Sasuke is the biggest victim in Naruto, but no one talks about it

During its runtime, Naruto was heavily worshipped. Each chapter released was met with a flurry of comments dissecting each move that any character made. Now that Naruto is over, the subject of the comments has changed. They are filled with questions. Half of these questions seem to be praises, however, the other half appear to be criticisms.

Many of the criticisms that the series faces are over its handling of characters. Many characters are thrown into the series, and they appear to be important. However, 100 chapters later, these characters are not relevant. Naruto is rife with promising characters who were not given healthy conclusions, and that is terrible. Even the main characters are not exempt from this poor treatment.

Sasuke is one of Kishimoto’s best-written characters ever, but the treatment of his character is still subpar. There are a lot of missed opportunities with Sasuke’s character, coupled with the aloofness other characters show at Sasuke’s pain. This is someone who had everything taken from him, but is still expected to be calm and level-headed. Naruto never addresses Sasuke's pain, and this makes Sasuke the biggest victim in the series.

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

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Why Sasuke is the biggest victim in Naruto

Sasuke is expected to forget the murder of his entire clan (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Sasuke is Kishimoto’s greatest invention. With the Uchiha, Kishimoto created a character who boldly embodies the anti-war themes of the story, but also represents something else entirely.

To start with, Sasuke is a genocide survivor, and this is huge. Most times, Shonen stories don’t trivialize things like this, which is why the treatment of Naruto's most prominent genocide survivor is shocking.

Sasuke is such a thrilling character because of the stage of his life when he lost his entire family. Sasuke lost them when he was a child, and children see the world through a lens of black and white.

Due to this, Sasuke is barely able to notice the slight changes in his clan’s demeanor. He doesn’t notice the look of stress that his brother carries, and he also doesn’t notice how the clan has begun to treat Itachi.

No one in Naruto sees their entire clan murdered in front of them (Image via Studio Pierrot)

What Sasuke begins to notice is how his parents treat him as an afterthought. Sasuke is seldom acknowledged because of his prodigious brother. Fugaku unknowingly compares the two brothers, and this made a much younger Sasuke yearn. Sasuke yearned for his father’s approval, he just wanted to be as good as Itachi.

When the Uchiha die, Sasuke loses more than his family. He loses his identity, and the crazy thing is that he never had the chance to form a strong identity. He was always expected to be somebody else, never himself. Sasuke mourns a half-filled life, and no one in the series can relate to that.

Naruto tries to put himself in Sasuke’s shoes, but he can’t. The Uzumaki never had parents or a clan- he does not understand what a family looks like. Kakashi also can’t understand Sasuke because he was never stuck in a familial relationship with constant yearning. That longing that never got fulfilled is what tortures Sasuke.

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Final thoughts

Sasuke deserved more exposition, maybe even as much as the series protagonist.

Viewers get to see Sasuke’s inner monologue, and it leaves the Uchiha in some sort of ambiguity. However, Sasuke’s suffering and loneliness are all too apparent for anyone watching to see.

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