While the Naruto series began as a playful look into what the concept of a shinobi was, it quickly transitioned into something more serious. It made statements on the idea of child soldiers, politics and why wars were fought for the most trivial reasons. This made the story more nuanced compared to contemporaries in Japan, as well as the Western world.
It led to a lot of bloodshed in the Naruto Shippuden era. And make no mistake, the Boruto time-skip has followed suit in terms of violence and murder. With that in mind, here are the most brutal deaths that have occurred since Naruto began his mission to become Hokage of the Hidden Leaf.
10 Kakashi Sliced Through Rin Nohara
Rin's Death Remains A Heartbreaking Tragedy
When Naruto series shed insight into the past, Kakashi and Team Minato was a major backstory. It revealed Rin being kidnapped and imbued with the Three Tails Beast. This was a macabre act done by wicked Kirigakure ninjas. They hoped she would lose control, become a monster and slaughter citizens back home in Konoha.
Luckily, the perceptive Rin had the wherewithal to know she had to sacrifice her life in the Third Shinobi World War. She impaled herself on Kakashi's Chidori Blade in battle before she got back to the Hidden Leaf. It scarred Kakashi for life. Her other teammate, Obito, also witnessed it and turned into a terrorist. It remains one of Naruto's biggest statements on how kids were used as pawns and weapons of mass destruction. Kakashi's hand going through her chest remains an iconic visual to this day that reiterates the depth of this franchise.
9 Kara's Deepa Was Disintegrated
Deepa's Demise Turned Oddly Comical
Deepa was one of the Kara's Outer assassins who didn't appear in the manga. He was a scientific project that Amado made in Isshiki's lab. He was able to alter the metal in his robotic frame like a Terminator. Deepa was found making jokes constantly as he enjoyed his cannibalistic life, shaping someone similar to Naruto's Tobi. That said, Deepa was quite powerful. However, Boruto's Team 7 destroyed the tyrant in battle.
Kara got ahold of his body parts, though. The group stored Deepa's head in a tank to learn if he gave away key information. It led to Isshiki ordering Amado to dissolve Deepa's head once he became expendable. While Deepa's final moments began with humor, his screams and reactions quickly made the murder quite a morbid sequence. It punctuated how punishing Kara could be to members who failed their missions.
8 Victor Got Roasted By Kashin Koji
Victor Was Incinerated To Protect A Bigger Plan
Kara's chief enforcer, Kashin Koji, didn't like how Victor (another Kara Outer member) tried to sabotage Isshiki's plan and steal the weapon known as Kawaki for himself. Koji ended up confronting Victor and beating him up. Coincidentally, Koji was covering tracks, as he was a traitor, too.
Koji used his True Fire of Samadhi technique and roasted Victor alive. This was quite unforgiving. It made Koji look so intimidating. Hearing Victor yelling and watching Koji basking in the glow nodded to the days of the Aktasuki and their infighting. It added tension, suspense and intrigue to what Kara was about.
7 Neji Was Horrifically Killed By the Ten Tails
Neji's Murder Proved Naruto Wasn't For Kids
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Ten Tails Beast was unleashed by Madara and Obito. It fired several wood projectiles at Naruto's army. Hinata tried to cover up and protect Naruto. Neji, instead, shielded her to ensure the Hyūga clan would have a future matron.
It resulted in the spikes impaling Neji and Naruto being left speechless as he held his friend's body. Neji begged them all to look after each other in one of the franchise's most gut-wrenching scenes. This gave way to Boruto years later, visiting Neji in the Time Slip Arc. The boy got to know Hinata's cousin more and why his uncle was a legend. This made Neji's fatality a bit easier to stomach despite it being so graphic and gory years ago.
6 Uchiha Shin Had A Sadistic Betrayal
Shin's Clones Mutilated Him For Fun
Uchiha Shin's story was told when the Naruto franchise ended. It was used as a bridge of filler content into the Boruto era. Shin was a scientist Orochimaru experimented on. He had various Sharingan-filled eyes implanted in him, which made him an unofficial Uchiha (at least, in his mind). Knowing the power of this DNA inside, he went rogue and tried to kill a slew of Konoha-nin after believing he was meant to revamp the Akatsuki.
A massive bloodbath ensued where Shin thought his clones would help him. However, they began stabbing him. Part was for fun, but part was because they didn't think he could lead them anymore. Sarada and Co. were mortified watching these young boys deriving pleasure from this act. It taught the new Team 7 how cruel and unpredictable their enemies would be. This had the heroic teenagers temporarily re-evaluating their positions in Konoha's military.
5 Ōtsutsuki Urashiki Got Incinerated Into Nothingness
Urashiki Reminded Fans How Devastating Heroic Team-Ups Are
In the Boruto Time Slip Arc, Boruto and Sasuke hid their identities when they traveled to the past. They didn't want to mess with the timeline. However, they were left with no choice but to train with Naruto and Jiraiya. They needed to kill Urashiki before he took Kurama's chakra for himself. It culminated in an explosive battle in the Konoha woods.
The climax saw Boruto and Naruto combining their Rasengans against the villain. Jiraiya hit a Rasengan of his own, while Sasuke used his lightning to fry the enemy. This was maximum damage that destroyed every molecule of Urashiki's very existence. It also blew away a huge portion of Konoha's forest, just to show the impact of the co-operative moves on the alien.
4 Kawaki Blew Garō In Half
Kawaki Demonstrated Terrifying Power
When Garō tried to bring Kawaki back to Isshiki in the early stages of the Boruto narrative, he got more than he bargained for on the outskirts of Konoha. Kawaki evaded the blasts from his cyborg arm and used his own Ōtsutsuki powers to morph his hand. He impaled Garō and left the wood spikes propping him up.
The teenager then deployed his Karma mark and unleashed a sinister energy blast to blow Garō away. He split Garō's body into pieces: a kill fit for the MortalKombat series. This left the Konoha ninjas who were spying in worried about what other teenage soldiers lurked beyond their borders. Boruto, in particular, grew pensive, as he was being molded to fend off such dangerous threats.
3 Sarutobi Hiruzen Had a Long, Excruciating Death
This Murder Taught Naruto About Life's Dark Side
During Naruto's Chunin Exams, Orochimaru attacked in the Konoha Crush Arc. The villain unleashed the revived Hashirama and Tobirama -- the first Two Hokages who died years ago. However, Orochimaru's former mentor and Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, used the Shinigami and Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal their souls away. Unfortunately, this gave the Shinigami Hiruzen's soul as part of the deal.
To rub salt in the wounds, Hiruzen and a wounded Orochimaru ended up close to each other in their final moments. Hiruzen was impaled by a blade while trying to seal Orochimaru's soul away. The Hokage failed, though, dying in a very twisted fashion. Through this heroic sacrifice, Naruto learned that violence would keep coming to his doorsteps. Naruto's 'grandfather' dying left him to want to create an era of peace, so a modicum of good did emanate from this tragedy.
2 Naruto's Parents Suffered At the End
Minato & Kushina Were Savagely Killed
When Obito stole Kurama as Kushina (Naruto's mother) gave birth, all hell broke loose. The Nine Tails Demon Fox rampaged through the Hidden Leaf. When the fox tried to use its claw to impale Naruto, Minato and Kushina shielded their son and got impaled instead.
Kushina bled out and died, while Minato used the Shinigami to sever the fox's chakra. He hid half in himself and half in Naruto to ensure that when he sealed the fox in his son, it wouldn't hurt the boy's soul. The Shinigami then claimed Minato's essence in a sequence that left every fan in tears. It was terrifying, bloody, yet filled with love, honor and the most endearing sentiment.
1 Jiraiya Was Maimed In A Demented Fashion
The 'Ero Sennin' Lived Up To His Gallant Billing
Jiraiya's fight against the Akatsuki remains one of the best brawls in Naruto. He wasn't just battling former students; he was taking on the Pain drones, who were way more powerful. It led to Jiraiya having his throat crushed and being impaled with Pain's rods. Jiraiya fell into the ocean and sunk to the bottom.
However, he died smiling, knowing he sent key intel to Naruto's legion. He was also adamant that Naruto was the child of prophecy who would defeat the Akatsuki and stop the impending war. This was a very bloody scrap that left fans breathless at the time. Jiriaya was so jovial that many fans revolted online. What made it worse was how Jiraiya's frog came back with a message, but little closure. Naruto fell into a massive depression, because the heroes never found Jiriaya's corpse. Hopefully, the Boruto era will have more insight into the aftermath of this murder and a proper burial for Jiraiya, given Kashin Koji is a Jiraiya clone.
