How Did Sasuke Get The Rinnegan?

Uchiha Sasuke is known for his talent as a ninja, as he is hailed as a genius when he was a kid. But what made him so unique and powerful among Naruto and the rest of their friends is his trademark Sharingan. His Sharingan does not just give him unique visual abilities and a means to cast genjutsu with just a stare. The evolution of his eyes into the Mangekyou Sharingan, and eventually to the Rinnegan, unlocked a lot of powerful abilities that made him one of the strongest ninjas.

Sasuke acquired the Rinnegan through an evolutionary process with his Sharingan. The reason why he only obtained one was because of Hagoromo Otsutsuki who provided him only half of his Chakra, as part of a process to seal Kaguya. But even if the seal that he obtained had been used, his Rinnegan never faded away.

In this article, I will provide you with all of the necessary information regarding Sasuke’s Rinnegan. I will also explain if he was able to obtain it naturally or through a special means or event. You will also learn how his Sharingan evolved into a Rinnegan, as well as the events that unlocked his Mangekyou Sharingan. There will be major spoilers ahead. So read at your own risk!

Was Sasuke Born With Rinnegan? 

Technically, you could say that Sasuke was born with the Rinnegan. It was Madara who confirmed that the evolution of the Sharingan was the Rinnegan. However, it consisted of a very lengthy process, which was the progression of Sasuke’s character throughout the series. The conditions to evolve his Sharingan into the Rinnegan was a process that took Sasuke a lot of bad choices and painful events.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke naturally has the Sharingan since birth. However, it has to be unlocked through a process involving his emotions. The reason why this happens is that the Uchiha has a special stream of chakra on their eyes that flows intensely when they feel a burst of emotion through a certain event. This is why the Sharingan is said to be the “eyes that reflect the hear”, as Tobirama Senju stated when explaining it to Sasuke.

In this article, you will also learn how Sasuke’s Sharingan evolved until it became strong enough to evolve into the Rinnegan. If you are not yet finished with the series, there will be a lot of spoilers as there are major events that caused Sasuke’s Sharingan to evolve from a Mangekyo Sharingan, and eventually into the Rinnegan.

Why Does Sasuke Have One Rinnegan? 

Others are wondering why Madara got two Rinnegans with him, while Sasuke only managed to acquire one. The most notable reason why Sasuke only got one was that Hagoromo Otsutsuki only gave him half of his Six Paths chakra, which is the Yin portion of the chakra. The reason why he did this is that two people are needed to seal Hagoromo’s mother Kaguya, which is going to be revived by Madara as an unexpected result of his plan. 

Since it was only half the power of the Six Paths, with the other Yang half given to Naruto, only one eye evolved into the Rinnegan. But despite being one eye only, it is still powerful enough to provide Sasuke a new set of abilities. The Rinnegan also gave him the power to absorb chakra, control the push and pull of gravity, cast the powerful Chibaku Tensei, and gain access to space-time ninjutsu where he can swap places with everyone or everything. 

Some fans say that if Hamura was around that time, and served as the person who would give Sasuke or Naruto the other half of the seal, the result would be different. Some said that Sasuke might gain two Rinnegan, as Hamura and Hagoromo would be able to give their full chakra to both Naruto and Sasuke. But this is just a theory but has a good potential to create a more overpowered boost in both Sasuke and Naruto before they battle Madara, and eventually Kaguya.

How Did Sasuke Get The Rinnegan? 

Sasuke obtained the Rinnegan when he was talking to Hagoromo Otsutsuki inside his subconscious. This was the moment when Sasuke was in a near-death state, and while fate is still making way to revive him (through Kabuto who gave a portion of his body to heal him). While they were talking and asked Sasuke about his goal, Hagoromo saw that he and Naruto could change the world and prevent Kaguya from taking over. As a result, Hagoromo entrusted him with the Yin half of the Six Paths chakra, as well as the other half of the seal to end Kaguya once and for all. 

How Did Sasuke Get The Mangekyou Sharingan 

The Mangekyou Sharingan is a powerful evolution of the Sharingan which is triggered by the death of someone precious to its wielder. So far, the only way to get the Mangekyou Sharingan is through the death of a loved one. In Sasuke’s case, it was the death of his dear brother Itachi. However, it happened in a way where Sasuke realized a lot of things first about his brother.

At first, everyone knew since the beginning of the series that Sasuke had a deep hatred for his brother since he killed their whole clan, including their parents. However, this was part of Itachi’s dedication to the village, as the Uchiha clan are planning to revolt against Konoha. But what Itachi made Sasuke aware of was that he must grow stronger through hate to take revenge on him. 

However, this manipulation of Sasuke’s feelings was meant to make Sasuke stronger in the future as part of Itachi’s love and care for him. During Itachi’s time spying within the ranks of the Akatsuki to provide more info to Konoha about the group, he got ravaged by an incurable and deadly disease. This caused Itachi to take medication and gain enough willpower until their fated battle with Sasuke. That way, he can give Itachi the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

Sasuke got too puzzled by seeing Itachi smile, with his loving poke on the forehead to his brother, before Itachi succumbed to his illness and fell in front of his beloved brother. But upon Obito telling Sasuke about Itachi’s real plans in mind, Sasuke recollected his memories with his brother, eventually broke down to tears and awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan as a result of his strong emotions at the death of a loved one.

This more powerful form of the Sharingan can only be attained by implanting the eyes of a direct blood relative such as a sibling. After Sasuke overused his eyes towards blindness by battling 5 Kage and Danzo in the Land of Iron, Obito implanted Itachi’s eyes to Sasuke

How Did Sasuke Get His Rinnegan Back

Sasuke got his Rinnegan evolved through Hagoromo, unlike Madara who took it back when Obito was already using it after Nagato’s death. By evolving his Sharingan into the Mangekyou Sharingan, and then eventually his Eternal Mangekyous Sharinga, his eyes were advanced enough to progress with the help of a powerful source of chakra that’s part-Senju (which is needed to evolve a Sharingan into the Rinnegan).

SPOILER ALERT: Due to the recent events in the Boruto manga series, Sasuke ultimately lost his Rinnegan when Momoshiki got control over Boruto’s body and stabbed Sasuke’s Rinnegan in a blink of an eye (it’s up to you to think if this is pun intended).