As the most intelligent of the Konoha 11, Shikamaru is the first of Naruto's friends to approach a situation logically. Emotional thinking has never been his forte, and his character seemingly goes out of his way to make it look like he doesn't care. However, this just isn't true, and after the Akatsuki member Hidan kills his master, Asuma, Shikamaru does everything he can to appear unaffected by his loss. In Episode 82 of "Naruto: Shippuden," this all comes crumbling down when Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, urges his son to let out his repressed emotions. Finally forced to dwell on his master's death, we see Shikamaru cry for the first time on screen.
On Reddit, fans gushed about how this scene was absolutely tear-jerking. "Yeah I definitely felt this," wrote Reddit user u/DamnMitch69. "The scene was so powerful." "What really got me was when [Shikaku] said 'I'll pick up the pieces.' Man, just thinking about it now makes me feel things," wrote u/fxckouttahere. Not only is this the first time we see Shikamaru act anything but aloof and uncaring, but it's also one of the few times we see a positive exchange between fathers and sons in "Naruto." Unlike most of our protagonists, Shikamaru's dad is alive and intelligent enough to give his son meaningful advice when he needs it. It's one of the things that really makes Shikamaru's character unique.
