Naruto is known for its motivational messages, intense action sequences, and shocking plot twists. While Naruto's stories tend to focus on positive messages, there were also plenty of heartbreaking and unsettling episodes over the years. Thanks to Naruto's captivating and complex characters, these emotional storylines were even more impactful.
Over the years, Naruto fans could not only witness the painful deaths of many beloved characters but also get to know some of the darkest aspects of the ninja world in detail. This iconic anime explored many challenging themes about the effects of war, overcoming childhood trauma, as well as human cruelty. However, Naruto was beloved by fans because its stories were pushing boundaries and no matter how dark things seemed to get, its heroes never gave up.
7 Haku's Backstory - White Past: Hidden Ambition (Naruto #17)
Haku has one of the saddest backstories in Naruto since he had to overcome a lot of hardships and pain during his childhood. During his fight with Naruto and Sasuke, Haku's heartbreaking backstory was revealed, and Naruto fans could see just how much suffering he had to endure because of his unusual ice-release abilities.
Unfortunately, Haku was raised by an abusive father who not only beat him up but killed his mother and then tried to kill Haku too. Then he was taken in by another abusive man named Zabuza, who trained the young boy to become a ninja. Haku's life was filled with abuse and abandonment, yet he stayed loyal to Zabuza and thought of him as a father figure.
6 The Uchiha Clan Massacre - Moonlit Night (Naruto: Shippuden #455)
Unfortunately not even the strongest Uchiha clan members were able to save themselves from Itachi Uchiha, who brutally murdered almost all the members of his own clan and only spared his little brother's life. It's one of the darkest and most shocking Naruto episodes and one that would stick with viewers for a long time.
The Uchiha clan members always felt discriminated against in their village, and since they wanted more power, they planned a coup against the village leadership. However, the village leadership decided to order Itachi to massacre his clan to protect the village. While Itachi was first reluctant and tried to find other ways, he eventually carried out the order mainly out of loyalty.
5 Itachi Torturing His Brother - Hate Among the Uchihas: The Last of the Clan! (Naruto #85)
Itachi was not only a mass murderer, but he was also one of the worst anime brothers, who tortured his own brother, Sasuke. He used genjutsu to torture and humiliate Sasuke for a long period of time. He ended up torturing Sasuke for seventy-two hours and showed their parents' death to him on a loop thousands of times.
While Itachi had good intentions, and he only wanted to save his village and prevent a greater tragedy, his actions were still unforgivable. Itachi completely alienated himself from his brother and caused him life-long mental issues.
4 Kisame Eaten Alive By Sharks - The Man Named Kisame (Naruto: Shippuden #251)
Kisame had one of the most shocking deaths in Naruto which was probably one of the most painful ones too. He was one of the most infamous and powerful members of the Akatsuki with water-control abilities.
Kisame was so loyal to his criminal organization that when he was captured by the enemy, he decided that he'd rather commit suicide than reveal secrets during an interrogation. Using his jutsu, he summoned a group of sharks who ate him alive, thus making sure that all of his secrets died with him.
3 Naruto's Birth - Minato's Death (Naruto: Shippuden #350)
Naruto's early life was filled with difficulties and even the day of his birth was a painfully dark day. Unfortunately, during Naruto's birth, the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked his village. Naruto's parents made the choice to sacrifice themselves and sealed the beast inside their newborn son to save the village.
While his parents managed to save their home and Naruto's life, he grew up as an ostracized orphan because the villagers both hated and feared him and the Nine-Tails within him. Despite all the horrible things he had to overcome Naruto achieved great things and eventually fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a respected Hokage.
2 Jiraiya Passes Away - The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant (Naruto: Shippuden #133)
The episode in which Jiraiya passed away was one of the most painful and darkest ones in the Naruto franchise. He was not only a powerful ninja but also a fan-favorite character who was Naruto's mentor and the closest thing he had to a father.
While Jiraiya tried to gather more information about the Akatsuki, he discovered that Pain is the true leader of the organization and tried to defeat him in battle. Unfortunately, Pain killed him, but not before Jiraiya could send a coded message to Naruto. Jiraiya's death impacted the story in multiple ways and while it was a painful loss, it helped Naruto to grow as both a ninja and a person.
1 Obito Is In Hell - I'm in Hell (Naruto: Shippuden #345)
One of the darkest episodes in the Naruto franchise was when Obito witnessed Rin's death during the Third Great Ninja War. She was kidnapped by the Hidden Mist Village, and while Obito and Kakashi were on a mission to rescue her, they couldn't save the young girl who was murdered by Kakashi.
Since, by that time, Rin was under the control of the enemy, Kakashi had no other choice but to end Rin's life, and Obito arrived to see his best friend killing Rin. Her sudden death was unbearable to Obito, who then ended up becoming one of the most ruthless villains that Naruto and his friends ever had to face.