The world of Naruto is filled with many compelling and complex villains. From power-hungry warlords to sociopathic killers, Naruto features some incredibly evil antagonists over the course of its long-running story. But among the rogues’ gallery of villains, a few stand out as truly monstrous and diabolical threats to the Ninja world. In this article, we will explore the top contenders for the title of “biggest villain” in Naruto and examine what makes them so impactful and dangerous.
Orochimaru
One of the first major villains introduced in Naruto is Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin ninja along with Tsunade and Jiraiya. Once a respected and powerful ninja of Konohagakure, the Leaf Village, Orochimaru became obsessed with learning every jutsu in existence and achieving immortality. This obsession with power led him to defect from the village and start conducting twisted experiments on people to unlock the secrets of immortality and new jutsu.
Why Orochimaru is a top villain contender:
- Master of many forbidden and sinister jutsu, including Edo Tensei, the Reanimation Jutsu
- Responsible for the deaths of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fourth Kazekage Rasa
- Leader of the ninja village Otogakure, the Sound Village, and invaded Konoha village with them
- Kidnapped and experimented on many people, including stealing bodies to prolong his life
- Corrupted and manipulated Sasuke Uchiha to serve his agenda
Orochimaru always lurked in the shadows as a dangerous threat, playing puppet master to many events and tormenting key characters with his vile experiments and forbidden jutsu. However, he was limited by his constant need to find new hosts and vessels for his soul and change bodies to avoid death. This prevented him from fully unleashing his villainous potential on a larger scale.
Pain/Nagato
The masked leader of the Akatsuki group, Pain acts as the mysterious mastermind behind the criminal organization for much of Naruto Shippuden. However, his true identity is Nagato, a war orphan from the Rain Village who possesses the legendary Rinnegan eyes and can control six different bodies to act as “Pain.” After his family was killed in crossfire between Leaf and Rock ninja, Nagato adopted a nihilistic viewpoint that the world was only suffering and wanted to use the power of the tailed beasts sealed in the Akatsuki statues to create a weapon to wipe out all life on the planet.
Why Pain is a top contender:
- Leader of the Akatsuki criminal group and mastermind behind capturing the tailed beasts
- Killed Jiraiya, Naruto’s master
- Attacked the Leaf Village and leveled it, killing many people
- Possessed the Rinnegan and controlled the Six Paths of Pain, making him incredibly powerful
- Wanted to use the tailed beasts to destroy the world and “reset” it from suffering
Pain pushed Naruto farther than ever before, forcing the hero to appeal to Nagato’s humanity in the end. As the figurehead of the Akatsuki, Pain also directly threatened the safety of all villages by capturing tailed beasts across the Ninja world. However, he was being manipulated by an even greater evil lurking behind the scenes.
Obito Uchiha/Tobi
For much of the story, Tobi appears to be a goofy and aloof member of the Akatsuki who serves under Pain. However, he is actually Obito Uchiha, Kakashi’s former teammate who was thought to have died but survived. After witnessing Rin die at Kakashi’s hands, Obito lost all faith in the world and joined Madara Uchiha to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan. As himself and later under the guise of Madara, Obito manipulates Nagato to form the Akatsuki and helps escalate conflicts between villages to catch the tailed beasts.
Why Obito is a top contender:
- The true leader and mastermind of the Akatsuki
- Sparked the Fourth Great Ninja War between villages
- Killed Naruto’s parents and released the Nine-Tailed Fox to attack Leaf Village
- Manipulated Nagato and Yahiko to create the Akatsuki
- Impersonated Madara Uchiha to gain power and influence
Obito operates from the shadows for years, orchestrating Pain and manipulating events and people to suit his grand plan. He has a personal connection to Kakashi and knowledge of Leaf Village’s past as an insider, making him extremely dangerous. However, even Obito answers to an even more diabolical figure.
Madara Uchiha
The legendary leader of the Uchiha clan, Madara Uchiha helped found Konoha along with Hashirama Senju. However, he later defected and challenged the village. He also transplanted his eyes into Nagato to gain control over the Rinnegan in the future. After being revived from the dead by Obito during the Fourth Ninja War, Madara becomes the ultimate threat to the Ninja world.
Why Madara is a top contender:
- Legendary Uchiha leader who challenged Hashirama and the Leaf Village in the past
- Masterminded the Eye of the Moon Plan over generations to trap the world in a dream
- Revived as an immortal by Obito, making him unstoppable in the Great Ninja War
- Became the Ten Tails Jinchuriki, giving him god-like powers
- Defeated the 5 Kage and nearly trapped the world in the Infinite Tsukuyomi
Madara is the culmination of generations of villainy and planning. He possesses the greatest visual powers of any Uchiha and proves virtually unbeatable even against the combined might of the Ninja alliance. Only Naruto and Sasuke working together can stop his ultimate plan to control the world.
Zetsu
While he often simply appears to be an aloof and eccentric member of Akatsuki, the venus flytrap-like Zetsu plays a much bigger role in the organization. He is actually the sole creation of Kaguya Otsutsuki and has two halves (White and Black) that serve as spies and information gathers for both Obito and Madara over the years. The white half is subservient, while the black half is more cunning. However, they are both instrumental in manipulating events behind the scenes.
Why Zetsu is a top contender:
- Created by Kaguya Otsutsuki to serve her will and revive her
- Manipulated Indra and Ashura’s reincarnations for centuries to further Kaguya’s plan
- Acted as a spy and informant inside Akatsuki
- Tricked Obito into thinking he was Madara to gain his trust
- Instrumental in Madara’s Eye of the Moon Plan and reviving Kaguya
Though he acts harmless, Zetsu is one of the longest-running villains in the series. He manipulates some of the most powerful figures and events to align with Kaguya’s desire to reclaim her power. Without Zetsu’s machinations, many of the major events of the series would not have happened.
Kaguya Otsutsuki
The mother of Hagoromo Otsutsuki (the Sage of Six Paths), Kaguya ate the fruit of the God Tree and became the first wielder of chakra. Drunk on power, she sought to reclaim all chakra for herself by casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the world and turning victims into White Zetsu soldiers. She was only stopped when her sons Hagoromo and Hamura sealed her away. Now revived, she acts as the ultimate threat in the final Naruto story arc.
Why Kaguya is the biggest contender:
- Mother of all chakra and seeks to reclaim it from mankind
- Cast the first Infinite Tsukuyomi spell on humanity
- Possesses the Rinne Sharingan and god-like powers
- Revived by Black Zetsu at the height of the Fourth Great Ninja War
- Merged with the Ten Tails to gain power to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi again
As the progenitor of all chakra and jutsu users, Kaguya sits at the top of the pyramid. She cannot be reasoned with or deterred from her mission to absorb all chakra into herself once again. Only Naruto and Sasuke, the reincarnations of her grandsons Ashura and Indra, can match her tremendous power.
Conclusion
In examining Naruto’s long roster of villains, a few dangerous figures stand out for their sheer power, cunning, and evil intentions:
| Villain | Biggest Villain Qualities |
|---|---|
| Kaguya Otsutsuki | Mother of all chakra, seeks to reclaim it all |
| Zetsu | Manipulator behind the villains for centuries |
| Madara Uchiha | Legendary ninja and founder of the Eye of the Moon Plan |
| Obito Uchiha | Sparked the Fourth Great Ninja War and controlled Pain |
| Pain/Nagato | Leader of the Akatsuki, leveled the Leaf Village |
While villains like Orochimaru and Kabuto also introduced major threats, they were limited in scope compared to the god-like powers wielded by Kaguya. And masterminds like Black Zetsu orchestrated events for generations that enabled greater villains to succeed in their plans.
But by far, Kaguya represents the biggest and most far-reaching villainous threat faced in the world of Naruto. As the ancestor of all shinobi, her intentions to reclaim all chakra for herself and strip humanity of the ability to reason and love make her the ultimate evil. It is only through cooperation that Naruto, Sasuke, and their allies are able to seal her away again and preserve the world they fought so hard to protect. In the end, it is the solidarity and bonds of friendships that overcome the biggest villain Naruto’s world faces.