Uchiha Sasuke is one of the main characters of the popular anime and manga series Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. He is a member of the Uchiha clan, a powerful and notorious family of shinobi (ninja) who possess the Sharingan, a unique eye technique that grants them enhanced perception, genjutsu (illusion) abilities, and access to other powerful techniques.
Sasuke is also the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi, who massacred their entire clan when Sasuke was only seven years old, leaving him as the sole survivor.
Sasuke’s story in Naruto Shippuden is a complex and tragic one, as he goes through many changes and challenges in his quest for revenge, power, and redemption. In this article, we will explore some of the major events and themes of Sasuke’s character arc in Naruto Shippuden, and how they shape his personality, relationships, and destiny.
Contents
- 1 All about Uchiha Sasuke
- 2 Uchiha Sasuke’s Background
- 3 Sasuke’s Departure from Konoha
- 4 Uchiha Sasuke’s Personality
- 5 Sasuke’s Encounter with Itachi
- 6 Uchiha Sasuke’s Appearance
- 7 Sasuke’s Alliance with Tobi
- 8 Uchiha Sasuke’s Abilities
- 9 Sasuke’s Role in the Fourth Shinobi World War
- 10 Sasuke’s Final Battle with Naruto
All about Uchiha Sasuke
[schemas]- Birthdate: July 23
- Sex: Male
- Age: Part I: 12–13/Part II: 16–17
- Height: Part I: 150.8 cm–153.2 cm/Part II: 168 cm/Blank Period: 182 cm
- Weight: Part I: 42.2 kg–43.5 kg/Part II: 52.2 kg
- Blood type: AB
- Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan/ Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan/Rinnegan
- Team: Team Kakashi/Sound Four/Taka
Uchiha Sasuke’s Background
Sasuke is the second and youngest son of Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha; they named him after Sasuke Sarutobi in the hopes that he would someday be just as strong of a shinobi.
Sasuke grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi, a natural prodigy who many in the Uchiha clan and the village would constantly compare Sasuke and any of his accomplishments to.
Sasuke himself adored Itachi, never passing up an opportunity to spend time with him. Although Itachi welcomed his company, letting Sasuke watch him train and taking him on adventures into the forests, Itachi in return rarely helped Sasuke himself become a better shinobi when asked, he would often instead poke Sasuke’s forehead and promise to do so some other time. Sasuke found this annoying, but didn’t allow it to blemish his high opinion of his brother.
On entering the Konoha Ninja Academy, Sasuke proved to be the standout of his class, consistently getting top grades. However, he could never meet the same milestones Itachi had set, resulting in their father paying Sasuke little attention.
Aware of this neglect, Itachi, despite being increasingly busy, tried to stand in for their father by giving Sasuke the recognition he craved, at times even blackmailing Fugaku to spend time with Sasuke.
As time went on, Itachi started becoming distant with and cold towards their family, culminating in a falling out with much of the Uchiha clan on their suspicion that he’d killed his best friend, Shisui Uchiha.
Sasuke did not understand the reason for this, but he didn’t mind the side effect: his father began taking an interest in his development. Fugaku taught Sasuke how to perform the Great Fireball Technique, which he mastered in a week.
Fugaku stated his pride in Sasuke for this accomplishment, but at the same time encouraged him not to follow in Itachi’s footsteps.
After a long day of training, Sasuke returned home one night to find the streets littered with the bodies of the Uchiha. He rushed home to notify his family of this Uchiha Clan Massacre, only to find Itachi standing over the bodies of their parents.
Sasuke tried to solicit help and comfort from Itachi, who responded by using Tsukuyomi on him to torment him with visions of him murdering their family.
Horrified by what Itachi had done, Sasuke pleaded for an explanation, to which Itachi replied that it was to test his own power. Fearful that he would be next, Sasuke tried to run. Itachi cornered him and explained that Sasuke, as he then was, would not be worth killing.
Only by becoming stronger, such as by acquiring his own Mangekyo Sharingan, could he prove a worthwhile challenge to Itachi’s abilities. Before leaving, Itachi encouraged Sasuke to hate him, to desire revenge, and to gain power from that.
Sasuke immediately followed through, pursuing Itachi and using his newly-awakened Sharingan to attack him. The attack failed and Sasuke passed out, but not before glimpsing Itachi crying; Sasuke would forget this had happened for many years.
Sasuke, now one of the last surviving Uchiha, was alone. He spent the first few days after the massacre wandering his family’s compound, reflecting on the people who were now gone, killed by Itachi.
Sasuke decided to do what Itachi had instructed and dedicated his life to vengeance, having no other interest than bringing about Itachi’s death.
He threw himself into his studies at the Academy, making no efforts to form friendships and ignoring all of the girls’ attempts to gain his affection.
One of his classmates, Naruto, disliked Sasuke’s cool personality and the attention he received, and developed a one sided rivalry in his pursuit to prove himself just as good as, if not better than, Sasuke.
For his part, Sasuke thought little of Naruto and was usually annoyed by his outbursts, but would, at times, secretly smile at how hard Naruto worked because of him.
Ironically, for all the attention he received, Naruto was the only person among his peers who understood Sasuke due to the painful experiences he had.
Sasuke’s Departure from Konoha
At the end of the original Naruto series, Sasuke decides to leave his home village of Konoha (the Hidden Leaf) and join forces with Orochimaru, a rogue ninja and former member of the Akatsuki, a criminal organization that seeks to capture the tailed beasts, powerful creatures that are sealed inside certain individuals, including Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke’s former teammate and rival.
Sasuke’s motivation for leaving Konoha is to gain more power and skills from Orochimaru, so that he can eventually kill Itachi and avenge his clan. Sasuke’s departure causes a rift between him and his friends, especially Naruto, who considers Sasuke as his best friend and brother, and vows to bring him back to Konoha.
Sasuke’s departure from Konoha marks the beginning of his descent into darkness, as he becomes more obsessed with revenge and power, and less concerned with the bonds he had formed with his comrades. Sasuke also develops a cold and arrogant attitude, and shows little remorse or empathy for the people he hurts or kills along his path.
Sasuke’s departure also sets the stage for the main conflict of Naruto Shippuden, as Naruto and his allies try to stop the Akatsuki from capturing the tailed beasts and unleashing a cataclysmic event known as the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Uchiha Sasuke’s Personality
Sasuke was a happy child, eager to please and be worthy of his clan name. One of Sasuke’s most significant bonds is the one he has with his older brother, Itachi, who by merely being mentioned can elicit strong reactions from Sasuke’s otherwise calm demeanour.
Sasuke adored Itachi when he was a boy, enjoying his company above all others’ as an infant, he would cry whenever he was held by someone besides Itachi and would immediately be happy once held by his big brother again.
When Itachi murdered the rest of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke was crushed not only by the loss of his family but also by what Itachi told him: that he had never loved Sasuke.
Sasuke devotes years of his life to avenging their family by killing Itachi, which Itachi encourages whenever they meet.
At the same time however, he became determined to do so through his own means, including rejecting Itachi’s instructions of obtaining the Mangekyō Sharingan for power, simply to not give Itachi the satisfaction.
With his new outlook, he became cold toward others, unmoved by and uninterested in what they do or think of him, choosing instead to keep to himself.
He stopped using honourifics, something considered rude in the Japanese language. His only goal in life became to take revenge for his clan’s deaths by any means, even if it meant acquiring power that wasn’t his own.
In his pursuit for the power to take his revenge, whenever he meets new people, he makes an evaluation of their abilities: those he perceives to be weaker than himself he arrogantly disregards, giving them little attention so that they won’t hold him back; those he perceives as stronger he fixates over and tries to surpass.
As a member of Team 7 he is repeatedly exposed to Kakashi Hatake’s philosophy that there is strength in teamwork. For a time, Sasuke accepts this, experiencing it first-hand on several of Team 7’s missions.
He even become attached to his teammates and started to forget the vengeance he craved, achieving after so many years a measure of happiness.
However, between both the manipulations of Orochimaru and meeting Itachi again in Part I, where he was and is utterly defeated, Sasuke decides to sever all ties to his village in a single minded pursuit of power, leaving Konoha to focus solely on himself.
Kakashi tried to help Sasuke realise the contradiction in his viewpoint: he is driven to gain power because he lost his family, yet sacrifices the family he still has (Team 7) in order to gain that power, which did have a profound impact on Sasuke and would have turned him away from the path of darkness had he not been influenced by the Sound Four.
So focused on vengeance, he willingly accepted Orochimaru’s offer of power, seeking out the Sannin to train Sasuke in all he knew, even allowing Orochimaru to experiment on him despite knowing the man was using him for his own gain.
Ultimately however, Sasuke decided that letting himself be used by Orochimaru would be a disgrace to his clan, turning on Orochimaru and acquires new teammates with abilities that could further his goals.
Sasuke initially retained his morals by setting a firm no kill policy for himself and his team against those unrelated to his revenge and openly expressing disgust at Orochimaru for his horrific experiments.
In addition, despite becoming cold towards his old team, Sasuke did become attached to his new teammates, still subconsciously holding a notion of teamwork, comparing them to the bond he had with Team 7 and pushing himself to extremes to save them.
After Itachi dies in battle with Sasuke and he learned that the hateful older brother that Itachi seemed to be was all an act and that, in truth, Sasuke was the most precious person to Itachi; his murder of the Uchiha was done on the instructions of Konoha, in order to protect Sasuke.
Sasuke becomes overwhelmed by this discovery and starts conspiring against Konoha and all its citizens for ruining his and Itachi’s lives, knowing full well it isn’t what Itachi would want him to do.
As time passed after this and his hatred increased, Sasuke’s fall to darkness steadily eroded much of the goodness he once had: he would without hesitation challenge and even slaughter any and all who stood in his way, left Jugo and Suigetsu without caring for their fates, essentially sacrificed Karin to strike down Danzō Shimura, and even tried to kill Team 7 when they impede or attempt to dissuade him from his objectives.
He also allies with Tobi and Akatsuki when their goals align, but left them without comment when he no longer needs them. His abandonment of all his former loyalties and his criminal acts convince his former classmates that Sasuke is beyond salvation.
Tobi determined that Sasuke was carrying the entirety of the Uchiha’s hatred on his shoulders, and this caused Sasuke to gain an unwavering and twisted pride of his clan, deeming anyone who possessed his clan’s abilities without being one of them or even someone who just isn’t an Uchiha as inferior shinobi trash and impostors, and became increasingly irate and unstable when witnessing it.
Ultimately, Sasuke came to believe that Konoha’s destruction will free the Uchiha from being associated with the rotten shinobi world and the resulting purity will restore the clan.
After his final encounter with reincarnated Itachi, between learning of Itachi’s struggles in life and knowing that Itachi made the choice willingly to become the villain for the sake of peace, Sasuke is left uncertain about what course to take.
From long contemplation, Sasuke came to a warped view of helping the world to ensure no further conflict between them: if a single individual, what Sasuke calls the “True Hokage”, is solely responsible for making the difficult decisions, killing and the like for the greater good, then everybody will be unified in their hatred of that individual.
He volunteers himself for that responsibility and planned to eliminate what few friendships he still has to ensure no turning back. But Naruto, by refusing to give up on saving Sasuke from darkness, demonstrates that their friendship is too fundamental to who Sasuke is and that it cannot nor should not be broken.
On coming to terms with this, Sasuke stops fighting the many bonds he’s made and chooses to die so the Curse of Hatred would die along with him. However, after further convincing from Naruto, Sasuke chose to live to find redemption instead.
Afterwards, Naruto returned Sasuke’s forehead protector, which Sasuke keeps on him during his long travels as a symbol of their friendship.
Even though he no longer wears it, he carries it with him regularly, truly valuing it and only letting people he truly trusts hold on to it.
After the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke began adopting some of Itachi’s views: he decides to fight for Konoha’s future so that Itachi’s actions aren’t made meaningless and bases his understanding of the “Hokage” around the decisions Itachi made.
He also starts poking the foreheads of those dearest to him as a sign of affection, something Itachi used to always do with him. While still not very open with his emotions, Sasuke became more committed to make connections with people.
This included his former teammate Sakura Haruno. While originally their relationship was mindless infatuation from Sakura for his good looks and indifference if not blunt irritation from him, over time the two came to better understand one another and true respect was formed between them.
After he admitted to being defeated by Naruto and let go of his hatred, Sasuke sincerely apologises to Sakura for how much he hurt her – to which, she tearfully forgives him, allowing them to reconcile.
They later maintain a long-distance relationship while he pursues a journey of redemption. The two of them later marry and have a daughter, Sarada.
Sasuke still tends to be emotionally distant with his family for the sake of his duties, though he feels a strong connection to them when they are apart.
As a father, Sasuke loves his daughter dearly and will go to great lengths to protect Sarada. While Sasuke is happy in his marriage to Sakura, he enjoys teasing her by declining to show her affection.
At the same time, he regrets not having been a more attentive father to his daughter, having missed out on much of her childhood and by extension not knowing much about her, showing a noticeably unsure side when trying to be close with Sarada.
During his time as a wanderer, Sasuke was a recluse, keeping contact with people to an absolute minimum and maintained his strong sense of pride; he is willing to help the villages if their problems are beyond their expertise but ignores their requests if facing insignificant issues.
Stemming from his inspiration of Itachi protecting the Land of Fire from the shadows, he also sometimes acts independently on his own and helps the five nations, but does not even bother to interact with anyone during such instances if not needed.
At the same time, he is willing to acknowledging significant events as he sent a note congratulating Naruto for his wedding.
Acknowledging his mistakes and once free from hate and vengeance, Sasuke reverts back to the type of person he was prior to the massacre being kind to others and displaying a sense of humour but maintaining his aloof exterior.
Although publicly regarded as a hero for his role in the war, Sasuke feels that his crimes and imperfections outweigh anything heroic he has ever done.
Ashamed of his past actions, Sasuke referred to the person he used to be as an entirely different person when he told Boruto about his past actions, albeit without directly telling Boruto he was referring to himself.
As an adult, Sasuke becomes wiser and mature, as well as genuinely warmer and caring, though his tendency to appear deadpan remains. He does retain his habit of insulting others, although it is usually more comical than cold, and mostly aimed towards Naruto.
He has also shown a degree of humility, openly admitting to his failings, particularly as a family man. Although he fulfills Itachi’s wish for him to protect Konoha, doing this from the shadows and investigating the mysteries of Kaguya leave him unable to spend time with his family, to the point of even failing to recognise his daughter, Sarada.
Regardless, he is protective of Sarada and is very supportive of her goal to become Hokage and not end up like him. Even more, Sasuke loves his family dearly as he tries to spend time with them when he is able to come home, and expresses pride in his daughter’s growth and achievements.
As Boruto’s teacher, Sasuke is devoted to his apprentice’s well being and progress. Despite seeing Boruto’s usage of a cheating device to pass the preliminary test he gave the boy, Sasuke agreed to take him as a student, as he saw it as similar to his own past of willingness to do anything to attain power.
He later reprimanded Boruto for using the device during the Chūnin Exams, but still saw his true power and lent him his forehead protector as a sign of trust and faith.
Taking his role as a mentor seriously, Sasuke is willing to let Boruto participate in dangerous battles against the Ōtsutsuki as he saw the boy is living up to his potential that may turn the tide of the fights, even when Naruto decided otherwise.
Because of this, Sasuke made it clear he is prepared to kill Boruto should Momoshiki take over him via the Kāma, per his duty as Boruto’s teacher.
At the same time, Sasuke retains some of the ruthlessness he had during his criminal days; Sasuke was initially hellbent on eliminating the clones of Shin Uchiha despite their visible fear and hesitation towards the end of their battle, and was only convinced of sparing them by Naruto, and when the notorious criminal Shojoji remained arrogant and fearless when interrogated by Sai Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino, Sasuke’s sudden arrival and presence were enough to intimidate Shojoji into revealing details about Kara, with Sasuke mentioning that despite changing his ways, he’d still retained his reputation of being unmerciful and brutal towards criminals.
Even so, Sasuke is also very balanced and adaptable. When Sasuke took a mission to the Land of Redaku as a disguised prisoner in order to locate the Polar particles needed to heal Naruto of his illness that would eventually strip the latter of his ability to use chakra, Sasuke kept a low profile by pretending to be weak. He even allowed the abusive prison guards to beat him as his top priority was finding the cure Naruto needed.
Sasuke’s Encounter with Itachi
After spending more than two years under Orochimaru’s tutelage, Sasuke finally gets the opportunity to face his brother Itachi, who had joined the Akatsuki after killing their clan. Sasuke, who had grown stronger and mastered new techniques, such as the Chidori (a lightning-based attack) and the Curse Mark (a seal that enhances his abilities at the cost of his sanity), confronts Itachi in a fierce and emotional battle.
Sasuke manages to defeat Itachi, who dies in his arms, but not before revealing a shocking truth: Itachi had killed their clan under the orders of Konoha’s elders, who feared a coup d’etat by the Uchiha clan.
Itachi had spared Sasuke’s life and made him hate him, so that he could become stronger and protect Konoha from the shadows. Itachi also had implanted his own Sharingan into Sasuke’s eyes, granting him the Mangekyo Sharingan, a more advanced and powerful version of the eye technique.
Sasuke’s encounter with Itachi is a turning point in his character arc, as it shatters his worldview and his sense of identity. Sasuke realizes that his brother was not a cold-blooded murderer, but a selfless and loyal shinobi who sacrificed everything for the sake of peace.
Sasuke also learns that his clan was not the innocent victims he had believed, but the potential instigators of a civil war that could have destroyed Konoha.
Sasuke feels betrayed and confused by the truth, and develops a deep hatred for Konoha and its leaders, who had manipulated and used his brother. Sasuke decides to change his goal from revenge to destruction, and vows to annihilate Konoha and everyone who lives there.
Uchiha Sasuke’s Appearance
According to Hashirama Senju, Sasuke bears a strong resemblance to Izuna Uchiha: he has black eyes and spiky black hair with a blue tint.
Sasuke’s hair is long and has hung over his face as bangs since he was a child, which as he gets older he allows to grow longer and, in turn, cover more of his face.
After acquiring his Rinnegan, Sasuke grew his hair to cover the left side of his face, notably the eye. He is considered handsome by most girls near his age.
Sasuke’s typical clothing has changed a number of times throughout his life, but the Uchiha clan’s crest is usually present somewhere on his clothing, such as the back of his shirt collar.
For most of Part I, he wears a navy blue, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar, white shorts, and, for a time, white arm warmers.
During the Chūnin Exams’ finals, he wears a black, one-piece version of this usual attire with many small belts adorning his left arm and similar bands around both legs.
He wears a blue clothed forehead protector with both of these outfits, but starts wearing it less and less after being hospitalised by Itachi, finally abandoning it entirely at the end of Part I.
In Part II, Sasuke consistently wears dark blue pants, over which hangs a blue cloth that covers him from his stomach to his knees, which he secures with a purple rope belt as is common to Orochimaru and his followers.
He initially complements this with a white long sleeved shirt kept open at the torso and black arm guards that cover his forearms. Leading up to and during his battle with Itachi, he replaces this top with a sleeveless dark grey shirt and the arm guards with bandages on his wrists.
He switches after Itachi’s death, wearing a white (grey in the anime) zippered, high collared, short-sleeved shirt and blue wrist warmers.
He wears a hooded cloak over his clothing at different points, usually, an unadorned black one during his pursuit of Itachi alongside Hebi, and for a brief time, sported the trademark Akatsuki cloak, only with a hood instead of the regular high collar.
Sasuke loses his left arm at the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, though unlike Naruto, he opts not to have it replaced with a prosthetic arm made of Hashirama Senju’s cells that was prepared for him at the time.
In The Last: Naruto the Movie, he wears a black high collared shirt, a midriff exposing flak jacket, and light grey pants. Most of this goes unseen, as he wears a tattered light brown poncho over it.
He wraps bandages around his ankles and a blue sash around his head during this appearance. In Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise, he wears a black cloak over a black shirt and pants with a white belt and white bandages wrapped up to his knees on both legs.
In his later adulthood, Sasuke dons a black cloak with purple lining, and a grey, long-sleeved, collared shirt, over which he wears a periwinkle vest.
He also wears black pants, a purple belt, a and dark grey fingerless glove on his remaining hand. He once again wears his forehead protector, letting it hang from his left hip.
Sasuke also grows significantly taller by adulthood, becoming slightly taller than Naruto, who is one of the tallest amongst his graduate class.
At the beginning of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the colour scheme of Sasuke’s outfit is revised, having his black cloak gain a storm flap, a maroon cinch on the collar, and maroon lining.
His long sleeved shirt gains light grey cuffs, and he wears a pair of brown leather belts with a black sheath for his sword, a brown shuriken holster, and brown shinobi boots.
Whilst in the past, Sasuke wears a long trench coat over his outfit, and a fedora hat to hide his identity, and when not wearing his fedora, Sasuke sports an eyepatch over his left eye to hide his Rinnegan.
Sasuke’s Alliance with Tobi
After learning the truth about Itachi, Sasuke is approached by Tobi, the mysterious leader of the Akatsuki, who claims to be Uchiha Madara, the legendary founder of the Uchiha clan and one of the most powerful shinobi in history.
Tobi offers Sasuke his support and guidance, and reveals more secrets about the history of the Uchiha clan and the origins of the Sharingan. Tobi tells Sasuke that the Sharingan is derived from the Rinnegan, the ultimate eye technique that belongs to the Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of all shinobi.
Tobi also tells Sasuke that the Uchiha clan is cursed by a phenomenon called the Curse of Hatred, which makes them prone to violence and conflict, and that the only way to break the curse is to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which can only be achieved by taking the eyes of another Uchiha who has the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Tobi convinces Sasuke to undergo a transplant surgery, in which he replaces his own eyes with Itachi’s eyes, granting him the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and unlocking new abilities, such as the Susanoo (a giant humanoid avatar that can act as a shield and a weapon) and the Amaterasu (a black flame that can burn anything).
Sasuke’s alliance with Tobi is another step in his descent into darkness, as he becomes more influenced by Tobi’s ideology and agenda. Sasuke accepts Tobi’s version of the truth, and believes that the Uchiha clan is the victim of a conspiracy and a discrimination by the other shinobi clans, especially the Senju clan, the rivals and allies of the Uchiha clan.
Sasuke also becomes more detached from his emotions and his humanity, and shows no hesitation or remorse in killing anyone who stands in his way, even his former friends and mentors.
Sasuke also becomes more reckless and arrogant, and challenges powerful enemies, such as the Five Kage (the leaders of the five major shinobi villages), the Raikage (the leader of the Hidden Cloud village and the brother of Killer Bee, the host of the Eight-Tails, one of the tailed beasts), and Danzo Shimura (the acting Hokage, the leader of Konoha and one of the elders who ordered Itachi to kill the Uchiha clan).
Uchiha Sasuke’s Abilities
Like his older brother Itachi, Sasuke is recognised as a natural prodigy of the Uchiha clan, graduating at the top of his class in the Academy.
He makes a strong impression on Kakashi Hatake in the bell test, and could fight on par with strong shinobi, such as Haku and Gaara in Part I.
After being under Orochimaru’s tutelage for two and a half years, Sasuke becomes strong enough to fight and even pressure Akatsuki member Itachi, as well as the Fourth Raikage.
With the Six Paths Chakra, he is compared to the Sage of Six Paths by Kurama, which is demonstrated when he helped overwhelm Madara as the Ten Tails’ jinchūriki.
Madara himself stated he would have chosen Sasuke over Obito as an apprentice if he was born years earlier. As an adult, despite losing his left arm, his performance has shown no signs of impediment, as he could fight on par with Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki.
Ultimately, he is regarded as a legendary shinobi that like Naruto, is referred to as the strongest shinobi, with the Hokage viewing him as his only equal.
The pair’s combined strength is thought to be able to destroy the world. Likewise, the two together were able to overpowered Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki who absorbed Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki, something the other 4 Kage combined struggled against seperately.
Chakra and Physical Prowess
Sasuke’s chakra is quite strong, in part due to being the reincarnation of Indra Ōtsutsuki. Whenever Sasuke’s Curse of Hatred deepens, others remark how much stronger, darker, and more sinister his chakra becomes.
His reserves are also quite large, enough to use Chidori twice a day during Part I without aid. By Part II, Sasuke is able to use Chidori and related techniques multiple times in a single day, as well as summon creatures as large as Manda.
His chakra control, though less refined than Sakura Haruno’s, is nevertheless very high. In the anime, he could effectively perform hand seals between his own and an enemy’s hand. In adulthood, after losing one of his arms, he learned to use one handed hand seals.
His chakra’s strength was also potent enough that Urashiki Ōtsutsuki openly commented on the strength of the chakra he stole from Sasuke, noting it was magnificent.
While not an actual sensor himself, during his final battle against Naruto, he sensed Naruto’s build-up of chakra and natural energy from Kurama.
Also, in sharing half of Hagoromo’s power with Naruto, he is also able to sense Naruto’s chakra from a different dimension.
Sasuke is very capable in taijutsu, enough to hold his own in hand to hand combat against multiple opponents at once. His most consistent physical display is his speed, and by extension his reaction time: Haku remarks on how impressive Sasuke is in both regards during their battle.
After re awakening his Sharingan, Sasuke concentrates on honing his speed and reflexes so that he can react to the Sharingan’s heightened visual information, which he accomplishes by imitating Rock Lee’s movements.
His speed is even shown to match, if not exceed various other fast techniques like the Shield of Sand and Lightning Release Chakra Mode respectively, and enough to physically incapacitate opponents before they realise he’s even approached them.
Between his increased speed and taijutsu prowess, it becomes very difficult for his opponents to find enough time to perform even a single hand seal.
Sakura, after re-encountering Sasuke for the first time in Part II, finds the improvement to his abilities unnaturally high and hypothesises that he was given drugs by Orochimaru.
Orochimaru is known to have experimented on Sasuke, enough to make him immune to poisons, but it’s not known what other modifications he may have received.
Despite his immunity to poison, Sasuke remains vulnerable to gaseous poisons, as his shadow clone was affected by Garashi Tōno’s poisonous gas.
He acquires some of Orochimaru’s attributes after absorbing him, such as additional chakra reserves, a faster healing rate, and the ability to shed his body, all of which are lost when Orochimaru is removed from him. He later receives half of Hagoromo’s power, which he evidently is able to keep.
Cursed Seal
Orochimaru brands Sasuke with the Cursed Seal of Heaven after their first encounter in Part I. When active, the cursed seal saps Sasuke’s own chakra and replaces it with a larger amount of Orochimaru’s, in turn increasing his strength and speed.
Though useful, Sasuke’s early uses of the cursed seal are often involuntary, painful while active, and leave him briefly unable to move afterwards.
These shortcomings are either minimised or eliminated once he becomes able to enter the cursed seal’s second state: a transformation that turns his skin grey, lengthens his hair, and causes him to develop wings.
The transformation’s boosts to his physical parameters are similar to a jinchūriki’s version 1 forms, which by Part II he can isolate to parts of his body.
Itachi removes the cursed seal from Sasuke’s body during Part II, preventing him from using it again. However, he remains compatible with the cursed seal’s source, Jūgo, allowing Jūgo to provide him flesh or chakra if the need arises.
Ninjutsu
Sasuke learns to summon snakes during his time with Orochimaru. He typically summons them as shields, rapid ground transportation, or to bind targets.
Unseen outside of the Animal Path, Sasuke can also summon a second animal species: hawks. His use of hawks is more limited than snakes, using them only for flight and the additional manoeuvrability that allows. By adulthood, Sasuke can use the Shadow Clone Technique, able to easily produce eight clones at once.
Bukijutsu
As an Uchiha, Sasuke is trained with a variety of different ninja tools. When he was a child, he once used (inexpertly) a bow and arrow to hunt a boar with Itachi, practice that later becomes useful for his Susanoo.
His area of expertise is in shurikenjutsu, allowing him to throw shuriken and kunai with precision for complicated or moving targets, Sasuke can guide shuriken to their mark using either wire strings or deflecting them off each other.
Though his throwing speed is faster than most, it doesn’t compare to Itachi, prompting him to devise the Lightning Flash Blade Creation:
- by sealing shuriken and kunai into his arm bracelets
- Sasuke can always have a large supply ready
- allowing him to barrage targets in an instant
Sasuke begins using a sword after training with Orochimaru, wielding it just as skillfully in either hand. He uses what he calls his “Sword of Kusanagi” regularly throughout Part II, often to cut down multiple opponents in a short period of time.
He uses it defensively as well, blocking incoming attacks or holding off skilled swordsmen By adulthood, Sasuke becomes skilled enough to instantly switch between wielding his sword backhanded and normally even during a clash.
Nature Transformation
Sasuke can use all five basic nature transformations, as well as Yin Release two of which he could utilise at the age of 13. As an Uchiha, he has a natural affinity for Fire Release, mastering the clan’s Great Fireball Technique years before becoming a genin, a feat which greatly shocked Kakashi.
Sasuke can also coat fire around his shuriken, guide his flames along with wire strings, or create a succession of dragon-shaped fireballs.
His Fire Release-prowess is shown to be strong enough to easily disperse most Water Release techniques. By adulthood, Sasuke is capable of combining Water and Wind Release to create a makeshift ice, similar to a fusion technique.
Sasuke is also a formidable user of Lightning Release, making first use of it with the Chidori taught to him by Kakashi. While effective at piercing most targets, the standard Chidori is a very close range attack.
For this reason, Sasuke uses the principles of Chidori to create several long-range jutsu in Part II, such as throwable needles, extendable swords, and scattershot streams.
He often channels his lightning chakra into his Sword of Kusanagi to increase its cutting power. When using his cursed seal or the Six Paths Chakra, his lightning chakra becomes darker in colour, though it’s not clear if this changes its actual properties in any way.
By adulthood, Sasuke is capable of using his Lightning Release to further augment his speed during the battle, to the point it matches Kinshiki’s speed.
Dōjutsu
Sharingan
Sasuke first awakened his Sharingan on the night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall, though he isn’t able to do so again until several years later, at the start of Part I.
Sasuke’s Sharingan is especially potent, as Orochimaru noted that despite not being fully developed at the time, it was even stronger and greater in clarity than Itachi’s.
Later, his prowess and skill with his fully matured dōjutsu earned him the nickname “Sasuke of the Sharingan” (写輪眼のサスケ, Sharingan no Sasuke).
With the Sharingan, Sasuke can see the flow of chakra, accurately reproduce any movement he sees (his own physical skill permitting), track fast moving objects, and, by the end of Part I, predict opponents’ movement to a degree.
He can also use Genjutsu: Sharingan for broad purposes such as distraction, interrogation, knocking targets out, or placing them under his control.
He can use his Sharingan to relay information to others or enter their subconscious, which in the case of jinchūriki allows him to suppress their tailed beasts. His Sharingan was also shown to be able to wipe people’s memory’s within a specific time gap.
Mangekyō Sharingan
Sasuke awakens his Mangekyō Sharingan after Itachi’s death, once he comes to terms with the fact that Itachi was the single most significant relationship he had.
Its design gives the appearance of three intersecting ellipses. Sasuke is warned before receiving his Mangekyō that using it deteriorates the user’s eyesight, and for that reason Tobi repeatedly recommends that Sasuke take Itachi’s eyes to gain “eternal” Mangekyō.
Sasuke puts off doing this until he’s nearly blind, just before the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War; the transplanted eyes resemble a cross between Sasuke’s and Itachi’s Mangekyō.
His Eternal Mangekyō is a “straight tomoe” (直巴, Choku Tomoe) type, granting him fluidity in his movements when fighting. Sasuke’s acquisition of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan seemingly enhanced his mastery of its techniques.
Before, he was quick to exhaust himself both physically and chakra wise when he would overuse his power. After acquiring it, he was able to repeatedly use its powers against Kabuto, Obito, Madara, and Kaguya with no signs of exhaustion.
With either Mangekyō, Sasuke can use Amaterasu, igniting whatever he looks at with black flames that can burn anything. With his right Mangekyō, he can use Kagutsuchi to shape the flames into a variety of forms for offensive or defensive purposes, such as spikes to impale people.
This ability to manipulate his Amaterasu makes him more skilled than Itachi was with his own. Having awakened the Mangekyō in both his eyes, Sasuke can use Susanoo, a spectral warrior that protects him and acts on his behalf.
It takes repeated uses before he’s able to fully form Susanoo. Its evolutions are often marked by moments of intense hatred. Initially, Sasuke can only create Susanoo’s skeletal features, such as ribs for defence or arms to interact with his surroundings.
He is steadily able to layer musculature and skin over the bones, and later armour to increase its defences. Upon receiving the Rinnegan, with its supreme ocular power, he is able to create the significantly larger Complete Body – Susanoo, comparable in power to Tailed Beast Mode.
Like all Susanoo, Sasuke’s has several swords at its disposal that it can use against larger targets or to easily destroy nearby structures.
More commonly, his Susanoo employs a bow that can fire arrows at rapid speeds and that can, when needed, double as a shield.
Though most of these arrows are made of the same chakra as Susanoo itself, Sasuke can also fashion arrows made from Amaterasu’s flames or, by channelling the tailed beasts’ chakra, lightning; Sasuke calls the latter Indra’s Arrow, his strongest attack.
Susanoo can also be formed around the Nine Tails in order to give it a sword and armour of its own, and serve as a medium for his various techniques like Chidori.
Rinnegan
After receiving half of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki’s chakra as well as possibly being healed with Hashirama’s cells, Sasuke awakened a Rinnegan in his left eye, with three tomoe on each of its two innermost circles.
However, should Sasuke’s chakra reserves fall to a certain level, the tomoe vanish and the Rinnegan takes on the commonly known appearance. Unlike his lower dōjutsu, Sasuke’s Rinnegan is permanently active, apparently unable to revert to its original state.
Despite this, it has no affect on his stamina or chakra levels. Likewise, Sasuke’s Rinnegan can still access the techniques and abilities of his left Mangekyō Sharingan.
The dojutsu gives Sasuke the ability of pattern recognition, being able to help him analyse patterns inside codes, and by comparing them to similar patterns, decipher writing.
It also grants him access to the various abilities of the Six Paths Techniques, such as forcibly attracting others towards him, or trap individuals in the Chibaku Tensei through the Deva Path, or absorb chakra through the Preta Path.
He can also use it to see invisible targets, repel the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and turn his Susanoo into a vessel for the tailed beasts’ chakra, much like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
His signature (if not unique) ability with the Rinnegan is Space Time Ninjutsu. With it, he can perceive distortions in the flow of time, able to see events that happen as normal, although it is unknown if he can negate the effects on himself.
His first and most frequently used technique is Amenotejikara, which allows him to instantly swap places of any two targets in a specific range.
In adulthood, his Space Time Ninjutsu became advanced enough to travel through dimensions, even with others these inter dimensional portals manifest as dark oval shaped spirals.
Upon Boruto Uzumaki stabbing it while being controlled by Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki, Sasuke can no longer use the dōjutsu.
Intelligence
Sasuke is very intelligent, having earned top grades in his Academy class. In combat, he usually remains on the offensive, rarely pausing in his attacks or falling back to regroup.
Rather, Sasuke observes as he goes, being mindful to all factors on the battlefield and analysing his opponents’ techniques to understand their mechanics and purposes.
He is accordingly accustomed to coming up with tactics on the fly, choosing whatever approach, no matter how elaborate, will be most successful at the exact moment.
His strategies could be considered irresponsible or risky, as he has on more than one occasion placed himself or allies in harm’s way.
Despite this, his actions have the tendency to pay off, earning praise for his analytical skills from Minato Namikaze and Madara Uchiha.
Jigen would also praise Sasuke for having eventually figured out the nature of his technique and even went as far as to say that his analytical skills coupled with his dōjutsu made him more dangerous than Naruto, who was deemed his equal.
Despite how he proceeds in the midst of combat, Sasuke does tend to be prepared before entering a fight, or as best as he can:
he specifically trains to be faster than Gaara’s sand;
he attacks Orochimaru at the moment when his body is weakest;
he equips himself with the Lightning Flash Blade Creation so that he can compete with Itachi Uchiha’s speed.
He may even have a strategy in mind that he can work towards throughout a fight, as when he spends part of his fight with Itachi creating conditions for Kirin, even relying on Itachi’s own jutsu to facilitate in its use.
He has shown tactical sense in teamwork, able to instantly understand an ally’s battle plan with little communication and act accordingly to make it successful.
Sasuke’s Role in the Fourth Shinobi World War
As the Akatsuki’s plan to capture the tailed beasts and use them to create a weapon called the Ten-Tails, the original and most powerful tailed beast, progresses, the shinobi world unites to form a coalition to stop them.
The coalition declares war on the Akatsuki, and sends a large army of shinobi to confront them. Sasuke, who is unaware of the war, continues his quest to destroy Konoha, and heads to the location where the Five Kage are holding a summit to discuss the war.
Sasuke infiltrates the summit and attacks the Five Kage, but is overwhelmed by their combined strength and skill. Sasuke is saved by Tobi, who teleports him to a safe location and tells him about the war and the Akatsuki’s plan.
Tobi also tells Sasuke that Naruto, who has become a hero and a leader among the shinobi, is the host of the Nine-Tails, the last tailed beast that the Akatsuki needs to complete their weapon. Tobi asks Sasuke to join him and the Akatsuki in the war, and promises him that he will help him destroy Konoha and kill Naruto.
Sasuke’s role in the Fourth Shinobi World War is a crucial one, as he becomes one of the main antagonists and threats to the shinobi world. Sasuke agrees to join Tobi and the Akatsuki, and becomes their ally and pawn.
Sasuke also becomes more obsessed with killing Naruto, who he sees as his last obstacle and his ultimate rival. Sasuke believes that by killing Naruto, he will sever the last bond he has with his past, and achieve his goal of avenging his clan and destroying Konoha.
Sasuke also becomes more corrupted by the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and develops a new technique called the Blaze Release, which allows him to manipulate the shape and properties of the Amaterasu flames.
Sasuke also learns to use the Rinnegan, which he awakens after absorbing some of the chakra of the Ten-Tails, and gains access to more abilities, such as the Six Paths Technique, which allows him to control six different bodies with different powers.
Sasuke’s Final Battle with Naruto
As the war reaches its climax, Sasuke and Naruto finally face each other in a decisive and epic battle. The battle takes place at the Valley of the End, the same location where they fought for the first time at the end of the original Naruto series.
The battle is a clash of ideologies, emotions, and powers, as Sasuke and Naruto unleash their full potential and use their strongest techniques, such as the Indra’s Arrow (a massive arrow made of lightning and chakra) and the Six Paths: Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken (a giant shuriken made of wind and chakra).
The battle is also a test of their friendship and bond, as Sasuke and Naruto try to understand each other and their reasons for fighting. Sasuke tells Naruto that he wants to create a new world order, where he will be the sole ruler and the source of all hatred, and that he will kill anyone
who stands in his way, even his former friends and allies. Naruto tells Sasuke that he wants to end the cycle of hatred and violence, and that he considers Sasuke as his closest friend and brother, and that he will never give up on him.
The battle ends with a draw, as both Sasuke and Naruto lose their dominant arms and collapse from exhaustion. Sasuke and Naruto have a final conversation, in which Sasuke admits that he has lost and that he was wrong, and that he finally understands Naruto’s feelings and ideals.
Sasuke apologizes to Naruto and asks for his forgiveness, and Naruto accepts his apology and tells him that they are still friends. Sasuke and Naruto reconcile and end their feud, and seal their bond with a fist bump.
Sasuke’s final battle with Naruto is the culmination and resolution of his character arc, as he finally overcomes his hatred and anger, and accepts Naruto’s friendship and love.
Sasuke realizes that his actions and goals were misguided and harmful, and that he was blinded by his own pain and loneliness. Sasuke also realizes that Naruto was always there for him, and that he was the only one who truly understood him and cared for him.
Sasuke decides to abandon his destructive and selfish path, and chooses to follow Naruto’s example and vision, and to help him create a better and peaceful world. Sasuke also decides to atone for his sins and crimes, and to travel the world and protect it from the shadows, as Itachi did before him.
Sasuke also regains his respect and trust for his former friends and allies, and becomes a hero and a legend among the shinobi world. Sasuke also restores his bond with his clan, and honors their memory and legacy.
Sasuke also starts a family with Sakura Haruno, his former teammate and love interest, and has a daughter named Sarada, who inherits his Sharingan and his ambition to become Hokage. Sasuke also becomes a mentor and a friend to Boruto Uzumaki, Naruto’s son and the protagonist of the sequel series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
Uchiha Sasuke is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in the anime and manga series Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. He is a character who goes through a dramatic and emotional journey, from a loyal and kind-hearted shinobi, to a rogue and ruthless avenger, to a redeemed and heroic savior.
Sasuke is a character who represents the themes of revenge, power, redemption, and friendship, and who challenges and inspires the readers and viewers with his actions and decisions. Sasuke is a character who is loved and hated, admired and feared, respected and despised, by the fans and the characters alike.
Sasuke is a character who is unforgettable and iconic, and who has left a lasting impact on the Naruto franchise and the anime and manga industry. Sasuke is a character who is Uchiha Sasuke, the last of his clan, the rival and brother of Naruto, and the legend of the shinobi world.
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