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Kiba Inuzuka (犬塚キバ, Inuzuka Kiba?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of Kurenai Yuhi's Team 8, consisting of himself, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga. He is also considered part of the Konoha 11.

The name "Inuzuka", meaning "house of dogs", belongs to a clan that was one of the most powerful in the Chiba prefecture in Japan during the Edo period. They were known as "dog warriors" and worshiped Inu ("Dog" wink , a deity representing the zodiac sign of the dog. The name "Inuzuka" also originates from Hakkenden, a novel about a dog samurai. "Kiba" literally means "fang".

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Personality:
At first glance, Kiba comes off as a loud and head-strong person who thinks highly of himself. He also appears to be fairly excitable, as seen when he becomes very upset when Kurenai Yuhi temporarily steps down as leader of his team, and is frustrated with Shino and Hinata when they argue that leaving is Kurenai's decision. While these perceptions are factual to a degree, Kiba is in actuality a friendly individual who cares deeply for those close to him. This is first seen during the Chunin Exams where he urges Hinata to forfeit if she is matched against a strong opponent, such as Neji or Gaara, fearing that she'll be hurt if she decides to fight. Kiba can also recognize when he is hampering his teammates' progress, and always makes it a point to prevent the inhibition in the future when it arises. Kiba's strongest bond exists with his dog Akamaru, who he has had since he was a puppy. The two have an almost symbiotic relationship and are almost always seen together, usually enjoying their hobby of taking a walk. This large amount of time they spend together allows for Kiba to not notice gradual changes. When Kiba makes his debut in Part II riding atop Akamaru and Naruto, who had not seen Kiba for over two years, asks Kiba about Akamaru's size (Akamaru having sat upon Kiba's head or ridden inside his jacket in Part I), Kiba replies that he hadn't noticed a difference. Kiba himself has acquired a few dog-like qualities from the time he has spent with Akamaru, such as being able to understand Akamaru's barking and disliking any food that he can't chew on. Kiba's devotion to Akamaru runs very deep, and he is more than willing to risk his own life if it means saving Akamaru's.

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Abilities
In addition to finding a friend in Akamaru, Kiba also uses Akamaru as a valuable ally in battle. Because Akamaru is naturally better equipped for combat, Kiba typically starts a battle by using Four Legs Technique (四脚の術, Shikyaku no Jutsu?, English TV "All-Fours Jutsu" wink to make himself more animalistic. Predominately, this jutsu increases his speed and strength, lengthens his nails to claw-like quality, and, as the name suggests, causes him to travel using his arms and legs. In addition, Kiba can gather chakra to his nose to exponentially increase his sense of smell, allowing him to pick up on the faintest of scents. Once doing this, however, Kiba is forced to endure whatever odors he comes across, and something as simple as a fart can leave him paralyzed due to his heightened senses.

Once he has prepared himself for battle, Kiba has a number of ways to proceed with a battle. He can use Beast Human Clone (獣人分身, Jūjin Bunshin?, English TV "Man Beast Clone" wink to transform Akamaru into himself, allowing the two to take away an opponent's ability to focus on only one of them. With Double Piercing Fang (牙通牙, Gatsūga?, English TV "Fang Over Fang" wink Kiba and Akamaru can charge at opponents at high speeds in a spinning maneuver to increase damage, or perform the same action by themselves with Piercing Fang (通牙, Tsūga?). The two can even combine efforts with Man Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf (人獣混合変化・双頭狼, Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō?) to transform themselves into a single, large, two-headed wolf. While in this form their Double Piercing Fang is renamed Double Wolf Fang (牙狼牙, Garōga?) due to the increased speed the transformation allows them, and the attack itself becomes capable of severing a person in two. The attack, however, is not without its drawbacks; its speed leaves the two unable to see their target, forcing them to rely on their sense of smell. The sheer impact of the attack leaves them both badly injured, and after using it twice neither is able to continue fighting.