Who makes up Team Guy and what is its specialty?

Jonin Might Guy and three genin: Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten. It is the close-combat team — pure taijutsu for Lee and Guy, Gentle Fist and Byakugan for Neji, weapons sealed in scrolls for Tenten. Nickname: the "Green Beasts of Konoha."

Why is Team Guy older than Naruto's team?

Its members became genin about a year before Team 7. But Guy held them back an extra year before the exams, so they take the same Chunin Exams as Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, without being promoted.

Can Rock Lee use jutsu?

No: he is unable to mold his chakra for ninjutsu or genjutsu. Note that he does have chakra — it is essential to his Eight Inner Gates. He practices only taijutsu, pushed as far as the Eight Inner Gates, which remain taijutsu and not ninjutsu.

Does Neji really die in Naruto?

Yes, permanently. He dies at 18 during the Fourth Great Ninja War, shielding Naruto and Hinata with his body from the Ten-Tails' wooden projectiles. He is never brought back to life afterward.

Should Team Guy be confused with "Team 9"?

No. The manga never gives Guy's team a number: "Team 9" is a fan assumption, and the supplementary material instead gives it the designation "Team 3." It is distinct from Team 8 (Kurenai).

La Team Guy : l'équipe du taijutsu de Konoha

Team Guy: Konoha's Taijutsu Squad

July 12, 2026

1160 words | Reading time: 6 min

UniverseTaijutsuTeam Guy

They were genin a year before Team 7. And yet they take their first Chunin Exams at the same time as Naruto, because Might Guy chose to keep them for one more year. Under the taijutsu master — Kakashi's eternal rival, able to open the Eight Inner Gates all the way to Night Guy against Madara — we find Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten. Three close-combat fighters, the nickname Green Beasts of Konoha, and the loss of Neji.

The team where taijutsu reigns supreme: led by the eccentric Might Guy, "the Green Beast of Konoha," this is Team Guy.

Might Guy and His Three Genin
A Team Older Than Naruto's
The Close-Combat Team
Lee, Neji, and Tenten
The Death of Neji
Summary Table
FAQ

Might Guy and His Three Genin

Team Guy brings together jonin-sensei Might Guy and three genin: Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga and Tenten. The team is nicknamed the Green Beasts of Konoha.

In a forest, a jonin in a green jumpsuit and tactical vest stands in front of three young ninja: a boy in an identical green jumpsuit with bandaged fists, a girl with her hair in buns, and a boy with long brown hair in a light-colored tunic — The full team on a mission: Guy in front, Rock Lee dressed exactly like his master, Tenten and Neji behind — three genin for a single jonin-sensei.

A Team Older Than Naruto's

Contrary to popular belief, this is not "Team 9": the manga never gives Guy's team a number. Above all, its members are older by a year than those of Team 7.

Guy did in fact hold his team back an extra year before the Chunin Exams. As a result, Lee, Neji, and Tenten take the same exam as Naruto — Lee faces Gaara, Tenten Temari, and Neji Naruto.

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Eleven young Konoha ninja lined up side by side against a plain light background; on the right of the row, Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten. — The class gathered together: on the right of the row, Neji, Lee, and Tenten — Guy's team is a year older than Naruto and his classmates." — and correct the ALT accordingly: "Eleven young Konoha ninja lined up side by side against a neutral background, in varied mission outfits; the three on the right make up Guy's team

The Close-Combat Team

The team's specialty is close combat. Lee and Guy are masters of pure taijutsu , able to open the Eight Inner Gates.

Guy even pushes this art to the 8th gate, the Gate of Death, which he unleashes against Madara during the war. He also proclaims himself the eternal rival of Kakashi.

A ninja leaps with arms outstretched, hair standing on end and turned red, skin darkened, and his body wrapped in a swirling red aura — Opening the Eight Inner Gates: taijutsu pushed to a state that consumes whoever uses it.

Lee, Neji, and Tenten

Each genin has their own path. Rock Lee can use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu: he makes up for it with exceptional taijutsu. Neji, a prodigy of the Hyuga Clan, wields the Gentle Fist thanks to his Byakugan.

As for Tenten, the only one without a hereditary power, she is the team's artillery: she summons a whole arsenal of weapons sealed in scrolls. She also looks up to Tsunade.

Rock Lee in his green jumpsuit, Tenten with her hair in buns, and Neji with the veins bulging around his eyes, running side by side among the trees — Three distinct paths brought together in one team: pure taijutsu, the weapons arsenal, and the Byakugan.

The Death of Neji

Neji's fate is the most tragic of the team. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, he makes a shield of his own body to protect Naruto and his cousin Hinata from the Ten-Tails' projectiles.

He dies at eighteen, finally understanding his own father's sacrifice. His death is permanent: unlike others, he is never brought back to life.

Close-up of Neji, his face spattered with blood and a trickle of blood at his mouth, breaking into a faint smile; a dark cross-shaped mark runs across his forehead — Neji dies at eighteen after shielding Naruto and Hinata with his own body.

Summary Table

Aspect	Details
Sensei	Might Guy, taijutsu master; opens the 8 Gates (Night Guy against Madara); Kakashi's eternal rival
Members	Rock Lee (pure taijutsu, Eight Inner Gates), Neji Hyuga (Byakugan / Gentle Fist), Tenten (sealed weapons)
Seniority	Genin ~1 year before Team 7; same first Chunin Exams because Guy held them back an extra year
Nickname	The "Green Beasts of Konoha" (Guy the Sublime, Lee the Beautiful)
Neji's Fate	Dies at 18 in the 4th Great Ninja War protecting Naruto and Hinata from the Ten-Tails; a permanent death

FAQ

Who makes up Team Guy and what is its specialty?
Jonin Might Guy and three genin: Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten. It is the close-combat team — pure taijutsu for Lee and Guy, Gentle Fist and Byakugan for Neji, weapons sealed in scrolls for Tenten. Nickname: the "Green Beasts of Konoha."
Why is Team Guy older than Naruto's team?
Its members became genin about a year before Team 7. But Guy held them back an extra year before the exams, so they take the same Chunin Exams as Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, without being promoted.
Can Rock Lee use jutsu?
No: he is unable to mold his chakra for ninjutsu or genjutsu. Note that he does have chakra — it is essential to his Eight Inner Gates. He practices only taijutsu, pushed as far as the Eight Inner Gates, which remain taijutsu and not ninjutsu.
Does Neji really die in Naruto?
Yes, permanently. He dies at 18 during the Fourth Great Ninja War, shielding Naruto and Hinata with his body from the Ten-Tails' wooden projectiles. He is never brought back to life afterward.
Should Team Guy be confused with "Team 9"?
No. The manga never gives Guy's team a number: "Team 9" is a fan assumption, and the supplementary material instead gives it the designation "Team 3." It is distinct from Team 8 (Kurenai).

In summary

With no flashy dojutsu and, for most of them, no forbidden technique, Team Guy proves that sweat is worth as much as talent — right up to Neji's ultimate sacrifice, one of the most heartbreaking in the saga.