How Naruto & Sasuke Died, and Why Their Resurrection Was So Controversial

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR NARUTO

Naruto and Sasuke eventually became the strongest ninjas in the world, but not before they were both killed by the Naruto franchise’s strongest shinobi. Like many long-running shōnen series, author Masashi Kishimoto encountered the common problem of making his ultimate villain too strong to overcome. For a series famous for its complex and intimidating villains, one stood above the rest by being the only character responsible for killing Naruto and Sasuke with little effort.

Naruto’s incredible arcs built off one another while getting more intense, and after the Pain arc, it was difficult to imagine how a foe could be more intimidating than Akatsuki’s leader. However, the introduction of Uchiha Madara did not only that but provided one of the best villain entrances in anime. The Reanimation technique resurrected him and gave him infinite chakra in an unfeeling immortal body. Episode #322 was one of the best episodes of Naruto Shippuden, which showed him warming up against an army for fun, and Naruto nor Sasuke was ready for him once he got serious.

The Fourth Great Ninja War Was Hell, And It Only Got Worse

Naruto’s War Arc Begins on Chapter #516 of the Manga

The Fourth Great Ninja War was an arc that saw a lot of emotional reunions and shocking twists. Madara’s overarching plot became increasingly apparent as the situation became more dire for the United Shinobi Alliance. Using Uchiha Obito, Madara planned to resurrect himself fully, and when that plan finally came to fruition, not even Konoha’s best could stop him.

After Obito had suffered fatal damage, Madara decided to get serious about accomplishing his goal of becoming a shinobi god. To do that, he forced Obito to use the sacrificial Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth technique to bring Madara’s living body back. At that point in the War, the villains only had two warriors left. It was down to the mysterious Zetsu and Madara with only one of his original Rinnegan eyes against all of the Tailed Beasts, Naruto, Sasuke, the Reanimated Hokages, and the surviving remnants of the Shinobi Alliance. And Madara was done playing with his food.

How Naruto and Sasuke Died

Naruto Shippuden Episode #393, “A True Ending” Saw The Series Two Protagonists Soundly Defeated

To become a god-like Sage of the Six Paths and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the world’s population, Madara needed to absorb chakra from all nine Tailed Beasts, including the Nine-Tails inside of Naruto. Not long after getting his original body back, Madara did just that. Jinchuriki that host a tailed beast’s energy die after having the energy removed. After having Kurama (aka the Nine-Tails) ripped out of him, Naruto’s heartbeat and pulse stopped, and he was technically dead. Determined not to lose him for good, Sakura physically pumped his heart and breathed for him through CPR.

Naruto’s death was brought on by having his companion’s energy ripped from him, while Sasuke’s was the result of foolishly diving toward Madara and earning a dramatic physical wound. While the Naruto series’ best villain was embarrassing the Second Hokage, Sasuke was caught in midair with an invisible limbo technique and nonchalantly stabbed through the heart with his own sword.

Madara’s limbo technique was more prominently explored later in the story, but it essentially creates a physical clone of Madara that operates in a different plane of reality. With only one Rinnegan Eye, Madara could create one clone, but it was enough to take Sasuke by surprise. After the attack, the incredibly skilled sensory ninja Uzumaki Karin could no longer sense his chakra, meaning that Madara’s attack killed Sasuke, at least temporarily.

Many Tried, But Madara Could Not Be Stopped From Accomplishing His Goal

Madara Becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki in Manga Chapter #663, Episode #414 of the Anime

Madara’s joy of battle likely played a large part in him dragging things out throughout the Fourth Shinobi War. Still, once he was revived with his own flesh and blood, his goal of casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi was ultimately accomplished despite everything that stood in his way. After subduing Naruto and Sasuke and reclaiming the chakra from every tailed beast, Madara quickly summoned the Ten-Tails again and absorbed them to become its jinchuriki. Six Paths Madara was born, essentially becoming a god in the shinobi world.

While Kakashi, Obito, and Guy did everything they could to prevent Madara from gaining his second Rinnegan eye and becoming complete, others played a vital role in bringing Naruto and Sasuke back to life. Kabuto worked to revive Sasuke, while Obitio and Sakura were able to work on Naruto. However, neither party knew their methods of healing the two would be exactly what they needed to unlock their own ultimate Sage of the Six Paths power-ups.

How Naruto and Sasuke Were Brought Back To Life

Without The Help Of Powerful Allies, Naruto & Sasuke Would’ve Stayed Dead

During Naruto’s earlier battle against Obito, he encountered the chakras of the other Tailed Beasts whom the Akatsuki organization had previously captured. He was gifted power from each, except the One and Eight Tails. However, he was able to be revived after Obito regained his senses and betrayed Six Paths Madara. After some clever tactics, Obito extracted the Tailed-Beast chakras from Madara that Naruto was missing and transported himself, Naruto, and Sakura into his Kamui dimension. There, Naruto was revived and consensually held the powers of each Tailed-Beast, unlocking his own Sage of the Six Paths form.

It’s likely that Sasuke did not unlock two Rinnegan eyes because author Masashi Kishimoto wanted Sasuke to still have a Sharingan because it looked cool.

The Rinnegan’s a complex thing to unlock that Madara accidentally discovered when he was an elderly man. As the Sharingan’s ultimate and final stage, the Rinnegan forms once Uchiha and Senju chakras are effectively fused together. Thanks to Itachi’s genius genjutsu, Kabuto was turned into an ally and was able to heal Sasuke’s fatal wound with highly regenerative Senju cells. With that exact cocktail of Uchiha and Senju powers and Sasuke’s expert ability to control chakras, he was revived and able to awaken his own Rinnegan eye.

Why Naruto & Sasuke’s Resurrection Was So Controversial

Naruto and Sasuke Being Reincarnations Of Legends Shouldn’t Take Away From Their Accomplishments

Chapter #662 of the Naruto manga ended with Naruto and Sasuke lying on the ground after their dramatic defeats, and many fans were not ready to accept their deaths. With the two playing such pivotal roles in the overarching plot, it seemed unlikely that Kishimoto would permanently remove one (especially both) from the storyline. In real-time, it was weeks before readers discovered how Naruto and Sasuke were brought back to life, but the exact methods that did it are still controversial and debated.

When Naruto and Sasuke woke up, they found themselves face to face with Hagomoro, the Legendary Sage of the Six Paths, who played a vital role in teaching humans to use chakra long ago. There, they and the audience learned that the two young ninjas were the latest in a long line of reincarnations of Hagomoro’s sons, Ashara and Indara. The twist helped explain the dramatic bonds between Madara, Hashirama, Naruto, and Sasuke, but it bothered some fans who enjoyed the aspect of Naruto’s character that gained his powers from hard work instead of being someone gifted an unearned strength.

While Naruto’s original incarnation, Ashura Ōtsutsuki, was born with incredible powers thanks to being the grandson of the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya, his kindness gained him many followers whom he helped lead to accomplishing great deeds. Those efforts deemed him worthy in his father’s eyes, earning him the role of successor. The bonds that Naruto created with the Tailed Beasts, Obito, and Sakura also earned him incredible powers. Believing that he was revived and given his final power-up from Hagomoro ignores all the benefits Naruto’s kindness granted him, including his resurrection and the strength he needed to fight Madara.

While the story insinuates that Hagomoro, the original Sage of the Six Paths, gifted Naruto and Sasuke his chakra to help defeat Madara, their allies’ work seemed sufficient to unlock the powers they needed. Still, despite unlocking an incredible boost in their abilities and strength, Madara was still able to accomplish his goal and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi that put most of the world’s population into a life-force stealing dream. The powerful villain effectively killed Naruto and Sasuke and is still regarded as the Naruto series’ best villain, who required an unsatisfying plot twist to defeat for good.

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