The Uchiha Clan was the centerpiece for evil characters throughout the Naruto series. However, despite the ill actions taken by Madara, Itachi, and Indra, the Uchiha Clan wasn’t all that horrible. In truth, they’ve earned themselves a horrible reputation-- one that Naruto fans thoroughly enjoyed though.
Dating back to the very beginning of everything in Naruto, the Uchiha Clan has been a staple of power, strategic excellence, and gifted ninjutsu. One would think that the Curse of Hatred sought out by Indra would cause the Uchiha clansman are an emotional people. They love harder than most and can hate more than some could ever comprehend. Ironically, it's through these powerful emotions in which the Mangekyō Sharingan can be awakened.
Then there’s individuals like Itachi, who do things out of love and go to terrible extremes. When looking back on Itachi taking out the entire Uchiha Clan, it's easy to forget that there were children who were murdered that day. Much like Anakin Skywalker taking out the youngling’s, Itachi did the same when he wiped out the Uchiha Clan.
This aspect of the Naruto story is dark-- darker than most casual audiences ever realized. This is what makes the Uchiha Clan so interesting.
From the creation of ninjutsu to that dark and horrifying day, here are the 15 Things You Didn’t Know About The Uchiha Clan in Naruto.
15. The Founder Of The Clan Was Also The Creator Of Ninjutsu
Indra Ōtsutsuki wasn’t content with the life he was given, particularly in regard to power. Black Zetsu is noted for “whispering” in Indra’s ear, telling him that he could “surpass the Sage of Six Paths.” Driven by an inner desire to create peace his own way, Indra created ninjutsu. He felt that ninshū was weak and incomplete, driving a bigger wedge between him and his family.
When Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki chose Asura to carry on his dream, Indra went into full rebellion mode. Ensuring that he would be powerful enough to challenge his father and brother, Indra secretly killed his two dearest friends to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He would attack Asura during his celebration, but would eventually be driven back into hiding. Indra would tell his father before retreating that “his cowardly approach to peace would only bring about greater wars.”
14. Many Never Understood The Secrets Of The Mangekyō Sharingan
In Naruto, the dōjutsu kekkei genkai (Sharingan) is one of the most feared aspects regarding the Uchiha Clan. Use of the Sharingan allows the individual to see chakra and copy and opponents' jutsu. This powerful tool can evolve into what is known as the Mangekyō Sharingan by experiencing the death of one close to the individual or a loved one.
What many Uchiha Clan members misunderstood about this incredible weapon is that overuse of the Mangekyō would eventually rob the user of their sight. Members would kill siblings (loved ones) in order to obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan, but then not be able to restore their vision after overusing it-- even by using their sibling's eyes.
Using eyes from a sibling as a replacement will create an eternal Mangekyō. Blinded by power, they killed loved ones to achieve something that they truly didn’t understand.
13. Sasuke Wasn’t Supposed To Exist
During the early stages of the Naruto series, Sasuke was not part of the original draft. It was Kishimoto’s editor who suggested that the character Naruto needed a friend to challenge and compete against. Kishimoto agreed to this and thus Sasuke came into being.
The concept for Sasuke came from an old manga character named — wait for it — Sasuke Sarutobi. Sarutobi was a ninja who had super-fast agility, along with the ability to conjure lightning. This character was also quite skilled at using a sword. However, there’s one more shocking surprise that only true Naruto fans will see coming-- Sasuke Sarutobi had a companion named Sakura.
You have to give Masashi Kishimoto props for his ingenious use of implementing characters taken from other stories. Naruto is essentially the greatest salad ever created in the manga and anime world.
12. Sasuke's Dad Kept His Mangekyō Sharingan A Secret
Fugaku Uchiha was a unique and interesting character. When he pulled Itachi aside, revealing the secrets concerning the stone tablet to him, he also spilled the beans about keeping his Mangekyō Sharingan a secret.
The reasoning behind this was that he was afraid the members of the Uchiha Clan would ask him to use the Mangekyō Sharingan to take control of the Nine-Tails and attack Konoha.
Fugaku believed in his heart that a revolution could take place without bloodshed. His downfall, of course, was admitting this to his son in the first place. During Itachi’s attack on the clan, his parents did not resist.
Instead, they told him that they were proud of him and that he needed to look after his brother. Fugaku’s body would later be found lying over his wife, as they both died together.
11. Many Clan Members Didn’t Want Madara To Become Hokage
The Uchiha and the Senju clans had been battling one another for ages. Over time, a majority of individuals had forgotten about the spark that drove that hatred.
Thus, when Madara was cheated out of becoming the first Hokage by Tobirama prompting a vote take place, many fans would assume that the Uchiha Clan would have had his back and voted for him. However, this wasn’t the case.
Not all the members of the Uchiha Clan agreed with Madara and his methods. Perhaps some were either jealous of his power or didn't believe that he had what it took to be a strong leader. Either way, Madara lost the vote because his own clansman turned their backs on him.
Madara felt that the voting process was just another step for the Senju Clan to take over and rule. He immediately tried to rally his people in order to take control of the village, but they were weary from decades of fighting and ignored him.
10. The Formation Of Konoha Military Police Force Wasn’t What It Seemed
Hashirama truly believed that there could be peace between all the clans and thus never wanted the actions of Madara to be held against other members of the Uchiha Clan.
Tobirama, however, never fully trusted the clan. Being the suspicious fighter that he was, Tobirama created the Konoha Military Police Force. The Uchiha were put in charge of it, supposedly as a sign of faith.
The reality, however, was that this decision was the first of many that would begin to isolate the Uchiha Clan from Konoha's affairs. As time passed and things got worse, members began to think that Madara was ultimately right.
When the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked the village, the Uchiha were not part of the defense team that was organized. They therrefore immediately became suspects of the attack.
9. Itachi’s Lover Was First To Die In The Genocide
When Sasuke is rescued by Tobi, who tells him about the atrocities that his brother committed, Tobi mentions that Itachi killed his friends and family members — and his lover.
At the time, Naruto fans were in the dark and had no idea that Itachi had someone so close to him. Most even forgot about this specific detail until much later when new information came about regarding Itachi and his unknown mysterious lover.
Her name was Izumi Uchiha. For most of her life she had been head-over-heals in love with Itachi, infatuated by his mere presence. The night that Itachi committed the genocide, Izumi was the first Uchiha clan member to die.
Itachi must have had some feelings for her, though, as he used the Tsukuyomi on her. This allowed her to continue living an imaginary life where the two of them could live happily together.
8. Torture Through Genjutsu
Itachi and Sasuke had an interesting brotherly bond that borders on a diagnosis of at least a dozen mental illnesses. During the story arc of Itachi and Kisame’s attempted abduction of Naruto, Sasuke stands up to Itachi.
Ready to take his revenge on Itachi, Sasuke has every intent of killing him. However, he never puts a scratch on him because Itachi uses his genjutsu to manipulate his mind.
The images that Itachi pumps into Sasuke’s brain are from the night that he wiped out their family and the entire Uchiha Clan. Not only does Itachi make himself relive this horrific and traumatic event, but Itachi also tortures Sasuke with these images for over 24 hours in his mind.
Over and over, tween Sasuke is forced to bear witness to the carnage that Itachi accomplished that dreadful night.
7. Members Of The Clan Received A Spinoff
Itachi Uchiha had two light novels in which he was the titular character, but the biggest spinoff for the Uchiha Clan was awarded to Sasuke.
Throughout the Naruto series, the Uchiha’s are shown to be evil, isolated, and sometimes daft. Despite these negative attributes, the fandom rallied around them much like Star Wars fans did around Boba Fett and Darth Vader.
Because of this popularity, Sasuke received an official second spinoff from Naruto titled Sharingan Legend. It was introduced as a manga that was meant to show off a more humorous and lighthearted side of Sasuke.
In it, Team Taka and Sasuke go on missions that are more comedic and light than the darker tones normally found in the Naruto arc. This is very similar to how some filler episodes ended up turning out in the anime.
6. Not All Uchiha Clansmen Relied On Fire As A Primary Technique
Two prominent Uchiha characters were known for relying on other techniques besides the Fire Nature Transformation that is supposed to be the Uchiha Clan's primary technique.
Sasuke was known for his skill in taijutsu (of which he later taught to Boruto), preferring it within close quartered attacks. He was also known for using Lightning Release more than he ever used the Fire Nature Transformation (another skill he taught to Boruto).
Like Sasuke, Madara felt that the Fire Nature Transformation wasn’t his style. Instead, he preferred to use wind style techniques. Madara would often combine wind and fire together, but he mentions several times in the anime that fire isn’t really his thing.
The bottom line for both of these Uchiha clansmen is that they adapted their styles for success, not on what others thought they were supposed to do.
5. Kishimoto Accidently Gave Madara Too Much Power
Masashi Kishimoto did a brilliant job of creating the ultimate villain in Naruto, but he might have taken it a bit too far. Kishimoto realized this later when he had a problem finding a way to kill Madara Uchiha off, since the character was so powerful.
Everyone in the Naruto world didn’t stand a chance against this deadly villain. This dilemma troubled Kishimoto for a long time before he finally decided how Madara could die.
It took just about every character in the Naruto franchise to gang up on Madara in intervals. Kishimoto then had the Tailed Beasts and the Demonic Statue removed from Madara's control, finally making him weak enough to be defeated.
Creativity is a great thing, but Kishimoto apparently let it get the better of him when it came to creating Madara.
4. The Clan Had Issues With Brotherly Love
Madara had a total of three brothers, but we often only focus on one: Izuna Uchiha. His other brothers died in battle, bringing Izuna and Madara together in a bond that would last beyond death. Sasuke and Itachi also had a close bond — it was distorted in ways, but close nonetheless.
When Izuna was on his deathbed he offered his eyes to Madara and encouraged him to continue on his path. This act is what gave Madara the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Itachi and Sasuke didn’t have a bond as close. This supposedly made Itachi declare that he was going to forcefully remove Sasuke eyes for the Mangekyō Sharingan. However, this wasn’t the reality of the situation. In truth, Itachi was trying to draw out Orochimaru as a means to protect Sasuke. Itachi was successful and would eventually die at peace-- or at as much peace as he could after committing the genocide.
3. There Is No Longer A Riff Between The Uchiha And Senju Clans
One of the greatest aspects concerning the new Boruto series is that the riff between the Uchiha and Senju Clans is finally resolved. Sasuke and Naruto are both teaching and training Boruto, providing family secrets and tactical skills that the two clans would never normally share.
While the story might take a veering left hook in the future by bringing back the hatred, for now at least there is true peace-- and fans are eating it up.
The story was a good one, but it has run its course. We’re glad that Kishimoto and his new crew have gone in a different direction with Boruto. We’re also glad that Boruto is learning from essentially both clans, something that has never been done before in the series and will obviously create an interesting story.
2. Indra Ōtsutsuki Believed That Power And Force Could Achieve Anything
The Uchiha Clan gets a bad reputation due to the mentality of individuals like Indra and Madara. Both characters were extremely independent and proud to a fault. Indra Ōtsutsuki truly believed that power and force could achieve anything-- even peace. This wasn’t his own ideology, though-- it was actually learned from his grandmother.
It would be the corrupted whispers to him by the Black Zetsu that would push Indra over the edge-- the same whisperings that would later push Madara. For Indra, his love for his family turned to hatred, warping his ideologies and actions. Madara, on the other hand, had views that were already warped, but it would be Zetsu’s whisperings that would ensure his downfall.
Absolute power never brought peace to the Uchiha Clan, it only brought blood and tears that lasted for generations. Indra and Madara’s ideas concerning power would eventually destroy the Uchiha Clan. However, thanks to Sasuke, the Uchiha Clan can finally start over with a clean slate.
1. The Clan's Jutsu Was Inspired By The Names Of Shintō Deities
Masashi Kishimoto is known for tapping into Japanese folklore tales to find inspiration for his characters (Legendary Sannin), but did you know that he delved into the Shintō religion and Japanese myths too?
Three ancient Japanese Gods were created from the God Izanagi after he washed his eyes and nose during a cleaning ritual. These Gods were Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and Susano’o.
All three of these Gods' names are used for the jutsu associated with the Uchiha Clan. Tsukuyomi is the Moon God, associated with the passing of time and sometimes called the God of time. Kishimoto applied this to Naruto by having the Tsukuyomi genjutsu give its user the ability to alter the perception of time.
Eyes are important for the Uchiha Clan and Amaterasu was born from the left eye of Izanagi. This explains why the Amaterasu in Naruto is so deadly. Similarily, the Susano'o is a giant avatar created of chakra.
---
Can you think of any other interesting facts about Naruto's Uchiha Clan? Let us know in the comments!