Naruto: Why Kakashi Hatake's tragic past could have made him a villain

Time of India

17-05-2025

Naruto, truly one of the most popular anime series not just in Japan but all around the world, bursting at the secretive villages with emotional storytelling and larger than life classic characters. Unlike other villains in the series who embrace the darkness due to their traumatic histories, there are several characters who overcome their traumatic experiences leading them to make a choice towards being a hero. Perhaps the most badass example of this is
Kakashi
Hatake.
Famed as the 'Copy Ninja,' Kakashi is adored for his cool demeanor, unbelievable talent, and sage-like wisdom. Yet behind his masked face is a story of trauma, grief and survivor's guilt. The very thing that has made so many others into monsters. So then why didn't Kakashi break like the rest of them? Let's dive into why his history should have turned him into one of Naruto's most tragic and evil villains — and how he escaped that fate.
Kakashi's father's shocking suicide might have been the reason for his vengeance
The story of Kakashi starts with what is arguably one of the most tragic scenes in the entire series. His dad,
Sakumo Hatake
, aka the 'White Fang of the Leaf' was a legendary war hero in his own right. This all changed when Sakumo decided to save his teammate instead of finishing an important mission. Instead of being rewarded for his gentleness, the village ostracized him, and the embarrassment drove him to suicide.
This betrayal by the very men he died defending might have soured Kakashi's soul beyond repair. He could have just as easily lived his life hating the Hidden Leaf Village for the death of his father, as
Pain
(Nagato) hated the world for his pain and loss. This rage in and of itself would have been enough to drive Kakashi to revolt against the very system which had betrayed his family.
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Repeated loss might have shattered his spirit
Kakashi's pain doesn't end with his father. As a young shinobi, he watched his two best friends die in battle. Teenage
Obito
Uchiha and
Rin Nohara
from the animé television series Naruto. Obito became trapped under boulders on a mission and his dying wish was for his teammate Kakashi to protect their other teammate Rin. Shortly after, Kakashi was helpless to stop Rin from sacrificing herself to avoid becoming a weapon against the Leaf — dying at the hands of her own beloved Kakashi in the process.
Think about the grief you cause being forced to live with failing your best friend's dying wish, and by extension, killing someone you loved. That sort of emotional burden would have leveled anyone. Kakashi would have been well within his character arc to do so, that he instead took the harder road, towards peace and understanding, choosing not to succumb to the same darkness as Obito. After all, Obito himself was the masked villain
Tobi
, attempting to erase the world Kakashi remained true to through his life's trials.
The hypocrisy of the hidden leaf could have turned him rogue
Another dark truth Kakashi had to come to terms with was the hypocrisy in the village he served. After the death of his mentor Minato Namikaze (the Fourth Hokage) and his wife Kushina, their son Naruto was ostracized by the villagers for being the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The same people Minato gave his life to protect turned on his child and made her a scapegoat.
With the repeated injustice that this event created, Kakashi was partly happy to see this injustice, yet he was partly upset to see this injustice as well. For him to go from the front lines to the Bronx, back in wartime America and to see the way in which his village treated their heroes — these people who laid down their lives for them — as weapons, as tools, to be used and crushed. Almost all of Naruto's antagonists, such as Itachi and
Sasuke Uchiha
, defected to the Hidden Leaf village after discovering how corrupt the system really was. Kakashi didn't need much convincing — he had every reason to join them.
Guilt and responsibility might have broken his morality
Kakashi was a child soldier who'd been trained to make impossible decisions. He was forced to make impossible decisions between life and death, friends and duty, mission and morals. These decisions would forever afterwards haunt and scar him. It would have been easy for him to cultivate a depraved heart of vengeance — thinking that the world should be made to suffer for making him have to make such cruel choices.
Villains such as Sasori, Nagato, and Madara Uchiha all succumbed to darkness in their attempts to 'save' the shinobi world. Kakashi's burden might have been enough to doom him to the same fate.
Why Kakashi stayed on the path of light
So, with all this pain, why didn't Kakashi become a villain?
1. He Chose to Heal, Not Hate
Kakashi didn't bury his emotions — he accepted his past, learned from it, and grew stronger. Instead of letting guilt consume him, he chose forgiveness.
2. He Had Mentors and Students Who Believed in Him
Kakashi looked up to Minato, who taught him compassion. Later, he became a mentor himself to Naruto, Sasuke, and
Sakura
— forming bonds that gave his life meaning and helped him move forward.
3. He Refused to Let His Pain Define Him
Unlike many others, Kakashi didn't let loss twist his ideals. Instead of seeking revenge or justice through destruction, he became a Hokage — the leader of the very village that once caused him pain.
A hero born from pain
Kakashi Hatake could have easily become one of the most terrifying villains in Naruto. His past is filled with trauma, betrayal, and heartbreak — more than enough to break any man. But instead, Kakashi turned his pain into purpose. He became a protector, a teacher, and a Hokage who helped lead the Hidden Leaf to peace.
In a world where tragedy often creates monsters, Kakashi proves that pain doesn't have to define your path — it can shape you into something stronger.