The Uchihas are an iconic group in anime, but they also have one of the saddest histories.
The Big Picture
- Sasuke Uchiha personifies trauma with his brooding demeanor and tragic past, making him the perfect foil to Naruto.
- The Uchiha clan’s unique Sharingan abilities and thirst for power come at a great cost, driving them down a path of personal tragedies and self-destruction.
- Itachi Uchiha’s slaughter of the Uchiha clan is at the center of
Naruto
‘s story, with his actions leading to the Fourth Great Ninja War and Sasuke’s transformation.
The vast and intricate world of Masashi Kishimoto‘s Naruto was the introduction to anime for many children across the world, and it will soon reach a much wider audience as it transitions into live-action under Destin Daniel Cretton. It deals with complex issues including the nature of war, the cycle of violence, and most frequently of all, trauma. The character that personifies trauma the most is Sasuke Uchiha. His brooding demeanor and tragic past popularized the archetype of the moody, dark-haired rival. Sasuke’s story hinges on his relationship with the enigmatic Uchiha clan, the formidable Madara Uchiha, and especially his older brother, Itachi. These family ties are so important that whenever they shift, they change the landscape of the series.
Naruto
Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja, struggles as he searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village’s leader and strongest ninja.
- Release Date
- October 3, 2002
- Cast
- Junko Takeuchi , Noriaki Sugiyama , Chie Nakamura , Kazuhiko Inoue , Hidekatsu Shibata , Yoichi Masukawa , Masashi Ebara , Ryôka Yuzuki
- Seasons
- 8
Masashi Kishimoto’s Editor Is Responsible For Sasuke’s Creation in ‘Naruto’
The original concept for Naruto was vastly different. Kishimoto’s pilot chapter introduced Naruto as a demon fox who lived as a boy, instead of a boy with a demon fox trapped within him. When discussing the series’ direction, Kishimoto’s editor, Kosuke Yahagi, recommended the addition of a rival character: Sasuke. This character would be the perfect foil to Naruto, so he was designed to reflect that. He has black hair, a solitary disposition, and genetic advantages, in contrast to Naruto’s bright blond hair and complete lack of talent.
This design had been done before, notably by characters like Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho. Kishimoto created the perfect storm through a mix of great character design and compelling motivations. Sasuke had a similar quiet nature to Hiei, but he was given a very clear and justifiable reason for it. There is always an underlying hope for Sasuke, because whenever he forgets about chasing Itachi, he is much more sociable and able to slowly open up to people. Whenever he is reminded of his past, or forces himself to remember, he closes himself off once again.
The Uchihas Suffering Leads to Stronger Sharingan Abilities
The Uchiha clan’s unique Sharingan abilities and their thirst for power are central to the clan’s narrative. The Sharingan eyes are a genetic trait shared by all Uchiha clan members. It gives them heightened perception along with the ability to easily learn or copy techniques. It develops along with the user’s emotional state, typically driving them down a path of huge personal tragedies and towards the Mangekyō Sharingan. This is an even further developed version of the Sharingan and an exceptionally rare one. Accessing the Mangekyō takes a very specific type of trauma: witnessing the death of a loved one. For centuries, the Uchiha clan has misinterpreted this requirement. Their “tradition” for unlocking a Mangekyō Sharingan is to force a clan member to be directly responsible for the death of their close companion.
Despite the horrifying cost of having a Sharingan, everyone in the Naruto world is jealous of the Uchiha clan. Everything comes naturally to them, and they have always been formidable warriors. Even Uchihas are jealous of their more successful blood relatives. High-quality eyes are taken out of heads, kept, and passed down — either with the original owners’ consent or without. Nothing can really stop this self-destructive “curse” as it festers within every generation of the clan.
The Tragedy of Itachi and the Downfall of the Uchiha Clan
Every single character in Naruto has some element of tragedy to them, especially Itachi Uchiha. He is one of the most popular Uchihas because he’s simultaneously respected and pitied for what he did to his own family. The slaughter of the Uchiha clan is at the center of Itachi’s character. It’s also one of the first things learned about the Uchiha clan as a whole in the original series. And it eventually leads to the Fourth Great Ninja War in Naruto: Shippuden. If it wasn’t for what Itachi did, Sasuke would never have gone on a warpath, abandoning his friends and allowing himself to be manipulated.
At first, Itachi is seen purely as a villain for his actions. For no apparent reason whatsoever, he slaughters his personal and extended family, people he grew up with. But the sad truth behind Itachi is that he chose to become a mass murderer to save the Hidden Leaf Village. The Sharingan had the ability to control the tailed beast known as the Nine-Tailed Fox, which wreaks havoc across the village before the events of the show. The Uchihas are isolated in their own section of the village, placed under constant strict surveillance. This creates resentment between the Uchihas and the rest of the village residents, bubbling until the clan plans to overthrow the Hidden Leaf government.
Itachi, wise beyond his years, seeks a non-violent solution. He knows that the coup will lead to another Great Ninja War, so he compromises by acting as a double agent. Itachi was recruited by the Anbu, Naruto‘s equivalent of a black ops unit. He provides information about the Uchihas’ plans to the Third Hokage. Despite all of his efforts, the village elder, Danzō Shimura, offers him an ultimatum: either the Uchiha clan tries their coup and all die, or Itachi single-handedly slaughters them but is allowed to spare his brother.
What Makes Madara Uchiha So Interesting?
Madara Uchiha is built up throughout the entire show as an enigmatic figure. He’s from an ancient age, and is long dead by the time young Naruto and his friends go on their adventures. However, a character named Tobi (actually Obito Uchiha of the Akatsuki) masquerades throughout the series, pretending to be the formidable Uchiha descendant. Later on, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the true Madara Uchiha is resurrected, and his presence immediately dominates the entire story arc. Lots of viewers consider him to be a villain with a good point. His Eye of the Moon Plan is fundamentally flawed, but he designs it to end the cycle of violence that he grew up around. Madara helps found the Hidden Leaf Village, but he sees it as a failed experiment, so his new method involves putting the entire world into a Sharingan-induced trance. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is reflected onto the moon, trapping the entire world’s population in their own minds and letting them live out their deepest desires.
Rather than representing the tragedy of the Uchiha clan, Madara represents its sheer power and glory. His prowess with the Sharingan and natural talent completely outclass every other Uchiha in Naruto, as he takes their potential to its natural and most extreme conclusions. His first appearance displays the gap in power between the ninjas of his era and those of Naruto’s, as he considers some of the strongest characters we know to be nothing special in his experience battling the Senju clan. One of the most famous scenes in the show occurs when he single-handedly destroys an entire army, and then casually summons meteors out of the sky when he feels like it isn’t enough.
The Uchihas are an endless source of discussion because they are how Masashi Kishimoto deals with the idea of family. The conflict between Itachi and Sasuke drives a huge part of the events of Naruto. Madara’s appearance opens up a whole new era of the Naruto world, centered around the Uchihas. They have been a driving force in the story and in the minds of audiences for years, and will remain one of the most recognizable groups of people in anime.
Naruto is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com