Madara Uchiha

was a legendary ninja who led the Uchiha clan prior to and after the formation of Konohagakure. After allying with his rival, Hashirama Senju, he also helped in the founding of Konohagakure.

Background
Before the era of ninja villages, Madara, along with his younger brother, Izuna, were considered the most gifted members of the Uchiha clan. Even by his clan's standards, Madara's chakra was especially strong. He grew up constantly competing and training with Izuna and in their efforts to surpass each other, each gained their own Mangekyō Sharingan. With the power of the Mangekyō the two brothers took control of the clan, with Madara as its leader. Under his leadership, the clan conquered all they came across. Because of the never-ending series of battles of the time, Madara eventually began to suffer from overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan, leaving him blind. In order to regain his sight he took Izuna's eyes for himself, granting him an "eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan with which he led the Uchiha clan to prosperity. While Itachi Uchiha would later go on to state that Madara took Izuna's eyes without his consent, Tobi would state that Izuna willingly gave up his eyes to Madara for the good of his brother and clan. It is unknown which is true.

Over the years, the Uchiha had constantly fought with the equally powerful Senju clan and as such, Madara had an undying rivalry with Hashirama Senju, the leader of the Senju clan. To bring an end to the constant fighting, Hashirama approached the Uchiha with an offer of peace. Although Madara never wanted peace with the Senju, the rest of the Uchiha wished to end the fighting, and Madara had no choice but to accept. The Senju, the Uchiha, and all the clans they had conquered came together to form the village of Konohagakure. Some time after this, Madara ended the Uchiha clan's alliance with what would become Iwagakure and ordered its future leaders to follow Konohagakure from then on. Some time later, the villagers of Konoha selected Hashirama as the village's first Hokage much to Madara's dismay. Madara feared that Hashirama would oppress the Uchiha, and tried to rally support for challenging his leadership. Rather than help him, the Uchiha turned their backs on him, believing he only desired to rekindle the flames of war.

Abandoned by his clan, Madara left the village, and sought out Kurama. He later returned in order to challenge Hashirama in battle. They fought at the site that would someday be called the Valley of the End, where Madara was beaten, despite having Kurama at his side. Control of Kurama was ultimately taken from him and Madara was believed to have died. Despite losing the battle he was able to survive and gain a part of Hashirama's DNA with which he was able to use the Wood Release. Shortly before his death Madara awakened his own Rinnegan and is also known to have fought with and defeated Ōnoki shortly after the founding of Konoha.

Decades later, a masked-individual known as Tobi began operating under Madara's name. Tobi is intimately familiar with Madara's history, sharing his animosity towards Konoha and the Senju and even going so far as to claim that Izuna willingly gave up his eyes. It is, therefore, difficult to say which actions were those of Tobi and which were those of the real Madara. At the very least, Madara is aware of Tobi's existence. This masked man is known to have manipulated the Fourth Mizukage, been the cause behind the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, participated in the Uchiha clan massacre, and taken a hand in creating and leading Akatsuki. While many characters are surprised that "Madara Uchiha" could still be around so many years after his supposed death, they accept Tobi's word on the grounds that only Madara would be capable of such actions because of his strength.

While Madara's reincarnation during the Fourth Great Shinobi World War lends credibility to the belief that he is actually dead, it has been revealed that he was not killed during his fight with Hashirama at the Valley of the End. When revived, he assumes Nagato was responsible for it.

Personality
Madara was a very confident and prideful man, witnessed in his belittlement of Ōnoki both after his reincarnation and in the past, and in his berating of Mei Terumī's technique. Conversely, he isn't above praising the abilities of others as he openly called both Mei and A's abilities an impressive offence, and Gaara and Ōnoki's manoeuvre an impressive defence, also commending them for being able to stop his first meteorite, as well as commending Naruto for countering his Wood Release attack. However he has also been shown to be spiteful, degrading Tsunade while comparing her to her grandfather, after saying he would kill her because she's a Senju. Madara is, however, an honest individual and is willing to admit when he is wrong as after Tsunade tag-teamed him with A, he admitted she was not weak at all. Madara, however, isn't above reprimanding others for recklessness or stupidity as he criticised Tsunade for attacking him without thinking of what the other Kage would do for treatment if she was killed and criticised the five Kage as a group for worrying too much about the flowers in his technique and not watching their backs. He also has a habit of referring to fighting as 'dancing'. Madara has a dark sense of humour, as shown when he surrounded each of the five Kage with wood clones and asked if they preferred the clones to use Susanoo or not as well as when he referred to incinerating his forest as creating coal after knocking the five Kage into it. Madara also believes power is tangible and passed down through generations and that you cannot inherit something intangible such as the will of a dead person.

As an Uchiha, Madara possesses an innate hatred for the Senju clan, in what is known as the Curse of Hatred, which dates back to the early days of the ninja world. This curse led him to oppose the truce fearing that his clan would be oppressed by them, and when Hashirama was selected to be Hokage instead of Madara, he defected from Konoha and attempted to attack the village. His animosity towards Hashirama was particularly strong, going as far as to forbid Ōnoki from mentioning that name in front of him ever again. Nevertheless Madara possesses a high level of respect and admiration for Hashirama as well as the Senju name as seen during the Fourth Shinobi World War where he would praise and curse Hashirama or other members of the clan in the same breath. Conversely, he also lamented that he would have taught Hashirama how to resurrect himself if he had known how much weaker the modern day shinobi would be. Madara was very competitive with his younger brother, Izuna, but Tobi also implies that Madara and Izuna were close as brothers.

Seemingly treacherous by nature, as after the alliance with Iwagakure ended, he immediately betrayed Mū and Ōnoki, expecting them to follow Konohagakure's lead from then on, and the Uchiha clan believed Madara stole Izuna's eyes by force. He is also a battle-loving individual, commenting that he had not enjoyed this view in a long time while surveying the battlefield during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Relating to this, Madara enjoys a challenging fight and said that anything less than the five Kage against him would be inadequate. Madara is also very bold when it comes to battle, shown in his ready assault of an entire platoon of shinobi upon being attacked, despite being severely outnumbered. Madara is also something of a show off, as shown in his use of extremely powerful techniques in rapid succession, all the while, expressing satisfaction to having done it. He also purposely let himself get hit by Ōnoki's attack in order to show Hashirama's face on his chest to lower the morale of the Kage. Due to the times he lived in, Madara believes it is natural for shinobi to spend their entire lives in battle. He also thinks that the world can't change from what it was in the past and believes that as such, mankind would be better served sleeping peacefully in an Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Madara has been described as being hostile and aggressive by nature as well as being very ambitious, the latter of which was seen during his rise to the position of clan leader as well as his desire to make his clan superior out of what Tobi claimed was Madara's great love for them. Madara also views the tailed beasts as nothing more than masses of energy and tools too lacking in intelligence to think for themselves and as such, need to be "guided" by the Uchiha to learn their purpose and believes that they are but slaves to those with blessed eyes.

Appearance
Madara was a tall, fair-skinned man with spiky, black hair that had a slight, blue tint to it. In his younger days, his hair was shoulder-length and he wore the standard Uchiha clan outfit: a high collared black shirt with the clan's crest on its back, which Madara tended to leave slightly open, and blue pants with bandages around his shins. Around his waist, he had a sash that held a sack, presumably containing his ninja tools. During later years, his hair grew out more and his sash was replaced by a belt, adorned with pouches and various weapons. He also wore another sash strapped across his shoulders which he used to hold his numerous swords.

By adulthood, his hair had grown to waist-length with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face, the left side hanging partially over his left eye. Although still relatively young, more prominent creases had developed under each of his eyes. In most cases, his attire took the form of the standard shinobi dress of his era, consisting of bright red traditional armour — similar to that of samurai — worn over a simple black suit. This armour was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and thighs. Unusually, his chest plate left his back entirely exposed, presumably so as to better display his clan's crest. This clothing was accompanied by boots and gloves, as well as his village's forehead protector after the truce with the Senju and founding of Konohagakure, but this was discarded upon his defection. During battle, he often carried an orange-coloured war fan on his back that had a mitsudomoe pattern, coloured bright red, in both of the top corners.

After implanting Hashirama's DNA into his body and Kabuto Yakushi's further experimentation, a replica of Hashirama's face appeared on the left side of Madara's chest.

Abilities
Madara is considered by many notable individuals to be one of the most gifted shinobi in history and the most powerful that has ever been produced within the Uchiha clan. He has been noted to have been born with particularly powerful chakra, which even Kurama claimed to be far more sinister than that of its own. Quantity wise, Madara has shown to have massive amounts, able to use several high-level techniques in quick succession. The fact that he fought and survived every battle he ever fought with Hashirama Senju, who was recognised as the strongest ninja in the world in his time, also indicates that Madara was also one of the strongest ninja of his time. Madara is one of the only known shinobi in history capable of summoning a tailed beast — the other being Tobi. However, its sealing inside jinchūriki have rendered him unable to do so. Overall, Madara's fame and status was so great that his name alone was enough to strike fear, and Tobi was able to use that to his advantage to instigate a world war.

According to Kabuto, Madara's reincarnated body is special compared to others that were brought back through Impure World Reincarnation, claiming that he has been completed "beyond his prime". After activating his Rinnegan and using it in conjunction with his Susanoo, Madara's abilities led Gaara to wonder if he had the power of a god as he sent a meteorite hurtling towards them. Kabuto commented that combining Madara's power with Hashirama's — the only man stronger than Madara — has made him Kabuto's ultimate, unstoppable trump card. With this combined prowess, the reincarnated Madara was been able to nearly wipe out the entire Fourth Division with a single technique and overpower all five of the current Kage while stating that he wasn't even using the full extent of his power.

Taijutsu and Kenjutsu
Madara has shown remarkable strength, speed, and reflexes. With just one roundhouse kick, he was able to repel several shinobi. Madara was also able to easily dodge Gaara's high-speed sand attacks, Mei's close range Lava Release attack, and even guard himself against A's punch while the latter was clad in his Lightning Release Armour.

Madara is also highly proficient in both taijutsu and kenjutsu, aptly demonstrated when he effortlessly disarmed a shinobi of his sword and, after grabbing it, cut down several members of the Fourth Division.

Nature Transformation
As an Uchiha, Madara is able to use Fire Release nature manipulation techniques, displaying extreme proficiency in the use of techniques like Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation that required the combination of numerous Water Release: Water Encampment Walls to extinguish, and the Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction technique with which he incinerated a large portion of the forest he had created. In the anime, Madara could also use Wind Release through his trademark gunbai to create powerful gust of wind.

After his confrontation with Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End, Madara acquired a portion of his DNA and integrated it into his own body granting him the ability to use Wood Release and its component natures: earth and water.

With Wood Release, he has demonstrated the ability to instantly create numerous massive trees with which to attack his opponents directly, and a dense forest of flowering trees, whose pollen can render a foe unconscious. He is able to merge with and hide within trees. Madara can even create multiple wood clones using the pre-existing vegetation in the immediate vicinity as a medium.

Sharingan
Madara managed to master his Sharingan by a young age, a feat that he received significant praise for. Using it, he could instantly place a victim under paralysing genjutsu with just a single glance, leading those who had faced him to advise others to not look directly at his eyes, whilst confronting him. He is also able to seemingly control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox with his Sharingan.

Mangekyō Sharingan
Madara was the first amongst the Uchiha to activate the Mangekyō Sharingan. He and his brother Izuna, who awoke his own soon after, were soon appointed leaders of the clan due to this power. However, after his eyesight progressively worsened to blindness through its use, Madara took and implanted Izuna's eyes into his own body, which then awakened a new "Eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan — a combination of his own and Izuna's Mangekyō. With it, he never had to fear the risk of losing his eyesight again.

Madara has since used his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. After his reincarnation, Madara demonstrated the ability to use Susanoo, and is therefore likely able to use Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu as well, though they have yet to be seen. Unseen in others' variations, Madara's Susanoo demonstrates two entirely different sides that are conjoined along their respective spines, with each displaying a pair of arms and face that are distinct from the other and a complete lower half inclusive of feet.

His Susanoo's defensive capabilities are high even in its ribcage state, having withstood Naruto Uzumaki's Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan and A's Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop with no damage. It wields undulating blades in the right hand of each side and it appears to be capable of contributing towards some of Madara's techniques, as it was seen forming hand seals together with him during battle. Madara is also able to use the Yasaka Magatama technique.

This Susanoo's final form is an enormous construct with its mouth obscured and a body similar to its full body form. The outer armour which only remotely resembles the usual tengu-like armour with the trademark pillbox hat like adornment on the forehead, is split down the middle from the beak downwards where the normal Susanoo underneath is revealed. Along this armour which seems much more fluid than the other known Susanoo's are holes at the end. It also has four plated arms, two of which wield his undulating blades.

Rinnegan
Madara stated that he awakened the Rinnegan shortly before his death and possesses the ability to switch between both it, and his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan at will, however, it should be noted that while using the powers granted by one dōjutsu he cannot simultaneously access those granted by the other. Like other users, Madara is able to use the techniques of the Six Paths of Pain, displaying use of the Preta Path, with which he was able to absorb the chakra from one of Naruto's Rasenshuriken and even a complex kekkei tōta like Ōnoki's Dust Release technique.

When these abilities were combined with his Susanoo, he could pull two massive meteorites towards the battlefield from the atmosphere above. Even if one was slowed down and stopped, the second one would strike like a hammer.

Equipment
Madara has been shown with a diverse range of weaponry over the years, with him carrying a war fan for most of his life. In addition to the war fan, he had a kama with him when his final confrontation against Hashirama took place. Madara has wielded various types and numbers of swords, at different times throughout his life, ever since his days on the battlefield.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
As Tobi, under the guise of Madara Uchiha, prepared for the war against the Allied Shinobi Forces, he was approached by Kabuto Yakushi. A former associate of Akatsuki, Kabuto requested that he be allowed to assist with the war-effort, under the condition that Tobi turn Sasuke Uchiha over to him following the conflict. He then summoned five previously deceased Akatsuki members as proof that he could bolster Akatsuki's forces using reincarnated shinobi, as well as a mysterious sixth coffin, the occupant of which proved sufficient blackmail to force Tobi's consent. Though initially unseen, the person in the coffin was later revealed to be the real Madara Uchiha.

Shinobi World War Arc
Frustrated when a revived Nagato is sealed by the recently freed Itachi Uchiha, Kabuto finds himself forced to use his trump card but it's only after Naruto Uzumaki takes out several more revived shinobi, that he has Mū summon the reincarnated Madara to the field. Forcefully removing his coffin's lid before voicing his assumption that Nagato had finally used the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to bring him back from the dead, Mū corrects Madara, explaining that Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation had been used instead. Somewhat shocked by the manner of his revival, the two confront the Fourth Division. Upon noticing the forehead protectors of the allied army, Madara asks who is responsible for the Impure World Reincarnation. However, as Mū does not know, Kabuto takes full control and, speaking through him, identifies himself as Tobi's assistant before informing Madara that he had been restored to an extent beyond even his prime. Finding it rather dreary to be spoken to through a corpse, Madara questions Kabuto with what he knew of his prime but admitting his ignorance, Kabuto requests a demonstration.

Given free reign, Madara begins his assault on the spectating Fourth Division, Gaara, Ōnoki and Naruto's shadow clone. Madara uses the Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation technique, which takes the combined efforts of several shinobi to extinguish. Obscured by the resulting steam as he attacks them directly, he commandeers a sword and proceeds to tear through their ranks. As Naruto attacks Madara from above while Ōnoki raises the ground below him, sending him on a collision course, Madara activates his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and uses Susanoo to shield himself from harm. After Gaara uses lightened sand to separate Madara from his protection and to pull him into the path of an oncoming Rasenshuriken, he activates his Rinnegan and uses the Preta Path's ability to absorb the attack. When Kabuto tries to take credit for the improvements to Madara's powers, Madara remarks that he shouldn't get the wrong idea, as they weren't his creation. Together with Susanoo, he then forms three hand seals and pulls an enormous meteorite down from the atmosphere, directing it towards the battlefield.

Unconcerned by the prospect of destroying himself and Mū, aware that they'll both reform afterwards, Madara recognises Ōnoki as he flew towards the meteorite in an attempt to lighten it and stop its descent. Congratulating his and Gaara's successful efforts, Madara questions Ōnoki as to how he would deal with a second one as another meteorite collides with the first, overwhelming Ōnoki and killing the majority of the Fourth Division. After reforming, Madara remarks that he hadn't enjoyed a view such as this in a long time, as he stands amidst the rubble left in the wake of the impact.

After reforming, Kabuto informs Madara that he theorised that he had obtained a portion of Hashirama Senju during their confrontation, despite losing to him. Madara then proceeds to check underneath his shirt, after which he complements Kabuto on his preparation, before asking if he knew of their plan. Notified of Kabuto's uncertainty that the "fake" will act accordingly, Madara attempts to summon Kurama but is unable to do so as it is still sealed within Naruto. Learning that Naruto is from the same clan as Mito Uzumaki, he opts to attack using Nativity of a World of Trees instead of pursuing the real jinchūriki, yet this is countered by a Kurama-empowered Naruto who destroys the opposing forest, to which Madara commends him.

Lamenting that he didn't get the opportunity to explore his abilities further, Madara belittles the still defiant Ōnoki, remarking that it was natural for shinobi to spend their entire life in battle and as such, mankind would be better served sleeping peacefully under an. Charging towards the few remaining survivors alongside Mū, they are however repelled by Tsunade and A, who had just been transported to the battlefield. Looking on in shock, Madara is confronted by all five of the current Kage.

Deeming this an adequate test of his abilities, Madara leapt upwards to avoid Mei Terumi's attack but was instead intercepted by A, who knocks him into the lava below. Activating his Susanoo to protect himself, he is plunged even deeper into the molten liquid by A, before being completely immersed by another torrent of lava. Emerging unharmed whilst sheltered by his Susanoo, Madara commends A and Mei's respective offensive abilities, before deciding to assess the Kage's defensive capabilities using Yasaka Magatama. However, when his attack is blocked, Madara breaks through their dual-layered defence with his Susanoo's blades, only for his vision to be obscured as the Kage launch another strategy. Unable to react to the quickly approaching A, thanks to Ōnoki's assistance, their combined efforts allow A to punch through Susanoo and hit Madara.

As the battle continues, Madara repels and destroys Ōnoki's looming golem using Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, distracting the Kage. Ambushing them from behind and knocking them into the forest below with his Susanoo, he sets the trees ablaze, just as the Kage succumb to the effects of the pollen. However, Ōnoki quickly manages to rouse himself and destroy the surrounding flowers, hitting Madara in the process and exposing a face formed from Hashirama Senju's tissue, jutting out of the left side of his chest. Hearing Tsunade's reaction, he questions if she was a descendant of Hashirama, noting his intention to kill her first if she was. When Mei retorts his remark by saying that it was a basic tactic to eliminate the medical-nin first, Madara corrects her, stating he would do it simply because of Tsunade's ancestry and that she couldn't delay their deaths anyway. He then belittles Tsunade further for being a woman who, despite being Hashirama's descendant, possessed neither Wood Release nor medical ninjutsu that could compare to those of Hashirama, before declaring that while weak people were ugly, weak Senju were even more so. Tsunade admits to most of what was said but rebuffs Madara's opinion that she was weak, claiming that what she had inherited wasn't just mere strength, but the undying Will of Fire.

Rebuking Tsunade's belief that this would lead to his defeat, by saying power was in fact an actual thing, Madara then listens to her retort of how the will of the deceased allowed her to reform the system of medical-nin. Hearing all four rules yet unaware of her technique, he uses his Susanoo to protect himself from Tsunade's punch but when she easily fractures it, Madara considers how her strength was superior to A's. When Madara counters, he is instead repelled by Mei, before his Susanoo is shattered by A and Tsunade. Crashing to the ground, he admits Tsunade wasn't that weak but reprimands her recklessness, as her death would trouble the others. Thinking of how he would have taught Hashirama to resurrect himself if he'd knew how weak shinobi would become, Madara says that all Hashirama left behind was the power he held, similar to how Izuna left only his eyes and their powers. After Tsunade angrily responds, Madara states that if anything could be passed down, it was simply hatred. Later struck by a powerful punch from Tsunade that seemingly allowed him to be bound and sealed, Madara suddenly impales her from below, just as he emerges from within one of the trees. He then reveals that they had instead sealed a wood clone, noting that only he could see through Hashirama's use of the technique in the past due to his ocular powers.

Reflecting on whom to target next, Madara is shocked when Tsunade instead shatters his Susanoo's sword and then attacks him using the broken blade. With the blade stuck in his Susanoo's ribcage, he counters and repels Tsunade, before recognising the similarities between her and Hashirama's techniques. As he questions whether they thought he could be stopped with his own technique, Madara is attacked from behind by Ōnoki, but he absorbs the Dust Release technique. He then explains that he deliberately let it hit him previously so he could expose Hashirama's face in the hopes that this would lower their morale, yet he was disappointed to see that it had the opposite effect. When Tsunade states that while they were outwitted by the wood clone, it could also be said that he had no other option but to use it, Madara blames it on fighting five people at once. Denying that he thought of them as cowards for confronting him together in response to Mei, he asserts that the current odd was the perfect number to have fun and proceeds to create multiple wood clones, sending five to each Kage. Regurgitating Mei's sentiments, Madara asks the Kage not to call him a coward given who they were, before asking if they preferred the clones to use Susanoo or not.

Observing the Kage being overwhelmed by the clones and their respective Susanoo, Madara identifies Ōnoki and his experience as the biggest threat, after the latter rescued an immobilised A from certain death. Determined to break Ōnoki's will as he rallied the Kage to face him once more, he was instead forced to flee from the approach of an enormous Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, as it engulfed and destroyed his clones. Struck by Mei's attack, which contained both Gaara's sand and A's lightning-natured chakra, Madara's body is numbed long enough from him to start being sealed. Acknowledging the Kage's might, he manifests his final Susanoo, freeing himself in the process. With this, Madara declares that everything — including the power of the five Kage — was futile against his Susanoo's perfect form.

Trivia

 * can be translated as "spots".
 * Though Tobi proclaimed that he was Madara, the two men do seem to have similar goals, and there is evidence that they are acquainted and collaborating.
 * According to the third databook:
 * Madara's hobby was falconry.
 * Madara's favourite food was inarizushi, while his least favourite was roe.
 * Madara wished to fight the upper class Konoha ninja.
 * Madara's favourite phrase was, which refers to defeating someone with a single blow.

Quotes

 * (To Ōnoki and Mū) "There is no alliance. From here on, you will obey Konoha! And never, ever say that shinobi's name around me!"
 * (To Kurama) "Nine-Tails, you are merely a momentary life, a temporary existence of coalesced energy… energy that once was a single, ultimate form! An unstable force, lacking in intelligence or sapience, you require a guide to show you purpose. That guide is the Uchiha! The tailed beasts are but slaves to those with blessed eyes. Obey!"
 * (To Ōnoki) "Don't give me that look. I taught you once before how far beneath me you are."
 * (To Ōnoki) "That is the cycle of life. How have you lived so long, yet learned nothing from our painful past?"
 * (To and about Tsunade) "As if a medic ninja like her could delay your death a few seconds. Your techniques are worthless if compared to those of Hashirama Senju."
 * (To the five current Kage) "Now it's 5 vs. 1. Please don't call me a coward, you're the five Kage after all. Well then… I'll ask you one question. Do you prefer the clones to use Susanoo… or not?"