The Shinobi world of Naruto is filled with dangerous missions, powerful antagonists, and full-fledged wars, so it’s no surprise that there’s been many tragic losses of character lives along the way. However, among the frequent deaths occurring throughout the ninja lifestyle, there are several instances in Naruto where characters realistically should have lost their lives but somehow managed to escape such a fate. We’ve rounded up the most notable characters that come to mind regarding near-death experiences and defying the odds, so without further ado, here are 10 Naruto characters that should have died.
Orochimaru
The strange mentor-student dynamic between Sasuke and Orochimaru has always seemed to be building up to the moment Sasuke would finally overthrow the latter, killing him off for good. There had been years of training to this build-up, fuelled by Sasuke’s hunger for revenge and desires to hone his abilities, so it only made sense that the time would finally come and Orochimaru’s chapter would be closed for good, leaving Kabuto to carry on his legacy.
However, things didn’t quite end this way. Even when Orochimaru was no longer a necessity to the plot, he was kept alive due to the armor of his Curse Marks with the bizarre reveal of his ability to be resummoned through any of the Curse Marks he had inflicted on an individual, as each person with a Curse Mark contained a part of Orochimaru and his DNA. Furthermore, Orochimaru’s revival serves no purpose, as he is no longer needed as an antagonist.
Instead, Orochimaru ended up suddenly seeing the errors of his ways and completely turning a 180 on his ambitions and personal views. After Orochimaru had such strong beliefs for almost the entirety of his involvement in the story, it seemed odd that they’d suddenly change like that, and it almost feels like a missed opportunity to show Sasuke truly surpassing him as his student or Kabuto overcoming Orochimaru in his role, carrying the torch on.
Hidan
Hidan’s character ark was put to rest after his final battle with Shikamaru, finally bringing resolution and justice to the death of the beloved Sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, whom Hidan had tragically killed in battle. However, despite Shikamaru managing to get the upper hand over Hidan and the Jashinist Akatsuki member being written out of the story, Hidan was never killed.
Instead, Hidan was buried alive by Shikamaru, who swore that the Nara Clan would keep him there for all eternity. This was a significant letdown and dulled the feeling of victory that team Ino-Shika-Cho fought tooth and nail to obtain on behalf of their Sensei.
While the logic of Hidan being immortal is somewhat understandable due to his Jashin abilities, there was nothing to gain by keeping Hidan alive, as his involvement with the plot of Naruto had reached the end. It wouldn’t have been much of a stretch to have the weight of the rocky ground crush Hidan’s already dismembered body to a pulp when his grave was filled in, concluding the heartbreaking story arc of Asuma’s death with the most satisfying outcome.
Choza Akimichi
Choza Akimichi is the third member of the older Ino-Shika-Cho generation, known for being the father to Choji Akimichi and operating as one of the Hidden Leaf’s most experienced Shinobi alongside Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara. Tragically, Shikaku and Inoichi sacrificed their lives in a noble, highly emotional act during the Fourth Shinobi Great War.
This was a tragedy for both Shikamaru and Ino, who were forced to fight on, knowing that their fathers had lost their lives. However, this moment also acted as the time for the old Ino-Shika-Cho generation to step aside and let the future generation take over their roles through the existence of their three children. Because of this, I’ve always found it odd that Choza wasn’t written to die alongside them, as it meant that Choji was less impacted and moved by the losses than his teammates.
With the slate wiped clean, all three of them could have stepped up as heads of their Clans to establish the foundation for the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio rather than having Choza lingering in the background for a role Choji undeniably deserves.
Might Guy
Might Guy is one of the characters whose survival of death is baffling. To ensure the death of Madara Uchiha during the Fourth Shinobi Great War, Guy utilized the power of the Eight Gates — a technique well-known for resulting in death if the eighth gate is unlocked. Realistically, Guy should have succumbed to the effects of having unlocked the Eight Gate once he defeated Madara, going out in a true blaze of glory in a style that was very much suited to his character.