Why did Kakashi kill Rin in ‘Naruto’ and what episode did it happen in?

Naruto has been a part of anime culture and legacy ever since it first premiered, and that won’t change any time soon. Throughout the show, fans were able to watch several epic battles take place while character arcs developed — giving fans countless memories. Unfortunately, one of the things that happen during those battles is the death of beloved characters fans have grown to cherish by watching their arc develop.

One thing fans know: Nobody is safe from a sad death after an intense skirmish — unless they have plot armor, like central protagonist Naruto. These types of deaths are even harder to swallow when fans consider the death of Rin, especially when it was Kakashi — someone who Rin considered both an ally and dear friend — who did it. So why exactly did Kakashi kill Rin?

Why did Kakashi kill Rin?

At first glance, it would appear to Naruto fans that Kakashi did in fact kill Rin. However, it was not the result of a battle or disagreement, but in fact was due to Rin asking Kakashi to kill her. Kakashi was not willing to kill Rin, even though she was begging him to do it in order to save her village, Koonoh. Rin was a jinchuriki, a host for the Three-Tails known as Isobu, and she wanted to prevent the enemies tracking them from releasing the beast inside of her. In the end, Rin stabbed herself with Kakashi’s lightning chakra blade — an attack meant for their pursuers.

This event would continue to haunt Kakashi throughout the show, and was a central storyline during his battle with former teammate Obito Uchiha in the latter part of Naruto: Shippuden.

It is a very sad tale, however, fans can rest easy knowing that it wasn’t Kakashi who delivered the blow to kill Rin, but Rin herself using Kakashi’s lightning chakra.

What episode did this happen in?

In time order, Rin was already dead when Naruto started. However, her death wasn’t relevant to the storyline until later during Naruto: Shippuden. The episode that shows Kakashi piercing Rin with his lightning attack is No. 345. Years had passed by this point, but the writers gave Rin the attention she deserved to show what truly happened.