Shikaku Nara

is the father of Shikamaru Nara. Shika means "deer" but shikaku can mean "assassin." He is the father of Shikamaru and the husband of Yoshino Nara. He is rarely seen in either manga or anime, but when he is seen, he greatly resembles his son with the exception of his more matured appearance and the few scars on his face.

Background
Nara Shikaku is the father of Shikamaru and the husband of Yoshino, and, like his son, he was part of an Ino-Shika-Cho trio, together with Choza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka. Like his son, he is the Shika in the group name. He is married to Yoshino Nara who, as his son says, has him whipped. Despite his claim that "a woman is always tender to the man she loves," his son is never convinced. As a member of the Nara clan, he raises deer, whose antlers can be used to make a medicine which halts the destructive effects of the Akimichi clan's three colored pills. He is probably the most skilled shogi player in all of Konoha, he beats Shikamaru on a regular basis which hints that he has an even greater intellect level than his son.

Personality
When he is first seen, he is portrayed as a bit of an alcoholic, and at times uses some of Shikamaru's catchphrases ("What a drag" in English, "How troublesome" in Japanese). Like his son, he thinks that women should be tender and sweet, but as his son says, his wife has him whipped. Like his son, he is a very lazy person, but he is also quite caring, and is ready to jump into action when needed.

Chunin Exams
Shikaku is first seen during the Chunin Exam festivals, sitting alongside Choza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka, talking to Inoichi about how troublesome it must be to have a daughter. A little while later he is seen talking to Shikamaru about the festivals and saying that he should enjoy them, even though all Shikamaru wants to do is drag his father home before he (his father) gets too drunk.

Konoha Invasion Arc
He makes his next appearance during the end of the Konoha Invasion Arc choking three Sand Shinobis with the Shadow Neck Bind Technique and then again next to Choza and Inoichi saying that it is the reunification of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc
When Shikamaru returns unsuccessful, Shikaku is there to help Tsunade cure the effects of the destructive pills taken by Choji and later encourage his son to keep his responsibility as team captain as it might be that a team on a mission could have several casualties, but if he was there that team might end up with no casualties.

Hidan & Kakuzu Arc
In Part II, Shikaku only appears in the end of the Hidan and Kuzan arc, after Shikamaru had defeated Hidan. There he is seen playing Shogi with his son and proves to be much better than Asuma Sarutobi when playing Shogi, as he could easily beat his son at the game while Asuma never could, displaying genius beyond that of even Shikamaru's.

Quotes

 * "No matter how strong-mined a woman is, she will show kindness to the man she loves."