What makes Naruto so great are the characters and this holds for the villains as well. From Sasori to Pain, Masashi Kishimoto outdid himself in writing some of the complex villains in his story. The backstories and their eventual fate in the series are well put out, but he may have fumbled in one aspect.
Most specifically, his writing of Madara’s character and his ending betrays the purpose. This is true for the character’s redemption, which follows along the common thread of banality. In this case, another character tops the chart by being one of the finest villains in the series.
Masashi Kishimoto diluted villainy through redemption arcs
When we think about villains, Masashi Kishimoto gave us some of the top-tier antagonists in his series. But with the mangaka, the villains aren’t necessarily portrayed in a binary. Rather, he presented the villainy through a spectrum of emotions, be it vanity, pride, longing, etc.
This is further reflected in their backstories. With Sasori it is the lack of parental love stemming from him losing his parents, whereas Nagato’s motive stems from his understanding of war and pain. The idea that villains aren’t born and they’re made blends well with the series’ plot.
Here, the adverse circumstances shape their villainy in the series and Obito is no exception to that. As an Uchiha he walked down the path of Curse of Hatred. This is evident with his witnessing Rin’s death, which was further maneuvered by Madara.
And while villainy worked pretty well with Obito, Madara’s malevolence was rather diluted. This applies to his final moments where he showed signs of redemption after understanding Hashirama’s ideals. Fans weren’t too happy about both characters receiving redemption in any case.
On r/Naruto Redditors discussed how Obito shouldn’t have been pardoned for his sins. This also goes for Madara whose power and aura along with his villainy was reduced to a mere mockery. The redemption trope doesn’t work well, always, and this point seems valid in this case.
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At first, we expected the Uchiha Ghost to be a formidable force to be reckoned with in terms of his strength and resolve. However, his acceptance of Hashirama’s worldview defeated the purpose. This is precisely why he won’t come close to this villain in terms of his menacing nature.
The finest yet menacing antagonist in Naruto
From Orochimaru to Hidan, Naruto showcased some of the most notorious and menacing characters. While some were deeply diabolical, others were menacing to the core. But no one comes close to Kisame Hoshigaki in terms of his ruthlessness.
His shark appearance isn’t the only thing that’s threatening about him. His overall persona runs parallel to the animal metaphor in the series. This ties in well with his loyalty towards his guilds, be it Seven Swordsmen of the Mist or Akatsuki, but his staying true to his villainy is what makes him daunting.
Loyalty is a hallmark of a great ninja, yes. But, he wouldn’t hold back in unaliving his teammates to protect intel. This was evident when he killed his teammates when cornered by Ibiki Morino. He did the same to Fuguki Suikazan for betraying and supplying intel to the enemy.
Ultimately, his final moments ran parallel with his speech on sharks and their fratricide was nothing short of cinematic. It is a shame that the character’s screen time was cut short, for he deserved his moments of villainy in the series.
Naruto: Shippuden is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Shueisha’s Manga Plus app.
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