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ShikaCho is the slash ship between Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi from the Naruto fandom.
Canon[]
Shikamaru and Chōji were friends before they even started at the ninja academy. They were among a group of children who were playing a game called "ninja," and Chōji frequently lost at the game and caused others to lose as well. The children eventually told Chōji he could not play anymore because they were tired of losing because of him. Shikamaru pointed out that the teams would have uneven numbers if they did not let Chōji play, but the others insisted that Chōji could not play with them.
Chōji went to his father Chōza to seek comfort, and Chōza told him that he would make a friend one day. Immediately after, Shikamaru arrived, and explained that he was done playing "ninja" because it was a stupid game anyway. They laid down next to each other to watch the clouds, and Chōji shared some potato chips with him. By the time that they started at the Ninja Academy, they were already friends, as they were seen sitting together and talking about Sasuke.
When they graduated from the academy, they were placed onto Team 10 together along with Ino Yamanaka under the leadership of Asuma Sarutobi. They later signed up to take the Chunin Exams together. During the second round, when Ino's old friend Sakura was being attacked by three ninja from the Hidden Sound Village, Chōji and Shikamaru helped Ino protect her until Sasuke woke up. A preliminary round was held before the third round, and Chōji cheered on Shikamaru during his battle against Kin Tsuchi, which he won. However, Chōji lost his battle against Dosu Kinuta.
Chōji attended the third round of the Chunin Exams to support Shikamaru in his battle against Temari and cheer him on. The exams were interrupted by an invasion on Konoha, and Chōji fell asleep under a genjutsu. When Tsunade took over as hokage, she promoted Shikamaru to Chunin, and Chōji and the team went out to lunch with Shikamaru to celebrate. When Chōji insisted on eating the last bite of the meal, Asuma criticized him for being too obsessed with food. Shikamaru, however, later told Chōji that he was fine the way he was and to keep eating his food and be himself.
When Sasuke left the village, Shikamaru was placed in charge of the mission to retrieve him, and he recruited Chōji to be a part of his team. They were later trapped inside of an earth dome, and Shikamaru asked him to let him go but keep the others, which he was really just bluffing so that he could hear his voice. Chōji was the only one who saw through Shikamaru's deception ahead of time, and he started to eat potato chips to replenish his chakra. Shikamaru then pinpointed the weakest part of the dome so that Chōji could break it open.
Chōji stayed behind to fight Jirobo while the others continued to chase after Sasuke. Shikamaru told Naruto that Chōji would be okay because he brought the three pills of the Akimichi Clan with him, but silently begged him not to eat the red one. Chōji struggled in his fight, and became triggered when Jirobo insulted Shikamaru, as he found that to be a greater insult than calling him fat or eating the last bite of the meal. Chōji ate the red pill to defeat Jirobo. He saw a message carved on a tree from Shikamaru encouraging him to catch up and smiled before he collapsed.
Tsunade managed to save Chōji's life by researching cures developed by the Nara Clan. Shikamaru waited for Chōji in the waiting room and was concerned for him. Chōji was eventually given another chance to take the Chunin Exams, but Shikamaru could not take it because he was already a Chunin, so he and Ino took it with Sakura. Shikamaru designed the written exam for the first round, and Chōji and his team managed to pass. Chōji was successfully promoted to Chunin, and he caught up to Shikamaru in rank.
Years later, Chōji and Shikamaru mourned the death of their teacher Asuma when he was killed in battle. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Shikamaru's father Shikaku was killed after the Ten Tails bombed the HQ that he was in. Chōji tried to comfort Shikamaru but he reminded him that they needed to focus on the battle. In the years after the war, their children, Shikadai and Chōchō, were assigned to the same team when they graduated from the academy.
Fanon[]
ShikaCho is a popular ship in the Naruto fandom. Both fans who ship them romantically and platonically agree that Chōji and Shikamaru have one of the strongest friendships in the series. The fact that Chōji takes insults against Shikamaru more personally than insults toward himself and the fact that Shikamaru is one of the few people to accept Chōji the way he is has led some fans to ship them together. AO3 has over 150 works for the pairing. ShikaCho rivals the ShikaTema, ShikaNaru, ShikaIno, ShikaShiho, ChoIno, and ChouKaru pairings.
Fandom[]
- FAN ART
- ShikaChouLove fanclub on DeviantArt
- ShikaCho search results on DeviantArt
- ShikaCho tag on DeviantArt
- シカチョウ tag on Pixiv
- FAN FICTION
- Chōji/Shikamaru tag on AO3
- Chōji/Shikamaru tag on FanFiction.Net
- WIKIS
- ShikaCho on Naruto Couples Wiki
Variations[]
- InoShikaCho refers to the ship between Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chōji Akimichi
