Who is Metal Lee's father?

Rock Lee, Konoha's famous taijutsu specialist and Might Guy's disciple. He is the only parent confirmed by the canon. Metal inherits his look (black bowl cut, thick eyebrows, green jumpsuit) and his path of close combat.

Who is Metal Lee's mother?

Unknown. Her identity is never revealed in the manga, the anime, the movies or the databooks. The most widespread theory points to Tenten, but it is pure fan speculation, without any confirmation or canon clue — the two are never even shown interacting. So it should not be invented.

What is his famous "stage fright"?

Metal suffers from paralyzing stage fright: as soon as many people are watching him, he freezes up and can no longer perform. The twist, developed mainly in the anime: when he finally accepts and channels that anxiety, he shifts into an erratic and formidable fighting style, compared to the Drunken Fist, able to rattle his own father.

Is he more present in the manga or in the anime?

In the anime. The manga keeps him secondary, while the anime devotes original episodes to him that flesh the character out considerably. As for his team, he is part of Team 5 with Iwabee Yuino and Denki Kaminarimon, under jonin instructor Udon.

Metal Lee: The Son of Rock Lee

July 19, 2026

1282 words | Reading time: 7 min

BorutoMetal LeeTaijutsu

Same bowl cut, same eyebrows, same green jumpsuit, and paralyzing stage fright. Metal Lee is the worthy son of Rock Lee, his only canon parent, trained in the taijutsu and the Strong Fist inherited from Might Guy. The profile dwells on his freeze-up under watching eyes, on the erratic "anxious fist" the anime shows, and above all on the mystery of his mother: never named, never shown. The Tenten theory? Fan speculation, nothing more.

The same bowl cut, the same eyebrows, the same fire — and paralyzing stage fright. Metal Lee is the worthy son of Rock Lee, right down to the green jumpsuit. But a hang-up all his own makes his story unique.

The Son of Rock Lee
A Taijutsu Specialist
The Mystery of His Mother
Stage Fright and the "Anxious Fist"
His Team and Appearances
Summary Table
FAQ

The Son of Rock Lee

Metal Lee is the son of Rock Lee, Konoha's famous hard worker. He appears as early as the Naruto epilogue, training with his father.

Physically, he is his spitting image: black bowl cut, very thick eyebrows and green jumpsuit. Rock Lee is, moreover, his only parent explicitly confirmed by the canon.

Two ninja in green jumpsuits, with wraps on their arms and legs, climb a rock face barehanded at night. — Barehanded climbing at night: Metal Lee takes up his father's outfit and training methods.

A Taijutsu Specialist

Like his father and like Might Guy, Metal is a pure specialist in taijutsu: he carries on the Strong Fist, the close-combat style of the Lee lineage.

In the anime, he takes that legacy as far as opening, for the first time, the first of the Eight Inner Gates during a fight against his own father.

👕 A fan of the Naruto universe? Discover our collection of Naruto T-Shirts.

Two fighters in green jumpsuits with wrapped forearms clash in close combat on dirt ground; the one in the foreground is surrounded by a green aura. — The father-son face-off: it is during this duel that Metal opens the first of the Eight Inner Gates for the first time.

The Mystery of His Mother

Here is the character's great mystery: the identity of his mother is never revealed in the canon — not the manga, not the anime, not the databooks, not the movies. No partner of Rock Lee is ever shown.

The " Tenten is his mother" theory is pure fan speculation: the two are never shown interacting. So nothing should be invented on this point.

Stage Fright and the "Anxious Fist"

Metal's best-known trait is paralyzing stage fright: as soon as he knows he is being watched, he freezes up and can no longer perform. This characterization is developed mainly in the anime.

The twist: when he finally accepts and channels that anxiety, he shifts into an erratic fighting style, compared to the Drunken Fist, able to rattle Rock Lee himself.

A young ninja in a green outfit, pale-faced and blank-eyed, holds a shuriken in a shaking hand while two teammates watch him from behind. — Stage fright in action: as soon as he knows he is being watched, Metal freezes up and the move never comes.

His Team and Appearances

Metal is part of Team 5, with Iwabee Yuino and Denki Kaminarimon, under jonin instructor Udon. He takes part in the new generation's Chunin Exams.

One point to keep in mind: the character is far more developed in the anime than in the manga, where he stays a secondary figure.

Five freshly graduated young ninja, Konoha forehead protectors on their heads, cry with joy under a blue sky. — Graduation from the Ninja Academy: it is this promotion to genin that gives rise to the teams of the new generation, including Team 5.

Summary Table

Aspect	Details
Identity	Metal Lee, Konoha genin, new generation. Son of Rock Lee, his only canon parent. First appears in chapter 700 (the Naruto epilogue). Not to be confused with his father.
Mother	Never revealed in the canon — no name, no face. The "Tenten" theory is fan speculation, not to be presented as fact.
Fighting style	Taijutsu / Strong Fist, inherited from Rock Lee and Might Guy. Anime: erratic "anxious fist" in the vein of the Drunken Fist + opening of the 1st of the Eight Inner Gates.
Signature trait	Stage fright / social anxiety: freezes up under watching eyes; becomes formidable when he accepts and channels that anxiety (mainly in the anime).
Team & appearances	Team 5 (with Iwabee Yuino and Denki Kaminarimon), under jonin instructor Udon. Takes part in the Chunin Exams. Far more developed in the anime than in the manga.

FAQ

Who is Metal Lee's father?
Rock Lee, Konoha's famous taijutsu specialist and Might Guy's disciple. He is the only parent confirmed by the canon. Metal inherits his look (black bowl cut, thick eyebrows, green jumpsuit) and his path of close combat.
Who is Metal Lee's mother?
Unknown. Her identity is never revealed in the manga, the anime, the movies or the databooks. The most widespread theory points to Tenten, but it is pure fan speculation, without any confirmation or canon clue — the two are never even shown interacting. So it should not be invented.
What is his fighting specialty?
Taijutsu, like his father and Might Guy: he practices the Strong Fist, the close-combat style of the Lee lineage. In the anime, he takes that legacy as far as opening the first of the Eight Inner Gates during a fight against his father.
What is his famous "stage fright"?
Metal suffers from paralyzing stage fright: as soon as many people are watching him, he freezes up and can no longer perform. The twist, developed mainly in the anime: when he finally accepts and channels that anxiety, he shifts into an erratic and formidable fighting style, compared to the Drunken Fist, able to rattle his own father.
Is he more present in the manga or in the anime?
In the anime. The manga keeps him secondary, while the anime devotes original episodes to him that flesh the character out considerably. As for his team, he is part of Team 5 with Iwabee Yuino and Denki Kaminarimon, under jonin instructor Udon.

In summary

Metal Lee carries his father's legacy right down to his stance — but his real fight is inside. Turning a weakness, stage fright, into explosive strength: that may well be the finest lesson of the Lee lineage, the one that holds that no handicap is a fate for anyone willing to work.