Akatsuki (暁, literally meaning: “Dawn” or “Daybreak”) was a group of shinobi that existed outside the

usual system of hidden villages. Over the course of several decades, Akatsuki took different forms and
was led by different individuals. Though each iteration is viewed as either subversives or criminals, all
seek to make the world a better place through their own means. Each Akatsuki tended to have multiple
lairs across the world, inaccessible either due to their remoteness or the various security measures that
protected them.

Yahiko’s Akatsuki

The initial concept of Akatsuki was devised by Black Zetsu as part of its plan to revive its mother, though
it pretended the idea came from Madara Uchiha, whom Black Zetsu tricked into thinking that it was a
manifestation of his will.[1] Akatsuki was originally founded by Yahiko during the Third Shinobi World
War alongside his childhood friends, Nagato and Konan. As citizens of Amegakure who had been
orphaned by the Second Shinobi World War, the three created Akatsuki as a way to bring peace to their
home country, which too often got caught in the crossfire of the Five Great Shinobi Countries’ many
conflicts.[2] In time, the three were approached by Tobi, who introduced himself as Madara Uchiha.[3]
Tobi claimed Nagato was the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths and offered to teach him to control
the power of his Rinnegan, though Yahiko distrusted him and prompted Nagato to turn down his offer.
[4] Nevertheless, Tobi would later claim that it was he who encouraged Yahiko to form Akatsuki,
unbeknownst to Konan.Akatsuki’s desire for an end to war attracted many fellow Ame ninja to their
cause and, in time, word of their exploits began to travel beyond Amegakure’s borders. Akatsuki’s early
fame was owed largely to Yahiko’s leadership and his natural charisma, which kept the group united and
motivated them to persevere despite the difficulties of their goal. Yahiko, however, viewed himself as
merely a facilitator for Nagato, who would ultimately be the actual source of world peace because of his
Rinnegan. Ame’s leader, Hanzō, also became aware of Akatsuki and perceived them as a threat to his
rule, a belief encouraged by Danzō Shimura in the anime. Hanzō approached Akatsuki offering to help
them broker peace between Konohagakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure. When Yahiko, Nagato, and
Konan arrived to meet with him, however, they were ambushed by Hanzō’s men and members of
Danzō’s Root, who took Konan hostage and forced Yahiko to commit suicide in order to save her.
Enraged by Yahiko’s death, Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and used it to
slaughter their attackers, though Hanzō himself escaped.In the anime, the other members of Akatsuki
were tipped off to Hanzō’s plan and attempted to provide backup to Yahiko and the others. Tobi and
Zetsu intercepted them and after a long battle, Tobi killed the remaining members of the group.

Nagato’s Akatsuki

With Yahiko’s dying breath he entrusted the pursuit of peace to Nagato. Nagato, grieved by Yahiko’s
death, came to believe that the world would never willingly consent to peace and that Akatsuki’s
previously pacifist approaches were therefore futile. He concluded that the only way the world would
turn away from its constant warfare would be to experience such catastrophic death and destruction
that it could never again stomach the idea of conflict. Intending to be the one to show these horrors to
the world, Nagato began using the alias “Pain” and formed the Six Paths of Pain, into which he
integrated Yahiko’s corpse so that he could symbolically continue leading Akatsuki. Nagato sought out
Obito, under the guise of Madara Uchiha, and accepted his earlier offer of support, which he provided in
secret.After the Third Shinobi World War, Akatsuki began recruiting S-rank missing-nin; mostly through
strong-arming them and promising protection to carry out their respective goals. Orochimaru and Itachi
joined for their own reasons, while Kisame and Zetsu joined to secretly ensure the Eye of the Moon
Plan. Once Akatsuki recruited its target of ten members, Akatsuki began following a three-step process
to achieve this stated objective.Obtain enough money to support their organisation.Provide mercenary
services at well under the competitive rate, using the money gathered in the first step to offset costs.
This will make countries increasingly dependent on Akatsuki’s services, corner the entire market for
shinobi missions, and eventually put all of the shinobi villages out of business because they can’t
compete with Akatsuki’s prices. By capturing and strategically deploying the tailed beasts, Akatsuki
could quickly start and then quell wars, thereby speeding up the process.Once all other major shinobi
forces have dissolved, Akatsuki will be able to quickly conquer all the countries of the world.

Nagato’s initial Akatsuki.

The early years of Nagato’s Akatsuki were very successful, as the hidden villages increasingly hired
Akatsuki to fight in wars and perform assassinations that the villages themselves were unwilling to get
involved in during times of peace. The Fourth Raikage claims that only Kumogakure never hired
Akatsuki, while the Third Tsuchikage in particular became a frequent employer. Despite being such a
popular and successful group, Akatsuki was largely a mystery to those outside the organisation, with
many (incorrectly) coming to believe they operated out of Kirigakure. Akatsuki experienced some
turmoil amongst its members over the years: Kakuzu regularly killed his partners in fits of rage and stole
their hearts for his Earth Grudge Fear;[7] only being teamed with the immortal Hidan prevented him
from continuing to do this. Orochimaru attempted to steal Itachi Uchiha’s body after the latter joined
the organisation, and when that failed he was forced to defect. Despite this, Akatsuki was able to begin
working towards capturing the tailed beasts.Nagato’s actual objective behind acquiring the tailed beasts
was to harness the tailed beasts’ chakra to create a powerful kinjutsu, using it to wipe out one side in a
conflict and, from the display, frighten the other side and the world at large to stop the fighting. If and
when the fears abated and conflicts renewed, the kinjutsu would be deployed again, creating small
periods of peace in an endless chain of hatred.[8] Because all but one of the tailed beasts were in the
possession of the hidden villages, their capture risked antagonising many of Akatsuki’s former clients.
Despite this, Deidara claims that the previous owners of the first two tailed beasts captured by Akatsuki
(indicated in the anime to have been the Five-Tails and the Seven-Tails) were glad to be rid of them.The
various members of Nagato’s Akatsuki.Akatsuki’s mission to capture the tailed beasts gradually elevates
them from the shadows of the world and, in turn, prompts a growing resistance by the hidden villages.
After Deidara captures the One-Tail, Sasori is killed in battle with the Suna and Konoha forces sent to
rescue the One-Tail’s jinchūriki. Obito takes this open position as an opportunity to officially join
Akatsuki as “Tobi”, helping capture the Three-Tails. Around the same time, Hidan and Kakuzu capture
the Two-Tails, but both are subsequently defeated in unrelated confrontations with Konoha’s Nijū
Shōtai. Kisame Hoshigaki later acquires the Four-Tails, after which both Deidara and Itachi separately die
in battle against Sasuke Uchiha.Because of their shrinking numbers, Tobi pressures Nagato into taking a
more active role in capturing the remaining tailed beasts. In the anime, he and Konan are first sent to
capture the Six-Tails, which was captured at some earlier point in the manga. They are afterwards sent
to Konoha to capture the Nine-Tails, and in the course of the resultant Pain’s Assault the village is
destroyed. When he finally locates and meets with the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki, Naruto Uzumaki, Nagato
begins to doubt the direction he has taken Akatsuki in since Yahiko’s death. After Nagato’s Six Paths of
Pain are defeated, Naruto convinces him that a bloodless peace is worth pursuing no matter how
impossible it may seem. To make up for all the missteps he took, Nagato gives his life to revive the
Konoha villagers that died during his attack, using his last breath to encourage Naruto to achieve the
peace that he was never able to. With Yahiko and Nagato gone, Konan opts to leave Akatsuki.

Tobi’s Akatsuki.

Tobi approached Akatsuki in order to get close to Nagato, whose Rinnegan he needed to complete the
Eye of the Moon Plan. Over the years, he remained in the shadows, allowing Nagato to stay as Akatsuki’s
leader while Obito manipulated him towards his desired ends, specifically capturing all nine tailed beasts
so that he can restore the Ten-Tails and use it to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the world, ending all
conflict by trapping everyone in a dream. Obito follows the Eye of the Moon Plan under instructions of
the real Madara Uchiha, whose identity Obito assumed after Madara’s death. Madara intended Obito to
have Nagato revive him in the final stages of the plan, though Obito had no plans to uphold that end of
the plan and intended to use Nagato to revive himself should anything happen to him. However, this
subterfuge was rendered moot by Nagato betraying Obito and using the Samsara of Heavenly Life
Technique to revive everyone he killed during his invasion of Konoha.Even before Nagato’s death, Obito
takes a growing role in Akatsuki’s activities, due in large part to Itachi Uchiha’s death. He reveals himself
to Kisame, who worked with him during their time in Kirigakure and is happy to collaborate with him yet
again. He also convinces Sasuke Uchiha and his team, Taka, to join forces with Akatsuki, an alliance that
Obito believes is worth the losses of all the other Akatsuki members. While Nagato goes after the Nine-
Tails, Obito sends Taka after the Eight-Tails, the only other remaining tailed beast. Although Taka initially
appears successful, they are discovered to have been tricked by the Eight-Tails’ jinchūriki, Killer B. When
Zetsu shortly afterwards reports Nagato’s own death, Obito is deeply agitated by the setbacks,
particularity Nagato’s betrayal, and increasingly irritated by Naruto’s constant thwarting of his
plans.With their ranks so diminished and with the Five Great Shinobi Countries finally starting to
mobilise against Akatsuki, both because of the attack on Konoha and the botched capture of Killer B,
Obito is forced to start taking drastic actions. He first sends Kisame to capture B and then sends Taka to
attack the Five Kage Summit. Sasuke does not perform as well against the Five Kage as Obito wished, as
he had hoped they would be weakened enough to be forced to negotiate. Instead, he must approach
them diplomatically, asking that they help him complete his Eye of the Moon Plan by surrendering the
Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. They refuse, prompting Obito to initiate the Fourth Shinobi World War.

The reincarnated Akatsuki.

While preparing for war, Obito is approached by Kabuto Yakushi, a former subordinate of Sasori and
Orochimaru. Kabuto offers to bolster Akatsuki’s fighting strength with the Impure World Reincarnation,
reviving Akatsuki’s past members and several other once-notable shinobi. Obito is reluctant until Kabuto
blackmails him by reviving the real Madara Uchiha, on whose name Obito has been banking the
credibility of his threats against the hidden villages. Obito is forced to agree. He then goes to Amegakure
to take Nagato’s Rinnegan, killing Konan in the process. News eventually reaches them of Kisame’s
death, but Kisame is at least able to send them intel that enables Kabuto to strengthen Obito’s White
Zetsu Army.In the two days of the war between Akatsuki and the Allied Shinobi Forces, both sides suffer
heavy casualties, yet Naruto and Killer B elude capture. When most of the White Zetsu are defeated and
Kabuto is made to end the Impure World Reincarnation, Obito, having no more options, prematurely
revives the Ten-Tails. Madara, having escaped Kabuto’s influence, lends a degree of support, eventually
leading Obito to become the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki. He is defeated by Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke (who
has since sided against Akatsuki) before he can perform the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and as a result Obito
stops pursuing the Eye of the Moon Plan.With Obito’s surrender, Akatsuki’s schemes officially end.
Following his defeat, Obito undergoes a change of heart, thanks to both Naruto and Kakashi’s influence,
and Obito attempts to redeem himself by using the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive
everyone he killed during the war. However, his attempts are foiled by Black Zetsu, who latched itself
onto Obito and forces him to indeed utilise the technique, but instead of reviving those killed during the
war, Black Zetsu successfully forces Obito to fully revive Madara. Madara’s plans are momentarily set
back, however, as his Rinnegan eyes start to crumble away (due to his original eyes being elsewhere; his
left eye being in Obito’s possession, and his right eye being hidden away by Obito himself) as his
reincarnated eyes were merely part of his reincarnated body.Nevertheless, Madara quickly regains
possession of his right eye, and successfully perseveres, sealing the Ten-Tails into his body. Afterwards,
Madara engages in battle against Might Guy, who received a boost in power from opening the Eight
Gates Released Formation, whom Madara barely manages to survive against. Madara subsequently
battles against both Naruto and Sasuke, who gained Six Paths Senjutsu and Rinnegan, respectively, from
Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, during which Madara regains possession of his left eye from Obito. With both eyes
returned, Madara subsequently awakens the Rinne Sharingan and successfully launches the Infinite
Tsukuyomi. However, he is afterwards betrayed by Black Zetsu, who has been scheming for centuries to
revive Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, with first Madara, then Obito, and then Akatsuki itself being mere pawns used
in pursuit of that goal.[10] Kaguya is restored using Madara as a medium but, with Obito’s and Team 7’s
efforts, she and Black Zetsu are defeated by Naruto and Sasuke, after which Madara succumbs to having
the Tailed Beasts extracted, and the Infinite Tsukuyomi is ended by the combined efforts of Naruto and
Sasuke.

Shin’s Akatsuki.

Despite the defeat of Akatsuki during the Fourth Shinobi World War and the death and destruction they
caused, Akatsuki’s methods of peace remain attractive to certain individuals. Some, such as the Ryūha
Armament Alliance and Gengo, carry on Akatsuki’s goals in spirit. About fifteen years after the end of the
war, a former test subject of Orochimaru’s, Shin, develops a fascination with Itachi and adopts the
Uchiha name while plotting to avenge Itachi by killing Sasuke. In addition, Shin goes so far as to adopt
Akatsuki’s name, believing its former goal of endless warfare is the perfect evolutionary tool, weeding
out the weak and promoting strength for all of humanity. He composes Akatsuki with numerous clones
of himself and seeks to start moving forward with Akatsuki’s revival. Shin’s plans start facing
complications as soon as the Seventh Hokage becomes aware of him following an encounter between
Sasuke and a clone. Shin uses drastic measures to counter Naruto and Sasuke, such as sending his clones
to unsuccessfully kidnap Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada Uchiha and forcefully take his wife, Sakura. Shin is
soon afterwards betrayed and killed by his clones, who accordingly surrender and are dropped off at the
Konoha Orphanage, ending his new Akatsuki before it ever truly begins.
Wardrobe

Members of Nagato’s Akatsuki wear long, black cloaks with red clouds, a red interior, and a chin-high
collar; Tobi and the members of Taka wear a similarly-marked hooded mantle. The red clouds represent
the rain of blood that fell in Amegakure during its wars, and were viewed as a symbol of justice by its
original members.[2] The robes are very distinctive, allowing members of Akatsuki to be identified even
from a distance. Though the robes are a standard feature throughout Nagato’s tenure (with Konan even
continuing to wear it after leaving Akatsuki), the robe falls out of use under Obito’s leadership: Kisame
stops wearing it owing to circumstances of faking his death, Obito does not replace his when it is
destroyed by Konan, and Zetsu ceases using a robe once its two halves begin operating separately.
During Shin’s attempt to revive the organisation, he is the only individual to wear the robe, as none of
his clones wear it.

Another trend started with Nagato is for members to cross out the symbol on their forehead protectors
to symbolise the severed ties with their former villages, though some opt not to wear a forehead
protector at all. All members also wear nail polish on their fingers and toenails (colours vary in the
anime). When travelling, members sometimes wear conical straw hats with small ornamental torques
and tassels hanging down over their faces, possibly to go unnoticed by the general population as most
are S-class criminals.[11]

Rings

Gedo Mazo Akatsuki Rings.png

The ring positions of the members.

Under Nagato, each member of Akatsuki is given one of ten rings, to be worn on a specific finger. Other
than apparently signifying one’s membership, the rings seem to have some role in sealing the tailed
beasts into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, indicating which of the statue’s finger the members
should stand on. The rings are apparently important and irreplaceable: when Orochimaru defects he
takes his ring with him, and for that reason he is never officially replaced;[12] when Deidara loses the
arm that his ring is on, he has greater interest in recovering the ring than the arm itself; Zetsu and Tobi
specifically seek out Sasori’s ring after his death, needing it for Tobi to replace him. When Tobi takes
over, the rings are no longer important, as he simply discards it along with his damaged robe after
battling Konan. Despite all this, the rings’ exact significance is never explained.

The various rings are

Right thumb: “zero” (零, rei); worn by Pain. Its colour is purplish-grey.

Right index finger: “blue”, “green” (青, ao, shō); worn by Deidara. Its colour is teal.
Right middle finger: “white” (白, byaku, haku); worn by Konan. Its colour is white.

Right ring finger: “vermilion”, “scarlet” (朱, shu); worn by Itachi Uchiha. Its colour is red.

Right little finger: “sign of the boar” (亥, gai); worn by Zetsu. Its colour is green.

Left little finger: “sky”, “void” (空, kū); worn by Orochimaru. Its colour is slate blue.

Left ring finger: “south” (南, nan); worn by Jūzō Biwa(anime only) and later by Kisame Hoshigaki. Its
colour is yellow.

Left middle finger: “north” (北, hoku); worn by Kakuzu. Its colour is dark green.

Left index finger: “three” (三, san); worn by Kakuzu’s fourth partner and later by Hidan. Its colour is
orange.

Left thumb: “jewel”, “ball”, also the black king in shōgi (玉, gyoku); worn by Sasori and later by Tobi. Its
colour is purple.

Eight of the ten kanji of the rings are taken from a kuji-in, a collection of nine hand postures used in
meditation. Pain’s “rei” and Zetsu’s “gai” are not from this kuji-in. However, the only unused kuji-in
kanji, 玄 (gen, “mysterious”), bears a strong resemblance to Zetsu’s “gai”, suggesting an error. It would
be a consistent error, however, since the “gai” kanji has been used in every instance the ring’s kanji has
been shown.

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Teams

Under Nagato, Akatsuki members are organised into teams of two, usually paired based on perceived
similarities (such as Itachi or Kisame) or advantageous combinations (such as Hidan and Kakuzu).
Although some pairs get along better than others, few seem to actually like each other; Sha no Sho
notes that members always have separate rooms when staying at hotels. Hostilities tend to exist even
between members who aren’t partners, though they so rarely meet that this is rarely an actual problem.
[14] Teams travel the world pursuing Akatsuki’s goals, only convening when summoned by Nagato,
typically to seal a tailed beast.

Nagato & Konan

Nagato and Konan.png

Nagato and Konan.

Target(s): Six-Tails (Pain, Sealed, anime only), Nine-Tails (Pain, Failed)

As childhood friends and fellow members of the original Akatsuki, Nagato and Konan are the only
members who consistently get along. Because Nagato is Akatsuki’s leader, Konan tends to defer to him,
doing as he instructs even when she personally disagrees. In Nagato’s rule of Amegakure, Konan acts as
the “angel” to his “god”, communicating his will to Ame’s villagers. Nagato’s true identity is concealed
from the rest of the organisation, and instead, the Deva Path is used as his representative.

Black Zetsu & White Zetsu

Black and White Zetsu.png

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

Target(s): None

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu are allies of Tobi who helped him approach Nagato and officially joined
Akatsuki seemingly long before Tobi. Although they exist as two separate identities, most of the time
they are merged together and act as the singular Akatsuki member, Zetsu. The two sometimes argue,
but it never interferes with their duties: spying, evidence disposal, and resource acquisition. Zetsu is
often the only member of Akatsuki other than their partners that members meet in person. Zetsu
typically helps transport a jinchūriki to one of Akatsuki’s hideouts for extracting the Tailed Beast.

Orochimaru & Sasori

Sasori and Orochimaru.png

Sasori and Orochimaru.

Target(s): Unknown

Orochimaru and Sasori were one of the earlier Akatsuki teams to be formed. Little is known of their
deeds, but they apparently were quite effective together. They also got along well enough that
Orochimaru knew how Sasori’s actual “body” looked beneath his typical Hiruko carapace, although their
relationship eventually deteriorated to the point of both of them wanting to change partners. Sasori
held a grudge against Orochimaru after he defected from Akatsuki and took a personal interest in his
activities afterwards.

Jūzō & Itachi

Jūzō And Itachi.png

Jūzō and Itachi.

Jūzō and Itachi worked very well with each other, being involved in at least three missions together,
which involved assassination and sabotage. The two partners had an unique system of formations in
order to better synchronise with each other. Formation A was used when both shinobi attacked
individually using whichever ability they preferred, Formation B had Itachi open up with an attack
involving genjutsu or shurikenjutsu while Jūzō killed the incapacitated shinobi with his sword, Formation
C was a personal request by Jūzō to be killed by Itachi if he would be captured by Kirigakure and
Formation D was to be proposed by Itachi but he refused to do so. Eventually, Jūzō was killed by the
Fourth Mizukage during an assassination attempt of the two Akatsuki members against a Land of Water
citizen and, after severely injuring Yagura, Itachi put the remains of Kubikiribōchō into his partner’s
hands, showing respect to his fallen comrade.

Itachi & Kisame

Team Itachi Kisame.png

Itachi and Kisame.

Target(s): Nine-Tails (Itachi, Failed), Four-Tails (Kisame, Sealed), Eight-Tails (Kisame, Failed)

Kisame thought their partnership was appropriate as both were notorious for killing their fellow
countrymen. Despite conflicting personalities, Itachi and Kisame get along well: Kisame has a greater
predisposition towards violence, but always follows Itachi’s instructions, even when it denies him an
opportunity to kill someone. Kisame is sad after Itachi dies, and Itachi, once reincarnated, displays some
regret on learning of Kisame’s own death.

Sasori & Deidara

Deidara and Sasori.png

Deidara and Sasori.

Target(s): One-Tail (Deidara, Sealed)

Deidara is forcibly recruited (with help from Itachi) to replace Orochimaru as Sasori’s partner. Each view
themselves as an artist, though has little respect for the other’s preferred art form: Sasori believes art is
eternal, as in a puppet, while Deidara believes art is fleeting, as in an explosion. Deidara pays some
deference to Sasori since he’s more experienced, but is very disappointed by Sasori’s death.

Kakuzu & Hidan

Hidan and Kakuzu.png

Hidan and Kakuzu.

Target(s): Seven-Tails (Kakuzu, Sealed, anime only), Two-Tails (Hidan, Sealed)

After Kakuzu killed all of his previous partners in fits of rage, he was paired with Hidan, an immortal he
couldn’t kill. Whereas other teams at least have moments of cooperation, Hidan and Kakuzu actively
hate each other: Hidan believes Kakuzu’s obsession with money is sacrilegious and Kakuzu desperately
wants to kill Hidan because his habits constantly waste Kakuzu’s time. Despite this, the two are arguably
the most effective of Akatsuki’s teams, variously called the “Immortal Combo” (不死コンビ, Fushi
Konbi)[15] and the “Zombie Combo” (ゾンビコンビ, Zonbi Konbi).[16] If Hidan is dismembered, Kakuzu
can sew him back together. Kakuzu, meanwhile, can launch indiscriminate attacks without needing to
worry about Hidan being killed in the crossfire. Shikamaru Nara believes they are unstoppable so long as
they are together.

Deidara & Tobi

Team Tobi Deidara.png

Deidara and Tobi.

Target(s): Three-Tails (Tobi, Sealed)

When Tobi replaces Sasori in Akatsuki he also becomes Deidara’s new partner. Per the persona he
assumes, Tobi regularly annoys Deidara, either through open disrespect or out of apparent ignorance.
Deidara attempts to kill Tobi several times out of irritation, but never manages to succeed, or at least
follow through. Deidara, unaware of Tobi’s true identity, takes him on as a sort of disciple, instructing
him on the ways of the world and how to succeed in Akatsuki. Deidara even displays a certain fondness
for Tobi at the end of his life, instructing him to get to a safe distance from his C4 and then apologising
for what he assumes will be Tobi’s death prior to using C0.

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Associates

In addition to its core members, Akatsuki has several affiliates spread across multiple countries. Almost
all of them associate only with specific members rather than the entire organisation.

Amegakure – base of operations for Pain

Kirigakure – previously controlled by Madara, and later Obito

Yūra – Sasori’s underling

Mukade – Sasori’s underling

Funari – Kakuzu’s subordinate

Ginji – Kakuzu’s banker

Kyōya – Kakuzu’s accountant

Zangei – Kakuzu’s bounty collector

Taka – affiliated group

Kabuto Yakushi – Sasori’s spy, later collaborator with Obito

Madara Uchiha – collaborator with Obito

Tobi – ally of Madara, Obito, White Zetsu, and Black Zetsu

Trivia

The Springtime of Youth wiki has an article about this topic: Akatsuki

Akatsuki (暁) if written as “Aka Tsuki” (赤月), translates to “red moon”.

In Sha no Sho, Masashi Kishimoto stated that he originally planned on making Akatsuki a group of
monsters with almost no human characteristics, with Zetsu emphasising that specifically.

In Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, the Akatsuki of the Genjutsu World is a well-known mercenary
group.

In the Naruto Collectible Card Game, Suigetsu Hōzuki, Karin, and Jūgo are incorrectly listed as Akatsuki
members while in their Akatsuki robes.

In the manga, the Three-Tails is sealed just before the Two-Tails.[17] In the anime, the Three-Tails’
capture receives its own arc, causing it to be sealed after the Two-Tails.

In the anime, after the sealing of the Two-Tails, Pain states there are four tailed beasts remaining. Later
in the anime, after Taka joins forces with Akatsuki, Kisame states there are three tailed beasts
remaining. This retcon was put in place to allow an arc featuring the Six-Tails.

All three survivors of the Uchiha Clan Downfall eventually work with Akatsuki.

In the anime, within Tsunade’s Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, the Akatsuki’s goal is different as they are not
searching for tailed beasts for world domination. The man behind the scene is not Obito, but Sasori, and
he takes over Akatsuki after Nagato’s defection. Sasori’s motives are also different than Obito’s.

Despite a maximum of ten members being possible under Nagato’s leadership, that number is never
reached before Part I; even when Orochimaru was part of the group, they only totalled nine. Only in the
game film Formation of the Akatsuki is the roster fully complete.

References

Naruto chapter 681, page 15

Naruto chapter 509, page 2

Naruto chapter 606, page 17

Naruto chapter 607, pages 1-5

Naruto chapter 509, page 3

Naruto chapter 329

Third Databook, pages 56-59

Naruto chapter 436, pages 15-16

Naruto chapter 512, page 13

Naruto chapter 681, pages 11-16

Naruto chapter 141, page 3

Naruto chapter 353, page 14

Tō no Sho, pages 180-181

Naruto chapter 238, page 17

Naruto chapter 335, page 7

Naruto chapter 353, page 11

Naruto chapter 329, pages 8-9

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