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Inoichi Yamanaka (山中いのいち, Yamanaka Inoichi) was the head of Konohagakure’s Yamanaka clan, and along with Shikaku Nara and Chōza Akimichi, he was a part of the 15th generation Ino–Shika–Chō trio. He was also the head of the Analysis Team in the village’s Intelligence Division.
Background[]

Ino–Shika–Chō meeting with Iwa-nin for a peace treaty.
When he became a genin, he was partnered with Shikaku and Chōza. Nearing the end of the Third Shinobi World War, his team was assigned to deliver a request for a peace treaty between the Konoha and Iwagakure. Anticipating the Iwa shinobi to turn hostile, the meeting was strategically held at the borderline of the Land of Wind, knowing that the Fourth Kazekage would oversee the meeting should a battle breakout on his own land.[1]
During the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s Attack, Inoichi and his teammates assisted in the village’s defense,[2] losing so many clan members to the tailed beast including his wife, leaving him as a single father and was one of the few shinobi who respected the Fourth Hokage’s wish for Naruto Uzumaki to be seen as a hero.[3]
Personality[]
Inoichi had a calm and perceptive nature, generally staying calm under pressure. He was also very analytical, being able to put together the information he got from his interrogation to aid Shizune Katō in uncovering the secret behind the Six Paths of Pain. He had also been described as having an indulgent and gentlemanly disposition.[4]
Inoichi loved his daughter Ino very much. This sometimes led to him indulging her a great deal, but nonetheless he was proud of her. He firmly believes that Ino will one day become the most prominent member of their clan.[5] The bonds that she has with her friends, as well as her clan’s ninjutsu prowess, stating before his death that she has truly blossomed to reflect the meaning of the bush clover that he raised her to symbolize.[6] He was determined to pass on all his knowledge and skill to Ino to make sure she was ready to become head of their clan one day, likewise showing a strong believe in his clan’s traditions.[7]
Appearance[]

Inoichi in Part I.
Inoichi had long ash blond hair reaching into his lower back, which he wore spiky on top and ending in a long ponytail, light green eyes and strong facial features, which included a well-defined jaw line. In Part I, Inoichi was seen wearing the standard flak jacket over a black outfit, complete with handguards, forehead protector and a sleeveless red haori. In Part II, he wore the standard outfit of the Konoha Interrogation Unit, complete with a long black overcoat. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he donned the standard uniform of the Konohagakure shinobi.
Abilities[]
Inoichi, who was the head of the Yamanaka clan, has shown himself to be a highly capable shinobi that could use Water Release and was known among other villages.
Ninjutsu[]
Yamanaka Clan Techniques[]

Inoichi causing the invading shinobi to attack each other.
Main article: HidenHe was well-versed in all his clan’s secret techniques as witnessed during the Konoha Crush where Inoichi skillfully performed the Mind Body Disturbance Technique, causing the invaders he encountered to fight against their own allies. He was also able to use an advanced version of the technique which manipulates the mind of several enemies at once.
He has also shown the ability to communicate telepathically with other people. His skill with telepathic communication was such that he contacted and relayed a message to the entire Allied Shinobi Forces, despite its vast size for twenty seconds even though he stated he could only do it for ten, suffering only a nosebleed and fatigue.
Mind Reading Techniques and Sensory Perception[]

Inoichi navigating a target’s mind.
Further proof of his skills was shown from his status as an interrogator in the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force during Pain’s assault on Konoha where he was able to skillfully probe the mind of one Pain’s Amegakure loyalist and go through an entire days worth of his memories in mere seconds with the aid of a device, even though Pain had set up mental blocks and traps in the shinobi’s head.
Part I[]
Part II[]
Legacy[]
Leaving behind a quietly understated legacy, Inoichi was someone that many shinobi in the field of intelligence looked up to greatly because of his renown. For those who were able to witness his skills in person, they were always left in awe and would aspire to attain his level of skill. Konoha, on a whole, benefited greatly from these skills as even the booby-trapped minds of those unwilling participants stood no chance against his prowess. The shinobi world at large would later come to heavily depend on these skills during the Fourth Shinobi World War where he was responsible for receiving and dispensing crucial information to and from HQ. Above his duties, however, Inoichi shared a close bond with his daughter whom he loved dearly. This would most often translate into him overindulging her, but despite this, Inoichi was proud of his daughter’s growth, not only as a kunoichi, but as a person who protected her friends. In this, Inoichi was content that his daughter had truly grown to reflect the meaning of their clan flower symbol: the bush clover. Inoichi’s compassion for his family and allies, along with devotion to his duties, and his sacrifice inspired Ino to continue his work in protecting the village.
Trivia[]
- ‘Ino’ comes from inoshishi (猪), meaning ‘boar’. ichi (一) means ‘one,’ ‘first,’ and is a common ending for boys’ names, referring to the first-born son. ‘Yamanaka’ (山中) means ‘among the mountains.’ Wild boars are heavily associated with mountains in Japan and are even called the ‘whales of the mountains’ (山鯨, yamakujira), because of the amount of meat they produce.
- According to the databook(s):
- Inoichi’s hobby was cultivating flowers.
References[]