6 Naruto Characters Who Deserved Better Endings

The world of Naruto is filled with memorable characters, and many of them continue to appear in the current series, Boruto. However, some characters have left the story, either through death or by simply disappearing from focus. While a few received satisfying conclusions to their storylines, others didn’t get the endings fans hoped for.

Several characters in Naruto played significant roles in the story, making it frustrating when their storylines weren’t fully resolved. While some of them occasionally reappear in Boruto, they often lack meaningful development. Here are six characters who received particularly disappointing conclusions in Naruto.

Neji Hyuga

Shinobi of the Hyuga Clan

Always believed he had a sealed fate
Eventually becomes close with Naruto
Died protecting his friends

Neji Hyuga once thought people were bound by an unavoidable destiny. After losing to Naruto, he started to believe that hard work and strong relationships could change that, suggesting people weren’t necessarily fated to a single path. But events in his final moments during the Fourth Great Ninja War challenged that new belief.

Neji jumped in front of attacks meant for Naruto, believing Naruto was the key to winning the war and willingly sacrificing himself to protect him. Sadly, this act reinforced his long-held belief that everyone’s destiny is predetermined. He died without significantly changing the war’s outcome, despite deserving the chance to live and rebuild the Hyuga Clan.

Orochimaru

Legendary Sannin

Image via Pierrot.

Committed unspeakable acts
Changes his ways and begins research on developing life
Trained Sasuke for a short period

Orochimaru, a character from Naruto, started as a villain but later became an ally to Naruto and others. Before this change, he committed terrible acts, such as performing dangerous experiments on people, trying to achieve immortality by stealing bodies, and even killing the Third Hokage. Despite all of this, he never faced real consequences for his actions.

While it’s good that characters can grow and change, Orochimaru committed terrible deeds and should have faced some repercussions. Letting him simply continue his research without addressing his past actions feels wrong. Some form of punishment or a path to make amends would have been more fitting, especially considering the harm he caused to others. It feels as though he gets away with far too much, disrespecting the suffering of those he hurt.

Konan

Kunoichi from Amegakure

Was a founding member of the original Akatsuki
Eventually became village head of Amegakure
Was close with Yahiko and Nagato

Konan was a fascinating character in the Naruto series who deserved more focus. She was one of the original members of the Akatsuki, an organization initially created to protect the Hidden Rain Village (Amegakure) from conflict. Along with Yahiko and Nagato – whom she grew up with after Jiraiya took them in and taught them ninja skills – she helped form the group. Sadly, she later lost both Yahiko and Nagato.

Konan experienced a dramatic transformation after suffering the loss of her two dearest friends, even leaving the Akatsuki organization. She had finally embraced a peaceful life after a time spent with a violent group, but her life was tragically cut short by Obito. He then discarded her body in the ocean, effectively wiping her from memory. This felt deeply unjust, as she had just chosen a better path despite all the pain she’d endured.

Itachi Uchiha

Shinobi of the Uchiha Clan

Image via Pierrot.

Served as an Anbu Captain
Sasuke’s older brother
Joined the Akatsuki

Honestly, Itachi Uchiha is one of the most fascinating characters in Naruto! For a long time, everyone thought he was just a ruthless guy who murdered his entire clan to get stronger. But then the truth came out, and it was so much more complex. He wasn’t doing it for power; he was acting on secret orders from people like Danzo Shimura and even the Third Hokage! It was a heartbreaking decision, but he genuinely believed wiping out the clan was the only way to prevent a full-scale war. It really changes how you see everything!

Itachi’s harsh actions deeply troubled Sasuke, leaving him struggling to understand the fate of their family and clan. With Itachi dying after their fight, Sasuke was likely filled with regret and shame when he finally learned the truth behind his brother’s motives. Itachi deserved a chance to explain everything to Sasuke himself and find a more peaceful resolution together.

Naruto Uzumaki

Shinobi and Reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki

One of the strongest shinobi
Achieved his dream by becoming the Seventh Hokage
Referred to as the Hero of the Hidden Leaf

It’s understandable why so many fans feel connected to Naruto, the central character of the entire series, and want to see him remain a hero. From a young age, he aspired to become Hokage, and through years of hard work and ultimately saving the world during the Fourth Shinobi World War, he finally achieved that dream.

Even though Naruto has an amazing past, his character changes significantly in Boruto. He’s overwhelmed with work as Hokage and isn’t around much for his family. This diminishes Naruto’s role and sets up his children, Boruto and Himawari, to surpass him. This is hard for many fans to accept, considering they’ve watched Naruto grow into one of the most powerful ninja ever.

Kurama

The Nine-Tails

Was sealed into Naruto Uzumaki
Is one of the Nine-Tailed Beasts
Originally had a disdain for humans

Kurama, the most powerful of the tailed beasts in the world of Naruto, initially hated humans because they tried to control him as a weapon. However, after being sealed inside Naruto, he develops a close bond with him and starts to see humanity in a new light. Kurama even begins to care about Naruto, and the two develop a strong mutual respect.

I watched as Naruto faced off against Isshiki Otsutsuki, and he had to push himself to the absolute limit with something called Baryon Mode to win. It was devastating, because using that much power cost Kurama his life. Later, Kurama did come back – inside Naruto’s daughter, Himawari – but the details of how that happened were never really explained. After being with Naruto for so long, Kurama deserved a better fate, and a more meaningful return.

2026-02-10 20:38