Sasuke Didn't Use Susanoo Replacing Arm: Why?

Here’s why Sasuke didn’t use Susanoo to replace his arm:

Sasuke doesn’t use Susanoo to replace his arm for the same reason he doesn’t use any other means to replace his arm.

He believes that his missing limb is part of his atonement for the pain and suffering he caused.

It’s also probably used by the author as a reminder of all of the things that happened before.

So if you want to learn all about whether Sasuke could use Susanoo to replace his missing arm, then this article is for you.

Let’s dig into it!

Sasuke Didn't Use Susanoo Replacing Arm: Why? (All the Info)

Why Doesn’t Sasuke Have an Arm?

If we’re going to talk about Sasuke’s arm, then we should probably all start on the same page.

If you don’t already know this, Sasuke lost his left arm during an epic fight.

In the final saga of Naruto Shippuden, Sasuke fights alongside Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi to take on the final villain, Kaguya.

She’s essentially a god, so it is no easy fight.

Ultimately, the heroes win, and they save the day, but that’s not the end of the story.

Up to this point, Naruto and Sasuke have long been rivals, and they have developed different philosophies.

Now that the threat to the world is gone, it’s time for them to settle their differences and decide what happens next.

Sasuke thinks that the world is unjust.

He wants to abolish the Kage system and restructure the whole world.

Naruto wants to fix the system and have Sasuke come home.

Since they disagree, they do the only reasonable thing that Shounen characters can do: fight.

It’s an intense fight of major proportions, and after pulling out all of the stops, the final blow comes down to a single specialized attack.

Naruto uses his Rasengan against Sasuke’s Chidori, a call back to the first time they truly fought.

The blow is so strong that they each lose the arm they used for the attack.

In the end, Naruto wins the fight, and Sasuke agrees to come home, their misunderstandings finally resolved.

Can Arms Be Replaced in Naruto?

We do know that arms can be replaced in the Naruto universe.

As you just read, Naruto also lost his arm in that fateful fight, but by the time Boruto starts, Naruto seems to have two arms again.

According to the Boruto backstory, Tsunade actually created a new arm for Naruto and was able to graft it to his body, essentially replacing the lost arm.

It’s not exactly Naruto’s arm (like it wasn’t regrown or anything), but Naruto uses it as though he never lost an arm in the first place.

So, at least to this extent, arms can and have been replaced in the Naruto universe.

Could Sasuke Use Susanoo to Replace His Arm?

So, sticking with the original question, what about Susanoo?

Can it replace Sasuke’s arm?

To answer that, we should probably first spend a minute on Susanoo itself.

For those who don’t remember, this is the name of an advanced eye technique that both Sasuke and his brother, Itachi, were able to use.

More specifically, this is one of the three skills of the Mangekyou Sharingan that was available to the brothers, and it was the most powerful of those abilities.

Susanoo is a giant chakra avatar that can surround the user, protect the user, and fight on behalf of the user.

Because of the humanoid shape and the many ways Susanoo was used in the series, it’s actually pretty likely that Sasuke could effectively use Susanoo to replace his missing arm.

It was never explicitly done in any canon source material, but it’s not unreasonable to think that Sasuke could pull this off.

But There’s a Catch

But, just because Sasuke could do it doesn’t mean it would be a sensical decision.

Sasuke has the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan by the end of the Naruto series.

That’s important because most Mangekyou Sharingans wear out rapidly over time, and users go blind every time they access the powerful abilities.

But because Sasuke has the eternal Mangekyou, that wear and tear on his eyes is not a problem.

He can use Susanoo as many times as he wants, and he’ll never go blind from it.

Unfortunately, that’s not the only drawback to using Susanoo.

It’s also one of the most chakra-intensive abilities that Sasuke can use, and that’s the real problem.

If Sasuke was going to leave his Susanoo active all the time to have a replacement arm, it would rapidly drain his chakra.

It’s not a permanent solution.

Yet, Sasuke could probably save this as a battle technique and use Susanoo to have an extra arm in intensive fights.

We never see him do that either.

Why?

That answer is coming.

Were There Other Options for Replacing Sasuke’s Arm? (2 Methods)

Before we get into the why of it all, I’m also going to discuss other options.

Susanoo is not the only way that Sasuke could conceivably receive a replacement arm.

After all, eyes and other body parts are swapped around like it’s nothing, so a medical ninjutsu arm transplant should be well within the range of options in the Naruto universe.

And in fact, there are a couple of options available.

I’ll list two, but if you take a deep dive, you might find other options too.

What I want to remind you of while you read these options is that Sasuke didn’t choose these either.

This is about more than what is possible.

#1 Tsunade Method

Tsunade made a new arm for Naruto, and it went well beyond any prosthetics we have here in the real world.

As far as functionality goes, it might as well have been Naruto’s original arm returned to him.

It works really well.

To skip a lot of Naruto mumbo jumbo, Tsudnade made the arm for Naruto using special techniques and Hashirama cells (the magic potion in many weird Naruto moments).

After doing that, she worked with the medical division to perfect the technique, and in Boruto, they prove able to make even better prosthetics without her help.

Needless to say, it’s very likely that Sasuke could have had a similar prosthetic if he wanted one.

#2 Sakura’s Skills

But, Naruto’s arm is made from Hashirama cells.

So, let’s say, for the sake of argument, that for some reason Sasuke wouldn’t be compatible with such an arm.

He’s married to the best medical ninja of all time.

Surely, if Sasuke wanted an arm, Sakura would do the research necessary to find a solution.

She had access to all of Tsunade’s knowledge and more.

But again, this doesn’t happen, and by the time Borotu is in full swing, Sakura seems very at peace with the idea that Sasuke only has one arm.

It’s just not an issue.

So, Why Doesn’t Sasuke Replace His Arm? (2 Ideas)

Ok. Clearly, the option is on the table, but Sasuke still only has one arm.

Why?

What’s the big deal?

Even if Susanoo is too much trouble, Sasuke is clearly making a choice to remain a one-armed ninja.

The manga and anime never explain this decision.

It’s all left implied to the readers and watchers, so I can’t exactly tell you with perfect certainty what is going on here.

That said, most Naruto fans agree on a general idea.

That idea has to do with a sense of atonement.

#1 Atonement

By the end of Naruto, Sasuke is acutely aware of his many wrong decisions.

Even though he went through extraordinary trauma and was pushed into a corner by his brother, Sasuke consistently made the wrong choice at each turn and effectively ended up as a villain.

He eventually joined the good guys for the final battle, and he was instrumental in saving the world, but he knew how much pain and trouble he caused before that moment came.

Most think that Sasuke refuses to replace his lost arm because he feels he deserves to be without it.

The arm was his penance, and he gladly pays it.

He has to atone for killing his brother, who it turned out loved him more than anything.

He has to atone for betraying his own village and going against everything his brother believed.

Possibly most of all, Sasuke had to atone for everything he did to Naruto and the other people in his life.

He definitely hurt them, and being without an arm was proof that he remained aware of his sins and carried the consequences with him.

#2 Consequences

On a different note, Sasuke’s missing arm is also tied to the consequences of the greater story.

Naruto (as a manga) goes through a long, detailed, incredible story with many ups and downs.

Characters grow and change, and plenty die.

The entire world is at stake before all is said and done, and the core characters do unbelievable things to save everyone they care about.

It’s a true epic.

Yet, for all of the twists and turns and massive stakes, the majority of the core characters make it through this story relatively unscathed.

At the end of Naruto, the world isn’t just spared.

It’s in better shape than ever before with all of the ninja villages and great nations committing to a lasting peace with each other.

There aren’t a lot of lasting consequences for the reader.

That might be why Kishimoto didn’t give Sasuke a new arm.

After all, everyone went through with the original series, Sasuke’s missing limb is a constant reminder that all of those things really did happen.

The original story was not cheapened just because it had a happy ending.

The consequences stayed in the world, and Sasuke bears that burden not just for his atonement, but also for the sake of us, the readers.

Author

Theresa McDonough

Tech entrepreneur and founder of Tech Medic, who has become a prominent advocate for the Right to Repair movement. She has testified before the US Federal Trade Commission and been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, helping influence change within the tech industry.

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