Akamaru

In Part I, Akamaru was a small puppy with white and some brown fur on his ears, and resembles a Great Pyrenees, regularly carried on Kiba's head or inside his jacket. Akamaru's eyes are usually squinted, appearing closed, and he has a brown nose, as well as brown patches on his ears and a brown outline around his mouth. His fur on top of his head is styled to somewhat resemble a mohawk. Whenever Akamaru ingests soldier pills his fur turns red and he becomes more feral, which is why he was named Akamaru (赤丸) "Aka" meaning "red", and "maru" being a common ending for male names in Japan. In Part II, Akamaru has grown into a full-sized adult large-breed dog. His size is such that Akamaru can now have Kiba ride on his back comfortably. Despite this, Kiba claimed he failed to notice due to the amount of time they spend together. Apart from his size, his general appearance has remained the same. Years after the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Akamaru aged a bit, with a few wrinkles appearing on his snout, though was otherwise unchanged.

At some point, while Kiba was still in the Academy, his mother, Tsume Inuzuka, entrusted him with Akamaru. Although Akamaru almost immediately urinated on Kiba's face, much to his mother and sister's amusement, the two would soon become inseparable.