Sasuke Uchiha

Uchiha Sasuke

Sasuke Uchiha is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He was created as a rival and foil to the series’ titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, with his design causing difficulties for Kishimoto during drawing the manga scenes, although he has grown to enjoy drawing Sasuke.

In the anime and manga, Sasuke is a member of the Uchiha clan, a highly skilled clan of ninjas allied to the village of Konohagakure. His primary motivation throughout the series is to avenge the destruction of his entire clan by killing his brother, Itachi Uchiha, a task he pursues at all costs. While he was initially cold and singularly driven by his revenge, he becomes more empathetic through his relationships with other characters, notably Naruto Uzumaki, whom he comes to consider as a rival. Sasuke has additionally appeared in several of the featured movies in the series, as well as several other media relating to the series, including several video games and OVAs.

Several anime and manga publications have provided acclaim and criticism of Sasuke’s character. While many reviewers have noted his cold and detached attitude and abilities, he has been viewed as a stereotypical “rival” in the mold of several similar characters in other sh?nen manga. His personality has also been subject to criticism, with many finding it difficult to like or sympathize with Sasuke’s character; IGN jokingly labeled Sasuke as an “emo-kid.” Nevertheless, Sasuke has been highly popular with the Naruto reader base, placing high in several popularity polls. Merchandise based on Sasuke has also been released, including action figures and plush dolls.

Sasuke has made several appearances outside of the Naruto anime and manga. He appears in all three of the original video animations produced for the series, helping Naruto and Konohamaru to find a four leaf clover in the first original video animation, joining his team in escorting a ninja named Shibuki to his village and helping him fight the missing-nin that stole the village’s “Hero’s Water” in the second, and participating in a tournament in the third. Sasuke also makes an appearance in the first two Naruto featured films, although he is only briefly present in a memory segment in the second. He also makes his first Part II appearance in a film in the second Naruto: Shipp?den movie.

Sasuke is a common playable character in Naruto video games, including the Clash of Ninja series and the Ultimate Ninja series. 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 Shipp?den chapters and episodes, he does not appear in any games based on Naruto Shipp?den until Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 2.