Why Did Sasuke Turn Evil in Naruto & When Did It Happen?

Uchiha Sasuke is the main protagonist/antagonist/antihero of the Naruto series. His characterization is a bit of a mouthful, but it perfectly sums up his journey as a man and a shinobi. The massacre of the Uchiha Clan, finding out his brother was responsible for killing his own clan, used by Orochimaru for his own gain, and finally, leaving his friends behind. Thankfully, Naruto and his friends brought Sasuke home, but some fans still speculate why Sasuke turned evil in Naruto and when it truly happened.

Uchiha Sasuke was evil for most of the series despite some fans characterizing him as an antihero. He became evil during the Five Kage Summit when Danzo Shimura revealed the real truth about the Uchiha massacre and that he used Sasuke’s brother Itachi in the conspiracy to destroy the Uchiha clan and indirectly gained more power in Konohagakure. Another confirmation of Sasuke’s wrong understanding of the situation and being on the opposite side of the Five Shinobi Countries came after Team 7 defeated Kaguya Ōtsutsuki – he decided to kill the Kages, and Tailed Beasts, to save his village and all of Shinobi World.

We will discuss this topic more by mentioning instances when Sasuke turned more evil and parts of the Naruto series when that happened. If you are interested in why and when Sasuke became evil, stay with us until the end of the article.

Why did Sasuke turn evil in the Naruto series?

Sasuke had a really hard life – from witnessing his brother Itachi killing his whole clan to being used by Orochimaru and, ultimately, pushing his friends away. The latter was the biggest mistake because darkness overwhelmed Sasuke quite early in his life. The years of once brothers, Hagoromo’s Ōtsutsuki sons, Asura and Indra, getting overwhelmed by fear, anger, and darkness, were changed by Naruto and his motivation to save his friend Uchiha from the darkness. 

But before Naruto saved Sasuke from himself and the centuries-old cycle of hate, Sasuke was born in turbulent times for his clan – Uchiha clan leaders felt the Konoha leaders discriminated against them and conspired against the Hokage via coup d’état. Of course, Root and Danzo Shimura were involved and later blackmailed young Itachi – if involved in the coup, his whole clan, including Sasuke, would die. Another choice included the assignment of Itachi to kill his clan by himself but sparring with his younger brother. Sasuke didn’t know that, and the boy vowed to kill his brother after the massacre.

Of course, the revenge and drive to beat his brother was always the main drive for young Sasuke, and his willingness to improve and become a strong shinobi always frustrated him. There were glimpses from the beginning, especially after the Land of Waves arc, that Sasuke is suffering and focusing more on revenge than his childhood and the journey as a shinobi of Konoha.

The biggest escalation of Sasuke’s rage and frustration happened during the Chuunin Exams, Konoha Crush, and Sasuke Recovery Mission story arcs when Sasuke grows frustrated by not being able to progress his skills as shinobi. The frustration grows when Orochimaru attacks Konoha during the Chuunin Exams and tries to recruit Sasuke as his apprentice – more as an experiment. After the injuries during the attack on the village, Sasuke encounters Itachi, who easily defeats him and reminds him he is far from being strong enough to defeat his brother. 

Sasuke eventually leaves Konoha with Sound Four and becomes Orochimaru’s apprentice. Over the years, Sasuke developed a reputation – the Uchiha who betrayed his village and is actively working for a criminal, one of the Konoha’s Sannin. This period is where Sasuke falls deeper into the darkness, despite Team 7 trying to bring him back – they realize that Sasuke has changed and is actively working against his former village. 

During that period, Sasuke went through a lot – he defeated Orochimaru, founded his group Hebi, and actively pursued his brother for revenge. Sasuke finally encounters Itachi, but it goes far differently from what he expects – Itachi doesn’t kill him, and he apologizes to Sasuke before he dies. Also, the older brother removes Orochimaru’s cursed seal from Sasuke’s body.

Tobi, the mysterious criminal, and missing-nin, takes Sasuke with him and tells him the truth behind Itachi and the Root organization. Of course, not before Tobi introduces himself as Madara Uchiha and stirs Sasuke’s darkness onto Konoha and its residents. This is the first hint of Sasuke being truly evil in the Naruto series. Sasuke finally discovers the truth behind Itachi’s doings and the politics surrounding Konoha and his clan, which is the moment Sasuke becomes the antagonist of the Naruto series.

Now the last Uchiha (or so he thinks) hunts for Danzo Shimura and finally fights him. Personally, this was the most satisfying fight in the series since Danzo was the worst of the worst and should’ve been killed immediately. Sasuke struggles a bit since Danzo is a skilled shinobi who, over the years, collected Sharingan eyes from fallen Uchiha’s and stored them in his arm. The manipulative Root leader thinks he can manipulate Sasuke by threatening the lives of his teammates. Still, Sasuke is unhinged and almost sacrifices Karin and kills Sakura.

Personally, this was the evilest Sasuke has ever been, even more than the last instance of Sasuke being the show’s antagonist. After defeating Kaguya, Sasuke decides to follow Indra Ōtsutsuki’s path and sever ties with his closest friends and allies. Moreover, the last Uchiha wants to kill all of the Kage because he believes they are the reason people of the Shinobi World are suffering and are only making things worse for the people. Thankfully, Naruto “saves” him with his love and belief for him.

When did Sasuke become evil in Naruto?

After dissecting why Sasuke was evil in the Naruto series, we can safely proceed to mention the exact story arcs when Sasuke became truly evil. Naruto Shippuden, or Part II, suggests that Sasuke started falling into darkness after the fight with Itachi – he finally realized his brother was blackmailed and used by the government institutions of Konoha for the gain of one man, Danzo Shimura. 

After the death of Itachi, Tobi tells Sasuke the truth, and the young man finds a new motivation – to kill Danzo. Sasuke kills Danzo, but not without showing he is fully unhinged – he will destroy Konoha and its residents, including his former teammates. Even Naruto realizes Sasuke is far gone after almost killing Sakura, and Team 7 sees Sasuke in the “darkest hour” of his life. 

Lastly, the Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes story arc of the Naruto series sees Sasuke deciding to kill all of Kage, Tailed Beasts, and “give the freedom to the people.” However, Naruto stops him, stops the centuries-long cycle of conflict, hate, and revenge, and proceeds to treat his friend and rival with love and support. In the Boruto series, Sasuke is Naruto’s biggest rival and protector of Konoha, which directly follows the ethos and wishes of Shisui and Itachi – the Uchiha that sacrificed themselves for the betterment of their village and clan.