Rock Lee

Rock Lee trains harder than almost anyone else in his village, not because he is naturally gifted, but because he isn't. Unlike most of his classmates, he cannot use the magic-based techniques that make up most of ninja combat, so he throws himself entirely into hand-to-hand fighting instead, turning a weakness into one of the story's most inspiring underdog arcs.

He is intensely devoted to his goals and speaks about becoming a great warrior with an earnestness that some classmates find a little much, but his sincerity and work ethic win people over anyway. A brutal injury during an early tournament nearly ends his career entirely, crushing his arm and leg so badly that doctors say he may never fight again, but he refuses to give up and undergoes risky surgery to keep training. Years later he is still pushing forward, eventually becoming a full-fledged squad leader and later training his own son in the same relentless style.

His mentor, Might Guy, takes a special interest in him beyond ordinary teaching, and Lee picks up so many of his teacher's habits and catchphrases that the two are often mistaken for each other in spirit if not appearance. Lee also spends years trying to catch up to his naturally talented teammate Neji, a rivalry that pushes him to keep training long after most people would have quit, alongside his other close teammate, a skilled weapons user named Tenten.