Naruto and Sasuke Kiss- Iconic Anime Moment Analysis
What Actually Happened: The Naruto and Sasuke Kiss Scene
Let's get one thing straight: Naruto and Sasuke did kiss. It happened in Chapter 700 of the manga, during the series epilogue. Kishimoto drew a panel where Sasuke briefly kisses Naruto's forehead after Naruto wakes up from exhaustion.
No, this wasn't a romantic kiss. It was a seal—literally a mark of brotherhood and forgiveness. Sasuke branded his own forehead with a kunai to kiss Naruto the same way Naruto had once marked Sasuke's forehead with a Rasengan as a promise.
The anime adaptation included this scene in the final episode. If you missed it, you weren't alone. Many viewers scrolled past thinking it was a quick gag.
The Context You Actually Need
This moment only hits hard if you understand 12 years of relationship baggage.
Naruto and Sasuke started as kids in the same class. Sasuke was the prodigy. Naruto was the outcast. Sasuke lost his entire family. Naruto grew up alone with no parents. They bonded over being lonely.
Then Sasuke left the village. He allied with Orochimaru. He tried to kill Naruto multiple times. He killed a Kage. He attacked the village. He was a full-blown international war criminal.
And Naruto still chased him. For years. Through every betrayal.
The Forehead Flick: A Symbol You Missed
Throughout the series, Naruto hits Sasuke on the forehead with his knuckle. This is their thing. It's playful, it's affectionate, it's their version of a hug.
When Sasuke returns in the final arc, he can't just say "sorry" or "I was wrong." That's not how these characters work. So he mirrors Naruto's gesture—but makes it a kiss instead.
It's not romantic. It's deeper than that. It's acknowledgment. It's "I see you. I understand what you did for me. I'm back."
Why Fans Lost Their Minds
Twitter exploded. Reddit threads went nuclear. Fanart flooded every platform within hours.
Here's why:
- Slash shippers had been drawing this for over a decade
- The manga panel was ambiguous—you had to squint
- Anime-onlies didn't see it coming at all
- The kiss was subtle, not fanservice—it felt earned
The moment worked because it wasn't trying to be shocking. Kishimoto just drew two broken friends finally reconciling after everything. The kiss was the punctuation mark on a 15-year arc.
Breaking Down the Scene Frame by Frame
In the manga (Chapter 700):
- Naruto is exhausted after his final battle with Sasuke
- Sasuke tends to him while he sleeps
- Sasuke looks at his own hand—the hand that hurt Naruto countless times
- He leans down and presses his lips to Naruto's forehead
- A small mark appears where his lips touched
- Naruto wakes up, sees the mark, and smiles
That's it. Three panels. No dialogue. No explanation needed if you've been paying attention.
Comparing Anime's Most Famous Male Friendship Moments
| Series | Moment | Type of Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Naruto | Sasuke kisses Naruto's forehead | Brotherhood/Forgiveness |
| Fullmetal Alchemist | Ed and Al share a soul due to human transmutation | Blood/Shared existence |
| Hunter x Hunter | Gon and Killua hold hands constantly | Best friends/Comfort |
| My Hero Academia | Deku and All Might pass One For All down | Mentor/Student legacy |
| Dragon Ball Z | Goku and Vegeta respect each other after years of fighting | Rivals/Earned respect |
Most anime use subtle physical gestures to convey deep male bonds. The forehead kiss fits right into this tradition—it's not about romance, it's about intimacy between two people who survived hell together.
How to Understand This Moment in 2024
If you're watching Naruto for the first time:
- Watch the entire series first—don't skip to Shippuden
- Pay attention to every forehead flick in the original series
- Note how Sasuke never apologizes with words—he uses actions
- Understand that Naruto's goal was never to defeat Sasuke—it was to bring him home
- Watch the final fight (episodes 475-477) with full context
The kiss only makes sense after watching Naruto fail to reach Sasuke in Part 1, watch Sasuke leave in Part 2, fight him at the Valley of the End, and finally talk him down in the final war.
The Real Takeaway
Was the kiss romantic? No. Was it meaningful? Absolutely.
Kishimoto wrote a story about two lonely kids who became brothers through shared trauma and relentless pursuit. The kiss was the seal on a promise—same as the Rasengan mark years before, just inverted.
If you see it as queerbaiting, that's your read. If you see it as a beautiful moment of reconciliation between two traumatized men, that's also valid. Kishimoto left it ambiguous on purpose.
What matters is this: Sasuke came home. After everything, he came home. The kiss was just the stamp on that letter.