For decades, many popular action-adventure anime and manga series (known as ‘shonen’) have featured villains who eventually become heroes. Series like Dragon Ball, One Piece, My Hero Academia, and Dan Da Dan all showcase this trend. However, Naruto stands out as having the most villains find redemption. Since its debut in the early 2000s, Naruto has continued with a new generation in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, and throughout both series, many former villains have switched sides. With Boruto moving forward, it’s a good time to look back at how Naruto handled villain redemption.
7.) Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha began his journey as a promising hero alongside Team 7, but during Naruto Shippuden, he shifted towards opposing Konoha, believing he was acting for the greater good. Initially, his sole focus was avenging his clan by killing his brother, Itachi. However, after learning the truth – that Itachi acted under orders from a former Hokage – Sasuke directed his anger towards his village. Though he never managed to destroy Konoha, Sasuke consistently leaned towards being an anti-hero, or even a villain, rather than a true hero. While he later became a valuable mentor to Boruto, it’s hard to forget the severity of his past actions and whether they deserved forgiveness.
6.) Pain (Nagato)
Nagato, known as Pain, didn’t get to fight with Naruto against Madara Uchiha and Obito. However, his last action had a big impact, largely thanks to Naruto’s compassionate nature as Hokage. Pain used a powerful technique to revive those he had killed, including the victims of his attack on the Hidden Leaf Village. While this was a positive act, it couldn’t erase the harm he caused throughout the series. As the one responsible for Jiraiya’s death and countless other lives lost as a member of the Akatsuki, Pain was a major threat. His attempt at redemption lessened the impact of his villainous role in the story.
5.) Zabuza
I remember when Team 7 first faced Zabuza – he was one of their earliest, toughest challenges. While he wasn’t as powerful as some of the villains Konoha would face later on, he really stuck with me. This masked ninja from the Hidden Mist eventually realized how much his partner, Haku, was sacrificing for him. It reminded me a bit of Pain; Zabuza only seemed to understand the value of life in his final moments, though he did come back during the Fourth Ninja World War. His change of heart felt genuine, but a little surprising, considering he’d always seemed like a cold, emotionless mercenary.
4.) Itachi Uchiha
Honestly, when I first learned why Itachi wiped out the Uchiha clan, I wasn’t that impressed. It felt like a bit of a letdown. I’d always figured he was driven by a desire for power and a willingness to join the Akatsuki, which seemed to fit his personality. So, discovering he’d done it all to protect Konoha felt like a twist just for the sake of being shocking. It was a huge moment for the Naruto series, no doubt, but it took something away from Itachi’s character, and it was a really tough pill to swallow seeing how far he’d gone at the request of the previous Hokage. That final fight between the brothers was amazing and incredibly emotional, easily one of the best scenes in the anime, but changing his core motivation diminished the impact of everything he did.
3.) Kabuto
Kabuto, who took over for the villain Orochimaru after his defeat in Naruto Shippuden, had a surprisingly dramatic change of heart. During a battle with Itachi, he was trapped in a powerful illusion that forced him to essentially become a new person. After what felt like a lifetime of self-reflection within the illusion, Kabuto turned good, joining the village of Konoha and dedicating himself to running an orphanage. While he earned his redemption through this intense experience, many fans believe Kabuto was a more compelling character as a villain, and it’s interesting to imagine how impactful he could have been in the Boruto series.
2.) Obito Uchiha
Obito’s redemption, happening right at the end of Naruto Shippuden, is one of the most surprising on this list. Like many villains in the series, he changes his ways after fighting Naruto. While his experiences with death and Madara Uchiha definitely influenced him, Obito was responsible for a lot of his own choices. Given that his eventual change of heart didn’t really affect the overall story, it feels like it would have been more impactful if he’d stayed a villain.
1.) Orochimaru
Orochimaru’s change of heart is arguably one of the strangest redemptions in anime history, especially considering his incredibly cruel actions throughout Naruto. He committed terrible deeds, even treating children as experiments to achieve immortality. Despite all this, at the end of Naruto Shippuden, he was allowed to live peacefully in the Hidden Leaf Village, without even offering an apology. While his change did introduce the new character Mitsuki to Team 7, it’s still unsettling to see Orochimaru doing well after everything he’s done.
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2026-02-13 01:10