Orochimaru (Naruto)

Orochimaru
Naruto character
Orochimaru by Masashi Kishimoto
First appearance	Naruto manga chapter 45
Voiced by	Japanese Kujira Mayumi Yamaguchi (as a child) Yuriko Yamaguchi (as Shiore) Sachiko Kojima (female host body) English Steven Jay Blum Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (as Shiore) Michelle Ruff (female host body)
Notable relatives	Mitsuki ("son")
Ninja rank	Missing-nin

Orochimaru (大蛇丸^?) is a fictional character from the Naruto universe created by Masashi Kishimoto and developed into a media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, soundtracks, OVAs, movies, video games, and other collectibles. He was created as one of the series' main antagonists, and intended to represent the opposite of the protagonists' morals and values.

In the anime and manga, Orochimaru is a former ninja of the village of Konohagakure who is known for his abilities. However, creating his ninja village Otogakure as means to perform inhuman experimentation, Orochimaru sought a means to gain power and cheat death. In the latter, Orochimaru obtained a means for immortality by transferring between different host bodies which became one of his driving motivations throughout the series as he targets Sasuke Uchiha for his genetic heritage. While the main antagonist in Part I of the series, Orochimaru's role became overshadowed by the Akatsuki prior to the Fourth Ninja War arc. Orochimaru has appeared in media outside the Naruto anime and manga, including several video games.

Several anime and manga publications have praised and criticized Orochimaru's character. As one of the series' premier villains, he has been praised in this regard; IGN compared his character to Darth Vader of Star Wars fame. His lack of redeeming qualities and open malevolence was also praised by reviewers, with Mania.com calling him the "first real villain" of the series. Among the Naruto reader base, Orochimaru has been popular, ranking within the top twenty characters in several polls. Numerous pieces of merchandise in Orochimaru's likeness have also been released, including action figures and plush dolls.