The Most Tragic Backstories In The Naruto Series

Tragedy in the Naruto series is not just about loss but what it leaves behind and how it shapes those who survived. The writer, Masashi Kishimoto, uses death, sorrow, and tragedy in the story, making viewers relate to the characters even if they are villains.

While some characters in the series are able to rise above the tragedy that pervades their lives in the chaotic shinobi world, some succumb to it. The Naruto characters have some of the most heartbreaking backstories you will ever encounter. Here is a list of some characters with the most tragic backstories in the story.

10. Naruto Uzumaki

From Outcast To Hero

Naruto’s birth came with a tragedy and a huge parental sacrifice. From the moment he was born, his fate was sealed to be a loner. His parents died protecting and sealing the powerful Nine-Tailed fox within him as a baby.

Instead of the world seeing his parent’s noble sacrifice to save not only their child but also the village from the raging Nine Tails, the village saw Naruto as a monster. Imagine spending your childhood trying to understand why no one wanted to be near you and why adults look at you with fear or resentment.

Despite facing unimaginable hardships, Naruto persevered and refused to give up, even when it seemed like he had no choice but to do so. This mindset made him an inspiration to his village, ultimately earning him the title of hero.

9. Gaara

A Childhood Without Love

At least, the sealing of the Nine-Tails inside Naruto was not planned, but for Gaara, his father purposely turned him into a Jinchuriki, believing it would strengthen the village. Hence, he was seen only as a weapon and not a person.

For a child who had no say in what he had become, the Sand Village people avoided him like a plague. Gaara was never loved, and his uncle, who he thought was the only person who loved him, also betrayed him.

Unlike Naruto, who had mentors to guide him, Gaara became a monster because it was the only way he could survive. How different would his life have been if one person had shown him kindness before he lost himself?

8. Negato (Pain)

A Child Of War

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to endure hardships in the Naruto universe, then look no further than Negato. His life was consumed by war, loss, and deception, with no chance to escape the endless cycle of suffering.

He was fortunate enough to meet two other orphans, Yahiko and Konan, who relieved him of the heavy burden. However, Yahiko, who made Negato believe in peace and gave him hope, was killed.

The world repeatedly proved to him that hope was a lie, so Negato formed the villainy Akatsuki group to make the world feel the suffering he endured.

7. Kakashi Hatake

The Unseen Pain Behind The Mask

Kakashi’s roadmap to grief started with his father, Sakumo, who chose to save his comrade instead of completing a mission. Instead of being honored for his compassion, he was shamed in the village, and this drove him to commit suicide.

After Obito and Rin’s untimely deaths, a tragic event occurred: Minato, who had taken on a paternal role towards Kakashi, also perished during the Nine-Tails attack. This left Kakashi all by himself.

While Kakashi could have let his pain turn him into something else, he kept going to make sure he kept these people’s memories alive.

6. Itachi Uchiha

A Curse Of Duty

Stripping away his exceptional abilities and fearsome reputation, what remains about Itachi is a young man compelled to confront an unbearable decision. Itachi was a victim of a system that denied him the liberty to lead his own life.

From childhood, Itachi witnessed the horrors of war as a shinobi in the Anbu Corp, which changed him. Then, the most difficult choice came: let his clan (Uchiha) wage war against the village and risk countless deaths or slaughter his own family to protect the village.

Itachi wiped out his own family, sparing just his brother Sasuke. Despite being branded a villain, he continued to operate covertly to safeguard a village that viewed him as such an abomination.

5. Kimimaro

A Warrior Without Purpose

Some Naruto characters experience loss, but Kimimaro didn’t have anything to lose in the first place. He belonged to the Kaguya clan and possessed a unique Shikotsumyaku ability, which made his clan treat him as a weapon.

Characters in Naruto suffer losses, while Kimimaro never had anything that could be lost. As a member of the Kaguya clan and having the Shikotsumyaku ability, he was always seen as a tool by his own kin.

After Kimimaro’s whole clan was annihilated, he met Orochimaru, and he clung to him because that gave him a reason to exist. Even when Orochimaru planned to use him as a vessel, Kimimaro obliged because he had finally found a purpose.

During his time with Orochimaru, he became fatally ill, and he was discarded since he is now useless. After everything, he died of his illness while fighting for Orochimaru for a cause that was never his own.

4. Tsunade Senju

The Gambler’s Grief

When people talk about the tragedy in Naruto, characters who lost their families young or were forced into war are often focused on. For Tsunade, it came in waves. Each sadness stripped away her hope until there was nothing more to live for.

Her brother, Nawaki, and her lover, Dan Kato, who both shared her dreams, died, and she blamed herself for not saving them. After the ordeal, she abandoned her village and her dreams and drowned herself in gambling and alcohol.

Her comeback to Konoha is motivating as she persisted in her belief that she could safeguard the village, even though she knew that loss would inevitably be a part of her journey.

3. Sasuke Uchiha

The Weight Of Betrayal

Sasuke belonged to the Uchiha clan, but tragically, every last member of this clan was brutally killed, not at the hands of a random shinobi, but by his own brother. This event left a deep scar on Sasuke as he lost everything he knew and loved, all taken away by someone he once held dear.

He went from a happy and ambitious boy to someone whose entire existence became defined by vengeance. However, what makes Sasuke’s story even more tragic is the truth he later learns about his brother.

After dedicating his entire life to hating Itachi and walking the path of darkness to get revenge, he finds out that his brother is not a monster but a martyr and that he loves him more than anything in the world.

2. Haku

A Childhood Stolen

Haku was a child who learned how cruel the world can be before he had a chance to understand it. He was born with the rare and powerful Kekkei Genkai, but the power was feared in his village.

His father, who should have been the guardian, ended up murdering his mother, who was capable, and attempted to kill him too. To stay alive, Haku had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and kill his father. Afterward, he was left on his own, feeling unwanted and abandoned.

He later met Zabuza Momochi, who used him as a tool, but Haku did not care and was willing to throw away his life if he meant that he was useful to someone. His life was a cycle of rejection, manipulation, and sacrifice, and in the end, he died selflessly, never knowing what it was like to be a child or to be loved.

1. Sasori

The Price Of Loneliness

As a child, Sasori wanted nothing more than love, but love was a luxury in the chaotic shinobi world. When his parents died in battle, he became lonely and aloof, but his grandmother, Chiyo, tried to comfort him with the art of puppetry to keep him company.

He created puppets of his parents to recapture what the world had taken from him, but puppets are not humans, so it never felt the same. The loneliness continued, and Sasori took the art of puppetry further by making himself a puppet.

In the end, the art of puppetry only did the opposite of why it was initially introduced to Sasori. He stripped himself of his humanity as he aimed to achieve eternal art, and just like his puppets, he became beautiful but lifeless.

2025-03-18 05:15