Tsukune is a troublemaking academy student from Konohagakure who's best known for his pranks and scheme to steal the Scroll of Seals. He craves attention and recognition, pulling stunts alongside his friends Sansho and Mibuna—a lot like young Naruto, though Tsukune doesn't believe it when Iruka tells him so. When he learns that Naruto actually did steal the Scroll of Seals back in the day, Tsukune decides he has to do it too.
The whole thing falls apart pretty quickly. Iruka tracks him down at the Hokage Rock with help from his buddies, and the encounter becomes a turning point. Iruka realizes Tsukune's just acting out for acknowledgment and actually apologizes for lumping him in with past troublemakers. Tsukune takes it to heart and commits to doing better. He's even inspired to aim for becoming Hokage himself—and to surpass Naruto while he's at it.
Personality-wise, Tsukune's kind of an airhead who doesn't think things through. He's easily manipulated (Iruka tricks him into confessing the vandalism without much effort) and quick to follow trends, especially when he finds out someone cooler did something first. Still, he's got that underlying desire for genuine recognition rather than just causing chaos for its own sake, which gives him more depth than your average punk kid.
Anime debut: Naruto Shippuuden Episode #494
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
