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Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto is hailed as one of the Big 3 shonen anime, which speaks volumes of the impact it has had on the anime industry. Over the years, the series has managed to keep viewers hooked not only with its intricate story and exhilarating fights but also with some unexpected plot twists that nobody saw coming.
As the series progressed, fans realized that the shinobi world might not be what it seemed like at first glance, as it consisted of deeply complex characters who had their own hidden agenda. This often led to some of the most shocking and jaw-dropping twists.
Let's look at some of the greatest plot twists in the Naruto franchise.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinions and contains spoilers for the Naruto franchise.
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Ranking the 10 greatest plot twists in the Naruto franchise
10) Kabuto's true identity
Making his first appearance in Naruto during the Chunin Exams arc, Kabuto Yakushi initially came off as a friendly shinobi, who had failed to become a Chunin and was taking the exams alongside his squad. He even helped Naruto and his friends navigate the Forest of Death and essentially served as a mentor figure for them.
However, Kabuto ended up dropping out of the exams and was shortly after revealed to be Orochimaru's spy. This moment was the first major plot twist that introduced one of the major antagonists of the series.
9) Sasuke's absence in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex
Given that Sasuke Uchiha was at the center of the story when Boruto: Naruto Next Generations came to an end, fans were expecting him to return in the sequel series. However, within the first few chapters of Two Blue Vortex, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, causing a ton of confusion among fans.
Chapter 5 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex cleared up the confusion by revealing the reason behind Sasuke's absence. In the chapter, Sasuke and Boruto were in an intense confrontation with Code, a major recurring antagonist in the series. In an attempt to save Boruto, Sasuke sacrificed himself and got turned into a tree by the Claw Grimes.
8) Boruto and Kawaki switch lives
Chapter 79 of the Boruto manga introduced one of the most game-changing twists of the entire franchise, as the identities of Boruto Uzumaki and Kawaki were altered by Eida. Eida made it so that the entire world recognized Kawaki as the legitimate son of Naruto Uzumaki instead of Boruto.
As such, the shinobi world now considered Kawaki as the talented prodigy and shunned Boruto for killing the 7th Hokage. This left the latter with no allies and no other choice than to flee his village after being chased out by his own friends and family.
7) Sasuke reveals his plan to become Hokage
In the Naruto franchise, Sasuke ventured down a dark path at one point and briefly turned into a major antagonist. It wasn't until he learned about the truth from his brother, Itachi, that he decided to fight for Konoha, but in a rather surprising manner.
Sasuke announced his intentions to become Hokage so that he could bring about a 'Revolution' by destroying everything and then rebuilding it.
6) Orochimaru's past
Orochimaru was one of the first major antagonists of the series. Initially, he was a character entirely shrouded in mystery and who, for some reason, had his eyes on Sasuke. As such, it took the fanbase by surprise when it was revealed that he once trained under the Third Hokage, alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade, and even fought for Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War.
Over the years however, the darkness inside Orochimaru grew to a point where he lost all sense of morality as he attempted to learn every jutsu in the world. This eventually led to his downfall, as he started several inhumane experiments in his quest for power.
5) The truth behind Kakashi's Sharingan
Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan was one of the first mysteries of the series that left fans and Sasuke questioning its origins. The latter initially thought that Kakashi might have some unknown ties to the Uchiha clan since it was a rare power that was not accessible to other shinobi.
However, the heartbreaking truth behind Kakashi's Sharingan was revealed much later on. The event took place in his childhood days when he was still training alongside his squad.
On a fateful day, Kakashi's childhood friend, Obito Uchiha was gravely injured during a mission. Seeing no possible way to escape the situation alive, he gave Kakashi his Sharingan as a parting gift and to help him save their teammate, Rin Nohara.
4) Naruto finds out about his parents
Considering that Naruto spent almost the entirety of his childhood alone, fans were deeply interested to learn about what happened to his family. It was revealed much later that his parents had died saving Konoha from the Nine-Tails, which they sealed inside their son before passing away.
Naruto met his dad, Minato Namikaze for the first time when he tried to remove the Nine-Tails' seal to gain more power during his fight against Pain. He also met his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, when he was trying to gain control over the Nine-Tails' chakra while training before the Fourth Great Ninja War.
3) Tobi's true identity
Tobi was initially seen as a carefree and enigmatic member of the Akatsuki clan, so much so that other members of the clan thought that he didn't belong with them. However, his true identity, which was revealed much later on, left viewers shocked.
It was revealed that 'Tobi' was none other than Obito Uchiha, a childhood friend of Kakashi who was presumed dead after suffering grave injuries during a mission. Seeing the love of his life, Rin Nohara get killed (seemingly) by Kakashi, who was his best friend at the time, left a deep scar in his mind, which served as the fuel necessary for his revenge on the shinobi world.
2) Zetsu stabs Madara; the revelation of Kaguya Otsutsuki
Throughout the majority of Naruto: Shippuden, Madara Uchiha was being built up as the final antagonist of the franchise. This is why the revelation of the existence of a being much higher than Madara, Kaguya Otsutsuki, was shocking to viewers.
Kaguya was revealed to be the one who orchestrated every single event in the history of the Naruto franchise. The fact that every single major event, from the attack of the Nine-Tails to the Fourth Great Ninja War, was all a part of Kaguya's plan remains one of the most jaw-dropping twists of the series.
1) Itachi's truth
From the beginning of the series, Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha was shown to be an extremely malevolent character who assassinated his own clan and orphaned his own brother. The moment when the truth behind his horrific actions finally came to light turned out to be a major turning point for the entire series as well as Sasuke.
Apparently, the Uchiha clan was secretly plotting to stage a coup against Konoha. To prevent it from happening, the village elders, as well as Danzo and the Third Hokage, ordered Itachi to assassinate his clan. The fact that Itachi had to murder his entire family to save his village was one of the most heartbreaking moments that left fans shocked to their very core.
Final thoughts
As one can see, the shinobi world of the Naruto franchise turned out to be quite different than it seemed at first glance. All of these aforementioned plot twists added to the depth of the wide cast of characters and propelled the popularity of the series to where it is today.
