How impactful was Asuma Sensei's character in Naruto? Explained

Naruto Shippuden was definitely focused on the protagonist. But the way other characters got their fair share of screen time and more is more than amazing. Whether we talk about the students, Senseis, Clans, or Hokages, the show tried to leave no stone unturned. Talking about characters, Asuma Sarutobi was the kind of man who left a strong impact on the story, the audience, and whatnot. If you haven't been a fan of him then you deserve to know more about the legend and know why he has a cult following. Moving forward, we will discuss Asuma sensei and his impact on other characters.

To start with, Asuma Sarutobi was the son of the third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi (too big of a responsibility for sure). He was the leader of Team 10 consisting of Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. All those who admire him as a leader already know that Asuma sensei was the Twelve Guardian Ninja who protected the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. If you spot Asuma without a cigarette in the show then that's already an achievement.
However, things went south for him in the battle against Akatsuki members Kazaku and Hidan. And it ended very badly for him as he lost his life by getting trapped in the ritual circle. His death could be considered a life-changing event for Team 10, especially Shikamaru. After these events, Shikamaru slips into depression as he really respects and loves Asuma. The same thing works to motivate Shikamaru and he takes revenge for his sensei's death.
Talking about Asuma's impact, his students become some of the strongest Ninjas in Konoha along with contributing to the fourth Shinobi war as well. Here we would like to end this by saying Asuma somewhere got shadowed by his father. And considering the show's tonality, a little more was expected from the son of a hokage. Two Akatsuki members were enough to eradicate someone like Asuma - this is something that will always be a hard pill to digest for the fans.