safety, and continuously asking to run. However, when Zaku Abumi called Chōji "fatso", Chōji proceeded to go berserk as he defended his size, and yelled that Konoha and the Sound ninja were now at war. Properly motivated, Chōji fought against the Oto genin, but were unable to defeat them. His actions, however, bought time until Sasuke Uchiha awakened and forced them to retreat with the power of the Cursed Seal.

In the preliminaries of the exam, Chōji began feeling hesitant about fighting, but Asuma convinced him to fight, promising to treat him to barbecue if he won, and to intervene if he was in danger. In the last match of the preliminaries, Chōji was matched against Dosu Kinuta. At the start of the match, Ino yelled to him that he was fat, so that he would be spurred into fighting. Using his Human Bullet Tank to charge at Dosu, Chōji got lodged in a wall as a result of Dosu dodging the attack. With Chōji unable to fight back, Dosu sent a blast of sound into Chōji's bulk, its effectiveness increased as a result of Chōji's increased size, thus defeating Chōji. As a reward to Chōji for getting so far in the Chūnin Exams, and as a bribe to help with Shikamaru's training, Asuma took Chōji to a buffet, but Chōji ate too much and hurt his stomach, forcing him to spend some time in the hospital. He recovered in time to watch Shikamaru and Sasuke's matches, but was put to sleep during the ensuing invasion of Konoha.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc

File:Butterfly Chōji.jpg

Chōji after eating the chili pill, with his chakra in shape of butterfly wings on his back.

Shortly after Shikamaru's promotion to chūnin, the team celebrated at Yakiniku Q. After a brief argument over the meat, Asuma told Chōji that he should eat less and train more. While Chōji was briefly depressed, Shikamaru convinced him to be himself.

When Sasuke Uchiha abandoned Konoha, Shikamaru asked Chōji to join the Sasuke Retrieval Team, to which Chōji refused. Determined to have Chōji come with them, Shikamaru and Naruto Uzumaki ate some of Chōji's favorite snacks in front of his house. When they got to the last chip, Chōji burst through the front door to eat it, saying that the last chip was sacred and he cannot let someone else have it. Having fallen for Shikamaru's trick, Chōji joined the team to retrieve Sasuke.

At the start of the mission, Chōji took on the Sound Four member Jirōbō. Jirōbō initially proved to be too strong for Chōji to beat, forcing Chōji to use the Akimichi clan's special Three Colored Pills. Although reluctant to use the pills, Jirōbō's constant mocking of Shikamaru as a selfish and uncaring leader convinced Chōji to take all three pills. With the accompanying increase in strength, he was able to kill Jirōbō, but collapsed, and was left near death as a result. The Nara clan's medical guide and Tsunade's medical expertise allowed Chōji to evade death and make a full recovery.

Anime filler arcs

Chōji appeared for a few of the anime's filler arcs, one of which was to help rescue the daughter of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar owner. To save the daughter, Chōji and his team-mates were forced to create the perfect ramen, to which Chōji assisted by tasting the noodles and improving their quality when they didn't meet his approval.

During the filler arcs, Chōji demonstrated a working knowledge of the relationship between ninja and food: in Episode 158, Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge, the Academy students were divided into teams of three, and were assigned a genin to lead them on a mission against the other teams. Chōji was assigned to lead a team of three academy students; Dango, Ame and Choco. On route, Chōji imparted to them the importance of being able to acquire food during a mission, introducing a plant called the "Ninja-Aid Plant", which is edible and nutritious. Chōji even stopped one of his team from eating the wrong plant, the "Ninja Blockage Plant", which while it looked similar to the Ninja-Aid Plant, it was in fact noxious, and Chōji identified the difference between their leaves.

In Episode 168, Mix it, Stretch it, Boil it Up! Burn Copper Pot, Burn!, it was Chōji who knew about the cooking-nin of the Land of Lightning, whose purpose was to provide their country's active ninja with food, as on a mission in the field, where food may be scarce, gathering food was such a chore that cooking-nin were supposed to do this job themselves, allowing for the other ninja to focus on their mission and not worry about gathering food.

Chōji made a number of cameos in other arcs, often aiding his fellow genin in accomplishing missions. In one arc, Chōji was teamed with Naruto in fighting a water techniques user, and the two were frequently able to save the life of the other. After Hinata defeated the second of the three ninja, and was badly injured in the process, Naruto sent her away with Chōji. The two were captured, but Shikamaru and several other ninja saved them.

Part II

Sasuke and Sai Arc

File:Chōji Akimichi Part 2.png

Chōji in Part II.

Chōji made his Part II debut shortly after Naruto returned from successfully rescuing Gaara. Like most of the Rookie Nine, he had reached the chūnin rank. Chōji had also improved his skills during the timeskip, and was now able to enlarge various parts of his body without much concentration. His reaction time had also increased, being able to immediately prevent an attack by Sai from harming Shikamaru or Naruto.

Chōji was then seen in Konoha together with the Team Asuma. Sai was surprised to see them after his encounter with them. Team Kakashi and Team Asuma then had to eat on a restaurant where they have bonded and developed friendship. Sai started giving nicknames to everyone. Sai is about to call Chōji fatty when Naruto covered his mouth to prevent his anger.

Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc

While Sora explores Konoha and had started walking around, Chōji have appeared while Sora and Kiba were fighting because of Sora's insult to Akamaru. Sora then insults Chōji because of his size which made him mad. Chōji then started fighting Sora and other ninja appear to join the riot. Shikamaru and Asuma then moderated the situation as Shikamaru paralyzes them and Asuma scolded them.

Furido then summoned four of the Twelve Guardian Ninja to destroy Konoha. Meanwhile, a horde of zombie ninja attacked Konoha under the summoning of Furido. Chōji along with Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba, Akamaru, Rock Lee, Izumo and Kotetsu have fought them. Though, the zombies never decreased in number until Furido's technique was dispelled.

Chōji along with his team mates have backed up for Team Yamato when the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's chakra have been unleashed in Sora's body. Shikamaru ordered Chōji to stop him by his jutsu and hold him tightly. This technique became effective until Sora heats up and have inflamed Chōji's hand. Chōji was then defeated. The other ninja started their attacks but were all defeated by the power of the Nine-Tails within Sora.

Sora, now having four tails, attacked Chōji and the team, but Yamato was able to shield them with a shield made up of his wood technique. Sakura then finds a time to heal Chōji's burned hands but have failed like Ino's attempt to heal him. Sakura then states that wounds caused by the Nine-Tails cannot be easily healed. Though, Sakura continues healing Chōji though it took time.

After the encounter with Sora, all became back to normal. Chōji with the other ninja have said farewell to Sora.

Hidan and Kakuzu Arc

Chōji arrived with Ino as back-up for Shikamaru and Asuma in their fight with Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu. As the Akatsuki pair fled due to their arrival, Chōji prepared to take the fatally injured Asuma back to Konoha for treatment. Asuma, however, knew that he wouldn't make it back to Konoha, and gave some parting words to his team. He told Chōji that he considered him a kind-hearted boy, who thinks about his friends, and, therefore, may be a stronger ninja than anyone else, and to simply believe in himself. Asuma also told Chōji to diet a bit more, and Chōji said that, while it was difficult, he would try. Chōji then reminisces his memories with Asuma like the day when they were assigned to him as students and he treated them for a meal and Chōji had ordered a banquet, which hurt Asuma's economy. Chōji then cried. After smoking one last cigarette, Asuma died, leaving Chōji, Shikamaru, and Ino to set out in an attempt to avenge him.

When the remaining members of Team 10 distracted Hidan and Kakuzu, Chōji attacked the two with his Spiked Human Bullet Tank, its effectiveness increased with his new ability to grow and sharpen his hair. Later, when Kakuzu's masks charged at Chōji and his team, Chōji used Mega Palm Thrust to crush the masks and keep them at bay. His attempt was unsuccessful, and Kakuzu was able to pin him down. Later, after Naruto arrived and defeated Kakuzu, Chōji returned to Konoha with the rest of his team, noting that Naruto's defeating Kakuzu made him "cool", even if not as much so as Shikamaru.

Invasion of Pain Arc

Double Human Bullet Tank

Chōji alongside his father fighting Pain.

When Pain began his invasion, Chōji and his father arrived at the scene of Kakashi and Pain's fight, stunning Pain's Asura Path. After the Deva Path launched a counter-attack at them, Chōji and Chōza tried to distract the Path so Kakashi could land a finishing blow. Their effort failed, resulting in Chōza being gravely injured. Kakashi, unable to move, sent Chōji to tell Tsunade about the Deva Path's ability. Though believing his father to be dead, Chōji did as instructed, and was delighted to learn from Tsunade that his father was alive. But he quickly sobered after finding out that Kakashi died protecting him. He went to attend to his father, and stayed with him during the destruction of Konoha. After witnessing Kakashi returning to life, Chōji greeted Naruto as he returned to Konoha, supporting Shikamaru on his shoulder.

Five Kage Summit Arc

Chōji is seen comforting Ino after Teams Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai agree that Sasuke must be stopped. He is also noted by Shikamaru to want revenge if Ino was to be killed. Along with the rest of Konoha 11, Chōji is prepared to kill Sasuke. Chōji was later seen with the rest of the Konoha 11, hearing Naruto's decision about Sasuke. When Naruto explained it wouldn't have been easy to defeat Sasuke, even at his current level, Chōji asks what he means by that.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc

File:Chōji at the war.png

Chōji's appearance at the Fourth Great Shinobi World War.

With the Fourth Great Shinobi World War underway, Chōji is assigned to the Fourth Division alongside his best friend Shikamaru and Temari.

Movies

Naruto Shippūden 2: Bonds

Chōji played a short role in the movie with Shikamaru, Shino, Sai and Kakashi while they were trying to fight off the sky ninja.

Naruto Shippūden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire

Chōji was first seen eating barbecue with Shikamaru and the others celebrating Naruto and Sai's recovery. Later when Hiruko announced that a Fourth Ninja World War would occur once he gets the final Kekkei Genkai, Chōji was seen with the rest of Konoha 11 except Naruto assigned by Tsunade to secure the village. When Naruto and Sakura left the village to rescue Kakashi, Chōji, and the others left to stop him. While they encountered them, they got ambushed by San which caused them to fight while Sai took Naruto and Sakura went ahead. Later when Hiruko finally approached them they all fought and defeated him.

Video Games

Chōji Akimichi is a playable character in the following video games:

Game nameJapanese releaseEnglish release
Naruto Mobile20162016
Naruto RPG 2: Chidori vs. Rasengan14 July 2005
Naruto Shippūden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 317 November 2009
Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX 229 November 2007
Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! EX 327 November 2008
Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! Special2 December 2010
Naruto Shippūden: Kizuna Drive15 July 201022 March 2011
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 45 April 200724 March 2009
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 520 December 200727 November 2009
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Blazing14 July 201624 August 2016
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 310 December 200911 May 2010
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 221 October 201019 October 2010
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 318 April 20135 March 2013
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 44 February 20169 February 2016
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations23 February 201213 March 2012
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution11 September 201416 September 2014
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker30 August 201831 August 2018
Naruto x Boruto: Ninja TribesJune 2019June 2019
Naruto x Boruto: Ninja Voltage22 November 201722 November 2017
Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections16 November 202317 November 2023
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 221 October 2008
Naruto: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! 320 November 2004
Naruto: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! 421 November 2005
Naruto: Konoha Senki12 September 2003
Naruto: Ninja Council 229 April 200410 October 2006
Naruto: Ninja Council 327 April 200622 May 2007
Naruto: Path of the Ninja 213 July 200614 October 2008
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja30 October 2007
Naruto: Shinobi Collection2014
Naruto: Shinobi Collection Shippū Ranbu27 July 2015
Naruto: The Broken Bond18 November 2008
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 230 September 200412 June 2007
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 322 December 200525 March 2008
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes28 August 2007
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress30 March 200624 June 2008
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Online14 April 201320 July 2016
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm15 January 20094 November 2008
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles18 August 200516 November 2006
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 216 November 20064 September 2007

Creation and conception

"Chōji" means "butterfly (Chō-)" and "the second son (-ji)" added together. Butterflies are insects known to eat sweets. Chōji also manifests butterfly wings made of chakra after eating the third red pill during his fight against Sound Four Ninja Jirōbō. The names "Ino," "Shika" and "Chō" are also a pun on the "Ino-Shika-Chō" winning combination in Hanafuda.

Trivia

  • While Ino has regularly ridiculed Chōji for his excess weight, in one filler arc, Ino also stated that his weight is essential to effectively use his clan's secret techniques.
  • Chōji was the only member of the original 15 genin to not be ranked within the top 30 characters in the sixth and most recent Naruto character popularity poll. He was not ranked among the top 30 in the fifth poll either. The only poll he placed in was the fourth where he was ranked 21st most popular character.
  • According to the databook:
    • Chōji's hobby is buying and eating snacks.
    • While Chōji doesn't wish to fight anyone in particular, Chōji will fight anyone as long as there is food involved.
    • Chōji's favorite foods are Korean barbecue and junk food, whilst his least favorite food is anything inedible.
    • Chōji has completed 39 official missions in total: 17 D-rank, 13 C-rank, 6 B-rank, 3 A-rank, 0 S-rank.
    • Chōji's favorite word is "meat".
  • Chōji is left handed, as seen on episode 110.
  • According to the video game Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2, Chōji has a fear of lizards.
  • In the omake of episode 163, Chōji seemingly uses Wind Release by sucking up Potato chips, which angers Naruto questioning what kind of Wind Release was that.

Quotes

  • (To Shikamaru) "I won't let even you eat the last barbecue chip!"
  • "Fat!? I'm big boned!"
  • (To Jirōbō) "I can't forgive you for calling me fat! But even more than that... Not just for stealing the last chip... or calling me fat... most importantly I won't forgive anyone who insults my best friend!"
  • "I'm gonna eat until I can eat no more!"

References

  1. First Databook, pages 16-17
  2. Second Databook, pages 16-18
  3. Third Databook, pages 16-17
  4. Fourth Databook, page 18
  5. Retsu no Sho, page 30
  6. Naruto chapter 190, page 10
  7. Naruto chapter 190, pages 11-13
  8. Naruto Episode 110


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