Who is Metal Lee’s Mother? Some Constructive Theory's

Sure, most of the mysteries were solved at the end of the Naruto anime, but Boruto anime brings up a new mystery that keeps me awake at night: who is Metal Lee’s mother?

Metal Lee, as we already know, is the son of a legendary ninja with the green jumpsuit and unibrow, Rock Lee. He’s a good kid who takes after his father but has a tendency to mess up because of his bad habit of panicking. He also is a very hard worker, participating in his father’s rigorous training without hesitation. Even his fashion sense is like his dad’s, snazzy jumpsuit and all.

So, we know that Metal is very, very similar to his father. But it’s not like he’s a clone of his dad–he has features that look like they might have been passed down to him by his mother. But unlike the other children of Naruto and his classmates, Metal is the only one whose mother has not been revealed. This was driving me crazy… I spent my nights searching fan theory threads and Wiki pages trying to figure out who this mystery woman was.

In the epilogue to the manga, Rock says they have to hurry back to Metal’s mother as they train, meaning the mystery woman is alive and well! She has to be somewhere, and I won’t rest till I can figure it out!

Here are my suspects:

Suspect #1 – Tenten

I know what you’re thinking–you expected me to put Rock Lee’s former teammate Tenten on this list. After all, they’ve known each other from childhood. Well, honestly, I’m not so sure about this Tenten thing, but here’s the information I’ve gathered.

First, she’s the same age as him. She grew up alongside him as a ninja, and while Rock Lee can’t use genjutsu (aka ninja magic) and can only employ taijutsu (aka ninja punch-your-enemy-till-they-lose-consciousness), Tenten is able to support him with her vast knowledge of weapons. Second, she has the same Chinese fashion sense as her teammate. Third, Tenten has a down-to-Earth personality in comparison to Lee, making her (possibly) a good match for him in terms of balance. Fourth, the shape of Metal Lee’s eyes–which are very different from his father’s frog eyes–seem to resemble hers.

Just remember that there used to be another man in the picture: Neji Hyuga, their former teammate who unfortunately passed away in a terrible woodworking accident. Tenten was often seen with him, being his main pillar of support, and also saved his life by giving him water when he was dying from an extremely spicy plate of curry. As seen near the end of Naruto Shippuden, Neji apparently has the ability to wiggle his way into the dreams of people when they’re asleep, so he’s not out of the running yet! Haven’t you seen Ghost? Lee’s got quite the romantic 90’s chick flick to fight with for her heart!

And, let’s not forget that while Tenten is down-to-Earth, she’s obviously annoyed at Lee a majority of the time they’re together. Hell, that’s basically her entire character in the comedy spin-off anime Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals! How would you like to date—let alone marry—a guy with giant eyes and a skin-tight jumpsuit who’s constantly yelling about youth at the top of his lungs?

In conclusion, while there’s some evidence that might make the LeeTen thing possible, I’m not sold.

Suspect #2 – Anko Mitarashi

Anko was the instructor in charge of the hardest challenge during the Chunin exams, where Rock Lee’s team, along with Naruto’s had to embark on a quest to collect and deliver scrolls in the “Forest of Death.” Just like Rock Lee, Anko has a fiery spirit and sense of justice.

Now, this one’s a bit on the less believable side because 1) she’s around 12 years older than him, and 2) they barely interact after the Chunin exams. OK, so maybe their chemistry isn’t the clearest to see. However, while their personalities seem to clash, Anko is basically a younger Naruto in an adult’s body with a hot temper and passion. As Rock Lee gets along very well with Naruto, it’s not a stretch to think that he might get along with Anko as well.

And, since Rock Lee believes that people shouldn’t have dislikes when it comes to food, there’s no doubt that he’d enjoy eating her favorite snacks with her–which might have even lead her to get fat after they got married, as we can clearly see in the epilogue.

Suspect #3 – Ayame

Ayame is the daughter of the owner of Ramen Ichiraku, the ramen stand Naruto frequents. Despite just being a helper, she is fairly close with Naruto and his friends, even getting to attend Naruto’s wedding. This ravishing ramen woman is around the same age as Rock Lee, and despite having a bit of a temper, she’s fairly calm and understanding—her being one of the only people in Konoha to accept Naruto despite all the other villagers fearing him.

The fact that makes me doubt that Ayame would be Metal Lee’s mother is that Ayame has a thing for handsome men, as seen when she swoons over Kakashi when he takes off his mask. Let’s face it… Rock Lee isn’t exactly a… looker, despite his freakishly giant eyes. But who doesn’t want a wife that cooks you noodles every day?

Some other suspects might be Azami and Kurotsuchi, but let’s hope Metal Lee’s mother secret might be revealed in 2021.