Madara Uchiha

was a legendary shinobi who led the Uchiha clan prior to, and after the formation of Konohagakure. After allying with his rival, Hashirama Senju and the Senju clan, he and his clan helped in the founding of Konoha. After being reincarnated by Kabuto Yakushi during the Fourth Shinobi World War, he becomes one of the main antagonists in the series.

Background
Before the era of ninja villages, Madara was considered one of the most gifted members of the Uchiha clan alongside his younger brother Izuna Uchiha. Madara also competed with Izuna as training. Even by his clan's standards, Madara's chakra was especially strong. As a child, Madara met Hashirama Senju for the first time and became rivals at skipping stones. With their first meeting cut short after discovering the body of a member of the Hagoromo clan, the two would later meet again and Madara questioned Hashirama revealed that his brother had been killed in battle. Telling Hashirama that he himself once had four brothers, the pair discussed the prospect of peace for the world. It was here that Madara was finally able to skip his rock to the other side of the river. As they grew older, Madara's rivalry with Hashirama increased, and the two would meet by the riverbank, where they would spar and talk about changing the future. On one such occasion, Hashirama brought up the prospect of creating a village where children would not be sent to war and could grow up to be strong warriors.

These meetings were not to last, however, as Madara's father Tajima soon found out about the two boys meeting and planned an ambush. However, the two boys warned one another in time, and as they fled, their fathers and brothers confront one another. After the initial scuffle, Madara and Hashirama intervened, getting between their respective families. Madara, realising that he had to chose between Hashirama and their dream or his family, regretfully decided to end his friendship with the young Senju, determined to protect his brother Izuna. Hashirama tried to make Madara reconsider, but Madara refused to let go of his anger for the Senju. He announced his full name to Hashirama, awakening his Sharingan.

From then on, Madara would constantly battle Hashirama with the intent of erasing him from his past. Eventually, he and Izuna awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. With their newly obtained power, the two brothers became the head of the clan, with Madara becoming its leader. Sometime afterwards, Madara and Izuna fought Hashirama and Tobirama, where Izuna was mortally wounded by Tobirama. Madara retreated and Izuna died from his wounds but left Madara his eyes, granting him the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Madara later confronted Hashirama again with his new found ocular prowess, but nonetheless, after a day-long battle, he was finally defeated. Noting that he could not trust them any more, Madara told Hashirama that the only way to regain this trust was to either kill himself or his brother. When Hashirama resolved to kill himself, Madara stopped him, noting his courage and accepted the truce.

The Senju, the Uchiha, and all the clans they had conquered came together to form the ninja village Madara and Hashirama once dreamed of together. Ultimately, it was Madara who named the village Konohagakure. Madara's relationship with Hashirama steadily became much like from their childhood, sharing their ideas and hopes. When Hashirama told Madara about the plans for the village leader, who would be known as the Hokage, he wished to give the title of Hokage to Madara. Tobirama, however, noted that this should be a democratic decision and not a unilateral one, citing that in any case, the villagers would never accept Madara as such. Madara, who was spying on the Senju siblings, began to grow uneasy from this lack of trust, doubting the worth of this village. During the time he was a shinobi of Konohagakure, Madara approached Mū and Ōnoki where he informed them that despite the alliance that Iwagakure had made with Konoha, his village was to remain the dominant power and that from that point on, they would obey Konoha. Afterwards, Madara fought and defeated them when they engaged him in battle.

Later, Hashirama would instead be elected as Hokage and at the Naka Shrine, Hashirama expressed his wish that Madara inherit the title of Second Hokage once the villagers started seeing him in another light, however, Madara noted that Tobirama would more than likely inherit that title, and that when he did, it would not bode well for the Uchiha. Later meeting in the Naka Shrine, Madara told Hashirama his intent on leaving the village and he had a plan to make his dream become a reality while at the same time, falling victim to the Curse of Hatred once again. Hashirama tried to convince Madara to let him help his childhood friend, but Madara scoffed at Hashirama's attempt to follow him, saying that no one can get behind him.

Madara tried to rally support for challenging his leadership. Rather than help him, however, the Uchiha turned their backs on Madara, believing he only desired to rekindle the flames of war. Abandoned by his clan, Madara left the village, sought out Kurama, and subdued it using his Sharingan. He later returned in order to challenge Hashirama in battle, fighting at the site that would someday be called the Valley of the End. The battle waged well into the night, leaving both shinobi battered and exhausted and Madara stripped of his control over Kurama. With both of them too weak to use their strongest techniques anymore, they made one final clash, leaving Madara the one standing and looking down over Hashirama in victory. However, due to not having enough chakra to access his Sharingan, Madara couldn't tell that the defeated Hashirama was actually a clone, and was shocked to find the real Hashirama standing behind him and stabbing him through the chest. Quickly losing consciousness, Madara vowed that one day Konohagakure would be shrouded in darkness, and appeared to have died from his wound.

Possession of Kurama was completely taken from him by Hashirama's wife, Mito, and Madara was believed to have died. In spite of this, Madara survived the stab wound given to him by Hashirama and went into hiding. He then used Hashirama's cells, which he had acquired on the battlefield, and transplanted them into his wounds. Though he noted that nothing happened at first, when he was nearing the end of his natural lifespan, he awakened the Rinnegan. He also acquired the Wood Release kekkei genkai, and with both Senju and Uchiha DNA — the ability to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He later transplanted his Rinnegan eyes into Nagato without the young man knowing, and replaced his left eye with a spare Sharingan. When he met Obito years later, Madara had been reduced to using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as a life support system, constantly being supplied chakra by it or else he would die immediately. Also from the stolen cells of Hashirama, Madara used the statue to cultivate a living clone of Hashirama.

During the Third Shinobi World War, he saved Obito Uchiha after the battle of Kannabi Bridge, using artificial mass to replace the destroyed half of Obito's body. He told Obito that he would have to repay his debt to him slowly. Madara then left White Zetsu and a spiral-patterned clone with the task of guarding Obito and helping him with his rehabilitation, so he could be useful to him by the time he woke up. After Obito returned to him as he had predicted, Madara, now certain that Obito was sincere, carried him into a genjutsu and told him about the Sage of the Six Paths and the Ten-Tails. He then explained how he had awakened the Rinnegan, gained access to the empty shell of the Ten-Tails, and cultivated Hashirama's cells. He would go on to teach him various Uchiha kinjutsu, those of the Rinnegan and Yin–Yang Release. Before passing, Madara also created Black Zetsu by pouring his will into White Zetsu and also left part of his will in the chakra receiver which extends from the statue's navel. With that, Madara disconnected himself from the statue and, with his dying breath, told Obito to go and, until the time he was revived, he was to act under his name.

Fulfilling the legendary Uchiha's request, Obito, later known as "Tobi", began operating under his name while concealing his face. Due to his first-hand knowledge of Madara's actions and deeds, other shinobi were led to believe he was in fact the legendary ninja himself. However, thanks to researching the matter with Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi learned the truth behind Madara's time after the Valley of the End and actual death, reincarnating the ninja to blackmail Tobi into letting him aid him during the Fourth Great Shinobi World War where Kabuto partly exposed Tobi's deception.

Personality
As a child, as well as before his corruption, Madara was a kind, temperamental and highly competitive child who wanted to perfect everything he did. Despite this, he was apologetic and highly sensitive to his surroundings, as revealed when he comically stated that he wasn't able to urinate with others standing behind him, and when he constantly tried to comfort Hashirama when he thought he hurt his feelings. Madara was also prone to angry outbursts when he got annoyed, as referenced when Hashirama would tease him about not being able to skip a rock to the other edge of a river when they were boys. Due to the harsh nature of the times they lived in, Madara believed that the only way to survive in the shinobi world was to make allies with your enemies, an ideal shared by his rival, whom eventually became his close friend and ally. Madara and Hashirama came to care about each other over their own clans going as far as to purposely leak information to each other about a trap their respective clans laid out. For a brief time as an adult, Madara tried to believe in the old ideals he used to have as he and Hashirama rekindled their friendship, even reacting with the same mannerisms he used to have.

As he grew older, Madara became a very confident and prideful man, witnessed in his belittlement of Ōnoki both after his reincarnation and in the past, in his berating of Mei Terumī's technique, in the fact he uses relatively weaker attacks in his arsenal initially and works his way up to his more powerful techniques when the situation requires it and the fact he believes that using more powerful techniques more than once in a battle would be disgraceful. Conversely, he isn't above praising the abilities of others as he openly called both Mei and A's abilities an impressive offence, and Gaara and Ōnoki's manoeuvre an impressive defence, also commending the two being able to stop his first meteorite, as well as commending Naruto for countering his Wood Release attack. Having respect for Naruto, Madara tried to reason with him that the Eye of the Moon Plan was for the good of mankind. However he has also been shown to be spiteful, degrading Tsunade while comparing her to her grandfather, after saying he would kill her first out of the five Kage because she was a Senju. Madara is, however, an honest individual and is willing to admit when he is wrong as after Tsunade tag-teamed him with A, he admitted she was not weak at all. Madara is also willing to admit when someone is stronger than he is as he openly admitted that Hashirama could stop him during his battle with the five Kage. Madara, however, isn't above reprimanding others for recklessness or stupidity as he criticised Tsunade for attacking him without thinking of what the other Kage would do for treatment if she was killed and criticised the five Kage as a group for worrying too much about the flowers in his technique and not watching their backs. He also has a habit of referring to fighting as 'dancing'.

Madara has a dark sense of humour, as shown when he created multiple wood clones and surrounded each of the five Kage with five clones — thereby reversing the original five vs. one situation — and asked if they preferred the clones to use Susanoo or not, referred to incinerating the forest as "creating coal" after knocking the five Kage into it, and when asked by Naruto what had happened to the Kage, he stated that they were "not okay". Madara also referred to the Ten-Tails' attack as a form of fun despite knowing the large amount of damage it would do. He has a very jaded and emotionless approach towards the tragedies of war, to the point of light-heartedly joking about them, as seen from his cheer at having "destroyed the alliance's mind", which further demonstrates his knack for reversing the situations he finds himself in. Madara also believes power is something tangible that can be passed down through generations and that the will of a dead person cannot be inherited, as it is not tangible. While contesting Hashirama for the title of Hokage, Madara in his own way, was very loyal to Konohagakure, as he tried to force Iwagakure into serving Konoha, even after an alliance had been formed between the two villages. Despite his pride and confidence in his immense power, Madara is shown to be highly cautious as he created a wood clone of himself at some point when the five Kage lost sight of him, in order to lessen the chances that they would catch him off guard.

As an Uchiha, Madara possesses a certain trait that is known as the Curse of Hatred, which greatly augments his power but also his hatred and his submergence in darkness when he loses someone important to him. It was this curse, led him to oppose the truce offered to him by Hashirama because Hashirama still had a sibling while Madara had lost all of his, and when Hashirama was selected to be Hokage instead of Madara, he defected from Konoha and attempted to attack the village after failing to replace him. His animosity towards Hashirama was particularly strong, going as far as to forbid Ōnoki from mentioning that name in front of him ever again. Nevertheless, Madara possesses a high level of respect and admiration for Hashirama as well as the Senju name as seen during the Fourth Shinobi World War where he would praise and curse Hashirama or other members of the clan in the same breath. Conversely, he also lamented that he would have taught Hashirama how to resurrect himself if he had known how much weaker the modern day shinobi would be compared to them. Madara was very competitive with his younger brother, Izuna, but Tobi also notes that Madara and Izuna were close as brothers. This was later echoed by Hashirama who noted that Madara held great love for his brother, which he claimed was probably greater than Itachi Uchiha's love for his brother, Sasuke.

Madara is seemingly treacherous by nature as, after the alliance with Iwagakure was made, he immediately betrayed Mū and Ōnoki, expecting them to follow Konohagakure's lead from then on. The Uchiha also believed Madara stole Izuna's eyes by force in order to escape blindness. He is also a battle-loving individual, commenting that he had not enjoyed this view in a long time while surveying the battlefield during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Relating to this, Madara enjoys a challenging fight and said that anything less than the five Kage against him would be inadequate. Madara is also very bold when it comes to battle, shown in his ready assault of an entire platoon of shinobi upon being attacked, despite being severely outnumbered. Despite his love of battle, Madara never loses his composure to excitement or fear in any of his battle situations with the exception being his excitement upon sensing Hashirama's chakra, showing a smile with an evil look on his face. Also despite his love of battle, if Madara becomes bored with a fight, he will express disgust if his opponents try to force him to keep fighting. Madara is also something of a show off, as shown in his use of extremely powerful techniques in rapid succession, all the while, expressing satisfaction to having done it. He also purposely let himself get hit by Ōnoki's attack in order to show Hashirama's face on his chest to lower the morale of the Kage. Madara also showed the five Kage the true power of his final Susanoo by destroying an entire mountain range before preparing to administer the finishing blow. Due to the times he lived in, Madara believes it is natural for shinobi to spend their entire lives in battle. He also thinks that the world can't change from what it was in the past and believes that as such, mankind would be better served sleeping peacefully in an Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Madara has been described as being hostile and aggressive by nature as well as being very ambitious, the latter of which was seen during his rise to the position of clan leader as well as his desire to make his clan superior out of what Tobi claimed was Madara's great love for them. Madara had a sense of honour as, prior to their betrayal of him, he wanted to protect the Uchiha clan from the possibility of oppression by the Senju after failing to replace Hashirama as Hokage. Madara also views the tailed beasts as nothing more than masses of energy and tools too lacking in intelligence and sapience to think for themselves and as such, need to be "guided" by the Uchiha to learn their purpose and believes that they are but slaves to those with blessed eyes. Despite his aggressiveness, Madara has displayed restraint, withholding his full power when he doesn't need it, as he stated to the Third Tsuchikage that the reason that he went so easy on him when they fought in the past was because he didn't think an adult should fight seriously against a child, as well as expressing his wish to further explore the powers of his enhanced body but refusing to do so against a seriously injured Ōnoki. He is also somewhat of a perfectionist, as though Tobi claimed that the Ten-Tails' revival does not have to be perfect to advance the Eye of the Moon Plan, Madara noted this, along with his revival being different from the original plan, as acts of impatience and proceeded to correct the mistake.

Despite all his faults, Madara possessed great love and compassion for his younger brother Izuna. As his other three brothers died in battle, Madara became extremely protective of Izuna and swore that he would never let him die. Tobirama later noted that his grief of losing him is what started his descent into the dark path he chose, not unlike many other members of the Uchiha clan such as Obito and Sasuke. Madara also became angry when Hashirama mentioned the words "our brothers" during their battle. Despite the fact Hashirama meant the entire Senju and Uchiha clan and the villagers of Konoha, Madara took offence to it.

As an old man, Madara seemed to be very bitter and disillusioned about reality, noticing that in this world someone always must be the "loser" so someone other can be the "winner", likely referring to his constant streak of failures against Hashirama Senju. This is what motivated him to wish to change the world via the Eye of the Moon Plan, and he would pass on this mindset to Obito. After his reincarnation, Madara noted that Obito had become much like him, in both actions and attitude — something which Madara seemed pleased about.

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

By adulthood, Madara became a tall and fit man with his hair grown to waist-length with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face, covering most of his right eye. Although still relatively young, more prominent creases had developed under each of his eyes. Prior to his accepting Hashirama's truce, Madara's attire consisted of the Uchiha clan's traditional outfit without an armour. After accepting the truce, his attire took the form of the standard shinobi dress of his era, consisting of bright red traditional armour — the armour of the Senju clan — was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and thighs. Unusually, his chest plate left his back entirely exposed, presumably so as to better display his clan's crest. This clothing was accompanied by boots and gloves, as well as his village's forehead protector after the truce with the Senju and founding of Konohagakure, but this was discarded upon his defection. During battle, he often carried an orange-coloured war fan on his back that had a mitsudomoe pattern, coloured bright red, in both of the top corners.

In his old age, Madara became extremely worn and emaciated, with his black hair from his youth turned thin and white. He wore a simple black outfit, and had three thick chords running from his spine, to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to sustain his life. He was also missing a right eye, and used his kama as a makeshift cane.

When Madara was reincarnated by Kabuto Yakushi, he took on his youthful appearance as opposed to when he had died as an old man. During his battle with the five Kage, a replica of Hashirama's face was revealed to be on the Uchiha's chest.

Abilities
Madara is considered by many notable individuals to be one of the most gifted shinobi in history and the most powerful shinobi that the Uchiha clan has ever produced. Even as a young child, he was noted by Butsuma Senju as a skilled prodigy who managed to kill several older and more experienced shinobi of the Senju clan. The fact that he was able to clash with Hashirama Senju, who was recognised as the strongest shinobi in the world in his time, also indicates that Madara was also one of the strongest ninja of his time.

Overall, Madara's fame and status were so great that his name alone was enough to incite terror, and Tobi was able to use that to his advantage to instigate a world war. Prior to his departure from Konoha, Madara was able to single handedly defeat Mū and Ōnoki while holding back most of his power without getting so much as a scratch on him despite the fact the battle itself being fierce enough to destroy a nearby building. Madara's very presence on the battlefield during the Fourth Shinobi World War was menacing enough to compel the five Kage to confront him together, feeling any less than their combined efforts would not be enough to stop Madara. He, in fact, proved to be so overwhelmingly powerful that he was able to overpower the five Kage multiple times by himself without even using the full extent of his powers and leave them in a state of awe and fear when he manifested his final Susanoo. Tsunade was so baffled by Madara's extraordinary prowess as a ninja that she questioned how it was possible that her grandfather had really defeated such an opponent in the past when they, the five Kage, couldn't do so in the present. This testament to Madara's incredible power was shown further when he managed to defeat all five of the current Kage single-handedly.

Due to the manner of his revival and the experiments done by Kabuto, Madara retained access to abilities he obtained late in life (like his Wood Release and Rinnegan), while at the same time retaining the youthful body of his prime, with the extra bonus of the technique's incredible regenerative power and unlimited chakra and stamina. After activating the Rinnegan and using it in conjunction with his Susanoo, Madara's abilities led Gaara to wonder if he had the power of a god as he sent a meteorite hurtling towards the Fourth Division. Despite these enhancements, Madara still believes that Hashirama is the only person who is capable of stopping him.

Madara is also a sensor type shinobi and was able to use these abilities to sense Hashirama's chakra on the battlefield though he was presumably some distance away.

Taijutsu
Madara is a skilled taijutsu fighter since childhood, possessing notable physical strength, great speed, and remarkable reflexes, with his overall skill in this area, matching that of his rival, Hashirama. He was capable of easily disarming a sword-wielding shinobi, before the latter could react. With a single spinning back kick, he was able to repel a shinobi twice his size into an oncoming group of shinobi, knocking them all off their feet. Even as a child, Butsuma Senju was very impressed with how fast Madara could move. As an adult, Madara was able to easily dodge Gaara's high-speed sand attacks, and Mei's close range Lava Release attack. He could even guard himself against a kick from Tsunade who had suddenly appeared on the battlefield and later defended himself against A's punch while the latter was clad in his Lightning Release Armour, without being protected by Susanoo on either occasion.

Chakra Prowess
Madara was noted to have been born with an extremely powerful chakra, even by Uchiha standards. Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, noted that Madara's chakra was far more sinister than its own. His reserves are also quite formidable as he was able to fight for a full day and night before collapsing. His prowess was also seen during his final battle against Hashirama where he displayed extensive use of his Susanoo, after summoning and maintaining control over Kurama, with all these actions being extremely chakra taxing, and remaining completely un-fazed by this. Even in his old age, when his strength had waned significantly, he still had enough chakra to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path from its cage on the moon.

Nature Transformation
As an Uchiha, Madara was naturally a master of Fire Release nature transformation. He was able to use the clan's coming-of-age technique: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique with great proficiency, and was versed in more advanced Fire Release techniques such as the Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation technique which required the combination of numerous Water Release: Water Encampment Walls to extinguish, and the Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction technique which he used to incinerate a large portion of the forest he had created. He can also create dragon-shaped fireballs for a wide barrage at an enemy.

In the anime, Madara could also use Wind Release through his trademark gunbai to create powerful gusts of wind.

After his confrontation with Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End, Madara acquired some of his cells, which after a long period of adaptation, granted him the Wood Release nature transformation. With this Madara has demonstrated the ability to instantly create numerous massive trees with which to attack his opponents directly, and a dense forest of flowering trees, whose pollen can render a foe unconscious. He is able to merge with and hide within trees. He is also capable of creating single or multiple wood clones using the pre-existing vegetation and wood in the immediate vicinity as a medium. Madara can even use Hashirama's Wood Dragon, which was capable of binding Kurama during his final battle against the Senju leader. This was shown in battle against Naruto, where the dragon managed to completely bind Naruto, Killer B and Guy and absorb the full-Kurama cloak from Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode while growing trees across its length. Using Hashirama's cells, Madara can produce a series of roots from his body that can connect to and grant him control over a tailed beast, even one as powerful as the Ten-Tails. The level of control exerted is apparently linked to the number of roots that are connected to the beast, though he noted that his and Obito's control over the Ten-Tails was not perfect.

After acquiring the Wood Release kekkei genkai, Madara has displayed knowledge, and extensive use of this ability, replicating some of Hashirama's more large-scaled and highly destructive techniques. He also displayed the ability to have his wood clones use Susanoo, ovewhelming his opponents with a multitude of Susanoo-clad clones. Madara can also use its component natures: earth and water.

Madara also displayed an extensive knowledge of Yin–Yang Release, its component Yin and Yang as well as techniques which involved this kind of nature manipulation such as Izanagi. Madara noted that the White Zetsu clones were created using the Yin–Yang Release. He also displayed the ability to materialise his will to suit a given situation. Using this ability, Madara created Black Zetsu, by infusing part of his will into White Zetsu, and the chakra receivers. He would later teach some of these techniques to Obito as well.

Bukijutsu
As a member of the Uchiha clan, Madara has displayed skilful use of a wide range of weaponry throughout the series. His trademark weapon is the gunbai, which he uses as both a mace and a shield. The one he used is durable enough to block a miniature Tailed Beast Ball, as well as absorb the force of an enemy attack and then send it back. By flowing chakra through the gunbai, Madara can produce a large barrier that was strong enough to block the giant chakra receiver stakes thrown by Naruto in his Tailed Beast Mode. In an anime cutscene, he was also shown using it to produce strong gusts of wind, capable of blowing away multiple enemies in one swing.

In addition to the gunbai, he had a large kama with him, using both weapons in conjunction with each other when his final confrontation against Hashirama took place and later used one as a makeshift cane in his twilight years. His arsenal also included several giant shuriken and a chain with weights.

After awakening the Rinnegan, Madara also gained access to the chakra receiver rods, one of which he used to contain his will, which would be used for his revival.

Kenjutsu
Madara has been a practised kenjutsu user since his childhood, and as time passed started to carry various different swords throughout the years. He was shown as a skilled and versatile swordsman, most prominently seen during the Fourth Shinobi World War when he effortlessly disarmed a shinobi, commandeered his sword and used it to cut down several members of the Fourth Division with ease, while wielding the blade in a reverse grip. He displayed great manoeuvrability and dexterity while using kenjutsu. The speed of his attacks were so great that none of the shinobi he killed using this combat tactic had any time to react.

Sharingan
Madara first awakened his Sharingan as a child, after rejecting his friendship to Hashirama Senju. He was able to master the Sharingan at a young age — a feat which he received significant praise for. Using it, he gains access to the dōjutsu's generic abilities such as seeing chakra, predicting movements, and placing a victim under paralysing genjutsu with just a single glance, leading those who had faced him to advise others to not look directly at his eyes whilst confronting him. Madara is able to use these abilities in conjunction with his primed taijutsu and weapons skills in battle to deadly effects, leaving his opponents with very little time to react or means of defence. The perceptive abilities of Madara's Sharingan were also considerable as he was the only one who could discern Hashirama's use of wood clones when the Uchiha and the Senju fought against each other.

With his Sharingan, Madara is able to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and is also one of the two known people along with Tobi, that are capable of summoning the beast. However, its sealing inside various jinchūriki, presently Naruto Uzumaki, has rendered him unable to summon the beast. He is also capable of using one of his clan's most powerful and forbidden dōjutsu, Izanagi.

Mangekyō Sharingan
Madara and his brother Izuna were the first Uchiha to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Much later after awakening it, with Madara's own eyesight deteriorating, and Izuna mortally wounded, the latter left Madara his eyes, which then led to Madara obtaining the "Eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan — a combination of his own and Izuna's Mangekyō. Madara considered this a final gift from his brother to ensure the protection of their clan.

Madara has since used his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Madara demonstrated the ability to use Susanoo — and is therefore also able to use Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu by extension — though they have yet to be seen. Unseen in others' variations, Madara's Susanoo demonstrates two entirely different sides that are conjoined along the spine, with each displaying a pair of arms, two distinct faces, and a complete lower half inclusive of feet.

His Susanoo's defensive capabilities are high, even in its ribcage state, having withstood Naruto Uzumaki's Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan and A's Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop with no damage, while Sasuke Uchiha's own Susanoo ribcage was breached by the latter. It wields undulating blades in the right hand of each side, which when used by Susanoo's final form, are durable enough to withstand the impact of a caught and redirected Tailed Beast Ball at close range from Hashirama Senju's wood golem. Uniquely, it appears to be capable of contributing towards some of Madara's techniques, as it was seen forming hand seals together with him during battle. Madara is also able to use the Yasaka Magatama technique.

Madara's Susanoo's final form is an enormous construct with its mouth obscured and a body similar to its full body form. The outer armour, which only remotely resembles the usual tengu with armour, and the trademark pillbox hat-like adornment on the forehead is split down the middle from the beak downwards where the normal Susanoo underneath is revealed. Along this armour, which seems much more fluid than the other known Susanoo's, are holes at the end. In its stabilised form, the Susanoo dons an outer armour and a samurai outfit. It also has four arms, two plated ones which hold a pair of katana in sheaths, the other pair of which wields them. In this form, one swing of its katana is enough to destroy an entire mountain range. According to Madara, this final Susanoo is his full power, which is also comparable to that of a tailed beast. Madara has also displayed a unique use of Susanoo, shaping it as an armour to clad Kurama. With this the beast's offensive abilities are increased tremendously as seen by the unique combination of the Tailed Beast Ball with Madara's Susanoo sword. Only techniques like the Top Transformed Buddha are strong enough to pierce and destroy the defense of Madara's final Susanoo.

Rinnegan
After integrating Hashirama's cells into his wounds, Madara noted that nothing happened. However when he was nearing the end of his life, he awakened the Rinnegan. With the Rinnegan, Madara can summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Madara possesses the ability to switch between both it, and his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan at will. However, it should be noted that while using the powers granted by the Rinnegan, he has not, except in the case of Susanoo, shown to be able to simultaneously access those granted by the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Like other users, Madara is able to use the Six Paths Technique, displaying use of the Preta Path, with which he was able to absorb chakra-based ninjutsu.

When these abilities were combined with his Susanoo, he can pull two massive meteorites towards the battlefield from the atmosphere above. Even if the first meteorite was slowed down and stopped, the second one would strike the first, ensuring their collision. Using this technique just a single time, Madara devastated most of the Fourth Division.

Intelligence
Aside from his battle skills, Madara has also displayed high-level intellect, as well as strategic and manipulative skills. He is able to create elaborate plans that span across decades such as the Eye of the Moon and setting up various pawns by playing with and twisting their own ideals, feelings and goals, in order to aid him through direct or indirect ways, such as Obito and Nagato respectively.

He is also an adept tactician as seen when he preferred to use the Ten-Tails' matured powers to destroy the Allied Forces HQ in order to cripple their intelligence centre, rather than directly engaging the Allied Forces army. Madara is also versed in psychological warfare, choosing to focus his efforts into breaking his the battle spirits of his adversaries through manipulation and intimidation with deliberate displays of his overwhelming power. He targets the enemies that have the greatest charisma and leadership skills of a group, such as Ōnoki and Naruto on separate occasions.

As a battle genius, Madara can identify and counter most forms of ninjutsu almost immediately and he is rarely caught off-guard, at which point he quickly adapts to the situation. This knowledge is extensive, intricate and far-reaching to the point where he has inside awareness to the abilities of historical individuals and creatures, such as the Sage of the Six Paths, the tailed beasts and their origin. Madara also appears to be a skilled teacher, as he was able to pass on most of his immense knowledge and skills to Obito, which greatly developed the young Uchiha's abilities and allowed him to emulate Madara's mindset and combat prowess to near-perfection. Even his rival Hashirama Senju praised Madara's intellect and resourcefulness during their final battle.

Medical Skills
Madara possesses an intricate knowledge on genetics and human anatomy as he was able to cultivate cells taken from Hashirama into a mindless clone flower large enough for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to sit upon which would later serve as the basis to create both the first prototypes of White Zetsu and artificial body parts from it. Using the cultivated cells from Hashirama, he was able to produce and attach tendrils to his back from the clone that allowed him absorb chakra from the Statue, as a makeshift life support system to extend his lifespan.

He has also demonstrated similar knowledge of surgical and medical skills, being able to remove his own eyes and transplant them to Nagato without the latter noticing. He also replaced at least one of his lost eyes with a new one and later used the artificial bodies created by the flower clone of Hashirama to replace the destroyed portions of Obito's body, as well as treat the young Uchiha's extensive wounds.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pondering his next target, Madara was shocked when Tsunade instead shattered his Susanoo's sword and then attacked him using the broken blade. With the blade stuck in his Susanoo's ribcage, he countered and repelled Tsunade, before noting the similarities between her and Hashirama's techniques. As he questioned whether they thought he could be stopped with his own technique, Madara was attacked from behind by Ōnoki, but he absorbed the Dust Release technique. He then explained that he deliberately let it hit him before, to expose the Hashirama face on his chest in hopes of lowering the Kage's morale, yet he was disappointed to see that it had the opposite effect. When Tsunade stated that while they were outwitted by the wood clone, it could also be said that he had no other option but to use it, Madara blamed it on fighting five Kage-level shinobi at once. Denying that he thought of them as cowards for confronting him together in response to Mei, he asserted that the current odds were the perfect number to have fun and proceeded to create multiple wood clones, sending five to each Kage. Regurgitating Mei's sentiments, Madara asked the Kage not to call him a coward given who they were, before asking whether or not they preferred the clones to use Susanoo or not.

Observing the Kage being overwhelmed by his clones and their respective Susanoo, Madara identified the more experienced Ōnoki as the biggest threat when he rescued an immobilised A from certain death. Determined to break Ōnoki's will as the Tsuchikage rallied the Kage to face him once more, Madara was instead forced to flee from the approach of an enormous Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, as it wiped out his clones. Struck by Mei's attack, which contained both Gaara's sand and A's lightning-natured chakra, Madara's actions were halted long enough from him to start being sealed. Acknowledging the Kage's might, Madara manifested his final Susanoo, freeing himself in the process before telling the awe-struck Kage that they would now learn that even their efforts were futile against Susanoo's final form. Stating that only Hashirama could stop him, Madara then stated that Hashirama being dead was in their favour — as he swung one of his katana and repelled them — noting that if he was the only one they had to fight, the damage to the area wouldn't be as devastating (a reference to the battle between the two which created an entire valley) then answering Ōnoki's earlier question that an adult would never seriously fight children. Looming over the Kage with his Susanoo, Madara declared that he would destroy them and their efforts. But at the last second, as he attempted to deal the final blow, Madara's Susanoo suddenly de-materialised, much to his surprise.

At that moment, Kabuto's negation of Impure World Reincarnation occurs as Madara finds a light enveloping him prior to making an attempt to kill Tsunade with a Fire Release technique. Madara's soul then begins to leave its vessel just as Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Technique was cancelled, but suddenly re-encases in his body and Madara attacks her with his Susanoo sword, only for her to evade the technique while unconscious. After everyone else was sent back to the afterlife following the end of the Impure World Reincarnation, Madara still remained on the battlefield. When the Kage questioned how this was possible, Madara explained that he negated the deactivation of the technique by severing the link between Kabuto and his own soul, by releasing the summoning contract of Impure World Reincarnation, stating that to be the technique's one flaw. Madara then proceeded to criticise Mei for not realising that he was not the kind of person who would let himself be bound by such a technique as that when the latter questioned what was happening. Stating that he is now bored with the Kage, and that using his final Susanoo on them again would be an insult to his power, Madara decides to make his way to Naruto to reclaim the Nine-Tails.

Ten-Tails Revival Arc
Though blocked from leaving by Ōnoki, Madara was still able to make his way to where the unmasked Tobi was, noting upon arrival, that the latter seemed to be having fun. After Obito returned his gunbai, having revealed that the Kage weren't left in good condition when Naruto asked what happened to them, and how Obito deviated from the original plan, Madara blocked the stakes Naruto threw at him and repels him with his Uchiha Return technique when Naruto attempted to attack him with a Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball. He then told Obito to deal with Kakashi and Might Guy, while he dealt with the Eight, and the Nine-Tails, noting that it was not too late to seal them.

As the battle raged on, Madara attempted to convince Naruto that the Eye of the Moon plan was for the benefit of humanity. However, seeing Naruto unmoved by his explanations, Madara decided to show him no mercy. To that end, Madara used Hashirama's giant wooden dragon technique. The dragon attempted to restrain the newly-manifested Tailed Beast Mode Kurama-shroud, but was bitten into by the beast. As Naruto struggled against the wooden dragon, Madara stopped B and Might Guy from interfering by binding them. Noting that these were also hindrances to Obito, and that he would clean up the battlefield, he manifested his Susanoo and aims one of its swords at the Eight-Tails. This is, however, intercepted by Naruto and Madara was later enveloped in Guy's Daytime Tiger. Shortly after, the Ten-Tails' revival was complete, with it breaking out of Obito's Uchiha Flame Battle Encampment in its incomplete form; Madara laments that he failed to acquire the Eight and Nine-Tails, but prepared to begin the final phase of the Eye of the Moon Plan in spite of that.

Madara then joined Obito, and the two jumped onto the Ten-Tails' head, where each were connected to the massive demon with tendrils which stemmed from the beast. While Madara and Obito have a slight argument on how to handle the beast, as Obito wanted to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi immediately, while Madara wanted to test the beast's power. After the dust settles from a brief skirmish with the Eight and Nine-Tails and due to having focused too much of their attention on controlling the beast, they are ambushed by the Eight-Tails who had been warped overhead the Ten-Tails. After dismissing the name "Allied Shinobi Forces Technique" mentioned by Naruto, Madara declared that arguing the matter was futile, Madara noted that they should simply end the battle. When their opposition's battle strategy was launched and the two Uchiha were buffeted by the Storm Release: Laser Circus technique, though Madara was prepared to deflect the attack, he soon realised it wasn't aimed at them but at the Ten-Tails' eye. With the battlefield soon shrouded in dust and their sensory skills hindered, Madara later stood by — arms crossed and nonplussed — as the Alliance attacked the Ten-Tails, marvelling at the fact that they were able to collaborate so well. Even when members of the Alliance bore down on them, Madara derided their effort while noting that the Ten-Tails would soon reach maturity.

As Naruto and the shinobi with him start to barrage them with various attacks, Madara realises that he and Obito are being targeted as he decides to pull off their own strategy and target their command centre as the Ten-Tails breaks free while assuming its fully matured form. Telling Obito that they are going to use Hashirama's cells to strengthen their hold on the beast while getting his agreement to intimidate their opposition with its power, Madara has the Ten-Tails fire a series of Tailed Beast Balls that wipe out various villages beyond the war zone. Eventually, returning the favour and justifying it as a basic war-time move, Madara has the Ten-Tails fire at the Allied Shinobi Headquarters with Shikaku Nara and everyone else stationed there leaving them obliterated. Lamenting that he could not control the Ten-Tails well enough yet and that because of it he had failed to knocked out the HQ before Shikaku could finish relaying his plan, Madara states that their current control over the Ten-Tails will only be good enough until its next transformation. Responding to Obito's remark that without becoming its host there would be no way to gain complete control over the Ten-Tails, Madara states that he needs a living body, not a sacrifice's.

When Obito tells Madara that he can't just destroy himself to destroy them, as it would also mean Obito's demise and that he was at the latter's mercy since he would need him to revive him, Madara comments on his attitude. Hearing that Obito had never thought of him as an ally, Madara asks him what his next course of action will be, and listens as he says they will cripple the forces with despair. Noting how much Obito had become like him, Madara questions silently whether Obito was waiting on a response from Naruto after chiding the young man for allowing his comrades to die. When Madara cautioned Obito against possibly damage to the Ten-Tails, his words are rebuffed as Obito noted that the Ten-Tails had tough skin. After Naruto activates his Tailed Beast Mode and begins to disperse its power to his friends, Madara becomes surprised, recognising his intentions and jokingly remarking that Hinata got a nice power-up from it thanks to Naruto. As the battle continues to progress, Madara laments on the predictability of the alliance's moves after Ino possesses Obito, and predicts that Shikamaru would then use his Shadow Imitation Technique, as the latter binds the Ten-Tails.

After Madara noticed that Obito was having trouble breaking Ten-Tails free of the Shadow Imitation Technique, he decided to provide more power. However, the combined efforts of the Alliance foiled his counter-attack. After Obito goaded the Hyūga clan, the entire Alliance — powered by Kurama's chakra that Naruto gave to them — simultaneously attacked Ten-Tails, shocking the Uchiha. Obito and Madara's connections to Ten-Tails were then severed by Naruto and Rock Lee respectively with a Rasenshuriken and a well-placed kick. While his body was reconstructing itself, Madara was forced to retreat from atop the beast.

Forced to battle directly against the Allied Shinobi Forces, Madara and Obito begin collaborating their attacks, which fail to kill any more enemies thanks to the chakra cloaks Naruto provided for each of them. Stopping his attacks, Madara quickly notices the chakra signature of Hashirama, smiling with malicious glee. When the mindless Ten-Tails prepares its Tenpenchii, Madara quickly coats himself in his Susanoo to withstand the onslaught.

Legacy
Madara Uchiha continued to influence the world, decades after his death. By instructing Obito to carry on in his name, the new "Madara" would go on to influence Yahiko to create Akatsuki, while keeping an eye on Nagato's Rinnegan. Obito's actions are all for the sake of the Eye of the Moon Plan Madara designed, included the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha which culminated in the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, with their son Naruto Uzumaki being made into Kurama's jinchuriki. Obito was successfully able to convince mostly everyone that he was in fact the legendary Madara, and used the terror the name invoked to cause the Fourth Shinobi World War with 40,000 deaths of shinobi.

However, Madara's notoriety was enough that Kabuto Yakushi would search for his DNA and reincarnate the famed Uchiha in his youthful prime as a bid for strategic dominance in the Fourth Shinobi World War while exposing Obito's deception. This, however, did backfire as Madara released his contract with the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation to carry out the final phase of his plan, seeing his reincarnation as an unfortunate substitute of the intended resurrection which Nagato was supposed to do.

Trivia

 * can be translated as "spots".
 * According to the databook(s):
 * Madara's hobby was falconry.
 * Madara's favourite food was inarizushi, while his least favourite was roe.
 * Madara wished to fight the upper class Konoha ninja.
 * Madara's favourite phrase was, which refers to defeating someone with a single blow.

Quotes

 * (To Ōnoki and Mū) "There is no alliance. From here on, you will obey Konoha! And never, ever say that shinobi's name around me!"
 * (To Kurama) "Nine-Tails, you are merely a momentary life, a temporary existence of coalesced energy… energy that once was a single, ultimate form! An unstable force, lacking in intelligence or sapience, you require a guide to show you purpose. That guide is the Uchiha! The tailed beasts are but slaves to those with blessed eyes. Obey!"
 * (To Obito) "Listen… In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars and hatred is born to protect love."
 * (Last words to Obito before dying) "Go… until the time… I revive…"
 * (To Ōnoki) "That is the cycle of life. How have you lived so long, yet learned nothing from our painful past?"
 * (To and about Tsunade) "As if a medic ninja like her could delay your death a few seconds. Your techniques are worthless if compared to those of Hashirama Senju."
 * (To the five Kage) "Well then… The complete Susanoo. It is said that anyone who has seen it dies. It would be a bit disgraceful to pull it out again… After withdrawing it once."