Absolute Anime

Fields	USA Info	Japanese Info	Image
Name	Neji Hyuuga	Neji Hyuuga(ネジ 日向)
· · ·	Neji Hyuga(alternate spelling)
Alias
Race	Human	Human
Gender	Male	Male
Age	13 years old(at start of series)(born July 3)	13 years old(at start of series)(born July 3)
Hair	Dark Brown	Dark Brown
Eyes	White/Silver	White/Silver
Height	5'2"(source: collector's card says Neji is the same height as Rock Lee)	158.5 cm(source: collector's card says Neji is the same height as Rock Lee)
· · ·	5'8"(Shippuden)(source: Shippuden character reference volume 2)	172 cm(Shippuden)(source: Shippuden character reference volume 2)
Weight	101.4 lbs	46kg
Blood	Type O	Type O
Status	Genin(entry-level ninja)	Genin(entry-level ninja)
Quote	"Fate cannot be changed."
Voice	Steve Stanley	Kouichi Toochika
Debut
Anime	Naruto	Naruto
· · ·	Naruto Hurricane Chronicles	Naruto Shippuuden

Last I checked, this character's cosplay outfit was available at Moon Costumes.

Neji's team members are Tenten and Rock Lee, and his instructor is Gai sensei. Neji hates when they talk about the head family of Hyuuga being better than the branch family of Hyuuga.

Neji is not only talented but also good looking too. Neji's most powerful jutsu is Byakugan. Using that jutsu, he can see where your chakra flows and can easily damage his opponents. Neji is one to fear. He is a Konoha genius ninja.

When Neji uses his Byakugan he is assumed to have a 360° vision of his surroundings. As such, he usually compares the 8 birds to how much he can really see. Before he meets Naruto, he always sees 7 birds with his Byakugan, but when he turns around, there is an 8th bird. The symbolism lies in that there is still something Neji can't see. During a fight in episode 117, he sees 8 birds using his byakugan. He finally can see what Naruto was talking about when it came to changing fate and the like.

Neji actually defeats Kodomaru (the spider person), after getting the courage from Naruto.

The style Neji uses to fight is based on the Chinese Yin Bagua Zhang (Eight-Diagram-Palm). This style was previously taught in the forbidden palace in Bejing. Also it uses the number eight a lot, which is what Ba means. In one episode, he holds his hands exactly the way it is taught for Yin-style Piercing Palms.

Neji's Height

Apparently a collector's card states that Neji is the same height as Rock Lee (which the third DVD box set lists as 158.5cm, and that converts to 5'2.4"), while some other ninja rank card lists Neji's height as 159cm (5'2.6"). If you have a scan or image for either one of these, please contact me.

Ages

A Naruto Profiles book states that Tenten and Neji are 13 years old. Kabuto states that Rock Lee is a year older than the Rookie 9Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, who are all 12 years old at the start of the show, making Rock Lee 13. Now, a Naruto Collector's Guide also says that Rock Lee is a year younger than his teammates, which would seem to make him 12 or them 14, and thus kick up a contradiction. However, this is not necessarily the case.

We do usually talk about ages in years, even though not everyone is exactly one year apart in age. So if someone is 13 years old and someone else is 14 years old, we would typically say that one is a year older than the other, even though they might only be a few months apart in age with the 13 year old having not yet had his or her birthday. This is likely the situation we are seeing here, especially considering the characters birth months: Lee's is November, Neji's is July, and Tenten's is March. Lee is younger than his teammates, but only by months, not an entire year.

It can also be the case that the Naruto Collector's Guide is listing character ages from a year after the show's debut, which would make everyone a year older. Of course, to make things even more confusing, Naruto Anime Profiles, Volume 1: Episodes 1-37 lists Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee as all being 14 years old, as does the official Naruto website! If you have scans for any of these sources, please contact me.

Express yourself! Post questions and comments in the Absolute Anime Forums, or contact me about any corrections.

Neji is the young prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, known to be the strongest clan in all of Konoha. The title of most powerful clan belonged once to the Uchiha clan--but then that clan was almost totally wiped out, leaving only Sasuke. One of the great reasons for the Hyuuga clan's strength is the secret technique they have passed down through the ages: the Byakugan.

Byakugan is a special ninja technique which enhances the eyes of its user, in order to allow them to see the minute details of your movements. Highly-developed Byakugan can also allow the users to see the chakra (life force) flowing in the body, and to see the spots in the body that control these forces. With the advantage of seeing these spots, a Hyuuga is able to use Jyuuken, a martial arts style which involves channeling your own life force through attacks at another, in order to critically damage his opponent.

Neji is a particularly gifted Byakugan user who is capable of freezing a person's movement in one strike, or completely shutting down the flow of energy in their body with a precision combo.

Despite this strength, however, Neji also has a strong belief that fate cannot be changed, and that his has been chosen already. He constantly mocks those who fight against fate (especially Naruto and his teammate Rock Lee), yet he fails to notice that he himself is silently fighting his own fate. His hatred of his own position in the grand scheme of the Hyuuga clan is noted early and often, and his frustration with fate drives his training.

The intensity of Neji's pupil-less stare when using the Byakugan is fitting for his personality...completely focused on his goals, and truly uncaring for the opinions of others. He locks his eyes onto the object of his desire, and strikes with precision at the first opportunity. He is a genius and a hard-worker...quite the hard combination to beat.

During the Chuunin exams, more specifically episodes 60 to about 64, Neji realizes what Naruto and Lee say is true: that fate can be changed. He is told the history of his family's past, and realizes that his father CHOSE to die, so that he could for once choose something with his own free will. Neji then gives up his grudge against the Hyuuga Head Family, and becomes closer to Hinata's father, while at the same time, becoming a better friend to Naruto. The biggest hint towards their growing friendship is when Neji says "Naruto, you have better eyes than I do," and later on says, "There is someone who can find Sasuke, and save him from the darkness... He can save him! Because... Naruto... You... saved me from darkness," in episode 117.

Express yourself! Post questions and comments in the Absolute Anime Forums, or contact me about any corrections.