, also known by his alias , is a character in
Masashi Kishimoto
is a Japanese manga artist. His manga series, ''Naruto'', which was in serialization from 1999 to 2014, has sold over 250 million copies worldwide in 46 countries as of May 2019. The series has been adapted into two anime and multiple films, vi ...
's
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
''
Naruto
''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
''. He is first introduced in a "Kakashi Chronicle" side story as a young ninja who sacrifices himself to save his friends (
Kakashi Hatake
is a fictional character in the ''Naruto'' manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the story, Kakashi is the teacher of Team 7, consisting of the series' primary characters, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and ...
and
Rin Nohara, led by
Minato Namikaze) from an adversary group of ninjas. Although he was believed to have died in the 3rd Great Ninja War, Obito is later revealed as the real leader of the terrorist organization known as the
Akatsuki
may refer to:
* Akatsuki (spacecraft), an uncrewed Venus orbiter
* , any of three classes of destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy
* , any of three destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy
* ''Akatsuki'' (train), operated between Kyoto and Na ...
, mainly acting behind the scenes for a majority of the group's tenure. He uses the alias of his benefactor,
Madara Uchiha
is a fictional manga and anime character in the ''Naruto'' series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He appears for the first time in "Part II" of the manga and the ''Shippuden'' anime adaptation, as a major antagonist. He, along with its first Hokag ...
, and conceals his true identity with masks as one of the main antagonists of the series' second half. Obito and his varied personas have appeared in ''Naruto''
video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
and
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
adaptations.
Kishimoto created Obito early in the series to explore his relationship with Kakashi and explain how his friend possessed the eye technique of , unique to the Uchiha clan. Since Obito kept his identity secret, Kishimoto teased fans to anticipate the true identity of Tobi (most notably when the actual Madara Uchiha was revealed, which shocked fans and his voice actor). Critical reception of Obito's character has been positive for his portrayal as a child soldier in Kakashi's backstory as well as his fight scenes as an adult. However, his role as an antagonist garnered a polarizing response from fans, particularly due to his perceived lack of motivation for his actions, which he is criticized for.
Creation and design
Although Obito does not appear for the first time until the series' special chapters focused on his life as a child soldier, he makes a cameo appearance on the cover of the manga's 16th chapter in a picture with
Kakashi Hatake
is a fictional character in the ''Naruto'' manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the story, Kakashi is the teacher of Team 7, consisting of the series' primary characters, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and ...
. According to
Masashi Kishimoto
is a Japanese manga artist. His manga series, ''Naruto'', which was in serialization from 1999 to 2014, has sold over 250 million copies worldwide in 46 countries as of May 2019. The series has been adapted into two anime and multiple films, vi ...
, one of the biggest mysteries in the series' first half was why Kakashi only possessed one Sharingan eye technique (unlike
Sasuke Uchiha
() is a fictional character in the ''Naruto'' manga and anime franchise created by Masashi Kishimoto. Sasuke belongs to the Uchiha clan, a notorious ninja family, and one of the most powerful, allied with . Most of its members were massacred ...
and other members of the clan, who possessed the technique in both eyes). Kishimoto wrote Kakashi's backstory to show him as a young ninja whom Obito gave his Sharingan when he was nearly killed in a fight. Kishimoto said that by chapter 16 he had conceived a storyline about Obito being an Uchiha and how it would affect Kakashi.
During the series' first half Kishimoto introduced the
Akatsuki
may refer to:
* Akatsuki (spacecraft), an uncrewed Venus orbiter
* , any of three classes of destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy
* , any of three destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy
* ''Akatsuki'' (train), operated between Kyoto and Na ...
terrorist organization, who seemed far stronger than the (younger) main characters. This led Kishimoto to change the series, giving the story a
timeskip
Ellipsis is the narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the reader to fill in the narrative gaps. Aside from its literary use, the ellipsis has a counterpart in film production. It is there to suggest an action by ...
to when Naruto and his comrades would be able to face them. Kishimoto said that he based Akatsuki on similar real-life organizations.
Obito in his Tobi persona was Kishimoto's favorite Akatsuki character to draw, because of his simple mask.
His nickname (Tobi) comes from Obito calling him , an
onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
for turning round and round or going around in circles. It can also mean "wrapped around", referring to Tobi's function as armor for Obito. With the manga reaching its climax, Kishimoto wanted to be careful with developing Obito's character, finding him as important as Naruto's and Sasuke's growth in the narrative.
According to Kishimoto,
Konan's death at the hands of her former superior Obito's statement about the loss of the dream for peace that he,
Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan shared, and an indication of
Naruto Uzumaki
() is the titular protagonist of the manga ''Naruto'', created by Masashi Kishimoto. As the series progresses, he is a young ninja from the fictional village of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). The villagers ridicule and ostracize Naruto on ...
's rise as a bringer of light and hope. When the real
Madara Uchiha
is a fictional manga and anime character in the ''Naruto'' series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He appears for the first time in "Part II" of the manga and the ''Shippuden'' anime adaptation, as a major antagonist. He, along with its first Hokag ...
appeared in the manga, Kishimoto refrained from stating Tobi's true identity but said that both characters were related and he would be revealed in the next few chapters.
In the Japanese version, Obito is voiced by
Wataru Takagi
is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi), ''After War Gundam X'' (as Garrod Ran), '' Slayers Try'' ( ...
; his childhood self was voiced by Sōsuke Komori before
Megumi Han
is a Japanese actress and voice actress employed by Atomic Monkey. She is the daughter of the voice actress Keiko Han.
Career
In 2008, after a general public call for the movie ''Sakura no Sono'', she made her debut as Satoshi Wada while studyin ...
took over in chapter 343. In the English version, Obito is voiced by Michael Yurchak and his younger self is voiced by
Vic Mignogna
Victor Joseph Mignogna (); born August 27, 1962)Birthday tweet:
* is an American voice actor and musician known for his voice-over work in the English dubs of Japanese anime shows, such as Edward Elric from the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' series, ...
.
Nolan North
Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles.
After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera ''Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended i ...
does Obito's Madara impersonation in ''
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2'', and
Todd Haberkorn
Todd Haberkorn is an American voice actor and director, who has dubbed in anime, films, and video games.
Career
While Haberkorn was working in theater, he joined Funimation as a voice actor, with minor roles in ''One Piece'', ''Black Cat'', a ...
voices him in ''
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution''.
Neil Kaplan
Neil Charles Kaplan is an American voice actor, audiobook narrator, entertainer, and comedian.
Biography
Kaplan got his start as a comedian doing impressions of presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. He also impersonated a little-k ...
first voiced Obito's Madara impersonation in the video game ''
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2'', because the
CyberConnect2
is a Japanese video game development studio mostly known for its work on the ''.hack'' series, along with a series of fighting games based on the ''Naruto'' franchise. They are also known for creating the ''Little Tail Bronx'' series (e.g. ''T ...
fighting game's storyline was ahead of the television series. In the game, it is revealed that Obito is not the real Madara. Kaplan had difficulty handling of both characters: his Obito persona and the real Madara.
When Obito's true identity was revealed in the anime ''Naruto Shippuden'', the
Pierrot
Pierrot ( , , ) is a stock character of pantomime and '' commedia dell'arte'', whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a diminutive of ''P ...
staff made an ending scene about his childhood and noted that the series' protagonist (Naruto) was not seen. Pierrot felt that the scene was a success. Character designer
Tetsuya Nishio
is a Japanese animator and character designer.
Nishio began his career as an inbetweener for the TV series ''Osomatsu-kun'' (1988). He worked for Studio Pierrot on ''Ninku'' (1995-1996). Since he was hired to work on ''Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade ...
was surprised with the multiple designs Obito had across the series, and noted parallels between him and Naruto Uzumaki in their childhood and innocence.
Appearances
In ''Naruto''
Obito first appears in "Kakashi Chronicle", a ''Naruto'' side story. A child living through the Third Great Ninja War, Obito (Kakashi's teammate on Team Minato) wanted to become the Hokage of Konohagakure, and had an unrequited love for his teammate Rin. When he and Kakashi rescue the kidnapped Rin during a mission, Obito's right side is crushed in a landslide. Thinking he was going to die, Obito had Rin transplant his left Sharingan into Kakashi to replace Kakashi's lost left eye. Late in Part II of the manga, it is revealed that Obito was saved by an elderly
Madara Uchiha
is a fictional manga and anime character in the ''Naruto'' series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He appears for the first time in "Part II" of the manga and the ''Shippuden'' anime adaptation, as a major antagonist. He, along with its first Hokag ...
and outfitted with prosthetics. He becomes Madara's apprentice, who has Obito witness Rin's death at the hands of a reluctant Kakashi to break his spirit. Concluding that he can use the Tailed Beasts to destroy the current reality and create a utopia, Obito adopts Madara's name and disguises his voice after the ninja's death; he then arranges similar events for Nagato with Yahiko's death to create the current incarnation of the Akatsuki. While
Kushina Uzumaki
The manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe where countries vie for power by employing ninja who can use superhuman abilities in combat. The s ...
(then jinchuriki of
Kurama, the Nine-Tails Kyuubi), is giving birth to
Naruto Uzumaki
() is the titular protagonist of the manga ''Naruto'', created by Masashi Kishimoto. As the series progresses, he is a young ninja from the fictional village of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). The villagers ridicule and ostracize Naruto on ...
, Obito mounts an attack on the Leaf Village, Konoha. He releases the seal over the Kyuubi from Kushina while she is weak during birth, and places the Nine-Tails under his control, releasing it on Konoha to tear the village apart and wreak havoc. During his infiltration, he encounters
Minato Namikaze (the fourth
Hokage
The manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe where countries vie for power by employing ninja who can use superhuman abilities in combat. T ...
) and they fight. Minato defeats Obito, and releases Kurama from Obito's control. Obito then flees, leaving Konoha to deal with the Nine-Tails, resulting in Minato and Kushina's deaths. The character has a behind-the-scenes role in the first half of Part II.
Adopting the identity of the spiral-patterned Zetsu which served as his bodysuit during his recuperation, Tobi, Obito poses as the carefree flunky and becomes
Sasori's replacement and
Deidara
The manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe where countries vie for power by employing ninja who can use superhuman abilities in combat. T ...
's partner early in Part II. After Itachi's death, Obito takes a special interest in Sasuke Uchiha and takes him under his wing by revealing the truth about their clan's massacre. He presents himself as Madara after Nagato's death, revealing the "Eye of the Moon" Plan to the Kage and explaining his intention to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki to bring all life within an Infinite Tsukuyomi. After the Kage refuse to surrender to him, Obito declares the Fourth Great Ninja War and forms a reluctant alliance with
Kabuto Yakushi, who blackmails him with the real Madara's body.
Obito goes to retrieve
Nagato Uzumaki's from his body. In the process, he is opposed by
Konan. Their argument, in which Konan affirms her faith in Naruto, and Obito (still impersonating Madara) claims his original ownership of the Rinnegan, quickly evolves into a fight. Konan attempts to catch him in various large-scale paper bomb detonations, but he manages to trick her with the Izanagi technique, and stabs her in the back; he obtains the location of Nagato's body through genjutsu, and proceeds to choke her to death. He retrieves Nagato's body and Rinnegan successfully.
Obito converts the reanimated bodies of the captured Jinchuriki into his own to use the captured Tailed Beasts' power. He fights Naruto Uzumaki and Killer B, who stop the Six Paths of Pain and leave Obito to recover the Tailed Beasts and revive the Ten-Tails. Kabuto then reanimates Madara Uchiha's body; Obito's identity is revealed.
Obito becomes the Ten-Tails host but is defeated by Naruto and Sasuke with the support of the Allied Shinobi Forces. A guilt-ridden Obito tries to revive everyone who died in the war, like Nagato before him, only to be possessed by Black Zetsu and forced to resurrect Madara. On the brink of death, Obito turns on Madara, restrains Black Zetsu and moves to save Naruto's life. His defiance is short-lived, and he is left comatose after Madara forcefully reclaims his Rinnegan. Naruto uses his power to restore Obito's life to help fight Kaguya. Obito dies while shielding Naruto and Kakashi from Kaguya's attack; however, he thanks Naruto for reminding him of his true self.
His spirit remains among the living long enough to help Kakashi by momentarily giving him his chakra and , passing into the next life after Kaguya is defeated.
In other media
In addition to the main series, Obito appears in a number of
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s. The game ''
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution'' describes the origin of the Akatsuki organization.
The sixth Part II film, ''
Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie'' (2012), features Obito in his Madara persona. He traps Naruto and Sakura in an alternate world and manipulates Naruto's opposite persona, Menma. When Naruto defeats Menma, Obito releases Naruto and Sakura and considers the mission a failure. He appears in the ''Naruto''
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
''Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled'' (2012), which explores Sasuke's reflections after Itachi's death. In ''Akatsuki Hiden'' (2015), Obito's first meeting with Nagato is shown.
Reception
The exploration of Obito's childhood in the ''Naruto Shippuden'' anime series was well-received. Sci Fi Online enjoyed the handling of his, Rin and Kakashi's past, which had a major impact on the series' main storyline.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
ranked Obito and Konan's fight the 11th-best battle in ''Naruto'', and ranked Obito's fight against Minato Namikaze the fourth-best in the series. CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama said was Obito became his favorite character in the ''Naruto'' series; Matsuyama's previous favorites were
Shikamaru Nara
is a fictional character in the manga and anime franchise, ''Naruto'', created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the anime and manga, Shikamaru is a ninja affiliated with the village Hidden in the Leaves. He is a member of Team 10, a group of ninja consis ...
and
Itachi Uchiha
is a character in the ''Naruto'' manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Itachi is the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha, and is responsible for killing all the members of their clan, sparing only Sasuke. He appears working as a t ...
. In a manga popularity poll, Obito was voted the 19th-most-popular ''Naruto'' character. Takagi's portrayal of the character in the final war was the subject of praise within viewers of the series due to how dark he is in contrast to his younger persona.
Regarding the character, prior to his identity reveal,
Jason Thompson of Anime News Network was shocked to learn that Tobi was the real leader of Akatsuki (instead of Pain) and when Tobi refers to himself as Madara Uchiha. Thompson enjoyed Kishimoto's depiction of Tobi's teleportation technique and was surprised when Tobi told Sasuke Uchiha the truth about Itachi. He later called Tobi an "insane idealist" (similar to Nagato) after learning of his desire to create a peaceful world with the powerful Ten-Tails.
A UK Anime Network reviewer enjoyed Obito's action scenes with Naruto, Killer Bee, Kakashi and Guy because of his ability to reanimate the six-tailed beasts.
Bryce Coulter of the Fandom Post enjoyed the revelation of Tobi's true identity and liked its impact on Kakashi, praising the story's treatment of his inner turmoil, as he "confronts the demons of his past". UK Anime Network found Tobi's true identity predictable, but highly enjoyed the backstory reveal, calling it "probably the most interesting flashback sequence of the series to date". Jason Thompson was shocked at the revelation that Tobi was Obito, finding the "most compassionate person in the manga" holding a grudge against the world to be out of character.
Amy McNulty of Anime News Network praised the animation of Kakashi's fight against Obito and the references to the fighters' childhoods. McNulty found the character's death predictable, and criticized the development of Obito briefly giving Kakashi his eyes' techniques after dying, finding it counter to the prevailing theme of "hard work". Chris Beveridge had mixed feelings about the treatment of Obito's death in the anime version; the narrative begins focusing on flashbacks and his childhood dreams (which had already been shown), neglecting the present fight against Kaguya.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uchiha, Obito
Anime and manga characters who can teleport
Anime and manga supervillains
Comics characters introduced in 2004
Fictional amputees
Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities
Fictional characters who can turn intangible
Fictional mass murderers
Fictional ninja
Fictional special forces personnel
Male characters in anime and manga
Naruto characters
Fictional child soldiers
Fictional characters with disfigurements
Fictional characters with plant abilities
Fictional terrorists