Since his introduction in the very first episode of Naruto, Shikamaru is shown to have a very laid back and relaxed personality. This guy literally has his head in the clouds, avoiding responsibilities (including exams) and confrontations. He wanted to become a ninja in the beginning because he thought it was going to be fun, so, this makes other people be caught onward by his abilities. Deep inside, he has a remarkable intelligence and strategical knowledge, but only a few people know at the beginning.

Thus on his first encounter with Temari during the Chuunin exams, Shikamaru was uninterested in fighting with her, until she attacked. He looked distracted while Temari was rapidly calculating her enemy's abilities, but after a long battle, Shikamaru succeeded in moving her towards a hole where he could project his shadow, immobilizing her from behind. But, when he was going to give the final blow, he said the time for fighting was almost over and that it would be troublesome to attempt to defeat her again. Needless to say that the combat savvy Temari was surprised at the turn of the events. She didn’t know that Shikamaru had this side to him, which takes us to our next reason…

Strong voiced and stronger willed Temari appears for the first time in episode 20, where she wins and loses at the same time against Shikamaru. This ninja with the giant folding fan can be described as rather blunt and not empathic towards enemies, even to the point of cruelty. Nevertheless, when we find that Temari’s father is the Sand village’s leader and has the difficult mission of increasing the quality of their ninjas, we understand her isolated nature better. Actually, Temari’s responsible personality is the ideal compliment for Shikamaru’s free-spirit and an important motivation that ultimately pushes him to improve himself.

We can see a clear display of how their personalities coincide on episode 125, when Temari was sent to rescue Shikamaru from Tayuya. He wanted to simply retire, but she simply leveled the forest to kill the enemy, without mercy. Then, Temari asked Shikamaru how he think she did in the battle, so he made observations on her scary but beautiful smile. Yeah, a little bit weird but… love has its own weird side too.

There’s a reason why Shikamaru avoids trouble, and apparently, the women in his life have had a big impact on it. First of all, enter Shikamaru’s mother, a strong willed housewife and ninja who apparently dominates over Shikamaru’s father. His teammate Ino also falls in the strong and aggressive personality archetype, so Shikamaru usually does not offer resistance, doing her bidding despite finding it “troublesome”.

As Temari fits this pattern, we can assume they are the perfect partner for each other, although Shikamaru is not the ideal romantic, “shoujo” guy with her (The anime Naruto is anything but a shoujo, of course). One of the very first things Shikamaru thought about Temari during the Chuunin exams confirms it, because he decided that a man should not be defeated by a woman, but neither can he hit a woman. Shikamaru becomes able to cope with his relationship with Temari later in life, when his father shares the following words of wisdom to him: “No matter how strong-minded a woman is, she will show kindness to the man she loves”. Which takes us to our following reason…

Temari’s family went through difficult times not only because of her father’s attempt to improve the ninjas of their village, but also due to guarding her younger brother Gaara, who has the One Tailed beast Shukaku living inside of him. Thus, she developed a strong and trustworthy personality in order to show to her brothers that they can rely on her.

Temari has a soft side too, which she shows frequently only around Shikamaru. Even her girlfriends tease her in episode 316 of Naruto Shippuden, saying she likes an intelligent guy. Temari looks comically flustered and quickly denies it. However, when it’s in front of Shikamaru, Temari is not afraid to show it.

Temari is also concerned about Shikamaru’s improvement. For example, in episode 261, with the assembling of the Shinobi forces and other preparations for the war, Temari demands Shikamaru to “look alive” and don’t let his father down, as he is the leader of their battle division. She also is shown to believe he would be a great hokage in episode 379, as he has a clear understanding of people’s hearts and motivations.

Although this couple has different and complementary personalities, they share a core set of values. We see them together more frequently as the anime progresses, sharing moments as casual as simply walking down the streets. But being raised as ninjas and having amazing skills to calculate their opponents’ movements, these two also are a great pair in battle. They were in the same division at the times of the Shinobi war, where their main motivation was to protect their friends together.

In the end, we fans find out that Temari and Shikamaru got married in Boruto: Naruto the movie. They both have become responsible citizens of Konoha Village, helping Naruto and involving their clans in the negotiations processes. The couple even has a son called Shikadai, who fights against Naruto’s son in the Chuunin exams and loses in a very similar way his father did in the past. Some things never change, but here is life proof that a well-balanced couple can have their deserved happy ending if they share the same noble objective in life.