Although it's not incredibly common, there are some first villains within shonen series who manage to do their job so well that they're heralded by fans as one of the greatest villains even decades later. And despite Zabuza only being in the story as long as the span of the Land of Waves arc, he manages to leave an impact on fans due both the imposing presence he has as a villain and the heart-wrenching way he turns things around in the end.
For most of the time he spends on-screen, Zabuza is either seen fighting the heroes or recovering from his first fight with Kakashi, planning his revenge. Despite this, there's still a lot about his character that was packed into his short amount of screen time, meaning there's still a decent bit of information about him that fans still might not be aware of to this day.
10 His Arc Received Promotional Material In The Form Of A Light Novel
The Land of Waves arc is the first real arc that the heroes are thrust into after graduating from the academy, and it's unforgettable for quite a few reasons. They finally get a glimpse of what true terror on missions is like, as they unknowingly accept a job much harder than its listed difficulty.
Zabuza is one of the main reasons for this, posing a very real threat to even the great Kakashi. This arc is so well-received that in 2006 it actually received a light novel adaptation, titled "Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood," likely referring to Haku and Zabuza, respectively.
9 He Makes A Brief Appearance In The Series' Third OVA
Released in America in late 2008, Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival! is the third OVA in total for the Naruto series. However, it only premiered on television in the original Japanese version, as the English dub was only made available as an extra on the DVD.
Surprisingly, both Zabuza and Haku make separate cameos during its runtime. Haku can be seen standing in the men's restroom line, while Zabuza is seen as part of a team participating in the festival.
8 He First Rises To Fame After Joining The Anbu And Killing Konoha Jonin Kumade Toriichi
Zabuza makes a name for himself internally within the Hidden Mist village by claiming the lives of over a hundred academy students before having been enrolled himself. However, this wouldn't be enough for Zabuza to begin gaining overall infamy, which instead happens after he joins the Anbu Black Ops.
He claims the life of Konoha jonin Kumade Toriichi, who was a special kind of jonin known as a Tokubetsu, meaning he had highly valuable skills in a specialized field. Zabuza then joins the Seven Swordsmen and his infamy only continues to skyrocket from there.
7 In The Anime, He And Haku Witness The Kaguya Clan's Attack On Kirigakure Yet Choose Not To Help
Zabuza and Haku are given slightly more development in the anime than in the manga. This includes two extra scenes, one of which involves the Kaguya Clan launching an attack on Kirigakure, his original home.
He and Haku choose not to help them in the end, and while this seems scummy, it's hard to blame them for their choice. Zabuza disagrees greatly with the leadership of the Mizukage and is unaffiliated with the village at that point, and Haku had been completely outcast, so it's not as if they had compelling reasons to help fight back.
6 He And Haku Encounter A Young Kimimaro, But Zabuza Doesn't Take Him To Use His Unique Kekkei Genkai
The second extra bit of development that Zabuza receives in the anime is a flashback regarding he and Haku running into a young, displaced Kimimaro. He's incredibly similar to Haku in that he has nothing to live for, nowhere to go, and possesses an insanely powerful bloodline trait.
Despite this, Zabuza is still seen refusing to take the boy along on their travels. This implies that despite his cold exterior, he doesn't simply want to use orphaned Kekkei Genkai users to exploit their devotion and unique strength, and that he actually does care for Haku more than simply as a tool - if he didn't, why not pick up a second in Kimimaro?
5 He Works Under Gato As A Mercenary In Order To Gather Funds To Make Another Attempt On The Mizukage's Life
The reason Zabuza and Haku ultimately end up fleeing the Hidden Mist is due to a failed attempt on the Mizukage's life. However, this isn't enough to deter Zabuza from planning a second attempt, and this is actually the exact reason they end up as hired mercenaries working under Gato. He doesn't actually care about Gato's plans themselves, but rather simply wants to gather funds so he can attempt another coup d'etat against the Mizukage.
4 He Was Once Seen As A Charismatic And Inspiring Individual, With Dreams For Shinobi To Act As The Ruling Class
Zabuza is noted by Gengo, one of his former followers, to have initially been an inspiring and charismatic individual with strong beliefs regarding the future of shinobi as the ruling class. This is the primary reason why he ends up butting heads with and eventually attempting to overthrow the Mizukage. However, after his failed attempt, Zabuza becomes much more cold and bitter, instead becoming content being hired by anyone corrupt enough that they're willing to pay, rather than following his own beliefs. Many of his former followers end up leaving him as a result.
3 The Truth About How Much Haku Means To Zabuza Doesn't Hit Him Until After The Former's Death
In the beginning, Zabuza sees Haku as little more than a tool to use for his powerful Kekkei Genkai, but this isn't the honest truth deep down. However, it isn't until after Haku's passing and a combination of Kakashi and Naruto's remarks that end up bringing Zabuza to tears over his fallen partner.
While he openly laughs at Haku's willingness to sacrifice himself for Zabuza at first, Kakashi notes that he is no longer fighting at his full strength because he's distraught deep down from losing Haku. After Naruto uses his Talk-no-Jutsu to detail how Haku lived and died for Zabuza exclusively, he's able to move the demon of the hidden mist to genuine tears.
2 Despite His Penchant For Bloodshed, He's Adamantly Against Being Controlled After His Death
It's no exaggeration to say that Zabuza enjoys getting to act cruel and violent, stemming all the way back to when he's a child and disrupts the Kirigakure Academy tradition by singlehandedly taking out over a hundred students. However, he shows a surprising side of himself after being reanimated by Kabuto's jutsu and forced to fight in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
He shows outward disgust towards having to serve someone who would go as far as to view the dead as tools, showing that he does retain some sense of honor. He actually goes as far as to plead with Kakashi to stop him from causing any harm, a far cry from the ruthless assassin he portrayed in life.
1 All Of His Official Statistics, Save For His Genjutsu, Are Staggeringly High
Having earned himself the moniker of Demon of the Hidden Mist at quite a young age, it's no surprise that Zabuza's combat statistics are staggeringly impressive. The official Naruto databooks put out by Masashi Kishimoto himself clarify as much.
His lowest trait is his genjutsu at two-and-a-half out of five, followed by his intelligence at a three. His strength, speed, stamina and hand seals all clock in at a four, and finally his ninjutsu and taijutsu are an impressive four-and-a-half.