Summary
For more than a decade,Narutohas been one of the most popular anime and manga series in the world, and although the story concluded several years ago, it is still incredibly popular.Narutois set in a world dominated by ninjas who can use a myriad of techniques and abilities. Fans love the series for its action-packed story about friendship and unwavering determination, and it helps that many of the characters are well-written.
Like most stories,Narutofeatures characters from all walks of life. Many of them had relatively cheerful pasts, but not every character is that lucky. Whether they are heroes or villains, anyone can have a sad backstory. When it comes toNaruto,these characters have pasts that are quite heartbreaking.
Updated June 05, 2025 by George Voutiritsas:Naruto still holds a place in many hearts. In fact, the love for the series is the main reason why most people pay attention to the sequel series. The original story was great, and the action was entertaining, but the characters are what drove the story.
For most of its history, the ninja world has been plagued by a seemingly never-ending cycle of conflict and hatred, and it produced several characters with sad and tragic backstories. If asked, most Naruto fans can name a character who they believe has the saddest backstory, and many fans would give the same names. But as always, there are other characters whose pasts deserve to be mentioned as well.
24Kisame’s Entire Worldview Was Shattered By Those Closest To Him
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 251, “The Man Named Kisame”
Before joining the Akatsuki, Kisame was loyal to the Mist Village. He became one of the village’s famed Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and he wieldedSamehada, the sentient greatsword.Kisame was incredibly loyal to his village, and he would kill his comrades to ensure other nations could not extract secrets from them.
This loyalty was engraved into him by Fuguki, his superior and mentor. Kisame ended up killing Fuguki when he discovered that he had been selling secrets to the enemy. This destroyed Kisame’s worldview. He believed that he had no place in a world of lies, and this allowed Obito to trick him into joining the Akatsuki.
23Karin Was Forced To Heal Others After Her Died Doing The Same Thing
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 431, “To See That Smile, Just One More Time”
Karin is a member ofthe Uzumaki Clan, which means that she possesses an especially strong life-force. Her life-force offers impressive healing capabilities, to the point that she can rapidly heal herself. She can also heal others if they bite her. She inherited this healing ability from her mother.
Karin and her mother were allowed to take refuge in the Hidden Grass Village, but her mother needed to heal the village’s injured ninja. One day, the village suffered many casualties, and her mother died because she healed too many at once. Karin was then forced to replace her mother, and she spent years as the Grass Village’s healer.
Naruto Episode 30, “The Sharingan Revived: Dragon-Flame Jutsu!”
Anko was the proctor of the second stage of the Chunin Exams. When she was a genin, she was part of a squad led byOrochimaru. The two were quite close, to the point that Orochimaru shared some of his signature techniques with her. He even discussed immortality with her.
That being said, he still used her as a test subject. Anko was one of the ten individuals who first received Orochimaru’s curse mark, and she was the only subject who survived. She refused to continue following him, and instead of killing her, Orochimaru altered her memories to make her think that he abandoned her for being too weak.
21Motoi Lost His Father Because Of The Eight-Tails
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 244, “Killer B and Motoi”
Motoi is a ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village, and he is stationed on Genbu - the gigantic and ancient Island Turtle. His father was named Furui, and he was one of the Cloud’s most elite ninja. He was also part of the Eight-Tails Subduing Team. During one of its rampages, the Eight-Tails killed Furui by impaling him with one of his horns.
Motoi hated the Eight-Tails, so he tried to assassinate its next Jinchuriki - who turned out to beKiller B. He and B were friends, but this did not stop Motoi from attacking him. Luckily, B was able to disarm him, and he seemed to not mind the attack because he offered to fist bump him. Motoi spent the next three decades regretting his actions - especially when he saw how poorly the other villagers treated B.
20Sasori Grew Up Alone Because His Parents Were Killed When He Was A Child
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 23, “Father and Mother”
Sasori was the first member ofthe Akatsukito be defeated. His death was poetic because it involved the first puppets he ever created. When Sasori was a child, his parents died while fighting Kakashi’s father, and he ended up in his grandmother’s care.
The loneliness got to Sasori, so his grandmother taught him puppetry in hopes that it would cheer him up. It worked at first, and he used his natural talent to create a pair of puppets that resembled his parents. He eventually discarded them because they could not give him proper affection. As a result, Sasori became obsessed with human puppets.
19Hinata Was Kidnapped By The Cloud Village When She Was A Child
Naruto Episode 61, “Ultimate Defence: Zero Blind Spot!”
Hinata is one ofNaruto’s moreprominent side charactersbecause of her relationship with Naruto. When she was born, she was the de facto heiress of the Hyuga Clan, but she lost that title because her father deemed her to be too weak. He even forced her to fight her younger sister for it.
When she was 3, Hinata was kidnapped by the Cloud Village’s Head Ninja during a fake peace treaty negotiation. The plan was to take her Byakugan, an act that would have killed her. Her father saved her, and her uncle sacrificed himself to appease the Cloud Village, which wanted her father dead.
18Iruka Lost His Parents During The Nine-Tails Attack
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 177, “Iruka’s Ordeal”
Iruka is one ofNaruto’s closest friends- in fact, he even risked his life to save Naruto in the very first episode. He managed to develop a caring and somewhat fatherly relationship with Naruto even though he was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. The Nine-Tails attacked the Leaf Village on the night Naruto was born, and Iruka’s parents both died during the battle.
Iruka tried to stay on the battlefield so he could protect his injured mother, but his father was against the idea, and an unknown ninja forcibly removed Iruka from the area. With his parents gone, Iruka dealt with the same type of loneliness that Naruto endured, and he spent a lot of time visiting the monument that had their names written on it.
17Madara Was Forced To Bury All Of His Siblings During The Warring States Period
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 368, “Warring States Period”
The greatMadara Uchihawas born during the Warring States Period, and he was also forced to fight as a child. Madara had four siblings who fought as well, and he was forced to bury three of them. As a result, his younger brother Izuna became the most important person in his life.
During a battle with the Senju, Izuna was critically wounded by Tobirama, and Madara rushed to his side. They ended the battle so Izuna could be treated, but the wound proved to be fatal. Madara was forced to bury his last brother - who gave him his eyes.
16Hashirama Lost Most Of His Siblings As A Boy During The Warring States Period
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 367, “Hashirama and Madara”
Hashirama Senju was the Leaf Village’s First Hokage, and he is arguablythe strongest Kage in history. He grew up during the Warring States Period - which was filled with near-endless conflict. Ninja did not live long during this era, and many children were forced to fight on the battlefield.
Hashirama and his three younger brothers had to fight. Kawarama was killed first, and Itama died shortly after their brother’s funeral. Itama was surrounded by a group of Uchiha - who killed him even though he was no threat. Hashirama found Itama’s body and cried as he held him in his arms.
15Yamato Was Forced To Be A Test Subject
Naruto: Shippuden Episode 352, “The Rogue Ninja: Orochimaru”
Wood Release was the signature technique ofthe 1st Hokage, and a lot of people tried to replicate it. Orochimaru kidnapped several children and injected them with some of the 1st Hokage’s DNA. Yamato was one of those children. He was held in a massive test tube, and he was fully aware of his surroundings. Yamato watched as all the other children died from the experiments.
When Orochimaru left the Leaf Village, he left Yamato behind because he thought all the children had died. Yamato was left in a room in complete darkness until he broke free. Danzo found him soon after and turned him into a Root operative.
