Tobi is one of the truly weird members of the Akatsuki in Naruto Shippuden. He has a really interesting character design, and his backstory is pretty wild. With the introduction of characters like Tobi and White Zetsu, the series really starts to delve more into the mythology of the world of Naruto, as opposed to just focusing on the surface-level ninja world parts of it.

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Tobi has one of the more interesting origin stories in the series since he isn’t actually totally human. This leads him to interact with the world in a different way than other characters do and gives him abilities others may not have.

10 Obito’s Mask

Tobi Akatsuki Obito Uchiha in Naruto

Obito and Tobi are very similar in a lot of ways, and there are a lot of things throughout the series that intentionally join them. Obito went by the name Tobi after resurfacing prior to the Fourth Shinobi World War.

They have similar personalities, and they are also actually voiced by the same voice actor in the English version of the anime. On top of that, Obito wears a mask before the Fourth Shinobi World War that resembles Tobi’s face.

9 His Nickname

tobi from naruto pointing

Obito gives Tobi the nickname Guruguru when they first meet while in Madara Uchiha’s employ. This is a reference to the swirling pattern that makes up his face. In Japanese, Guruguru is an onomatopoeia for “turning round and round” or “going in circles.”

Interestingly, it can also mean “wrapped around,” which is especially interesting regarding Obito’s relationship with Tobi, since Tobi has essentially functioned as armor for Obito, storing Obito inside of his body to protect him from harm.

8 His Body

tobi from naruto standing with his arms folded

Tobi does not have a normal human body, since he wasn’t born as a human. Instead, he has a purely artificial body that doesn’t function in the same way as others might. For starters, he is completely hollow inside, with no organs or even blood, bones, or muscles, almost like he’s made of clay.

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He also has no noticeable orifices like eyes, ears, or mouth. The spiral pattern that ends on his face begins on his leg and twists up and around his body.

7 Bodily Functions

tobi from naruto raising his hand

Tobi’s body is completely artificial, as discussed above. This allows him to open up his torso like a container and store people inside, either to trap them there as prisoners or to keep them safe.

This also means that he has no experience with bodily functions of any kind since he doesn’t perform them. He’s incredibly curious about the way that human bodies work and expresses a sometimes inappropriate interest in the bodily functions of others.

6 His Personality

tobi encasing obito in his body

As a younger person, Tobi seems to be pretty kind, and he’s often presented as curious and somewhat playful. He teases Obito a lot, and he seems to feel real feelings of protectiveness and friendship for both Obito and White Zetsu.

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But when he reappears prior to the start of the Fourth Shinobi War, he’s much more serious, and he actually comes across as someone sadistic. He finds it a relief to take others’ lives since his own is artificial.

5 Relationship With Madara

Madara absorbing Naruto's rasenshuriken with his rinnegan in Naruto.

Tobi’s relationship with Madara Uchiha is one of master and servant, and Tobi follows Madara happily. Despite the fact that Madara is responsible for a lot of atrocities and isn’t afraid to kill others to further his goals, Tobi is content to follow him and views him as a benevolent leader who has the best intentions for mankind.

He thinks Madara’s Eye of the Moon Plan, which involves taking away the free will of all humans in order to finally maintain peace, is a wise solution to violence.

4 Yamato

Yamato breaking free of Tobi's body

At some point during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Yamato, a member of Team Kakashi and a member of the Konohagakure forces, is captured and encased inside of Tobi’s body.

Because Yamato similarly uses Wood Release ninjutsu, Tobi is much more powerful with access to Yamato’s DNA, and he essentially uses his power to fight against the Allied Shinobi Forces. He’s so powerful in this form that he takes on thousands of ninjas, along with four Kage, at the same time.

3 A Clone

White Zetsu

Madara Uchiha has speculated that Tobi is one of many clones that were created using DNA from Hashirama Senju. Hashirama’s DNA was in the Demon Statue of the Outer Path, from which Black Zetsu pulled Tobi.

Hashirama is one of the strongest ninja to ever live, and he’s the founder of Konohagakure. He was the first Hokage of the village, and his childhood best friend and rival was Madara Uchiha, which explains Madara’s interest in Tobi and the other clones.

2 Wood Release Technique

Hashirama Using His Wood Clones To Help The Shinobi Alliance, Naruto

Because Tobi has access to Hashirama’s DNA, he also is able to use some of the same techniques that Hashirama used himself, even though he has never trained with them.

The most impressive of these techniques is the Wood Release technique, which was Hashirama’s most powerful ninjutsu. Tobi is able to use some of the same jutsu from this technique, though it is obviously a lot less powerful than Hashirama’s own version of the ninjutsu.

1 Unique In Appearance

White Zetsu army

Tobi is not the only clone to come out of Kaguya’s Infinite Tsukuyomi, but he is the only one who looks like he does. The other clones are identical to each other, but Tobi’s body is the only one that turned out the way it did.

While it’s never completely explained why he looks different than the others, it is speculated by the characters that a mutation in the DNA occurred when Tobi was being created, giving him a different appearance.

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