Orochimaru

A former Sannin who became a terrorist to cheat death.

Orochimaru (大蛇丸) is a character from Naruto, a manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a former ninja from the village of Konohagakure who earned the title of Sannin through his work in wars. He becomes a terrorist as a means to cheat death and builds his own ninja village, Otogakure. He succeeds to some extent in obtaining immortality by transferring between different host bodies, which becomes one of his driving motivations as he targets Sasuke Uchiha for his genetic heritage. By the events of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, he has seemingly redeemed himself and has sent his experiment Mitsuki to Konoha to become a ninja. Based on Japanese mythology, Orochimaru was created as one of the series' main antagonists, intended to represent the opposite of the protagonists' morals and values.

Quick Facts

Series: Naruto
First: Naruto chapter 45: The Second Exam (2000)

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. He was once affiliated with the criminal organization Akatsuki. He then founded his own ninja village, Otogakure, populated with ninja loyal to him.

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.