Sasuke Uchiha Character Analysis in Naruto Essay Example

Backstory:

Sasuke Uchiha is the secondary protagonist of Naruto. Sasuke was thoughtful and optimistic as a child. At age 7, he witnessed his clan massacred by his older brother, Itachi. Sasuke’s personality and perspective on life had started to change following the massacre. He became gloomy, resentful, and lonely. Due to his older brother’s betrayal, he developed severe trust issues. Sasuke begins to despise everything that Itachi stands for. He believes that Itachi represents evil in this world. He devoted his ambition to revenge with this frightening memory, and he will do whatever it takes. 

Relationship, Relevance, and Differences with Naruto - Age 7-13:

Sasuke has always been a prodigy, achieving the highest marks in the academy. Despite this, he always came last in collaboration, finding it irritating to work with those inferior. The protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, appears to be the precise opposite. Naruto is a simple-minded and pleasant individual who dreams of recognition. Unlike Sasuke, he’s always been the worst Shinobi in his grade. Despite these dissimilarities, both characters have one identical characteristic: loneliness. Naruto has been an orphan for his entire life, his parents’ origins being unknown, and he never had friends. Ever since the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke has been lonesome. Though he was esteemed, he never had a genuine friend.

Ironically, they were the first team to show signs of cooperation, passing the academy test. Nonetheless, we see some character development. Although not friends with Naruto, he understands and empathizes with him. Older Sasuke confesses this to Naruto:

Their first mission showed a glimpse beneath Sasuke's character and slight caring nature when Sasuke took a blow for Naruto. 

Naruto has always had a fiery spirit with a stubborn attitude, unlike Sasuke. Sasuke quickly gives up against Orochimaru. Although Naruto knows that Orochimaru overwhelms them, he persists. After Naruto passes out, Sakura mentions Naruto’s bravery positively. Sasuke has never given up nor fled during a fight ever since. He believes running away without protecting his friends is something Itachi would do. So he remains and attempts to defend Naruto and Sakura. Perhaps,  Sakura assisted Sasuke in developing. After the battle, Sasuke begins to doubt his capabilities and develop PTSD.

Afterward, Sasukes realizes the mark provides additional strength yet feels weaker despite this. He’s growing frightened of Naruto’s abnormal development as it implies that he’s weak enough for someone at the very lowest to catch up. Soon, Itachi returns in search of Naruto, and Sasuke explores. After being on Team 7, the scars of his tragic past had gradually started to heal his loneliness and hatred. Even so, his vengeful goal continued. His run-in with Itachi reminded him of his sad history. His trauma returned, and his hatred increased more than ever. After several subsequent events, Sasuke prioritized his vengeance over his friends and village. 

Naruto heads to retrieve Sasuke, expecting to bring him back, though forced to fight him as a result. Sasuke intends to kill Naruto, as he can acquire the Mangekyou Sharingan if he does so. The Sharingan is a particular type of eye within the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan gives you more power when a user experiences a traumatic event. After Naruto’s confession at the Valley of the End, Sasuke begins to comprehend that Naruto’s pranks were intended to get the people’s attention, as he was always lonely and couldn’t do otherwise. Possibly, Sasuke saw a bit of himself in Naruto, as he would always strive for his family’s attention. Sasuke could understand Naruto’s loneliness, and Sasuke could’ve been eased by knowing someone like him. During their fight’s closing, Sasuke doesn’t kill Naruto, as he cares for him and doesn’t want to be like Itachi. “Naruto, I’m… s-” Sasuke gets cut off by the rain. He turns rogue and goes to Orochimaru for power.

Vengeance against Itachi - Age 16:

Sasuke kills Orochimaru and takes his power; in Sasuke's eyes, Orochimaru is as evil as Itachi. Sasuke assumes he is finally strong enough and eventually confronts Itachi. They have a battle, and ultimately, Sasuke kills Itachi. After the match, Tobi exposes that the Uchiha plotted a coup d’etat. Itachi had a nearly impossible choice to make: wipe out his clan for the good of Konoha or side with the Uchiha. Though he had a caveat, Itachi agreed to help Konoha. His caveat was to leave his brother alive. The elders agreed and gave Itachi his mission to kill all the Uchiha’s, except Sasuke. Itachi killed all of his friends, family, and lover but couldn’t kill his younger brother. Itachi’s actions truly express his love and care towards his little brother. Sasuke becomes anguished, believing that Konoha just used Itachi for selfish reasons. He gets rid of his grudge towards Itachi and redirects his anger to Konoha and the Shinobi world, even if that's not what Itachi desired.

Resolution - Age 17: 

Sasuke and Naruto have their final battle at the Valley of the End. Likewise, in the last fight, Sasuke intends to kill Naruto, Naruto thinking otherwise. The match concludes with them incapable of fighting. Instead, they start having conversations like brothers. Sasuke exhibits surprising displays of emotion around Naruto; he laughs, cries, and smiles. As conversation fades, Sasuke calmly says:

Sasuke, for the first time, has acknowledged that he lost. He has given up on his path of revenge and admits that Naruto was correct all along, that friendship and bonds can endure eternally, and they can unite the Shinobi world through these connections. Since then, Sasuke has returned to Konoha and helped Naruto with missions. The central theme of the story is hope. Sasuke defines this so evidently. Sasuke had to witness his clan slaughtered, become rogue, cut off all his relationships, learn the truth about Itachi, become a criminal, and get vengeance on Konoha and the Shinobi world. Sasuke redeemed himself thanks to his best friend, Naruto. Naruto constantly had hope in Sasuke, comprehending how he felt. Sasuke was able to save his sins by having hope in himself. Sasuke is the portrayal of having hope.

Symbolism - Age 16-17:

In Naruto, Sasuke is represented as the moon while Naruto is the sun, a symbolic reference that highlights their differences. This representation is shown more clearly during their arrivals and the mood when they’re around. When Naruto returns, it’s daytime with bright colours. When Sasuke returns, the sky is pitch black with an eerie vibe. Naruto says the village hasn’t “changed one bit,” although Sasuke says the contrary. They’re standing on the same pillar and glancing at the village, but it’s Sasuke’s experiences that give a sense of change. Sasuke’s perception changed after discovering the truth. Naruto being the bright sun and Sasuke the dark moon is poetic. After all, the moon needs the sun to shine in the darkest hours.

“When people get hurt, they learn to hate and want revenge. But when we call our vengeance justice, then that justice breeds more revenge, and it becomes a chain of hatred.” (I think this quote describes Sasuke’s story quite well.)

Connections/My Opinion:

I think that Sasuke is a realistic character and has a lot of depth. Sasuke prioritizes emotion over logic, as his goals kept changing every time he learned new information, from killing Itachi to destroying the village, then revolutionizing the Shinobi world, to lastly protecting Konoha. I appreciate Sasuke, but I don’t share many connections as I prioritize logic more than emotions, and we have different personalities. I did find relations between Kurapika from HxH and Sasuke. Both are the last surviving members of their clan, known for their valuable eyes, and both desire revenge on the people that did them wrong.