What is the curse mark on Sasuke in ‘Naruto’? Origin and meaning, explained

Sasuke Uchiha’s value to the narrative in Naruto cannot be underestimated. He’s the yang to Naruto Uzumaki’s yin; the shadow necessary for the light to shine much brighter. He’s his rival and teammate but he’s also more than that.

Sasuke is one of the only living members of the Uchiha clan, having survived a massacre that claimed the lives of everyone except him. Since that horrific event, Sasuke’s goal is to become a powerful enough ninja to defeat the one responsible, his older brother, Itachi, and avenge his family’s death.

As a member of the Uchiha, Sasuke possesses the ocular kekkei genkai Sharingan. His life’s ambition – one could even call it ‘obsession’ – alongside his rare jutsu, made him the perfect candidate for the depraved ninja Orochimaru to place a curse on him.

The origin and meaning of Sasuke’s curse mark

The Cursed Seal of Heaven is a mark placed on Sasuke’s neck by Orochimaru during the Chunin exams. The mark gives the user the ability to enhance their power, forcibly drawing chakra from the body at its expense, and ultimately, they will end up losing their will to the immoral legendary Sanin.

The curse mark is shaped like a tomoe – a swirl-like symbol – a similar design to the Sharingan. When used, the mark spreads across the body, changing its color, until it eventually modifies the body of the user making them look nearly unrecognizable – a condition which can be reversed, especially if the cursed ninja has mastered it, like the Sound 5.

Sasuke got a taste of this power during the second test of the Chunin exams. He was able to break the arms of Sound Ninja Zaku after his team attacked Sakura, Naruto, and himself, as they were weak and recovering in the aftermath of Orochimaru’s attack. It was also almost used during his preliminary fight against Team Kabuto’s Yoroi.

Orochimaru used these cursed seals as a form of research for immortality as well as a sort of control measure over his subjects. The curse had been previously inflicted on Anko Mitarashi, the second proctor during this rendition of the Chunin exams.

Does Sasuke ever get rid of his curse?

The curse was sealed during the preliminaries after Sasuke qualified for the finals. Team 7 leader Kakashi Hatake contained it using the Evil Sealing Method, however, it’s only effective if Sasuke doesn’t actively decide to tap into the seal’s power. In this same scene, Kakashi is confronted by Orochimaru, who taunts him saying that it is certain Sasuke will seek him out in search of more power. Unfortunately, this ends up becoming true when the surviving Uchiha deserts the village.

Years and many, many episodes later, the mark is eventually removed from Sasuke’s body. As the fight against his older brother draws to a close, Itachi uses his Susanoo’s Sword of Totsuka to extract Orochimaru from Sasuke and seal him, effectively freeing his brother from the evil ninja’s fangs.

Sasuke is someone who would do whatever it takes to become stronger. He has unshakable goals that demand it of him. However, by the end of the Naruto series he has begun to realize what truly matters at the end of the day. By the time Boruto rolls around, he’s a completely different person. Undeniably, a rollercoaster of a character arc.