Naruto fans’ Misconceptions about Madara’s Death and Sasuke’s Character Inspiration

In various interviews with the series’ author, Masashi Kishimoto, it has been revealed that Naruto draws inspiration from both ancient folklore and other anime series. While some of these inspirations may come as a surprise to fans, others are already well-known. One of the major influences on Naruto was the Dragon Ball series.

The main character Son Goku was instrumental in the creation of Kishimoto’s acclaimed protagonist. In addition, other popular series such as The Ghost in the Shell, Akira, One Piece, and Hunter x Hunter also played significant roles in the development of Kishimoto’s masterpiece.

There are some common misunderstandings about the characters in Naruto, particularly concerning two members of the Uchiha clan. Fans have speculated that Madara was weakened by Kaguya, who was ultimately confirmed to be stronger than him. Additionally, while some believed that Sasuke Uchiha was influenced by Kurapika, he was actually based on a character from Yu Yu Hakusho.

Please note that all opinions expressed here are solely those of the author.

Correcting the Misconceptions Behind the Inspirations of Some Characters in Naruto

Madara as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Madara Uchiha, who was one of the main antagonists in the series, was also a co-founder of Hidden Leaf Village. Along with Hashirama Senju, he was one of the first members of the Uchiha clan to be heavily involved in the plot.

Despite their opposing ideals, Madara and Hashirama were unable to find a peaceful resolution and resorted to settling their dispute through a physical confrontation. This ultimately led to Madara’s defeat and apparent death, but in truth, he had secretly planned to go into hiding and eventually return. He meticulously prepared for his future comeback, determined to make it flawless. As Obito assumed his identity and continued to live, he proved to the world that the legendary Uchiha still lived on.

The use of Kabuto’s reincarnation jutsu brought him back to life, and he patiently waited for Obito to complete his preparations. He proved to be stronger than the current Kage leaders of each clan, leading fans to believe that Kishimoto had created an unstoppable force. However, Obito ultimately deviated from his plan to give Madara a new life, but the villain still managed to forcefully be reborn.

Thankfully, Madara’s insatiable hunger for power ultimately led to his downfall when Kaguya emerged from his body following Black Zetsu’s revelation of his treachery. This left fans of the series speculating that, since Kishimoto had no means of defeating Madara, he employed Kaguya as a means to eliminate him.

Sasuke ranking Kaguya stronger than Madara (Image via Shueisha)

Despite the misconception that Madara was killed by Kaguya emerging from his body, it was not true. Sasuke realized Kaguya’s true power upon her emergence from Madara’s body and declared her to be even stronger than Madara. In fact, as the ultimate antagonist of the series, Kaguya was destined to overpower the Uchiha from the beginning.

Despite being the deuteragonist of the series, Sasuke Uchiha is highly regarded by fans and was the person Naruto Uzumaki was determined to bring back home. His character is praised as one of the most acclaimed in both the series and anime. Some fans even speculate that it may have been influenced by Kurapika, a character from the popular Shounen manga series Hunter x Hunter, created by Yoshihiro Togashi.

Kurapika as seen in the anime (Image via Madhouse)

Despite both having the same colored eyes and experiencing a similar background (both having their clan members massacred), Masashi Kishimoto and Yoshihiro Togashi, the authors of Naruto and Yu Yu Hakusho respectively, revealed during an interview that Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho served as the inspiration for Sasuke’s character.

Hiei is a main character in the popular manga and anime series Yu Yu Hakusho. Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the hit series Naruto, was a fan of Yu Yu Hakusho and began its serialization in 1990. In search of inspiration for a “cool”character in his own series, Kishimoto turned to his favorite characters from other series, including Hiei. It was from this influence that he ultimately created the character of Sasuke Uchiha.

Hiei as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Hiei, much like Sasuke, was a martial artist with a solitary nature and a disdain for weak opponents. Additionally, Hiei possessed the Jagan eyes, which granted him powers such as mind control, similar to Sasuke’s Sharingan, and numerous other abilities.

Not only was Hiei an inspiration for the entire character, but he also served as the inspiration for one of the most iconic eyes in anime, the Sharingan. However, it is worth noting that Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter may have also influenced certain aspects of the Uchiha clan, as the series began its serialization before Naruto.