I like Sasuke. I just like others better.

I don't know where to begin, there are so many bad things about Sasuke...
I hate him mainly because he wants to take revenge (over something his brother wanted to protect! Its just illogical) and for that he is willing to betray his friends (Its stupid, just get over it! Revenge brings you nowhere!)
Also, I really don't like his personnality (and his face) is like ohh yeah I am cool and so I dont want any friend (yuck)
I hope at the ends, he dies

Because he is shallow, yet the author makes him strong and important in a boring way.

i second mr bagdemagus.

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grammar mistake is intentional, grammar nazis need their entertainment.

I've started watching this show at the age of 12 to be exact, grade 7 (just as the specific age group requires on average). If my memory serves me correctly, Sasuke was never whiny, he proved to be a fairly intelligent, skillful, and competent shinobi. A whiny person is, in exact terms and words, a complaining, fretful being; Sasuke was a man of little words (and still is). He in no shape or form discusses this topic through unpleasant action. Naruto, on the other hand, surely declares his level of fondness in most given situations, HE is quite whiny.

Sasuke is bratty? Definition: Ill-mannered and impudent. Let's play back shall we? Sasuke before the Uchiha loss was happy, outgoing, and a cheerful child, who had a future and a main goal to look forward to. Despite having a smile on his face, he was young naive and clueless to the nature of what was happening amongst his clan and his older brother Itachi Uchiha. After the clan was murdered and slaughtered without a single emotion, Sasuke saw his beloved mother and father killed by his own brother, the person that he respected, trusted, and looked up to the most in his life, not only did he suffer an unexpected betrayal from that person, but was also forced to the conclusion that this man was the perpetrator of his loss. Sasuke witnessed the death of his loved ones, family and relatives.. The happy smile that young Sasuke once had turned into a cold and unforgiving glance only to be later focused by revenge, and hate with his heart. He's bratty? Maybe, but I would surely like to see a replay of an aspect of your life that allowed consent to this idea of yours, that gave you an understanding and ability to judge someone who, at a young age, had ties forcibly severed. Do you really take that lightly? The child was scarred for life. In front of his own eyes, his parents were screwed over and he could do nothing about it. Answer me this: Would you be an angel child?

Sasuke has never been (to this date) emo. Emo is short for emotional. Sasuke is emotionless. Which may actually be the exact reason people tend to hate him. If you're speaking appearance-wise, then you may have a bigger issue than this Sasuke character for judging a person's nature based on their appearance. I could say Dediara looks like a girl, and is therefore feminine, but I don't judge a book by it's cover.

Jerkiness. Sasuke is a jerk and I agree with that statement. But like I said he is not an angel child, and in his position neither would anyone else be. Sasuke is not good at expressing emotion, he never was. Picking out names here, let me point out Neji was also a jerk. He changed later on, but so did Sasuke. Recall the Gaara and Zabuza arc, Sasuke was sacrificing and caring, his act of jerkiness was clearly an attempt to phase people and just provided cover to what he truly is. After Itachi's arrival though, he suddenly possessed a change of heart. Sasuke had already been through Itachi's MS and went through seeing his parents die again, again, and again. Sasuke was mentally screwed and was lost within Itachi's words and power. Sasuke was mentally retarted and had lost all of his inner-strength and you could say that during VOTE and provoking the fight in the hospital that he had lost all hope. Looking at Naruto in a more real way, he could of fallen into a deep state of depression, bi-polar disorder, or even Borderline personality disorder. You noticed the sad humane look in his eyes in his hospital bed on that defining day, did you not?

I really find this part of your argument offending. "So what if he lost his family?" Okay you clearly have no idea how depressing it is to lose all the people you knew and loved. You can't compare Sasuke to other characters in Naruto. Okay let's see: Naruto (the main character). Naruto doesn't have family and he grew up with villagers who hated him. Don't deny he didn't have friends though. Naruto didn't experience the LOSS of a family; he just grew up without any. It's much harder to survive knowing what you had is forever gone. You know the saying, "You never know what you have 'till its gone"? Naruto never had to lose. Sasuke had but lost. Sasuke suffered because he felt the love and attachment given through these bonds, Naruto doesn't know what it's like to begin with.
Neji. He lost his father. That is sad I'll admit, but can it be compared to losing an entire family? Yet notice Neji still acted out of line. He held hatred for the main branch and exploited this through his treatment of Hinata. He considered her to be the reason his father was killed off (in concept). But when Sasuke seeks vengeance against someone who caused the loss of not only his father, but EVERY single human being who ever meant anything to him, that's not okay. Man, I could only imagine how indifferent you'd be to your family's death.

Kakashi. He truly did suffer, but his losses were his father, his teammate aaaaand... That's all I remember... My point is, no character in Naruto lost an entire family at the age of 7/8 except Sasuke; so there really is no comparison here.
Sasuke also does not pin or blame his troubles on anyone. Can you please explain to me how he does such a thing?

Last time i checked itachi killed his ENTIRE family, do u really take that lightly? A family is something you hold close to your heart and is something NO HUMAN should be deprived of, just because Sasuke doesn't seem human doesn't mean he doesn't have a heart, i guarantee you he has one and that's why it's KILLING him inside that he's alone in the world. Would you seriously forgive someone who forged you into deep depression like that? No. You might say you would, but you would NOT forgive the killer of your family, that's a guarantee.

The real Sasuke that we saw after the chase after Gaara Arc ( on Part 1 ) was a character who cared about his friends very much so, but Sasuke is naive and was mislead by Itachi's words. Feeding Sasuke with the ideas that he HAD to follow revenge, it was his destiny, that he HAD to focus on defeating Itachi it was the reason why he was born, and feeding Sasuke with the bitter taste that he has to kill his best friend in order to defeat him. Sasuke lost within the depression and darkness was more open to Itachi's teasing than when he was before. Love Itachi, but did he screw up giving Sasuke the MS attack in the hotel ? Yes it was too much, but he probably had no choice in front of Kisame..

Sasuke fears Itachi, for a long time Sasuke (we all) thought that he was a dangerous and unpredictable criminal, it's normal to fear somebody like that, especially somebody who slaughtered his own parents in cold blood. Sasuke fears that if he is too weak, that Itachi will forever rule his life in fear, Sasuke wants to be free from the fear that Itachi keeps within him. He walked away from Konoha with the goal to protect Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, and free himself from Itachi's grasp and then come back to Konoha free or live alone with a random girl somewhere isolated where he could grow up in peace and harmony and watching his best friend become Hokage secretly or whatever. However that plan is messed up after living with Orochimaru for so long, he became unhealthy and he suffered for it, he probably gave up hope a long time ago.



Last edited by aseelh.94 at 7:04 pm, May 16 2011

Sasuke's "aloofness" is stemmed from the fact that he feels/felt that there is nobody left to love him. Compare to when he was the innocent kid smiling always asking "Nii-san! Will you train me in Shruiken jutsu today?", it's not an act that he's putting, but it's very clear that besides the hatred that lingers in his heart that he has no other emotional attachments, except maybe a very small subconscious desire to reestablish old bonds (a la Team 7) that he pushes away for his death wish.

Sasuke before the Uchiha loss was happy, outgoing, and a cheerful child, who had a future and a main goal to look forward too. Despite having a smile on his face, he was young naive and clueless to the nature of what was happening amongst his clan and his older brother Itachi Uchiha

After the clan was murdered and slaughted without a single emotion, Sasuke saw his beloved mother and father killed by his own brother, the person that he respected trusted and looked up to the most his life then to only see him bretray him but to not only witness the death of his loved ones, family and relatives..

the happy smile that young Sasuke once had turned into a cold and unforgiving glance only to be later focused by revenge, and hate with his heart.

These are some of the reasons why some people tend to hate Sasuke:

Sasuke Sucks because he treats Sakura like dirt

Sasuke only treats Sakura so coldy because of the fact that he struggles to regain the emotions of love so easily, after being bretrayed by his brother Itachi it would be difficult to express love towards Sakura, with the fear of being heartbroken once again or bretrayed in some way. Sasuke may be naive, but he is a smart character and he would know that being a young teenager most realtionships don't last long, and he would of known that getting close to Sakura so fast would of ended up in a early heartbreak and therefore more pain. Think Sasuke only pushes Sakura away for the fear of more emotional pain in his life.

Sasuke Sucks because he thinks he's soo great !

It's true Sasuke does think highly of himself and he does hold great pride within his talents and is over-confident which leads to a main weakness of his, but what Naruto character doesn't think this way ? Naruto is prideful of his efforts. Rocklee even admitted being arrogant when he looked back with his battle with Sasuke. Sakura thinks she's amazing too because or her intelligence until she gets beaten up becuz of lack of physical strength. It's not just Sasuke who thinks that he is the best ninja who has ever been created.

He tried to kill Naruto...

At that stage Sasuke had already been through Itachi's MS and went through of seeing his parents die again, again, and again. Sasuke was mentally screwed and was lost within Itachi's words and power. Sasuke was mentally retarted and had lost all of his inner-strength and you could say that during VOTE and the provokeing the fight in the hospital that he had lost all hope. Looking at Naruto in a more real way, he could of fallen into a deep state of depression, bi-polar disorder, or even Borderline personality disorder..

He tried to kill Naruto.. AGAIN

At this time it's Shippuden, Sasuke would of already spent a couple of years in darkness alone and would of had to deal with Orochimaru's mind teasing and having to cope with being Orochimaru's puppet. Being split apart from no friends, no real support, his darkness within his heart would of grown to a high amount. One way of fighting depression is having friend support and being away from Naruto and Sakura, it would of made Sasuke even more lost and confused, and probably even more emotionless which made him strike and didn't really care when Naruto and Sakura finally arrived.

He killed Deidara- Oh my gosh I HATE Sasuke !

Who triggered the battle between these two ? Deidara seeking revenge for his Uchiha hate. Sasuke only battled Deidara for self-defense and to get out alive, Sasuke was cold towards Deidara and didn't really care for Deidara's self values but if Sasuke was already in a zombie like state before even joining Team Hebi, why would he suddenly randomly care about Deidara ? Sasuke's emotional feelings were wiped out by Itachi's attacks from the past, he struggles to even care, it's hard for Sasuke to care. Sasuke didn't even murder Deidara, he didn't even initiate the final attack on Deidara, he may have pushed him towards the final blow, but Deidara had a choice, he could have lived on, but he was foolish and gave in to his nagging supreme art jutsu
If Deidara lived, Sasuke would of asked him where Itachi was hiding and then would of left Deidara alone.

He Killed Itachi !- Oh my Gosh- I HATE SASUKE !

Itachi was already dying, he only lived on despite his illness to see Sasuke defeat him in battle, Itachi could of died and left Sasuke to cope but he didn't and thought to try and make Sasuke strong before his final death. Itachi wanted this to happen and it was the whole idea of the game, Sasuke was losing badly when fighting Itachi and he could have died many times if Itachi was not faking it for him, Itachi lost on purpose when his heart gave up and then died. Did Sasuke feed him that illness, did Sasuke bang Itachi's head aganist the wall after giving him the final poke on the forehead ? No, he didn't. And as far as i'm concerned, Itachi was the man who caused Sasuke so much pain, misery and loss; if Sasuke knew the truth he would have sided with Itachi 100% no doubt, Sasuke LOVED his clan dearly and saw Itachi as the enemy, representing his initial thoughts of vengeance against his brother who had betrayed him.

He wants to destroy and kill everybody in Konoha

At this point in the story, Sasuke is in a place where he literally feels nothing, this is because of how much he has suffered; this is Masashi trying to tell us that after being scarred, screwed, manipulated, and lied to, it can really take a toll on the person. Sasuke has literally gone mad, he's NOT sane, u could tell by the way he excessively uses his power, not considering any consequence. Like I said before, to put in exact words, Sasuke is in the midst of a dark and cold forest all alone completely drained of humanity because of how much he has been traumatized over and over and over again. Humanity has failed Sasuke, so he has let go of it.
In other words, do you know what its like to give up on life? To give up on all emotions? At the beginning of Shippuden, we see Sasuke's still himself! He's totally human! Later on he loses that, why? Because killing his brother was the final straw. He CANNOT hold on to something that keeps failing him. Imagine being emotionally let down (understatement) so many times, its gonna let you give up on any and every emotion; because if you don't feel anything, you can't get hurt...

But regardless of that:

Sasuke still cares about his friends..

Before Naruto became Sasuke's team-mate Sasuke wasn't a very good person, he thought highly of himself, disliked teamwork and would rather work alone, however during the fight with Haku Sasuke risked his own life to save Naruto. That was when Sasuke began to change, he went to not caring to putting his own life on the line for a team-mate.
After a few events and just before Itachi's arrival, Sasuke is turning into a much better person he goes out of the way and rushes to save Naruto from Itachi, and he even mentions that he cares for his friends, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and never wants to see them die or get injured ever again.
Then his mind gets twisted by Itachi's stronger force, and you could say that Sasuke loses his mind completly, but was it seeing his parents die over, and over ? Almost but there was something more to it that lead to Sasuke's future illness that we see in Shippuden..
This only goes to show that Sasuke's true self is the person we saw in part 1 before Itachi brain washed him (forced him to see his parents clan die over and over and over again), he's been tortured in so many ways, in ways we can't understand so it's made him ill and mentally unstable

The Eyes..

After Sasuke reflects on his past, Sasuke remembers something. Something that Itachi said on the fateful night of the Uchiha attack. '' Kill Your Best Friend..''
Can you remember Itachi's facial expression when he said those words ? It was not a peaceful look, with a screwed up violent face and twisted MS eyes peeking through deeply.That would be enough to haunt and scare anybody, Itachi probably showed that look on purpose (of course) but it was another reason why Sasuke avoided Naruto's friendship when it could have been made so early, and started to push people away.

Those Mindgames..

The real Sasuke that we saw after the chase after Gaara Arc ( on Part 1 ) was a character who cared about his friends very much so, but Sasuke is naive and was mislead by Itachi's words. Feeding Sasuke with the ideas that he HAD to follow revenge, it was his destiny, that he HAD to focus on defeating Itachi it was the reason why he was born, and feeding Sasuke with the bitter taste that he has to kill his best friend in order to defeat him. Sasuke lost within the depression and darkness was more open to Itachi's teasing than when he was before. Love Itachi, but did he screw up giving Sasuke the MS attack in the hotel ? Yes it was too much, but he probably had no choice in front of Kisame..

Fear..

It's true that Sasuke fears Itachi, for a long time Sasuke (we all) thought that he was a dangerous and unpredictable criminal, it's normal to fear somebody like that, especially somebody who slaughtered his own parents in cold blood. Sasuke fears that if he is too weak, that Itachi will forever rule his life in fear, Sasuke wants to be free from the fear that Itachi keeps within him. He walked away from Konoha with the goal to protect Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, and free himself from Itachi's grasp and then come back to Konoha free or live alone with a random girl somewhere isolated where he could grow up in peace and harmony and watching his best friend become Hokage secretly or whatever. However that plan is messed up after living with Orochimaru for so long, he became unhealthy and he suffered for it, he probably gave up hope a long time ago.

Hope..

Sasuke is not a evil character, misunderstood? yes. Lost and confused ? Very much so.
That is why he joined Akatsuki and attacked Killerbee, he wasn't thinking straight, he may BELIEVE that he is thinking straight and has a nice plan, but he isn't. He's lost.
Sasuke needs a change of heart which may be difficult to fix and the only person who can do this is the very stubborn Naruto. If Naruto manages to find some light left in Sasuke, he will be fixed.



(Some of these are quoted from other forums)

Last edited by aseelh.94 at 7:09 pm, May 16 2011

While I do agree with some of what you say, I don't think this had anything to do with protecting his friends. I think he's someone who's emotions are so powerful that he tries to cut out any light, and welcomes the darkness because he needs the focus, or at least he believes he'll focus. In the end he's an angry child who never really grew up. And even worse is he lets his anger make his choices. It also makes him controllable to a degree.

But one thing to keep in mind is, Naruto fails if he's not redeemed. If he's not saved from his anger, then how can Naruto help bring peace. I think he might die, but he'll die saving his friends. But I think he might live, but he might end up blind.

I think most people hate him because sometimes he sounds like a whiny brat. Also he's a tad bit too emo for his own good. Also he keeps treating girls like crap, like Sakura and Karin. Plus Itachi was a really cool villian, so some people wanted him to win lol. And as the series had pointed out, this is history repeating itself. The question is, this time can friendship beat anger. We'll just have to read to find out.

It was a mere theory that he did this for his friends or even Konoha at that. Although I do agree with you that Sasuke's emotions ARE powerful and he is quite controllable; he can be looked at just as easily as someone who is ambitious. Sasuke is willing to do whatever it takes to reach his goal and falling under the category of 'whatever it takes' is leaving Konoha and his friends behind, he is indeed controlled by his one-tracked mind. He never looked at it as betrayal though, but as a life-long wish to redeem himself. The kind of redemption you need when you feel you're the reason the Uchiha's death was plunged to substantial action.

Sasuke always mentions and repeats and rocks the painful realization inside of himself, that the death happened because of him. He was there when it happened, so why couldn't he do anything about it? Sasuke blames himself for the loss, he blames Itachi for being the perpetrator, but ultimately himself for standing there. Imagine watching every human you ever loved and cared about fall to their demise in the most vile, cruel way you can think of. Not only that, but the episode when Naruto was on the verge of being captured by Itachi and Kisame, Sasuke was forced to watch this nightmare take place over and over and over again... He was literally on the borderline of a severe disorder or a mental illness.

I don't know what your family means to you, but it was obvious how much Sasuke loved and honored his clan. He never faltered even once in proving himself. He wanted to be acknowledged by his own father. This shows how much Sasuke holds his family close to his heart. He looked up to Itachi and envied him for his genius-ness and the attention he constantly received resulting from such a gift. At such a young age you wouldn't imagine a child's mind to look for acceptance, let alone acceptance from such a close family member. All Sasuke wanted to hear, was his father utter the words, "That's my boy". Finally, he got that respect, he was ecstatic naturally. But even as this was merely the beginning of it all, of Sasuke's long-awaited happiness. His brother was starting to phase in his perfect ways, there were things Sasuke didn't understand. He was a naive child and dismissed any thoughts of doubt. These thoughts reigned true in concept, for when he returned home... The unthinkable had happened. The things he had experienced, were not meant for mortal eyes. Seeing the bloodstained corpses of those he called family, watching as his parents lied there in front of his already wounded eyes sealed the deal; but wait, there was an utter of relief at the sight of his beloved brother. A flicker of hope lit warmth inside his cold body. This however, didn't last for too long. Sasuke had apparently not only suffered immense loss, but also the betrayal of his idol. Was this the person he had been chasing all these years? Was this the person he longed to be compared to? The perpetrator of a mass murder, not just a mere killer, but the man who had inflicted loneliness upon a child of not even ten. Who would Sasuke turn to for comfort? His blood was spilled along with the corpses because what ran in his veins was not simply liquid, it was the fire engraved inside him to be the best he can be and prove that he is adequate and capable. His Uchiha name was not just a name, but his reason to live. He lived to carry his name proudly on his back; he felt Itachi grasped this concept well since he was the pride of the clan, something Sasuke always wanted to be, it was why he envied Itachi in the first place. All he wanted was a chance to be in that position, even for just once. Itachi blew it all off like it meant nothing to him, Sasuke's goal, Sasuke's dream meant nothing! Because the person who was given the opportunity turned it down by killing the entire life Sasuke held dear to him. He never even had a shot at glory. Sasuke had competed with this man and did everything in his power to win, but in the end, he felt Itachi couldn't even let them live. They lived to see Itachi, but never Sasuke. Itachi never cared, Sasuke always did. He never got served right because as soon as his wish was granted, the same man who had a taste of it all didn't even let Sasuke take the first bite. Sasuke was alone in the world. All he ever knew and loved was gone, there was no reviving to take place. His heart-filled pain could not be described, there was no light to be seen. Why? Because he felt humanity had let him down. He had nothing to fall back on, Sasuke's entire world lied in the Uchiha world, he wanted to grow up and serve his clan in the utmost fashion there ought to be. His wish however could not come to fruition because it literally fell apart, and he watched it crumble to it's demise as he lay back and watched. His strength let him down by the very person whom he thought constructed it.

Now why did I just reenact or propose my ideas in the views of Sasuke? Because it's what people seem to always forget. They look at one side of the story, but fail to meet the other end. Knowing what someone did is one story and knowing "why it was done" is another. It's easy to say that you understand, but if you have not emerged from this pain, how will you ever know?
Does this justify his revenge you may ask? No, it does not. But it justifies his reasons for it. He left his friends and he betrayed Konoha you say? Maybe, but how many family members were forcibly taken away from him when his brother betrayed him? Sasuke betrayed and left, but this was done to him 10x more harshly. He doesn't see this as wrong because he has always lived his life for his clan and that never faltered. He is repeatedly angry at himself because he was not able to prevent his family's death, his weakness lead to their demise and therefore his demise. Why is he obsessed with power? Because if he had power, he would have been able to stop the mass massacre. His lack of it is the reason he's lonely, so he feels he wants to fill the void with what could have supported a happier life for him. The power he never had and the power that caused him his loss.
He's controllable, he lets his anger make decisions, and he welcomes darkness? Sasuke is an ambitious person, he is not controllable. Notice in the episode where he fought the sound ninja, before how Kakashi was talking to him, it looked as if Sasuke had some sense knocked into him. But right after that, the sound ninja reminded him of revenge. Revenge to Sasuke is not just revenge, it's the sadness he never mourned, the aching heart that yearned for a family, and the loss he suffered because of the selfishness of his older brother who he believed to have it all.
There were many times where Sasuke had faltered (regardless of what I may have said before):

The Zabuza arc, you do remember when he sacrificed himself for Naruto right?

The Gaara arc, Sasuke states he never wants to see another important person die in front of him again, why? Because he has seen it all, and the pain is unimaginable. This is also the reason for his revenge. He upholds his clan's honor like he never could, even after their death, to kill the selfish perpetrator who rid him of love, as if he ridiculed and belittled all of it's attributes.

The chunin exams, forest of death (when Sakura was fighting all 3 sound ninja, after lee helped but fell) Sasuke awoke and asked Sakura who did this to her. He cared very much, and seeing her like this brought up the protective side in Sasuke.

At the bell test, to take the bells away from Kakashi, he gave Naruto his lunch, he cares about his team.

The Kakashi moment I just mentioned, which holds a great deal of significance to it. When he said that he'd kill all the people who meant anything to Kakashi and see how he feels about it, then any advice Kakashi gives, Sasuke might accept, because at least then he'd understand. It shows a great deal because Sasuke knows even though people do care about his being, he can't do much with it because they don't know what it feels like. They don't understand the true position he's in even if they have lost loved ones. When the sound 4 i think came and he said "I'm in a bad mood" <--- that was because he was conflicted. What he heard people say, was true. This was just the past. Why can't he move on, he has a family now. A new family that he could learn to love. But was it simply "the past"? No, because when your past describes who you are as a person, it's more than that. This is about bigger than just losing loved ones. This was about Itachi belittling the clan's honor, and killing them as if they were worthless piece of trash. Sasuke is in a timeless bound span in which all he can see is the darkness Itachi had engulfed him in. Sometimes you truly can see outside of the darkness, to the light that's trying to reach you, but if the darkness is so concentrated, how do you expect to?

Sasuke was clearly showing change throughout the show, we could all see this. Sasuke was being pulled by his past and being pulled by team 7 and his new family. Can he look to the future or will his eyes only hold value to past events? Throughout the show it literally seems like some situations he's facing bring him closer to reality and to look to the future, and then some drag him back to his ambition. This happens as a cycle continuously until Itachi's arrival changes everything...

Sasuke's breaking points are recorded at the time after Itachi showed up in the leaf. Sasuke had seen the MS's nightmares over and over and over again. The death of his clan was repeated in front of his eyes, like it wasn't enough to watch the first time. And now the string to reel him back to revenge gets stronger than ever before. This is the moment the darkness in front of his eyes cannot be filtered with light. He has seen his reason. He has forgotten the importance of revenge, but that is revived through one encounter. Sasuke's chidori, the "powerful" jutsu he learnt was absolutely nothing when push came to shove and he faced Itachi.

Sasuke came to the realization that he has never been actually training, that his mind had been so filled up with worthless things that only led him far from what he's wanted since that fateful night. That scene on the hospital roof proves that he's jealous that NARUTO, the idiotic kid who's always screwing up could put up a better fight and is more worthy than Sasuke. This was after the race mission if you remember. Sasuke was so pissed off about this and totally cracked. When he was sitting in his hospital bed, certain events came to mind 1. When the clash between Sasuke and the man who wielded that lightening sword happened, he told Sasuke that "he's always heard that the last of the great uchiha clan was a hopeless loser, unworthy of his family name" (this especially bothered Sasuke because its what he felt he lived for, and wanted for as long as he can remember... The honor of his family more than anything).

Notice in that scene it also showed Sasuke became distant to his surroundings, Naruto did better than Sasuke at what Sasuke thought he lived for. Is he that crappy, to be worse than a clumsy knucklehead, even though becoming stronger was all what Sasuke yearned for? He knows he hasn't been working hard... And it hurts to see these years go to waste. And it also shows Sasuke thinking about when Itachi said "Go away, you don't interest me at the moment" and Jiraiya following the same concept "Naruto is the one you're really after". On top of that, we see Sasuke's expression when he hears Naruto's voice, he turns angry. Next comes when he remembers how strong Naruto was when fighting Gaara's beast. Naruto was strong, stronger than Sasuke. And Sasuke only ever wanted this, but to lose to someone at "Naruto's" level hurt him and this greatly affected Sasuke's departure.

He then remember Naruto's summoning Justu, Sasuke is no where near that level, Itachi saying "you're still too weak" <--- All of this made Sasuke realize the leaf wasn't giving him what he wanted, why would he stay and risk any years he had left? He was NO match against the person he's lived to kill, after all of those years of hard training in the leaf, why would he stay if he knows how the results will look and has experienced their aftermath? Yet another memory of when Sasuke told his brother "You don't have enough hate, and you know something you never will". This by far affected him the most, his hate is lessening the more he's around "these kind of people" and in "this kind of environment". It takes a long time to fall out of something, Sasuke was truly falling out of revenge, but as he was on the verge, Itachi reeled him back in. Knowing his brother was slipping, Itachi returned for this reason, to remind him of everything: meaning Sasuke had forgot, meaning there is good inside of him, and there always was, but the darkness that was lessening came rushing back because of recent events and this lead to the battle against Naruto on the hospital roof.

Sasuke told Naruto to shut up and fight, Sasuke felt he needed this to prove something to himself, was he really weaker? Then Naruto came out with the truth "Only because next to me, your embarrassed at how weak you are, isn't that right Sasuke?" This is what Sasuke had been thinking all along, to have it confirmed and said aloud was disturbing for him. At the end of the hospital battle, Sasuke's seen the effects of the chidori and the rasengan at what appears to be the front of the two objects they collided with, he was glad... He wasn't weaker than Naruto after all. He may have been wrong... But wait, he flips over the fence and sees Naruto's true outstanding (far superior) ability. Sasuke had been right all along, he said "Naruto... How far have you...?" Kakashi even says "It's hard for Sasuke to watch Naruto's strength and skill develop at such an astonishing rate; he's come along so fast, Sasuke must feel like he's standing still". And then he goes on to say "Sasuke can't acknowledge Naruto's abilities, he's afraid that if he does acknowledge them, he somehow diminishes his own".

Sasuke's thoughts at this point: "What have I been doing?!" "What's it all been for?!". But even after that, Sasuke's deeply affected by what Kakashi tells him and remembers Naruto and Sakura with so much consideration and light, but then remembers Itachi right after... And says "What do I do? What do I do?!" Sasuke was confused, does he choose vengeance or move on like what Kakashi said? He almost seems to change his mind (like I said before, the rope pulling)... I think things would have been different if the sound 4 hadn't butt in.

They showed him the true proposition of power. Tayuya said "To gain one thing, another must be left behind. What is your purpose in this life? To stay here in this back water village hiding with your little friends? Surely you haven't forgotten. Itachi Uchiha" (this seems to always be a trump card with Sasuke) "You mustn't lose sight of your purpose. Life in this village is little more than bondage for you. Sever your ties to this pathetic place. If you can do that, there will be no limit to the power you can wield. Remember your purpose! (echo)" <-- This clearly spoke to Sasuke as well, and it seems louder than what Kakashi had told him. He was lead far away from his goal and his reason for existence. In that scene where he talked to Kakashi, this was the final rope tug from the area where Sasuke was to look for a brighter future filled with less hate. From now on around, it was all business. Think about it, the sound 4 were kinda right, what WOULD he have gained if he stayed? Family, bonds... He had that... But those things are sentimental, Sasuke was smart to leave, because from that he gained all what he needed.

Kakashi told him revenge was an endless cycle, but its hard to understand mere words. Sasuke didn't fully comprehend and was still in the state of confusion when the sound 4 swayed him... He was weak at that time, still trying to decide, and this was the moment where the intensity of the words he heard at that very same moment would change it all. Sasuke was lead on by pretty words of the sound 4, they knew the trump card and they knew it well. Sasuke was finally reeled over to the dark side.

Before he leaves, he looks at a picture of team 7, symbolizing what he'll be leaving behind... It was sure as hell a whole lot... He did have a heart, and he felt something great. He had sadness in his eyes. Sasuke simply thought leaving would be a better decision than lying around the leaf not really doing anything... After this came the scene where he stood there to listen to Sakura, don't you think that means something? He didn't just walk away, he stood there, and listened to what she had to say... because even though he was leaving, it still meant something to him. This is what he said when Sakura told him about revenge being an endless cycle, and how it won't bring you anything but more sadness (she was right as we see Sasuke in future episodes): "I knew it. I'm not the same as you. I'm traveling a path the rest of you can't follow. I know that the four of us have worked together, and for awhile, I thought I could take that road instead. But in the end, I've decided on revenge. That's always been my reason for living. I'll never be like you and naruto". Sakura tells him about the pain of solitude and why he'd put himself through that instead of staying? Sasuke's clan was killed, if he sat back and let it go. He'd let his past go, it's like he never cared. It's this thing about honor and dignity that he feels. Like he needs to kill Itachi and reviving his clan only means reviving it's honor by killing the perpetrator. There's nothing he can do and nothing he can change, but to feel that they actually DID exist, he mourned over their death, because he cares! Revenge represents this mourning. Sakura poured her heart out to him and it even slightly swayed him... The thing is, Sasuke knows how emotional Sakura can be sometimes, I have to admit she was being a bit overly-dramatic. He ended up saying "Thank you", but it wasn't just that, Sasuke truly cared about Sakura and those two words meant so much more. Then him and Naruto fought... Then Sasuke left... he only just wanted revenge... That's it... But the years have changed him, we can only guess the lies Orochimaru fed him...

In Shippuden we see a whole new Sasuke, but this is because he's been in the darkness for so long, how hard would it be to get him out of there? Sasuke only ever wanted revenge, but so much has happened and 3 years have gone by Sasuke would of already spent them in total darkness alone and would of had to deal with Orochimaru's mind teasing and having to cope with being Orochimaru's puppet. Being split apart from no friends, no real support, his darkness within his heart would of grown to a high amount. One way of fighting depression is having friend support and being away from Naruto and Sakura, it would of made Sasuke even more lost and confused, and probably even more emotionless which made him strike and didn't really care when Naruto and Sakura finally arrived.

At this point in the story, Sasuke is in a place where he literally feels nothing, this is because of how much he has suffered; this is Masashi trying to tell us that after being scarred, screwed, manipulated, and lied to, it can really take a toll on the person. Sasuke has literally gone mad, he's NOT sane, u could tell by the way he excessively uses his power, not considering any consequence. Like I said before, to put in exact words, Sasuke is in the midst of a dark and cold forest all alone completely drained of humanity because of how much he has been traumatized over and over and over again. Humanity has failed Sasuke, so he has let go of it.
In other words, do you know what its like to give up on life? To give up on all emotions? At the beginning of Shippuden, we see Sasuke's still himself! He's totally human! Later on he loses that, why? Because when he killied his brother, that was the final straw. He CANNOT hold on to something that keeps failing him. Imagine being emotionally let down (understatement) so many times, its gonna let you give up on any emotion; because if you don't feel anything, you can't get hurt...

Sasuke is not an evil character, misunderstood? yes. Lost and confused ? Very much so.
That is why he joined Akatsuki and attacked Killerbee, he wasn't thinking straight, he may BELIEVE that he is thinking straight and has a nice plan, but he isn't. He's lost.
Sasuke needs a change of heart which may be difficult to fix and the only person who can do this is the very stubborn Naruto. If Naruto manages to find some light left in Sasuke, he will be fixed.


OMG I WROTE SO MUCH I hope you read this and I hope it makes sense. TATA CHERIO SALAZAR (lol yeah i'm talking about the dude from harry potter)

I agree with the post above me even if the dude overly repeated the same stuff. Sasuke is by far 1 of the coolest char ive seen in manga. I see alot of people call Sasuke "Emo". It has become apparent that alot of u misinterpretted the meaning of Emo and who is and who isnt. Sasuke Uchiha is not Emo. Also if you follow the story everything he does makes sense. Naruto even finally understands why Sasuke is doing what hes doing after having his godfather die. 1 thing id like to point out that im suprised the dude above me didnt is Madara Uchiha immediately tells Sasuke the truth about Itachi and how all of Sasuke's sense of reality was fixed. Sasuke didnt even have a chance to absorb all the feelings or cope with the death of Itachi before Madara revealed that shocker. As for the being not sane i believe that finally happens when he kills Danzo by shooting his Chidori thorugh Karin to get to Danzo. We clearly see that moment where Sasuke realizes how close he is to revenge and that Karin had become an obstacle and the temptation was too much and by giving in he threw whatever sanity he had left to kill Danzo. This is furthered by how he didnt hesitate to try and kill Sakura twice. Now even though i stated he threw his remaining sanity left we can see him listening to what naruto had to say. Which shows that he still has some sanity left. Note that Kakashi even sees Madara as the source to Sasuke's mentality now instead of Itachi. Long live Sasuke Uchiha the coolest fighting char ever!!

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Chidori

It took me hours to write all of that stuff down. Sorry to anyone who had to suffer from my overrepition (not a word). I wanted to get through to the Sasuke haters so I tried emphasising everything I said. And that thing you (dude above me) mentioned about Madara is totally true. It's one of the many things the "emo" ninja seemed to face which took part in his collapse and partial insanity. A final addition to the dude above me, Sasuke still took time to listen to what Naruto had to say not only because he still possesses some sanity but also because he's not ALL bad as people make him out to be. Sure he's gone to the dark side. But there is no true evil in humanity. There is being messed up... And then there's Masashi's characters which define that one step further than needed. But attitude doesn't define aptitude. Sasuke is being manipulated by Madara and I hope that's obvious to everyone.

I don't particularly hate Sasuke. Sorry it's not the answer to your question but some people I talked to seem to have the same thoughts so I like to share them a bit.

I just don't like him, though it's not directly pertained to what happened in the manga. The problem I have is the influence of Sasuke in the general fan girls population. I seen so many people, mostly girls, after Sasuke turns "evil' starts to have this obsession with him and his looks and his Attitude. I saw one my close friend emerged herself in this obsession with SasuSasu or NaruSasu thing. She withdrew herself and only talk about how wonderful and cool Sasuke is. Thank goodness, after 3 years, she's finally over it. Just too many fangirls screaming Sasuke during that period.

I agree, it's not Sasuke's fault that things turned into that, just it effectively alienated Sasuke from my "likable" characters.

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An instant or an eternity. Both are the same, in the passing of an instant lies the beauty of eternity.
-Ginen Shounen

"It is now time to leave-for me to die, and for you to live-though which of us has the better destiny is unclear to everyone, save only to God."
- Plato

I don't really hate Sasuke, but I don't like him either. I understand his past, but he hasn't really done anything that makes him redeeming in my eyes in the present (or as far as I've read). I do however like the dynamics he's added to the story.

The main thing I don't like about him though is that he's revenge makes him easy to manipulate. This happened throughout the series and is continuing to happen (note: my list here isn't up to date) from where I'm at. He's yet to realize what he is alienating by seeking this form of action out, and while I think he's really an anti-hero and foil for Naruto, it does not come out in the best of light to me.

@aseelh.94 - I have a huge problem with a few points you made.

First, yes, I agree that Naruto can't feel what Sasuke is going through. He's never had to actually lose a family he knew. That plays a major part in how he developed as a character. However, that doesn't mean he can't miss or long for what he didn't have. He's going to feel the closest emotions to what Sasuke is going through. Some of them even remotely similar.

He's not emotionless. You pointed out a lot of points where he showed emotion and caring toward Naruto, the person who has become one of the most important people in his life, yet you still called him emotionless. Not to mention, we see points where he actively stifles these emotions in order to further his goals. Stifling emotions does not equal emotionless.

I wholeheartedly disagree with you on what his motives were upon leaving. His revenge is selfish, and that effectively made his reasons for leaving selfish, also. He may have consciously not involved the others because of a need to not see them die (which is selfish in and of itself), but he knew what Orochimaru could give him, and he chose to seek it out of his own accord with the knowledge he would be able to seek revenge.

It feels like he just wants to fk things up. His life existed only to kill Itachi at one point, and now that he's killed Itachi and taken his eyes imo he has no right to "avenge" Itachi by destroying Konoha. Him fighting Naruto would be time consuming and pointless other than the whole friendship/betrayal thing. Imo sasuke needs to die (cause he killed Deidara and Itachi, who by far had more character than he does </3)

Alright, Naruto's emotions of longing are that of longing. He wants to feel the connection and bond that exists through family ties. He hasn't ever felt it and subconciously uses Sasuke as a member of his ideal family circle. Naruto doesn't understand what its like to lose because he never had, but he yearns to feel what Sasuke misses. The thing is though, Sasuke wants exactly what he had, he wants his family, not A family, the exact family he had years ago (hence living in the past). Naruto is just looking for the bonds that bind friends and family.
So to sum it up, yes they are similiar, but they are also ever so different.

Yes, Sasuke did show emotion. When I said Sasuke was emotionless I did not mean it the way I'm sure you think I did. I meant "indifferent", "distant", "aloof". On another note though, a person can have two contradicting traits: "Having two sides". While Sasuke did prove to be the caring and thoughtful character that he was, he also managed to uphold the wall that made him so distant and aloof. Therefore (one might say that) his character was simply waiting for either trait to shine brighter and take over his social aura, becoming the primary trait between the two.

Whats funny here is that someone has actually replied very similiarly to you, and I answered them. I quote "It was a mere theory that he did this for his friends or even Konoha at that." If you refer to my long explanations and theories you will see this at the very top. I don't know how you missed it. And another thing, you said Sasuke's revenge was selfish. Are you implying that there is revenge not selfishly obtained? As far as I'm concerned, Sasuke's system of revenge is standard. Him leaving was the smartest thing he could have ever done for himself. Think about it for a moment. Let us use brief guidelines: Sasuke wants to kill his brother. He needs to get stronger. He trained in Konoha for several years. He finally meets with his older brother. He loses to him in a heartbeat. Sasuke realizes his years training hard and fighting to gain power were of no use to him when the time finally came to use them (at least in Konoha, where he's been training all these years). He deducted from harsh experience that Konoha cannot give him what he needs: power. A man named Orochimaru offers Sasuke what he wants. Sasuke hesitates but eventually takes up the offer, and goes off to train with Orochimaru, knowing if he stayed in the village of the leaf, reuniting with Itachi would be just as painful as the last time.
Great. Why did I just repeat the basic Sasuke story arc to you? You must've already known it. But knowing it doesn't imply understanding it to its fullest extent. Sasuke knew exactly what he wanted, and did whatever it took to get him closer to his goal. If you hate what Sasuke's goal is (revenge) then you hate Sasuke for that reason and not because he's selfish. The very fundamental atoms that exist in Sasuke's brain sing the revenge tune so often it becomes so hard to think of Sasuke without automatically thinking "revenge". It's what makes Sasuke Sasuke. He left for revenge. He left to obtain his life-long goal.
Which brings me to my next point. When it comes to Sasuke in particular, there are three main categories of people. Those who hate, those who like, and those who aren't particular fans/don't really care/don't have an opinion/etc. I'm gonna focus on the first two. Generally those who hate, hate his goal. They hate that he's being selfish, and throwing all of what he had out of the window just so he can get to his goal. They hate the "ambitious" spirit that makes him so goal-driven. The second admire him for the exact reason the haters spite him. They like that he knows what he wants, and knows how to reach it. They like his ambitious mind. These two contradictions prove the kind of people that each category generally holds. The first group will generally grow to hate Sasuke because of his narrow mind that is so set on something he dearly wants to achieve instead of focusing on, in what their opinion is, the more important part of life. They want him to see what he has, and cherish it. They think its absolutely ridiculous to throw away friends for a "goal", because they believe friendship and family is what is truly important. And nothing is more worthy. The second have a more career-oriented mind. They like what they see because even though they understand Sasuke loved his friends and appreciated them, he still knows what he must do and doesn't stray from that. He understands that he made a promise to himself long ago. His goal may not be reasonable, but they do respect the fact that he does what he does to get to what he wants. His narrow-minded stubborn self is the part that defines him and the part they love most, because no matter what anyone says, Sasuke set a goal for himself to reach. He said he would reach that goal even if it meant plunging into the darkness. And he did just that.
I get that you look at what he did as "selfish", because he threw away his friends for power; but that's not how I see it. I see it as simply, someone going after their goal, and doing whatever it takes to reach it. I see it as ambition.