Naruto is one of the most well-known shonen anime and manga series. It is considered to be a part of the Big Three shonen anime series, One Piece and Bleach being the other two titles.
The series has featured some of the best shonen villains, with one of them being Obito Uchiha. Those who have watched Naruto are aware this character wasn’t always evil. He was a kind, determined, and skilled child who had set his sights on being a capable shinobi and serving Konohagakure.
This article deals with how Obito Uchiha turned into one of the biggest antagonists in Naruto.
Who is Obito Uchiha, and how did he turn evil in Naruto?
Obito Uchiha was a young Shinobi from Konohagakure. Being a descendant of the Uchiha clan, he wielded the Sharingan, which is considered to be a powerful visual jutsu.
His skills were enhanced to greater heights as he was being mentored by none other than Minato Namikaze himself.
In the Naruto series, Obito and his teammates, Kakashi and Rin, were on a mission. This was a time when the Third Great Ninja War was well underway. Much to everyone's dismay, Rin was captured by stone ninjas. Obito harbored intense feelings for his comrade and resolved to save her no matter what.
Naruto fan-favorite, Kakashi, was someone who didn’t let feelings get in the way of the mission and objectively evaluated the circumstances. He initially showed no interest in saving Rin, as he thought it would negatively impact their mission.
However, he later joined Obito and tried to save her. After driving the ninjas away, the group tried to escape. But a huge boulder crushed one side of Obito.
Moments before dying, the young Uchiha gave Kakashi his Sharingan and wanted to see the world by being one of his eyes.
On capturing Rin, Madara Uchiha placed a seal on her heart that prohibited her from taking her own life. Following that, she was forced to become the three-tailed beast Jinchuriki.
Out of fear of going on a rampage, she jumped in front of Kakashi’s Chidori, which killed her. Witnessing the death of the one he loved so much turned Obito into a villain who is primarily responsible for the Fourth Great Ninja War.
However, Rin's death was merely a trigger, after which Obito snapped and turned evil. Obito's interaction with Madara after being saved by Zetsu is what truly shaped his ideals. In times of despair, Madara came into his life and offered a solution that would offer world peace and thus proposed the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.
This plan would trap the entire world into a dream which would end all wars. But the price paid to achieve world peace in this manner was that humanity would lose its free will. To execute his plans, Madara needed someone who could carry out his will. He staged Rin's death in a manner that guaranteed Obito cutting ties with Konohagakure.
Obito lost his faith in humanity after this life-changing event and turned into one of the biggest antagonists in Naruto.