Kaguya was a dangerous member of the Otsutsuki clan and the mother of Hagoromo and Hamura. She became the overarching and final villain of the Naruto series but her introduction almost felt like an afterthought to some fans. However, fans have often caught themselves asking “What if Hagoromo was the final villain?”
The Naruto series has had several iconic villains in its cast, from Madara to Orochimaru. Hagoromo has a powerful enough presence and significant lore that has caused people to question if this Otsutsuki would have been better than his mother, Kaguya, as the final villain. However, there’s enough evidence to say with finality that if this was the case, Kishimoto would have made a huge mistake.
Hagoromo’s Story Would Need to Completely Change
Kishimoto built his story around a central idea: overcoming hatred and achieving peace. It would’ve gone against Hagoromo’s character as he became a creature of hatred, rather than a figure of peace and balance. Hagoromo was dubbed many heroic names, like Saviour of This World and God Sage of Six Paths. He possesses incredible power as one of the only people to be born with the same chakra as his mother. He and his fraternal twin brother, Hamura, defeated Kaguya, who was the Ten-Tails, and sealed the beast in himself to prevent further damage. He then became the first jinchuriki.
These acts have proven how heroic of a figure Hagoromo is. The Otsutsuki is considered a legendary god-like figure within the Naruto universe. This would require a huge change in storylines and introduce needless twists to make Hagoromo a villain that big. Moreover, had Hagoromo been the final villain, it would have dismantled so much of the character development that both Naruto and Sasuke go through.
Making Hagoromo a Villain Goes Against Naruto’s Themes
Kaguya wields immense power that was foreshadowed for a while. Despite this, one of the main arguments against Kaguya’s introduction as the final villain is that she felt rushed and disconnected from the narrative’s earlier focus on more humane villains like Madara Uchiha. However, fans don’t realize what she represents.
Kaguya’s role as the origin of chakra and the creator of the shinobi system presented a wider supernatural threat—one that went beyond the personal ambitions of the likes of Madara and Obito.
Although she lacked the raw emotional depth and a raison d’être of earlier villains, she embodied the sheer, incomprehensible power that had been unleashed upon the world. She fooled everyone and manipulated the entire plot from the start, which was an incredible reveal appreciated by many in the fandom. Some, however, didn’t appreciate that she pretty much replaced Madara.
Hagoromo’s existence is the solution to his mother’s actions, not the problem. He’s the Buddha of the Naruto universe. Thus, it really wouldn’t have made a lot of sense. Sometimes, bad people need to be bad people, and Kaguya doesn’t necessarily need to have a tragic backstory to be a good one.
In the same manner, good people don’t need to betray the protagonists and become villains out of nowhere. If Kaguya wasn’t digestible enough for the Naruto fandom, Hagoromo turning out to be a bad person would’ve made them more perturbed.
Naruto is available on Crunchyroll for streaming.
