Why did Orochimaru use the Five Elements Seal on Naruto? Explored

Modified Mar 02, 2024 18:00 GMT

Orochimaru as seen in Naruto (image via Studio Pierrot) — Orochimaru as seen in Naruto (Image via Studio Pierrot)

To this day, Orochimaru's constant presence in the Chunin Exams arc is considered one of the most eerie and unnerving parts of the classic Naruto series.

Apart from his invasion of the Hidden Leaf Village, Orochimaru played a key role during the second stage of the Chunin Exams, i.e., the Forest of Death, where he engaged in a memorable fight against Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki.

While his victory was assured from the very beginning, one part of the fight remains a mystery to this day. Towards the end of their fight, Orochimaru famously used the Five Elements Seal on Naruto to tamper with his original seal and severely weaken him - an action that caused some confusion in the fanbase.

Exploring the possible reasons behind Orochimaru using the Five Elements Seal on Naruto

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Orochimaru was one of the most standout characters in the first part of the classic Naruto series. His menacing and sinister aura filled a majority of the characters as well as the viewers with dread, as he became revered as one of the most fearsome villains of the series.

That said, his usage of the Five Elements Seal on the protagonist was one of the most memorable moments from their showdown, as it rendered the latter helpless for a while.

However, Orochimaru's actions confused many fans, who were left to theorize about the reasons behind his actions instead. To this day, there has been no official reason behind Orochimaru placing a Five Elements Seal on the latter in addition to the latter's already-existing Eight Trigram Seal. That said, there is a whole list of possible reasons that could have led him to do so.

Orochimaru as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Firstly, it might have been part of Orochimaru's plan to test the latter's abilities and disrupt his progress as a shinobi for his own nefarious purposes. The Five Elements Seal tampered with Naruto's original seal, as it prevented him from using the Nine-Tails chakra and hindered his control over his own chakra.

As such, it can be inferred that Orochimaru had a specific plan in mind, given that the Five Elements Seal was intended to suppress Naruto's chakra and hinder his abilities. This pivotal moment in the series led to the latter seeking ways to cope with this obstacle and grow stronger.

Additionally, Orochimaru may have sealed off Naruto's chakra to ensure he faced no problems while fighting him. In doing so, the former could achieve his objective of observing Sasuke's potential as a suitable vessel without any hindrance.

Orochimaru is one of the most menacing villains of the series (Image via Studio Pierrot)

It could also have been to simply observe the effects of his seal on a Jinchuriki, seeing as to how Naruto served as a host for the Nine-Tailed Beast. His experimental nature and habit of exploiting others for his own advantage may have been the reasons behind his actions.

Lastly, Orochimaru could have applied the Five Elements Seal because he wanted to acquire the immense chakra of the Nine-Tailed Beast for himself. He may have wanted to gain access to and control the Nine-Tails chakra by applying the seal. This would allow him to easily capture and manipulate the protagonist to extract the Nine-Tails chakra.

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Fortunately, Jiraiya removed the seal just in time, which allowed the No.1 Unpredictable Ninja to participate in the Chunin Exams and become stronger in the process.

It should be noted that all of these above-listed reasons are mere speculations and not confirmations. Sometimes, the lack of explanations makes fans theorize about many possible solutions to their queries. As such, fan theories are becoming increasingly prevalent in fandoms these days.