Every Naruto fan knows how emotional and captivating the show can become in the development of its main characters (both protagonists and villains). Naruto Uzumaki might not have the saddest story of all, among all the other characters, but there’s no doubt he has one of the most unfair ones.
As shown from the beginning of the series (the original anime), Naruto knows solitude, pain, and emptiness. He managed to make a strength out of these experiences, but it never erased all of the things he went through, starting from growing up as an orphan to all of the overwhelming experiences, difficulties, and pain that the life of a shinobi brings.
10 Being Separated From His Parents As A Child
One of the first and saddest things the public noticed at the beginning of Naruto’s path to becoming0 a Hokage, was that he grew up without parents, in a way, parenting himself as he used to wish someone else would.
Further on in the series, he finds his father figure in Iruka Sensei (as he confesses in the original anime) and his own particular family in Team Seven and other villagers, which is heart-warming, but it doesn’t make Naruto growing up an orphan less unfair and touching.
9 He Was Ostracized By The Villagers
Before establishing such solid and important relationships with his peers, villagers, and teachers, Naruto wasn’t that beloved by his fellow citizens. He used to be loud and messy, occasionally causing some trouble to gain some attention (which is understandable from someone who doesn’t have his parents’ attention).
Thus he used to be emarginated by his classmates, scolded, and badly regarded by the other citizens. He was talked about as an immature, dumb, and insolent boy, and that’s how he felt about himself until Iruka sensei told him about the Kyuubi inside of him (which also was part of why people did not like him).
8 It was unfair to see Naruto lose one of his closest friends, Neji Hyuga
Neji and Naruto didn’t immediately start as friends until Naruto beat him at the Chunin Exams and taught him something about real strength and values.
Neji and Naruto grew closer over time, both learning from each other, despite the way their relationship started. Neji started believing in Naruto, and a relationship of trust developed between them, which makes it incredibly unfair to see Naruto lose one of his closest friends, especially because Neji sacrificed himself for Naruto (and his cousin, Hinata) during the fourth great Shinobi War. The weight and pain that must have put on Naruto was everything but fair, especially considering that Naruto really cares and loves his friends.
7 Being Ignored & Mistreated By His First Crush
Just at the start of his path to becoming a Hokage, and after the initial making of Team Seven, Naruto used to like Sakura quite a lot. He used to try to get her attention and approval, but she, just like their other peers, continuously mistreated and belittled him for no good reason (except for the fact that she seemed to be so used to being mean to him that it was normal, almost natural).
Sakura was too involved with Naruto’s rival, and every time Naruto would save her, the first person she’d go to thank would be Sasuke. It was just unfair on him to be belittled by his crush, for no reason at all, as she chased after the friend that would, one day, betray them both.
6 The Kyuubi Inside Him Gave Him Too Many Enemies
One of the collateral effects of having such a powerful demon sealed inside of him is that Kurama attracted plenty of people that wanted to obtain the entity’s power. Thus, Naruto would often learn that dangerous people were looking for him (like when Jiraiya first warned him about the Akatsuki organization), or that he was considered a threat, by people that he didn’t even know.
Having the Kyuubi inside of him didn’t just push people away from him in his childhood, but it also attracted too many enemies that put his life at risk without Naruto having any other choice but fighting for it.
5 His Power Being Belittled By His Peers & Senseis
Not only was Naruto disliked and disrespected by his fellow peers and citizens, but he was also used to being continuously belittled as a ninja. It was an unfair prejudice and expectation that people had of him (that he was just good at causing trouble and had no real talent).
He used to live in Sasuke’s shadow, the famous Uchiha heir, while his first attempts at fighting used to be messy, or rather a mix of dramatic losses and wins, probably also due to his ignorance of the presence of two chakras inside him (and to the fact that he didn’t know how to handle them). He was underestimated not just by Sakura and Sasuke, but also Kakashi sensei and even Jiraiya (they initially believed that he had no talent).
4 Living Alone For Almost His Entire Childhood
Not only did Naruto grow up without parents and friends, but he also wasn’t entrusted to other relatives or family members (or even just close family friends, as you’d expect in these situations). It seems that as soon as Naruto managed to walk and talk on his own, he lived alone in his own little house (no roommates, no caretakers).
Naruto basically never was able to rely on people but himself. Living his childhood alone not just on the friends’ aspect, but also when it comes to having a “home,” was pretty unfair on a young boy who was also going down the path of a dangerous and painful profession.
3 Having Kurama Stolen From Him By Madara
Initially, the Kyuubi, or rather Kurama, gave Naruto many problems to deal with: enemies, confused chakras, and the hate of Konoha’s villagers. However, after the missions with Team Seven, the Chunin Exam, and especially after training with Jiraiya, Naruto slowly begins to learn how to handle first his own chakra, then the demon’s.
Thus, the Kyuubi made Naruto suffer and then thrive, and he carried it within since birth throughout his whole childhood and development, that’s why it was the most shocking and unfair thing when Madara Uchica just took Kurama from him.
2 His Mentor’s Death was perhaps one of the most heartbreaking moments (& saddest deaths) in Naruto
It’s easy to see why it can be considered one of the saddest things to happen to Naruto, considering that Jiraiya was the first one to really bring out the potential in him.
The two of them bonded like a family, and losing a mentor in all of that chaos really wasn’t what Naruto — or any of his friends — needed.
1 Sasuke’s Betrayal (First Real Fight Between Rivals)
At the moment Sasuke’s Chidori almost hit Naruto’s arm, as the two fought by a river near the Land Of Sound, Naruto recalled all of his moments spent with Sasuke, incredulous at the fact that his very best friend was trying to kill him to merely obtain power. The pain showed in his eyes, in his blood, in his cry. When he hit him, Naruto shouted “Sasuke!” in such an intense and emotional way, that you could hear the flickering and pain in his voice. It was one of the most emotional and heartbreaking moments of the whole anime, and the look in Sasuke’s eyes made everything much harder to take. Naruto unknowingly trusted and protected him; the more time they spent together the closer they got, becoming best friends.
But Sasuke had to obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, which could be received by killing his dearest friend, so Naruto got caught in the middle of his ambitions when all he was looking for was a friend — Sasuke had convinced him he had found one. This betrayal was perhaps the most unfair thing of all to happen to him.