Shikaku Nara

is the father of Shikamaru Nara and the husband of Yoshino Nara. He is the Jōnin Commander of Konoha. He greatly resembles his son, with the exception of his more matured appearance and the few scars on his face. He was also a member of an Ino-Shika-Chō trio.

Appearance
Shikaku has two scars on the right side of his face which are probably his most distinctive feature. He has dark hair tied up into a spiky ponytail, dark eyes as well as a goatee. His ears are also pierced. In Part I, Shikaku wore a meshed shirt underneath his flak jacket, a deer skin coat over that and hand guards. In Part II however, he has been seen in the standard Konoha shinobi outfit. In the anime, Shikaku also has a scar on the left side of his face as well.

Personality
When he was first seen, he was portrayed as a bit of an alcoholic, and, at times, uses some of Shikamaru's catchphrases ("What a drag" in English and "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". Also like his son, he is a very intelligent but lazy person, yet he is also quite caring, and is ready to jump into action when needed. Unlike his son, his resolve is much stronger, as even during the most depressing or dangerous of situations, he has been shown to maintain great determination and understanding, as shown from how he has repeatedly helped Shikamaru regain his sense of worth. In battle, Shikaku appears merciless. He had no qualms about choking the Suna shinobi to death, even when one of them was clearly cowering.

Shikaku is notable in that he was one of the few parents who did not order his son to stay away from Naruto Uzumaki. He instead encouraged Shikamaru to do what he thought was best.

Since Shikamaru became a Chūnin, Shikaku has taken a great interest in his training, teaching him the clan's more secret techniques and having great confidence in Shikamaru's abilities. He also spends his time tending to the clan's deer.

Abilities
Like other Nara, Shikaku uses the manipulation of shadows in various ways. Although he has only been seen in combat once, as the head of his respective clan it is assumed that he has mastery of his clan's techniques. During the invasion of Konoha, Shikaku used the Shadow Neck Bind Technique against three opponents at the same time. He is also shown to be very intelligent, regularly beating Shikamaru at shogi.

Chūnin Exam Arc
Shikaku debuted in the anime during the Chūnin Exams, attending a festival with his former team-mates and giving Inoichi Yamanaka a hard time for having had a daughter. When Shikamaru came to pick him up, he instead asked his son why he was not enjoying the festivals.

Invasion of Konoha
During the Invasion of Konoha, he fought alongside his former team-mates to repel the invading forces.

Sasuke Retrieval arc
Later, when Shikamaru failed during the course of the mission to save Sasuke, and some of his team-mates suffered severe injuries, Shikaku spoke with him. He encouraged his son to keep his responsibility as team captain, as it might be that a team on a mission without him could have several casualties, but, if he was there, that team might end up with no casualties.

Hidan and Kakuzu Arc
Shikaku appeared following Asuma Sarutobi's funeral, comforting Shikamaru about Asuma's death and offering to play shogi with him. After Shikamaru avenged Asuma and they played shogi again, he discussed the concept of the "king" with Shikamaru before defeating him.

Invasion of Pain Arc
Shikaku was later shown to have survived Pain's destruction of Konoha, along with Shikamaru and Shiho. Apparently having some knowledge of senjutsu, he told his son not to interfere with Naruto's fight with Pain, and they instead regrouped with nearby villagers. He and Inoichi went searching for Pain's real body soon afterwards, only to run into Naruto, who had defeated Pain. When Naruto told them not to follow him to Pain's base, as he wished to speak with Pain alone, Inoichi argued that talking wouldn't solve anything. However, Shikaku, remembering Shikamaru's words about Naruto, convinced Inoichi to comply. When Pain then revived all those who he had killed, Shikaku realized he made the right choice in trusting Naruto.

Five Kage Summit Arc
After the invasion, Shikaku is one of five Konoha villagers to be summoned before the Fire Daimyo to discuss the village's response and reconstruction. With Tsunade in a coma, Danzō Shimura also suggests selecting a new Hokage. Fearing that Danzō may be appointed to the position, Shikaku nominates Kakashi to become the next Hokage. Much of the council agrees, but Danzō is able to undermine Kakashi's credentials. Shikaku tries to persuade the council not to take Danzō's ideals into account, but despite that, the daimyo decides to appoint Danzō the Sixth Hokage.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
When Danzō is killed, Shikaku is once again called before the daimyo, this time to appoint Kakashi to the position. The meeting is interrupted when news arrives that Tsunade has woken up, bringing an end to the proceedings. Shikaku is also present at the village's war meeting with his son, stating he belives him to be too young for it, as they prepare for war. Shikaku later escorted Tsunade to a meeting of the leaders of the Allied Shinobi Forces and agreed with them on how they would protect both Naruto and Killer Bee.

Quotes

 * (To Shikamaru) "No matter how strong-minded a woman is, she will show kindness to the man she loves."
 * "Oh come on. If you've never heard of the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, then you'll love this next one: the Hidden Leaf Village's Shadow Strangle Jutsu."

Trivia

 * Shika means "deer", but shikaku can mean "assassin".
 * Shikaku is also a game of logic.