The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Major spoilers for Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. The deaths below are a selection of major losses, arranged by the story’s broad chronology. “When” means where an event falls in the narrative, with anime episode locators where the available references support them—not an in-world calendar date. Part II also reveals some deaths that occurred earlier in Naruto’s history.
Part I: Which major characters die first?
Hiruzen Sarutobi
The Third Hokage dies during the Konoha Crush, the invasion of the Hidden Leaf led by Orochimaru. In the anime, the death is identified with Naruto episode 79, “Konoha Crush.” Hiruzen uses the Dead Demon Consuming Seal against Orochimaru, sacrificing himself in an attempt to stop his former student and protect the village. His death leaves the Leaf without its leader and makes the search for a new Hokage urgent. NarutoHQ’s death tracker gives the episode locator.
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Deaths revealed or occurring in Naruto: Shippuden
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki
Minato and Kushina die during the Nine-Tails’ attack on the Hidden Leaf, a past event shown in Shippuden rather than a death occurring in the story’s present. The tracker places their deaths in episode 249. They shield their infant son, Naruto, from the beast; Minato seals the Nine-Tails inside him. Their sacrifice explains Naruto’s connection to the Nine-Tails and the circumstances of his childhood. NarutoHQ’s tracker supplies the episode locator; the event is also summarized in a character reference.
Asuma Sarutobi
Asuma is killed by Hidan during the Akatsuki conflict. His death is a turning point for Team 10: Shikamaru and his teammates must contend with the loss of their teacher, and Shikamaru later pursues Hidan. The available tracker confirms the event and its connection to Hidan, but does not establish a specific episode or chapter locator here, so none is assigned.
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Jiraiya
Jiraiya dies in Shippuden episode 133, “The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant.” On a mission to learn the truth about Pain, he fights Pain’s Six Paths and is fatally wounded. He sinks beneath the water after the confrontation. His final actions preserve information that helps Naruto and the Leaf understand their enemy. The episode placement and circumstances are listed by NarutoHQ’s death tracker.
Itachi Uchiha
Itachi dies after his battle with Sasuke. It is misleading to describe this simply as Sasuke defeating and killing him: a character reference identifies an unknown illness as the cause of Itachi’s death. His death is part of the brothers’ confrontation, while the later reanimation storyline is a separate return of Itachi after his death, not evidence that he survived the battle. The illness account comes from a secondary character reference.
Rank #2
Nagato
Nagato is among the major losses following the assault on Konoha. The available death tracker includes him, but does not establish a precise episode or chapter locator or provide enough detail here to pin down the circumstances. This entry therefore marks his place in the story without assigning an unsupported locator or cause.
Fourth Shinobi World War: separate losses, separate events
Neji Hyūga
Neji dies during the Fourth Shinobi World War, in Shippuden episode 364 according to the tracker. He is struck by the Ten-Tails’ wood projectiles while shielding Naruto and Hinata. His intervention saves them and becomes a defining moment for both characters. This is a distinct battlefield death, not part of the attack on Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters.
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Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka
Shikaku and Inoichi die in a separate wartime event. The tracker places their deaths in Shippuden episode 365 and attributes them to the Ten-Tails’ Tailed Beast Ball destroying the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters. Their loss removes two key strategists and leaders from the Allied command. They do not die in Neji’s scene or by the same immediate means.
Obito Uchiha
Late in the war, Obito is weakened after the tailed beasts are extracted from him. He later dies while protecting Naruto and Kakashi from Kaguya. The tracker lists episode 393, but its mapping of that episode to the exact event is not established clearly enough here to present it as a confirmed locator. The story sequence and circumstances are the useful anchors for this entry.
Madara Uchiha
Madara’s final fate comes at the end of the war, when Black Zetsu turns against him and the plot reveals his connection to Kaguya. It is important to distinguish this turn from the preceding stages of Madara’s defeat and transformation: the available tracker does not establish a sufficiently precise event-by-event locator to make those stages interchangeable or to attach a specific episode or chapter here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the timeline
This is a selected guide to deaths that materially shape the main Naruto story, not a complete list of every named casualty. Some entries are deaths from the story’s past that are revealed later; others happen in the present-day sequence. Anime episode numbering is specific to the adaptation, and not every event listed has a verified chapter or episode locator in the references used here. No calendar dates are supplied because the cited references give story, chapter, or episode placement rather than a complete dated chronology.
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