Naruto is one of Japan’s most popular and longest running anime. It’s so popular, in fact, that it’s one of just a few anime that regularly airs on U.S. television, and definitely one of the only anime that has done so that wasn’t based on a trading card game.
To give you an idea of how huge this series is, Naruto Shippūden, the later series that continues Naruto’s adventures as an older teenager, only just finished its 21st season in March of last year.
The first season of Naruto premiered all the way back in 2002.
During 15 years, 26 seasons, and over 700 episodes, the series has had plenty of time to introduce an ensemble cast of characters and tempt them over to the dark side, making this list a particularly challenging one to compile.
However, fan artists are never ones to shy away from a challenge. These devoted Naruto fans have used their wild imaginations to create beautiful, impressive, and creepy redesigns of your favorite shinobi.
From Naruto unleashing the full destructive power of the nine-tailed fox to his friends joining rival ninja factions, these pieces of art are sure to render you speechless.
With that said, here are 20 Naruto Characters Reimagined as Villains.
20 Jiraiya
It’s easy to see why we’re already in love with the stylish look of the Akatsuki, but their robes have truly never looked better in this unique piece of art.
As a slightly more obscure character, Jiraiya is one of three legendary Sennin, who are some of the most powerful shinobi of their time.
The reason why he’s not talked about quite as much might be because of his self-admitted creepy hobbies. Jiraiya loves spying on women, which has earning him more than a few offensive nicknames and slaps.
Maybe his joining up with the Akatsuki is a result of all of the women in the village getting fed up and kicking him out of Konohagakure once and for all?
19 Sakura
If Naruto ever gave in and joined up with the nefarious Akatsuki, you can be sure that his close friend Sakura wouldn’t be too far behind.
As a strong-willed and powerful kunoichi (female ninja), Sakura came to be known as one of the world’s greatest medical ninjas.
She eventually looked past Naruto’s childish crush on her, and the two have become firm allies and friends.
Either Naruto has made some persuasive arguments in the Akatsuki’s favor, or he’s ticked her off so much that joining a rival clan is the only viable option. Either way, she’s about to do some serious damage with that kunai.
18 Sasuke
No Shounen anime is complete without a male best friend to complete the iconic trio. Sasuke fills that role as both best friend and skilled rival to Naruto.
However, Sasuke’s past is full of tragedy. He is one of the last survivors of the Uchiha clan, after his older brother, Itachi, wiped them out.
In his determination to seek revenge, he was often tempted to go down darker paths - and did so, at least for a while.
He frequently isolates himself from others, and even defected from the clan to develop his training further to eventually take his revenge. However, in the end it was proven that Sasuke was still a good guy.
This artwork imagines how Sasuke would look if he continued to be a villain.
17 Kakashi
Despite his aversion to rules and responsibility, Kakashi is the leader and teacher whom all of Naruto’s fellow ninja-in-training look up to.
As a powerful shinobi, and an avid reader of adult novels, Kakashi is one of the purest and incorruptible characters in the Naruto series.
His devotion and cool reserve eventually lead him to becoming the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure.
His mysterious face mask makes him a prime target for darker renditions by slightly more twisted fans, and this is our favorite example.
His skin tight, tattered body suit makes evil look a little too good to resist.
16 Hinata
Here, we can see Hinata dressed in typical Anbu garb. The Anbu are a group of assassins who are dispatched by their village leader. While they're typically seen as good, there are some corrupt Anbu members out there - one big example being Danzō.
The problem with the dangerous squadron of mysterious assassins is that, despite their fashionable masks, their leaders aren't always the most sensible and peace-loving individuals.
This artist has given Hinata a stylish new Anbu uniform, combining a blue body suit with gold clasps to make the typical Anbu drab and grey body armor a little more exciting.
It especially brings out Hinata’s eyes, accentuating the lavender tinges that she’s depicted with in the anime.
Fan art often has the unfortunate side effect of making villainy look fashionable.
15 Naruto’s Dark Armor
This radical piece of fan art is something that would never happen in the series, but it’s still an extremely interesting concept to think about.
Not many fans have envisioned Naruto in a mechanical, winged suit of armor.
This is not just a spectral Susanoo, but a tangible suit designed for destruction. Who needs ninja training when you’ve got razor sharp claws and a rifle attached on your hand?
A series based on ninja in mecha suits would have gone on far beyond the 700th episode, that’s for sure.
You’d have to physically force Naruto into this monstrosity in reality, but as a piece of "what if" fan art, it gets a million points for being so cool and creative.
14 Tenten
If a wave of feminism was ever introduced into the Naruto universe, Tenten would be the woman to do it.
As a resilient and skilled kunoichi, Tenten prides herself on her maturity and resolve in the face of adversity, and doesn’t suffer fools – specifically, foolish men – gladly.
She’s often seen disparaging over the childish antics of her ninja companions.
You’d be more likely to find her eating pickled plums than joining the Akatsuki, and even in this speculative fan art, she looks a little disgruntled to be stuffed into one of their cloaks.
Maybe it’s because she’s been carrying around that ridiculous, back-pain inducing sword all day.
13 Dark Team Seven
The trio of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, under the leadership of Kakashi, are collectively known as Team Seven in the Naruto universe.
Initially viewed as the worst student, Naruto is teamed with Sakura and Sasuke in the hope that their intelligence, dedication, and more admirable ninja qualities will draw out the best in him.
This piece of fan art depicts a bleak, Gothic universe in which the team go bad, don slick black uniforms, and use their ninja skills for evil.
In this piece, Kakashi seems to have converted to another rival ninja faction, a group of assassins known as the Anbu, who are recognizable by their striking animal masks.
12 Kushina
Before Naruto became the unfortunate jinchūriki of the Nine-tailed Fox, that burden was bestowed on his mother, Kushina Uzumaki.
She was forced to sacrifice her life at the hands of the beast in order to save her son.
Known for her impulsive and reckless attitude, many have noted to Naruto that he shares many of her unique traits. She was also renowned for her beauty, though, which is something Naruto is… not.
Like so many villainous fan redesigns of the series’ hero, this redesign of Kushina depicts her at the full mercy of the Nine-tails’ power.
Here, she is seemingly possessed by the Nine-tails, as her long red hair floats around her.
11 Naruto
The Akatsuki is a rival ninja clan that resides outside the boundaries of the world of Naruto’s hidden villages, including our hero’s home, Konohagakure.
Known primarily by their stylish black and red cloaks, their methods of making the world a better place aren’t quite as tasteful.
Naruto has never been tempted to join the evil clan, but this artist imagines Naruto looking pretty villanous if he did.
He has also managed to tame the Nine-tailed Fox that resides inside him, making him quite the formidable opponent. Anyone who stands in their way is surely doomed.
It’s no surprise that this artist describes the alternate Naruto as an Akatsuki boss, as it wouldn’t take him long to rise through the ranks.
10 Kakashi
Here is another magnificent redesign of the Icha Icha obsessed shinobi teacher, Kakashi.
This time, like many others, Kakashi has finally given in to the stylish Akatsuki and is donning their iconic black and red cloak.
The piece makes excellent use of the Team Seven leader’s mysteriously scarred left eye. It’s revealed that his original eye was actually lost when he was younger. It replaced with a Sharingan, which was given to him by his teammate Obito, who supposedly fell in battle.
Broadly speaking, a Sharingan can provide a shinobi powers of Insight and Hypnotism, though it also colors the eye a deep shade red.
Kakashi usually covers his up with his mask and forehead protector but, of course, were he to turn to the dark side, he’d definitely let that bad boy breathe.
9 Hashirama
As mentioned briefly before, Naruto’s hidden village of Konohagakure is led by the Hokage. This is the highest rank available that is bestowed to the village’s most powerful shinobi.
So far,there have been seven Hokage, including Kakashi, and even Naruto himself later life in his life, which can be seen in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
The first shinobi to be granted the prestigious title was Hashirama Senju, a powerful leader who was dubbed the "God of Shenobi" in his time.
His legacy and teachings of peace paved the way for the entire shinobi world.
However, the world of Naruto could have looked a lot different had the world’s first Hokage defected to the Akatsuki. Perhaps in this universe Madara would be a good guy.
8 Ino
Ino Yamanaka’s story is, at first, defined by her unrequited crush on fellow ninja Sasuke, and her subsequent dislike of Sakura for liking him too.
However, later in the series, she blossoms into her own fully-rounded, and formidable, kunoichi warrior.
She is adept in chakra control, sensory perception, and medical ninjutsu.
She’s an invaluable member of Team Asuma, but we have to admit that she looks great rocking the Anbu assassin outfit, even if it does make us a little more weary of her sword.
Her platinum blond hair always looks fantastic, but it’s particularly striking in this dynamic piece of fan art, especially against the bright blue uniform.
7 Hinata
Hinata’s ghostly white eyes aren’t a result of blindness. In fact, she is in possession of the Byakugan, which means the All Seeing Eye.
However, this still doesn’t make her appearance any less creepy, especially when she dons a spectral black and red Akatsuki cloak in this piece of fan art.
Eventually overcoming her meekness, as well as the constant bullying that she endures from her family for not being strong enough, Hinata became a ninja to be reckoned with.
She even married Naruto later in her life and had two children with him.
Perhaps this piece is from an alternate future where the couple join the rival ninja clan together?
6 Naruto and Fem Kyuubi
What’s most impressive about this sinister piece of art is that it was completed entirely with a Biro pen.
Rather than going the traditional route of depicting Naruto as the master of his Nine-tailed Fox spirit, this artist has opted for another angle entirely.
After all, anything goes in the world of fan art.
In this piece, we have a Nine-tailed Fox, who has transcended both its physical and animal form, becoming a human woman with hair that acts like the nine tendril-like tails that are keeping Naruto captive.
Poor Naruto looks more like a deranged servant than the conqueror of his own demons.
5 Tenten
This is a rare example of very creative and impressive fan art design that doesn’t rely on the styles of opposing ninja teams to turn a Naruto character evil.
Instead, this artist has imagined an entirely new look for Tenten, the feminist with attitude.
Rather than her usual occupation of fighting evil shinobi and rolling her eyes at the antics of her companions, here we can see that she has been overcome by a devilish force.
She has has even sprouted horns and developed devilish, red eyes.
We wouldn’t be surprised if there was a set of wings under there somewhere as well.
4 Neji and Rock Lee
Despite her high-strung and independent demeanour, Tenten doesn’t fight alone.
Alongside Neji and Rock Lee, the trio train with their group leader Might Guy, specializing in aggressive, close-quarters combat.
Rock Lee is an especially iconic Naruto character. He's known best for his shiny bowl haircut, prominent lower eyelashes, and thick eyebrows that earn him the nickname "Centipede Brows."
This atmospheric piece reimagines Neji and Rock as dark Akatsuki disciples.
The latter’s striking green outfit goes especially well with the rival faction’s classy cloaks.
Rock has ditched his bowl cut for a shaggier look and it appears that Neji is enchanting his kunai with a form of evil magic.
3 Shikamaru
Shikamara is another more obscure Naruto character, but he has become a fan-favorite over time.
Shikamaru is a classic anime staple - he's the lazy genius. Throughout the series, he is depicted as a sleepy layabout, a shinobi who only makes an effort when he really really has to.
The only trouble is that his superior intellect means that he frequently prevails in combat situations, leaving him with ninja responsibilities that he doesn’t really want.
This is a darker piece for such an amusing character in the show, but the stunning colors and shadows make it too striking not to include.
2 Hinata/Orochimaru
Poor Hinata seems to be a constant subject of twisted, villainous fan art thanks to her spooky, pale eyes.
We’ve seen her as both an Akatsuki and an Anbu assassin, and now we come to the most twisted depiction of all.
No villain has caused Naruto and his team of shinobi quite as much grief as the corrupt Orochimaru, a former ninja who is obsessed with immortality.
The serpentine antagonist is instantly recognizable by his long, greasy hair, and even longer tongue, which he uses in combat.
This artist has had the idea to combine the two characters into one horrible mutation - and it's incredible.
1 Gaara of the Sand
Gaara is introduced in the anime as one of the shinobi team’s primary antagonists. He is seen as a violent and hated ninja who resides in the neighboring Sand village.
However, after getting to know Naruto, he begins to idolize and emulate him. After all, like Naruto, he is also a jinchūriki.
Eventually, he becomes the Fifth Kazekage of his village.
This piece brings Gaara back to his villainous roots. His cracked skin reveals him at the full mercy of his unpredictable sand powers, and his wild eyes are a symptom of the One-tailed Shukaku, that, much like Naruto’s Nine-tailed Fox, lays dormant inside him.
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What Naruto characters would you like to see turn to evil? Let us know in the comments!
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