Many fans feel like some of them switched sides for no reason.
Spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- Naruto often redeems its villains, with many of them switching sides after they’ve been defeated and given a motivational talk by Naruto himself.
- Redemption isn’t necessarily a bad trope, and a sad backstory doesn’t equal redemption.
- That said, we still wish some of these characters got more punishment for their actions.
Naruto has become famous for its diverse cast of characters. That, of course, includes its villains. Many of them are incredibly memorable — like Orochimaru, Madara, or pretty much any of the Akatsuki members.
That said, the series is definitely not without flaws. One thing fans have been complaining about since the beginning of the series is how a lot of the villains never remain villains. A lot of them are given tragic backstories and then redeemed.
Convincing many antagonists to abandon their villainous ways
The continuous redemption of Naruto villains has become somewhat of a meme in the fandom at this point. The so-called “talk no jutsu” refers to the moments where Naruto’s conversations with the villains after he defeats them make them rethink their ways.
The “talk no jutsu victims” include characters like Zabuza, Gaara, Pain and Obito. Pain is probably the most egregious example of all of these: after leveling the Hidden Leaf Village to the ground, he gives up his life to resurrect everyone he killed during the attack. This conclusion to his arc felt rather underwhelming for how grand it was.
Redemption for villains isn’t always bad
Some of these complaints are not really justified. Zabuza didn’t suddenly turn good: he was a mercenary doing his job. Naruto’s “talk no jutsu” mostly gave him a different perspective of the world that didn’t necessarily change him much. And Gaara was an antagonist, but not a villain: he was just a kid with a troubled childhood.
It’s also important to remember that a tragic backstory doesn’t always excuse someone’s bad actions. Naruto shows that with characters like Madara, who are traumatized by their past. Madara’s approach is condemned, with the series promoting the message that basically says “hatred only creates more hatred.”
Besides that, villains being redeemed isn’t always a bad thing. Sasuke, who acted as a villain for some of the series' run, eventually redeemed himself. It makes a lot of sense for his arc, and leads to his final stand against Naruto at the very end of the anime.
The overall trend of the series is definitely problematic
A lot of the cases of redemption in Naruto don’t even make much sense. Pain and Obito are among the most frustrating examples of “talk no jutsu.” The worst part is, this isn’t even the only way villains in Naruto get redeemed.
One of the worst examples of pointless redemption in Naruto is Orochimaru. His actions resulted in a lot of damage, both to the village and to people in it. Despite that, he basically got off scot-free. Kishimoto should have dealt with his villains in a harsher way.