In the anime medium, Madara Uchiha's name often comes up in discussions about the strongest antagonist of all time, stealing the spotlight in Mangekyo Sharingan ability has already been subtly hinted at.

Some critical details of Naruto that couldn't be explored in the main storyline have been incorporated into the databooks or novels and are considered canon by some fans due to part of them being supervised by Kishimoto himself. Though there are some notable changes to the anime's version of the story, Madara Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan's unique ability was teased in one of Naruto's games, confirming the villain's absurd potential.

Madara Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan Ability Might Have Been Time Rewind

Madara’s Ability Was Never Confirmed in Naruto’s Story

After his revival, Madara fought using his Rinnegan, so fans never got to see in action his Mangekyo Sharingan's unique abilities. However, an OVA animated by Studio Pierrot, which forms part of a special release for the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations game and adapts a version of Madara's fight against Hashirama narrated by Obito, gives a glimpse into what his power could have been. In this version, Madara can be seen using his Mangekyo Sharingan for what seems to be rewinding time.

In the OVA, Madara is surrounded by a cloud of smoke and is attacked by weapons and branches of several trees by Hashirama's Wood release. But when he seemingly just lost the fight, Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan eye starts spinning counterclockwise, making time go back by a few seconds, and then he is swiftly capable of countering the attacks. This has been interpreted by fans as Madara having a "time reversal" ability.

Is Madara Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan Ability Canon?

Many Things Contradict Madara’s Time Manipulation Ability

The OVAs of Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations were produced by the same studio as Naruto and Boruto's anime and complement the side stories that didn't make it to the series, like the fight between Danzo and Shisui and the creation of Akatsuki. This content has been referred to by Hiroshi Matsuyama, CyberConnect 2 CEO, as canon at the time, as the game was supervised by Masashi Kishimoto. Also, the author is credited for the story and artwork of certain characters.

However, the OVA slightly contradicts Hashirama's later version of the fight and is narrated by Obito, which means that his point of view could differ from reality. Moreover, since Madara's ability has not been hinted at in any other instances of the franchise nor confirmed by Naruto's author, it could have been a particular way to showcase the precognition skill of the Sharingan.

This might have been explained as Madara possessed the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which is a unique form that increases intuition and the ability to predict movement in its s. Furthermore, since Madara had previously fought Hashirama countless times as former rivals, it's possible that he knew all of his abilities and attack patterns beforehand, so using his advanced precognition would almost feel like looking into the future for him. As a result, fans theorized that Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan abilities were meant to be something different, focused on enhancing his strength or speed.

Madara Uchiha’s Mangekyo Sharingan Ability Would Have Made Him the Strongest in Naruto’s Universe

Madara Uchiha’s Potential Was Greater Than Any Other Villain in Naruto

Despite being non-canon to Naruto's manga, having a time-manipulation ability would have made Madara almost invincible, as foreseeing any imminent threat and rewriting time to dodge it serves as an upgraded version of Izanagi, which, summed up with his battle sense and offensive powers, would have made him a really tough opponent to beat for the ninjas.

Yet time rewind abilities aren't completely unbeatable, as Madara still lost to Hashirama, and it could be argued that the Uchiha wouldn't have activated the Mangekyo Sharingan's ability since he was using his Rinnegan, so he could still have been betrayed by Black Zetsu like in the manga. This puts into perspective that not showcasing Madara's full abilities could have been a writing decision of Naruto's author, Masashi Kishimoto, to avoid making him too overpowered.

Nevertheless, this highlights the potential that Madara Uchiha had as a villain, that even without a unique Mangekyo Sharingan ability like the rest of his clan, in the right conditions and without a secret mastermind plotting against him, the villain could have defeated Naruto and Sasuke himself.

Source: Palgn, MobyGames