There have been plenty of good villains in Naruto, but it is not true that a villain is only as good as their plans. Some villains are beloved, even after showing up for a short amount of time, and some might not be as loved, but have been in the background of every action throughout the course of the anime.
Because there are so many antagonistic characters in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, this list is going to focus mostly on developed major villains of the series. Just because a villain appears last on this list doesn’t make them bad, just a poor planner.
10 Zabuza and Haku
While Zabuza and Haku are great characters, as well as fan favorites from the early days, as villains, they weren’t exactly planning on being villains the way the rest of those on this list did. Zabuza was literally just a hired gun while Haku was there to support his pal who raised him.
The two were powerful villains and were crucial in making the first arc of the series as successful as it was, but for their goals, they faltered. In fact, the only true goal they expressed was keeping each other safe, which doesn’t work out that well since Haku gives up his life for Zabuza and then Zabuza does the same in a round-about way.
9 All Filler Villains
Since there are technically a few dozen villains if you include the filler arcs and movies, it is easier to lump those into one because they typically fall into three categories, kidnappers, murderers, and not really a villain but fought against Naruto and crew.
The kidnappers typically take a princess or higher standing person in a village and used them for power. The murderers killed people in a village or town to gain power and influence. And those that fought Naruto and crew but weren’t really villains are obviously villains by happenstance but switch sides by the end of the arc. They are all basic villains, but they do have goals.
8 Akatsuki
The Akatsuki, consisting of Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and Kakuzu, while being a looming presence for most of both Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, had a basic goal that they were helping make come true. That goal was to collect the 9 tailed beasts. While each had their own little spotlights, with Itachi having the most, their major goal and plan didn’t change over the course of the series.
Not indicative of them being bad villains by any means, but realistically, they were chasing a goal that stayed the same until all of them died or left the Akatsuki. It’s tragic because some of them had the potential to be more than puppets. Maybe not Sasori, though.
7 Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke as a villain is tough to nail down because he spends a lot of the series as a pawn of Orochimaru, though he wouldn’t admit that. It isn’t until he kills Itachi and finds out the truth behind the murder of the Uchiha clan that he becomes his own villain, but that only lasts for a short amount of time.
Vengeful and ready to destroy the Hidden Leaf, Sasuke doesn’t even get to act on that plan, instead having to shift his focus to the Five Kage Summit, then to the Fourth Great Ninja War, then back to Konoha at the end of the series. He remains antagonistic towards Konoha but doesn’t keep his priorities in line long enough to see a plan to fruition.
6 Danzo
Danzo had one single motive and that was to become the Hokage and be in charge of everything. The most important part of his goal is that everyone that met the man knew that he’d stop at nothing to take the position, with some even claiming that he had a part in the Konoha Crush attack during the Chunin Exams arc.
While he does technically achieve his goal, his plans do change over time as each Hokage before him was difficult to usurp through traditional means. Hiruzen, Minato, and Tsunade were all extremely powerful and kept him close to keep an eye on him. When Tsunade goes down in the Pain arc, Danzo immediately tries to take the position, only to be killed by Sasuke.
5 Obito
Obito doesn’t die a villain, which puts him much further down this list than his counterpart Madara. Throughout the series, Obito has been pulling the strings of the Akatsuki to bring about the power of the Ten Tailed beast to use to make the Eye of the Moon Plan succeed.
Even though the character goes through many changes, first introduced as a goofy and dense partner for Deidara, then stepping into the leadership role with threats against Nagato and Konan, then masquerading as Madara until finally returning to the side of good as a last-ditch effort. His plan and goal were valiant but poorly executed.
4 Kaguya Otsusuki and Black Zetsu
Lumping these two together makes sense because there wouldn’t be one without the other. It is revealed that Black Zetsu is the reason behind every single thing that transpired in the world of Naruto, but fans were quick to judge that harshly. Black Zetsu’s role in everything felt forced, but there was clearly a plan in place, which was to bring Kaguya back.
Kaguya’s plan, on the other hand, was lesser in scope because her goal was to return all power to herself. She nearly succeeds too, but the interference of Team 7 kept her on the brink and then killed her. Her short time in the series, paired with the fact that she was affected by Naruto’s Harem Jutsu made her plans useless.
3 Madara Uchiha
Madara had the same plan as Obito, though for stronger reasons. From a young age, Madara sought peace between all shinobi, but that dream was always clouded by his own need for power. When he figured out the way to achieve both, he was stopped by Hashirama, though this is proven to only be temporary.
Madara’s plan is one of the only ones that put the heroes of Naruto in a conundrum since the Eye of the Moon Plan meant that true peace could be achieved, even at the loss of a certain amount of free will. The question is asked whether pain and loss are necessary, but the psychological inquiry is quickly answered by the betrayal by Black Zetsu.
2 Pain/Nagato
The Pain arc is one of the strongest in the whole of Naruto: Shippuden, due mostly to the fact that the villain was so well developed. Along with this character development, fans got to learn why Pain, later revealed to be Nagato from afar, wanted the destruction of the Hidden Leaf.
Nagato and Naruto share similar histories and traumas that the fight made for something not only entertaining but also deeply moving. From day one of founding the Akatsuki, Nagato doesn’t waiver in his sole quest to destroy those who took everything from him, including his former mentor Jiraiya. It is hard not to feel that his actions are at least reasonable.
1 Orochimaru (and his minions)
Orochimaru is the longest-lasting villain in the series and it is clear to see why he has lasted so long. He has had one major goal from day one, which is to become immortal. He has used various methods to try to achieve this including trying to take over the Hidden Leaf for the resources to back his research and corrupting Sasuke to take his body.
He has no problem using others to get what he wants, even allowing partnerships with powers such as the Hidden Sand during the Konoha Crush. Additionally, his minions, including the Sound 5 and, for a short time, Gaara, aided him in his goal, rather than having their own. Even when he is trying to stop other parts of his plans from going awry, like interfering in the Tsunade retrieval arc, it is only to further his own goals.