When Did Sasuke Uchiha Akatsuki First Join Akatsuki In Canon?

Alright, so this one gets messy if you just follow the anime filler. The core of it is that Sasuke straight up forms his own team, Hebi (later Taka), specifically to hunt Itachi. After their final battle, where Sasuke learns the horrible truth about the massacre, a severely weakened and emotionally shattered Sasuke is approached by Obito, who’s posing as Madara. Obito feeds him a heavily biased version of history, pushing him further toward vengeance against Konoha. Joining Akatsuki wasn't some formal application; it was a deal with Obito. Sasuke's new goal aligned with Akatsuki's broader war plans, so Obito offered resources and intel. Sasuke's 'initiation' was basically the brutal capture of the Eight-Tails, which... didn't go perfectly, but it demonstrated his power and commitment. It was always a temporary, hostile alliance of convenience. He never cared about their robes or rings, just saw them as a means to an end. Honestly, the weirdest part is how little he interacts with other members besides his assigned partner. He just used the organization as a weapon until he decided to take everything into his own hands.

Alright, let’s break this down. Sasuke forming his own little squad after killing Orochimaru was a weird moment. He basically decided he needed power to take down Itachi, and recruiting former Orochimaru test subjects made a twisted kind of sense. They were strong, loyal to him personally, and disposable in his eyes. His actual entry into the Akatsuki came after the Itachi fight, when he was at his most broken and vengeful. Tobi swooped in, fed him a version of the Uchiha massacre that painted Itachi as a hero, and completely shattered Sasuke’s world. That manipulation was the key. He didn't 'join' so much as get weaponized. His new goal of destroying Konoha aligned with Akatsuki's broader chaos, so Tobi gave him a cloak and let him run wild with Team Taka as a provisional member. The whole thing felt less like an initiation and more like a hostile takeover from within.

I still get chills thinking about those tense moments in 'Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden' where Sasuke crosses paths with Akatsuki members — but here's the important thing up front: Sasuke never officially becomes part of the Akatsuki. What you do see are encounters, brief alignments of convenience, and a handful of dramatic confrontations where he’s working against or alongside individual members for his own goals. If you want episode checkpoints to watch: focus on the 'Itachi Pursuit' arc in 'Naruto Shippuden' (the build-up runs roughly from the low 100s into the 130s), the big brothers’ fight (the climactic duel between Sasuke and Itachi happens around the high 130s), and the Deidara clash a bit earlier in that chase sequence. Those are the moments where Akatsuki figures are central and Sasuke’s relationship with them is most dramatic. Personally, I binged those arcs on two late nights and it felt like watching a slow-motion train crash — you can see his motivations collide with theirs in every frame.

There's a lot of fan chatter about this, and I fall squarely on the side that Sasuke never officially wore the Akatsuki cloak in canon. When I go back to the manga panels in 'Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden', there’s no scene where Sasuke is inducted into Akatsuki or given the red-cloud cloak and ring the way Itachi and other members were. He does team up with — or at least interact with — people tied to Akatsuki (Tobi/Obito and others), but that’s not the same as membership. The organization’s visual markers are pretty strict: the red-cloud cloak, the straw hats in some missions, and the finger rings with specific kanji. Sasuke never sports those canonically. That said, I love scanning artbooks and game skins, and it’s common to find promotional illustrations, alternate costume skins in fighting games, or fan art showing Sasuke in an Akatsuki cloak. Those are fun what-ifs, but they don’t change the official storyline. If you want the real deal, stick to the manga and official databooks — they don’t list him as an Akatsuki member.

Whenever I rewind the Fourth Shinobi War arc I still get tripped up by how messy loyalties look on paper — so here’s the clean, canon-only version from my point of view. There is no point in the official storyline where 'Naruto' formally joins the 'Akatsuki' as a faction or signs an alliance with 'Tobi' while Tobi is acting as the Akatsuki leader. Tobi (who is later revealed to be Obito) was the hidden force behind much of Akatsuki’s direction, and for most of the series he’s working against Naruto and the Allied Shinobi Forces, not side-by-side with them. What does happen, and why people get confused, is that allegiances shift during the war. Several members of Akatsuki had already died earlier or were reanimated with Edo Tensei by Kabuto, and a handful — most notably Itachi while under Edo control — end up turning the tide by breaking Kabuto’s control, which allows many reanimated shinobi to return to the afterlife rather than fighting for Madara/Tobi. That’s not Naruto joining Akatsuki; it’s more like individual former-Akatsuki souls being taken out of the conflict or briefly working against their original group under different circumstances. The closest thing to an actual cooperation between Naruto and Tobi is late in the war when Obito (no longer the anonymous masked Tobi puppet) undergoes a redemption arc. After Naruto’s relentless attempts to reach him and Kakashi’s involvement, Obito rejects Madara’s plan and begins to help the Allied forces. He fights alongside them against the Ten-Tails and later against the threat that follows, but that’s Obito the individual switching sides, not an institutional alliance between Naruto and the Akatsuki organization. It’s an emotional, personal turn of events — one enemy becomes a repentant ally in the final battles, sacrifices and all — and it’s portrayed as Obito’s redemption rather than a negotiated pact. So if you want a one-liner to tell friends: there’s no canonical moment where 'Naruto' and the entire 'Akatsuki' ally with 'Tobi' as a bloc. What you see is fractured: some former Akatsuki members are neutralized or helped to stop fighting, and Obito/Tobi ultimately defects and aids Naruto near the climax. To me that ambiguity is part of why the war arc feels so charged — loyalties are personal and messy, which makes the payoffs hit harder.

Honestly, it's easier to list the missions he didn't do, which is basically zero? He barely contributed. His whole stint with Akatsuki felt more like a business arrangement than actual membership. He joined, got paired with Itachi's old partner Kisame, and his entire goal was tracking down Itachi. So his only 'mission' was using the organization's intel network to locate his brother, culminating in that fight at the hideout. After that, he briefly teamed up with Taka, his own little crew, and went after Killer Bee for the Eight-Tails. That was technically an Akatsuki objective, but he failed spectacularly. Then he crashed the Five Kage Summit on his own vendetta, which was definitely not an Akatsuki-sanctioned operation. He was a member in name only, using their resources for his personal revenge. By the time the Fourth Great Ninja War started, he'd completely diverged from their goals to pursue his own messed-up revolution.

The moment Sasuke finally reunites with Naruto is one of those iconic turning points in 'Naruto Shippuden' that gives me chills every time I rewatch it. After years of rivalry, darkness, and separation, Sasuke’s return isn’t some sudden flip—it’s a slow burn. The Fourth Great Ninja War arc really forces him to confront his past, especially after Itachi’s influence and his talks with Hashirama. But the real emotional payoff comes after Kaguya’s defeat. When Naruto’s arm is gone and Sasuke’s bleeding out, that quiet conversation under the sunset? Perfect. It’s not just about Sasuke 'returning' physically; it’s him finally understanding Naruto’s stubborn faith in him. The epilogue in 'Boruto' just seals the deal—seeing them as adults, still bickering but undeniably bonded, hits differently. What I love is how the series never rushes this. From the Valley of the End fights to Sasuke’s solo redemption journey, every step feels earned. Even in 'Boruto,' his 'return' isn’t sunshine and rainbows—he’s distant, still atoning, but you know he’s home. Kishimoto really nailed that bittersweet growth.

I still get excited when I spot a clever twist on a character — and with Sasuke it's no different. Because Sasuke wasn't actually an Akatsuki member in canon, most of the merch that shows him in the black cloak or wearing the red-cloud motif is either alternate-universe art, crossover promotions, or fanmade pieces. That means the most common types you’ll see are mass-market figures (prize figures, chibi takes, and special-edition scales) and a surprising number of posters and art prints where artists reimagine him in Akatsuki garb. If you love hunting, check out keychains, enamel pins, and acrylic stands too — they’re cheap to produce as variant art so indie creators often give Sasuke the Akatsuki makeover. For more official-feeling items, Funko Pop variants or Banpresto prize figures sometimes dip into “what-if” aesthetics, and conventions/Etsy have custom cosplay cloaks and replica rings. I’ve bought a few acrylic stands at a con and a printed poster from an artist alley — both fun, affordable ways to collect that alternate-Sasuke vibe.

Wildly confusing at first, the whole Tobi/Obito timeline in 'Naruto' makes more sense once you split it into two phases: the man and the mask. I see Obito as someone who never really joined a normal organization so much as he was folded into one by circumstance and by Madara. After he was crushed in the Third Great Ninja War and rescued by Madara, he became part of Madara's long plan. He didn’t join Yahiko’s original, idealistic Akatsuki; instead, he and Madara steered the group after Yahiko’s death, turning it from a peace-seeking cell into a tailed-beast-hunting criminal network. The public-face of that shift was Nagato/Pain, but the hidden hand was Obito working with White Zetsu and Madara. Later, when he started showing up as the masked, goofy “Tobi” among the Akatsuki field team (the comic relief member who hung out with Deidara and Sasori early on), that’s when he was actively inside the organization in plain sight. So timeline-wise: rescued and radicalized by Madara soon after his supposed death, influencing Akatsuki behind the scenes during Nagato’s era, then entering openly as 'Tobi' in the years leading up to the events we see in 'Naruto' Part II. It’s darker and messier than the show’s first impressions, but it explains why Akatsuki felt so different once the plan shifted—he left a weird, cold impression on me.

The moment Sasuke awakens his Sharingan is one of those iconic scenes in 'Naruto' that still gives me chills. It happens during the Land of Waves arc, when Team 7 is fighting Zabuza and Haku. After Haku traps Naruto in his ice mirrors and seemingly 'kills' him, Sasuke's emotions explode—his desperation and fear for his friend trigger the Sharingan's awakening. The way his eyes shift, with those tomoe spinning into place, is just chef's kiss storytelling. Kishimoto really nails how trauma and bond-related emotions fuel the Uchiha clan's power. What I love about this scene is how it foreshadows Sasuke's entire character arc. His Sharingan isn't just a cool visual; it's tied to his relationships. Later, when Itachi returns, we see how this power evolves through more pain (hello, Mangekyō). But that first flicker of red? Pure narrative gold—it sets up everything from his rivalry with Naruto to his eventual redemption.