Temari

is a Jonin-level kunoichi of Sunagakure. She is the oldest child of the Fourth Kazekage, making her the older sister of Gaara and Kankuro. Like her siblings, Temari is seen less often than the other main characters in the series.

Personality
Temari is generally overbearing, if not crude, toward those around her, rarely afraid to speak her mind. Temari does have a caring side, however, and is not above showing concern for others. She seems to value peace, as she questioned the reasoning of starting a war with Konoha. In Part II, Temari acts as a liaison between Sunagakure and Konoha to prepare for the next Chunin Exams. Like Kankuro, her relations with Gaara have greatly improved, although she isn't as close as the two brothers. When Gaara was captured by Akatsuki, Temari hurried back to the village to save her brother, and when Kankuro was poisoned, she watched over him until he was ready to move himself.

Many of Temari's appearances are associated with Shikamaru Nara. Though they were opponents during the Chunin Exams, they came to each others' aid at different points in Part I. When Naruto returned to Konoha at the start of Part II and saw the two of them walking together, he asked them if they were on a date, which both of them denied. Despite her usual tough demeanor, she has a tendency to show a softer nature around Shikamaru. Some examples include showing sympathy for him after his father scolded him for questioning if he should be a ninja after the Sasuke rescue mission failed. Later, after Shikamaru had escorted her to the Konoha gates near the beginning of Part II, she told him that he should take his duties more seriously, and to quickly become a Jonin like herself.

Chunin Exam arc
During the preliminary matches of the Chunin Exams, Temari was pitted against Tenten. Since the bulk of their fight went unseen in the manga, the anime adaptation explained the circumstances. Tenten began the match by throwing wave after wave of weapons at Temari, although Temari easily blew them away with her fan. After Tenten ran out of weapons, Temari used her fan to trap Tenten in a cyclone and propel her into the air. She finished off the match quickly, as the cyclone dispersed and Tenten fell to the ground. Temari made it a point to have Tenten land on her closed fan, knocking Tenten unconscious. Even after she was declared the winner of the match, she threw Tenten off of the fan in an attempt to have her land on the many weapons on the ground. However, Rock Lee jumped in to save Tenten before she hit the ground.

During the final rounds of the Chunin Exam, Temari faced Shikamaru Nara. Knowing Shikamaru used shadows to trap his opponents, Temari made sure to stay out of his shadow's range. Despite this precaution on Temari's part, Shikamaru used various tactics to increase the distance his shadow could reach, all the while buying time for the sun to set and give him more shadows to work with. As Temari evaded his attacks and prepared to finish the match, she was caught by his shadow, Shikamaru having navigated her to a position where he could easily trap her without her notice. Although Shikamaru appeared to be in a position where he could win the match, he forfeited, saying he had used too much chakra.

When the invasion of Konoha began, Temari was forced to help Gaara flee the village. In the anime, when Sasuke Uchiha began to pursue them, Temari stayed behind in an effort to slow Sasuke down, although he defeated her with little effort. After Gaara was defeated by Naruto, Gaara apologized to both Temari and Kankuro, who were amazed, wondering what Naruto had done to him, while they carried him home.

Sasuke Retrieval arc
At the request of the Fifth Hokage, Temari and her brothers came to the aid of those sent out to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha. Temari arrived to help Shikamaru in his fight against Tayuya. She asked Shikamaru for information on Tayuya, although, after explaining Tayuya's abilities, Shikamaru suggested that they should retreat. Uninterested in Shikamaru's opinion, Temari used Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance to level the surrounding forest, which caused a tree to fall on Tayuya, killing her. She accompanied him back to Konoha. While waiting in Konoha's hospital, she criticized Shikamaru for his lack of emotional control, but showed compassion when his father scolded him. And later relief for his sake when he learned his companions would survive. Shikamaru then sees Temari and her brothers off. Before leaving she tells him she will help him again if anything happens and then teases him about crying in front of her in the hospital.

Pre-Shippūden filler arcs
When one of Gaara's students was kidnapped by the Shitenshounin, Temari and Kankuro joined him in rescuing her. In doing so, Temari was forced to fight Kujaku, who had abilities similar to her own. Although she was able to hold her own for a while, her opponent's abilities gradually began to overwhelm her. Just as Temari was about to be killed, Shikamaru and Ino arrived to save her. Shikamaru and Temari quickly began bickering, but ultimately devised a strategy to defeat Kujaku. Temari used her fan to change the direction of a nearby waterfall, allowing Shikamaru to increase the reach of his shadow by using the waterfall's shadow. After Shikamaru trapped Kujaku, Temari finished her off by summoning Kamatari.

Rescue Gaara arc
Temari's first appearance in Part II revealed that she has become a Jonin, as well as Sunagakure's ambassador to Konohagakure, since the events in Part I. Her presence in Konohagakure at the time of Naruto's return was to see to the organization of the bi-annual Chunin Exams. Her escort around Konoha was none other than Shikamaru Nara; when asked by Naruto Uzumaki if she and Shikamaru were out on a date, they both denied it.

Later in the arc, as she made her way back to Sunagakure, Temari received an omen of bad luck when her cup of tea spontaneously cracked. She commented that, while she didn't believe in such things, she had a bad feeling that something had happened back in Sunagakure. When she learned that Gaara had been kidnapped by Akatsuki, Temari joined forces with Team Kakashi, who were on their way to Sunagakure. Because Naruto, like Gaara, was a jinchuriki, Temari sympathized with him, and was glad to know that there was someone like Naruto who could understand Gaara. Upon arriving, Temari found Kankuro to have been gravely injured in his attempt to rescue Gaara.

Wanting to save her brothers, Temari planned to join Team Kakashi in rescuing Gaara, although Chiyo volunteered in her place. Once Kankuro was well enough to walk, he set out with Temari to catch up with Team Kakashi. When Gaara was found and revived by Chiyo's act of self-sacrifice, Temari joined Kankuro in thanking Team Kakashi for saving their brother.

Five Kage Summit arc
Temari was setting off with Kankuro to escort Gaara to the Five Kage meeting, called for by the Raikage. Fanning herself in the desert heat, Temari scolded Kankuro for being late, as they were both needed to escort Gaara to the Summit of the Five Kage together. As with her brothers, Temari's clothes had changed again since her last appearance, and, additionally, she was also carrying a scroll, hanging from her back similar to Tenten's weapon scroll. Her Iron Fan was nowhere in sight.

Abilities
Temari is a keen analyst, and can easily deduce an opponent's strategies and weaknesses soon after a battle begins. During her second Chunin Exam fight, she easily calculated the distance it would take for Shikamaru to reach her with the Shadow Imitation Technique, and was able to keep out of its grasp. Despite ultimately being out-thought in her fight against Shikamaru, Asuma called Temari an excellent strategist.

Iron Fan
For actual combat, she uses her giant that, in addition to serving as a makeshift club, can be used to glide upon in order to intimidate her foes. Inscribed on her fan are three purple circles spaced equally across its length, which she calls "stars" ("moons" in the English dub). As she opens the fan to reveal each star in sequence, the fan's power increases greatly.

Once all three moons are revealed, Temari can create slicing whirlwinds that she can guide with her chakra. Her winds allow her to attack from afar and alter the battlefield to her liking. Temari can also summon Kamatari, a one-eyed weasel summoned with her fan. Kamatari serves to aid her in battle, particularly by creating strong gusts of wind to attack her opponents, which Temari can then mold into attacks of her own.

Other Media
In addition to being a playable character in many Naruto video games, Temari made a cameo in Naruto Shippūden: The Movie alongside Shikamaru.

Trivia

 * In the omake at the end of Shippūden episode 75, Shikamaru told Asuma that Naruto Shippūden would now be called Shikamaru Shippūden. The logo appeared with the title, and two silhouettes appeared facing each other. One was Shikamaru and the other was Temari.
 * Temari was ranked as the 16th most popular character in the sixth and most recent Naruto character popularity poll. Temari was the 11th most popular character in Naruto according to the fifth poll. She finished 15th in the fourth poll.
 * Temari is based on the character Princess Iron Fan from Journey to the West.
 * Temari is the name of Japanese handball.

Quotes

 * "Wasn't much of a match; kinda boring."
 * (To Shikamaru) "You are awfully fragile. What kind of man are you?"
 * "Get yourself and that loser out of my way."
 * (To Shikamaru) "We're up one!"
 * "Sharpen your kama at sunset."