It would be hard to talk about the most iconic shonen anime of all time without mentioning the phenomenon that is Naruto. At its peak, the series was easily one of the most popular anime ever, with fans eagerly awaiting each chapter and episode up till that amazing climactic battle between Naruto and Sasuke that everyone had been waiting for. It was an amazing payoff after the massive number of episodes the anime had invested in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Naruto doesn't shy away from depicting the darker aspects of its source material, with some touchy topics being downright uncomfortable to deal with. Thankfully, Naruto doesn't dwell on the horrifying aspects of its story for too long although the very nature of these heinous actions makes them quite hard to bear regardless.
10 Orochimaru's Horrifying Experiments
Orochimaru is one of the most despicable characters in Naruto. Even though the show might portray him as a sympathetic figure after a point, the sheer brutality of his actions means that he simply can't get any sympathy.
The idea of using living breathing humans for experimental purposes is simply horrifying. Couple this with the existential horror of Yamato and Mitsuki's existence, and it's easy to see why Orochimaru is such a vile character.
9 The Mental Torment That Sasuke Grew Up With
Watching all family and friends be slaughtered by a brother one idolized is a horrifying idea indeed. This is precisely what Sasuke had to bear with after witnessing the Uchiha Clan massacre firsthand.
The worst part is that his brother was actually forced into performing this action — a fact that isn't cleared up until after Itachi's death! It's no wonder why Sasuke wanted to destroy all the Kages and recreate the world of shinobi after witnessing how inept and dangerous the people in power can be.
8 Naruto Being Demonized By The Village
Naruto never had a choice in being the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails. However, that didn't stop the commoners in Konoha from chastising and reviling him as a child every step of the way.
It's frankly impressive that Naruto didn't let this affect his mental wellbeing and became a child with great morals. The same can't be said for the next person on this list.
7 Gaara's Rough Childhood
Gaara is one of the best characters in Naruto, with his introduction making him an absolutely riveting antagonist. However, after finding out his backstory, it's revealed that Gaara was pretty much pushed against a wall like Naruto although his trauma was way more intense.
Imagine if Iruka-sensei turned out to hate Naruto all along and was secretly wishing for his demise, even though he was nice to the student's face. This is precisely the situation that a young Gaara was placed in, forcing the soft-spoken child to access his dark side and develop a warped mentality when it came to society and friendship.
6 Kabuto Forcing The Dead To Fight Against Their Will
The dead should be lain to rest — something that is pretty common knowledge for most people. Unfortunately, the existence of the Edo Tensei jutsu meant that several people could be brought back from the dead to fight in a war they had no place in.
While it was great to see these powerful shinobi come back to life in such spectacular fashion, it's definitely quite harrowing for these individuals to be forced into a fight against their loved ones. Thankfully, most of these powerful shinobi managed to gain full control of their actions and joined the good side anyway.
5 Jiraiya's Demise And Its Aftermath
Jiraiya is one of the most beloved characters in Naruto. He served as the titular character's sensei and father figure for the longest time, before succumbing to the might of his former student.
The fact that his throat was completely crushed and his body had been stabbed repeatedly meant that his death was anything but poetic. To top it all off, Jiraiya's body sunk to the depths of the ocean and is yet to be recovered, although this did mean that he wasn't resurrected to fight against his allies in the war.
4 Obito Watching The Love Of His Life Die
Obito's story is marred with tragedy, with the shinobi almost losing his life in a near-fatal accident. However, after finally getting the freedom to go back to his old life, he sees the horrifying sight of his best friend stabbing his love.
This causes him to go into a frenzy and kill every ninja hunting Rin down in a brutal fashion. It's a moment that cemented his cold nature towards the world and made him one of the most riveting antagonists in Naruto.
3 The Despair-Inducing Idea Of The Infinite Tsukuyomi
Reality can be harsh, but it's these struggles that transform people into the man they want to become in life. While the idea of removing all this pain and suffering might be ideal, it's not practical in the slightest.
This is why the idea of the Infinite Tsukuyomi is horrifying. Living in a fabricated world where nothing goes wrong is a trainwreck of an idea that no one should take seriously, yet it's portrayed as the best thing for the world for absolutely no reason.
2 Nagato's Transformation Into Pain
Nagato has one of the most tragic backstories in the entire series, with his best friend sacrificing his life to protect both him and Konan. This was made necessary by the power-hungry tactics of Danzo, showing once again why the higher-ups in Naruto are the absolute worst.
It took a solid verbal dressing-down from Naruto to make Pain see the light. It's a shame since getting this revelation early on would've ensured that he didn't commit these heinous actions in the first place.
1 The Very Nature Of The Aburame Clan's Existence
The idea of housing a litany of bugs inside your body is one of the most horrifying things anyone can think of. However, for the Aburame clan, this is the most normal thing in the world.
It's not even like this clan is particularly strong, with Shino transforming from a cold yet calculating shinobi into comic relief in Boruto. Of course, he and the rest of the Aburame Clan members don't really have a say in the matter since they have these creatures inside their bodies from an early age.