Orochimaru

Lore & Background

Orochimaru's parents were killed when he was young, leaving his only source of affection his teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi (the Third Hokage) and his two teammates. Alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade, he became known as one of the Legendary Sannin (伝説の三忍, Densetsu no Sannin) due to their exemplary abilities in the Second Great Ninja War against Hanzo of the Salamander. In his desire to attain immortality to learn every jutsu, Orochimaru developed a forbidden jutsu to steal victims' bodies, though the process cannot be done more than once every three years. He began abducting Konohagakure villagers for experiments, with Yamato among his surviving victims. Hiruzen allowed him to escape the village rather than harm him. Orochimaru joined the criminal organization Akatsuki as Sasori's partner, but left after failing to steal Itachi Uchiha's body to gain the Sharingan. He then founded Otogakure, populated with loyal ninjas who serve as test subjects and pawns.

In Their Own Story

During the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru plans the invasion of Konoha with Sunagakure to kill Hiruzen and claim Sasuke Uchiha's body. He infiltrates the Forest of Death by killing a Kusagakure ninja named Shiore, assumes her identity, and brands Sasuke with a Curse Mark. He secretly murders the Fourth Kazekage to assume his identity and get close to Hiruzen as the invasion begins. However, Hiruzen sacrifices himself through the Reaper Death Seal to take away Orochimaru's ability to perform jutsu, forcing Orochimaru to retreat. He later sends his Sound Four to fetch Sasuke for a body-transfer, but when Sasuke takes too long, he switches to a prisoner's body instead. Two and a half years later, Sasuke uses his Sharingan to void Orochimaru's technique, trapping Orochimaru's soul within him. During Sasuke's fight with Itachi, Orochimaru escapes but is sealed away by Itachi. After Kabuto's defeat, Sasuke releases Orochimaru using Anko Mitarashi's Cursed Seal and a new body from Jugo. Orochimaru joins Sasuke, undoes the Reaper Death Seal to regain ninjutsu, transfers into a White Zetsu clone, and brings the first four Hokage back with Reanimation Jutsu. He aids the Allied Shinobi Forces and helps subdue the Shinju. After the war, he resumes experiments in a more humane manner, with Sasuke's Taka teammates as lab assistants, though Konoha keeps tight surveillance.

Reader's Guide

Orochimaru's abilities center on snakes, which he summons to battle multiple opponents while keeping himself out of harm's way. Through experiments, he has added snake-like characteristics to his own body. His nature types are fire, earth, and wind. He wields a sword named Kusanagi, related to the Yamata no Orochi; in the manga and anime, he uses a technique called Yamata no Orochi but is ultimately defeated by Itachi Uchiha's Susanoo technique. In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, set 15 years after Naruto, Orochimaru created two artificial humans based on his DNA, naming the youngest Mitsuki whom he considers a son and sends to Konoha to find his own path. He also appears in the Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring side story with his younger appearance noted by confused main characters.

Did You Know?

• Orochimaru's character originates from the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari, where he opposes the title character who also appears in Naruto as his former ally.
• Kishimoto originally planned to make Orochimaru look androgynous, but made him creepier due to the concept of him being a strong antagonist.
• Orochimaru is voiced by Kujira in the Japanese version and by Steve Blum in the English dub.
• The introduction of Orochimaru was first suggested by Kishimoto's superiors to improve the series' popularity.
• Orochimaru's Cursed Seals are revealed to hold copies of his consciousness, allowing him to survive after being sealed by Itachi.