Ranmaru


 * Name: Ranmaru
 * Voice Actor: Kari Wahlgren

Ranmaru (蘭丸, Ranmaru?) is a young orphan from Kirigakure. Like Haku, Ranmaru has an androgynous appearance, but he is never mistaken for a girl. Although formally paralyzed, his kekkei genkai allows him to see through walls and create illusions with real chakra circulatory systems, as well as interfering with the usage of the Byakugan and other vaguely defined powers relating to vision. When activated, the bloodline causes his eyes to momentarily glow red. After befriending Raiga Kurosuki, he was able to move around on Raiga's back, and in return used his bloodline ability to predict the movements of Raiga's enemies.

Before meeting Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten, he always thought that he lived for Raiga. However, after tasting the Curry of Life and being able to walk for the first time, he was cured from his paralysis syndrome forever. He later learned the true meaning of being alive from Naruto and decided to share the feeling with Raiga. Raiga, upon realizing how Ranmaru could never be truly free as long as Raiga himself lived, gave himself a funeral in one of his more coherent moments. In the end, Ranmaru becomes a healthy apprentice at the Curry of Life shop.

Behind the Scenes
Ranmaru was an anime-filler character created in the time leading up to Shipuuden. As becomes the case from time to time, the manga and anime will have conflicting accounts. Ranmaru's kekkei genkai is one such case, as Jiraiya explicitly states in Chapter 373 of the manga that there are three great doujutsu (of which the greatest is the Rin'negan), the other two being the Sharingan and Byakugan. For Ranmaru to have a doujutsu of the same type as the Byakugan, and be able to interfere with the Byakugan's usage, it would certainly be classified as a "great doujutsu". Also, due to its ability to partially predict attacks, it may be the link between the Sharingan and the Byakugan, as the former is thought to be descended from the latter.