Who Was the First Uchiha? The Ōtsutsuki Connection Explained!

The Uchiha Clan is one of the four noble clans of Konohagakure in the fictional world of Naruto. It was considered one of the two most powerful clans in the shinobi world due to its valuable Sharingan and the Senju Clan during the Clan War Era. Due to their great skills in all types of combat, they earned the nickname War Clan. Many members of the Uchiha Clan have been revealed, and they are all – more or less – noteworthy characters we have to talk about. But who was the first Uchiha? In this article, we have decided to do some research and tell you who the first member of the Uchiha clan was.

Technically, the first Uchiha in history was actually Indra Ōtsutsuki, as the members of the Uchiha clan are descendants of Indra. He is, thus, the progenitor of the Uchiha clan, although he never really carried the last name himself. The first person to use the name Uchiha is not known and has not been revealed by Kishimoto.

In this article, we will tell you about the history of the Uchiha clan and its connection to Indra Ōtsutsuki and the Ōtsutsuki clan in general. This is a very interesting connection, and we will tell you all the known facts related to it. Also, if you’re not fully up-to-date with the story of Naruto, there might be some spoilers in this article, so be careful how you approach certain parts.

The story of the Uchiha clan goes back to Indra Ōtsutsuki

In order to give you an answer on how the Uchiha clan was founded, we have to tell you the story of its founder, who was an exceptionally specific individual. Indra Ōtsutsuki, the progenitor of the Uchiha clan, was the eldest son of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. He inherited his father’s eyes, a particularly strong chakra, and spiritual energy. He believed that the key to peace was power and strength. Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, made his younger son his successor, which he couldn’t accept as his elder son. After his father passed his powers on to his younger brother, he attacked him, and a fight ensued, which Ashura won thanks to the village’s help.

Indra spends most of his childhood with his younger brother. They learn, play and train together. As an older brother, Indra feels responsible and takes care of his little brother while the latter looks up to him. So did one day when Indra discovered that the chakra could also be used to shape things. He creates a small flame under the control of his chakra, which deeply impresses his brother, father, and classmates. From then on, the training of Hagoromo’s disciples changes, and Indra wonders if he has made the world worse. But his father reassures him that someone else would have if he hadn’t found out.

One day, when Ashura and his friends go into the forest to look for a bear, they are attacked by it. Before the bear can harm Ashura, Indra comes to his aid and effortlessly defeats the beast with a Raiton attack. Thus, already at the age of ten, Indra was able to use two chakra natures. Before this incident happened, Indra was visited by Black Zetsu, who had already discovered his talent and was now trying to manipulate him. To gain power, he should kill a loved one. Though he didn’t, his Sharingan awoke after killing the bear and rescuing his brother. Sometime later, the difference in power between Indra and his fellow disciples increased even further.

Neither his brother nor the others have anything against him in training. When Ashura overhears his classmates by chance, he learns that no one would accept Indra as Hagoromo’s successor due to his intransigence and toughness. Sadly, he asks his brother to be a little less strict, but the elder cannot do so. He often trains alone in the mountains because his father’s training is no longer challenging. One day Indra appears for training and asks for a challenger. However, after once again easily defeating a classmate, no one wants to fight him anymore. Angered by this situation, Hagoromo’s elder son leaves the premises.

When his brother catches up with him and wants to train with him in the mountains, Indra refuses as his brother is not a challenge. Ashura looks after him sadly when Indra accuses him that nobody can understand him without Sharingan. When his brother wants to help a friend a little later and falls trees that belong to the village, Indra orders Taizou to be arrested, contrary to the doubts of his father and brother. The latter does not want to accept this and frees his friend but is caught by Indra. After a short fight, Indra warns him to better follow his orders in the future.

When the day comes to decide who will become Hagoromo’s successor, Hagoromo sends his sons on an individual journey to prove themselves and mature. Both cannot understand this since Ashura would voluntarily let his brother take precedence, and Indra is convinced he is the clear successor. But he submits to his father’s will and begins a journey. Unlike his brother’s journey, Indra’s does not last long. Within a very short time, he finds the village to which Hagoromo had sent him and solves a problem that is not specified. He returns to his home village long before his brother and reports to his father, who causes him to wait for Ashura.

When he returns after a year, Hagoromo wants to determine his successor. Much to the surprise of all present, this will be Ashura, not Indra. He doesn’t want to believe the decision and is told by Hagoromo that Ashura would have done his job better because he had won the villagers as friends at the same time. Enraged, Indra leaves the village and kills two of his friends to gain a new power – the Mangekyou Sharingan. While the decision of the successor is being celebrated in the village, Indra awakens his Amaterasu and Susano’o, with which he attacks the revelers at the same time. When Ashura stands in his way, he doubts that his brother has anything to oppose him.

However, Ashura fights using his friends’ power and can destroy Indra’s Susano’o using the Senpou: Mokuton: Shinsuusenju. Defeated, Indra leaves the battlefield and stays away from his home village for years until he visits his father on his deathbed and vows to rest only when Ashura and his vision of the ninshuu are erased.

His descendants became the Uchiha clan, and his legacy to them was hatred. His younger brother’s descendants became the Senju clan, which also explains the rivalry between the two clans and also the rivalry between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha: while Sasuke inherited hatred, Naruto follows Hashirama Senju’s will. Even though Indra died, his chakra continued to exist and was reincarnated again and again in other members of the Uchiha clan. His current reincarnation is Sasuke Uchiha, who succeeded Madara Uchiha in this aspect.

The first person to use the Uchiha name is not known

Now that we have clarified the original question, we still don’t know who the first person to don the Uchiha name was. Our initial answer, the one we’ve provided above, doesn’t really answer this question as Indra, the progenitor of the Uchiha clan, was still an Ōtsutsuki and not an Uchiha by name, although his descendants founded the Uchiha clan. So, who was the first Uchiha to don the name?

Sadly, we don’t have an answer for you here. Namely, this question is a mystery, and it has never been revealed who the first person with the Uchiha name was. The clan has a long tradition, and we do know some of its former leaders, but Kishimoto has never revealed the person who changed the Ōtsutsuki name to Uchiha.