Character Profile: Haku

Haku is a shinobi with a kind heart. His past was a gruesome history. Advanced bloodlines were feared during his childhood and civil wars erupted because of the bloodlines. Both Haku and his mother were part of an advanced bloodline. Haku's father, however, was among most others in the village, a normal blood. After discovering Haku and his mother's bloodline secret, Haku's father had his mother killed.

Weak and unable to defend himself, Haku accidentally killed his father and the other villagers. Zabuza, a criminal, raised Haku as a weapon because of his advanced bloodline. Haku, believing in Zabuza because he had no one left, fell into Zabuza's control. To Zabuza, even though he used Haku as a weapon or a tool, he also cared about him, which is shown when Haku dies.

Loving Zabuza by believing that he was his precious friend, Haku vowed to defend Zabuza even if it meant dying in the most painful way. His dreams were to accomplish Zabuza's dreams.

There is a little controversy over whether Haku is male or female, as Haku appears very feminine. The evidence, however, shows us that Haku is most assuredly a male. First off, in the manga profiles, he is listed as a male. Also, he claims to be a boy a couple times in the series (he tells Naruto "By the way, I'm a boy"), and in the Japanese version, refers to himself using the term "boku", which a term used only for males. Additionally, in a flashback from another character's past, a young Haku and Zabuza are shown walking from the village of the mist, and Haku is dressed as a boy and is referred to as male. And in episode 9, Kakashi says that Haku is a boy several times.

Now, some fans point out that the two instances when Haku admits to being a male in the series could be explained. First, when Haku told Naruto that he was a boy, he could have done so because he did not want anyone falling in love with him (or actually in that case, it would be "her", not "him"). Then Haku was called a boy by Zabuza, but this could have been because Zabuza was embarrassed that his partner was a female.

For more evidence of Haku's gender, lets take a look at the picture to the left that somebody pointed me to. There are no cleavage lines, though there do appear to be breasts outlined by the clothes. This is easily explained, however, as just the cloth drooping because Haku is leaning over.

The episode titled "White Past: Hidden Ambition" contains a flashback when we witness Haku showing his mother his advanced bloodline. In this scene, she smacks his hand and says "you wicked, wicked child", followed shortly by "I'm sorry my darling" (play clip). I mention this because I had someone tell me that when Haku's mother smacked his hand, she said "You are a bad Boy, Haku", and someone else told me that just afterwards, she says "I'm sorry my daughter". Listing to the audio clip, you can hear that both of those claims are incorrect for the American Dubbed version, and I've been told that they are incorrect for the Japanese version as well. So basically, there don't seem to be any clues lurking there.

Additionally, on page 82 of the June 2006 Shonen Jump magazine, the second answer to a fan's letter states that Haku is a boy:

Haku IS a boy. If you think he looks like a girl, you're not alone, because Naruto thought so, too. But he's a boy.

I believe, however, that this is the Shonen Jump staff answering, and not Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto.

If you want to read more about this controversy, head over to the post titled "Haku was a GIRL, not a boy". Just please keep in mind that the "evidence" presented is actually little more than speculation. The actual evidence points to Haku being a boy.

Some else sent this to me, which I feel makes sense so I thought I'd share:

I was actually discussing this with my friends a couple of days ago, and we decided that while Haku is a boy, he kind of has to follow the gender role of a girl. Most of the issues that lead to Haku's female role come from the fact that Zabuza practically bleeds testosterone. He's strong, focuses much of his attention on killing, and is very easy to rile up. Haku acts like a calming agent to Zabuza, and Haku is seen as a softer presence in Zabuza's life.

Also, Zabuza really needs the kind of love and support that only someone in a female role could offer. He is outcast and leads the life of an outlaw. And having a female aura around kind of adds the Yin to his Yang, balancing his strong male presence. In the few non-battle scenes featuring Haku, we see him doing traditionally female-assigned tasks, such as picking herbs, caring after Zabuza, et cetera. Further proving that while he is a boy, Zabuza needs him to serve as a girl.

Haku is definitely a boy, I do not doubt that. I think, though, that because Haku's devotion to Zabuza was so strong and the fact that Zabuza really needed a female figure in his life, Haku was willing to transmogrify himself into a female personage and follow whatever orders Zabuza set forth. After all, Haku himself admitted that he would do anything for Zabuza. And if Zabuza needed a girl, he'd get one in one fashion or another.