Naruto anime: villains or broken hero?

Hello readers, welcome back to the new article “Naruto anime: villains or broken hero?”. In today’s article, we are going to talk about whether Naruto really has broken heroes! or if they are just villains who need sympathy.

When we think of the world’s villain, we usually imagine someone who loves chaos, destroys for pleasure, or seeks power at any cost, like “Frieza from Dragon Ball anime, Orochi from One Piece, or Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen.”

But Naruto, one of the most iconic anime series ever created, complicates that idea, and as an anime fan, I also think that it’s true. In Naruto Anime, instead of presenting straightforward “good vs evil” stories, Naruto gives us something deeper, a world where the so-called villains are often victims of their tragic pasts, the trauma they have faced, betrayal, and loss. This raises an important question:

Are Naruto’s Antagonists truly villains? or are they broken heroes who lost their way?

Let’s check some facts to conclude.

The Background: A World Shaped by Pain

The Naruto universe is built on constant conflict, wars between villages, clan rivalries, betrayals, and personal trauma. Almost every major character carries emotional scars, but the difference lies in how they handle that pain. let’s see some examples:

Naruto Uzumaki: Naruto himself is a perfect example of resilience. He was an orphan, shunned by his village, and grew up isolated because of the nine-tails sealed inside him. Yet, instead of turning bitter, he forged friendship, sought understanding, and vowed to become Hokage to protect others.

Gaara: Many of you will think, “Why did I add Gaara to this list?” Hear me out first, then tell me I was wrong. If we look at the big picture, we realize that when Naruto was younger, he met Jiraiya (Pervy Sage), who improved the seal for the Nine-Tails. That’s why Naruto never got controlled by the Nine-Tails, and he also had friends like Sakura and Sasuke, and teachers like Kakashi and Iruka. But there was no one for Gaara, not even his brother Kankuro and Temari. Also, no one was there to check if his seal for Shukaku was strong or had weakened. But still, after meeting Naruto, he completely changed, so I am not considering him a villain or a broken character, but a character who bore the pain.

There are many more characters who bear the pain and never chose an evil or darker path, and examples of that are Kakashi, Tsunade, Might Guy, Rock Lee, And many more.

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The broken Hero: When Villains Aren’t Truly Evil

As you know, I also feel that many of Naruto’s “Villains” are better described as “broken heroes.” They wanted to change the world, but chose the extreme, misguided methods to do it. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable examples:

Nagato (Pain)

• Backstory: Nagato lost his parents and found family in Yahiko and Konan. After some time, Yahiko also died. The life that Nagato lived was not normal. Believing that true peace could only come through shared suffering, he sought to create a cycle of pain to force humanity to evolve. His goal was twisted but rooted in a desperate desire to stop the world’s endless violence.

• Motivation: He wanted to force humanity to understand pain so that the world would avoid war out of fear. Based on his experiences, this was a tragic but Logical conclusion.

Obito Uchiha

• Backstory: Once a hopeful child who dreamed of becoming Hokage, Obito was shattered when he saw Rin die before him, and after that, he was manipulated by Madara. He tried to create a false paradise through the Infinite Tsukuyomi, thinking it was the only way to eliminate suffering. He represents Naruto’s ‘what if’ scenario gone dark.

• Motivation: After Rin’s death, he didn’t want anything, and he subsequently joined Madara’s plan to create a perfect dream world (Infinite Tsukuyomi) where no one would suffer again.

Itachi Uchiha

• Backstory: Before episode 141 of Naruto Shippuden aired, Itachi was seen differently, but after that, he became one of the most loved characters. Itachi made the impossible choice to slaughter his own clan to prevent civil war, sacrificing his own life and reputation for peace. Misunderstood as a villain, he secretly protected Konoha and his brother Sasuke, making him a tragic hero who took on the role of villain to save others

• Motivation: He sacrificed everything to just protect his brother and his village, no matter the cost.

Madara Uchiha

• Backstory: Until he died, Madara witnessed endless war and lost his brothers, leading him to believe peace was impossible without control and fear. He planned to trap humanity in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, creating a dream world free of suffering. Manipulated by Black Zetsu, his vision of peace became a dangerous delusion.

• Motivation: He was the master planner who sought to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi upon the world to end its suffering.

Sasuke Uchiha

• Backstory: Traumatized by the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke sought revenge against Itachi, then Konoha, and eventually aimed to reshape the shinobi world through force. First, Sasuke just wanted answers as to why his brother had killed all the Uchiha and left him alive, but after he met Itachi, and Itachi, to make him strong, captured him in an Infinite Tsukuyomi, this is where he turned to a darker path. After that, Sasuke constantly struggled with darkness, acting as both rival and ally to Naruto throughout his journey.

• Motivation: His first motivation was to kill Itachi, then a desire to tear down the corrupt shinobi system to create a better world, even if it meant becoming a tyrant.

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The True Villains: Evil has No excuse

Orochimaru

• Story: Orochimaru wants immortality and forbidden knowledge. For that, he experimented on countless people, seeking power at any cost. Unlike the ‘broken heroes,’ he has no noble goal or good intention. To this date, I don’t know why he helped in the Fourth Great Ninja War. He has only selfish curiosity and a desire to transcend human limitations.

• Motivation: Obsession with forbidden jutsu and immortality.

Danzo Shimura

• Story: Danzo operated from the shadows, manipulating and murdering to protect Konoha by any means necessary. While he claimed patriotism, his actions—like stealing Shisui’s eye and fueling village conflicts were driven by a ruthless hunger for control, making him a self-serving villain cloaked in false heroism.

• Motivation: Protecting Konoha at all costs, even if it meant killing innocent people and manipulating anyone.

Hidan

• Story: A hardcore worshipper of the cult of Jashin, Hidan kills for religious ritual and personal pleasure. He is one of the few villains in Naruto with no tragic backstory or redeeming qualities; he simply enjoys slaughter and eternal torture in the name of his faith. One mystery of Naruto is also this: how he was able to become immortal.

• Motivation: No motivation, just a cult that glorifies murder.

Vote In Poll: Who Has the Most Tragic Backstory in Anime? Anime poll

Why This Matters

Naruto anime isn’t just about good fighting episodes or Jutsu; it’s about cycles of hatred, pain, redemption, and finding the right path. The anime asks it’s viewers question like:

• Can Someone who does evil still be worthy of empathy?
• Is peace possible without understanding the enemy?
• Can trauma justify extreme actions or does it simply explain them?

Naruto himself represents hope, showing that even the most “broken” person can find another path. His refusal to hate and his belief in second chances breaks the traditional hero-villain dynamic. This is why characters like Gaara, Nagato, and even Obito are given moments of redemption.

Conclusion

Are Naruto’s Villains Truly Villains, or Just Broken Heroes?

The answer is: Both.

Many of Naruto’s antagonists are tragic figures—people who might have been heroes if life had been kinder or if they had made different choices. But there are also true villains in the series: those driven by greed, sadism, or selfish ambition.

This complexity is what makes the Naruto anime great. It doesn’t just pit good against evil; it shows us a world where pain shapes people in different ways. Some find strength and empathy, while others lose hope and fall into darkness.

In the end, Naruto teaches us that breaking the cycle of hatred isn’t easy, but it starts with understanding, even of your enemies.

Want more Naruto deep-dives? Stay tuned for more character analyses and anime discussions at AniWorldTV.