One of the best Naruto villains was always Orochimaru, the manipulative snake who was willing to do anything for his own power and immortality. Arguably, with the other world-eating, edgy bad guys in the show, he was very entertaining and compelling. Sure, he was selfish and violent, but he was very unique.

RELATED: 10 Parents In The Land Of Fire Better Than Naruto

Also, he's the only alive, non-redeemed one by Boruto, so that only makes him all the more interesting. Speaking of that, Orochimaru isn't exactly a good guy by the time Boruto and his own son are going to school. There are signs he has become less of a raging monster. But there are others that imply he has just as many secrets and bad intentions.

With all the absent-minded/actually absent parenting in Konoha (looking at you, Naruto and Sasuke), it's a surprise that Orochimaru is a fairly attentive parent. He and Mitsuki start off quite close, he makes decisions based on what's best for his son, and trains Mitsuki himself. Even though Konoha (rightfully) hates him, Orochimaru even went to Mitsuki's parent-teacher conferences.

Granted, some of the ninja parents set a pretty low bar for decent parenting. However, Orochimaru definitely does a lot better than people expect, especially considering his history. There's a reason that his son goes into school as one of the strongest, sure of themselves students there.

Orochimaru's experiments and obsessions with warping power and science caused a lot of heartbreak and bloodshed. His quest for power only hurt everyone around him and Konoha itself.

While Orochimaru isn't blowing up Konoha and slaying the Hokage anymore, he didn't stop his sketchy, somewhat unethical experiments. After all, his son isn't a naturally born human. Instead, he was a clone that Orochimaru grew in a vat. And more disturbing, if Mitsuki ever perishes or betrays him, he has more. Not exactly a model citizen now.

Other than letting Mitsuki enroll in Konoha's Ninja Academy, Orochimaru has actually left Konoha alone. Especially compared to all the chaos he used to cause during Naruto. He destroyed the village and hurt so many of its people in those days, and that's without mentioning corrupting Sasuke Uchiha and turning him into his own personal, mutated weapon.

In Boruto, Orochimaru is barely even seen anywhere near Konoha, only coming to the vilalge to support his child. Otherwise, he keeps to himself. Does that mean his intentions are good? Not really. But it does mean he's not the same active, constant threat to Konoha's very existence, which is a great improvement.

Even though Mitsuki and Orochimaru used to be very close to one another, the snake Sannin's secrets and lies slowly started to drive a wedge between them. While Mitsuki hasn't completely rejected his parent like Log did, he doesn't look at him the same and certainly doesn't trust him.

After all, it's quite a shock to learn how many other clones he has hidden, or the fact he lied about Mitsuki's older brother's existence. And that's without mentioning the questionable reasons Orochimaru has for making Mitsuki in the first place.

Back in Naruto, Orochimaru was infamous for taking heads and spilling buckets of blood. He ended the lives of so many honorable ninja, even sacrificing some of his own people for his purposes. Anywhere Orochimaru was, there was always a threat of violence. No one was safe in his presence, not even his dearest acolytes.

By Boruto, Orochimaru has mellowed a bit in his old age. While he still has some sketchy ploys and schemes going on, and even more ethically questionable experiments, he isn't cutting throats as casually as before. The violence in his life has definitely decreased. Fans have to admit that's an impressive change for the terrifying Sannin.

Despite his machinations getting less bloody, Orochimaru doesn't seem any less full of himself. He still sees his brilliance and power to be better than everyone else. No wonder, considering he derived all his children from re-sequences of his own DNA, nothing else mixed in. That guy has a serious superiority complex.

RELATED: Naruto: 5 Anime Heroes Orochimaru Could Outsmart (And 5 He Couldn't)

Some of his better improvements don't really effect this part of him. Like before, when he was a more frightening villain, he still sees everyone as a lesser being. He's the only person he respects. And while the Sannin gives his son slightly more respect, part of it is because he just sees Mitsuki as an extension of himself.

Considering Orochimaru used to collect zealous followers so he could bleed them dry whenever he wanted, the fact he's stopped doing that is a big improvement. Half his plans used to include chopping his goons in half to do something evil and manipulative. Making Hiruzen fight off against the first Hokage and his friend, the Second Hokage by sacrificing two followers? As well as face Orochimaru himself? Not exactly fair, especially when the Third Hokage was an elderly man.

Let's all be thankful he stopped using his subordinates as meat to be churned for his experiments or revenge plots. They all deserved better than that.

Even though Orochimaru has scaled back his operations and their actions, he hasn't stopped experimenting. He may not be attacking villages anymore, but he's still mixing ninja power with science to try to make himself a form of immortal. Living a very long time doesn't seem to satisfy him. He feels like his genius should be eternal.

RELATED:Naruto: 10 Crazy Hinata Fan Theories That Were Actually Confirmed

Maybe it'd be fine if his methods were ethical, but that hasn't changed (even if it involves less murder). After all, cloning is a pretty big gray area, especially if he's raising them to be possible vessels for him when his current body fails.

In the thick of Naruto, Orochimaru wasn't on the best terms with either powerful ninja. Naruto saw him as the evil Sannin that ended the life of his Hokage. Sasuke used him to get more power, but then rejected him when Orochimaru tried to make him a new vessel. They both were at severe odds with the snake Sannin. And that's the bare minimum, there was so much more he did to ruin both of their lives.

However, when Boruto comes around, Sasuke, Naruto, and Orochimaru are on much better terms. Not great ones; they don't exactly trust him. But once they know Mitsuki is his, they don't block the young teen from their school. Instead, they let him in as long as Orochimaru keeps himself in check.

The shadiest thing Orochimaru is still doing in Boruto is manipulating those closest to him, still proving he does not have the best intentions. Even if it includes less bloody sacrifices, his victims now are his own sons. Orochimaru runs a cloning system, trying to raise powerful ninja loyal to him. Also, they can serve as vessels if he needs them.

His full intentions with his sons don't seem fully clear, but they're not great. Considering one son turned from him, Log, and his younger son, Mitsuki, doesn't trust him, Orochimaru is no paragon of redemption. Who knows if he's one push away from becoming the biggest threat to Konoha all over again?

NEXT:Naruto: 10 Questions About Kakashi, Answered

NextHow I Met Your Mother: 10 Girlfriends Of Ted & Barney That Wed All Love To Date

Stephanie Marceau is a writer, advocate, gamer, and classic novel enthusiast. She's an eclectic super fan, loving comic books, movies, TV, anime, and books. Though writing articles is her day-job, she moonlights writing books and fanfiction. Shes always looking for bold stories everywhere. Nick Carraways need not apply.

The rest is here:
Boruto: 5 Reasons Orochimaru Is A Better Person Now (& 5 Reasons He's Not) - Screen Rant