Summary
TheNarutofranchise is infamous for its large number of plot holes and retcons throughout its run. However, the most glaring of these inconsistencies revolve around Obito Uchiha, theNarutoseries' divisive end-game villain. Obito may have made his first appearance as himself duringthe Fourth Great Ninja War, yet he has remained in the backdrop since the beginning of Shippuden as a mysterious character named Tobi. Since Obito played such a complex role in Naruto’s narrative, inconsistencies were bound to arise.
However, the number of plot holes surrounding Obito is rather concerning. Whether it’s his unexplained survival or the undying light ofhis Mangekyo Sharingan, Obito’s character has been plagued by inconsistencies, some more apparent than others. Whether it’s a case of hasty writing on Kishimoto’s part or an example of adding too many unnecessary layers to a character, these plot holes have tarnishedNaruto’slegacy.
Obito’s Mangekyo Sharingan Never Lost Its light
The Mangekyo Sharingan Leaves Its Users Blind Over Time
For any overpowered ability, there has to be an equally taxing drawback that balances out the power. For the Mangekyo Sharingan, one of theNarutoseries' strongest dojutsu, the drawback largely pertains to losing vision overtime. The more the Mangekyo is used, the more the eye will lose its light, eventually going blind all together.Every Mangekyo Sharingan userhas undergone this crippling drawback, with Itachi going blind right before his death.
Obito, on the other hand, seemed to have bypassed this drawback altogether. Since his first appearance as Tobi to his demise in the Fourth Great Ninja War, Obito’s Mangekyo Sharingan has remained perpetually active. It seems that he has successfully evaded most of the Mangekyo’s downsides, be it the dojutsu’s taxing chakra drainage or the crippling eye strain and blindness that follows its usage.
Kakashi shared the same Mangekyo as Obito, yet the former suffered eye strain and blurriness after continuous usage. This odd discrepancy was never explained by the Naruto series, leaving fans in the dark altogether. While it can be speculatedthat Hashirama’s Cellsallowed him to infinitely use his Mangekyo Sharingan, Obito’s undying light still remains a plot hole, as the series failed to expand on this oddity.
Obito Evaded the Byakugan’s Vision
The Byakugan Can Distinguish Chakras and Different Dojutsu
Obito’s true identity remained a major plot point for most ofShippuden. His mask allowed him to first take on the role of Tobi, and later put on the facade of being Madara Uchiha. While it’s natural for most shinobi to be deceived by Obito’s mask, one particular set of shinobi should have seen right through his lies — the Hyuga.Equipped with the Byakugan, the Hyuga Clan members could easily have seen right through Obito’s mask. During the Itachi Pursuit Arc, Hinata had the opportunity to use her Byakugan on Tobi, yet she wasn’t able to see through Obito’s mask.
It’s clear that the Byakugan can sense different types of chakra, along with unique dojutsu behind masks. This was witnessed during Ao’s encounter with Danzo, where he was able to senseShisui’s Mangekyo Sharinganin Danzo’s eye. Similarly, Hinata should have been able to determine that the mysterious character named Tobi possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan in one eye. For the plot to progress, Hinata, or any other Hyuga Clan member for that matter, was never able to see through Obito’s mask. Despite being a somewhat minor plot hole, this example goes to show how intricate details were missed out by Kishimoto throughoutNaruto.
Obito Survived Being Crushed By a Boulder
The Boulder Crushed Obito’s Entire Right Side
Arguably the most controversial plot hole surrounding Obito’s character is his survival. TheNarutoseries merely explained that Obito was saved by Madara, instead of actually presenting the scene. Obito’s body was entirely crushed by a boulder, including his Sharingan eye, and the rest of his body was buried deep under rubble from the collapsing cave. However, he was miraculously saved by Madara, even resuscitated and healed via Hashirama’s cells.
I’m amazed you weren’t completely crushed under those boulders.
Considering the gravity of the situation and the extreme injuries that Obito sustained, survival would have been impossible for him. Moreover, the series clearly showed his face being crushed in half as well, meaning one side of his brain,and his Sharingan, should have also been dysfunctional. However, he was able to function normally after being healed by Madara, including his lost eye.
Some speculate that Madara may have brought Obito back to life through theRinnegan’s Rinne Rebirth technique, coupled with using the Gedo Statue’s almost infinite amount of chakra. However, these are merely theories, as theNarutoseries never confirmed exactly how Obito survived such a grave injury, making this one of the biggest plot holes surrounding his character.
Discrepancy in Obito’s Appearance
Obito Was Depicted to be Much Older During His Fight Against Minato
Another minor plot hole pertaining to Obito is his appearance during his infiltration of the Hidden Leaf Village. By the time Obito fought against Minato in a one-on-one battle, Obito had grown considerably, both in terms of his age and height. During the same time, however, Obito’s friends, such as Kakashi and Guy, were shown in a youthful, teenage appearance.
Despite being a somewhat minor plot hole compared to the many inconsistencies that have plagued Obito’s character, his appearance is still an integral part of the narrative. However, Kishimoto failed to differentiateteenage Obito from his older self, in-turn creating a discrepancy between his appearance and that of his friends.
The Gedo Statue Only Required a Fraction of Each Tailed Beast
Obito Never Needed To Start A War for Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails Chakra
Obito’s declaration of war against the Five Great Nations was a result of his desperation to acquire theNine-Tails and Eight-Tailsfor the Eye of the Moon Plan. However, it was later explained that even a fraction of the Eight- and Nine-Tails was enough to initiate the Ten-Tails' transformation. This led to Obito using Eight-Tails' tentacle and Nine-Tails' chakra from Kinkaku and Ginkaku. This rendered his entire war against the Five Great Nations pointless, since he could have simply utilized these sources of the two Tailed Beasts' chakra to summon the Ten-Tails.
Instead, Obito ended up uniting the entire shinobi world to stop him. If Naruto and Killer Bee’s Tailed Beasts were never a requirement for the Eye of the Moon Plan, Obito’s war efforts were entirely redundant. This renders the entire Fourth Great Ninja War a pointless plot progression. It’s clear that the war was necessary to move the plot forward, yet the retcon of requiring only a fraction of the Tailed Beasts chakra ended up negating the point of the entire war. This plot hole ended up making Obito seem like a rather daft character, as the pointless declaration of war resulted in his own eventual defeat.
The Strength of Obito’s Genjutsu
Obito Was Able to Place the Mizukage Under a Genjutsu
Obito has never exactly been touted as a genjutsu expert, yet one of his greatest feats pertains to this very art. During the Fourth Mizukage’s reign, Obito was able to place Yagura, the Three-Tails’ Jinchuriki, under a genjutsu. This effectively granted him complete control overthe Hidden Mist Village, all without even lifting a finger.
There were suspicions that someone was manipulating Yagura, our Fourth Mizukage. And there was a possibility that it was the Akatsuki.
This begs the question as to why Obito never used his genjutsu prowess on any of his other opponents, seeing how he was able to control someone as powerful as Yagura with such ease. With such prowess, Obito no longer had the need to wage a war against the Five Great Nations, as he could have simply placed the Kage or theJinchuriki under his genjutsu.
