Naruto is one of the biggest names in all of shonen, alongside One Piece and Bleach, and it’s all thanks to Naruto‘s incredible cast of compelling and colorful characters, counting both heroes and villains alike. Even minor villains like Zabuza Momochi left a strong impression on viewers, and the heroes, even more so.
Some of Naruto‘s heroes are classic protagonists with a heart of gold, while others are more like antiheroes, and some of them, in an alternate timeline, could have actually been scary or cool villains for the heroes to fight. In other cases, these heroes were once villains and should have stayed evil, or they have the right techniques and strategies for a truly memorable and challenging villain.
10 Kurenai Yuhi Is A Genjutsu Master
In the original story, Kurenai Yuhi commanded Team 8 and was a motherly figure to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Later on, she really did become a mother, and fans sympathized when she grieved the loss of Asuma Sarutobi. But her skills are wasted as a Naruto protagonist.
Kurenai is skilled at creating plant-based genjutsu, but she rarely did any good with it. Instead, she could have been a cool villain in the earlier arcs and trapped Team 7 in her cunning genjutsu. That would have been a fascinating challenge for Naruto’s team to overcome.
9 Shikamaru Nara Could Be A Villainous Mastermind
The unforgettable Shikamaru Nara is famed for being a slacker genius of a ninja, and he shone during the Sasuke retrieval story arc and the battle against Hidan and Kakuzu. Then again, if he were a villain, he would be a challenge like no other for Naruto and his allies.
Many Naruto villains, such as the Six Paths of Pain or the Akatsuki’s members, rely on ultra-powerful jutsu to be effective, but an evil Shikamaru could run in circles around the heroes and keep them guessing. He’d be a persistent thorn in the Leaf Village’s side, and his scheme would take Naruto and viewers alike by surprise again and again.
8 Gaara Could Have Stayed Evil For A Longer Time
Ultimately, Gaara of the Sand had a compelling story arc because he was a villain who turned good. For the sake of the story, he had to be redeemed eventually, but when he was villainous, Gaara was a terrifying spectacle to watch, and arguably, Naruto redeemed him a bit too soon.
Gaara turned good after hearing Naruto’s talk jutsu, but him staying evil well into Shippuden and not finding redemption until the Fourth Great Shinobi War and escaping the Akatsuki’s clutches would be a real sight to see.
7 Tsunade Could Have Been A Villain, Too
Lady Tsunade is one of the three Sannin, or legendary ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. She turned bitter when she lost her brother Nawaki and her lover Dan, and she wandered the world for years, unable to process her grief. She was an antihero until Naruto convinced her to become the Fifth Hokage.
This story arc could have been even more dramatic if Tsunade had totally snapped after losing Dan and became an outright villain, lashing out at the world and destroying other people’s happiness. She would almost be like Gaara, and her redemption would have come after Naruto and Jiraiya fought her to a standstill.
6 Shino Aburame Has Creepy Bugs
Shino Aburame wields a hiden technique based on the use of chakra beetles, which overwhelm the opponent in swarms and devour their chakra. Even Shino’s friends in the Konoha 11 find him eerie and a bit unlikable, but Shino doesn’t seem to mind that much.
In another take on Naruto, Shino could have been an ultra-creepy villain obsessed with bugs and finding human prey for them to consume, and he would definitely appear in the Bingo Book as the bug-man. He could have been a cool early villain for Naruto to face, such as during the Land of Waves story arc.
5 Ino Yamanaka Can Turn Friend Against Friend
Ino Yamanaka is another member of Konoha 11 who uses a hiden technique[. In this case, she can use the genjutsu-based Mind Transfer jutsu to take control of an opponent. She can also probe people’s memories to extract vital intel.
Villains in anime often turn friend against friend, and Ino’s hiden technique is perfect for that. Such a technique, combined with Ino’s vain and hot-tempered attitude, would make her an ideal villainess for any Naruto story arc.
4 Sai Is Aloof & Creepy At Times
In the original story, the Root/Foundation ninja Sai learned to embrace the power of friendship, and he even married Ino later on and took her name. Originally, though, Sai was a stone-cold assassin and agent of Danzo Shimura, and he easily could have stayed that way.
Sai could have joined Team 7 and betrayed it for Danzo, which in turn would lead to a dramatic clash between Sai and his would-be friend, Naruto. Sai could have also backed up Danzo during the latter’s attempt to become the next Hokage and control the Leaf Village.
3 Rock Lee Could Have Had A Redemption Arc
Rock Lee is a taijutsu expert because he has no choice. He was born unable to perform genjutsu or ninjutsu at all, and he’s been insecure about it ever since. Fortunately, he had Might Guy to train him and act as a role model, but things could have gone differently.
In a darker take on Naruto, Rock Lee could have been branded a failure or even a freak, and he would flee the village and become a rogue ninja, bent on revenge. This expert martial artist could have made a fine opponent for Team 7, and in the end, Naruto could redeem him with a talk jutsu and some serious empathy.
2 Neji Hyuga Is A Powerful Foe To Face
If the plot of Naruto were tweaked somewhat, many Leaf Village ninja could have been villains, especially if their personal baggage was more intense and these characters had fewer friends to rely on, such as Rock Lee. Something similar can be said about Lee’s teammate, Neji Hyuga.
In the original story, Neji was bitter and jaded about his role in the Hyuga clan’s branch family, and he was a bitter determinist. He could have gone totally rogue and become a formidable foe for Naruto’s team to fight at some point. Neji versus Sasuke would be a fight to remember.
1 Tenten Wields All Kinds Of Weapons
The ninja Tenten failed to be a compelling hero in the story of Naruto, and she fell short time and again. Then again, if Tenten had been a villain, she could terrorize the Leaf Village’s genin squads with her many deadly weapons, and a villainous Tenten would have much better weapons in her arsenal.
Villains fight dirty and hold nothing back, and a stronger, more villainous Tenten could wipe out genin or chunin teams with her deadly traps and explosives. She could make for a fine challenge for Naruto’s team and prove how scary weapons can be.
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