One of the Big Three anime, Naruto, and by extension, Naruto Shippuden, remains one of the most popular and beloved franchises. Its interesting characters won the hearts of viewers, while also provoking their ire with incredible antagonists like the infamous Madara Uchiha. Despite his standing as one of the primary antagonists of Naruto Shippuden, he had a lifetime of wisdom to draw on. This included the famous Madara speech in which he affirmed that the only things to truly exist in the world were suffering, futility and pain.

As one of the main antagonists toward the end of the series, Madara rose from the dead to fulfill his lifelong dream of taking over the entire world. Torch-bearer for the Uchiha Clan and the epitome of their well-known superiority complex, Madara only ever lost to Konohagakure's first Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Both wise and strong, many of the most profound Madara Uchiha quotes are a bleak reminder that in life hope is scarce and suffering is imminent.

Updated on March 2, 2024 by Jenny Melzer: Madara Uchiha remains one of the most profound villains in Naruto: Shippuden, and alongside Pain, his many prolific speeches still resonate with fans today. This list has been updated to meet CBR's most current standards for formatting, as well as to incorporate even more information about Madara's most memorable quotes.

"Wherever There Is Light — There Are Always Shadows."

Naruto Shippuden, Episode 344, "Obito And Madara"

Madara Uchiha hovers over the battlefield with his arms crossed in Naruto.

In this world, wherever there is light, there are always shadows. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish desire for peace gives rise to war. And hatred is born in order to protect love.

Madara Uchiha was hungry for power and wanted to take over the entire world and make everyone kneel before him. However, along with his thirst for strength, Madara was also wise enough to know that in order to gain something, one has to lose something. In a lot of ways, this was how he appealed to Obito, who in turn tried to use this same tactic on Sasuke.

Across the course of Naruto Shippuden, Madara made a lot of lofty speeches, and they weren't all hot air. Many of these wise words had a lot of merit, but the ways Madara chose to implement his philosophy by forcing everyone to follow was his inevitable downfall.

"Wake Up To Reality!"

Naruto Shippuden, Episode 344, "Obito And Madara"

Madara and Hashirama shaking hands to unite their clans.

Wake up to reality. Nothing ever goes as planned in this world. The longer you live, the more you realize that only pain, suffering, and futility exist in this reality.

A challenging rival to Hashirama Senju in his prime, Madara Uchiha eventually befriended Hashirama, who later went on the become the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. His best-laid plans fell through as the differences between him and Hashirama grew, leading them to their separate paths. Madara suffered a lot, determined to fulfill his dreams, which didn't work out, even after his reincarnation.

These words are just a fraction of Madara's speech, which is a bleak reminder that life's certainties aren't hopeful at all. In his view, all the current reality has to look forward to is endless suffering. This philosophy worked hand-in-hand with Pain's core belief, which explains why it was so easy for the Akatsuki to align with Madara early on.

"You Are Merely A Momentary Life."

Naruto Manga, Chapter 568, Page 8

Nine-Tails, you are merely a momentary life, a temporary existence of coalesced energy...energy that once was a single, ultimate form!

Kurama, also known as Nine-Tails, was trapped inside Naruto Uzumaki's body. During the Fourth Ninja World War, Naruto went up against Madara and fought him using all his powers. Being the powerful ninja he was, Madara communicated with Nine-Tails, who was partly the source of Naruto's powers, trying to get into his head with a strongly worded truth to make sure Naruto failed in his endeavors.

Fortunately, Madara was wrong about both Kurama and Naruto. Neither of them were easily convinced toward failure, especially after they formed the bond and alliance that made them a truly unstoppable jinchuriki and tailed-beast duo.

"Thinking of Peace Whilst Spilling Blood Is Something Only Humans Could Do"

Naruto Shippuden, Episode 393, "A True Ending"

Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something that only humans could do.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Madara was the source of so much bloodshed and heartache. While Naruto and the Allied Shinobi Forces fought tirelessly for peace, he pointed out the opposition in their desire to achieve peace through bloodshed. Even though they had no choice but to return attacks if they wanted to survive, it's impossible to imagine war ever actually leading to peace, and Madara knew that.

With so many dead left in the wake of war, the survivors have nothing to be proud of. The cost of peace was too high in Madara's mind, and his solution was to get rid of the need for it entirely.

"Man Seeks Peace, Yet At the Same Time Yearning For War."

Naruto Manga, Chapter 661, Pages 12-13

Madara crawling across the ground near death in Naruto Shippuden

Man seeks peace, yet at the same time yearning for war… Those are the two realms belonging solely to man.

Continuing his debate on the balance between war and peace, Madara's point about the nature of the two is simple. Stepping back and surveying life and the world, the only creature who strives toward peace and war is mankind. It seems an inevitability for humanity to long for one while hoping for the other, but the dual nature of the two makes it impossible.

Implementing the Infinite Tsukuyomi genjutsu to trap mankind in a peaceful dream state with no war sounds ideal, but there were definitely flaws to his plan.

"The Moment People Come to Know Love, They Run the Risk of Carrying Hate"

Naruto Manga, Chapter 416, Page 15

Madara Uchiha as a child sitting by the river tossing a stone

The moment people come to know love, they run the risk of carrying hate.

Madara's logic is sound. Without understanding the feelings associated with love, one won't understand hatred either. One cannot exist without the other, and yet people strive constantly to know and feel love and scorn the hatred they learn as well.

The problem with Madara's philsophy is that balance is required. Without hatred, one could not hope to understand the power of love, and vice-versa. What mankind does with their understanding of that knowledge can't be predicted or measures, and sealing it all away in a dream-state utopia would solve nothing. Mankind would die out, withering away as they dreamed without truly learning anything at all.

"To Start a War… To Bring Peace."

Naruto Manga, Chapter 502, Page 12

Madara Uchiha sweeping forward with his blade to spill blood

Oh, you know… it's fun, it's part of my plan… to start a war… to bring peace

It was difficult for most people to understand Madara's goals, but when Minato Namikaze asked him why he was there, his flippant answer continues to shape his overall philosophy. Reiterating his message, peace cannot exist without war. He believed he had a way to bring peace without war, using the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Without a choice, the shinobi of their world were violently opposed to this plan, and they would do whatever it took to stop him.

They did manage to stop him in the end, but at a great cost. The interesting part is that one can imagine that the greatest points of Madara's goals to achieve peace resonated with Naruto, who did everything in his power to create a united world where the problems that plagued humanity could be solved by working together, instead of against each other. Naruto's isn't a perfect solution, but human nature isn't perfect either, and it needs balance between philosophies like Madara's and Naruto's.

"I Want to Sever the Fate of This World"

Naruto Shippuden, Episode 344, "Obito and Madara"

I want to sever the fate of this world. A world of only victors. A world of only peace. A world of only Love. I will create such a world.

When making speeches about his spectacular vision for peace, it's hard not to see where Madara is coming from. He endured a great deal of pain, suffering, loss and hatred in his lifetime, and for him, it was essential to rid the world of those things in order to achieve true peace. It's a lofty vision, and even somewhat noble to a point, but it was his vision and his choice. Taking the right to choose away from the rest of the world tainted his vision and made it seem more like a nightmare than a peaceful dream.

There are powerful realizations to make when one steps back and analyzes the different views people share when it comes to peace. Regardless of the suffering the world endures, in the end it should remain in the hands of people who choose to do better.

"Power Is Not Will..."

Naruto Shippuden, Episode 333, "The Risks of the Impure World Reincarnation"

Madara points to Hashirama's face on his chest in Naruto.

Power is not will, it is the phenomenon of physically making things happen.

Madara craved power. While he certainly displayed intense prowess in relation to his jutsu and his capabilities, he didn't believe he was powerful because he failed to achieve that which he set out to do. He spent his life and his reincarnation striving to achieve the power he sought, only to fail in death once again.

One of the most interesting things about Madara Uchiha as a character is how willing he was to demonstrate his incredible power and control. Unlike Nagato, who trusted that Naruto would do whatever it took to achieve the world their sensei, Jiraiya, wanted to see, Madara would never see past the idealistic nature of Jiraiya's hopes for peace. He had to be in control, believing that only he had the power to make things happen.

"Use the Darkness In Their Hearts."

Naruto Shippuden, Episode 344, "Obito and Madara"

I taught you that in order to control people, you need to use the darkness in their hearts. And if there's no darkness, then you just create it…

Madara corrupted Obito Uchiha using the slowest and most painful power: manipulation. Despite his rivalry with Kakashi, Obito had no darkness in his heart until Madara saved him from the collapse. By slowly turning him against his loved ones and friends, it became easier for Obito to play the part of Madara until it was time to resurrect him. Using the same strategy Madara used on him, Obito sowed seeds of darkness into Sasuke's already broken heart and turned him against the Hidden Leaf Village with a skewed version of the truth.

Obito had seen too much suffering himself to be able to deny the merit of Madara's philosophy. Had he been in control of the situation when he was younger, things might have gone very differently for Rin, Kakashi and Obito himself. Though he was redeemed in the end, Obito spent years listening to the poisonous tales Madara and Zetsu spun for him.

Naruto, Sakuran and Kakashi in Naruto Shippuden Anime Poster
Naruto: Shippuden
TV-PG
Action
Adventure
Fantasy

Original title: Naruto: Shippûden.
Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, hyperactive, adolescent ninja who constantly searches for approval and recognition, as well as to become Hokage, who is acknowledged as the leader and strongest of all ninja in the village.

Release Date
February 15, 2007
Creator(s)
Masashi Kishimoto
Cast
Alexandre Crepet , Junko Takeuchi , Maile Flanagan , Kate Higgins , Chie Nakamura , Dave Wittenberg , Kazuhiko Inoue , Noriaki Sugiyama , Yuri Lowenthal , Debi Mae West
Main Genre
Anime
Seasons
21
Creator
Masashi Kishimoto
Main Characters
Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake, Madara Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, Orochimaru, Tsunade Senju
Production Company
Pierrot, TV Tokyo, Aniplex, KSS, Rakuonsha, TV Tokyo Music, Shueisha
Number of Episodes
500
Streaming Service(s)
Crunchyroll , Hulu