Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Occupation: Chuunin Examiner
Anko Mitarashi runs the second phase of the Chuunin Selection Exams and heads the Infiltration and Reconnaissance Party. She's best known for her easygoing, tomboyish personality—fans often compare her vibe to Naruto's, right down to the hyperactivity and stubbornness. But she's got more depth than she first appears; she's genuinely knowledgeable and studious when it counts, and she makes a point of learning the terrain before any mission.
Her past with Orochimaru is the key to understanding her. She was his student once, and he chose her along with nine others as test subjects for his Cursed Seal of Heaven. She was the only one to survive—the sole survivor out of ten. Orochimaru lost interest in her afterward, deciding she lacked the hunger for power or revenge that the seal demanded. In the anime, she eventually realizes he let her live intentionally rather than disposing of her, and she chooses to walk away from him on her own terms.
What's complicated is that she once genuinely admired him, looking up to him as a role model. But the Cursed Seal changed everything. Now she's driven by rage and a deep need to hunt him down, treating it as her personal responsibility as his former subordinate to bring him down—even if it kills her.
There's also a darker edge to her personality worth noting. She's got a literal bloodlust that probably stems from her time with Orochimaru, as shown when she scratched Naruto's face with a kunai and licked the blood away. It's unsettling, but it's part of who she became.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
