Orochimaru

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Orochimaru (大蛇丸)
Alias(es)	“Uncle Snake,” used by Yoru no Tsuki 83
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Formerly Konohagakure; founder of Otogakure; former Akatsuki member who later joins the organization under Ye Wuyue 21 36 74 171
Occupation/Role	Shinobi, researcher, and specialist in forbidden techniques and artificial bodies 49 77 107
Status	Alive; achieves immortality and continues researching into the Ninja Republic era 171 182
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 21; appears in his laboratory in Chapter 38 21 38

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Uchiha vessel and Three-Tomoe Sharingan	38 43 49	Possesses an Uchiha body through Living Corpse Reincarnation. He can activate and deactivate its Sharingan freely, and Itachi’s Sharingan genjutsu fails against him.
First completed Gigai	77	Creates an artificial body resembling himself, using Hashirama cells and Sharingan without rejection. He seals it away rather than immediately transferring into it because Living Corpse Reincarnation requires preparation.
Immortality achieved	171	Confirms that his greatest wish has been fulfilled through his dealings with Ye Wuyue. His priority shifts from wandering as a rogue ninja to securing a stable research environment.

Background / History

Orochimaru was Hiruzen Sarutobi’s disciple and a former comrade of Tsunade and Jiraiya. He competed with Minato for the Hokage position but did not win 21 73 172.

The death of his disciple Nawaki—Tsunade’s younger brother—became a major motive behind his pursuit of immortality. Nawaki was killed by an explosive trap during the Second Shinobi World War, directly in front of Orochimaru 167.

His human experiments in Konoha were exposed, leading to his defection. He subsequently founded Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields, where his laboratories continued experimenting on people 21 36 48.

Appearance

Orochimaru’s recognizable appearance is described when he confronts Ye Wuyue after rescuing the Sound Four 42.

• Long black hair and pale skin.
• Golden eyes with vertical pupils, which can change into Three-Tomoe Sharingan 38 42.
• Purple eyeshadow extending toward the sides of his nose.
• Blue-green magatama earrings.
• A hoarse voice and a characteristic sinister laugh 42.
• Uses a human-skin mask to disguise himself as a Grass ninja during the Chūnin Exams 59.

Personality

Orochimaru values discovery above conventional morality. He conducts lethal experiments, regards unusual bodies and abilities as research material, and initially tries to seize Gigai technology rather than bargain for it. His interest in that technology becomes so intense that it temporarily takes priority over his obsession with Itachi’s eyes 42 48 107.

He is calculating and transactional. He saves the Sound Four because they remain useful, exploits Danzo’s ambition to obtain research material, and accepts cooperation with former enemies when it offers greater benefits. Nevertheless, he does not blindly accept attractive explanations: after learning about the Ōtsutsuki, he insists on verifying the information himself 42 73 77 110.

His rational demeanor conceals lasting emotional attachments. Reviving Nawaki makes him visibly nervous, and reuniting with Tsunade and Jiraiya brings back both painful and pleasant memories. After achieving immortality, he begins acknowledging his attachment to Konoha and seeks a quieter life without abandoning research 167 171 172.

Abilities & Skills

Living Corpse Reincarnation

• Transfers his soul into another body, providing a means of repeatedly changing vessels 49.
• Uses the body of a missing Uchiha defector to acquire functional Sharingan 38 48 49.
• Requires substantial preparation before entering a new body 77.
• Recognizes custom-made Gigai as an ideal complement to the technique because their attributes can be regulated 42.

Sharingan

• Possesses Three-Tomoe Sharingan through his Uchiha vessel 38.
• Can switch the eyes on and off, unlike the permanently active transplanted eye described in Kakashi’s case 48.
• Resists Itachi’s Sharingan genjutsu during the Otogakure confrontation 43.
• Remains dissatisfied with his existing eyes’ improvements to dynamic vision and genjutsu, and seeks Itachi’s eyes instead 38 42.
• Cannot evade Ye Wuyue’s accelerated Shinso strike even with the Sharingan active 59.

Impure World Reincarnation

• Summons and controls the reanimated First and Second Hokage using kunai fitted with sealing talismans 43.
• Uses two Chūnin as sacrifices to help ensure control; he is initially unsure how much strength the resulting bodies can display 43.
• Reanimates the Third Kazekage, whose Iron Sand confronts Sasori’s puppet made from the same shinobi 74.
• Loses his reanimated Senju forces when Itachi seals their souls with the Totsuka Blade 45.
• Can recall long-dead souls to the living world, making his knowledge important to Ye Wuyue’s resurrection plans 170.

Serpent Techniques and Survival

• Hidden Shadow Snake Hands: Releases numerous snakes from his sleeve to attack opponents 59.
• Snake restraints: Uses snakes to bind an experimental Gigai 107.
• Body shedding: Survives being cut in half by emerging from his discarded body’s mouth; also sheds his body to escape an approaching fire attack 59 109.
• Substitution: Leaves a snake behind to receive Senbonzakura’s attack while he relocates 59.
• Serpent summoning: Summons large snakes, including Manda, for combat and protection 42 45 60.
• Escape movement: Slithers close to the ground at sufficient speed to evade Itachi’s Totsuka Blade 46.

Eight-Headed Serpent Transformation

• Transforms into a giant, white-scaled serpent with eight heads 46.
• Attacks Itachi’s Susanoo with all eight heads.
• Suffers a head wound from Ye Wuyue and loses another head to Itachi before canceling the transformation and fleeing 46.
• Its size and resilience make many of Ye Wuyue’s earlier attacks ineffective 59.

Wind Release

• Uses Great Breakthrough, completing its hand seals in less than a second 59.
• Produces a gale nearly ten meters across, raising a normally C-rank technique to power comparable to an A-rank attack 59.

Gigai Engineering

• Understands and improves the Gigai Creation Method, doing most of the work on the first completed artificial body 77.
• Uses Hashirama cells as a foundation after suppressing their resistance, allowing other materials to be incorporated.
• Installs Sharingan without rejection, establishing the possibility of integrating additional bloodline abilities 77.
• Creates a Gigai for Kimimaro 110.
• Revives Nawaki in a strengthened artificial body with Wood Release and regeneration capable of healing certain injuries within three seconds 167.

Soul Pill Research

• Replicates the material of Mod-Soul Pills but cannot create a soul from nothing 107.
• Produces unfinished pills that attract, capture, and store existing souls.
• Demonstrates the process by transferring a kitten’s soul into a female Gigai.
• Bodies occupied through these pills develop the captured soul’s consciousness rather than behaving as obedient substitutes 107.
• Teaches the manufacturing technique to Yoru no Tsuki, who masters it after a month 108.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Kusanagi Sword — Drawn from his mouth; its Sword of the Sky ability extends the blade toward a target. Its extension is slower than Shinso’s 59.
• Control kunai and sealing talismans — Inserted into reanimated bodies to control their actions 43 74.
• Human-skin mask — Used for his Grass ninja disguise in the Forest of Death 59.
• Preserved Sharingan — Offers three pairs for transplantation onto Danzo’s arm in exchange for intelligence on Itachi and Sasuke 73.
• Laboratories and experimental equipment — Maintains underground facilities in Otogakure and the Land of Grass; later establishes himself near the former Uchiha lands 47 76 177.
• Gigai research and Soul Pills — Central tools in his artificial-body and resurrection work 77 107 167.

Relationships

• Ye Wuyue / Yoru no Tsuki — Initially an opponent and desired research subject; becomes his scientific partner and later his leader in Akatsuki. Their cooperation exchanges research, specimens, technical assistance, and protection 42 76 77 171.
• Nawaki / Rope Tree — Disciple and a major emotional motive for pursuing immortality. Orochimaru revives him and brings him to reunite with Tsunade; some passages render his name as “Shikaku” 167 171 172.
• Tsunade — Former comrade and Nawaki’s sister. Their reunion is enabled by Nawaki’s resurrection; she later assigns Yamato to monitor Orochimaru 172 177.
• Jiraiya — Former comrade who persistently seeks to bring him back. Their later reunion is civil, but Jiraiya continues condemning his experiments 48 173.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Former teacher. Orochimaru does not seek revenge when Yoru admits killing him 21 108.
• Danzo Shimura — Longstanding, mutually distrustful research associate. Orochimaru agrees to kill him for Gigai technology while also negotiating further exchanges with him 59 60 73.
• Uchiha Itachi — Covets his eyes and regards his talent as exceptional research material. Itachi seals Orochimaru’s reanimated Hokage forces 38 42 45.
• Uchiha Setsuna — Sheltered associate who supplies fellow Uchiha to Orochimaru. Setsuna resents Orochimaru’s interference but lacks the strength to oppose him 38 39 42.
• Manda — Powerful but unreliable summon who demands human sacrifices and abandons Orochimaru during battle 46.
• Hozuki Suigetsu — Former test subject handed over to Ye Wuyue as payment for an immortal body 110 111.
• Sasori — Former Akatsuki teammate sent to eliminate him after his betrayal of the organization 74.
• Hidan — Receives him from Yoru as an immortal research specimen 90.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Otogakure Investigation

Child disappearances draw Team Eleven to the Land of Rice Fields. The investigation uncovers captive children, experimental monsters, and Orochimaru’s connection to the missing Uchiha defectors. Orochimaru rescues the Sound Four, then attempts to obtain Ye Wuyue’s partial Gigai research by force 36 42 48.

His reanimated Hokage forces are sealed by Itachi, and his Eight-Headed Serpent form is injured. He escapes through Otogakure’s underground network with almost all its shinobi, leaving the village effectively deserted 45 46 47.

Gigai Bargain and Danzo’s Death

In the Forest of Death, Orochimaru initially rejects Ye Wuyue’s demand to kill Danzo. After their fight demonstrates that Ye Wuyue can contend with his normal state, he accepts the condition 59 60.

Akatsuki’s attack interrupts his subsequent dealings with Danzo, and Ye Wuyue ultimately kills Danzo himself. Orochimaru therefore fails to fulfill the original bargain. A replacement agreement requires him to share future research and provide scientific assistance when requested 73 74 75 76.

Scientific Partnership

Orochimaru completes the first Gigai after two months, establishing a productive partnership with Ye Wuyue. He later receives Hidan as a specimen, develops soul-storing pills, and teaches their manufacture to Yoru 77 90 107 108.

After learning the truth behind the Ōtsutsuki surname, he exchanges Suigetsu for the immortal body previously supplied to him 110.

Immortality and Return

Orochimaru revives Nawaki, accompanies him to the Land of Iron, and confirms that his own ambition of immortality has been achieved. He joins Ye Wuyue’s Akatsuki as its fifth member in exchange for a stable environment, accepting the requirement to follow orders 167 171.

He reunites with Tsunade and Jiraiya and returns to Konoha. His later experiments use condemned criminals, while Tsunade assigns Yamato to watch him and prevent child abductions 172 173 177.

Ninja Republic Era

Five years after the Ninja Republic’s founding, Ye Wuyue plans to capture invading Ōtsutsuki for Orochimaru’s research. Orochimaru collects Momoshiki and Kinshiki and expresses confidence that the clan’s bloodline will soon be fully deciphered 180 182.

Notable Quotes

“Heh heh heh heh, only people of equal strength are qualified to discuss deals.” 42

“What he revered was truth, and he would have to verify the authenticity of these matters himself.” — Narration describing his response to the Ōtsutsuki revelations 110

“My goal has already been achieved, and I’m looking for a quiet place to conduct my research. Konoha seems pretty good.” 173

Trivia

• While working in the Land of Grass, he ate almost exclusively eggs and apples, maintaining a regular diet 177.
• He spent years searching for the Totsuka Blade before discovering it in Itachi’s possession 45.
• Jiraiya once recruited him to pose as a thug for a staged rescue intended to impress Tsunade. Tsunade knocked Orochimaru away before Jiraiya could intervene, leaving him bedridden for a time 172.