University of Panels

9: Orochimaru 

 

Yep, it's another NARUTO villain (I'm sorry, but it's just my all-time favorite manga and comic in general)! Orochimaru is a character that I feel has saddly been under-utilized since Part I of the Manga. When he first appeared during the Chunin Exams Arc, he was extremely intimidating and to be nigh-unstoppable. After that however, he was overshadowed in power levels by the Akatsuki and was easily killed off by Sasuke in Part II (like Saruman from THE LORD OF THE RINGS the level of threat that he represented gradually decreased with the series progression). However, I still find Orochimaru to be one of my favorite villains from NARUTO, as he definetly made a lasting impression on me simply for his intimidation-factor!

 

Formerly a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village, Orochimaru was once a student of the Third Hokage, as well as one of the legendary sannin like Jiriya and Tsunade. However, he became a rogue ninja when he was discovered to have been conducting live human experimentation in order to develop forbidden jutsu. For the next decade, Orochimaru spent his time gathering followers (including his right hand man Kabuto), and formed his own shinobi village, the Hidden Sound Village. Orochimaru's ultimate goal is to master every jutsu ever concieved, believing that one who knows all jutsu is the only person fit to call himself the "ultimate being." Knowing that mastering all jutsu would take more than one lifetime to fulfill however, Orochimaru relies on the Immortality Jutsu to transfer his mind and soul into a new body once every three years, essentially making himself immortal. Orochimaru first makes his presence known again during the chunin exams, where he sets his sights on Naruto's teammate Sasuke, who desires for a host body (hoping to acquire Sasuke's sharingan eyes), and infects him with a curse mark. Orochimaru later launches an attack on the Leaf Village, and engages his former sensei the Third Hokage in mortal combat, a battle which results in the Third's death and Orochimaru's arms being sealed, robbing him of his ability to use ninjutsu. He later attempts to have his arms healed by Tsunade, who refuses his offer, forcing him to undo the seal by transfering into another body before he could gain Sasuke's, who has been tempted to join his side in order to gain revenge on his older brother Itachi. With his vast knowledge of forbidden jutsu, and incredible hunger for malice and chaos, Orochimaru is one of the most dangerous threats to the Leaf Village's existance!

 

What drew me into Orochimaru was just how intmidating he was as a villain! This guy seriously scares the heck outta me! His powers rely heavily on the summoning of snakes, as well as enlongating parts of his body (like his tounge or torso) in a snake-like manner as well. Also, his physical appearance puts even Lord Voldemort from HARRY POTTER to shame by just how snake-like it is! He also reminds me of the Joker as well, as he lacks a clear and definable end goal, and is more focused on creating chaos and destruction because he gets sick enjoyment out of it! As Orochimaru himself once stated, "I enjoy watching things in motion, I get no pleasure when the world is still. Like a windmill that isn't turning... I suppose some might find it beautiful, even if it's immobile. But to me, such a thing is truly boring. So now I want to set things in motion myself... The first step is crushing the Leaf Village!" Orochimaru is a great villain for me as he is not only intimidating in both his appearance and ambitions (if a villain can scare me, then they have succeded as an antagonist), and that he's one of those people who simply wants to watch the world burn...