Reception
Kakashi has ranked within the top five characters in every official Weekly Shōnen Jump popularity poll, acquiring the first position as the most popular character several times. In the most recent poll, he ranked third, with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha acquiring the top two positions. There has not been another official poll since the poll as of 2006. In the Anime Awards 2006 from About.com, Kakashi won in the category "Best Supporting Male Character". He was also a nominee during the first "Nickelodeon Magazine Comics Awards" in the category "Best Hair in Comics", losing to Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. In an Oricon poll of "manga master", Kakashi was third with 8.4% of the votes. In an interview, Dave Wittenberg, who does the voice acting for Kakashi in the English dub, comments that he feels he is similar to the character since he tends to have one eye open at a time and he becomes angry if he is interrupted while reading. He also added that what he likes most about Kakashi is his relation with his students, noting him to be "a very nice person". Merchandise based on Kakashi's character has also been released, including plush dolls, key chains, and a limited edition figurine.
Several publications for manga, anime, video games, and other related media have provided praise and criticism on Kakashi's character. IGN noted the duality of Kakashi's serious persona in combat and his laid back, apathetic countenance when dealing with his students, but accepted that he is one of the most popular characters in the series. They also commented that Kakashi is one of the more popular characters they have seen cosplayed at anime conventions. Active Anime celebrated Kakashi's abilities, noting that he fell into the overall theme of characters hiding detailed personalities and secrets. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews derided Kakashi as a stereotypical "Man of Mystery" seen in other shōnen manga, but praised him as being "much more interesting" than the three main characters, and felt that for all intents and purposes, the show could be renamed simply "Kakashi". Mania Entertainment's Dani Moure likes how Kakashi fits into Team 7 due to the fact he is a "hilarious character in that sometimes he doesn't seem all that bothered about things and yet is so masterful of his craft." Chris Beveridge from the site stated that Kakashi is his favorite character from the series because of his personality and praised his fight against Pain, and that after its ending, the character gets "a very humanizing moment", making the episode from the battle stand out. Manga author Yoshihiro Togashi found Kakashi's first battle against his students as one of the first series' moments that impressed him due to how the difference in strength between such characters was shown by just making Kakashi read a book during the fight.
Read more about this topic: Kakashi Hatake
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“He’s leaving Germany by special request of the Nazi government. First he sends a dispatch about Danzig and how 10,000 German tourists are pouring into the city every day with butterfly nets in their hands and submachine guns in their knapsacks. They warn him right then. What does he do next? Goes to a reception at von Ribbentropf’s and keeps yelling for gefilte fish!”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)
“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied modestly. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.””
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)