Although it’s not very common, some early shonen series villains manage to get the job done so well that they are considered by fans to be one of the greatest villains even decades later.
And although Zabuza is only present in the story in the Land of Waves arc, he manages to leave an impact on fans with his commanding presence as a villain and the heartbreaking way he turns the tables at the end.
Most of the time, we see Zabuza fighting the heroes or recovering from his first fight with Kakashi and plotting his revenge.
Despite this, there is still a lot about his character that has been ignored in his short screen time, which means that there is still a decent amount of information about him that fans may still not know to this day.
CONTENTS
- 10 Facts about Zabuza
- 10. His arc has been adapted into a Light Novel
- 9. Zabuza makes a brief appearance in the third OVA of the series.
- 8. He became famous after he joined the Anbu and killed the Jonin of Konoha Kumade Toriichi.
- 7. In the anime, he and Haku witness the Kaguya clan’s attack on Kiri, but choose not to help them.
- 6. Zabuza and Haku meet Kimimaro, but Zabuza refuses to use his Kekkei Genkai.
- 5. He works under Gato’s orders as a mercenary in order to raise the necessary funds for a new assassination attempt of the Mizukage.
- 4. Zabuza was once considered a charismatic and inspirational individual who dreamed of shinobi becoming the ruling class.
- 3. The truth about Haku’s importance to Zabuza does not hit him until after the latter’s death.
- 2. Despite his penchant for bloodshed, he is adamantly opposed to being controlled after his death.
- 1. All his official stats, except for his Genjutsu, are incredibly high.
10 Facts about Zabuza
10. His arc has been adapted into a Light Novel
The Land of Waves arc, the heroes’ first in-depth story after leaving the academy, is legendary for a variety of reasons. They eventually get a taste of true horror while on a mission when they unwittingly accept a task that is considerably more difficult than the task’s advertised difficulty.
Zabuza is one of the main reasons for this, as he poses a very real threat, even to the great Kakashi. This arc is so well received that it was adapted into a light novel in 2006, under the title “Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood”, probably in reference to Haku and Zabuza, respectively.
9. Zabuza makes a brief appearance in the third OVA of the series.
Released in Japan in 2004, Naruto: Konoha Party is the third OVA in the Naruto series.
Surprisingly, Zabuza and Haku make separate appearances throughout the oav. Haku can be seen in the men’s bathroom queue, while Zabuza is part of a team participating in the festival.
8. He became famous after he joined the Anbu and killed the Jonin of Konoha Kumade Toriichi.
Before being conscripted himself, Zabuza made a name for himself among Mist Village residents by murdering more than a hundred academy pupils. This, however, is insufficient for Zabuza to begin acquiring national notoriety; this occurs instead once he joins the Anbu.
He takes the life of Konoha jonin Kumade Toriichi, who was a special kind of jonin, known as Tokubetsu, which means that he had very valuable skills in a specialized field. Zabuza then joined the Seven Legendary Swordsmen and his infamy only grew from there.
7. In the anime, he and Haku witness the Kaguya clan’s attack on Kiri, but choose not to help them.
Zabuza and Haku are a bit more developed in the anime than in the manga. This includes two extra scenes, one of which involves the Kaguya clan launching an attack on Kiri, his home.
In the end, he and Haku decide against aiding them, and even if their decision looks dubious, it’s difficult to hold them responsible. It’s not like Zabuza or Haku have any compelling motive to assist in the village’s defense as they have severe disagreements with the Mizukage’s leadership and are currently not linked with the community.
6. Zabuza and Haku meet Kimimaro, but Zabuza refuses to use his Kekkei Genkai.
The second piece of additional development that Zabuza receives in the anime is a flashback in which he and Haku meet a lost young Kimimaro. He is incredibly similar to Haku in that he has nothing to live for, nowhere to go, and has an incredibly powerful bloodline.
In spite of this, we witness Zabuza decline to accompany the youngster on their journey. This suggests that despite his seeming coldness, he truly cares for Haku and isn’t merely using him as a weapon to exploit the orphans’ loyalty and special power. If that weren’t the case, why not take a second one like Kimimaro?
5. He works under Gato’s orders as a mercenary in order to raise the necessary funds for a new assassination attempt of the Mizukage.
The reason Zabuza and Haku end up fleeing the Mist Village is because they failed in their attempt to kill the Mizukage.
However, this is not enough to dissuade Zabuza from planning a second attempt, and this is in fact the exact reason why they end up becoming mercenaries under Gato.
He doesn’t really care about Gato’s plans, but simply wants to raise money so he can attempt another coup against the Mizukage.
4. Zabuza was once considered a charismatic and inspirational individual who dreamed of shinobi becoming the ruling class.
Zabuza is described by Gengo, one of his former disciples, as having initially been an inspiring and charismatic individual with strong beliefs in the future of the shinobi as a ruling class.
This is the main reason why he ended up opposing the Mizukage and trying to overthrow him. However, after the failure of his attempt, Zabuza becomes much colder and more bitter, content to be hired by anyone corrupt enough that they are willing to pay, rather than following his own convictions.
Many of his former followers eventually leave him.
3. The truth about Haku’s importance to Zabuza does not hit him until after the latter’s death.
At first, Zabuza sees Haku as a mere tool for his powerful Kekkei Genkai, but this is not the truth deep down.
However, it is only after Haku’s death and a combination of Kakashi and Naruto’s remarks that Zabuza ends up crying over his partner’s death.
While he openly mocks Haku’s willingness to sacrifice himself for Zabuza at first, Kakashi notices that he is no longer fighting at full strength because he is deeply distraught over the loss of Haku.
After Naruto uses his Talk-no-Jutsu to detail how Haku lived and died exclusively for Zabuza, he is able to move the mist demon to tears.
2. Despite his penchant for bloodshed, he is adamantly opposed to being controlled after his death.
It is no exaggeration to say that Zabuza likes to act in a cruel and violent way, since he was a child and disrupted the tradition of the Kiri Academy by eliminating more than a hundred students by himself.
However, he shows a surprising side of himself after being revived by Kabuto’s jutsu and forced to fight in the fourth shinobi world war.
He shows a certain disgust of having to serve someone who goes as far as considering the dead as tools, showing that he still has some sense of honor.
He even goes as far as begging Kakashi to stop him from doing harm, a far cry from the ruthless assassin he was in life.
1. All his official stats, except for his Genjutsu, are incredibly high.
Having earned the nickname Blood Mist Demon at a very young age, it’s no surprise that Zabuza’s fighting stats are surprisingly impressive. The official Naruto data books published by Masashi Kishimoto himself make this clear.
