Orochimaru was given an easy way out in Naruto, and he didn’t deserve it

Naruto is still one of the most popular anime in 2025, which is surprising, and at the same time, not too surprising. During its runtime, the series was among the famous Shonen Big 3, along with other heavyweights like Bleach and One Piece. Naruto has stood the test of time, and it is because it gets a lot of things right.

One of the first things it gets right is the plot. The plot is simple but has a lot of depth. At first glance, the story seems like a conventional Shonen story, where the viewers follow the main character as he tries to accomplish his goals. However, there are so many themes that are constantly being tackled in Naruto.

While Naruto is amazing, it gets some things wrong. One of the things it gets wrong is the lack of consequences. Many characters never seem to face the consequences for their actions. Sasuke and Danzo are subtle examples, but the obvious one is Orochimaru. The Sannin commits so much harm, and at the end of the day, he just integrates into Konoha like nothing. Keep reading to find out why this is a problem.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views and may contain spoilers.

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Why Orochimaru deserves some sort of consequence in Naruto

Orochimaru's Edo Tensei jutsu is indirectly responsible for Madara's return (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The biggest flaw in Kishimoto’s handling of not just Naruto, but the entire Narutoverse as a whole, is that there are few to no consequences for the actions taken. This has been common throughout the entire series, and can be seen from the beginning. The biggest example of this is the Sand’s attack on the Leaf. That invasion ends with the Third Hokage’s death, but episodes later, the sins of the Sand are forgiven.

While the Sand not having any consequence for its actions can be swept under the rug, Orochimaru’s sins do not deserve that same forgiveness. Orochimaru has a list of crimes that range from wrong to downright abominable. The first one is Regicide - Orochimaru has made two attempts to kill Hiruzen, with his second attempt being a success.

He is responsible for Hiruzen's death (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Despite the regicide, Orochimaru waltzes into the Uzumaki’s wedding without any chains cuffed to his wrists. This is strange, as the Kage is one of the highest positions in the series, so why would a Kage killer walk freely without any consequence? Another grave sin of Orochimaru is that he experimented on children.

During his stay in Konoha, Orochimaru freely experimented on children. Many of those children died, and the few that survived in Anko and Yamato were scarred for life. He was also behind Danzo’s machinations, which emboldened Danzo to commit numerous dark crimes and conspired to kill the Hokage.

With all these crimes, Orochimaru has been shown to live freely in the Boruto Saga. The more shocking thing is that he is still allowed to conduct scientific experiments. Someone with a history of kidnapping and mutilating children is allowed to experiment; where is Konoha's sense of safety? Fans also needed Orochimaru to be punished, as it would have given them closure.

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Final thoughts

Orochimaru also hastened Akatsuki’s plans indirectly through his protege, Kabuto. His Edo Tensei technique was refined by Kabuto, and it was used by him to summon Madara. That summoning nearly ended the world. The least Konoha could have done was to make Orochimaru pay for his crimes, instead of allowing him to integrate into the village.

Orochimaru paying for his crimes would have also made the series world more realistic and done wonders for its worldbuilding. The Shinobi world is built on some sort of law and order, but viewers have never seen firsthand the use of these laws. This is a huge oversight from Kishimoto, as this was a perfect opportunity.

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