In the annals of NarutoThere are many underrated characters. It must be said that the creator of the series, Masashi Kishimoto, tried to give some of them depth and development with longer story arcs or fillers in the anime. Indra Ōtsutsuki is one of those characters.
The manga skimped a bit on Indra. But the anime expanded on and showed how tragic his past was. This was done to show that he wasn't your typical generic villain who wanted to destroy the world. In the process, while Indra may have been a tyrant, he was much more of a sympathetic soul who, for all intents and purposes, became the Anakin Skywalker of his era. All he wanted was to create a better world. Of course, his history, upbringing, and ambition didn't create the most conducive environment for that.
What happened in Indra Ōtsutsuki's youth?
Indra developed a talent for hatred and a thirst for power

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Character Name |
Manga Debut |
Manga debut year |
Anime Debut |
Anime debut year |
Indra Otsutsuki |
Naruto Chapter #462 |
2009 |
Naruto: Shippuden #203 |
2011 |
Indra was the eldest son of the Sage of the Six Paths, Hagoromo. Unfortunately, he lost his mother when she was creating his younger brother, Asura. This stuck with Indra for many years, as he loved her deeply. However, as time went by, he focused on his father's diaries and teachings. He was very happy to learn Ninshū, the art of harnessing the inner chakra and using the energy of nature around him.
He was a true prodigy. He learned early on that he could turn chakra into a weapon and make Ninshū more versatile. But this opened a darkness in him. He needed to have control and power over things. The idea of loss, pain, and trauma created that hole in his heart. It was a pain he didn't want anyone else to feel. If he could bring peace and order, he thought he could heal the world and stop people from feeling what he felt. Outside of war, perhaps the disease could be eliminated.
This is what Anakin endured Star Wars. He didn't want to lose his loved ones. That's why he didn't mind breaking the rules. This allowed Emperor Palpatine to poison his mind with the Sith way. Coincidentally, there was also a mentor figure who belonged to the Dark Side in Indra's journey. He lurked in the shadows and corrupted Indra. It was none other than Black Zetsu.
What did Black Zetsu do to Indra?
Black Zetsu made Indra hate the Sage of the Six Paths
Black Zetsu connected with Indra alone in the forest. He played on his ego and arrogance. Indra was gaining followers because of this advanced Ninshū. They thought it would make their lives easier. This was true, but there would be consequences for such shortcuts. Black Zetsu, however, painted this as the sign of a genius.
He told Indra that he had so much potential that he could even surpass the Sage of Six Paths. A vulnerable Indra began to see Hagoromo's methods as archaic and anti-evolutionary. His father wanted Ninshūt to be about love, compassion, and empathy. Indra was about efficiency and optimization. Indra quickly saw his father's teachings as weak.
Once Indra awakened his Sharingan, he became distant, growing colder. He wanted to perfect his abilities so he could convert everyone away from his father's doctrines. Like Palpatine, Black Zetsu was dragging Indra to the Dark Side to become his own version of Darth Vader.
Why did Indra betray Hagoromo and Asura?
Indra wanted to guide Hagoromo and Asura's followers
Hagoromo put his sons through a test to choose an heir. He wanted them to save a region that needed to be revitalized: physically and spiritually. It wasn't just the land; it was the people. They needed to find a sustainable way of life with peace and care as an anchor. Indra used his Sharingan to mind control a place and destroy a God sapling that was toxic to the land. In the process, the people found water.
When a satisfied Indra returned home, he had to wait for Asura to return. This angered him. He felt that Asura was condescending. He was more talented than his brother and got the job done faster. Indra failed, however. The people he left behind fought among themselves. He did not educate them to unity, nor did he proactively plan for civil wars. Hagoromo knew he could never lead with this lazy mindset. Asura, however, united the people in his mission. He gathered a cult following, as they followed him as a messiah.
This is what Hagoromo was looking for. It may have taken him longer, but it was the right principle. He ultimately chose Asura, which left Indra bitter. Indra was super jealous and self-centered. He didn't care that he didn't meet the criteria. He couldn't see that it was about the journey, not just the destination. Black Zetsu bought it, because he wanted to turn Indra into a weapon. This hatred made the job easier.
The eldest son decided to betray his family. He transformed Ninshū into ninjutsu, where chakra could be used to create elemental weapons, heal people, seal people, teleport, etc. Using hand seals, ninjutsu became a mix of science and magic. This gave Indra, in his mind, the right to challenge his family and take over the “kingdom”. He thought his style and teachings were better.
Who won the fight between Indra and Asura?
Indra lost and vowed to destroy Hagoromo's legacy
Indra's main jutsu |
Description |
Destructive Jinrai |
Indra could throw lightning balls at enemies |
Genjutsu: Sharingan |
Indra trapped people in dream states or mentally controlled them |
Hinokagutsuchi |
Indra created a ball of flames similar to Itachi's Amaterasu |
Palm tree with lightning |
Indra created electric fields in his hand like Sasuke's Chidori |
Detection technique |
Indra easily sensed the chakra of friends and enemies nearby. |
Susanoo |
Indra created a giant chakra titan that protected him in battle. |
Thanks to gaslighting, Indra lost his old identity. Black Zetsu took care of everything. To the point that Indra knew his eyes had become stronger because of the loss. He killed his closest friends and unlocked his Mangekyō Sharingan. It was the price he had to pay to build the future. His mother was one of these taxes; they were a new one. On the night of Asura's coronation, Indra attacked the village, expressing his contempt for his family.
He felt superior, but this idea was discarded when Asura also showed immense power. This is what hard work does. While Indra used his Susanoo (chakra golem), Asura used his senjutsu (Sage Mode), as well as the chakra that his father and the village shared. At this point in the manga and anime, fans saw the older version of Sasuke (Indra) and Naruto (Asura) fighting. Indra retreated after the defeat. This was further proof that Asura was the right successor.
When Hagoromo died, Asura vowed to pass on his philosophy. Indra secretly visited him to let him know that he would pass on his as well. Anger flared. He made it clear that his father's approach to peace was cowardly and would only create more terrorism and war. Indra, not realizing that he was Black Zetsu's puppet, stood firm: he would capitalize on this, gain more power, and destroy Ninshū. He would not rest until his family's legacy was in the dust.
What was Indra's heartbreaking legacy?
Asura lost and ran away to found the Uchiha clan
When Indra went into hiding, he formed a sect that supported his practices. This became the Uchiha Clan. This explained why they would be so bloodthirsty over the years, especially in Konoha. More bombs were dropped. When Indra died of old age, his soul would be reincarnated as Madara. Asura would be reincarnated as Senju Hashirama. The next cycle would see Indra reincarnated as Sasuke and Asura as Naruto.
During all this, Black Zetsu continued to play with the minds of all the Indras. Black Zetsu was actually working to bring back Kaguya and the Ten-Tails, all so they could use the God Tree and drain the planet of its chakra. In other words, Indra was a cog that her grandmother had manipulated through her will (Black Zetsu). Kaguya was angry because Hagoromo and his brother, Hamura, had sealed her away. But she gained Indra and the Uchiha as the keys to complete her mission. She may have failed centuries ago, but her family tree and descendants gave her assets to Black Zetsu to condition them as pawns.
It's quite heartbreaking to think back on. Indra became a tool after his mother and grandmother were taken from this world. Black Zetsu was angry and sympathetic, messing with the Uchiha tablets and temples. This made the clan never break free from what Kaguya wanted them to do: bring forth the chakra fruit from the God Tree. It made Kaguya, in retrospect, even more selfish. And, as evil as Indra was, it made fans feel sorry for him and all of his reincarnations.
Ultimately, the story and dynasty of Indra could have been a movie or a series. This was a layer of nuance that Naruto fans appreciated it. It gave the first villain in human shinobi history more than just a selfish reason to live. All the while opening the door to the very apocalypse he once hoped his teachings would avert. All things considered, Indra and his reincarnations were hypocrites, but there’s no dispelling or downplaying how they were used and discarded as the offspring of a vengeful grandmother in Rabbit Princess Kaguya.