Naruto remains one of the best anime to date, even after it ended almost six years ago. The story of a young shinobi from being treated as an outcast to being called the Hero of Leaf Village remains an influential and inspirational plot for almost every anime lover. Masashi Kishimoto’s magnum opus has left a mark on everybody’s mind and is rightfully considered to be one of the original Big Three.
Even though Naruto Uzumaki is the main character of the franchise, it was never really about a single character. Every single character had an important role to play and was never discriminated against. Although the story is named after Naruto, the plot was carried by Sasuke Uchiha, who was at the receiving end of all the cheers, much like Jack Sparrow instead of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Sasuke Uchiha Is the Driving Force In The Naruto Franchise
Naruto Uzumaki is the main protagonist of the Naruto franchise. His journey left a mark on all of us, but it was Sasuke Uchiha who took all the glory. Sasuke Uchiha was the driving force of the plot. Every major incident was somehow influenced by the last Uchiha. Even though the anime focused on every character, most of the screen time was taken by him.
Sasuke leaving the Leaf Village caused the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Later, he joined Orochimaru, created Taka, and joined the Akatsuki. He also disrupted the Five Kage Summit and openly challenged all the Kage. He did all of that to become stronger. Sasuke was a self-centered character, yet Masashi Kishimoto used him as the epicenter of the anime.
Many a time, it was seen that Sasuke completely overshadowed Naruto in their journey. It is like the movie franchise of Pirates of the Caribbean. Even though it was Will Turner who was the main protagonist, the cheer and applause were taken away by Jack Sparrow. His energetic and enigmatic role was much more glorified than the protagonist.
Other Incidences Where The Protagonist Is Overshadowed
It is not only in the Naruto franchise that the Seventh Hokage is overshadowed by the Shadow Hokage. There are other anime where the side characters become the selling point of that show. One of them is My Hero Academia. Bakugo Katsuri is more of a show stealer than Izuku Midoriya. The former was the most popular character in My Hero Academia for quite some time.
One of the most popular anime of recent times, Jujutsu Kaisen, also took the same road. Gojo Satoru is the strongest and the most beloved character of the anime, leaving Yuji Itadori behind. Naruto had to work with everyone, while Sasuke was self-centered. Both of them were the twin protagonists of the show. Even though Sasuke Uchiha was burdened with all the cheers and applause, both of them pushed each other to reach their highest potential.
