Shino Aburame

is one of the main supporting characters of the series. He is a chūnin-level shinobi of Konohagakure, a member of the Aburame clan, and a member of Team Kurenai.

Personality
Shino Aburame is a cool, collected, and solitary person, who is quite mysterious. He is portrayed as being somewhere between merely stoic and matter-of-fact, rarely ever smiling or showing emotion at all; rather than thank his team-mates for congratulating him on his victory in the preliminaries, he told them that he expected them to do the same (both Kiba and Hinata lost their matches). He also has a tendency of holding grudges and being rather intimidating, such as seen when Naruto failed to recognize him at the start of Part II, but easily recognized Kiba and Hinata. He still holds that grudge to this day.

Shino seems to be aware of these odd personality traits; in the anime, when he ate food poisoned with a chemical that forced him to laugh, he menacingly told Naruto to forget it had ever happened. His interest in bugs only helps him strengthen this viewpoint; by spending most of his spare time watching bugs, and often making analogies to bugs when talking, people have come to identify Shino as "creepy", and tend to dislike being in his company for prolonged periods of time.

Despite occasionally arguing with Kiba, Shino has a very strong sense of connection with his team-mates and allies, first seen when he regretted being unavailable and therefore unable to help with retrieving Sasuke Uchiha. From that point onwards, he resolved to work on his teamwork skills with Kiba and Hinata. He even helped Hinata to improve her abilities, and is one of the few people, besides Naruto, who openly professes confidence in her. The fruits of his efforts are seen in the anime, where Shino was able to carry out a mission successfully while also keeping others safe. He also proves to be able to understand his team-mates' inner workings, sensing when the slightest of things is wrong with either of them.

Shino speaks in a curious fashion, as noted by both Naruto and Kiba: a rudimentary explanation of his syntax is that he will ask a question before explaining a point, whereas most people will leave the question unspoken. Also, he tends to restate facts in a more technically correct fashion.

Appearance
Shino has dark bushy brown hair, pale skin, and was the tallest ninja of his graduating class. Shino is regularly seen sporting the same style as the rest of his clan, consisting of dark sunglasses and a sea-green jacket with a high, upturned collar. During Part II, his appearance became even more mysterious, with his jacket hanging down to his knees and the addition of a hood that obstructs his face even more and a satchel on his back. His current appearance makes it harder for people like Naruto to recognize him right away.

Abilities
In battle, Shino is able to take great use of his intelligence, being able to use his analytical and observational skills to make shrewd judgments with pinpoint reasoning. Like Shikamaru Nara, Shino prevails in battles by systematically staying several steps ahead of the enemy, as well as keeping a good distance away to avoid enemy attacks. Because of this, Shino is fairly confident in his abilities and that he will win a battle, and tends to try to communicate this to an opponent for their own well-being. Still, Shino enjoys fighting, and dislikes being denied a chance to battle a skilled opponent, as seen when he went out of his way during the invasion of Konoha to fight Kankurō, after the latter had forfeited to avoid revealing his puppets' secrets.

Bug Techniques
As a member of the Aburame clan, Shino was infused at birth with a special breed of insects, called kikaichū, that feed on chakra, usually his own. In return, the insects attack, and do other tasks as he commands. In battle, he relies heavily on boxing an opponent in with his bugs and then consuming their chakra once they cannot escape.

Shino has found a number of other uses for these bugs, and as such has devised a number of jutsu that utilize them for various purposes. The first of these jutsu that was seen is his Insect Clone Technique, which uses the bugs to create a copy of himself, that is able to reform once struck. He can also use Insect Jar Technique to create a protective wall of insects to shield himself. Shino could also use the bugs to spy and gather information.

A female bug can be left on a target, which then can be tracked by its scent by the male bug, or scout bugs can be sent out and return to tell the host information about the area. Shino can communicate with the bugs, and the bugs specialize in stealth because they make no noise or motion during combat, making Shino highly adept in espionage.

Additionally, as seen in the anime, it was demonstrated that the bugs are always undergoing evolutionary adaptation through mutation and natural selection. While the kikaichū only have a lifespan of a few hours, their life-cycle ensures that there will always be females with eggs. Any variations that prove useful to the individual bug (and consequently the bug-user) in combat will be passed on to the next generation, which can then be cultivated for their success against dangerous opponents in combat.

Chūnin Exam Arc
In the first part of the Chūnin Exams, Shino used his insects to read the answers on other people's tests. During the second part, his knowledge of insects allowed his team to take another team's scroll with little effort; when leeches attacked another team (from the Amegakure in the anime, from the Konohagakure in the manga), they stumbled into a net trap.

During the preliminary matches of the Chūnin Exam, Shino was matched against Zaku Abumi. Because one of Zaku's arms was in a sling, Shino advised him to forfeit the match. Zaku refused, and instead attacked Shino with his one good arm. In attacking Shino, Shino was given an opportunity to box in Zaku with bugs, forcing Zaku to choose between attacking him or attacking the bugs, leaving the other to attack Zaku from behind. Zaku chose to attack both, and pulled his other arm out of its sling. As Zaku prepared to blast the two opposing forces, his arms detonated, making them unusable and putting him in immense pain (in the manga, his right arm was even blown off of his body). As Zaku writhed, Shino revealed that the tubes in Zaku's arms had been filled with his bugs, causing the pressure of Zaku's attack to go outward when it couldn't escape.

Shino was scheduled to fight against Kankurō in the final rounds, but Kankurō forfeited before their match began, and the invasion of Konoha started soon afterwards.

Invasion of Konoha Arc
When Kankurō fled the village, Shino followed him, wanting the fight he had been denied. Shino caught up with Kankurō about to fight with Sasuke, allowing Sasuke to continue on ahead while they had their match. Kankurō attacked Shino from a distance with his puppet, and Shino used his bugs to make otherwise impossible evasions. A poisonous gas attack, however, caught Shino by surprise. Although he was able to avoid the worst of it, Shino breathed in some of the gas. As the battle progressed, Shino used his bugs to eat away at the chakra strings that Kankurō used to control his puppet, forcing Kankurō to frequently relinquish and reacquire control of his only weapon. All the while, Shino directed his bugs to the scent of a female bug planted upon Kankurō's head, and upon reaching Kankurō, they consumed his chakra. As Kankurō collapsed due to the sapping of his strength, Shino collapsed too, the poisonous gas taking effect. After regaining consciousness, Shino found his father, Shibi Aburame, standing over him, using his own bugs to draw out the poison in Shino's body.

In the aftermath of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, Shino regretted being away with his father on a mission and therefore unable to help. Shino felt that, had he been able to help, the mission's outcome might have been different, and Sasuke might not have been able to abandon the village. Putting the past behind him, Shino resorted to working on his teamwork skills with Kiba and Hinata, helping the latter to improve her abilities.

Ninja Academy Arc
In one episode, Episode 158; ''Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge'', the Academy Students were divided into teams of three and were assigned to a genin who would lead them on a mission against the other teams. Shino was assigned to lead a team of three academy students; Kogane, Hotaru and Suzu. His time with them was not covered much except that he was doing better than Naruto.

Search for the Bikōchū Arc
Shino led Team 8 and Naruto to find the bikōchū beetle, a rare insect with legendary tracking abilities, in the hopes that it could be used to find Sasuke. During this arc, he displayed his improved teamwork skills, recognizing how much effort Hinata was putting into her training. Despite their best efforts, defeating the Kamizuru clan and even finding the bikōchū, Naruto passed wind on the bikōchū, causing it to follow his scent, and rendering it useless.

Land of the Sea Arc
Shino was paired with Naruto and Ino under the command of Anko Mitarashi. They were ordered to find out what was terrorizing the country, and defeat it if possible. Shino engaged Yoroi Akadō in battle during the group's raid on the laboratory, and fought him alone so that Naruto and Ino would be able to reach Amachi. His battle resumed outside, during the battle over the ship carrying the payment, and he defeated Yoroi with Ino's help.

Kiba and Akamaru Arc
Shino's bugs attacked Akamaru, since he had a disease. Shino tried to stop the insects, but they didn't listen. When Kiba yelled for him to stop them, Shino used a jutsu. After Kiba left, he thought about why his insects attacked Akamaru.

Motoyoshi Village Arc
Shino was sent on another mission with Naruto alone to Motoyoshi Village, where Shino was to be a stand-in for a man named Futa. The goal of the mission was to not laugh during a funeral. Futa would lose his inheritance otherwise, and the ever-serious Shino was sent as the perfect weapon for this task. However, due to sabotage (being drugged with a poison that causes one to faux-laugh), Shino had to sit out - leaving Naruto to attend the funeral in his place. Shino, unable to play his original role, learned that the man the funeral was for wasn't actually dead, and conspired with him to get everyone at the funeral to laugh, posing as the old man and using bug clones to take the form of the man's children when they were young. The man had staged the funeral to get his family to laugh once again. At the end of the mission, Shino threatened Naruto to keep him quiet about his discovery of Shino's sense of humour, though he never actually mentioned what he would do if Naruto told anyone.

Kurama Clan Arc
Shino had a supporting role in the Kurama Clan Arc, as while Kiba complained about Kurenai leaving the team, Shino suggested that it was her decision to do so. He also correctly guessed that Kurenai was lying when she said that she sealed Yakumo's abilities out of jealousy, noting that while her hands were trembling when talking about her past, they stopped when she gave her reason. His bugs proved useful against the genjutsu used by the Kurama clan members and Yakumo, as according to him, insects' simpler nervous systems are harder to manipulate. Shino sent his bugs into the room where Yakumo was holding Kurenai in order to save his sensei, only to see them come back. He reunited with Kurenai after the Ido's defeat.

Ultimate Weapon Arc
In the final filler arc, Shino, Hinata, and their leader Neji helped clear the areas for Shikamaru and the rest to continue. After the mission, he, Kiba, and Chōji all suggested to get stronger when Naruto returns.

Sasuke and Sai Arc
Two and a half years later, Naruto went looking for help in another mission to find Sasuke. He ran into Shino, who he at first failed to recognize, only remembering him from his "annoying way of talking". When Naruto immediately recognized Kiba and Hinata, however, Shino took to sulking with his back turned, apparently hurt that Naruto hadn't remembered him. Neither Shino nor his team-mates were able to help Naruto, as their team had already accepted a mission.

Hidan and Kakuzu Arc
In the anime, Shino is seen at Asuma's funeral in mourning clothes.

Three-Tails Arc
In the anime, Team 8, under Kakashi's leadership, was sent to investigate one of Orochimaru's hideouts. It was destroyed upon their arrival, and they searched the surrounding area in search for clues. When they found a number of people encased in crystal, a fate shared by some of Shino's bugs, they sent a sample to Konoha for analysis. While waiting, Shino discovered that some of his bugs were resistant to the crystal, so bred them to increase their numbers. Doing so required that he separated from the team.

Later, he reunited with his team in time to help them avoid a trap. Though the enemies retreated, Shino discovered that his bugs had yet to develop a complete immunity to the crystal. Soon afterwards, they were trapped by Guren, the source of the crystal, and Hinata was captured and encased in crystal. When back-up arrived and saved her, she revealed that she survived the crystallizing process by encasing herself in chakra. Shino's bugs had done the same, which was why he had been unable to selectively breed an immunity. The team pursued Guren, but were distracted by the appearance of the Three-Tailed Beast.

Shino was assigned to help the members of the team that were trying to seal the beast. When Guren attacked in an effort to stop them, Shino, knowing his bugs were the best chance at defeating her, stayed back to prepare his insects. Once giving them enough chakra to coat themselves in, the bugs were able to completely overpower Guren's crystal techniques. Shino continued to protect the sealing team after defeating Nurari.

During this arc Shino is acquainted with Sai, the replacement on Team 7 for Sasuke. Naruto introduces them but doesn't have much to say about Shino, therefore hurting Shino's feelings. Because Sai knew more about him than did his friend of 3 years.

Hunt for Itachi Arc
When Kakashi needed to build a squad for the hunt for Itachi Uchiha, he added the members of Team 8 to his Eight Man Squad. When the squad encountered Tobi, Shino took charge of the fight to make up for not having been available to retrieve Sasuke the first time. Even though he was able to completely encase Tobi in his bugs, Tobi escaped, and was subsequently able to get to Sasuke before them.

Invasion of Pain Arc
During the invasion of Pain, Shino joined other members of his family in fighting Konan. Later, he went back to celebrate Naruto's defeat of Pain.

Five Kage Summit Arc
After Sasuke has been branded an international criminal and is marked for death, Shino wonders if they should tell Naruto and Sakura about the situation between them and Sasuke if Ino is in a tough situation. Shikamaru then decides that he will tell them. As the other members of Konoha 11 are determined to kill Sasuke to prevent him from descending any lower, Shino is also prepared to do so.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
Shino was later seen with the rest of the Konoha 11, hearing Naruto's decision about Sasuke.

Naruto Shippūden 2: Bonds
Shino played a brief role in the movie. He came to aid Kakashi, Sai, and Shikamaru by sending all his insects to the enemy base and destroyed it. At the end, they watched Naruto destroy the ruins with the Guts Rasengan.

Other Media
Shino is a playable character in most of the games from the Clash of Ninja and Ultimate Ninja video game series.

Trivia

 * "Shino" is the given name of the samurai Inuzuka of Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, a novel about a dog samurai. Kiba Inuzuka is also based off Inuzuka from the novel.
 * His last name means "Oil Woman". It also may be variation of "Aburamushi" (油虫), which mean "cockroach".
 * In Naruto character popularity polls, Shino was ranked 12th in the third, 25th in the fourth, 21st in the fifth. He finished 26th in the sixth and most recent.
 * During Naruto episode 149, Shino's eyes are momentarily seen.
 * Shino is the only one of the Rookie Nine not to be on a manga cover before the time-skip.
 * In the seventh Naruto Shippūden opening, Shino is shown fighting the Deva Path along with Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Kiba, barely noticeable in the background.
 * According to the databook:
 * Shino's hobbies are Entomology, and collecting new specimens for his insect collection.
 * Shino wishes to fight someone strong.
 * Shino's favorite foods are wild grass salad and winter melon, whilst his least favorite foods are Tofu balls and any foods that are strong-smelling.
 * Shino has completed 44 official missions in total: 17 D-rank, 17 C-rank, 9 B-rank, 1 A-rank, 0 S-rank.
 * Shino's favorite phrase is.

Quotes

 * "This is what a real trump card is."
 * "I hate explaining the same thing twice."
 * (To Naruto) "Even if it's been a while, you should remember your comrades' faces. Why? Because otherwise you will hurt their feelings when they call out to you."
 * "Never underestimate your opponent, no matter how small they may seem."
 * ( To Zaku) "If you fight me, you won't be able to recover. Forfeit and withdraw."
 * (Referring to Kiba Inuzuka, moments after he rushes off to "observe" Gaara in battle during The Forest of Death exam.) "I kind of hate him."