Kushina Uzumaki is the red-haired, willful mother of the titular protagonist Naruto Uzumaki. She was known for her fiery personality, her containment of the Nine-Tailed Beast Kurama, and her relationship with Naruto's father Minato Namikaze.

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　　However, she wasn't eclipsed by her famous partner, the Fourth Hokage. Though fans didn't get to see much of Kushina throughout the series, since her appearances were limited to the occasional flashback, she quickly became a fan favorite. Her love for Naruto and her strength of character shine through in the anime, leaving fans in tears when she makes her on-screen appearances.

　　10 Like Naruto, Kushina Had An Unbelievable Amount Of Chakra

　　The Uzumaki clan is characterized by its incredibly large reserves of chakra, or life force. This is alluded to multiple times when a young Naruto can pull off the feat of summoning an entire battalion of shadow clones. According to Naruto's sensei Kakashi Hatake, jonin, who are typically the only ninja strong enough to form a true shadow clone, can only produce a few at a time.

　　Like her son, Kushina also had an impressive amount of chakra which allowed her to restrain Kurama even after having him extracted and giving birth within the same night.

　　9 Kushina Was One The Few Jinchuriki Who Survived A Tailed Beast Extraction

　　Few of the jinchuriki survive having a tailed beast extracted from them. This is most notably seen when the Akatsuki take Shukaku out of Gaara during the Kazekage Rescue Mission arc. He dies and is only saved when Lady Chiyo gives up her life, using a forbidden jutsu to resurrect him.

　　However, Kushina not only survives the extraction of Kurama, but she also survives it while weakened from childbirth. This is explained by the Uzumaki clan's large amounts of chakra. Since they're so hardy, multiple members of the Uzumaki clan are known to have survived the extraction of a tailed beast.

　　8 She Was A Master Of Fuinjutsu And Could Even Seal The Nine-Tails

　　The Uzumaki clan, at its height, was revered and feared for their incredibly powerful fuinjutsu, or sealing jutsu. In fact, it was this very fear over the capabilities of these sealing jutsuthat led to the clan being massacred.

　　When the Nine-Tailed Beast attacked Konohagakure twelve years before the start of the Naruto series, Kushina and her partner, Minato, used these superior sealing techniques to trap Kurama within their infant son. One of the most well-known of the Uzumaki sealing jutsu is the Reaper Death Seal, also known as the Dead Demon Consuming Seal or Fuinjutsu: Shiki Fujin.

　　7 Naruto And Kushina Share A Similar Verbal Tic

　　Naruto is famous for his signature catchphrase "dattebayo" in Japanese and "believe it" in the English dub. While sometimes this is depicted as an immature or annoying tendency, it later becomes endearing. When fans learn about its origins, they can't help but respect it.

　　It turns out that Naruto was not the only one with a verbal tic. His mother also says a version of this: "dattebane." Both mother and son seem to use it when they're embarrassed or worried. Kushina lives on through her son in many ways.

　　6 She Was The Second Jinchuriki For Kurama, After The First Hokage's Wife

　　The Uzumaki clan is well-known for producing shinobi with astounding levels of chakra, and they're often chosen as the hosts for the Nine-Tailed Beast. The first was Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. The second jinchuriki was Kushina, who eventually gave birth to another host, Naruto.

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　　It was an obvious choice to have the Uzumaki be the typical jinchuriki for Kurama, as they're known for their large quantities of chakra in addition to their formidable sealing jutsu. They continued to play this role into Naruto's generation.

　　5 She Was Mischievous And Loved Playing Pranks

　　Like Naruto, who the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at as a lovable nuisance, Kushina also had a devious streak.

　　When viewers first meet Naruto at the beginning of the series, he's known as the "number one knuckle-headed ninja" for his pranks and antics like graffitiing the Hokage statues, which are supposed to be respected and revered. He also dresses up in flashy makeup and strikes a dramatic pose for his school photo. Kushina, too, had a love of practical jokes and pranks, according to the Naruto databooks.

　　4 She Named Naruto After One Of Jiraiya's Book Characters

　　With Minato being the student of the Toad Sage, Jiraiya, it's no surprise that he and his wife would look up to the Legendary Sannin. They respected him so much, in fact, that they named their child after one of the characters in his novels.

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　　Though by the time Naruto is grown Jiraiya is more invested in his series of romance novels, his book, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, plays an important role in developing Naruto's philosophies of peace and what it means to be shinobi.

　　3 Sasuke's Mother And Kushina Were Friends

　　In a flashback to the moment Kushina meets the infant Sasuke, cradled in his mother's arms, fans learn that Naruto and Sasuke's mothers were friends. Mikoto and Kushina coincidentally both gave birth within a few months of one another. Eventually, their sons would become bitter rivals and best friends.

　　While it seems like a convenient detail, it may actually point to the tension between the Senju clan, which is deeply intertwined with the Uzumaki clan, and the Uchiha clan from the days of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

　　2 Naruto Inherited His Love Of Ramen From His Mother

　　Naruto is infamous for his love of ramen, and he is one of Ichiraku Ramen's best customers. When in Konoha, fans seldom see him without a cup of instant ramen or a bowl of restaurant ramen at some point. He even shares a love of ramen with his wife, Hinata, who won an eating contest at Ichiraku.

　　Naruto's deep love of ramen might also be genetic, as it is noted his mother is a fan of ramen, particularly shio ramen, or salt-flavored ramen. It would seem that love for ramen holds the Uzumaki family together.

　　1 She Expresses Her Love For Her Son With Practical Advice

　　In one of the most heart-wrenching moments of the Narutofranchise, Naruto gets to see a message left for him by his parents. As his mother and father died sealing Kurama into him, they were able to seal a message along with the Nine-Tails.

　　Instead of revealing any mysterious secrets or waxing poetic about how she loved him, Kushina does something even more touching. She tells him to grow up strong, eat well, take showers, and generally take care of himself, as she knows she can no longer do that for him. In the end, Naruto can respond to this message when his father's spirit is allowed to rest in peace, and tell his mother how he's tried to take her advice.

　　NEXT: Naruto: 10 Things Every Fan Should Know About The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze