Obito Might Be the Most Misunderstood Naruto Character

Spoilers ahead!

Summary:

• Obito is often called one of the worst Naruto villains — but that’s not true.
• Obito’s worldview is like that for many reasons, not just because of Rin’s death at his hands.
• While Obito is still a flawed character, he’s better than fans realize.

When it comes to Obito Uchiha, Naruto fans seem to not be very enthusiastic. Among all the villains of Naruto, he might be the most disliked one (aside from Kaguya, of course). Lacking the charisma of Madara, the intellect of Orochimaru and the compelling ideas of Pain, it seems like he’s the series’ scapegoat, being blamed for the shortcomings of the plot in the later arcs. However, that opinion is based on a large misunderstanding of his character — and there’s enough evidence that he might be one of the series’ best characters.

Obito is flawed

At first glance, Obito seems like a character that isn’t very compelling. Being brainwashed by Madara after losing his mind over Rin’s death, his reasoning for wanting to submerge the world in Infinite Tsukuyomi seems flimsy at best. As a result, he isn’t particularly liked for his role in the story — and his character is seen as inferior to those of other villains. His desire to become a Hokage also feels like an afterthought, with fans complaining it was only written to make him more similar to Naruto.

His painful realization of reality is actually more thought out than fans think

The reality, however, is very different. Obito’s entire mindset is not, in fact, based on Rin’s death. That event was not the entire reason for his character development — it only served as a catalyst for him to become a villain. Obito’s entire character is based upon his realization that the world is hell, and that doesn’t only refer to Rin dying. It also refers to the horrors of war and to the injustice of the ninja system per se: Obito, being a hard worker, simply couldn’t compete with geniuses like Kakashi.

Obito is similar to Naruto

Overall, maybe fans are too quick to judge Obito for his behavior. Yes, he was impulsive — just like Naruto himself. Naruto even admits that they are more similar than they are different. He might lack in areas that make other Naruto villains great — but he’s not as bad as fans make him look like. It’s the opposite: he’s a compelling and deep character with a cool power and a unique role in the story up to boot. His worldview, while not exactly mature, has a reasoning behind it — however flawed it might be, you can’t argue that he became a villain only because Rin died. That’s what makes him, in the end, the most misunderstood Naruto character.