MAdara (Tobi) Akatsuki

Madara Uchiha

(うちは　マダラ, Uchiha Madara) is the founder of Akatsuki and the first possessor of the Mangekyo Sharingan, a rare form of the eye condition unique to the Uchiha. Though it gave him the strength needed to take control of the Uchiha clan, overuse of the Mangekyo Sharingan left him blind, and it was only by taking his own brother's eyes that he was able to regain his sight. Madara eventually banded together with Hashirama Senju to create Konohagakure. The two founders disagreed on who should lead their new village and after a momentous battle between the two Madara was expelled from Konoha. In later years the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked Konoha, an act Itachi Uchiha states to have been Madara's doing. Once the fox was defeated by Minato Namikaze, Madara infiltrated Konoha in secret, trained Itachi, and subsequently assisted him in assassinating the Uchiha clan.

Much of Madara's role in the series has been under the guise of Tobi (トビ, Tobi), who replaces Sasori in Akatsuki after his death. While acting as Tobi he is carefree and goofy as opposed to Madara's usual serious and stereotypically "villainous" self. Tobi's tendency to take credit for other's work and undermine his superiors annoys his partner, Deidara, who either blows up or strangles him in comical fashion as punishment. After Deidara dies during a battle with Sasuke, the only Uchiha to be spared during the massacre, the Tobi persona is discarded as Madara takes a special interest in Sasuke's development, tending to his injuries after Itachi's death. However, Madara has not completely outlived the use of his guise as he temporarily reassumes being Tobi when delaying a group of Konohagakure ninja.

Though Madara's face as it appeared during Konoha's founding has been shown in full at various points in the series, he always wears a mask in the current Naruto storyline. The mask features a swirl pattern focused around his right eye. His black hair (cut back from his earlier years) is the only constantly visible part of his face. When asked how Madara could have survived since Konoha's founding, Itachi Uchiha states that Madara is immortal. The specifics of his immortality have yet to be touched upon, though Madara implies the potency of his chakra has something to do with it. In battle he has been shown capable of making his body intangible, leaving him visible but otherwise impervious to most forms of damage, and can teleport over great distances at will. In the Japanese anime, the Tobi identity is voiced by Wataru Takagi.