Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke Uchiha
Naruto character
Sasuke Uchiha in Part I by Masashi Kishimoto
First appearance	Manga Chapter 3 Naruto Episode 1
Voiced by	Japanese Noriaki Sugiyama English Yuri Lowenthal
Profile
Age	12[1]-13[2] in Part I
Date of birth	July 23[2]
Notable relatives	Fugaku Uchiha (father, deceased) Itachi Uchiha (brother)
Ninja rank	Missing-nin
Ninja team	Snake

Sasuke Uchiha (うちは　サスケ, Uchiha Sasuke^?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the series, Sasuke seeks to avenge the murder of his entire clan by killing his brother, and pursues this goal at all costs.

Creation and conception

When creating Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto had not initially intended to make a character like Sasuke. After speaking with his editor about the future of the series, he was advised to create a rival character for the series' protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, resulting in Sasuke's creation.^[3] So as to learn more about creating an effective rivalry, Kishimoto read a variety of manga to gather all of the concept's ideal elements into one relationship. Because Sasuke is intended to be Naruto's opposite, Kishimoto is always careful to make sure Sasuke is never too emotional. With Sasuke's character being that of a "cool genius", Kishimoto feels he has created the ideal rivalry.^[4] Sasuke's design gave Kishimoto a number of problems, making him the most difficult character he had to create. Because he lacked a proper idea of what Sasuke's face should look like, initial drafts of Sasuke looked too old or mature for a character the same age as Naruto.^[5] Once settling on a proper face, Kishimoto then had to settle on a costume. Original designs of Sasuke had number of necklaces and ties around his arms and legs, a result of Kishimoto habit of giving characters as much ornamentation as possible. Realizing he couldn't draw such a complex character on a weekly basis, Kishimoto simplified the design to a basic contrast of Naruto's costume.^[6] Even today, Sasuke remains the most difficult character for Kishimoto to draw. If he is not careful when drawing Sasuke's face, Sasuke's youthful properties are lost, a result of Kishimoto's inexperience in drawing characters mature beyond their years.^[6] Sasuke's hair, originally kept short to save Kishimoto time, has slowly gotten longer as the series has progressed, thus he continues to spend more and more time drawing Sasuke.^[5] Sasuke receives a new costume during the final portion of the Chunin Exam arc, which features a number of belts over the bulk of his body. Because of the time needed to draw a costume of that design, Kishimoto returned Sasuke to his original costume in the following arc.^[7] As a result of the amount of time an energy he spends drawing Sasuke, Sasuke has become Kishimoto's favorite character to draw.^[6]

Character attributes

Background

Sasuke's childhood, as told over the course of Naruto manga volume 25, was spent living in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, whose natural abilities had made him the pride of the Uchiha clan. As a result, Sasuke's family largely ignored him, forcing Sasuke to constantly try and win their recognition. Sasuke, however, was never able to surpass the milestones set in place by his brother, leaving Itachi to be the only one to appreciate Sasuke's efforts.^[8] It was not until Itachi had a falling out with his family that Sasuke began to receive his family's attention, his father in particular taking a keen interest in Sasuke's training. In tandem with finally being able to enjoy his family's company, Sasuke was encouraged to not follow in Itachi's footsteps.^[9] Upon returning home from ninja school one day, Sasuke found the street littered with the corpses of the Uchiha clan. After running home to alert his family to the tragedy, Sasuke found Itachi standing over their parents' bodies. Realizing Itachi was responsible for the murders, Sasuke ran for safety, only to be stopped by Itachi's proclamation that he would be spared. Sasuke, having always been trying to surpass Itachi, was as a result the only person who could someday prove a match for him.^[10] Wanting to eventually test his abilities with Sasuke's own, Itachi encouraged Sasuke to get stronger by living a life of hate and anger, with the sole purpose in life being to avenge the clan. Itachi left, and Sasuke was left to consider his words in the absence of family. Longing for the love of his parents that he was now denied, Sasuke agreed to live his life as Itachi had instructed, wanting to kill his brother at all costs.^[11]

Personality

Sasuke as he appears in Part II

After his assignment to Team 7 at the start of the series, Sasuke displays an immediate confidence in his abilities. He is as such unwilling to work with his teammates, Naruto Uzumaki or Sakura Haruno, believing their skills to pale in comparison to his own and therefore making them useless if he is to ever kill Itachi.^[12] These perceptions are quickly proven wrong, for despite their failings, Sakura is an excellent source of information and competition with Naruto acts as an effective way to get stronger.^[13] While his confidence in himself is ever-present throughout the series, Sasuke slowly begins to rely on those close to him over the course of Part I. This begins to result in his risking his own life to save those of his friends, even though his death would leave him unable to gain vengeance on Itachi.^[14] He becomes complacent with his life in Konohagakure, satisfied with the speed of his growth as a ninja. Much like Itachi used the slaughter of the Uchiha clan to measure his ability, Sasuke uses his battles with the various characters he meets in Part I to gauge his increase in strength. Through his battles with Haku, Rock Lee, and Gaara, Sasuke is able to test his abilities against those of progressively stronger ninja, discover his weakpoints, and carry away something new from the battle. Once Naruto begins to prove his worth, Sasuke starts to yearn for a battle with him as well.^[15] Naruto, however, gains strength at a much more rapid rate than Sasuke, even learning the Rasengan, an attack more powerful than Sasuke's Chidori. This, coupled with Sasuke's quick defeat by Itachi during the Return of Itachi arc, leads Sasuke to believe his growth is slowing. In an attempt to reassess his strength, he begins to treat his friends as opponents so as to test his abilities against their own.^[16] Dissatisfied with his progress in Konoha and believing Orochimaru holds the keys to getting strong enough to kill Itachi, Sasuke defects from Konoha at the end of Part I.^[17] Naruto, the only character Sasuke comes to consider a friend, tries to stop him, but Sasuke only tries to kill Naruto, believing his friend's death will grant him the strength needed to kill Itachi.^[11] He is ultimately unable to bring himself to kill Naruto, realizing that that is what Itachi would want, and instead continues on to Orochimaru.^[18] In the two-and-a-half years he spends with Orochimaru, Sasuke's goal to kill Itachi takes precedent above all else, such that he is willing to give his body to Orochimaru if it means gaining the strength he needs.^[19] Sasuke also comes to abandon his loyalties to others once they are of no further use to him, turning against Orochimaru after reaching the conclusion he can learn nothing else of value.^[20] While he pays no allegiance to his allies, old or new, in Part II, Sasuke cannot bring himself to harm those he has never met before, and makes it a point to prevent their deaths when possible.^[21] He acts emo and probably is. \{| class="wikitable" |- ^[22] |}=== Abilities ===

While not on the same level as Itachi in terms of natural talent, Sasuke is able to easily grasp most ninja-related abilities. At the start of the series he displays great proficiency with the Uchiha clan's signature fire and weapon-based techniques, surprising his teacher, Kakashi Hatake, during their first training session.^[23] Of the abilities gained through his Uchiha lineage, Sasuke most commonly uses the Sharingan, a unique eye condition that grants him a variety of advantages in battle. For the duration of Part I, Sasuke's Sharingan continues to develop, granting him new abilities in the process. When it first forms Sasuke is given the ability to pick up and react to fast-moving opponents,^[24] and in a subsequent arc is able to mimic this speed for his own personal usage.^[25] Once fully manifesting itself at the end of Part I, Sasuke is even able to use his Sharingan to predict the movements of others, allowing him to dodge an attack before it is made.^[26] In Part II, Sasuke starts to use his Sharingan to cast genjutsu, illusionary techniques with which he can manipulate and confuse others.^[27] Like the Sharingan, Orochimaru's influence is a recurring element of Sasuke's abilities. During their first encounter during the Chunin Exam arc, Sasuke is branded with a cursed seal, which grants him a brief surge in strength and speed when active. Though he is left exhausted after its usage, Sasuke's various uses of the seal cause him to crave more of its power.^[28] As such, Sasuke forces his seal to a second level, drastically changing his appearance and giving him a huge boost in chakra.^[29] Once he begins training under Orochimaru, Sasuke learns to summon snakes, which he can call upon in battle to help attack or defend.^[30] Orochimaru also uses their time together to radically alter Sasuke's physical abilities, such that neither Naruto nor Sakura are a match for him during their first reencounter in Part II.^[31] Prior to Sasuke's defection, Kakashi Hatake teaches him how to use the Chidori in an attempt to steer him away from Orochimaru.^[16] The Chidori, a collection of lightning-based chakra in the user's hand, serves as a rapid thrusting attack that severely damages any target. While Sasuke is able to put the Chidori to great use during Part I, his usage of the attack is somewhat limited in Part II. Instead, Sasuke employs variants of the technique, using the fundamentals behind the Chidori to create a number of new abilities. Sasuke's first display of such an ability involves emitting electricity from all over his body, both shielding himself from attacks and paralyzing any it comes into contact with.^[32] He later proves able to mold the electricity into more solid forms, creating both swords^[33] and throwing needles^[34] on separate occasions. Because of the amount of energy required to create the Chidori, Sasuke can only use it twice a day under his own power for the duration of Part I.^[35] A limit in Part II on his number of uses for the Chidori or its variants has yet to be seen.

Part in the story

For the first half of Part I, Sasuke accompanies Team 7 in its various endeavors and training sessions. After his encounter with Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams, who begins to manipulate Sasuke into his custody, Sasuke starts to act independently of Naruto and Sakura, pursuing his own opponents and being the only one to train with Kakashi. After Itachi's brief return to Konoha and Sasuke's simultaneous defeat by him, Sasuke becomes dissatisfied with what he has learned whilst a member of Team 7. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill Itachi, Sasuke goes to him, severing his ties with Konoha in the process. Naruto follows him for the duration of the Sasuke Retrieval arc in an effort to stop him, and the two ultimately do battle. Neither is able to bring themselves to finish off the other, and the two go their separate ways, Sasuke eventually arriving at Orochimaru's hideout ready to gain strength no matter what the cost. The remaining members of Team 7 spend the bulk of Part II trying to find and subsequently retrieve Sasuke. Their efforts are not successful until the Sasuke and Sai arc, where Sasuke finally makes his Part II debut. Team 7, however, is no match for Sasuke's growth, and they are left unable to stop him from escaping with Orochimaru. Soon afterwards Sasuke, satisfied he has learned all he can from his new master, turns against a weakened Orochimaru before the latter can steal his body. Though Orochimaru attempts to force a body switch, Sasuke is able to fight the process and finish off Orochimaru, allowing him to put his plans to find Itachi into motion. Sasuke forms Snake, a team of individuals that will prove useful in his quest to find and kill Itachi. After their search of the Naruto world, they track Itachi down. Snake's purpose fulfilled, Sasuke abandons them and makes to kill Itachi; the two are currently engaged in battle, though it appears that Sasuke has more or less ended it by stabbing Itachi in the back.

Appearances in other media

As the main character Sasuke appears in all OVAs but only in the first movie as he leaves Konoha in Part I. In the first Naruto movie, throughout which he encounters Fubuki Kakuyoku and eventually defeats her with his taijutsu after seeing that his ninjutsu are not able to damage her. He also uses his Chidori to damage Doto Kazahana's armor, though is knocked out in the process. He also appears in the second Naruto Movie as a memory scene though he does not speak and only appears for a few seconds. He is seen in the trailer of the second movie of Naruto Shippuden that will be released during the Summer of 2008. In the 1st OVA Sasuke and Sakura are sent to help Naruto and Konohamaru to find the four leaf clover. In the 2nd OVA Team 7 escort a ninja named Shibuki, the leader of his village, to his home at Takigakure. Naruto and Sasuke fight against the missing-nin that stole and drank "Hero's Water". In the 3rd OVA Sasuke enters the tournament Jonin vs. Genin. During the event he fights with Naruto against Kakashi but they are both defeated. Sasuke is a common playable character in Naruto video games, almost as often as Naruto himself, and appears as a boss in games that feature the events of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. In some games, it is possible to unlock and play as a version of him with the cursed seal active. Due to his lack of appearances in early Naruto Shippūden chapters and episodes, he has not appeared in any games based off the sub-series until Naruto Shippūden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 2. Narutimate Accel 2 marks his second appearance in which as many character he can perform a "Narutimate Combination" with Orochimaru.

Character reception

In every official Shonen Jump popularity poll of the Naruto series, Sasuke has ranked within the top 5 characters. Though Sasuke's rank initially alternated between the third and fourth spot, he later ranks as the number one most popular character of the series in the most recent polls.^{[36] [37]} There has not been another official Shonen Jump popularity poll for the series since 2005. In an interview, Yuri Lowenthal, the voice actor for Sasuke in the English anime, states that he is honored to be playing that role, as there were other remarkable actors trying out and as Sasuke is famous between the fangirls.^[38] Several popular websites for manga and anime, videogames, and other subjects critic the personality of Sasuke and at the same time admire his abilities. IGN calls Sasuke "the resident emo-kid" as he could arguably be the one ninja who has more problems than Naruto with strained familial relations and mention that Sasuke serves as the foil for Naruto.^[39] Gamespot comments that Sasuke is the ninja-school teen heartthrob and consider him utterly alone. They mention that anyone who chooses to fight as Sasuke in a Naruto game should act despondent, and upon either winning or losing utter "Whatever. Stupid game."^[40] The animated appearance of Sasuke in Part II was so expected by fans, the anime staff decided to make Sasuke appear in the first episode of Naruto Shippuden in a short prologue of the chapters in which he first appears in Part II.^[41] The second fight between Sasuke and Naruto in the Sasuke Retrieval Arc ranked 1st in the "The Ninjas' Best 5 Battles" that appeared in the episode 202, while the first fight between them during the same arc also made the list at fifth place.^[42]

See also

• List of fictional characters who can manipulate fire
• List of fictional characters who can manipulate electricity

References

                                                                                                                                                                            sasuke almost kills naruto with chdori.