why does Madara hate Hashirama: Why does Madara hate Hashirama in Naruto? Their relationship, explored

The rivalry and relationship between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju in Naruto is perhaps one of the most interesting and complex dynamics in the entire series. Their story dates all the way back to the Warring States Period, with both of them growing up on the battlefield and losing their brothers due to the never-ending battle between their respective clans.

Unaware of each others' family names at first, Madara and Hashirama bonded after a chance encounter, developing a friendly rivalry. However, their friendship was doomed from the very start, as they would eventually become bitter rivals till the very end.

Despite this, Hashirama never truly held a personal grudge against Madara, whereas the latter held a deep-seated hatred for the former, born out of a sense of loss and betrayal. That said, in order to truly understand why Madara despised Hashirama, let us look at their relationship throughout the Naruto series, starting from their early years during the Warring States Era.

Why Madara hates Hashirama in Naruto, explained

Madara Uchiha as seen in Naruto (Image via Pierrot)

As aforementioned, both Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were born during the Warring States Period and grew up on the battlefield, where they were locked in a never-ending war against each other's respective clans.

Madara first encountered Hashirama one day during his downtime, and the two quickly developed a friendly rivalry, competing in unusual contests, where the latter would usually emerge victorious. However, their friendship was eventually shattered over the years, as they both discovered each others' identities—Madara belonged to the Uchiha clan, and Hashirama belonged to the Senju clan.

The deep-seated rivalry between the two clans warranted Madara and Hashirama to face each other and fight to the death. Unwilling to take his friend's life, Hashirama took an oath to never kill Madara, whereas Madara decided to end their friendship so that he would have no qualms about killing his former friend. This kickstarted a rivalry that eventually resulted in tragedy.

Hashirama Senju as seen in Naruto (Image via Pierrot)

Despite facing off against each other countless times in battle, Madara never truly came to hate Hashirama, that is, until the death of the former's brother - Izuna Uchiha - who was killed by the Hashirama's brother, Tobirama Senju.

Madara had a deep bond with his younger brother, Izuna, due to their shared loss and experiences on the battlefield. All of Madara's actions and beliefs were solely focused on protecting his younger brother.

Due to this, Madara's nature changed drastically following Izuna's death. He went from being kind and reasonable to extremely bitter towards the Senju clan, developing a grudge against Hashirama, especially since the latter still had his brother.

It should also be mentioned that after Izuna's death, Madara fully embraced the Uchiha clan's "Curse of Hatred," which worsened his hate for Hashirama, as he preferred dying to get revenge rather than forgiving his enemies.

While his relationship with Hashirama momentarily got better in the later years, it eventually fell apart once again, leading to an epic battle at the Valley of the End, which resulted in Madara's death at the hands of his childhood friend and rival.

Different ideologies drove Madara and Hashirama apart

Hashirama and Madara as seen in Naruto (Image via Pierrot)

Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju's history in the Naruto series began in the early days of their childhood when a rare friendship between them was formed by the river where they used to play, and they would dream of a world where children like themselves would not need to die.

Unfortunately, this friendship was never meant to last, as it shattered upon the revelation of their respective identities. Even after Madara eventually accepted Hashirama's ideals and joined forces with him to create Konohagakure (aka the Village Hidden in the Leaves), in an attempt to realize their childhood dream, the seeds of conflict had already been sown.

The creation of the village was supposed to mark a new beginning, but it ended up driving them apart, as it highlighted the difference in their ideologies despite sharing a common goal. While Hashirama envisioned peace through cooperation with other villages, Madara desired absolute control so that peace would not be lost in the first place.

Hashirama kills Madara in their final confrontation in Naruto (Image via Pierrot)

Their relationship took a turn for the worse when Hashirama was made the First Hokage of Konohagakure, despite his efforts to make Madara the leader. Before Hashirama was even elected to be the First Hokage, Madara was extremely paranoid and concerned for his clan's future, as he believed that the Senju would never truly accept the Uchiha.

Upon learning the shinobi history and coming to the conclusion that Konohagakure was a failed experiment, Madara chose to abandon the village and even attacked it on multiple occasions afterward.

After gaining control of the power of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Madara challenged Hashirama one last time. After the two fought till exhaustion, Hashirama finally chose to end Madara's life for good, thereby putting an end to their long rivalry.

Even in the end, Madara had conflicting feelings of resentment and respect towards Hashirama, who he viewed as his only rival. As evident, Madara's hatred for Hashirama was not born out of malice, power, or jealousy—it was deeply personal.

He felt betrayed by his former friend, who Madara believed had chosen the village and ideals over their bond. However, that was obviously not the case, as Hashirama had gone out of his way several times for the sake of his former friend, choosing to save his life time and time again and even wanting to sacrifice himself once, so as to put an end to their rivalry.

Final Thoughts

Hashirama and Madara in their childhood days (Image via Pierrot)

In all, Madara and Hashirama's story in Naruto is an extremely tragic one, as it perfectly portrays the challenges of overcoming historical animosities and achieving peace when personal and ideological differences run deep.