Orochimaru's plan for Sasuke's body in Naruto makes perfect sense

Modified Oct 01, 2024 13:30 GMT

Naruto had set up Orochimaru's plan perfectly (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Naruto features various plot points, including Orochimaru's plan to take over Sasuke Uchiha's body. This topic is often debated among fans, with some arguing that Orochimaru didn't actually need Sasuke's body and only created more problems for him.

However, the early portions of the Naruto story explain why Orochimaru was going after the young Uchiha. Furthermore, when understanding his mentality and the motivations behind his actions, also paints a clearer picture of what he wants to achieve throughout the story.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Explaining why it made perfect sense for Orochimaru to want Sasuke's body in Naruto

Orochimaru's Curse Seal on Sasuke (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Orochimaru wanted Sasuke's body primarily to learn Jutsus more quickly. This isn't just due to Sasuke's superior biology as a member of one of the most powerful clans, the Uchiha, but also because the Sharingan would allow him to copy multiple Jutsus and even have access to some that other people cannot learn.

Moreover, Orochimaru was capable of testing Sasuke by giving him the Curse Seal to test his body and see if it was compatible, plus tempting the young man with a taste of the power he could provide for him. This gave a clearer idea of what Sasuke's body could do and also gave him a greater understanding of his target.

It also makes a lot of sense that he wanted that body because he already attempted to steal Itachi Uchiha's when they were both in Akatsuki and failed because the latter was a lot stronger. Therefore, reaching out to Sasuke was a smarter move due to the latter being younger and easier to influence, which proved to be the case in the series.

The rise and fall of Orochimaru's character

Orochimaru when he was a member of Akatsuki (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Orochimaru's impact in Naruto is significant as he is the first major villain and poses a substantial threat to the main characters. His role as a rogue ninja and his disturbing experiments contribute to his memorable presence in the fandom.

On the other hand, the character's decline is just as notorious because he was slowly losing prominence in favor of the Akatsuki organization and was mostly removed from the story in its final arcs. His return during the Fourth Shinobi Great War arc had him redeeming himself in a way that was perceived as artificial and forced on a lot of people.

Nowadays, Orochimaru mostly serves as an ally to the Hidden Leaf Village in Boruto, which has been a point of contention for a lot of fans. He had committed multiple war crimes across the entirety of Naruto but was ultimately forgiven offscreen, which is arguably one of the worst decisions in the series.

Final thoughts

Orochimaru had a lot of valid reasons to get Sasuke's body to achieve his goals and his plan to get it was fairly logical. It made a lot of sense that he wanted an Uchiha's body because it would allow him to gain knowledge at a quicker pace and was also why he went after Itachi and Sasuke in Naruto.

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Edited by Divya Singh