The Untold Truth Of Obito Uchiha From Naruto
The "Naruto: Shippuden" series serves as the part II of "Naruto" anime, showcasing the lives of the loud, yellow-haired ninja Naruto Uzumaki and his friends as they enter teenagerhood and a world of new hurdles. Spawning 500 episodes of anime, this sequel to "Naruto" features the struggles of the protagonist and everyone else worth rooting for as they go up against an enemy, broadly known as the Akatsuki. A significant chunk of the series is dedicated to a particular character from the Uchiha clan: the elusive, mysterious Obito Uchiha.
Obito Uchiha appears in the anime in chapter 239 as a young child in the Hidden Leaf Village during the Third Great Ninja War. Although viewers see him in "Naruto" as Kakashi's teammate, his real backstory emerges in the sequel. Here's how the unassuming boy from Kakashi's team went on to have such an impact on the series, and everything else you needed to know about Obito Uchiha.
Early Life
In several ways, Obito Uchiha serves as a foil to Naruto, particularly in the early lives they led. As a child, Obito was unaware of his parents' identity and only had his grandmother to take care of him. In the academy, he formed a one-sided rivalry with Kakashi Hatake, who was leagues above him. He also became close friends with Rin Nohara, and later fell in love with her, but his feelings were never reciprocated. It's safe to say that Obito didn't exactly love his childhood.
During the Third Shinobi War, Obito's desire to save his friends stood taller than Kakashi's decision to complete the mission, and the Uchiha went alone to rescue the kidnapped Rin.
In the series, Kakashi returns to help his teammate but loses his left eye in a fight. While escaping the cave after saving Rin from her captors, Obito once again chooses to save his friend and sacrifices himself to save Kakashi from a falling boulder.
Crushed under the boulder and unable to move, Obito requests Kakashi to take his Sharingan left eye as a gift to congratulate him for becoming a jōnin. As the rocks tighten around them, Rin and Kakashi are forced to abandon Obito and return to the village. In Konoha, a memorial is built in memory of Obito Uchiha.
Saved From Death
You'd think a massive boulder crushing a child would be enough to finish him off, but Obito is rescued and helped back to his feet by an elderly Madara Uchiha, with the assistance of White Zetsu. In the shinobi world, it's not exactly out of pure kindness that someone like Madara chooses to save a child. Instead, he had a much darker reason to keep Obito Uchiha alive.
After White Zetsu is informed that Kakashi and Rin are to be killed by Kirigakure ninjas, Obito rushes out, thanking Madara for his help. Obito arrives at the scene in time to watch Kakashi pierce Rin's heart with a Chidori, killing her while being surrounded by Kirigakure ninjas. Kakashi collapses after the act and Obito goes on a rampage, annihilating every Kirigakure ninja.
The Uchiha returns to Madara and begs for a world where Rin, Kakashi and he can be together. Madara teaches him about his Mugen Tsukuyomi plan and everything he needs to move forward. Having entrusted Obito with all the knowledge, Madara disconnects his life support and tells Obito to act as Madara Uchiha, until his return.
Taking the Plan Forward
It isn't easy to put a plan into motion that involves capturing the strongest beasts the world has ever seen, and it is even less so when you do it under the guise of achieving "peace." The first part of Obito's plan was deceiving the fledgling Akatsuki and having its members killed, to get Nagato to side with him. With Nagato and his Rinnegan on his side, Obito started hunting the rest of the tailed beasts. Meanwhile, he took up the nickname of Tobi and adopted a goofy, amusing personality. Of course, in a world so brutal, it's nice to at least have some masked guy providing a respite of temporary comic relief.
Twelve years before the start of the series, Obito launched his plan of attacking Konoha, unleashing the Nine-tails by extracting it from Kushina Uzumaki during childbirth. Kushina's husband (and Fourth Hokage) Minato Namikaze fails to recognize Obito, yet nevertheless succeeds in defeating him.
Itachi was tasked with massacring the Uchiha clan to avoid the coup d'etat years later. Obito, under the guise of Madara, was once again instrumental in an act of violence, as he aided Itachi in slaughtering the Konoha Military Police Force — and subsequently offered Itachi a position in the Akatsuki.
Itachi Pursuit Mission
It's always fun to watch an angry, impatient leader try to work alongside a loud, annoying sidekick. The duo of Deidara and Tobi fit this description perfectly, and Tobi's quips are amusing as Deidara is locked in heated battle with Sasuke.
Angry that Sasuke has killed Orochimaru, Deidara locates Sasuke and attacks him, with Tobi providing a distraction. At the climax, Deidara uses his ultimate attack of CO and blows himself up, trying to kill Sasuke. White Zetsu informs Akatsuki of Deidara and Tobi's death.
Yet again though, Tobi/Obito is unharmed, and meets Pain and Konan in Hidden Rain and expresses his satisfaction with how far Sasuke has grown. Tobi tasks Pain with capturing Naruto for the Nine-tails sealed within him, and leaves, remarking that his — Madara Uchiha's — plans will soon be complete. After Itachi dies following his battle with Sasuke, Tobi teleports to his location and carries Sasuke back to treat his injuries. He reveals himself as Madara Uchiha to Sasuke when he wakes up and reveals the truth about Itachi and the Uchiha clan's downfall. Sasuke is overcome with grief for killing Itachi and vows to destroy Konoha — exactly as Tobi planned.
Five Kage Summit
It's amazing how one man can pull the strings behind some of the biggest events in the "Naruto: Shippuden" series.
Tobi sends Sasuke and his team Taka to the Five Kage summit at the Land of Iron to kill the Uchiha assassination conspirator Danzō. Meanwhile, Tobi also goes to the Land of Iron and meets Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato and reveals the truth about the Uchiha clan and how Sasuke's rogue turn.
Seeing how Sasuke is about to be killed by the Kage, Tobi rescues and sends him away. He then introduces himself as Madara Uchiha to the Kage and explains his Mugen Tsukuyomi plan, and when they refuse to listen, Tobi declares the Fourth Ninja War against them and leaves. He manages to intercept Danzo while he's fleeing and teleports Sasuke to his location, impressed as he watches Sasuke fight the then-Hokage. With Danzo dead, he sends Sasuke away to rest, while he continues to prepare for war.
Resurrecting the Dead
Few things are as satisfying as watching an imposter having their true identity exposed, a feeling Tobi experiences all too well. When Orochimaru's former protege Kabuto Yakushi uses Impure World Reincarnation to revive five deceased Akatsuki members and offers them as pawns for the war, Tobi refuses. As a result, Kabuto resurrects the real Madara Uchiha — and, realizing that Kabuto knows he's an imposter, Tobi's horror is prominent, despite the mask.
Still hungry for more power, Tobi infiltrates Hidden Rain for Nagato's corpse but is apprehended by Konan. What ensues is an unmissable fight between the last Akatsuki member and Tobi. He sneaks up behind Konan and murders her, vowing that he's the darkness that will crush Naruto's light. He locates Nagato's corpse, replaces his left Sharingan with Nagato's Rinnegan and later learns that Kabuto has managed to capture Yamato, to be used to strengthen the White Zetsu army.
As the war begins, Tobi goes to the location of the First Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces and summons the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path that destroys the division. The fatalities of the war are just starting, and it pales in comparison to the death and destruction that soon follows. Ironically, everything that Tobi does to achieve his twisted idea of "peace" requires the sacrifice of countless unnamed soldiers.
Unmasking Tobi
One of the biggest mysteries in "Naruto" revolves around the identity of the masked Akatsuki member who was goofy enough to irritate Deidara and deadly enough to summon the Demonic Outer Path Statue. As the battle rages on, Tobi manages to capture the tailed beasts and begin the Ten-tails regeneration process. Tobi is unmatchable in strength, throwing back everything that Naruto, Kakashi, Killer Bee, and Might Guy have to offer.
Kakashi and Naruto work together to understand that Tobi teleports the part of his body that is attacked to the Kamui dimension. As Naruto attacks Tobi with a tailed beast ball, he teleports himself to the Kamui dimension, only to find Naruto's shadow clone waiting there. Before Tobi can react, Naruto hits him in the face with a Rasengan, shattering his mask and revealing Obito Uchiha underneath.
If Darth Vader revealing his true identity to Luke is among the greatest identity reveals in cinema history, Kakashi finding out Tobi is Obito Uchiha carries the same weight in the anime universe. Devastated that the teammate he thought had died decades back is not only alive but a deadly terrorist, Kakashi freezes in his spot. Meanwhile, the reincarnated Madara Uchiha arrives and goes after Bee and Naruto, while Obito attacks Kakashi. Obito ignores Kakashi, as he desperately asks for an explanation and almost kills his former teammate as Naruto attempts to rescue his sensei.
Seeds of Dissent
The Allied Shinobi Forces manage to stop the Ten Tail's attack, but not before the army's headquarters are destroyed. Madara believes that the battle is more difficult, as Obito failed to resurrect him the way he was supposed to, and Obito retorts by saying he never trusted Madara. As the Ten-Tails prepares to attack again and Kakashi tries stopping it, Obito teleports both of them to the Kamui dimension.
It's here that Obito begins answering Kakashi and asks him to not feel guilt for killing Rin. Obito explains that he's aware of the reasons that led to Rin's death and that it was her idea itself. He despises the world that forced her to die and doesn't listen to Kakashi's pleas that Obito's actions are wrong. Instead, he lets Kakashi stab him in the heart with a Lightning Kunai to destroy the Forbidden Individual Curse Tag that Madara had placed on him.
Obito and Kakashi return to the real world, and Madara forces Obito to perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to bring him back to life. Instead, Obito seals the Ten-tails within his body to become its jinchūriki and goes after the reincarnated Hokages. At this point, the unity between the two Uchihas is destroyed and each starts going after their own goals.
A Change of Heart
It's a running gag among Naruto lovers that if the villains in "Naruto" had headphones, they'd have been impervious to Naruto's signature "Talk no Jutsu." It's the protagonist's cliche habit of winning over the deadliest of villains with a heartfelt monologue, which won over the likes of Gaara and Pain. As Obito becomes the Ten-tails jinchūriki and starts wreaking havoc, Sasuke and Naruto combine the might of their Konoha classmates to pull the chakra of the tailed beasts out of Obito's body.
During this time, Naruto enters Obito's consciousness because of their connected chakras and reasons with him, making him show the futility of his ways. Naruto's "talk-no-Jutsu" works, and his friends manage to pull out the chakra from Obito's body. Exhausted and finally seeing the error of his ways, Obito tries using the Heavenly Life Technique to revive everyone who had been killed to atone for his sins. This is when the real embodiment of evil, Black Zetsu, emerges and forces Obito to revive Madara instead.
Sapped of all his energy, Obito still tries to do good, saving Naruto by sealing the Yin half of the Nine-tails and the other tailed beasts' chakra into Naruto's body. Before Obito can let Sakura destroy his Rinnegan, Madara arrives and reveals that it was he who had orchestrated Rin's death all those years ago to manipulate the young Obito. By the time Obito realizes he had been nothing but a pawn in Madara's game, Black Zetsu takes control of his body.
The Final Sacrifice
As is true for most of the antagonists in "Naruto" who become completely different people after realizing the futility of their actions, Obito transforms into a benevolent shinobi who doesn't fail to sacrifice his own life to save those of his close ones. By the time Obito wakes up, everything is different — his Rinnegan is replaced with his original eyes, Madara is gone, Infinite Tsukuyomi is cast and every person is trapped in dreams, except Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi who remain to fight Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Realizing that Sasuke is lost somewhere in Kaguya's Dimensions, Obito finds him by using his two Mangekyō Sharingan. With Sasuke back alongside Naruto and Sakura, Obito watches as the two young men fight Kaguya. The all-powerful Ōtsutsuki strikes back at Naruto and Sasuke with All-Killing Ash Bones. Obito and Kakashi remember their past friendship and become the shields to protect the two boys who can defeat true evil. However, Obito realizes that his story had begun by saving Kakashi, which is why he needs to do it for the final time.
Obito teleports away the attacks meant for Kakashi using his Kamui, leaving himself vulnerable to the attack meant for him. Obito's body begins disintegrating, and there is no way to save him following that particular hit. He warns his friend that he will not be able to save him for a third time and entrusts Naruto to create a better world, before he dies, smiling.
Reunion with Rin
In the shinobi world, even death doesn't rid someone of their earthly duties; they're unable to make it to the afterlife until they're satisfied with their mortal life. Even after sacrificing his life to save his friend Kakashi, Obito doesn't reach the afterlife but finds himself in limbo. In that world between life and death, he meets the one person he did it all for: Rin.
Obito asks for her forgiveness for making her wait so long, and for all the things he has done until his eventual change of heart. Rin forgives her old teammate amid assurances that Obito has redeemed himself after trying his hardest, and that she has always watched him. He's excited to begin spending time together, but he cannot rest easy knowing Kakashi might die and ruin their moment together.
Thus, Obito sends his spirit to the living world to help Kakashi, giving him the temporary power of his Mangekyō Sharingan. Kakashi is able to summon a complete Susasnoo to help Naruto and Sasuke finally defeat Kaguya. Knowing that the world is finally safe, Obito apologizes to Kakashi for all his past acts, reuniting with Rin in the afterlife.
Legacy
The "Naruto: Shippuden" series would be incomplete if it wasn't for the character of Obito Uchiha. The boy-next-door who didn't have a lot of strengths — except a willingness to become the Hokage and a reluctance to abandon his friends — greatly impacted Kakashi after his apparent death. Obito's Sharingan helped Kakashi gain fame across the ninja world as the "Copy Ninja Kakashi," while Obito's philosophies about the importance of teamwork would become the biggest lesson he imparted upon his future students.
The attack on Konoha by the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, orchestrated by Obito, completely changed the lives of Naruto and Sasuke. While Naruto was orphaned that night, the suspicion of Uchiha activity massacred Sasuke's entire clan. Despite the cruel deeds that he committed, Obito's actions ensured a rare unity between the Five Great Shinobi Countries, bringing on the Shinobi Union. After seeing the error of his ways, Obito saved Naruto's life and sacrificed his own to protect his friend Kakashi, bringing everlasting peace to his world before departing for the afterlife alongside Rin.