8 Most Eye-Opening Madara Uchiha Moments From Naruto
One of the many things that make the "Naruto" anime series unique among its peers is its dedication to settling disputes with words, not fists. This can be seen in the first storyline in the original series, where Naruto Uzumaki appeals to the humanity of Zabuza Momochi over the death of Haku, which leads to Zabuza sacrificing his life to take down Gatō and his men. Even in "The Last: Naruto the Movie," Naruto showed mercy to Toneri Ōtsutsuki despite everything he put Naruto and Hinata through and even invited him to stay on Earth after learning the horrible truth about his clan. That's not to say Naruto is above raising a fist or two, but in general, the knuckleheaded ninja is more concerned with reasoning with his enemies than taking their lives.
That's what made the introduction of Madara Uchiha in the series so interesting. Madara was the complete antithesis of Naruto Uzumaki, an ego-driven maniac shaped by the countless wars he'd lived through and the tragedies he'd endured such as losing his little brother, Izuna Uchiha. This was a villain that had zero interest in words, only action. Madara's lust for power, revenge, and a challenge from a worthy adversary led to some of the most eye-opening moments in the "Naruto: Shippuden" anime series.
Summoning an asteroid (Tengai Shinsei)
The terrifying power of Madara Uchiha was often described as one of a god, so it's fitting that one of Maradara's first major actions after being revived was to summon a meteorite from the sky with the intent of killing everyone on the battlefield. This wasn't just a random act of a vengeful god, but a jutsu called the Tengai Shinsei. The Tengai Shinsei allows the user to draw massive meteorites from above and land them to their desired destination. Here's the kicker: if the first meteorite fails to do the job, the user can summon another one and have it collide with the first one. The Fourth Division learned this the hard way after stopping Madara's first meteorite attack, only to be blindsided by the second. Even Madara wasn't immune to his own attack, as evident by the aftermath. Interestingly enough, this move wasn't named in the anime or manga but by the games, specifically "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3" and "J-Stars Victory Vs."
Casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi
One of Madara Uchiha's most powerful moves isn't associated with pain but deception. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is a genjutsu of extraordinary power. By reflecting his Rinne Sharingan onto the moon, Madara was able to enslave the ninja populace in their own dreams, while their bodies were drained of chakra for the God Tree. What's particularly cruel about this genjutsu is that the victim is trapped within their most desired fantasy, such as Hinata Hyūga fantasizing about being in a loving relationship with Naruto Uzumaki while her cousin, Neji Hyūga, is not only alive but happily watching from afar. Another cruel example is Lady Tsunade imagining a Village Hidden in the Leaves where all her loved ones didn't tragically die, as well as Gaara dreaming of a happy childhood with his parents. Considering Madara's complicated feelings about the loss of his little brother Izuna, one could see his use of the Infinite Tsukuyomi as giving those the blissful joy he wished he could have.
Defeating the Shinobi Alliance
Among the thousands of fight scenes that have occurred throughout the "Naruto" anime series, Madara Uchiha vs. the Shinobi Alliance easily ranks in the top 10. Kicking off the "Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax" storyline, Kabuto Yakushi reanimates the corpse of Madara and sends him out to the battlefield against the Shinobi Alliance via the summoning powers of Mū. It's a fight scene that has to be seen; Madara effortlessly takes down one shinobi after another, almost like he's performing an eloquent dance. Perhaps the most striking visual from the fight scene is one ninja throwing a kunai knife with a paper bomb attached at Madara — but Madara grabs the kunai, slaps the paper bomb on another ninja, fatally sends the kunai back to its owner, then goes back to kicking butt before the bomb goes off, after which he emerges from the smoke to kick even more butt. It's without a doubt one of the best anime fight scenes in "Naruto Shippuden."
Snubbed by Hashirama Senju
There is no doubt that Madara Uchiha is one of the strongest villains in the "Naruto" anime series. He proved it and then some with his amazing fighting abilities during the Fourth Shinobi World War. However, even an intimidating fella like Madara can be knocked down a peg in the most unexpected ways. Case in point, his hilarious reaction to being snubbed by his childhood friend and rival Hashirama Senju after the two are brought back to life. The two of them have a ... let's just say complicated relationship. To keep it brief, the associations of their respected clans made it impossible for Hashirama and Madara to continue to be friends during their original lifetime. Despite being pitted against each other countless times, Hashirama could never kill someone he once considered a friend and Madara could never surpass Hashirama in combat (this would change, however). During the climax of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Madara senses Hashirama's presence and eagerly requests a rematch with him. Hashirama, trying to deal with other matters at hand, tells Madara to wait. Madara's face going from childlike joy to complete disappointment after hearing that comment is priceless.
Praising Might Guy
Madara Uchiha might be a psychopath, but he's still a man of honor — just look at the amount of respect he showed Might Guy during their battle in the Fourth Shinobi World War. In what's probably one of the top ten fights in the "Naruto: Shippuden" series, Guy initiates the Eight Gates Released Formation to face Madara and eventually uses a forbidden jutsu called Night Guy, which transforms himself into a red dragon made of chakra to deliver an incredible kick at an accelerating speed. While the move delivered a devastating blow to Madara, the recoil shattered the bones in Guy's right leg. Even though Madara was able to recover from Guy's ultimate attack, he still praised his opponent for the incredible skill he displayed, calling Guy the strongest taijutsu user he ever faced. Following the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Guy is forever bound to a wheelchair. His disability, however, hasn't stopped him from being the Guy everyone knows and loves in "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations."
Fighting the Tailed Beasts
Not even the awesome power of the legendary Tailed Beasts was enough to subdue Madara Uchiha. After being completely resurrected, Madara set his sights on defeating the released Tailed Beasts, such as Naruto Uzumaki's Kurama (Nine-Tails) and Gaara's Shukaku (One-Tail), to revive the dreaded Ten-Tails. Round one went poorly for Madara, as the overwhelming might of the Tailed Beasts managed to chop off his right arm. He was also fighting them completely blind, as the resurrection process caused his eyes to crumble like dust. However, after Madara received a Rinnegan from one of his White Zetsu clones and "borrowed" an arm from them as well, his second assault against the Tailed Beasts went off without a hitch. Madara summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and sealed the Tailed Beasts inside to resurrect the Ten-Tails once again. Although the Tailed Beasts were able to get in a few licks on Madara, thanks to the leadership of Gaara and Shukaku, their combined power wasn't enough to defeat Madara in battle.
Wiping out the Five Kage
The final storyline of "Naruto Shippuden" didn't hold back on establishing the dominance of Madara Uchiha. News of his reemergence was enough to kickstart the Fourth Shinobi World War and have all the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Countries unite to take him down. The Five Kage at the time of the story was: Tsunade (Village Hidden in the Leaves), Gaara (Village Hidden by Sand), Mei Terumī (Village Hidden in the Mist), A (Village Hidden by Clouds), and Ōnoki (Village Hidden by Rocks). Despite assembling all the great ninja leaders to fight together side by side, the Five Kage eventually succumbed to Madara's might. What really did them in was Madara creating 25 copies of himself, each with its own Susanoo (a humanoid avatar of chakra). Even after the Kages defeated all of Madara's wood clones, the madman initiated his perfected Susanoo. If not for Kabuto Yakushi trying to send Madara back to the land of the dead (and Madara canceling that command), the Five Kage might have met their end.
Madara Uchiha vs. Naruto Uzumaki
It's only fitting that with the "Naruto" series focusing so much on the relationship between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha — "Naruto: Shippuden" in particular — that the two of them would be responsible for defeating Madara Uchiha. Of course, things didn't go down that easily. Throughout the Fourth Shinobi World War, both Naruto and Sasuke were hanging on a thread of life when they fought against Madara. Sasuke being impaled by his own sword and Naruto nearly succumbing to death following the extraction of the Nine-Tails inside of him were just some of the blows they endured from Madara. However, after awakening a new power inside themselves, Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to take Madara down. What made this fight different from the last is that the two of them found a weak spot in Madara's Limbo: Border Jail, a jutsu that allowed Madara to summon versions of himself from another world to attack or defend on his command while being completely untraceable. Madara only escaped death from Naruto's and Sasuke's signature moves by sacrificing his precious Limbo jutsu. Their fight didn't have a definitive conclusion, as Madara was ultimately betrayed by Black Zetsu for the resurrection of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.