Why Did Anko Mitarashi Get So Fat? (Explained)
The former Orochimaru’s apprentice, Anko, was one of the slimmest characters in the original Naruto anime. Crossing over to Boruto, however, the fan-favorite exam proctor has become enormously fat for unexplained reasons. Minor character changes are welcome, but why did Anko get so fat?
For one, her obsession with dumplings was evident throughout the original Naruto series. Also, her specialty as an instructor kept her out of active duty, helping her put on more weight. There isn’t any canon explanation for why Anko suddenly got so fat, but it’s easy to speculate.
For fans of the original Naruto series, these points are easily relatable. However, if you only met Anko in Boruto, you’ll need more detailed explanations on those headcanons. Here are some of the most likely reasons why Anko got so fat from the facts in the anime.
Why Did Anko Mitarashi Get So Fat After Naruto Shippuden?
If you’ve followed Anko’s character from the first part of Naruto, you’ll notice that she wasn’t always fat. Instead, she spent the early years of her life under the tutelage of Orochimaru and quickly got to learn about his evilness.
Anko resolved to help Konoha defeat Orochimaru after getting away from him. With her vast knowledge of most of Orochimaru’s fighting styles, she’s a preferred candidate for missions involving the villain. Unfortunately, after Orochimaru defected to Konoha in the second part of the series, Anko was left with mostly no job.
You should already know where I’m coming from regarding Anko with the short story above. To make the entire story clearer, here are the main reasons why Anko got so fat:
1. Inactivity
Since we didn’t see the events leading to the Boruto anime, it’s hard to speculate what happened then. However, an assumption that one may key to without official confirmation is that Anko was inactive after the end of Naruto.
Her inactivity is pretty explainable and justifiable too. Since she’s only a prodigy in matters involving Orochimaru, it makes sense to include her in missions about him. When Orochimaru suddenly decided to become a good guy, it meant no work for Anko anymore.
While she could stay active with regular missions after the redemption of Orochimaru, they simply don’t exist anymore. After the Fourth Great Ninja War, all the nations stayed at peace, almost eliminating insecurity.
Since there wasn’t anything to do, Anko became an instructor. As an instructor, however, she focused on regulating the Chunin exams. Since the Chunin exams only happen once every year, it’s pretty evident why Anko got so fat in Boruto.
2. Consumption of high-calorie snacks
Several characters from the original Naruto anime didn’t put on weight over the time skip. From this, it’s obvious that inactivity isn’t the only factor contributing to Anko’s weight gain. Predictably, her undying love for food is probably one of the biggest reasons why she got so fat.
Since her first appearance in the anime, she has been portrayed as food-loving. She even threatened to kill Naruto for eating from her Dango without permission during the “Fourth Hokage Legacy” mini-arc.
Anko’s favorite food, as you may know already, is Dango. Dango is a kind of Japanese dumplings made with several rice flour varieties and served on a skewer. While a single stick of this delicacy isn’t excessive, Anko Mitarashi doesn’t eat Dango in moderation.
With the databooks confirming a stick of Dango to contain 120 calories, Anko once ate 53 sticks at once. With females only needing a maximum of 2,000 calories daily, it’s easy to understand how and why Anko quickly got fat.
After retiring from active Shinobi service to binging sticks of Dango and bean soup, she was bound to get fat. While her weight hasn’t suggested that she got weaker, it’s just painful to see a fan-favorite character change massively.
3. Loss of her curse seal
While this is a less likely cause of her sudden obesity, it’s one of the possible scenarios. Some fans speculate that the Orochimaru curse seal she received was burning her calories naturally. However, since she lost them during the Fourth Great Ninja War, getting fat was inevitable.
Nonetheless, there are many reasons why this is likely not the case. Sasuke also got the curse seal from Orochimaru, but he didn’t get fatter after losing the seal. Also, there is no canon statement to prove this idea, which only qualifies as a headcanon.
The idea you choose to believe from here doesn’t matter much, as they’re equally likely to be true or false. So unless we get an official statement from the writers, we can only theorize why Anko suddenly got fat.
Will Anko Lose Weight in the Anime?
While fans criticized Anko’s new look after putting on unnecessary weight, most are getting used to it. However, a minute section of the fandom still suspects Anko-sensei’s desire to regain her past look. So, will Anko become the chic, slim, and wicked exam proctor we knew from Naruto?
Looking at most of the events in the anime, the possibility is minuscule. Firstly, Anko isn’t willing to quit dumplings, a fact that has been made clear by recent happenings in Boruto. She’s still the same old character obsessed with Dangos and bean soup, except that she became kinder.
In addition, Anko rarely gets Shinobi missions, as she’s an elite Jonin. In the Narutoverse, elite Jonin are Shinobis with different specialties, and in Anko’s case, hers is instructing. However, instead of instructing students like Kakashi or Might Guy, she’s more of an expert Chunin exams proctor.
Also, Anko is getting older in the story. While she was a vibrant young Shinobi in the first part of Naruto, she’s now over 40 in Boruto. Since a human’s body stores fat as they age, Anko will likely gain more weight in the anime.
In short, it’s very improbable that the fan-favorite Anko Mitarashi will lose any weight in the Boruto anime. There are reasonable explanations for why she got fat, but she isn’t willing to change anytime soon. So if Anko’s new look maddens you so much, don’t worry, she doesn’t appear a lot in the anime.