Naruto has had a fair share of iconic villains. However, in an unexpected move, the final, overarching antagonist of the series turned out to be Kaguya Otsutsuki, the progenitor of all chakra on Earth. Most fans were blindsided by this twist as they expected Madara Uchiha to take on that role, and there’s a good reason for that.
Foreshadowed as the “big bad” since part 1, Madara is a character with depth and a rich backstory.
From the very beginning, a big part of the story centered around Madara’s goal: to awaken a powerful genjutsu, the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and trap everyone on the planet in an illusion where no one is unhappy or in pain. After growing up and spending his whole life on the battlefield, Madara decided that the best way to achieve peace among the five nations is through creating a new world. Apparently, he had very little faith in his fellow shinobi.
Another reason that makes Madara the perfect candidate for the role of the final boss is because the show built him up as the strongest. After all, he single-handedly defeated the Five Kages, some of the world’s most powerful ninja in the final arc. By the end of the series, he was pretty much invincible. In fact, some speculate that Naruto mangaka Masashi Kishimoto ended up creating a foe a bit too overwhelmingly powerful: to get rid of Madara, he needed another, superior villain.
And thus Kaguya was born.
Madara was hinted as the end-game villain for so long that the introduction of a new, even stronger character came completely out of left field. It’s no wonder many fans felt like Kaguya was a cop-out. We had Orochimaru, followed by Obito, followed by Madara and, finally, Kaguya, and that’s not counting Pain and Danzo. The endless series of reveals, with one bad guy suddenly being replaced by another, left many underwhelmed by the finale.
We will never know if Kishimoto was in a rush to finish the series or if his original plot always had Kaguya in mind. Either way, fans agree that the execution was far from perfect and that even though he was sacrificed in order to bring in a new antagonist, Madara will go down as the most compelling enemy in Naruto, with a memorable story, goals, and motivation.
Naruto creators did our favorite villain dirty.
Naruto has had a fair share of iconic villains. However, in an unexpected move, the final, overarching antagonist of the series turned out to be Kaguya Otsutsuki, the progenitor of all chakra on Earth. Most fans were blindsided by this twist as they expected Madara Uchiha to take on that role, and there’s a good reason for that.
Foreshadowed as the “big bad” since part 1, Madara is a character with depth and a rich backstory.
From the very beginning, a big part of the story centered around Madara’s goal: to awaken a powerful genjutsu, the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and trap everyone on the planet in an illusion where no one is unhappy or in pain. After growing up and spending his whole life on the battlefield, Madara decided that the best way to achieve peace among the five nations is through creating a new world. Apparently, he had very little faith in his fellow shinobi.
Another reason that makes Madara the perfect candidate for the role of the final boss is because the show built him up as the strongest. After all, he single-handedly defeated the Five Kages, some of the world’s most powerful ninja in the final arc. By the end of the series, he was pretty much invincible. In fact, some speculate that Naruto mangaka Masashi Kishimoto ended up creating a foe a bit too overwhelmingly powerful: to get rid of Madara, he needed another, superior villain.
And thus Kaguya was born.
Madara was hinted as the end-game villain for so long that the introduction of a new, even stronger character came completely out of left field. It’s no wonder many fans felt like Kaguya was a cop-out. We had Orochimaru, followed by Obito, followed by Madara and, finally, Kaguya, and that’s not counting Pain and Danzo. The endless series of reveals, with one bad guy suddenly being replaced by another, left many underwhelmed by the finale.
We will never know if Kishimoto was in a rush to finish the series or if his original plot always had Kaguya in mind. Either way, fans agree that the execution was far from perfect and that even though he was sacrificed in order to bring in a new antagonist, Madara will go down as the most compelling enemy in Naruto, with a memorable story, goals, and motivation.
