Top 10 Naruto Characters with the Saddest Backstories or Childhoods

Pain is practically baked into Naruto. For every goofy training scene or ramen-fueled joke, there is another character carrying grief, abandonment, guilt, or some village-approved emotional damage. This series does not just give characters tragic pasts for decoration. Their childhoods shape their choices, their rivalries, their loyalties, and, in some cases, their worst mistakes.

As you go through this list, you will find stories filled with loss, betrayal, isolation, and the kind of suffering that makes you stare at the screen for a second after the episode ends. Some characters were treated like weapons. Some were robbed of family. Some were pushed into impossible choices long before they had any business dealing with adult-level trauma.

Vote for the Naruto characters whose backstories or childhoods you think are the saddest, most painful, or hardest to forget. Just maybe keep tissues nearby, because this is not exactly the "Naruto eats too much ramen" side of the franchise.

The Top Ten

Gaara

Gaara is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is the jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku and possesses the ability to manipulate sand, which he stores in a large gourd carried on his back. Gaara later becomes the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure.

Naruto never had a family or a sense of belonging. He was ostracized and hated from birth by almost the entire village for being the vessel of the Nine-Tails.
Gaara had a beast too but was hated just because it was inside him, even if it did nothing. Like, how are people acting like Naruto had it so bad? Naruto caused issues. Gaara behaved.
Naruto had no bonds, but never had people trying to kill him. Gaara's own dad tried killing him three times. So he wasn't working as hard as people think.

Gaara had it a thousand times worse than Naruto. Did Gaara's beast kill hundreds? No.
Gaara wasn't trying to be annoying either, and yet everyone hated him. Naruto didn't even know his parents, so them dying without him having a bond with them isn't as bad. Gaara's own dad attempted to murder him around three times and even sent his uncle to fake a friendship with him before trying to kill him.
Gaara did nothing to his dad, and it's his dad's fault for putting a beast inside his own son.
Itachi Uchiha

Itachi Uchiha is a fictional character from the manga and anime series Naruto, which was created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of the Uchiha clan and plays a key role in the series' storyline. Itachi is widely recognized for his complex character and significant influence on the plot.

Itachi saw most of his childhood friends die, often right in front of him. He even awakened the Sharingan at the age of 8 when the first of his friends was killed before his eyes. Then he was mentally destroyed by being forced to choose between his family and a secret organization. All of them used him to gather information from the others.
Eventually, he was faced with a three-way choice:
Option 1) Obey the Hokage and wait, trying to reason with the Uchiha, which could lead to war.
Option 2) Obey Danzo and destroy all members of his clan and family, leaving only his youngest brother, Sasuke, alive.
Option 3) Obey his father and have a full-on war against the village, with his dad becoming the new Hokage.
Have you seen Itachi's Story: Light and Darkness? It's some pretty sad stuff.
Sasori

Sasori is a fictional character from the manga and anime franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of the criminal organization Akatsuki and is known for his mastery of puppetry techniques. Sasori is a powerful rogue ninja who turned his own body into a puppet to enhance his combat... read more

Sasori's parents were killed when he was just a child, by Kakashi's father. His grandmother, reluctant to deliver the bad news, told him they were on a long mission and would be back soon. But he eventually discovered that they weren't coming back. She taught him puppet art, and he created puppet versions of his parents so he could be hugged again. Then, at his death, his grandmother used his puppet parents to attack him. Despite being able to easily dodge them, he experienced one last human emotion: the desire to embrace them one more time. He died with swords in his heart and his parents holding him.

Kakashi's father killed Sasori's parents in front of him without cause, during the war. Sasori felt great pain from their deaths and even held a grudge against himself because of it.
Sasori escaped from Kakashi's father but ran away with nowhere to go. He soon found his grandma, who took care of him, and he eventually made puppets of his parents to make it feel like they were still alive. Sasori even chose to let himself die at the hands of his grandma and Sakura.
Obito Uchiha

Obito Uchiha, also known by his alias Tobi, is a fictional character from the Naruto universe. He was created by Masashi Kishimoto and is a central antagonist in the series. The Naruto franchise includes manga, anime, movies, OVAs, video games, and various forms of merchandise.

No one ever comes close to making me cry rivers of tears like Obito Uchiha. The Uchiha bloodline is cursed with extreme emotions, which lead them to act irrationally. Obito lost literally everything. He was truly alone - an orphan - and even his body was severely damaged. He was trained and brainwashed by the manipulative Madara at a young age, and the only person who was important to him was taken away all at once.
He lost his moral compass and had no reason to continue living. Even if he returned to the village, Madara would have ensured his death. Poor Obito could never catch a break! His life truly sucks. I hated Madara for what he did! Obito deserved a chance in life, and Madara destroyed it.
Nagato Uzumaki

Nagato, also known by his alias "Pain," is a fictional character from the manga and anime franchise Naruto. He was created by Masashi Kishimoto and serves as a major antagonist in the series. Through his leadership of the Akatsuki organization, he plays a significant role in several of the series' major... read more

During the Second Shinobi War, Nagato's parents were killed in front of his eyes by enemy ninjas when he was five years old. Nagato was beaten by a few of these ninjas just because he was half Uzumaki and half Senju. He escaped because of his parents' sacrifice.
He nearly starved before banding together with two other orphans, Yahiko and Konan. The group supported each other and tried to survive. They spent a few years under Jiraiya's care, but Jiraiya left as soon as he felt he'd taught them enough ninjutsu to defend themselves.
After that, the three orphans formed the Akatsuki as a peacekeeping organization, but it wouldn't be long before Yahiko would pass away during battle, and Nagato would be severely wounded. This prompted him to start believing that the only way to achieve peace is through violence.
Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He serves as the leader and mentor of Team 7, which includes Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Kakashi is known for his mastery of the Sharingan eye and his calm, analytical approach... read more

Mother died when he was very little. His father was hated by the village and committed suicide when Kakashi was 4 or 5. Kakashi found his father's body. His teammate Obito died to save him. His other teammate Rin killed herself on his Chidori. He suffers nightmares and PTSD from her death.
He joined the ANBU at a young age. His sensei, the Fourth Hokage, died. Kakashi became the last surviving member of his team. He finally got a genin team and became happy, but then Sasuke defected and left. All his students eventually became apprenticed to the Sannin. He has no romantic partners. He stares at the memorial stone for hours each day.
Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the anime and manga series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He first appeared in 1999 in Weekly Shōnen Jump and has since become one of the most iconic characters in anime and manga. Naruto's journey from a mischievous outcast to... read more

Naruto was born like Gaara, with a dangerous creature hidden inside his body, his parents gone, leaving him alone, sad, and scared. Everyone hates him, scared that the demon fox will take over his body and attack the village again.
He then becomes the class clown in order to get rid of the pain and hopes to achieve his dream of being the 5th Hokage.

Naruto's story is sadder than Sasuke's by a mile. Naruto was all alone, and people viewed him as a monster. Sasuke, on the other hand, was spoiled with love and praise. Naruto just wanted friends, but Sasuke pushed people away for no reason. Sasuke brought the pain upon himself.
Haku

Haku is a fictional character from the anime and manga franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a shinobi from the Hidden Mist Village and is closely associated with Zabuza Momochi. Haku appears prominently in the Land of Waves arc, where his skills and tragic backstory are revealed.

Haku and Gaara were kind of similar if you think about it. Both of them had a terrible father who tried to kill them. Their fathers did it because they saw their sons as freaks.
Their own villages hated them for being different. Gaara was neglected and used as a weapon, while Haku's village wanted him dead. Despite Zabuza secretly loving Haku, he still treated him as a tool.
Both of them had mothers who died early, but their childhoods were only similar up to a point. Haku, despite going crazy and killing his father, didn't let it change him. He remained a sweet, gentle, and innocent boy.
Poor Gaara, on the other hand, couldn't take the suffering and became a killing machine.
Karin Uzumaki

She is literally so heartbreaking to watch. Seeing her and her mother used as objects says a lot about her toxic obsession with Sasuke.
Someone even bit her waist and upper thighs when she was a child. I used to hate her, but now everything about her makes sense. Her obsession with Sasuke and her lack of personality were all because she was abused and neglected as a child. Sasuke was the only one who showed her kindness and saved her life.
Trash Sakura is way worse.

She was used and abused as a child by Kusagakure because of her chakra-transferring skills. Her mother died when she used too much chakra on a patient in the hospital.
Madara Uchiha

Madara Uchiha is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He first appears in "Part II" of the manga and the Naruto: Shippuden anime adaptation as one of the main antagonists.... read more

I don't care what any of you say, but Madara suffered way more than Obito by a thousand. Obito had a crush die and he acted like a foolish idiot. Why does Rin's death have to be the most dramatic thing in his eyes?
He still had Kakashi, Minato, and Kushina, but nooo, this bastard was the reason Naruto was an orphan. Madara had three siblings die before Izuna. Madara lost family as a child. Obito lived normally, and at least he wasn't born in war.

Sadder than Sasuke's. He was literally born in a war, and no one even knows who his mother was. He lost three of his brothers as a child and still never gave up.
He even lost his friendship with Hashirama.

The Newcomers

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Yakumo Kurama
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Kankuro

Kankuro is a fictional character from the Naruto manga and anime franchise, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a shinobi from Sunagakure, also known as the Village Hidden in the Sand. Kankuro specializes in puppet-based combat, using chakra threads to manipulate his mechanical puppets in battle.

Imagine if he and Gaara could have had each other's backs as best friends and siblings, but he was kept apart from his brother.

The Contenders

Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke Uchiha is a fictional character from the manga and anime series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of the Uchiha clan and one of the main characters in the series. Sasuke is portrayed as Naruto Uzumaki's rival and follows a complex path throughout the storyline.

Sasuke lost his entire clan at 7, lived under trauma and hatred his whole life, was lied to, manipulated by Orochimaru, Tobi, and Itachi, and still wasn't out here causing wars that spanned nations. He wanted revenge, but he didn't slaughter villages of kids or start a shinobi world war over it.
Obito had less tragedy but made bigger atrocities. Obito only went through failed love, and he helped end his own clan for his own selfish needs. He did it for no reason at all. Sasuke, who was literally groomed and traumatized as a child, gets called selfish and ungrateful.
Even after going rogue, he still showed restraint. He didn't want unnecessary killing. Obito turning good, on the other hand, was so forced and didn't need to happen.
Shisui Uchiha

Shisui Uchiha is a fictional character in the manga and anime franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He was a member of the Uchiha clan and a close friend of Itachi Uchiha. Shisui was known for his powerful genjutsu, particularly the Kotoamatsukami, and played a key role in the series' backstory... read more

Itachi's story was worse, but I still felt bad for Shisui. The ANBU were always after him for no reason, and he constantly tried to prove that not all Uchiha were evil.
He was alone after his only friend died, but then he met Itachi and took him under his wing.

Danzo was always against Shisui from the start and never trusted him. Itachi and Shisui mainly relied on each other, but Danzo stole one of Shisui's eyes. Shisui gave his remaining eye to Itachi before he died.

I don't see any true fan here. This guy obviously deserves 1st place on the list. Itachi's pain is nothing compared to this guy's burden. Well, he didn't have brother issues anyway. I won't say anything. This guy is the embodiment of paracetamol, in my opinion.
What a sacrifice! A true heroic anime character that gives us a life lesson.
Hashirama Senju

Hashirama Senju is a fictional character from Masashi Kishimoto's manga and anime franchise Naruto. He was the powerful and respected leader of the Senju clan and played a key role in founding the Hidden Leaf Village, known as Konohagakure, alongside his rival Madara Uchiha. After the village was established... read more

Obviously, the Hashirama/Madara story was only like 5-6 episodes, but I found them to be far more compelling than Naruto/Sasuke.
Naruto and Sasuke's only real bond was both growing up as orphans and being forced onto a team together, where Sasuke was mostly just annoyed by Naruto.
Hashirama and Madara became friends and bonded over a shared dream of protecting their brothers so children wouldn't be forced to die as child soldiers. What they had was a more genuine friendship and, at one point, a shared dream. The friendship fell apart because they were born into clans that were bitter enemies, rather than one making their life mission to be an avenger.
I love Naruto a lot, but his bonds with anyone besides Shikamaru (that's a student) felt real and true.
Jiraiya

Jiraiya is a fictional character in the Naruto anime and manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Introduced in the first part of the series, he was a student of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is also one of the "Legendary Sannin" alongside Orochimaru and Lady Tsunade, who were his former teammates... read more
Konan

Konan is a fictional character from the Naruto universe, created by Masashi Kishimoto. She is a founding member of the Akatsuki organization and the only female member in the group's original core. The Naruto franchise includes manga, anime series, original video animations, feature films, video games... read more

Konan's story is seriously underrated, and Yahiko's pain shouldn't be overlooked either. While Nagato's suffering was intense and very visible, Konan and Yahiko carried their own deep emotional burdens that shaped who they were. Konan, for example, endured the loss of her family and childhood friends, living through constant war and hardship, yet she stayed incredibly loyal and strong. Her quiet resilience speaks volumes.
Yahiko, too, faced immense pressure as the leader trying to bring peace amid chaos, sacrificing so much and ultimately paying the ultimate price for his ideals.
They might not have had the same raw, tragic intensity as Nagato's story, but their struggles were real and shaped the Akatsuki's early vision of peace and hope. Their pain was less about personal loss and more about carrying the weight of the world's suffering, which is a different but just as meaningful kind of hardship. Together, their stories add layers of depth to the Naruto universe's theme of pain, loss, and the hope for peace.
Rock Lee

Rock Lee is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a ninja from the village of Konohagakure and a member of Team Guy. Lee is known for his dedication to taijutsu, as he is unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu.

Okay, let's just take a moment to appreciate how Hinata's backstory, in people's minds, is considered sadder than Rock Lee's. It's things like this that make me lose hope in humanity.
People ranked Sakura as number 20, which I respect, but the reasoning was that she was only bullied. Well, that was Hinata too. I guess the only reason they included Hinata being bullied is to make the Naruto and Hinata ship seem somewhat logical. But if she was going to inherit the 3rd most powerful family in the Leaf Village, and she was being bullied, her dad would have stepped in and wrecked them.
Hinata's whole character is based around her wanting to gain Naruto's attention. Meanwhile, Rock Lee's backstory literally makes me cry every time. And yet, Hinata is ranked higher for sadness. Guys, we can do better at being smart.
Neji Hyuga

Neji Hyuga is a fictional character from the anime and manga series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of the Hyuga clan and is recognized for his Byakugan ability, which grants him nearly 360-degree vision. Neji plays a significant role in several story arcs and is known for his disciplined... read more

I think Neji had a sad past. I mean, he witnessed from a very young age that fate was chosen as soon as an individual is born (which is sadly true in our current world today). He witnessed his father's death and the discriminatory system of his tribe, which had a great impact on him as an individual.
Neji is an underrated yet brilliant character that deserves to be at least in the top 15!

Neji's family and friends sacrificed themselves just to protect the weak, useless Hinata and her family. Neji was more powerful than Hinata and her entire family combined, yet everyone looked down upon him. Neji was even used as a slave to serve Hinata's family because he didn't want to listen to them. Hinata was just a weak brat, while Neji endured real pain.
Sai Yamanaka

Like most other characters, he was an orphan. His mother died when he was very young, and he never had a father. The evil and manipulative Danzo stole Sai from the streets and tried to make him one of his followers. He taught Sai that he wasn't allowed to have personal connections and would get in trouble for even showing his personality.
Later on, Sai's own brother died due to an unknown disease. Sai saw Danzo as a father, but Danzo didn't see the boy as his son. Danzo even placed a cursed mark on Sai's tongue to prevent him from revealing any information about the group.

He was literally told from birth, because of Danzo, that he had no name and could not show emotion. He doesn't even know what happened to his family, and even his brother died, which upset him. But since he didn't understand emotion, he couldn't really show anything.
Kabuto Yakushi

Kabuto Yakushi is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He initially appears as a medical-nin and spy working for Orochimaru. Kabuto later becomes a major antagonist during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Kabuto's backstory is actually so sad! When he was thanking his mother constantly, it broke my heart. The fact that the mother doesn't recognize who he was is upsetting because she was the one to give him an identity. To have that taken away again is painful. He has no idea who he is, no identity, nothing. He was alone from the very beginning. All he ever wanted was to find himself, to know who he truly is.
Danzo literally ruined his life by trying to dispose of Kabuto and the mother. How tragic that must have been.

The way he was thanking Mother, and that time when Mother didn't recognize him. Also, the fact that he always checks his clock to see if it's 9 p.m. and says, "I would be sleeping by now."
Inari

Never having a father and being bullied, Inari has been sad and left alone. But when he meets a man named Kaiza who saved him from drowning, he begins to feel loved and is finally happy. He always laughs when around Kaiza, as if he were his father. Kaiza then does become his father as well as a hero. But when Kaiza is captured, tortured, and killed by Gazo, Inari changes and becomes lonely and quiet, never laughing or rarely smiling, with his father always on his mind.
Tsunade Senju

Tsunade is a fictional character from the Naruto manga and anime franchise. She was created by Masashi Kishimoto and is one of the Legendary Sannin. Tsunade is known for her medical skills, superhuman strength, and her leadership as the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

She acted like she was the only person who suffered when she's not. She then ditched the Leaf, went broke, and became a drunk instead of fixing herself and helping others.
I'm not saying that Dan dying and Nawaki dying was good, but Tsunade just became kind of pathetic.

Her lover and younger brother died, scarring her so much that she developed a deep fear of blood and became depressed.

I felt so bad for her. Orochimaru killed her younger brother and her beloved, and it changed her.
Kimimaro

Kimimaro is a fictional character from the anime and manga franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of the Kaguya clan and serves as one of Orochimaru's followers. Kimimaro is known for his kekkei genkai ability to manipulate his own bone structure as a weapon in battle.

I love Kimimaro so much, but his life was so sad! His clan members were bloodthirsty for war and fighting, but Kimimaro wasn't. Because he was different, his clan locked him inside a cage and only let him out during battles.
They treated him like a weapon to be used and then hidden away. They fed him just enough to keep him alive, and he was completely isolated without any friends. He shivered from the cold winds at night, but he tried to keep himself together.
Orochimaru treated him as a pawn, but Kimimaro thought he cared about him. He stayed loyal to Orochimaru despite how he was treated. He and Jugo were such good friends, but sadly, they didn't get much screentime together.
It broke me to hear Orochimaru tell Kimimaro to his face, while he was dying, that he no longer needed him and had no use for him. If Kimimaro had met Zabuza and Haku when he was a child, he would have been more cared for and would have had a friend.
Isaribi

Her life was harder than Naruto's, but her backstory wasn't the saddest. She at least lived a happy life after going through hell.
Hinata Hyuga

Hinata Hyuga is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. She is a member of the Hyuga clan and known for her gentle personality and Byakugan ability. Over the series, she grows from a shy ninja into a confident fighter and later marries Naruto Uzumaki... read more

Hers is way sadder than trash Sakura's, and there are reasons. Hinata was forced to start harsh training and fight her father at the age of 3. Hinata's mother died when she was very young. Other kids always bullied her for her eyes and called her a Byakugan monster. She was kidnapped by the Cloud at the age of 3.
Sometimes, when Neji and Neji's dad had enough, they actually attempted to attack her as a kid. Yes, this was confirmed. Neji psychologically tortured and manipulated her into giving up on the test, which caused her to have a panic attack at that moment. When she had children, she would tell Hanabi that their father never cared about her and Hanabi as much as he did about Himawari and Boruto.
Might Guy

Might Guy is a fictional ninja from the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is known for his energetic personality, dedication to youth, and mastery of taijutsu, which is hand-to-hand combat. Guy serves as a mentor to Rock Lee and plays a major role during the Fourth Great... read more

People treated him and his father as a joke. Even Kakashi once saw them that way. Grown men would bully Guy because of his status and even physically try to hurt him.
His father was such a good role model for Guy, but he died when Guy was still a young boy.

His father was the joke of the village, and nobody respected him. He trained his hardest and kept pushing himself past normal limits to become a respectable shinobi. He saw his father die for something he truly loved and cared for, and he was willing to do the same when he fought Madara.