How Naruto & Sasuke Died, and Why Their Resurrection Was So Controversial (2024)

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR NARUTO

Naruto and Sasuke eventually became the strongest ninjas in the world, but not before they were both killed by the Naruto franchise's strongest shinobi. Like many long-running shōnen series, author Masashi Kishimoto encountered the common problem of making his ultimate villain too strong to overcome. For a series famous for its complex and intimidating villains, one stood above the rest by being the only character responsible for killing Naruto and Sasuke with little effort.

The Naruto storyline contained many incredible arcs that continued to build off one another while getting more intense. After Pain's assault on Konoha, it was difficult to imagine how a foe could be more intimidating than Akatsuki's leader. However, the introduction of Uchiha Madara did not only that, but provided one of the best villain entrances and showcases of power in anime.

One of the best episodes of Naruto Shippuden included a proper reveal of the legendary Uchiha Madara. He'd been resurrected with the Reanimation ninjutsu technique that gave him infinite chakra in an unfeeling immortal body. Episode #322 showcased the ultimate villain decimating an entire army for fun, and he only got more scary when he started to get serious.

The Fourth Great Ninja War Was Hell, And It Only Got Worse

Naruto's war arc begins on chapter 516 of the manga

The Fourth Great Ninja War was an arc that saw a lot of emotional reunions and shocking twists. Madara's overarching plot became increasingly apparent as the situation became more dire for the United Shinobi Alliance. Using Uchiha Obito, Madara planned to resurrect himself fully, and when that plan finally came to fruition, not even Konoha's best could stop him.

After Obito had suffered fatal damage, Madara decided to get serious about accomplishing his goal of becoming a shinobi god. To do that, he forced Obito to use the sacrificial Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth technique to bring Madara's living body back. At that point in the War, the villains only had two warriors left. It was down to the mysterious Zetsu and Madara with only one of his original Rinnegan eyes against all of the Tailed Beasts, Naruto, Sasuke, the Reanimated Hokages, and the surviving remnants of the Shinobi Alliance. And Madara was done playing with his food.

How Naruto and Sasuke Died

Naruto Shippuden Episode #393, "A True Ending"

To become a god-like Sage of the Six Paths and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the world's population, Madara needed to absorb chakra from all nine Tailed Beasts, including the Nine-Tails inside of Naruto. Not long after getting his original body back, Madara did just that. Jinchuriki that host a tailed beast's energy die after having the energy removed. After having Kurama (aka the Nine-Tails) ripped out of him, Naruto's heartbeat and pulse stopped, and he was technically dead. Determined not to lose him for good, Sakura physically pumped his heart and breathed for him through CPR.

Naruto's death was brought on by having his companion's energy ripped from him, while Sasuke's was the result of foolishly diving toward Madara and earning a dramatic physical wound. While the Naruto series' best villain was embarrassing the Second Hokage Sasuke was caught in midair with an invisible limbo technique and nonchalantly stabbed through the heart with his own sword.

Madara's limbo technique was more prominently explored later in the story, but it essentially creates a physical clone of Madara that operates in a different plane of reality. With only one Rinnegan Eye, Madara could create one clone, but it was enough to take Sasuke by surprise. After the attack, the incredibly skilled sensory ninja Uzumaki Karin could no longer sense his chakra, meaning that Madara's attack killed Sasuke, at least temporarily.

Many Tried, But Madara Could Not Be Stopped From Accomplishing His Goal

Madara becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki in manga chapter #663, episode 414 of the anime

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Madara's joy of battle likely played a large part in him dragging things out throughout the Fourth Shinobi War. Still, once he was revived with his own flesh and blood, his goal of casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi was ultimately accomplished despite everything that stood in his way. After subduing Naruto and Sasuke and reclaiming the chakra from every tailed beast, Madara quickly summoned the Ten-Tails again and absorbed them to become its jinchuriki. Six Paths Madara was born, essentially becoming a god in the shinobi world.

While Kakashi, Obito, and Guy did everything they could to prevent Madara from gaining his second Rinnegan eye and becoming complete, others played a vital role in bringing Naruto and Sasuke back to life. Kabuto worked to revive Sasuke, while Obitio and Sakura were able to work on Naruto. However, neither party knew their methods of healing the two would be exactly what they needed to unlock their own ultimate Sage of the Six Paths power-ups.

How Naruto and Sasuke Were Brought Back To Life

During Naruto's earlier battle against Obito, he encountered the chakras of the other Tailed Beasts whom the Akatsuki organization had previously captured. He was gifted power from each, except the One and Eight Tails. However, he was able to be revived after Obito regained his senses and betrayed Six Paths Madara. After some clever tactics, Obito extracted the Tailed-Beast chakras from Madara that Naruto was missing and transported himself, Naruto, and Sakura into his Kamui dimension. There, Naruto was revived and consensually held the powers of each Tailed-Beast, unlocking his own Sage of the Six Paths form.

The Rinnegan's a complex thing to unlock that Madara accidentally discovered when he was an elderly man. As the Sharingan's ultimate and final stage, the Rinnegan forms once Uchiha and Senju chakras are effectively fused together. Thanks to Itachi's genius genjutsu, Kabuto was turned into an alley and was able to heal Sasuke's fatal wound with highly regenerative Senju cells. With that exact co*cktail of Uchiha and Senju powers and Sasuke's expert ability to control chakras, he was revived and able to awaken his own Rinnegan eye.

Allies Helped More Than The Sage of the Six Paths

While the story insinuates that Hagomoro, the original Sage of the Six Paths, gifted Naruto and Sasuke his chakra to help defeat Madara, their allies' work seemed sufficient to unlock the powers they needed. Still, despite unlocking an incredible boost in their abilities and strength, Madara was still able to accomplish his goal and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi that put most of the world's population into a life-force stealing dream. The powerful villain effectively killed Naruto and Sasuke and is still regarded as the Naruto series' best villain, who required an unsatisfying plot twist to defeat for good.

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  Naruto: Shippuden

  Set two and a half years after the events of Masashi Kishimoto's original anime, Naruto Shippuden continues the titular hero's attempts to become the best ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village and bring his former friend Sasuke Uchiha back to the light. The 500-episode series features the return of allies such as Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki's mentor Jiraiya, as well as the villainous organization Akatsuki.

• Naruto (1999)

• Naruto

  Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists' children and returning faces.