The villains in Naruto are extremely well written and all play a big part in the development of the story and our favorite characters. For this reason it’s always bittersweet when there is a death of a villain. We’re happy that our protagonists have survived, but we all kind of miss the Akatsuki or Orochimaru threaten our characters. Because the best arcs and moments are largely decided by the weight of the villain.

Some villains had perfect character arcs and a fitting ending, but there are some who should not have died because they could still contribute to the story. In this article we will explain why these Naruto villains should not have died, and how they could still create suspense in the story.

Sasori of the Red Sand

The difference between Sasori and the other Akatsuki members is that there was still lots of room for him to improve as a character. This part of him was explored when he was revived with Edo Tensei, but it felt rushed and there wasn’t really an event that led to his change of heart.

In a way, Sasori is similar to Gaara. He was the victim of a cruel ninja world and had to figure out a way to cope with the loss of his parents. In the end, the ninja world broke him, and his soul turned dark. However, Sasori’s character left room for growth, just like Gaara. Unfortunately, Sasori died before we could explore this part.

How Sasori’s story could continue

After the battle with Sakura and Chiyo, he would return to the Akatsuki empty-handed. For the sake of the story, let’s say that he will have a change of heart fighting his grandmother, just like when Sasori was reanimated. He could decide to try to atone for his past crimes by becoming a spy for the Hidden Sand.

This would be a difficult decision for Gaara: receiving information about the biggest threat to their village (Akatsuki) or punish the biggest criminal of his Village. It would also be a problem to keep it a secret, as other villages would not accept Sunagakure’s cooperation with Sasori.

In the end, an Akatsuki member will find out about Sasori’s betrayal and try to kill him. At this point, we are emotionally invested in his character, so we will be at the edge of our seats in this fight. It would also be a cool opportunity to finally have a battle between two Akatsuki members.

Kisame Hoshigaki, the Tailed Beast Without a Tail

The sad part about Kisame’s character is that we’ve never seen him fight at his full capacity. In his first fight against Guy he was only a clone with 30% of his chakra, Samehada suddenly betrayed him in his fight against Bee and the Raikage later came to his rescue, and he didn’t have Samehada in his final battle against Guy.

We would have loved to see him battle against even stronger opponents than Guy and Bee without losing major sources of his power. He would also be a great asset in the Fourth Shinobi World War as the last remaining Akatsuki member.

Danzō Shimura, the Shinobi of Darkness

Some villains don’t have to be extremely powerful to pose a threat. Danzō is one of the most dangerous characters in all of Naruto. Not because of powerful abilities or jutsus, but because he can create problems that cannot be solved with power alone. He can create hatred, betrayal, war.

No matter how powerful Naruto and Sasuke have become as adults, Danzō will always be a threat to any village as long as he can stay hidden. He has information, secrets, and the strongest genjutsu in the world in Kotoamatsukami.

Having a character like Danzō around will always create suspense. He can also give Naruto, Sasuke and the other characters in Boruto different kinds of challenges, instead of just having to get stronger.

Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin

Orochimaru technically didn’t die, but he has been defeated twice and never returned as a villain since. Orochimaru’s first ‘death’ came as a surprise and was quite underwhelming. Sasuke defeated Orochimaru without really trying, and the serpent died without having accomplished anything.

We understand that Orochimaru had to make way for the Akatsuki as the main villain of Naruto, but to just dispose of one of the best villains of the entire series like that? Even when he returned during the fight between Sasuke and Itachi, Orochimaru was defeated quite easily by Itachi.

Orochimaru was the perfect villain. He was powerful, menacing and extremely unpredictable. His moral compass and intellect can take a story in any direction. But since he is a live in Boruto, perhaps he can go rogue and become obsessed with his old experiments again.

Madara Uchiha, the Ghost of the Uchiha

Madara’s death is universally disliked by the Naruto community. The Ghost of the Uchiha was the perfect final villain, but was somehow defeated by a stab of Black Zetsu. This was even more underwhelming than Orochimaru’s death.

Even though we liked Kaguya and her unique abilities, it doesn’t mean that you should just eliminate one of the story’s greatest villains to introduce her. A villain as great as Madara should have a fitting end to his character.

Madara was in his most powerful form when he died after just awaking the Rinne Sharingan. He withstood countless attacks of Naruto and Sasuke, and even stayed alive after being hit by Night Guy. However, a stab of Black Zetsu was enough to kill him?

In the end, Madara has made his impact on the shinobi world despite his disappointing demise.