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
The masked-individual known only as "Tobi" is a mysterious ninja of unknown origin, his true identity concealed with only a Sharingan seen behind his mask. He claims himself to others as Madara Uchiha, the ninja who battled Hashirama Senju in what became the Valley of the End and seemingly died while Kurama was sealed within Mito Uzumaki. Being intimately familiar with Madara's history, Tobi shares his animosity towards Konoha and the Senju, even going far to claim himself as Madara by stating facts that only the ancient ninja would know first hand. But as Madara is aware of Tobi's existence, it only makes the latter more of an enigma.

Years before Naruto was born, Tobi apparently played numerous roles like encouraging Yahiko to form the Akatsuki, and "giving" the Rinnegan to Nagato years earlier. When Nagato became Pain, Tobi allowed him to be the Akatsuki's figurehead leader while he operated from the shadows. During the Third Shinobi World War, he also acquired Obito Uchiha's right Sharingan at the ruins of Kannabi Bridge. When he discovered a chance to obtain Kurama when the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki Kushina Uzumaki would be going into childbirth, Tobi tracked her down and took the newborn Naruto Uzumaki hostage to keep his father, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, from interfering.

Once Kurama broke free, Tobi placed the Tailed Beast under his control and ordered it to destroy Konoha. Using his space–time technique to keep Minato from arriving to the village's defense, Tobi engaged Minato before being hit a Rasengan and branded for Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique. 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.

Tobi also orchestrated the events in Kirigakure, manipulating the Fourth Mizukage Yagura into leading his village into the years of the "Bloody Mist". Though Kisame Hoshigaki was one of the few Kirigakure ninja to know the truth, he aided Tobi to bring about an end to the "world of lies".

Eight years after Kurama's attack, Tobi infiltrated Konoha in an attempt 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 Madara decades earlier. Tobi complied, training Itachi and providing assistance during the massacre. Around this time Tobi also met with Danzō Shimura, whose organisation played a role in Yahiko's death and Nagato becoming Pain.

Personality
Tobi originally acted the role of the happy-go-lucky idiot, annoying most of the other Akatsuki members, especially Deidara who frequently attacked him in a comedic fashion. Kisame, on the other hand, appreciated Tobi's ability to brighten up a gloomy organisation such as theirs. That was all an act to conceal his true personality, apparently committed to keeping up his charade even when no-one was around (at least during the anime's filler arc). After Deidara's death and deciding to take up the mantle of Madara, Tobi begins to discard his role as the fool, using it one final time to distract the Eight Man Squad during Sasuke's battle with Itachi.

Tobi's true personality is extremely calm and very serious, yet is quite arrogant as he still has a habit of joking around and disrespecting those around him, as seen during his fight with Konan. However, Tobi is not above giving praise to his enemies, such as Kakashi for his speed or Minato for being able to wound him. He even has some respect for Hashirama Senju, though also despising the ninja like the rest of the Senju clan as he states to Konan that he had beaten Hashirama by "looking at the future". 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 everything decades in advance to achieve these goals.

Tobi has shown great ability in manipulating others to do his work for him, seeing his fellow Akatsuki members as mere tools to suit his agenda. 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 those he coerced and manipulated followed him willingly. 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.

Tobi has set his goals in getting Sasuke on his side to serve the Akatsuki's goals, taking advantage of Itachi's death to tell 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 as he gave him and his entire team death threats if they considered betraying him and the Akatsuki. However, Sasuke's descent into darkness while nearly killing Karin to pierce Danzō's heart eased Tobi as he delighted in the youth's embracing of his clan's heritage. 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. Regardless, Tobi believes that all Uchiha are destined to walk the same path of revenge against the Senju's remaining descendants in Konohagakure. Believing Sasuke's fate is to battle Naruto, who inherited the Senju's Will of Fire, Tobi is not above forcing them into killing each other if they can not do so willingly.

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 being blackmailed 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. Since his battle with Konan, Tobi became noticeably more aggressive and sadistic as seen when he had Fū used by Kabuto to reincarnate Torune after threatening him to reveal the inner workings of Impure World Reincarnation.

After being exposed when the real Madara is brought to the battle field, Tobi begins to 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, he fought on even grounds against Naruto, Killer B, Might Guy and Kakashi single-handedly, despite being outnumbered and the latter being extremely skilled and powerful shinobi.

He has shown immense chakra levels and the ability to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and Kurama, as well as forcefully transform and control his jinchūriki Six Paths of Pain into their tailed beast forms, all while maintaining his intangibility technique. This constant use of summons and third parties has become a key element in Tobi's fighting style.

Taijutsu
Tobi has displayed immense speed, easily able to compete with high-speed shinobi such as Killer B, Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, and Naruto Uzumaki. He was even able to fight on near even terms with Minato Namikaze. In the anime, he was even capable of easily evading Konan's high-speed paper chakrams despite having sustained considerable injuries from the previous assault, without the aid of his intangibility technique.

Tobi has shown himself 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 in both cases. Tobi possesses an immense level of endurance, as he is able to quickly recover even from the damage caused by a Rasengan.

Space–Time Ninjutsu
Possessing the right Sharingan of Obito Uchiha, Tobi has access to a specialised Space–Time Ninjutsu. It grants him two distinct, yet similar, feats: intangibility and teleportation. The eye serves as a gateway to a dimensional void, which he can instantly send parts of his body to and bring them back instantly, allowing him to seem "intangible" in the original dimension, which renders him 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. Tobi must become solid in order to interact 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.

The second part of his Space–Time Migration is 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 defence, 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. Due to his right Sharingan originating from the same source as Kakashi's left, he is immune to the Kamui technique itself, but attacks being transferred by the said technique can be used to harm him.

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. All of this considerable feat was used via his right Sharingan, which also grants him the Space–Time Migration, as mentioned above.

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.

Mangekyō Sharingan
Having obtained Obito Uchiha's Sharingan, Tobi has also gained access to the Mangekyō Sharingan through unknown means. With it, he can use techniques such as Kamui and his Space–Time Migration.

Tobi also possesses high knowledge of 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.

Tobi is also possess a set of giant shuriken stored in the other dimension, which he can instantly bring out to surprise and attack his foes. These shuriken are sharp enough to cut through Gyūki's tentacles. Aside from that he also has a set of giant stakes, which resemble a larger version of his chakra receiver rods, which produce chakra chains that can restrain a tailed beast.

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.

Other Skills
Tobi possesses the ability to find others no matter where they are with ease through unknown means. He has displayed aptitude with Earth Release nature transformation, being able to hide and move underground. Tobi can produce powerful barriers that can burn enemies on contact. Tobi has also displayed knowledge and ability in the surgical field. In particular, he 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.

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.

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
Irritated upon learning of Nagato's failure to capture Naruto and wasting the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique meant for Madara on the Konoha villagers he killed, Tobi sends Kisame to go after Killer B. Reaching Taka on mid route, Tobi informs Sasuke that Nagato already destroyed the village and directs them to follow Zetsu to the Land of Iron so they can assassinate the acting Hokage Danzō, a conspirator in the Uchiha massacre, at the Kage Summit. However, Tobi also gave Zetsu order to reveal their presence to the Kage.

While Sasuke fought the Kage, Tobi met with Naruto, who was also in the Land of Iron, to figure how he made Nagato have a change of heart. When caught by Kakashi Hatake and Yamato, introducing himself to them and Naruto as Madara, Tobi proceeds to tell them about the Sage of the Six Paths, the truth of the Uchiha clan and Sasuke's resulting descent into darkness. They doubt the validity of what he told them, but Tobi takes his leave after stating that Naruto and Sasuke are destined to fight to the death some day. Arriving as Sasuke was about to be killed by the Kage, Tobi sends him and Karin away so the latter can heal him. Though disappointed that Sasuke could not take the Kage hostage as he planned, to facilitate with his plans, Tobi states his joy in the youth's development of his Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo. Tobi 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. When the Kage refuse, Tobi declares the Fourth Shinobi World War in response before disappearing.

Tobi intercepts Danzō while he was fleeing the Summit, defeating Fū and Torune despite losing his arm to the latter's nano-sized, venomous insects. Tobi then teleported Sasuke and Karin to their location, showing Sasuke that he keeps his word by giving him Danzō while he observes the fight and Sasuke's fully developed Susanoo. When Sasuke emerges victorious, Tobi approaches the dying Danzō to take Shisui's eye, which was implanted in Danzō's right eye-socket. Managing to save himself and Sasuke from Danzō's Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique, Tobi takes Danzō's body while advising 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 informs him that Sasuke is dealing with his former Team 7 team-mates. Arriving to find Sasuke having a stand off with Naruto, telling Kakashi that his Kamui will have no effect on him, Tobi advises Sasuke to come with him as they can finish this fight later. They return to the Mountains' Graveyard, at Sasuke's insistence, Tobi implants Itachi's eyes into Sasuke before telling him to recuperate.

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 several 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 to find Nagato's corpse to take his Rinnegan. Immediately confronted by Konan, asking where Nagato's body is, Tobi tries to buy back her cooperation by informing her of his involvement in Yahiko's creation of the Akatsuki and Nagato's receiving of the Rinnegan, but she doesn't believe him. When Konan turns to paper and engulf Tobi, having mixed in explosive tags with her paper the moment he materialises to take him out in a suicide attack. Realising it almost too late, Tobi warps the explosion away at the cost of his right arm and having the upper part of his mask broken.

After Konan reveals she and Nagato placed their faith in Naruto as he is the light that would defeat his darkness, Tobi finds himself surrounded by six hundred billion explosives as Konan detonates them all for over ten minutes, seemingly ensuring that Tobi's five-minute long intangibility would not save him. However, Tobi sacrifices his left Sharingan to use Izanagi and survive the attack, though the upper left side of his mask is still blown off. Making his move as she lowers her guard, Tobi stabs Konan from behind with a pipe. Konan frees herself and prepares to attack again for the rain stops, resigning to her fate as she proclaims that Naruto is "a support holding the bridge that leads them to peace". Taking up the mantle of the "darkness that crushes light", Tobi grabs Konan by the throat and places her under a genjutsu to force her to reveal Nagato's location, leaving her to die the moment the illusion ends. When Tobi finds Nagato's body, he interprets Nagato's smile as his continued betrayal before closing the eyes and teleporting the body away to the other dimension.

Once back at his hideout, Tobi replaces his blinded Sharingan with one of Nagato's Rinnegan while adding a new arm and a change of attire with a mask. 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. Though Tobi is displeased when Kabuto fails in capturing either Naruto or B, after being talked out of using the Rinnegan's Human Path ability to extract intel from their captive, Tobi allows to be strengthened through Yamato's power.

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 toppled the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Tobi was futilely goaded to remove his mask by Naruto to prove that he was not tired from battle. Having fed it Gyūki's tentacle previously, he saw no option but to have the Demonic Statue devour the Benihisago and Kohaku no Jōhei to summon the Ten-Tails. Though noting that the beast would be imperfect, only giving the statue fractions of Gyūki and Kurama's chakra, Tobi remarks that it would still maintain its power. After revealing some familiarity with Kakashi and Guy, he proceeded to protect the statue until the summoning's completion. Utilising only his space–time ninjutsu and taijutsu, Tobi continued to overpower and elude his opponents, though seemingly leaving a small opportunity to damage the statue. However, when Kakashi's Kamui proves ineffective, Tobi chastises his naivety. While Naruto was able to contend with Tobi thanks to his sensory ability, neither his later strike nor Kakashi's lightning-infused kunai appeared effective, forcing Kakashi to warp his attack away. Although, upon landing, Tobi's mask bore a small crack.

Aware of this tiny crack, Tobi disregards it and erects a barrier around the statue to deflect B's opportunistic attack, declaring that he shouldn't be underestimated. As the shinobi enact their revised plan, he reads Guy's movements with his Sharingan, before promptly absorbing his Sōshūga. Naruto uses this instant to attack but, when his Rasengan seemingly dissipates after harmlessly passing through Tobi, the latter's right sleeve was inexplicably blown away. Now injured as he rips off his damaged sleeve, Tobi discerns that Kakashi uncovered the function of Space–Time Migration before the question of how both it and Kakashi's Kamui share the same dimension is brought up. When asked where he got the Sharingan from, Tobi responded that he obtained his right eye from the remains of Kannabi Bridge during the previous war. Shocking everyone present, Tobi chastise Kakashi's ideals while praising his Eye of the Moon Plan to be the only way to achieve peace. Chastising Naruto as well for still holding onto his dreams, Tobi listened on as Kurama speaks through the youth to inform that Naruto was made a jinchūriki to stop him before Naruto charges at him.

Chiding the young man for coming to face him alone, Tobi first phased through Naruto's initial attack and then sent three giant shuriken hurtling towards the young man. Two of these are deflected by B and the third by Naruto who told the masked man that he was never alone on the battlefield because he had Kurama and he wasn't alone now because he had B, Gyūki, Guy and Kakashi. Unperturbed by this, Tobi sets his sights on Kakashi and chides him telling him that he did not fear a borrowed power like Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan which he could only use a certain amount of times. Activating his own Mangekyō, he told the Copy Ninja that he would now show him the true power of Kamui. Jumping into the air, Tobi sent out several chakra receivers which impaled the Eight-Tails and began to bind it. With Naruto wielding a Rasengan comes into close-range of Tobi, the masked man sends out another stake which seemingly dispels the clone. As he is faced with a Tailed Beast Ball, Tobi noted that it was slow-moving before making himself completely intangible in order to phase through it. Now in the other dimension completely, Tobi is shocked to see Naruto there, and realised that Kakashi must have warped the clone away and not the Rasengan. With no time to react, the clones slams a Rasengan into Tobi's mask, breaking it.

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 databook(s):
 * 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; the same happens with Kakashi Hatake.

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…"
 * (To Kakashi) "You've seen reality, you should be able to understand… No wish can become true in this world. That's why I'm pursuing the dream of infinite Tsukuyomi. I want to build a world where heroes don't have to make pitiful excuses in front of graves."