Hinata Hyūga

is a fictional character in the anime and manga Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. Hinata is a kunoichi and the former heiress of the Hyūga clan from the fictional village of Konohagakure. She is also a member of Team 8, which consists of herself, Kiba Inuzuka with his ninja dog — Akamaru, Shino Aburame, and team leader Kurenai Yuhi. At the start of the series, Hinata has strong admiration toward the main protagonist — Naruto Uzumaki, which eventually turns into love as the story progresses. Hinata has appeared several times in the series' feature films, most notably The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014), which revolves around her relationship with Naruto. She has also been present in other media related to the franchise, including video games, original video animations, and the manga and anime sequel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2016), in which she has become the mother of Boruto Uzumaki and Himawari Uzumaki, and is now named . In the making of the series, Kishimoto had decided Hinata would marry Naruto; however, the plot regarding their romance was conceived by screenwriter Maruo Kyozuka. Hinata's design has been modified by Kishimoto throughout the franchise's story in order to fit the character's growth. She is voiced by Nana Mizuki in the original animated series and Stephanie Sheh in the English adaptations. Critical reception to the character has been mostly positive due to her actions in the series and her bigger role in The Last — her interactions with Naruto and her engagement in a conflict with the film's villain have been praised. Hinata has also been popular with the Naruto reader base, placing high in some polls. Merchandise based on Hinata have been released, including action figures, key chains and figurines. Creation and conception In creating Hinata Hyuga, Masashi Kishimoto originally designed a sketch which was shown to one of his assistants. In this sketch, Hinata was not a ninja and instead wore a fashion dress. Kishimoto remarked he had created this design for fun, emphasizing that he wanted Hinata to have a different personality. Nonetheless, the final design changed drastically, with Hinata becoming a ninja and a modern girl at the same time.