AmidstNaruto’s many controversial characters is a dark horse with a disproportionate impact on its plot.Naruto’s storytellinghas always been one of its biggest struggles. One character takes that to the next level, though, byacting as an “easy way out” for some ofNaruto’s most controversial decisions and plotholes.
I’m referring, of course, to Danzo Shimura.Naruto’s Danzo is a character I’ve defended before, and the simple truth is that, as a character,Danzo is extremely compelling. I’ve said he’s not a villain and I’ll stand by that. However,Narutoinarguably writes Danzo into a corner—and writes itself into a corner in the process.
I Like Danzo, But His Storyline Might Have Been Kishimoto’s Biggest Mistake
For the (somehow) uninitiated, Danzo is a character with a unique position inNaruto’s plot: positioned to become the Third Hokage, Danzo had risen through the ranks alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi. When the time came for a Third Hokage to take the reins, Danzo was passed up in favor of Sarutobi; however, as a peace offering,Sarutobi permitted Danzo to lead Konoha’s “special operations” unit(or, in less poetic language, a black ops unit) called ANBU. It’s from this position, as the leader of ANBU, that Danzo is able to do unreal damage toNaruto’s narrative. Miraculously, he manages to do just as much damage to its world.
To start with, Danzo’s character lacks detail. His intentions are one-dimensional to the point that they’re often self-defeating. Danzo’s lack of sufficient characterization is one of the big reasons there’s such a huge gulf between the canonical Danzo’s scenes and the more methodical Danzo present inNaruto’s filler. Canonically speaking,his substance is almost entirely derived from his (often negative) relationships to other characters.More time could have been spent elaborating on Danzo himself.
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Nonetheless, Danzo’s story arc is interesting to an extent, and it also provides one ofNaruto’s best fights—the unforgettable battle between Danzo and Sasuke duringthe Five Kage Summit arc. However, while his influence is believable, that’s precisely the problem. Danzo’s role inNaruto’s narrative isable to swallow up the agency of several ofNaruto’s most interesting characters.
There arecountless examples of Danzo’s disproportionate influence onNaruto’s biggest events. The best and most immediate example is probably his relationship with Orochimaru. It’s through Danzo that Orochimaru is able to keep his activities a secret and obtain a plethora of information, and Orochimaru’s eventual hiding place even harkens back to his meetups with Danzo.
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Danzo Doesn’t Just Lack Depth, He Eviscerates It
The same applies to the Uchiha clan, obviously; Danzo is the one whoalienated the Uchiha by forcing them to the outskirts of Konohaand not allowing them to participate in the fight against the Nine-Tails. Although there had always been latent disregard for the Uchiha, as evidenced through the Senju clan’s longstanding suspicion towards them, Danzo would be the one who popped up to become the “villain”.
The cycle is repeated with the eventual plan to massacre the Uchiha: for the first part ofNarutoand well intoShippuden, Itachi is presented as an evil force who, out of malicious bloodlust and disgust towards Konoha, massacred his own clan and left his brother behind. Then, all of a sudden, to make Itachi more sympathetic,the blame is shifted to Danzo: the ANBU subplot is delicately orchestrated to absolve precisely the people Kishimoto wants to absolve.
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The trend continues for essentially every significant antagonist inNarutofrom the Third Hokage onward. Danzo is the one who delayed Naruto on his way to confront Nagato; Danzo isalso the one who manipulated Hanzo in Amegakureand, in turn, radicalized Nagato further. Danzo is the one who led Kabuto or Sasori inevitably down the “path of evil” through his interventions.
The problem isn’t that Danzo’s presence underminesNaruto’s narrative. It’s exactly the opposite. Danzo doesn’t introduce problems toNaruto’s storytelling; he becomesan easy crutch by things which would otherwise be plot holes are filled in and smoothed over. Danzo is effectivelyNaruto’s scapegoat for anything that happens, so that a more interesting story doesn’t have to be written.
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For many people, Danzo is the missing link, able to wrapNaruto’s story in a neat little bow. Easy to empathize with and even easier to hate, on a first watch ofNaruto, it’s easy to see Danzo’s impact on its world as believable. And certainly, it is believable—that’s precisely the problem at hand, though. The simple fact is thatseveral characters inNarutocould have had much more depthif it weren’t for Danzo.
His portrayal as some omnipotent influence, who simultaneously undermines and prioritizes the well-being of Konoha and the shinobi order writ large,only serves to flattenNaruto’s most interesting characters. Danzo’s role inNarutoworks, but it doesn’t make for a better story. While Danzo’s effect makes sense and works well with Orochimaru, it feels as though, afterward, his story with Orochimaru became the template to effect any ofNaruto’s discontent. One ofNaruto’s longstanding problems is thatthe shinobi world is awful, yetNaruto’s narrative voice serves primarily to conceal that and reinforce its own ideals; Danzo is a critical weapon in this mission.
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Naruto Would Have Been Very Different If Danzo’s Role Were Changed
On the other hand, it’s easy to imagine how the events Danzo set in motioncould be rewritten to allow characters like Nagato, Itachi, and Sasori more agency. For example, why did Itachi have to become a “misunderstood” villain? Couldn’t he himself have broken bad and turned against the Uchiha and Konoha all at once? Isn’t it possible to write Itachi and Sasuke’s relationship in such a way that Sasukestillturns against Konoha, but in a way that doesn’t weasel out of complicated sociopolitical questions by painting Danzo as a malicious agent?
The same applies to, say, Nagato: Danzo’s manipulation of Hanzo in Amegakure actually serves, in the end, to undermine the interesting questions the minor village raises about the power politics ofNaruto’s world by shifting the blame to Danzo’s own avarice. These are only a handful of examples ofhow Danzo is relentlessly turned into a scapegoat for the franchise. The simple reality, I think, is that Danzo just serves to wave away the questionsNarutois afraid to start asking itself.
