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Naruto has introduced some of the most iconic villains in the series over time. These characters have managed to overwhelm their opponents with unique abilities and distinctive personalities. However, the most powerful villain of all time turned out to be the progenitor of Chakra, Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Kaguya's character as the final villain was unexpected in the series' history, as fans presumed Madara Uchiha to be the one taking the role. Although Kaguya was the perfect fit as the final villain in Naruto, some others also have the potential to justify the position better than her.
Madara Uchiha & 3 others who should've been the final villain in Naruto
1) Madara Uchiha
Since the beginning of the show, Madara has managed to wield a strong influence on everyone with his unparalleled ninjutsu prowess and sets of ideals. As the legendary Uchiha, Madara's name was enough to inflict horror into the hearts of the five great nations.
Madara followed the Sage of Six Path's inscriptions on the Uchiha stone tablet to create an ideal world. He did so by executing the Eye of the Moon plan, which no other Uchiha in history has ever come close to. Instead of being the final villain, he became a puppet of Kaguya Otsustsuki's will without his knowledge.
Madara had everything at his disposal to become the greatest threat to humanity, but he was being manipulated by Black Zetsu from the start and served as a medium to revive the actual final villain, Kaguya.
2) Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke was robbed of happiness at a very tender age by none other than his brother, Itachi Uchiha, who massacred the entire Uchiha clan, including his parents. After Sasuke knew the actual reason behind Itachi's actions, he shifted his grudge toward Konoha.
Sasuke sought to destroy Konoha by benefitting from Uchiha's downfall and Itachi's death. Moreover, Sasuke spent his whole life seeking false revenge against his own brother, who turned out to be an unsung hero. Sasuke had every reason to go evil and could have been the best fit for the final villain.
3) Kabuto Yakushi
Kabuto became the right-hand man of Orochimaru, but he wasn't loyal to his master, as the former agreed that he would eventually betray the latter to surpass him. After Sasuke defeated Orochimaru, Kabuto took advantage by infusing himself with his master's remains and became the unstoppable force.
Kabuto single-handedly managed to pull the one-man army card by perfecting the Edo Tensei to another level. However, Kabuto didn't have enough time to hone his newfound powers, which is why he got defeated by Itachi's Izanami. With the given intelligence and overwhelming abilities, Kabuto had the potential to become the final villain.
4) Obito Uchiha
Obito was one of the greatest late bloomers in Naruto and was presumed dead in the Third Great Ninja War. However, Obito was saved by Madara, who wanted to use the former as a tool to put the Eye of the Moon Plan back into action.
Unknown to Obito, Madara kidnapped Rin and sealed Isobu within her body. After witnessing Rin's death at the hands of Kakashi, Obito turned into an apathetic individual who was disgusted with his world. Thus everything went according to Madara's plan.
Although Obito was fighting someone else's war, if he knew the true intentions of Madara, the former could have taken matters into his own hands and prevented the latter's revival. Even the reincarnated Hashirama Senju exclaimed Obito to be far more robust than him, which is why Obito could have been one of the best fits in the list of the final villain category in Naruto.
Danzo Shimura & 3 others who don't have the potential to become the final villain in Naruto
1) Danzo Shimura
Danzo Shimura is regarded as one of the most evil characters in the entirety of the Naruto franchise, whose cruelty knows no limits. Although Danzo didn't force Itachi to slaughter his own clan, he was the one who gave the latter the green signal.
Danzo is responsible for many atrocities, including Shisui's death, pitting Kabuto and Nono against each other, Sasuke's traumatic childhood, and many more. Due to being underpowered, Danzo wasn't capable enough to serve as the final villain.
2) Orochimaru
Orochimaru didn't want world domination like other evil characters in Naruto, as the only thing he ever strived for was immortality and to seek priceless knowledge from all corners of the world. Orochimaru's character constantly fluctuated between abstract concepts of moral sense.
The creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, assured everyone by saying Orochimaru is indeed a true evil and is one of the hopeless villain characters of the series, which concludes that he can't justify his role as the final villain. Orochimaru, a legendary Sannin, is a powerful shinobi, but his goals don't include taking over the world.
3) Gaara
Gaara started out as one of the most evil characters in the series who had no definite goals but would kill anyone who stood in his way. However, Naruto changed Gaara's perception and showed him that there's someone who cares about him. If it weren't for Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu, Gaara would have remained evil.
Although Shukaku gets blamed for Gaara's hatred, the former is just short-tempered and used the latter's hate as a medium to unleash his frustration towards humans. Even if Gaara stayed evil, he would not have lived up to the final villain's expectations in Naruto.
4) Itachi Uchiha
Itachi killed his entire clan and his parents to prevent a civil war within the village that could have destroyed Konoha. However, everyone in the village despised Itachi for being a murderer who killed his brethren. Itachi also left Sasuke traumatized for the rest of his life.
Despite being an Uchiha, Itachi became the carrier of the "Will of Fire" from the day he was born, just like Shisui. Instead of succumbing to the "Curse of Hatred." Itachi became the unsung hero of Konoha who took the fall for the Uchiha clan alone as he was loyal to Konoha.
Itachi was among those who strived for peace in the Shinobi world, and for that, he gave up everything. So there is no way Itachi could have managed to justify his role as a villain.
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