Tobi

is one of the main antagonists of the series who, among other things, played an integral role in the formation of Akatsuki, was directly responsible for the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha and served as a covert participant in the Uchiha clan massacre. He is known as a harbinger of destruction, and a master of deception, whose history is predominantly shrouded in mystery. To further his plans, he has claimed to be the legendary shinobi Madara Uchiha with plans of global domination.

Background
Before the era of ninja villages, Madara Uchiha was the leader of the Uchiha clan, the first person to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan (and likewise its "eternal" form), a co-founder of Konohagakure, and a man able to tame even Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Madara and Hashirama Senju, Konoha's First Hokage, eventually fought over leadership of Konoha at a site that would later be called the Valley of the End. History recorded that Madara was killed during the battle and the Nine-Tails taken from him. Decades after, a masked-individual known only as "Tobi" surfaced. He later identified himself as Madara Uchiha. Tobi claims to have encouraged Yahiko to form Akatsuki as well as the one who "gave" the Rinnegan to Nagato. Until the events of Part II, he has been operating in secret, allowing Nagato to serve as the figurehead of Akatsuki under his direction.

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. Similarly, Tobi is also in possession of some of Hashirama's DNA. Tobi is otherwise intimately familiar with Madara's history, sharing his animosity towards Konoha and the Senju and even going so far as to claim that Izuna Uchiha willingly gave up his eyes to Madara in order to form the "eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan. 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 confirmed to have done various things in the past under the name "Madara Uchiha". For the sake of convenience, this man shall be referred to as "Tobi".

Twelve years before the start of the series, Tobi discovered that Kushina Uzumaki, Kurama's jinchūriki, would be going into childbirth, causing the seal keeping Kurama contained within her to weaken. Tobi found where Kushina was being kept, killed her ANBU bodyguards and midwives, and took her son, Naruto, hostage. Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, took Naruto back from him, in doing so separating himself from Kushina and allowing Tobi to kidnap her. As the seal was about to break, Tobi used his Sharingan to put Kurama under his control. Since Kushina survived the extraction, Tobi tried to have Kurama kill her. Minato arrived in time to save her and retreat. Tobi, uninterested, summoned Kurama into Konoha and ordered it to destroy the village.

Minato soon afterwards arrived to help in the village's defence. Before he could contribute much or even tell anyone what had happened, Tobi located him and tried to use his space–time technique to send him away and prevent further interference. Minato was able to use his own teleportation technique to escape, but Tobi pursued him. The two began fighting and Minato struggled to successfully strike Tobi. After several failed attacks, Minato finally hit Tobi with the Rasengan and branded him with a seal for his Flying Thunder God Technique, allowing him to teleport to Tobi whenever he wanted. He then used a Contract Seal on Tobi to remove Kurama from his control. Wounded and deprived of his best weapon, Tobi fled, stating that Kurama would be his again someday and that he still had other plans.

Eight years after Kurama's attack, Tobi infiltrated Konoha to try to rekindle the flames of war under the guise of Madara Uchiha. He was found by Itachi first, who convinced Tobi to spare the village in exchange for helping to wipe out the Uchiha clan for deserting him decades earlier. Tobi complied, training Itachi and providing assistance during the massacre. Around this time Tobi also met with Danzō Shimura.

Tobi took control of the Fourth Mizukage, in effect making him the "real" Mizukage, leading Kirigakure into the years of the "Bloody Mist". Kisame Hoshigaki was one of the few Kirigakure ninja to know of his manipulation of the Fourth. Kisame helped Tobi in his quest to bring about an end to the "world of lies".

Personality
Prior to identifying himself as Madara, Tobi was happy-go-lucky and goofy, something that annoyed most of the other members of Akatsuki. Deidara, who believed all the members of Akatsuki should be serious and calm, was not pleased with Tobi's childish personality, and frequently attacked the latter in a comedic fashion when annoyed. Kisame, on the other hand, appreciated Tobi's ability to brighten up a gloomy organisation such as theirs. Apparently, Tobi is very committed to keeping his identity secret, as he has been seen keeping up his goofy appearance even when no-one was around (at least during the anime's filler arc). Once he publicly takes up the mantle of Madara, however, he largely abandoned this childish persona, using it only to distract the Eight Man Squad during Sasuke's battle with Itachi. However, Zetsu continues to call him Tobi, and Tobi himself stated that Naruto and Killer B could call him such as well after discovering he was not Madara Uchiha, although he did not really care for the matter.

Tobi's true personality is extremely calm and very serious, but he still has a habit of joking around and disrespecting those around him. He is extremely arrogant, insulting even the strongest ninja and treating Akatsuki members as mere tools. During his battle with Konan, he looked down on her abilities as a ninja and showed some degree of contempt for her, until she destroyed his right arm and caused considerable injury to his face and eyes. While speaking derogatorily about Nagato, he still recognised his power as the strongest in Akatsuki and for possessing the Rinnegan. There are only a handful of exceptions that he admires, the most prominent being Hashirama Senju, whom he also despised the most. Despite his arrogance, he is not above giving praise to his enemies, like Kakashi for his speed or Minato for being able to wound him. However, he is fast to return to his egotistical persona, as he claimed to Konan that it was he who truly won the battle against Hashirama Senju, by "looking at the future".

Tobi has shown great ability in manipulating others to do his work for him. Minato believed that he was using Nagato's ideology against him in order to control him. He was able to turn Kisame into one of his most loyal followers under the promise that he would release him from his pain by creating a "world without lies". He similarly befriended Sasuke in order to get him to join Akatsuki by telling him about Itachi's past even though he has an apparent interest in Sasuke and his abilities. He appears to have a somewhat twisted outlook with respect to this, often avoiding responsibility by claiming that people acted voluntarily, though in reality they were coerced or manipulated by him.

Tobi has set his goals in getting Sasuke on his side to serve Akatsuki's goals. As such, he was pleased that when Itachi died, no one would be able to prevent him from telling Sasuke the truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Tobi expressed disappointment when Sasuke failed to retrieve the real Killer B, and was worried that he may not be easy to control. He even threatened to kill Sasuke and his entire team if they ever dare betray him and Akatsuki. However, whenever Sasuke enters deeper into the darkness of revenge, Tobi shows delight, the most prominent being when Sasuke's hatred fully develops Susanoo, and when he sacrificed Karin to pierce Danzō's heart. Despite this, Tobi claims to A and Kabuto Yakushi that he is willing to seemingly hand Sasuke over to them, when the situation is right.

Tobi possesses great hatred towards the Senju clan, especially Hashirama Senju, and the Senju-led Konohagakure, though he still admires Hashirama for his power. This hatred led Tobi to a life dedicated to revenge. Tobi believes that all Uchiha are destined to walk the same path of revenge against the Senju and Konohagakure, and that Naruto, who has inherited the Senju's Will of Fire, is fated to battle Sasuke, who has inherited the Uchiha's hatred, even if Tobi himself must force them to do so. Tobi also seems to admire the Sage of the Six Paths, or at least just his power as he has gone to extreme lengths to obtain the Rinnegan, the Ten-Tails, and the powers of the Senju clan producing Izanagi, and has been planning decades in advance to achieve these goals.

Despite his calm demeanour and intelligence, Tobi has shown a habit of taking very risky gambles to advance his plans, such as revealing Itachi's wishes and his own involvement in the Uchiha clan massacre to Sasuke, sending him to fight against the five Kage, involving himself with the equally dangerous Kabuto after Kabuto blackmailed Tobi into having no alternative and even attempting to complete his Eye of the Moon Plan despite not having the full chakra of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails.

Tobi seems to enjoy sitting down and taking his time with things, especially when telling stories, just like he told Itachi's story to Sasuke and his Eye of the Moon Plan to the Kage and the samurai. Since the start of his battle with Konan, Tobi has become noticeably more aggressive and sadistic. After retrieving the Rinnegan, he went so far as to use Fū as a sacrifice for Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation to reincarnate Torune to test out Kabuto's abilities, as well as threatening to kill Kabuto, should he betray him, despite Kabuto previously being the one with the upper hand through blackmail. He has also shown a degree of nihilism and single-minded determination when wholeheartedly wanting to complete his plans to dominate a world he has deemed worthless and full of misery, going as far as to discard his identity as irrelevant and declaring that he was "no-one" nor wished to be anyone. After initiating the Ten-Tails' revival, Tobi became more fierce and defensive, even going as far as to declare that he would do everything within his power to protect the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and stating he would not let anyone interfere with the revival and ultimately, his Eye of the Moon Plan.

Appearance
Tobi is very determined in keeping his face concealed when in the presence of his enemies and even some comrades. To do this, he has worn masks of varying designs over the years. In the past, he wore a flame-patterned mask, accompanied by long hair reminiscent of Madara Uchiha. This hair also has a slight bluish tint, similar to Madara's. When he later switches to an orange, swirl-pattern mask he cuts his hair back considerably. Both of these masks only show his right eye. On the few occasions where Tobi's face has been partially uncovered, he is seen wearing bandages covering his forehead, along with his torso and legs. It can also be seen that he is elderly, due to his pronounced under-eye bags and creases. Under his Akatsuki cloak, he wears a black long-sleeve top that also covers his neck and chin, a pair of black gloves, and a pair of dark blueish/black pants along with the standard Akatsuki shoes and white stirrups. On his waist, he wears a thick black belt with armour-like metal plates attached to it. Before revealing his false identity as Madara, he wore Sasori's ring on his left thumb.

After his fight with Konan, Tobi changed his appearance once again. His mask changed to a white one with a puple tint that covers the entire upper-half of his head with a design that more resembles the Ten-Tails' single eye, consisting of a ripple-pattern with three tomoe around the centre, two of which make out the mask's eye-holes while the third is painted on. He also started wearing dark blue Uchiha robes complete with the Uchiha crest on his back, light blueish/white belt sash, black gloves and a purple bandanna that tapers off down to his back, as well as wielding a war fan near identical to Madara Uchiha's, with the exception of being purple instead of orange.

Abilities
A mysterious shinobi, not much is known about Tobi's true overall abilities. Tobi in the past has admitted that he is not as powerful as Madara was before being defeated by Hashirama Senju and was further handicapped by the Nine-Tails' sealing into various jinchūriki, depriving him of a powerful weapon. Though from what has been seen of Tobi, he is a very powerful ninja being able to fight equally against Minato Namikaze and defeat a highly-skilled S-rank ninja like Konan one-on-one. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, despite being outnumbered, Tobi was able to easily outmanoeuvre and counter many coordinated attacks planned by Killer B, Naruto, Kakashi, and Guy, as well as keep up with Naruto in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Prior to outing himself as Madara, Tobi's only apparent claim to fame was his speed. In the anime, he was capable of easily evading Konan's high-speed paper chakrams despite having sustained considerable injuries from the previous assault. He is physically strong enough to stop a slash from Suigetsu's Kubikiribōchō with a single arm without getting hurt, hold Konan off the ground and strangle a Konoha ANBU to death, using only one hand on both cases. Tobi possesses an immense level of endurance, as he was able to quickly recover after being hit by Minato's Rasengan. His chakra levels are enormous, as it allows him to summon the powerful Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and the Nine-Tails, as well as forcefully transform and control his jinchūriki Six Paths of Pain into their tailed beast forms, all while maintaining his intangibility technique. He possesses the ability to find others no matter where they are with ease through unknown means. Tobi has shown to be an Earth Release user, being able to hide and move underground. Tobi can produce powerful barriers that can set enemies ablaze. A key element in Tobi's fighting style is his constant use of third parties to battle in his stead, as shown in his use of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and his Six Paths of Pain in various battles.

Throughout the series, Tobi has lost several limbs. The loss does not seem to cause him any pain however, and a white substance is shown flowing from the wounds along with blood. It was later shown that he is able to recreate his limbs through an unorthodox method. Overall, due to being imbued with the First Hokage's cells, Tobi has managed to extend his life to the point where it is believed by others that he may have become immortal.

Tobi has displayed knowledge and ability in the surgical field. In particular, Tobi was able to remove and preserve Itachi's eyes after his death and later successfully transplant them to Sasuke as well as somehow implanting the Rinnegan into his own left eye after losing his Sharingan.

Space–Time Ninjutsu
Tobi is almost completely impervious to damage. When struck, attacks pass right through him, though he sometimes pretends to be hurt or cry out in pain to toy with his opponents. It was speculated by Kakashi that he uses a space–time ninjutsu to instantly send himself or even parts of his body to different locations or some sort of void and then instantly bring them back. The only time Tobi's solidity can be confirmed is when he interacts with others, leaving him susceptible to counter-attack when he does so. In his battle with Konan it was revealed that he can only make himself continuously intangible for about five minutes. He also seemingly has the ability to make whatever he's touching at the time, intangible as well.

Tobi also shows the ability to travel long distances within relatively short time-spans. While he is usually seen using this ability on himself, avoiding attacks rather than relying on his imperviousness, he can teleport anyone. When he teleports Karin and Sasuke, he sends them to what is a separate dimension. They are forced to stay there until he chooses to release them. The chakra signatures of those that have been teleported completely vanish. His right eye appears to be the basis for this transportation. It was shown that his body is tangible when he absorbs people, making it possible to attack him, as seen when Konan and Torune managed to injure him when he tried to absorb them. Konan also states that he must solidify before he can absorb himself and that it takes longer to absorb himself than it does someone or something else. Minato Namikaze himself commented on Tobi's proficiency in space-time ninjutsu, dubbing it more versatile than both his own and Tobirama Senju's.

Overall, Tobi favours using his intangibility for defense, letting his opponents and their techniques phase through him, and absorbing his foes while they are off-guard for attack, this becoming the central element of Tobi's fighting style, to the point were he has yet to be seen using more battle-traditional styles of ninjutsu.

Sharingan
Tobi seems to be able to keep his Sharingan active at all times with minimal drain on his chakra levels. He has displayed powerful Sharingan genjutsu abilities, being able to completely control the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, forcing Konan into revealing the whereabouts of the Rinnegan, and trapping both Fū and Torune in a genjutsu for a considerable amount of time.

Possessing both Uchiha and Senju DNA, Tobi is able to use Izanagi: a technique the Uchiha deemed a kinjutsu since the user's Sharingan is stricken with blindness and sealed away forever. Unlike Danzō, Tobi was able to maintain Izanagi during his battle with Konan for ten consecutive minutes at the cost of only one Sharingan due to gaining control of Hashirama's DNA. His usage of the technique led to the sealing of his left eye.

Tobi was able to use his standard Sharingan to fully control Kurama. First, he focuses on Kurama's eyes, causing the Sharingan to appear over them, and then the Sharingan's tomoe disappears as the pupil enlarges. After that, he can then use the Summoning Technique to transport Kurama to anywhere he wants it. However, Minato Namikaze was able to remove his control over Kurama. Tobi has similarly been shown to control most of the other tailed beasts. However, when doing so, Tobi's Sharingan simply reflects off the beasts' eyes. In addition, when controlling so many at the same time, Tobi does not seem to have complete control over some of the beasts, as the Five-Tails was able to free itself temporarily.

Tobi has yet to be seen using or activating a Mangekyō Sharingan. He does, however, possesses high knowledge about the Mangekyō Sharingan and its various techniques. His understanding gives him a great advantage against other users, stating Kakashi's Kamui would have had no effect on him and somehow extinguishing Itachi's Amaterasu.

Rinnegan
Tobi implanted Nagato's Rinnegan into his left eye, replacing his Sharingan lost due to the usage of Izanagi. As wielder of the Rinnegan, Tobi can potentially master all five nature transformations and possibly use all the abilities of the Six Paths of Pain, since they are all Rinnegan abilities. With the Rinnegan implanted, he can also summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

He created his own Six Paths of Pain, made from the reincarnated jinchūriki, with them having both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan as he does by implanting them with chakra rods like Nagato. By combining the Demonic Statue with the Outer Path ability, Tobi can create chains which he can use to suppress the tailed beasts power and they are very difficult to remove. Tobi is able to use the chains to drag the beasts under his control into his own body or reseal them instantly inside the Statue.

Equipment
Tobi has been shown with a diverse range of weapons over the years. During the Fourth Shinobi World War he began carrying a war fan that Madara Uchiha was famous for during his life. Attached to the gunbai is a chain that is somehow connected to Tobi, which he uses to throw the fan as an alternate means of attacking (and defending the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path) his opponents rather than standard taijutsu attacks, as well as a method to get within proximity to absorb his enemies. During his fight with Minato, he used a long chain attached to braces on his wrist, which together resembled shackles. He used this in conjunction with his ability to become intangible, firstly allowing the adversary to harmlessly pass through his body, before solidifying once again as they emerged from the other side, only to restrain them in the trailing chain. Just before the Uchiha clan massacre, when meeting with Itachi, Tobi was seen carrying a sword on his waist.

The mask which he wears during the Fourth Shinobi World War has also been noted to be very durable, as Naruto headbutted him while in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode without even scratching it. Tobi states the reason for this is due to the mask being composed of materials that are "suited for war". The gunbai he uses also shares the durability, able to block a high speed Rasengan strike from Naruto in the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, then send him flying back a considerable distance.

Intelligence
As the leader and mastermind of the Akatsuki, Tobi is a master strategist and tactician. He is an observant and sharp thinker, capable of reading through several forms of deception. Even when on rare occasions where Tobi is caught off-guard he is capable of creating counter-strategies while maintaining a calm and composed demeanour. He has shown the ability to create complex, long-term plans centred around his goal of the Eye of the Moon Plan. He is also shown to be a flexible tactician, using alternate means to attain his objective when the original plan failed. During the Fourth Shinobi World War Tobi was confident in his original strategy (which did not include Kabuto's contribution) of fighting the Allied Shinobi Forces by making use of the unique abilities of his White Zetsu Army.

He is also shown as a master manipulator. For years he was able to command the Akatsuki from the shadows and later assume the false persona of a goofy and apparently harmless man in order to better observe his enemies. He is able to convince characters into working for him in direct or indirect ways such as Kisame, Nagato and Sasuke. Likewise, he was able to manipulate the entire ninja world into a war due to their fear of Madara's power.

Due to his advanced age, Tobi possess an immense and close knowledge of the workings of the ninja world which allows him to almost immediately identify most forms of ninjutsu and counter them if necessary, as well as assess an opponent's strength's (Kakashi for his speed, Shikamaru for his intelligence, etc). He has great knowledge of some secret forms of ninjutsu such as the fūinjutsu used to create jinchūriki, including when they're most vulnerable and how to extract a tailed beast. Tobi has studied and observed various shinobi for quite some time, such as sharing his views on Kakashi's life of regret and mocking Guy's forgettable memory of faces, as well as having information about certain members of the Aburame clan. He also has great knowledge of the history and abilities of several historical ninja such as Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, and the Sage of the Six Paths.

Kazekage Rescue Arc
After the death of Sasori, Tobi and Zetsu collect Sasori's ring. Tobi expressed interest in joining Akatsuki, believing that finding the ring would grant him membership. They then found Deidara's arm and the ring it wore, believing Deidara to be dead too. When Deidara appeared and demanded that Tobi give him his arm back, Tobi refused, prompting Deidara to comically try to choke him to death with his legs.

Hidan and Kakuzu Arc
During the sealing of The Two-Tails, Tobi is seen among the gathered Akatsuki.

Three-Tails Arc
Tobi was accepted into Akatsuki as Sasori's replacement and Deidara's new partner. He was assigned to capture the Three-Tails, and Deidara accompanied him. In the anime, during their search, they stopped to get a bite to eat at a dango shop. Deidara anxiously waits for Tobi to remove his mask so that he could see what he looked like underneath, but Tobi turned away, hiding his face. When they finish eating they split up. Tobi eventually found the lake and saw Team Three using the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier. He concluded that the technique was to seal the Three-Tails, and went after Deidara to inform him of his discovery. He returns with Deidara and watches as he kills two ANBU.

When they locate the Three-Tails, Tobi tried to convince Deidara to fight it in his place. The beast began chasing him, and Deidara used one of his bombs on it while it was distracted. The rest of the battle went unseen. Later on, Tobi started talking about how his technique was flawless, and now he understood why he had been assigned to the mission. Deidara retorted that he wouldn't have got far without his clay. Tobi later fell asleep on top the Three-Tails after making another cheeky comment, much to the anger of Deidara, who "woke him up" by detonating a clay bomb next to him.

Itachi Pursuit Arc
Akatsuki later receives news that Sasuke Uchiha had defeated Orochimaru. Deidara, angry that he wasn't given the opportunity to kill Orochimaru, brought Tobi with him to kill Sasuke instead. When they track him down, Tobi greets Sasuke as a distraction while Deidara attacks with his bombs. Sasuke survives the blast and proceeds to run his sword straight through Tobi, apparently disemboweling him. Tobi gets up immediately after collapsing, complaining about the speed of the attack. Tobi provides support to Deidara, but Sasuke keeps the advantage for the battle's duration. Deidara ultimately resorts to using C0 in an effort to kill Sasuke at the loss of his own life. Zetsu reported to the remaining members of Akatsuki that Tobi had been killed too, prompting Pain to remark that he was easily replaceable.

Pain and Konan meet with Tobi (now thought of as Madara) in Amegakure. Tobi remarks that Sasuke is developing nicely. Noting that Itachi will die soon, Tobi instructed Pain to capture Naruto Uzumaki, the host of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. He later appeared to distract the 8-Man Squad as Tobi while Sasuke fought with Itachi. The Konoha ninja had no success in striking him with their attacks, so Shino Aburame volunteered to fight Tobi one-on-one. With his bugs, Shino was able to box-in and catch Tobi, but Tobi was able to escape from this as well. Zetsu then arrived to inform him that Sasuke had killed Itachi. Tobi pointed out that he had known that this would be the outcome, and went to see Sasuke. He reaches Sasuke before the Konoha-nin can and takes him away.

Tobi tended to Sasuke's wounds and, when he woke up, offered to tell him about Itachi. Tobi tried to befriend Sasuke by removing his mask and revealing his Sharingan, something that triggered Itachi's Amaterasu in Sasuke's left eye against Tobi. Tobi retreats into the darkness while he puts out the flames, returning with his mask back on to muse about how Itachi never ceased to amaze him. After Sasuke asked what he was talking about, Tobi revealed that Itachi had most likely set it up so that the sight of his Sharingan would trigger the Amaterasu he had sealed within Sasuke. After Sasuke complained that he was making no sense, Tobi revealed that it was to protect him, and, when Sasuke still didn't believe him, Tobi introduced himself as the man who had helped Itachi assassinate the Uchiha clan. He told Sasuke about the Uchiha clan's history, Itachi's secret life, and the lengths he had gone to keep Sasuke and Konoha out of harm's way, as well as denying any involvement in Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha. Sasuke, regretting that he had killed Itachi now that he knew the truth, resolved to destroy Konoha for forcing Itachi into the life he had lived.

Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc
After Utakata was captured, Tobi alongside the other members of Akatsuki extracted the Six-Tails from him.

Invasion of Pain Arc
Tobi convinced Sasuke and the other members of Taka to start working with Akatsuki, the two groups having Konoha's destruction as a mutual goal. Before they could do that, however, he stated that Akatsuki needed the two remaining tailed beasts. Since Pain was still working on capturing Naruto, Tobi sent Taka to capture the Eight-Tails. After Taka left, Tobi spoke with Zetsu, discussing Akatsuki's actions up to that point. He went on to say that, although they had lost five talented ninja in Akatsuki, all of their efforts had brought him closer to "making Sasuke his".

After Taka captured the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B, Sasuke gave it to Tobi for Akatsuki to seal. During the extraction process, it was revealed to be a fake. Tobi remains silent while Kisame — recently made aware of Tobi's identity as the previous Mizukage — commented that Sasuke had been fooled in his attempt to capture the jinchūriki.

Five Kage Summit Arc
Zetsu informed Tobi of Nagato's failure to capture Naruto, his betrayal of Akatsuki, and his sacrificing himself to revive the Konoha villagers he killed. Irritated by the constant setbacks as well as Nagato's wasting the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique which was intended for Madara Uchiha, Tobi sent Kisame to capture Killer B. Then he went to confront Sasuke, who was taking Taka to Konoha. Tobi told them they are wasting their time, Nagato having already destroyed the village, but convinces Sasuke to go to the Kage Summit to kill Danzō, the new Hokage and a conspirator in the Uchiha's assassination. Tobi instructs Zetsu to lead Taka to the Land of Iron, but when they arrive he has Zetsu reveal their presence to the Kage.

While Sasuke fought the Kage, Tobi met with Naruto, who was also in the Land of Iron. He tried to figure out how Naruto was able to cause Nagato to have a change of heart, but was caught by Kakashi Hatake and Yamato. Rather than fight, Tobi told them about the Sage of the Six Paths, the truth of the Uchiha clan, and Sasuke's descent into darkness because of it. They doubt the validity of what he told them, but he persevered, saying that Naruto and Sasuke are destined to fight some day before disappearing.

As Sasuke was about to be killed by the Kage, Tobi rescued him. He sends Sasuke away, sending Karin with him to heal his injuries. Tobi voiced his disappointment that Sasuke was not more of a match for the Kage, having hoped to take them hostage to facilitate with his plans. He was nevertheless happy by the development of Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan in awakening Susanoo. He then explained his Eye of the Moon Plan to those in attendance, concluding by asking for their support by giving him Killer B and Naruto. They refused, so he declared the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War before disappearing.

Tobi intercepted Danzō while he was fleeing the Summit. Danzō has his bodyguards, Fū and Torune, fight Tobi while he prepared himself. Although forced to remove his arm during the battle because of Torune's nano-sized, venomous insects, Tobi was easily able to dispose of the two. Tobi then teleported Sasuke and Karin to their location, showing Sasuke that he keeps his word by giving him Danzō. Tobi observed the battle and was glad when Sasuke is finally able to fully develop Susanoo. When Sasuke emerges victorious, Tobi approaches the dying Danzō to take Shisui's eye, which was implanted in Danzō's right eye-socket. Danzō activated the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique in an attempt to take Tobi and Sasuke with him, but they are able to get out of range in time. He collects Danzō's body and suggests that Sasuke take some time to rest.

At his lab, Tobi discovers that Danzō destroyed Shisui's Sharingan. Cursing him, Tobi gets a new arm and makes plans to retrieve Nagato's Rinnegan to prepare for war. Before he can leave, Zetsu meets with him and tells him that Sasuke is in trouble. He returns to Sasuke and, finding him with Naruto and the rest of Team 7, again advises that Sasuke come with him to rest, noting that they can capture some other time. Before they leave Kakashi tries to attack Tobi with Kamui, but Tobi informs him it won't work. They return to the Mountains' Graveyard where Sasuke declares that he wants Itachi's eyes, his own eyes succumbing to blindness after his repeated battles. Once completing the procedure he tells Sasuke to rest.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
Tobi is soon afterwards confronted by Kabuto, who had mastered the abilities he obtained after assimilating the DNA of Orochimaru. Remembering that Kabuto was an Akatsuki spy who betrayed the organisation, Tobi prepares to kill him before being blocked by five coffins holding the deceased members of the Akatsuki (Sasori, Deidara, Itachi Uchiha, Nagato and Kakuzu) summoned through Impure World Reincarnation. Kabuto expresses interest in joining Tobi in the Fourth Shinobi World War, promising he can supply Tobi other "pawns" in return for Sasuke to continue Orochimaru's research in developing techniques.

When he asked what would happen if he refused, Tobi is horrified when Kabuto responds by summoning a sixth coffin containing Madara Uchiha. Seeing no other way as Kabuto is aware that Madara is actually dead, Tobi agrees to an alliance but gives Kabuto two conditions to follow: Kabuto would be watched at all times while in his base and that he would get Sasuke once the war ends. Kabuto accepts as he sends the coffins away. Still uneasy about the one holding Madara, Tobi leads Kabuto into his hideout so he can assess his battle strength and reformulate his war plans.

Tobi later infiltrates Amegakure and is immediately confronted by Konan. He asks her where to find Nagato's corpse so that he can take his Rinnegan. He tries to buy back her cooperation by informing her of his involvement in Yahiko's creation of Akatsuki and Nagato's receiving the Rinnegan, but she doesn't believe him. Konan turns to paper and engulfs Tobi. He believes that she is trying to catch him when he materializes, however, Konan had instead mixed in explosive tags with her paper. Tobi is able to warp the explosion away — saving both of their lives — at the cost of his right arm and having the upper part of his mask broken. Tobi asks why Konan and Nagato would place their faith in Naruto and she replies that Naruto is the light that will defeat the darkness that is Tobi. Konan then splits the lake beneath Amegakure, revealing six hundred billion explosives. She detonates them all over a period of ten minutes, longer than the five-minute period that Tobi can remain intangible for.

He sacrifices his left Sharingan to use Izanagi and survive the attack, though the upper left side of his mask is still blown off. Konan, believing he is dead, lets her guard down, allowing Tobi to stab her from behind with a pipe. Konan frees herself and prepares to attack again. Before she does so, the endless rain over Ame stops, surprising Konan and Tobi. Konan proclaims that Naruto is "a support holding the bridge that leads them to peace". Taking up the mantle of "darkness" that crushes the light, Tobi grabs her by the throat and places her under a genjutsu to force her to reveal Nagato's location and adds that she will die when the illusion ends.

When Tobi finds Nagato's body, he sees that he is smiling even in death, which Tobi interpreted as his continued betrayal. After closing Nagato's eyes, Tobi teleports the body away to the other dimension. Tobi returns to his hideout and replaces his blinded Sharingan with one of Nagato's Rinnegan, and gets a new arm, mask, and outfit. Kabuto complemented him on his efforts to gain new eyes, but Tobi rebuffed the statement, claiming that they were his to begin with. Upon Zetsu informing him of the intel they had received from Kisame on the current location of the jinchūriki, Tobi decides to go capture them. However, Kabuto offers to go instead if he is allowed to see the White Zetsu Army, which he offers to make stronger in exchange for one of the clones to experiment on. Tobi complies. Much to Tobi's displeasure, Kabuto fails in capturing either Naruto or B, but does bring back Yamato. Tobi contemplated using the Rinnegan's Human Path to extract intel from Yamato, but the cost would be Yamato's life. However, Kabuto convinces him that with a genjutsu and the proper drug, they can extract what they need. Tobi has his Zetsu Army strengthened by Kabuto using Yamato.

Shinobi World War Arc
With their forces amassed, Tobi gives the order to mobilise, signifying the start of the war. Despite voicing his concerns over Kabuto's control of the reincarnated shinobi, he decides to move the conspicuous White Zetsu Army underground, while leaving White Zetsu behind to harbour Sasuke. In the preceding confusion, Kabuto captures Anko Mitarashi but Tobi suspects that he had led her to their hideout intending to have him and the Allied Shinobi Forces destroy each other. Confident that he is still in control, Tobi nevertheless demands her death, yet Kabuto refuses on the grounds that she can help strengthen his technique, which is in their best interests.

To alleviate his unease, Tobi demands that Kabuto demonstrate the technique whilst revealing how to defeat it, before bringing out Fū and Torune, who have been kept under genjutsu since their capture. Breaking Torune's neck, he tells Kabuto to use Fū as a sacrifice to reincarnate the former, so he may observe. After doing what is asked of him, Kabuto remarks on how he couldn't acquire DNA from either Shisui Uchiha or Jiraiya, noting that Tobi is in possession of both from Danzō's right eye and the Six Paths of Pain's blood-stained weapons respectively. After Tobi tells him to remember his place, he is shocked when Kabuto declares that there are no risks to the user whatsoever, before being told how to stop the technique. Once satisfied, Tobi allows him to leave but verifies with Black Zetsu that some of White Zetsu's spores have been placed on Kabuto.

Later informed by Zetsu that Naruto and B are headed to the field, Tobi decides to finally join the fray, going to the location of the First Division and summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. As the Statue decimates the enemy, Tobi seeks out the Benihisago and Kohaku no Jōhei, which contain the Gold and Silver Brothers. Darui and Shikamaru conclude he plans to make use of the brothers' Nine-Tails chakra and attempt to stop him but, complimenting them on correctly deducing his intentions, Tobi has the Statue attack whilst he escapes with both items. Elsewhere, he voices his belief that his Eye of the Moon Plan will be realised the next day.

As dawn breaks on the following day, Tobi stands behind his own Six Paths of Pain comprised from the deceased jinchūriki, with each having a Rinnegan and Sharingan in place of their left and right eyes respectively. Aware of Naruto's ability to sense negative emotions from Kisame's intel and how he would most surely go after the White Zetsu Army, Tobi merely noted that everything was going according to plan, before setting out together with his Six Paths. As the five Kage resume their battle against the real Madara, Tobi while in pursuit of Killer B and Naruto, is head-butted by the latter immediately upon their encounter with one another.

Recovering from the attack, Tobi notes his disappointment that Naruto couldn't even scratch his mask, before observing the brief skirmish between the jinchūriki. When Naruto then remarks on his changed mask, which reveals a Rinnegan like those of Nagato and the other Madara, Tobi informs him that this mask was simply more suitable for war. Initially cursing Kabuto under his breath, while recollecting the time Madara was first reincarnated, he then began to laugh and calmly stated that his name was now irrelevant. Identifying himself as a "nobody", who cared only for the completion of the Eye of the Moon Plan, Tobi notes that as jinchūriki they should understand the misery of this world. After Naruto vows to remove his mask, he asserts that he'd have to work for it. The reincarnated jinchūriki then undergo partial transformations into their respective tailed beasts, as Tobi declares that he would capture both Gyūki and Kurama to "obtain" the Eye of the Moon. Watching the ensuing conflict, Tobi ultimately relocates to the tree tops, when Killer B assumes his full Eight-Tails form.

Seeking refuge underground to evade the subsequent devastation, Tobi emerges just before B can successfully seal the reincarnated jinchūriki and orders them to attack, after they adopt their Version 2-like forms. As the chaos unfolds, Tobi uses the opportunity to approach a restrained Naruto, where he remarks that superior numbers had triumphed. However, just as Tobi's hand makes contact with Naruto, seemingly ensuring his victory, he is attacked by Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake. Forced to become intangible, Tobi declares that "two small fry" would make no difference, after discerning that the pair had used Naruto as bait and waited for him to materialise. When the Five-Tails then tries to attack Tobi, he restrains the beast and reverts it back to Han's Version 2 form, as he slips from the Eight-Tails' grasp. Later praising Kakashi for discerning that the difficulty in controlling the tailed beasts resulted in the jinchūriki being unable to use the powers of the Six Paths, Tobi decides to become serious, forcefully transforming both Rōshi and Utakata into their respective tailed beasts.

Declaring his capture of the Nine-Tails when Naruto is swallowed by Son Gokū, Tobi manifests a chain around the beast's neck, intent on dragging the both of them inside of him. To his surprise however, multiple Naruto are suddenly expelled from the beast's mouth, causing him to retort that the latter didn't know when to give up. Tobi then curses when Naruto discovers the chakra receiver embedded in the beast, even with Son attacking him, but is confident that it wouldn't be so easy due to chains binding anything that touched the receiver. Despite this, Naruto removes the chakra receiver, prompting Tobi to immediately summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and reseal Son within it. Noting the futility in stopping just one beast, he declares that he would now display to them all of his "precious pieces", before ordering the remaining jinchūriki to transform into their respective tailed beasts.

Annoyed when all five of the beasts' attacks are easily deflected by Naruto, Tobi commands them to attack directly but as the battle turns in the opposition's favour, he concludes that it no longer matters if Naruto were to die and so, orders his tailed beasts to combine their power into a single devastating Tailed Beast Ball. Despite this attack being diverted and the remaining tailed beasts freed from his control, Tobi remarks that the situation hadn't changed, given that Naruto couldn't maintain his new form any longer and the tailed beasts' chakra had already been resealed. Tobi is then left confused when Naruto refutes this, as he claims to have learned several difficult names that Tobi was seemingly unaware of. Reaching for his gunbai, drops of water trickle down Tobi's arm, which he initially believes to be sweat. However, dismissing it as just rain, Tobi is still unable to comprehend a strange feeling surrounding Naruto, despite thinking of him as nothing but a mere amusement used to stimulate Sasuke. Deeming this to be unimportant, Tobi declared that all past and future existences would soon become irrelevant.

With the release of Impure World Reincarnation, he watched in shock as the incapacitated jinchūriki's bodies began to deconstruct. Realising Kabuto's failure, Tobi cursed him only for Naruto to remind him that his actual opponents were before him. After a combined assault managed to topple the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Tobi was goaded to remove his mask by Naruto to prove that he was not tired from battle. Having fed Gyūki's tentacle to it prior, Tobi is left with no recourse but to have the Demonic Statue devour the Benihisago and the Kohaku no Jōhei to summon the Ten Tails. Though noting the monster would be imperfect, only giving the statue fractions of Gyūki and Kurama's chakra, Tobi notes that it will still maintain its power. After revealing that he knows Kakashi and Guy to their astonishment, Tobi proceeds to protect the statue until the summoning is complete.

As Naruto makes his attack on Tobi, he lets him pass right through him and attacks both the shadow clone and him. Guy steps in the fight and tries to attack Tobi with his Sōshūga, but fails as Tobi lets the nunchaku pass through his head. Tobi then uses his gunbai to counter Guy's nunchaku, Guy then sends him throttling towards Naruto and his Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball. Tobi then sees Kakashi trying to use Kamui on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but with the jutsu failed, Tobi tells Kakashi that he is naive for trying. As Naruto's attack is about to make contact, Tobi teleports. He then emerges from the ground in a surprise attack, however, sensing his intent, Naruto dodges Tobi's attack. Tobi then uses his gunbai to attack Naruto and then pass through a rock to attack. Kakashi then leaps in to attack Tobi with his Lightning Release infused kunai. Kakashi launches it at Tobi, but becomes intangible and lets the kunai pass through him and kicks it towards Naruto. With the kunai launch at Naruto, Kakashi warps it away. Naruto then tries to use his chakra arm to land a blow on Tobi, but once again becomes intangible. Tobi then lands on a different rock and just then a tiny crack appears on his mask, the only damage suffered from their entire assault.

Noticing the crack in his mask, Tobi disregarded this as he erected a barrier around the statue in order to deflect B's attack, telling the shinobi not to underestimate him. Chiding Might Guy's attack, Tobi allowed his opponents Sōshūga to phase through him before catching them and warping them away. Following suit, Tobi phased through Naruto's incoming Rasengan which seemingly dissipated before Tobi's right sleeve was blown off. Standing, the masked man realised that Kakashi had warped the Rasengan to the other dimension.

Video Games
Tobi, using his Madara persona, is playable in Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 and Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact, as Tobi's Awakening Mode. In Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations Tobi, as he appears in his fight with Minato Namikaze, is playable.

Trivia

 * Tobi can be translated as, or as . The latter translation connects Tobi with Taka through the Japanese proverb , meaning that an extraordinarily gifted child can be born from ordinary parents.
 * Tobi's mask made a cameo appearance in the ending omake of Naruto: Shippūden episode 129 along with Baki's face and Haku's mask.
 * Tobi appears to have a liking for dango as seen in Naruto: Shippūden episode 99.
 * Though Tobi has proclaimed that he is Madara Uchiha, the two men seemingly know each other, and as it would appear they are working together.
 * According to the third databook:
 * Tobi's hobby is accompanying "Deidara-senpai".
 * Tobi's favorite phrase is given as.
 * Tobi is to serve as the main antagonist in Naruto 6: Road to Ninja, making him the first non-filler villain in a Naruto movie.
 * In the video games, such as Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact, Tobi can use Fire Release techniques due to being part of the Uchiha clan, though since he still wears his mask while doing so, it is unknown how this works outside game physics and in the main series.

Quotes

 * (To Minato) "Fourth Hokage… Minato. Back away from the jinchūriki or your son dies at the ripe old age of one minute."
 * (To Kisame, about his Eye of the Moon Plan) "It will be a new world… A world of truth, not lies."
 * (To Minato, about his reason for attacking Konoha) "Oh, you know… it's fun, it's part of my plan… to start a war… to bring peace…"
 * (To Pain and Konan)
 * (To Pain and Konan) "Soon… all our goals will be achieved… and when they are, everything will be as it should."
 * (To Naruto while talking about Sasuke) "The Uchiha is a clan destined for revenge…"
 * (To the Five Kage) "The concept of hope is nothing more than giving up. A word that holds no true meaning."
 * (Thinking to himself) "The moment people come to know love, they run the risk of carrying hate."
 * (To Konan) "There is no peace! There can be no hope! Nagato only believed in Naruto to try to comfort his own pitiful existence!"
 * (To Naruto and Killer B) "The war has already begun… My name no longer matters. You can call me by my old name, Tobi, if you prefer. Madara, Tobi… call me whatever you want."
 * (To Naruto and Killer B) " I'm no one… I don't want to be anyone. All I care about is completing the Eye of the Moon Plan."
 * (To Naruto and Killer B) "Individuality makes people blind to the truth. My words, the words of no one… are the true words that will lead this world to truth…"