Does Shikamaru have a summoning animal?

Question

What is the summoning of Shikamaru?

And also, can I get some explanation of his chakra nature? I don't get it, as Kakashi skips it during Naruto's training for rasen-shuriken.

Answer 1

It is nowhere mentioned the summoning animal of Shikamaru Nara.

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A mythological mosnter called "Inoshkacho" had the body of a boar, a deer's antlers, and butterfly wings.

So it could be assumed that Ino = Boar Shikamaru = Deer Chouji = Butterfly

The Nara clan's forest is located on the outskirts of Konoha, it is a unique forest within the Land of Fire. Many deer reside here as the clan looks after them and often times use their antlers in medicines

Answer 2

Nowhere is it ever shown that the Nara family have been using a summoned animal in the anime. So it can only be speculated that they don't use/have a summoning animal. The deer that belong to the Nara clan can be taken as a rearing of their clan.

As far as your answer for the chakra type of Shikamaru Nara is concerned, it refers to the Yin form of release. Now basically, to mould chakra one needs to mould the physical and spiritual energies within ourselves in the right combination. The spiritual energy is the Yin form (or Yin release) and the physical energy the Yang release.

Hence, the Yin release is nothing but the spiritual energy that Shinobis use, can be used in a wide variety of forms. Good examples of it are (all) the Genjutsus used and also the shadow manipulating jutsu of the Nara clan.

The Yin release can be based on our imagination and also be used to create form out of nothingness. It is the same concept coupled with the Yang release (used to give life into an object or form) that led to the creation of the the Nine-Tailed Beasts from the chakra of the Ten-Tails by the Sage of Six Paths (called as the Creation of All Things Technique).

If you want more information, I suggest you go through the Naruto Wiki articles on Yin release, Yang release and Yin-Yang release.