Orochimaru was the biggest embarrassment in Naruto, and nothing can convince me otherwise

With a plethora of unique characters, Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto series is a classic anime and manga that has reached the pinnacle of popularity among all series ever created. The story offers an in-depth exploration of various aspects, ranging from coming-of-age narratives and intriguing action sequences.

While the series features some of the most recognizable antagonists in the animanga verse, one primary antagonist, particularly in the early stages of the story, has been incredibly underwhelming, more than fans could have imagined.

The character in question is Orochimaru, a former member of the legendary Sannin. Despite his immense potential and strength shown throughout the Naruto series, there are several instances that portray him as somewhat of an embarrassment, particularly in his role as an antagonist.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains potential spoilers from the Naruto anime and manga series.

---

Orochimaru's disappointing moments from the Naruto series that lose him credibility as an antagonist

The first instance that comes to mind from Naruto is when Orochimaru joined the Akatsuki after betraying and leaving the Konoha village. During his time with the Akatsuki, Orochimaru encountered Itachi Uchiha, who had also joined after killing the Uchiha Clan and exiling himself from the Hidden Leaf village.

As the two walked together, Orochimaru bound Itachi with his snake, and although he restrained him, Itachi was able to easily escape the hold using his Genjutsu, even cutting off Orochimaru's hand. While debating whether to kill Orochimaru, Kabuto arrived and saved him.

The critical point here is that, while Itachi was undoubtedly powerful, he should not have been able to overwhelm Orochimaru so easily, as Orochimaru was a former legendary Sannin. Moreover, Itachi was quite young compared to Orochimaru and theoretically had less experience and training. After failing to get his way with Itachi, Orochimaru decided to pursue Sasuke.

After leaving the Akatsuki and taking Sasuke under his wing, Orochimaru trained Sasuke and offered him knowledge and techniques he had developed. However, as Sasuke grew stronger, he chose his own path and even called Orochimaru "disgusting" while attacking him in his weakened state.

To add to the embarrassment, later, as Orochimaru emerged from Sasuke's curse mark, he was immediately one-shotted and sealed by Itachi. Furthermore, Orochimaru attacked the Hidden Leaf Village and faced off against the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was well past his prime at that time.

Even with help from the reanimated bodies of the former first and second Hokages—Hashirama and Tobirama—Orochimaru could not defeat an old and battle-worn Hiruzen and lost his arms, preventing him from using Ninjutsu. This was yet another loss for someone who once held a high status and was known for his extensive knowledge of jutsus.

---

Final thoughts

Despite having so much potential, Orochimaru was mostly embarrassing to watch when it came to fights. Whether it was intentional on the part of the mangaka remains unclear, but his credibility as one of the series' antagonists was lost due to his repeated losses against various opponents.

---