*Satoshi Hino
Debut (Manga)
Chapter 281
Debut (Anime)
Shippūden Episode 1
Appears in
Anime and Manga
Highest rank:
ANBU
Birthdate:
November 25
Age:
16-17
Height:
172.1cm1.721 m
5.646 ft
67.756 in
Weight:
53.3kg117.506 lb
Gender:
Male
Blood type:
A
Affiliation:
Konohagakure
Previous affiliation(s):
Foundation
Team:
Team Yamato
Previous team(s):
*Eight Man Squad
*Team Yamato-Chiriku
Family:
*Shin (Adopted brother, deceased)
Jutsu:
*Ink Clone Technique
*Ink Flush Technique
*Ink Mist Technique
*Ink Transport Technique
*Super Beasts Imitation

- BACKGROUND
One of many nameless orphans recruited into Konoha's secret branch of the ANBU, Root, Sai was raised and conditioned to have no personality or personal connections. The name "Sai" is given to him for the purposes of joining Team 7. His actual name is currently unknown, even to himself. Sai was recruited as the newest member of Team Kakashi by Danzo, the commander of Root, to join Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno as a replacement for Sasuke Uchiha after his defection from Konoha.

During his time among Root, Sai met Shin, an older member of the same organization who took a liking to Sai's drawing ability. Over time, Sai came to think of Shin as an older brother and looked up to him. Eventually, his "brother" died of an unnamed illness, and Sai's Root training suppressed most of the memories he had for his brother. Before Shin's death, Sai was making a picture book that would depict all the opponents that they faced and illustrate the feelings that they shared for each other. Sai's and Shin's portraits are located at opposite ends of the book, and in the center pages would be a picture of both him and his brother holding hands. Shin died before Sai could complete the book, but on their mission to save Sasuke, Sai noticed that Naruto's face reminded him of Shin, and so while they were there Sai finished the picture.

- PERSONALITY
When first introduced, Sai was distinguished by total lack of emotion which he often masks with a false, cheerful, yet transparent facade. After much mental conditioning and training while in Root, Sai had suppressed almost all of his emotions, laying all of his loyalty to whoever commands him, and thus making it easier for him to accomplish dangerous, unpleasant, or unethical missions. Due to this training, both his own lack of social experience and personal initiative cause for Sai to have great trouble in understanding how bonds and friendships between people can motivate others. He often showcases this confusion after thinking about why Naruto would go so far to save Sasuke, even though Naruto had not been ordered to do so.

Sai is also very observant, and is always focused on his missions. He pays much attention to detail, allowing him to notice if something is not as it appears or should be, as shown from how he easily sees through Yamato's tricks.

Sai is also talented artist, but his lack of feelings prevents him from ever titling his work. His lack of social skills and obviously false outer mask frequently causes conflict between Sai and Team Kakashi, and he often makes the mistake of insulting the other members in an attempt to seem sociable. He tries to seem more compassionate by smiling, though his teammates come to dislike it due to his obvious insincerity.

After spending more time with his team, Sai comes to appreciate bonds, particularly the bond that exists between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. After spending more time with Team Kakashi, Sai eventually begins to break out of his emotionless shell and starts to remember the times he had with his own "brother." In doing so, Sai was able to start giving genuine smiles. Wanting to experience personal bonds for himself, Sai sets out to make as many friends as he can. However, since he is learning most of this out of books and by trial and error, he often accidentally ends up offending people with his nicknames and conversation. He has come to develop his own, more pleasant, and thoughtful personality, while showing signs of more emotion, such as enthusiasm and occasionally nervousness. After his first time with Team Kakashi, Sai is seen being friendly towards others, helping companions when they need it, referring to peers kindly, and having fun in social situations.

- ABILITIES
LIVING ART -
Sai's most notable talent is his skill as an artist, and he has claimed to have drawn thousands of pictures. Despite the great quantity and magnitude of the things he has drawn, he has never given one of his works a name, his lack of emotion making it impossible for him to form a significant enough attachment to his art to give titles. Even so, Sai's drawing ability is also the source of his jutsu, known as Super Beasts Imitation Picture. By drawing objects with a brush on his scroll he is able to bring his creations to life by animating the ink directly off the page. Similar to Deidara's clay-based jutsu, Sai's ink-based jutsu increases their size and allows his art to move and attack opponents at a distance. Of his seen creations, he uses giant birds for long range transport, lion-like monsters for attack, small rats for scouting and numerous small serpents to capture targets. The jutsu requires actual pictures to be drawn on the scroll before coming to life, and Sai has been shown as capable of drawing these sketches at alarmingly fast speeds. Likewise, by creating an Ink Clone (墨分身, Sumi Bunshin) of himself, he can perform a reconnaissance of an area without actually endangering himself. Sai can also transform words he writes on his scroll into small animals that seek out their target and revert back to words upon arrival, giving Sai a way to communicate easily over long distances. Also, as seen when he fought Naruto, he appears to be able to transport himself across short distances by surrounding himself in ink and making the same hand seal that he uses in his Super Beast Imitation Picture. Sai has also shown the ability to make items out of ink, like when he made an umbrella for Sakura to stay dry under.


Super Beast Imitation Technique


Sumi Bunshin No Jutsu