It is no surprise that Naruto is one of the most celebrated and popular Shonen manga. Be it ninja rivalry or heroism, it captures the essence of Shonen manga through its storyline. The character development, visuals, and the blend of folklore make it remarkable. Besides that, Masashi Kishimoto’s creation of flawed characters makes them more familiar and relatable.
However, this isn’t the case with most characters. While Naruto is a popular and celebrated manga, the author has faced flak for his bad writing of certain characters, especially Sasuke. While Sasuke is one of the popular characters in the series, his conception was nothing short of frustrating. The author reveals the process behind conceptualizing Sasuke’s character to drop it off, eventually.
Sasuke Uchiha is a man of few words in Masashi Kishimoto’s first draft
Sasuke Uchiha appears as a taciturn ninja in Part 1 of the Naruto series written by Masashi Kishimoto. The author establishes him as an isolated and detached character in the beginning. Although Sasuke’s initial disposition was viewed by several fans as cool, his evolution throughout the series had mixed reactions.
Apart from Zabuza and Haku, Sasuke Uchiha was one of the few characters that Kishimoto found difficult to draw. Apart from Sasuke’s character design, his persona and backdrop are altered by the author in the first draft of the manga. His name bears a resemblance to Sasuke Sarutobi, a fictional character who appears in Kodan narratives.
However, Sasuke differs completely from the fictional figure. He is a man of few words in Kishimoto’s first draft. In an interview published in the Fourth Databook, the author revealed his original concept for Sasuke’s personality. Kosuke Yahagi, the manga’s first editor, states that he and the author faced issues regarding Sasuke to which Kishimoto replied :
When we erased more than this, we decreased them to the point that I said that I didn’t understand the meaning.
The decrease in Sasuke’s dialogue is clear in the anime, especially in his early moments of introduction. As a character, Sasuke maintains an aloof and detached nature. His motive and will to defeat Itachi is an overarching aspect of his persona. This also extends to his development as a villain in the Naruto Shippuden series.
Sasuke Uchiha’s descent into villainy is linked to his poor character development
From witnessing the Uchiha clan massacre to killing his brother, Sasuke’s descent into villainy is diabolical in every sense. Besides that, Itachi’s sacrifice and death trigger the madness inside Sasuke. While the author provides him with moments of redemption, there’s a constant see-saw motion to his development.
Throughout the series, Sasuke establishes himself as a prodigy who can master Sharingan and the Uchiha clan’s fireball jutsu at an early stage. His zeal and pursuit to surpass and defeat his brother made him flawed yet relatable. It is no surprise that he is the author’s favorite character. However, his joy and innocence are stripped away because of Itachi and his parent’s death.
While viewers sympathize with Sasuke’s loss and tragedy, they link the hate to poor character development. This is clear when he displays inconsistencies in his motives. From his detachment toward Konoha to his eventual hatred, his motives are ever-changing. This extends to his relationship with Sakura. While most fans link Sasuke’s hatred to bad writing some blame his poor character development.
Naruto is available for streaming on Crunchyroll
