Anime Manga: 2012

Sasuke Uchiha

Personality

When he was a child, Sasuke was very kind, loving towards his parents and older brother and respectful to his fellow clansmen as well as his teachers. He was even very proud of being Itachi's brother and Fugaku's son — famous for being devoted protectors of Konoha, and he desired to emulate them. His original dream was to join the Konoha Military Police Force when he grew up, like his father and as such greatly sought his father's approval and acknowledgement of his abilities. After Itachi massacred the clan, Sasuke's ideals and personality changed drastically and he became cold, indifferent, cruel, cynical, somewhat arrogant, unreasonable and devoted the next nine years of his life to kill Itachi.

After his battle with Itachi, which concluded in the latter's death, the revelation that he had actually been ordered by the Konoha Elders to eradicate the clan coupled with the new knowledge that Itachi had truly loved him, Sasuke vowed to kill the elders for using his brother and ordering him to massacre the Uchiha clan. After he confirmed the truth, Sasuke quickly grew to loathe the village that he once called home and vowed to destroy it, thus separating any connection it had to the Uchiha clan and purify the clan's name in the process.

As time passed on with this new path of revenge and with further corruption by Tobi, Sasuke has grown much more cruel and ruthless, with the remaining morality he showed during his time with Orochimaru fading rapidly; by the time he launched an attack against the Kage Summit, he killed anyone who stood in his way, not caring about his team, and after cornering Danzo, Sasuke turned to sacrificing Karin who got taken hostage to accomplish his goals of vengeance, and attempted to kill Karin and his former team-mates and teacher whilst experiencing neither shame, guilt, nor remorse for any of his actions.

During the second day of the Fourth Shinobi World War, upon reuniting with a reincarnated Itachi, Sasuke showed a somewhat more vulnerable side to himself instead of his usual coldness. This showed just how confused and torn up he is over Itachi's decision, telling his brother that he did not understand why he was spared during the massacre and apparently implying that he would have rather died as a child than have had to deal with the grief and suffering that followed. Having to live through many lies Itachi set for him, Sasuke wanted to hear the truth from Itachi himself. While his reunion with Itachi only intensified his hatred towards Konoha, Sasuke now questions all there is about shinobi, even questioning if revenge is the purpose for his life, seemingly very confused on his purpose or goal; his desire to find the answer led him to bring Orochimaru back, a feat that everyone least expected him to do. Orochimaru noted that Sasuke's changed from how he was when being manipulated by Itachi, himself and Tobi but did not elaborate any further; he did, however, approve of his current mindset.

Abilities

1. Cursed Seal

An important aspect of Sasuke's growth as a shinobi in Part I was his acquisition of the Cursed Seal of Heaven. Orochimaru, recognising his potential, bestowed the seal on him as a gift in order to grant him greater strength, and to entice him to seek Orochimaru for further power. Initially, the seal would activate and overwhelm Sasuke if he used his chakra or became too excited, and he was only able to control it with extreme focus. As a result, Kakashi suppressed the seal and advised Sasuke to not rely on it, however, Sasuke's frustration with what he believed to be his inadequate strength caused him to use it in battles. When activated, the cursed seal forcefully absorbed Sasuke's chakra, while replacing it with Orochimaru's chakra which covered his body with a flame-like pattern and granted him a number of benefits such as an enhanced chakra capacity, as well as increased strength, speed, and endurance.

After defecting from Konoha, Sasuke advanced his Cursed Seal to Level Two, allowing it to cover his entire body at will. When fully transformed, the second level of the cursed seal turned Sasuke's skin dark grey with a black four-point star-mark between his eyes and across the bridge of his nose, his sclerae turn black, his irides turn yellow (except when using his Sharingan), and his lips turn blue. He also grows claw-like nails and his hair grows to waist-length without losing its style. At any time, he is able to grow large webbed hand-shaped wings on his back that gave him the ability to fly and hover. In this form, not only were his physical attributes further increased, but his techniques were also enhanced by the cursed seal's chakra. This granted him power comparable to Naruto's one-tailed form. over tim, Sasuke gained complete control and mastery over the cursed seal, and could even access its power without fully activating it and even perform partial transformations at will.

However, the seal carried some disadvantages. The most notable one was that using the seal for longer periods of time, corroded Sasuke's body and caused him some pain. The other disadvantage was that the presence of Orochimaru's chakra twisted Sasuke's personality somewhat and made him susceptible to the Sannin's influence. However with aditional training, Sasuke greatly extended the time he could maintain his cursed seal active. Since Itachi sealed Orochimaru, the seal was removed from Sasuke.

2. Ninjutsu

2.1 Weapon Techniques

Since early childhood, Sasuke has displayed great skill and use of various ninja tools which has grown and diversified over time. Sasuke was trained in archery. He is also skilled in the use of wire strings, using them for a variety of purposes ranging from rappelling, to manipulating the path of his shurikens, to ensnaring an opponent and setting them on fire. His level with both trap and weapon-based tactics even surprised Kakashi during their first bell test.

2.2 Sword Technique

During his time with Orochimaru, Sasuke was trained in kenjutsu (sword technique), and became a skilled swordsman.
Sasuke's lethal swordsmanship is shown to very versatile, using impressive speed and precision behind his attacks, leaving little time for enemies to dodge or counter. He can effectively use it in either a normal or reverse grip, giving him various attack styles and the ability to attack or defend from various angles, allowing him to easily change his attack type to suit the situation. He can use his blade as a mid-range projectile with great precision as seen during the battle against Kabuto. Sasuke is also able to adapt his swordsmanship with equal proficiency to his makeshift Chidori blade.

2.3 Shuriken Technique

Sasuke is also well-versed in weapons use such as kunai and shuriken. At the start of the series, he could use techniques like Shadow Shuriken Technique in which he could hide one shuriken in the shadow of another and the Manipulated Shuriken Technique, which allows him to control the path of giant shuriken using wire strings. Due to his Sharingan, he can use an advanced version of the latter technique, the Manipulating Windmill Triple Blades which allows him to control a larger number of shuriken and even use them to ensnare an opponent with the strings.

2.4 Summoning Technique

After absorbing Orochimaru, Sasuke gained access to summon snakes from any part of his body, and could use Orochimaru's body shedding technique to shed his skin and produce a new body, thus repairing any damage he sustained. After Itachi removed Orochimaru from Sasuke's being, Sasuke has not used any snake techniques. In addition, the snake summoning tattoo on his left arm, implying that Sasuke's snake techniques were a result of absorbing Orochimaru and by extension he lost these abilities with Orochimaru's removal.

To symbolise his ascension from snakes (i.e. Orochimaru's power) he changed his team's name from Hebi (snake) to Taka (hawk).

2.5 Nature Transformation

As a true genius ninja and member of the Uchiha, Sasuke has great proficiency in Fire Release nature manipulation. By age 7, he had already mastered his clan's rite of passage technique, the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. Even Kakashi was amazed at such a feat as, according to him, Genin usually require much more experience and developed chakra to perform elemental techniques. He can also use his fire techniques in conjunction with his weapon skills.

After learning that Sasuke can also manipulate Lightning Release nature manipulation, and hoping to deter Sasuke from using the Cursed Seal, Kakashi taught him the Chidori, made more effective when combined with his Sharingan. With this combination, Sasuke can punch through most obstacles with relative ease, as well as severely damaging any opponent during most uses.

Sasuke's most powerful elemental technique is Kirin, a lightning technique that uses natural lightning as opposed to chakra, allowing Sasuke to perform it even when visibly exhausted. If there are no thunder clouds available, Sasuke can use a powerful fire release technique to create thunder clouds. Sasuke then takes control of the lightning, shapes it into a kirin, and then brings the lightning down on his target. The technique is so powerful that it has the ability to destroy a mountain, as well as break Itachi Uchiha's Susanoo.

3. Dojutsu (Eye Techniques)

3.1 Sharingan

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke possesses the Sharingan. He first developed it at age 7, during Itachi's departure from Konoha after the Uchiha clan massacre, with one tomoe in each eye, but Sasuke had forgotten he had activated the Sharingan from being traumatised by the incident.
During his battle against Naruto at the Valley of the End, it reached completion to have three tomoe in each eye. This eye technique grants Sasuke all the Sharingan's standard abilities such as analysing and predicting movements, as well as copying enemy techniques into his arsenal.

3.2 Mangekyo Sharingan

Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan after the death of his older brother, Itachi. Sasuke's Mangekyo takes the appearance of three intersecting ellipses.

Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan damages and gradually reduces his eyesight every time he uses it, causing him to experience great pain and extreme fatigue as well as causing eye bleeding with each use. While resting after his fight with Killer B, Sasuke found that his vision was slightly blurred and during his battle with Kakashi, unleashing Susanoo's final form caused his vision to worsen, leaving him unable to maintain the technique. Although Sasuke initially refused Itachi's eyes, after his conversation with Naruto, he finally had Tobi transplant his brother's eyes in order to escape the Mangekyo-induced blindness and to face Naruto with his full power.

3.2.1 Tsukuyomi

the user is able to induce paralysis into his victim and brainwash them to follow his orders without their knowing.

3.2.2 Amaterasu

When Sasuke first used it unintentionally on Tobi, his right eye took Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan form. When he later used it on his own, they took his own Mangekyō Sharingan form.

Amaterasu is the highest level Fire Release technique.
The jet-black flames of the amaterasu are as hot as the sun, ignite at the focus of the user's vision. The flames are capable of burning through mostly anything in their path, Amaterasu is said to never stop burning.
Use of the technique also puts a lot of strain on the user, usually causing their eyes to bleed.

3.2.3 Susanoo

Sasuke is one of the rare few Uchiha who obtained the ability to use Susanoo.

Susanoo, also known as the Tempestuous God of Valour, is the third ability granted by the Mangekyo Sharingan to those who awaken the abilities Tsukuyomi — which symbolises the "darkness of the spiritual world" and Amaterasu — which denotes the "light of the material world". It creates a gigantic, humanoid being that surrounds the user. As one of the strongest techniques granted to those that have acquired the Mangekyo Sharingan, it is the user's guardian deity, but at the same time, it consumes the user's life.

4. Intelligence

From a young age, Sasuke has repeatedly shown keen instincts and quick decision-making, causing many to consider him a genius. Able to easily learn various advanced techniques or utilise basic ones for crafty manoeuvres, Sasuke already became a stand-out before graduating the Academy. He is a proficient strategist, observing his opponent's skills and deducing their workings with ease and accuracy while remaining calm and composed.

His resolution enables him to pick strategies in which he requires getting injured in order to defeat the enemy, thereby showing tremendous endurance and willpower. Sasuke is also a very capable leader, able to form a team from specific ninja after scouting them out and quickly command their respect and cooperation. Furthermore, he can effectively instruct his team to engage an enemy. He also showed the ability to perform a series of precise and coordinated attacks with his brother Itachi with minimal planning despite their previous volatile relationship.

His intelligence also allowed him to develop many powerful techniques on his own, all based on the one technique his teacher taught him. From the Chidori, Sasuke mastered the principles of Lightning Release, and created many innovative techniques that are derived from it. He was also able to combine techniques together to create the right atmosphere for the Kirin, utilising weather manipulation to create a powerful thunderstorm.