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Naruto villains often come with strong motivations, and imposing images. They are compelling enough to dominate the story, which is why there are so many great antagonists to choose from in this series. They are characters that are usually very interesting to analyze and often add to the plot.
Considering that Naruto is a series that has transcended pop culture, it is easy to assume that there are villains that have defined what an anime antagonist is. This article lists these Naruto villains based on their abilities, their impact on the story, how they were viewed by their rivals, and the general legacy they have had in the series.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from Naruto and reflects the writer's views.
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10) Kabuto
Kabuto might not be one of the most imposing or memorable Naruto villains out there, but he got one thing right: he managed to be a good representation of the broken Shinobi system.
He grew up as an orphan without a clear identity. He went on to become Orochimaru's spy in several images, always gaining a new part to portray and without an understanding of who he is. Inspired by that, he grew from strength to strength, ultimately becoming one of the most powerful antagonists in the series.
For the first-time viewer or reader, Kabuto might be perceived as just Orochimaru's lackey, but he managed to gain a lot of power through sheer hard work, dangerous experiments, and intelligence, reaching a point where he could rival the Uchiha brothers, Sasuke and Itachi. In terms of Naruto villains, he was the one with the most progress.
9) Hidan
Hidan became one of the most iconic Naruto villains due to his ability to be immortal, his brash and explosive personality, and the fact that he managed to take down Shikamaru's master, Azuma, prompting the former to take revenge.
This was a character that had a short stint in the series. However, he managed to leave his mark because of his abilities and the fact that he was the main antagonist in one of the few arcs where the protagonist wasn't Naruto or Sasuke. This gave Shikamaru the spotlight and he got the chance to earn his biggest victory in the franchise.
8) Danzo Shimura
Danzo was an antagonist that showed up somewhat late in the story, but his significance and importance cannot be understated. He represents the underworld of the Shinobi organization in Konoha, a shadow reflection of the Hokage, and a man that had no qualms about getting his hands dirty for what he believed to be in the village's best interests.
He would ultimately meet his end against Sasuke Uchiha in the Five Kage Summit, but he was very important to show how things were not all rosy within Konoha's structure. In that regard, he is one of the most interesting Naruto villains.
7) Gaara
It is important to remember how terrifying and imposing Gaara was when he was first introduced as one of the Naruto villains. He was the jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku and was tormented in the Village Hidden by Sand, unable to sleep because of the beast within him, with a lot of assassins trying to take his life.
Due to trauma and bottled-up anger, Gaara became a blood-thirsty psychopath and inspired fear during the Chunin Exams. He worked as a very dark mirror image of Naruto himself, both being jinchūriki and growing up alone, and his fight against Rock Lee is quite likely the best in the entire franchise.
It is only a shame that his character went on a steady decline after his fight with Naruto, slowly gaining redemption and becoming a friend and an ally for the main character. In his heyday, he was one of the most frightening Naruto villains out there.
6) Zabuza Momochi
The thing about Zabuza is that not only was he the first real Naruto villain in the series, but he was also one of the most significant, as he established the template for a Kishimoto antagonist.
One thing that Naruto's author always stood out for was the characterization and motivation for his villains. Zabuza is a prime example of that: a ruthless mercenary that developed a bond with his second-in-command, Haku, and a man that grew up in a violent Shinobi world that only encouraged his darkest instincts.
His battles with Team 7 helped cement the friendship between Sasuke and Naruto, showed the latter the kind of world he was going to be a part of, and introduced fans to what this story is actually about. When compared to other Naruto villains, Zabuza was very important, storytelling-wise.
5) Obito Uchiha
Obito Uchiha doesn't have the best reputation amongst fans, but there is no denying that he is one of the most important Naruto villains out there. He combines Kishimoto's preference for tragic and sympathetic antagonists.
Despite often being criticized for whining a lot or being over the top with his reactions, Obito's importance to the story cannot be understated. He is responsible for many of the tragedies that befell characters in the series, including Naruto losing his parents and having Kurama inside him.
His influence and manipulation of events make him one of the most important characters of the entire story, and, much like Gaara, he works as a dark reflection of Naruto, losing his friends and will to do good in this world. His final battle with Kakashi is regarded as one of the best in the series.
4) Orochimaru
Orochimaru was one of the main Naruto villains for most of the early part of the story and his presence, demeanor, and sheer evil cannot be understated. He was a disturbing, cynical individual that had no qualms about doing whatever was necessary to achieve his goal of immortality and that was shown throughout the series.
This was a villain that had no problem kidnapping and experimenting with kids, breaking all the laws in the Shinobi world to achieve his goals, manipulating others to get what he wanted, betraying his master, and even stealing people's bodies for his gain.
When it comes to pure villainy, very few can compare to Orochimaru and it is a shame that the series slowly forgot about him.
3) Itachi Uchiha
Even though he was later revealed to be a good guy, Itachi Uchiha served most of his time in the series as a villain, and a very good one at that. He served as the big foil for the deuteragonist of the story, his younger brother Sasuke Uchiha, thus moving a lot of storylines forward.
Itachi was a generational genius ninja of the Shinobi world and was forced to assassinate most of his clan, only leaving Sasuke alive. He became an international criminal, joined the terrorist organization Akatsuki to keep track of Obito and Madara, and became Sasuke's motivation to get stronger and get his revenge. This prompted the latter to leave Konoha and forge his path.
Part of what made Itachi so iconic as one of the Naruto villains was how he was built up from the first couple of chapters in the manga, and was used sporadically to showcase how powerful he was. He was one of those antagonists whose presence dominated the page or the screen, and his influence in the story was extremely noticeable.
2) Pain/Nagato Uzumaki
Much like Itachi, there was a lot of mystery surrounding Pain. The leader of the terrorist organization Akatsuki, his early appearances were shown in shadows and there was no clear knowledge of who he was, which made him even more interesting.
As the story progressed, Pain was slowly shown more until his eventual showdown with Jiraiya. His background as an orphan in a war-torn village and his connection with Jiraiya as his pupil only added to his tragic nature, with the Six Paths of Pain serving as one of the most iconic manga panels in Naruto history.
Despite the lackluster ending, the arc of Pain invading Konoha has been highly regarded as one of the best in the entirety of Naruto. The character's power, philosophy of life, and tragic nature made him one of the most imposing villains in anime and manga history.
1) Madara Uchiha
When it comes to Naruto villains, no one could compare them to Madara Uchiha. An ancestor of the Uchiha clan, he had survived a lot of obstacles and proved to be an extremely tough ordeal for Naruto and Sasuke to overcome, needing the awkward introduction of Kaguya in the story for Kishimoto to take down Madara. That’s how powerful he was.
Madara had been built up for ages in the story, with the reader or viewer finding out bit by bit how he influenced the entire series. Obito's fall from grace, the death of Minato Namikaze, Naruto having Kurama inside him, the massacre of the Uchiha clan, and more were all because of Madara's influence.
He also made a major impact in the Fourth Shinobi World War arc, taking down entire armies by himself and even showing the capacity to throw meteorites to earth. Madara was on another level and cemented his role as the best among Naruto villains.
Final thoughts
Naruto villains have proven to be interesting characters, often having very human motivations, and being very tridimensional, adding to the whole experience of watching them in action. When it comes to characterization, plot relevance, and sheer impact on the viewer or the reader, Madara Uchiha is one of the best in anime and manga.
