Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake (はたけカカシ, Hatake Kakashi) is one of the main characters of the series, a jōnin-level shinobi from Konohagakure and the leader of Team 7. He is known worldwide for his use of the Sharingan, earning him the moniker Copy Ninja Kakashi (コピー忍者のカカシ, Kopī Ninja no Kakashi) and Kakashi of the Sharingan (写輪眼のカカシ, Sharingan no Kakashi).

Background
Kakashi is the son of Sakumo Hatake, a genius renowned as "Konoha's White Fang". Not much is known of his mother other than that she died at a young age. Sakumo fell into disgrace after choosing to save his comrades rather than complete an important mission, which caused the nation and the village to suffer a great loss. Dishonoured, Sakumo took his own life after suffering a deep depression and drop in his skills; this experience made Kakashi determined to lead his life strictly by the ninja code. Hailed as a prodigy, because of his great intelligence, skill, and aptitude, at five years old he graduated from the Academy in a single year at the top of his class, eventually joining a team alongside Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara under Minato Namikaze's command.

He later became part of a one-sided rivalry with Might Guy. In the anime, Guy first approached Kakashi while he was reading, quickly announced his desire to challenge the prodigy. While initially Kakashi was completely indifferent to the overzealous Guy's request, Guy continued to follow Kakashi around and challenge him. Eventually, Kakashi gave in to Guy's request, beating Guy in every challenge, including various forms of marksmanship, taijutsu combat, and even physical comparison. Despite these losses, Guy became only more determined to defeat Kakashi. Seemingly warming up to Guy, he continued to accept Guy's various challenges (including eating contests and Rock, Paper, Scissors), ultimately giving Kakashi a record of 49 wins and 50 losses.

A year later, Kakashi became chūnin after facing and defeating Might Guy during the third stage of the Chūnin Exams.

Third Shinobi World War
Soon after becoming a jōnin, Kakashi was assigned to lead his team-mates Obito and Rin on a mission that would benefit Konoha in the ongoing Third Shinobi World War. They were to destroy Kannabi Bridge, which was being used by Iwagakure forces to move into Kusagakure. This would also be Konoha's first huge offensive move in the war. On their way to the bridge, Rin was kidnapped by two Iwagakure ninja named Kakkō and Taiseki. Obito immediately suggested that they rescue her, but Kakashi disagreed on the basis that they needed to complete their mission, opting not to make the same mistake his father did in his mission.

Obito would not hear of it and stubbornly left to save Rin, but not before mentioning that he believed Kakashi's father, the White Fang, was a true hero. Shortly after parting ways, Kakashi reflected on Obito's words and Rin's prior kindness. He realised that his father was not wrong after all, which prompted him to join Obito in the rescue effort. Kakashi arrived in time to save Obito from Taiseki, using his father's blade to combat him. Despite the two-to-one disadvantage, the more experienced Taiseki was able to attack and damage Kakashi's left eye, who took the blow that was intended for Obito, giving him a permanent scar and blinding his left eye.

Obito's will to protect his comrades caused his Sharingan to awaken, and he used it to kill Taiseki. After finding Rin and defeating Kakkō with Obito's help, Kakashi freed Rin from the genjutsu before their opponent attempted to trap them in a cave-in. While trying to escape, Kakashi was hit by a rock, which he didn't notice because of his bandaged eye, causing him to fall. Obito pushed Kakashi out of the path of a falling boulder, he himself getting crushed beneath it instead. Knowing he was dying, Obito requested his Sharingan be a belated present to Kakashi and instructed Rin to implant his left Sharingan into Kakashi's damaged eye. Rin complied, and as soon as the surgery was completed Kakashi used his new Sharingan to perfect his Chidori and kill Kakkō. He then returned to Obito to see if there was anything he could do for him, but alongside Rin was forced to leave him. With the help of Minato, they ultimately completed their mission, allowing them to mourn Obito's supposed death.

Later, in the anime, Kakashi and Rin's team was given Might Guy as a replacement. It was during this mission that Kakashi and Guy found true trust and teamwork with each other, and where Kakashi famously split a lightning bolt with his Chidori, giving birth to its new name Lightning Cutter. Later, during another mission, Kakashi met a young girl named Hanare of the Jōmae Village who was lost. He taught her about how the clouds can help her find her way and find her teacher.

Some time after the events at Kannabi Bridge, Rin was taken captive by Kirigakure. Kakashi was able to rescue her, but not before she was forcibly made the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails. While returning to the village, they were ambushed by jōnin and ANBU-level Kiri shinobi. Rin, who knew about Kirigakure's plan to unleash the beast on Konoha, begged Kakashi to kill her. After he refused, Rin waited for Kakashi to attack, and intentionally got in Kakashi's path, culminating in a tearful Kakashi piercing through Rin's chest with his Lightning Cutter. Shortly afterwards, Kakashi and Obito — who witnessed it from behind the scenes — developed their fully-matured Sharingan and subsequently awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at precisely the same time. Exhausted and overwhelmed with sorrow, Kakashi lost consciousness as Obito took his rage out on the Kirigakure ninja, slaughtering them all. Though Kakashi technically was the one who killed Rin, Obito left him alive, and he was later found by Konoha reinforcements.

Post-War
After the conclusion of the war, Kakashi would often visit Rin and Obito's respective graves in the Konoha Cemetery and the Memorial Stone. On one such occasion, he visited Rin's grave and told her that their sensei's son would be born soon and left to go to the stone, unaware that Obito overheard him from afar and used that information to free the Nine-Tails and have the tailed beast ravage their village. During the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, Kakashi and the rest of his peers were barred from participating in defending the village by Kurenai Yūhi's father and other senior shinobi for their own safety as the younger generation.

Over the years, Kakashi became well-known among all the Five Great Shinobi Countries for the extensive use of his Sharingan, gaining him a reputation as "the man who has copied over a thousand techniques", hence his nickname. Kakashi eventually joined the Konoha ANBU, and also served as a mentor to Yamato whose codename was "Tenzō" at that time.

He later left for unknown reasons, but maintained strong connections with the ANBU. Kakashi eventually became a team leader, and tested many genin. As the Third Hokage told Iruka Umino, Kakashi had never passed any of them due to their inability to live up to his expectations of working as a team.

In the anime, he once had a mission where Iruka, his team-mate at the time, was injured and became an instructor at the Academy. When Iruka was having doubts at being assigned to be the home room teacher of Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi served to remind him of his real reasons for wanting the post in the first place.

Appearance
Kakashi is a fair-skinned, fit and relatively tall shinobi. He has spiky white hair, and had dark-coloured eyes. His left eye — which has since been replaced by a Sharingan — has a vertical scar running over it. It has yet to be revealed why Kakashi, even at a young age, wore his face mask. In the few instances that Kakashi is seen without his mask, it has been seen that he has a narrow jaw-line; in these instances the parts of his face normally covered by his mask are obstructed from view. In the anime, it is strongly suggested that he is in fact very handsome, as seen from Teuchi and Ayame's reaction to seeing his face. He was once mistaken by Chiyo for his father Sakumo Hatake, whom he greatly resembles, despite most of his face being obscured. Kakashi's personality is further emphasised by his generally lazy expression, aloof manner, relaxed voice, and minimalist attitude. In serious situations, however, he is shown to have a very stern and intense look. Another noticeable feature to Kakashi, other than his unique left eye, is the thin scar running over it and down to his cheek.

As a child, prior to obtaining his Sharingan, Kakashi wore a simple black outfit with the lower-half of his face concealed. He also wore a scarf with a simple design running along its length to the entrance ceremony, which he would later swap out for a plain, green one. As a genin, he wore another simple black outfit along with an open-front apron around his waist and fish-net armour around his ankles. During his early missions as a jōnin, he wore a black T-shirt with white stripes in the middle of the sleeves. On his arms he wears black sleeves with metal arm protectors over them. He also has leather straps around his back and chest, and his family's White Light Chakra Sabre is kept in a small holder out in the back. He also wore pants similar to the ones he wears today. He appears to wear the same type of outfit as a child (as seen in a flashback). However, in another flashback he is shown wearing a sleeveless black shirt similar to one he sometimes wears as an adult. This type of shirt is presumably for casual wear.

While an ANBU member, Kakashi wore the standard uniform which consisted of a simple blue suit with the standard flak jacket, strapped up sandals, and arm guards. Along with this he wore plated gloves that went all the way up to his arms with a bandage wrapped around the right one. Along with this he carried a sword strapped to his back and his mask was fashioned to resemble a dog's face with red and black markings around the eyes, sides and mouth. In addition, Kakashi has the ANBU tattoo on his left shoulder, and didn't wear a forehead protector during his time at ANBU.

When he joined the regular forces Kakashi once again donned the standard attire of the forces and he began wearing shorter metal-plated gloves. He also wears his forehead protector on a simple blue band, tilted to the left to cover the Sharingan, and a mask which obscures the lower-half of his face, only revealing his left eye when ready to use it. He also wears a chain necklace.