八岐大蛇
Most of the traits of Orochimaru's character were taken from Japanese mythology. Orochimaru originates from the Japanese folktale "Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari" where he opposes the title character who also appears in "Naruto" as his former ally. He wields a sword named Kusanagi, which is said to be related to the creature known as the Yamata no Orochi; in Japanese mythology, Yamata no Orochi is defeated by the god Susanoo, a scene which is re-imagined in the manga and anime: Orochimaru uses a technique called "Yamata no Orochi", but is ultimately defeated by Itachi Uchiha's "Susanoo" technique.