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Wham Episode / Naruto

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Naruto has plenty, which is a given considering it is a Shonen manga. The end of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, the Hunt for Itachi arc and the Pain Invasion Arc are the most well known.

WARNING: Here there be spoilers.

  • One of the first wham episodes was the Chunin Exams arc, when Orochimaru joins the exam, pretending to be a very blood thirsty woman who almost kills Sasuke and Sakura. His appearance turned a relatively serious arc, frightening.
    • After Sasuke was able find courage and fought Orochimaru off, lighting him up in a fiery explosion. Orochimaru just laughs it off and bites Sasuke on the neck.
    • When Sasuke woke up from the Cursed Mark, his power and sadism was beyond anything Sasuke had shown before and was frightening.
    • When team 8 met Gaara. His power and ease of murder made him as scary as OROCHIMARU.
    • Kabuto turned out to be working for Orochimaru was very shocking. At that point, Kabuto was just a nice guy.
    • Sasuke and Gaara's fight was made of this. With Sasuke showing off his Chidori and then Gaara transforming into the One-Tails.
    • Orochimaru revealing to have replaced the Kazekage and fought the Third was a huge one. Especially as he revealed the Edo Tensei and the Living Corpse Reincarnation
  • The next wham came from the Sasuke Retrieval arc, when Sasuke willingly left Konoha.
    • Then Sasuke woke up from his coma, he had a new super mode.
    • The Naruto and Sasuke fight had both going through power ups like crazy, with each unlocking their super modes. And Sasuke actually getting away.
  • The Kazekage Rescue arc had one when Gaara died.
  • The Sasuke and Sai arc had Naruto releasing the Fourth Tailed form. Naruto had become a monster and nearly killed Sakura.
    • Or the fact Sai's mission was to kill Sasuke.
  • The Hunt for Itachi arc had quite a bit of whams. One of the biggest was Jiraiya's death and that Itachi was a good guy deep down.
  • Pain Arc:
    • Pain went on a rampage killing hundreds of named characters, including Kakashi.
    • He finished the rampage by making Konoha a crater.
    • Naruto returning and actually being a match for Pain.
    • But that is sadly turned as the Tendo Path beat Naruto; Hinata finally confesses after years buildup before attempting to save him. She seemingly dies, causing Naruto to enter the 6 tailed form. This was one episode.
    • Pain is able to beat the 6 tailed form, forcing Naruto into the eighth tailed form. As Yamato sees that Naruto is able to enter the Ninth tailed form.
    • As Naruto is about to release the seal, the FOURTH HOKAGE stops him.
  • The Confining the Jinchūriki arc had a few whams. One of the biggest was Naruto met his mother Kushina.
    • His mother was the Nine-Tailed jinchūriki before Naruto and that Tobi was the cause of the Nine tailed fox's attack on Konoha were pretty big whams.
    • Kabuto coming back and knowing Edo Tensei turned some heads.
  • The War Arc had many big ones, like episode 321: The real Madara is dead and resurrected as an Edo Tensei, the one we thought was Madara is put in question. A lot of people saw it coming, but even more didn't.
    • Some may have seen it coming, but unless one of the known characters is a deity of deception, Tobi is an entirely unknown character. Either way, we have no freaking clue and practically no way to theorize about the identity. WHAM! The only known possibility is that Tobi could be Uchiha Obito (both only had the Sharingan in their right eye) but this is unlikely because there is reasonably good evidence to indicate that Obito is dead.
      • Then it turns out that the Sharingan eye that Tobi has is, in fact, Obito's. And, as for episode 343, it has finally been confirmed that Tobi was Obito all along. This is easily the biggest Wham Episode all together, as the Driving Question of the entire series has finally been answered.
  • Episode 341: Remember Orochimaru? Apparently, he's not really dead. After all, the one that's telling us is Sasuke, who is the only person present for both of his previous 'deaths,' and trouble always comes in threes so Orochimaru's deaths should too.
  • Episode 362: The Ten Tails is revived.
  • Episode 364: Neji Hyuga died protecting Naruto and Hinata.
  • Episode 365: Orochimaru has negated the Death God Seal, summoning all four deceased Hokage. And while they Came Back Wrong, they're at full strength this time.
  • Episode 370: After listening to Hashirama's story on the Uchiha and Senju clans' feud, how the village came to be, and pretty much getting all the answers he was looking for, Sasuke decided he'll take the battlefield...AGAINST Madara. That's right. Sasuke finally is back to the good guys' side. Not only that, but Taka is now fully reunited, Orochimaru is taking part on the war, along with the FOUR HOKAGES.
  • Episode 371: Rin was the jinchuriki for the Three-Tails! The Mist kidnapped her and sealed the tailed beast inside of her, so that when she was rescued they would be able to use it to destroy Konoha. Her death at Kakashi's hand was actually a Heroic Sacrifice to protect the village!
  • Episode 375: Madara's elaborate plan backfired spectacularly and Obito is now the Jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails.
  • Episode 391: Madara has hijacked Tobi's Redemption Equals Death to revive himself.
  • Episode 393: Madara has extracted Kurama, the Nine Tails from Naruto. And also, he has impaled Sasuke with his own sword.
  • Episode 414: Madara has become the third Sage of Six Paths after absorbing the Shinju.
  • Episode 418: Kabuto joins the fray as a good guy, having realized his true nature after being trapped in Itachi's Izanami, and is helping to revive Sasuke. Meanwhile, Might Guy enters Gate Mode, expecting to use the 8th gate and die in his fight with Madara.
  • Episode 420: Naruto meets Hagoromo, the Sage of the Six Paths, who tells him that he is is the Sage's younger son reincarnated.
  • Episode 421: Naruto is not only confirmed to be the Sage's younger son reincarnated, but that Sasuke is the Sage's older son reincarnated. Not only that, but they're not the first reincarnations — in fact, the reincarnations of the previous generation are confirmed to be Hashirama and Madara respectively. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke are about to gain the powers of all nine tailed beasts, who Obito restored to Naruto after betraying Madara.
  • Episode 425: Naruto manages to restore Kakashi's eye. Meanwhile, it turns out that Madara mind-controlled the Hidden Mist and orchestrated the events leading to Rin's death, up to and including Kakashi being the one to kill her, in order to get Obito under his control. And after he steals Obito's Rinnegan, Infinite Tsukuyomi begins to take effect.
  • Episode 458: Black Zetsu literally backstabs Madara, revealing that he is not his will, but Princess Kaguya's, making her The Man Behind the Man to everyone. Madara's body is used as a vessel for the regeneration of Kaguya by hijacking Madara's use of God: Nativity of a World of Trees.
  • Episodes 469-472: Kaguya starts crying, being reminded of her two sons by Naruto and Sasuke. It's then revealed that Kaguya is also part of the Juubi, and was sealed away by her two sons in order to stop it. However, before she was sealed away, she created Black Zetsu to act in her place and revive her. To do that, Black Zetsu proceeded to cause the start of nearly every conflict in ninja history by manipulating Indra into attacking his brother Asura, starting the Uchiha-Senju feud. From there, he continued to watch over both brothers' successors until he found someone who could awaken Rinnegan: Madara. Since the very beginning, the world itself has been his Unwitting Pawns, this entire war being orchestrated just for the sole purpose of reviving Kaguya.
  • Episode 475: Kaguya has been defeated, the tailed beast will be able to live free, everything is all happy and heartwarming... until Naruto and Sasuke are asked to release the people trapped in the infinite Tsukuyomi, when Sasuke has yet ANOTHER Faceā€“Heel Turn, saying that he will kill the Kages and start a "revolution". Cue Naruto and him being about to fight, fulfilling the last part of the Toad Sage's prophecy.

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