Who in the world is Tobi? Is Itachi actually good? And will Naruto and Sasuke eventually end up together? Well, you might not be too curious about that last one, but these ever-alluding questions and more kept fans of Naruto up at night hypothesizing over the mysteries that surrounded the popular series.
Series creator Masashi Kishimoto has been responsible for angering and exciting his fan-base over and over again due to the directions he would take his writing in Naruto. Stories like the Chunin Exam Arc are still, without a doubt, some of my favorite storytelling in any form of entertainment. But I swear I wanted to drop the series entirely when I found out Obito turned bad because Kakashi let Rin perish... ugh! It still makes me mad.
But regardless of whether you liked it or not, Kishimoto knew how to glue your eyes to the pages, and so it was only a matter of time until the Naruto theories littered the internet. Theories on every aspect of the series began to pop up with communities formulating to defend the theories they agreed with; we're looking at you, NaruSakus.
It was honestly really entertaining and fun at the same time. Unfortunately, some of the most elaborate fan theories were disproven along the way. But today, we're going to explore all the ones that eventually ended up true.
20 Itachi, The Hero
Who would’ve guessed that one of the most notorious baddies in any anime would also simultaneously be one the greatest good guys? Well, some fans actually did theorize this exact sentiment even when it seemed like it would never be true.
Itachi boasted a resume of ending his entire family and clan, scarring his brother as a direct result of his actions.
But Itachi proved to be one the most complex characters in the show and showed there was more to his story. Ending his entire clan? Well, that was to stop a Coup d'état that the Uchiha were planning against the leaf village. And inciting revenge in his younger brother Sasuke? Well, that was a ploy to make Sasuke stronger and ready to face the world. This was an awesome twist that we congratulate some fans for figuring out early.
19 Hinata Getting Close To Naruto
Romance and Naruto go hand in hand like peanut butter and Nutella. It’s not for everyone, but if you like it then you’re probably addicted. Theories were littered on forums on who our favorite spiky-haired ninja would one day end up with. Would it be the loud and obnoxious Sakura? Or maybe he'd bromance it out with his best bud Sasuke. Well, if you theorized any of the former, then we wish you luck in finding that fanfiction on 4chan.
But for those of you who theorized and wished for a Naruto and Hinata relationship, get your confetti out and celebrate! By the end of the series, Naruto finally expressed that he liked the always apologetic, Hinata. Their first kiss would later be shown in a movie, but by the end of the series the two already had some kids and were living the dream.
18 Pour One Out For Neji
No one in their right mind would’ve predicted Neji’s passing. In fact, his passing might’ve been the most unpredictable one in the series. Especially since a beloved character like Neji ended up losing to an overgrown-toothpick thrown at him by the ten-tails. Kishimoto did Neji dirty, but many saw his seemingly-random passing as a plot device so that two certain characters would use to get closer.
Some theorized that Neji’s passing would result in Hinata and Naruto getting closer.
Unfortunately, this sad fact turned out to be very truthful. Naruto and Hinata were seen holding hands in the next chapter and would go on to visit Neji’s grave together after the war. It’s sad that one of the last great characters had to pass to increase the legitimacy of Naruto and Hinata’s relationship.
17 Dynamic Entry! Might Guy And The 8 Gates
Since the early days of Naruto, there’s one power that every fan was waiting to see get used to its full potential. That was to see Rock Lee or Might Guy unleash the 8 Gates. For those unfamiliar, the 8 gates represented levels of chakra that were able to be released in 8 different levels.
The first level, or gate, could be released giving the user more power. The more gates released, the more power you got. Though if someone released all 8 gates, the repercussion would be the end. You don’t reveal a power like this without knowing that some sort of foreshadowing is involved. Fans highly anticipated the day we’d see someone release all 8 gates, and we finally saw this day when Might Guy released the 8 gates against Madara. What a day, and what a fight it turned out to be.
16 Naruto's Father Issues
I thought this was painfully obvious. It should’ve been noticeable that the only character with the exact features of Naruto would also end up to be his father, but the Naruto fan-base loves denial and theories. One of those theories was that the fourth Hokage might’ve played a more mysterious role in the series, possibly playing characters like the leader of the Akatsuki or possible some other villainous character.
But Kishimoto leveled off our excitement to reveal that the fourth Hokage’s identity was the most obvious answer. So when he was finally revealed to be Naruto’s father, not many expressed their surprise. I, for one, was hoping Naruto’s dad was that ramen guy, but even my theories were no match for Kishimoto.
15 Sakura Just Couldn't Give Up On Sasuke
Sakura gets some hate... well, a lot of hate, even deserved hate, some say. Those people usually being me, but that’s beside the point. Sakura was still one of the most popular characters in the series, and her romantic life was even more popular.
Sakura was insanely in love with Sasuke to an annoying degree at times in the series, especially when she begged Naruto to bring him back just for her sake.
But Sakura still gathered fans along the way, and many predicted she’d end up with the “bad boy” himself, Sasuke, by the end of the series. While they were an enjoyable(ish) couple, by the end of the series they had to leave one last mark of annoyance by naming their child Sarada, which is just a combination of the names Sakura and Sasuke. You better thank your parents for not doing the same to you.
14 The Mystery Of The Rinnegan
The Rinnegan was a very mysterious power in the series. Where’d it come from? And was it somehow connected to the powers of the Sharingan? Some concluded the Rinnegan might be the next step in the evolutionary cycle of the Sharingan, and Madara Uchiha proved this theory right.
The Rinnegan was, in fact, not some miraculous power that some were blessed with and others not. Instead, it turned out to be the highest power one could unlock as an Uchiha. Nagato’s Rinnegan-eyes were given to him by an older Madara who unlocked the eyes after mixing his Uchiha DNA with the first Hokage's DNA after their battle in the Final Valley. It was exciting to learn that only one man could muster the power and fortitude to unlock the full power of the Sharingan. So for all you lazy readers out there, TL;DR: Don’t mess with Madara.
13 Who's In That Sixth Box?
Speaking of Madara Uchiha, the notorious villain was quite popular for attracting theories of all kinds. Theories really slammed the internet when Kabuto revealed a mysterious sixth coffin to a very surprised Tobi. This coffin was, very conveniently, not shown to the audience.
Fanboys and girls flocked to forums to speculate if the last coffin held the true Madara Uchiha. And in fact, it did.
Thankfully, it did hold the real Madara too, because once that coffin opened up, we were introduced to one of the coolest baddies in anime history. Once the real Madara dropped on the scene, it also elevated the mystery behind Tobi, since the possibility of him being Madara would no longer be true.
12 Naruto Will Bring All The Tailed Beasts Together
If you predicted that Naruto will eventually reach every single one of his goals by the end of the series, and even surpass a few, then you’d be right on the money. By the end of the series, Naruto is basically a god. He has unrivaled power and is able to take down god-level villains like Kaguya.
Some even theorized Naruto might be the next Sage of the Six Paths. While he didn’t entirely reach this level, he was still responsible for bringing the tailed beasts together much like the Sage himself. The icing on the cake for this theory is when the tailed beasts comment on how Naruto reminds them of the Sage of The Six Paths. But since he still has sage power, he’ll probably always be the closest thing to another Sage of The Six Paths.
11 Tobito Uchiha
Regarded as one of the biggest secrets in anime history and a mystery that tore forums apart with speculation, this question caused all fans to theorize. Who in the world was Tobi? Some thought he could be Madara’s brother Izuna or could even be something as elaborate as a time-traveling Sasuke. Nope. Kishimoto once again trolled fans by revealing Tobi’s identity. He was Obito Uchiha. And what was the genius theory behind this mystery? Well, it was shamelessly one of the simplest theories out of the bunch.
The theory went just like this: Tobi had to be Obito because their names were so similar. Hence Tobi + Obito = Tobito.
It was one of the most popular theories regarding Tobi’s identity, but was also one of the most laughable because it was so trite. Well, I guess nobody but Kishimoto is laughing now.
10 Naruto And Sasuke Will Have One More Final Fight
This had to happen, and no amount of Kishimoto trolling was going to stop this from happening. Some will never forget where they were when they got their first kiss, or forget when their mom embarrassed them in front of all their friends at a birthday party. Okay, that last one may be a little more personable to me, but one thing any anime fan will never forget is that first Naruto vs. Sasuke fight.
I was at home watching Toonami when I was suddenly graced with one of the most epic battles in anime history.
And since that day, fans were anticipating another fight and theorizing how it could come about. Would Sasuke fight Naruto for Sakura? Or maybe they’d fight over Hokage. Wait, are they actually fighting over Hokage?! The final fight didn’t disappoint and delivered something that fans had been anticipating for eons.
9 Orochimaru Ain't Gone Yet
Orochimaru always finds a way to stay relevant in Naruto. The weird snake-like man is someone that will always find a way to come back into the series so fans were quick to call that Orochimaru wasn’t done after Itachi ended him. Orochimaru came back to life through Sasuke’s curse mark before kicking the bucket to Itachi, yet it was assumed by many fans that he’d find his way back through another curse mark. Which eventually panned out to true when Orochimaru returned through Anko’s curse mark late into the series. Orochimaru might’ve initially been despised as a villain, a creepy one at that, but over time he slowly grew on the community. Fans were happy to see the snake-like weirdo make his return during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
8 Your Family Name Is Everything (Neji Was Right)
This might just be a result of bad writing, but it seems Neji was right. Early fans of Naruto will never forget when Naruto and Neji squared up in the Chunin Exams and Naruto gave a smug Neji a much-needed beatdown. This turned Neji into a much more relatable character while also letting Naruto provide the earnest message that your family name doesn’t mean anything. You are what you make of yourself. Believe it!
Well, he lied. Neji told the truth, family name is everything... well, at least in the Naruto universe.
Naruto wasn’t that nobody kid, but instead was the child of prophecy, being the literal reincarnation of the Sage of the Six Paths son. For the fans that predicted Neji would eventually end up correct by the end of the series, give yourself a nice pat on the back for this one.
7 Naruto And Sasuke Will Meet The Sage Of Six Paths
The Sage of the Six Paths was another strange mystery in Naruto, but a mystery that made it hard to speculate on since so little information was presented on the figure. All that was known was he was somehow the creator of chakra and was the closest figure to a god in the Naruto universe.
But where did he come from? Who was he? And when was he going to enter the series? Fans knew it had to happen eventually and the character likely to meet him was either going to be Sasuke or Naruto. And, of course, both characters were eventually introduced to the god-like character in the series. Thankfully Hagoromo (The Sage) and his pointy beard were a lot more down to Earth than expected by fans.
6 Kakashi's Coming Back To Life
When Kakashi passed I was almost on the brink of tears. Who could forget his One Thousand Years of Death Jutsu, where the complicated name only resulted in a simple technique of one sticking their pointed fingers straight up into someone's area? But after dueling with Pain, the popular character was ended. Except he wasn’t.
No one would ever end a character off just to bring them back chapters later, you might be telling yourself. Well, I guess you haven’t met Kishimoto then!
So many main characters were being ended during the Pain Arc that fans knew the creator would somehow bring some if not all the characters back to life. And they were right when characters were resurrected, including Kakashi, making all their sentimental scenes pointless. Kishimoto trolls again.
5 Obito's Vendetta
When Obito was shown to be the man behind one of the biggest mysteries in anime history, many screamed out of the disappointment of learning the simplicity behind the secret that put elaborate theories on their bed. Yet the next big question was instantly presented: why did the seemingly innocent Obito become a masked madman?
Well, if you haven’t noticed yet, there’s a pattern in Naruto where elaborate theories are usually kicked to the curb and simple, almost laughable theories are usually true. Unfortunately, we have another case of that, as Obito’s main motivation for turning evil turned out to be the simplest theory; world chaos, all because Rin passed. This theory still makes me shake my head for its simplistic nature, yet we can’t escape the fact that it’s true.
4 Pain’s True Identity
Two mysteries remained evident throughout Naruto, who was Tobi and who was the leader of the Akatsuki? The Akatsuki were the group of nine baddies interested in complete control over the world and remained mysterious since they were introduced to the story. Who were the members and who could be the leader of such a notorious group of villains?
And who else could be the leader of a group of villains other than a guy actually named Pain?
But when it was revealed that Pain was being manipulated by someone, the theories busted out. Some saying it was his teammate Yahiko who ended him for his Rinnegan. But when it was revealed it was actually Nagato controlling Pain, many fans commended themselves for assuming this based on Jiraiya's hints.
3 The Sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake
The Copy Ninja was just too strong to not throw his hat into the Hokage race and many fans knew they’d see that masked face carved into the Hokage stone wall at some point. And that point came late into the story when Naruto was still too young to take up the Hokage mantle. So Kakashi took the burden of Hokage from Tsunade and thus the reign of the Copy Ninja began.
Kakashi’s melancholic face while wearing the Hokage hat still gives me a kick to this day. While Kakashi didn’t accomplish much as Hokage, he can be attributed as one of the biggest helps in planning Naruto’s wedding. Which might seem pretty insignificant to us, but is pretty substantial to Kakashi’s wedding planning business.
2 One Piece And Naruto Are Connected
Okay, so this is definitely a bit of a stretch but it’s kind of true at the same time. For the last chapter of Naruto, the creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, dropped a pretty funny Easter egg on one of the opening pages. The Hokage rocks were littered with graffiti, much like the vandalism that our favorite protagonist used to make on the earliest moments of Naruto.
However, one of the rocks notably had one of One Piece’s jolly rogers on it, resulting in fans of both series going nuts.
It was definitely nothing more than an Easter egg, but that didn’t stop fans from going crazy about the connections that were just made between both shows. Theories predicting this were almost always dismissed, but in some way I guess they were somewhat right.
1 Naruto Will End Up As Hokage
I'm hoping each and every one of you at least got this one right. Regardless, it still warms my heart to see that immature brat in episode one and realize he’ll one day reach his goal of Hokage. It was a long journey, one filled with tons of filler and cringe-worthy romance, but it was all worth it to see that whiskered face up on the Hokage wall.
Naruto is the only series you could hate so much yet love so much at the same time, the series might slam down your most complex Tobi theories but still finds a way to elevate the simple moments. Naruto becoming Hokage might’ve been simple to predict, but it still gave fans an ending that we all could enjoy.