Despite Sasuke’s crimes and ultimate forgiveness by many, Sasuke still has yet to truly forgive himself and constantly chases after the illusion of redemption across both Naruto and Boruto. But, why does the Naruto franchise put so much emphasis on Sasuke’s redemption? With such a focus on seeking redemption, many believe Sasuke has already been redeemed, despite his constant need for self validation from his actions from over a decade ago.
Sasuke Uchiha and Redemption in Naruto
Why Redemption is Vital to Sasuke’s Character arc
Sasuke Uchiha is one of the few characters in shōnen to take his redemption to the extreme. Revenge and redemption are all too common within the shōnen genre, and while characters who fall to revenge’s sweet allure will eventually (not always) take steps toward seeking redemption after heinous acts committed in the name of said redemption, their arcs usually don’t take the time to truly explore the nuance and controversy surrounding their deeds, depending on what they did, of course. Sasuke’s path toward redemption is unlike any other in anime as he truly makes it his mission post War Arc to atone for his vast list of sins, even though major characters forgave him by Shippuden’s end.
The only character to truly never forgive Sasuke for his actions is Sasuke himself, as Naruto constantly emphasizes Sasuke’s internal need to atone, leaving Konoha in search of Otsutsuki-related things as a mission of self repentance, leaving Sakura and a young Sarada behind for over 13 years. From a deep-seated self-hatred and guilt surrounding Itachi’s death to Sasuke’s part in helping the Akatsuki fulfill the Eye of the Moon Plan, redemption is the one thing Sasuke chased after and has yet to fully come realize his redemption, even within the Boruto series.
Sasuke’s quest for revenge and justice for the Uchiha stemmed from Itachi’s actions of slaughtering the Uchiha Clan and forcing his little brother into a position where he would become the Hero of the Leaf, with no regard to Sasuke’s feelings other than instilling as much hatred and misery as possible. While Itachi certainly didn’t win brother of the year, he ultimately valued Sasuke’s life above all else, joining the Akatsuki and keep tabs on them, but he failed to do anything for Sasuke until much later after his death.
After Sasuke *avenged* the Uchiha by killing Itachi, his mission wasn’t over and once he learned the truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, he continued to fall further into darkness, especially while hunting down Danzo Shimura, who orchestrated the downfall of the Uchiha. After Sasuke’s revenge was complete, he barely had any time to process it before he was thrust into the Fourth Great Shinobi War. The war’s end left Sasuke with a deep resentment toward the shinobi system, which he held responsible for the four world wars and the immense suffering that created monsters like Pain, Obito, and Madara Uchiha.
Forgiveness Always Finds Sasuke No Matter How Far He Goes
Why Naruto Kept Forgiving Sasuke
Once Sasuke could turn over a new leaf with a full pardon from Kakashi Hatake after the war, he began his quest to find forgiveness by traveling the world and learning more about the shinobi way of life while on his travels, leaving Team 7 behind in favor of more loneliness that Naruto oh so desperately tried to keep him from across both Naruto and Shippuden. Despite Naruto’s best efforts, Sasuke chose solitude to come to terms with his actions and perhaps even forgive himself along the way. However, Sasuke’s actions during the war ultimately allowed him to be pardoned by the 6th Hokage and, in the eyes of the law, Sasuke was forgiven.
Sasuke may be a lot of things and some actions he committed were truly unforgivable, but despite his dogged nature as a lone avenger who truly wanted to fix the broken shinobi system with the complete eradication of the kage and the whole shinobi system itself, Sasuke ultimately failed to realize his ambitions, admitting his *defeat* at the Valley of the End after failing to kill Naruto for a second time. Despite his actions, Naruto kept forgiving Sasuke as he was the only other person in Konoha to share in Sasuke’s pain of loneliness and understand him as a human. With their shared isolation, Naruto was truly the only shinobi capable of understanding Sasuke and forgiving him.
Naruto forgave Sasuke, constantly. To the point, many will argue that ultimately detracted from the rest of the narrative as the story hyper focused on Naruto’s quest to bring back Sasuke to the point of absurdity. But, Naruto: Shippuden‘s entire point was the conflicting themes and worldviews of both characters, being reincarnations of Asura and Indra, two brothers that were at odds with one another for centuries across several reincarnations. Naruto and Sasuke were the only two reincarnations to ever break the cycle and find common ground and mutual understanding with each other.
Naruto kept forgiving Sasuke because of his Will of Fire and nindo, never going back on his word. Naruto promised Sakura he would bring back Sasuke, and he ultimately did just that. In the narrative’s context, Naruto saved Sasuke from ultimately falling to darkness and to repay Naruto’s kindness towards him, Sasuke honored Naruto’s sacrifices by becoming a better person through self atonement by seeking out clues regarding the Otsutsuki with his rinnegan. Sasuke might not be the best father or husband, but he made it his mission in life to protect Konoha after everything he did, ultimately becoming the shadow hokage to Naruto’s light.
The Continued Redemption of Sasuke in Naruto
Sasuke and the Need for Atonement
During the Blank Period, Sasuke would go on several missions with both Kakashi and Naruto, being dragged along, but he would eventually focus on solo missions, such as his investigation into the exploding humans, and he would make it his goal to atone for his past mistakes by repaying his many debts to Konoha through investigating the matter, meeting with Orochimaru for any clues and ultimately discovering the source to be Chino, a kekkei genkai user and last remaining member of the Chinoike Clan.
After Sasuke left Konoha for a second time, he wandered the world in search for both atonement and for Otsutsuki artifacts, bringing Sakura along with him for a time until Sarada was born in one of Orchimaru’s various hideouts, being delivered by Karin. He ultimately returned to the Leaf for a time to look after his wife and newborn daughter, but left again soon after to continue his work as a protector of the Leaf, keeping Naruto informed on his various discoveries over the years. By the time of Naruto: Boruto the Movie, Sasuke had tracked down a temple connected to Kaguya and was ambushed by Momoshiki and Kinshiki Otsutsuki, being forced to retreat to Konoha to warn Naruto of the coming crisis.
Even by the time of the Boruto era, Sasuke still had yet to truly forgive himself, volunteering himself to go on a solo mission to find the cure to a mysterious disease afflicting Naruto, which the Sage of Six Paths also had because of the deteriorating chakra pathways which can afflict jinchuriki. Sasuke committed himself into a prison to locate the cure to save his friend, ultimately finding the polar particles with the help of his wife, Sakura, and saving Naruto’s life. Sasuke’s redemption is long and drawn out and that’s the entire point of his character arc after the war. From his defeat at the hands of Naruto, all the way into the Boruto era, Sasuke continued to strive for redemption by any means, casting his family aside and choosing the life of a wandering shinobi to facilitate his atonement.
While many believe Sasuke’s redemption was far too drawn out, seeking forgiveness for over a decade, Sasuke Uchiha is one of the few characters in Naruto to have been allowed such a deep exploration into his inner characterization and thoughts, becoming one of the most complex characters in the shōnen and even eclipsing Naruto’s own characterization at many points. Overall, while Sasuke’s revenge was the driving force behind his character for the vast majority of the narrative, the latter half of his screen time was spent on seeking redemption, creating a fully fleshed out person in the process who has a complete arc, something quite rare for many characters within Naruto.
