<p>The author himself lacks to provide more backstory for Zabuza.</p>
<p>From what we can tell is, that exam is intended for selecting the potential successors for Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure, and was in practice even before Fourth Mizukage.</p>
<p>And the class of Zabuza is last for having such practice, as he killed the entire class, not just his opponent.</p>
<p>As for the reason or his motive, we will have to look at his character during Land of Waves arc. His working under Gato as mercenary is to get enough funds for starting another coup at Kirigakure.</p>
<p>And his reason for starting the first one? His believe is shinobi should the ruling class of the land, and during his time at Kirigakure, had disagreement with fourth Mizukage(Not sure if already under Obito's control). And the failure is said to be betrayal from one of his team.</p>
<p>And his interaction through the Part 1 arc defined him as cruel and arrogant one. And see his subordinates as expendable, until things were changed with Haku.</p>
<p>So for his motivation in killing his entire class in graduation rite, it's not like how being shinobi is for Itachi or Yashamaru(Gaara's Uncle).</p>
<p>We would also want to recheck on meaning of Shinobi or Ninja, as there are many portrayal of aspects of being shinobi. Some could be nobel as Hashirama and protagonist Naruto. Or could be cynical, like most adversaries of the series. Also there are pure ideological like in some of Akatsuki, Madara, Obito or Pain, who wanted to end all the suffering.</p>
<p>As for Zabuza, his cruelty surfaced even during the academy class, and also the environment of Kirigakure at that time was a contributing factor, survival of fittest, and unrestrained violence.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-24T13:13:10.073Z
This is incorrect as he wasn't even a student when this happened and we are unsure if he killed the entire class. " After Zabuza, not yet a student himself, killed over one hundred Academy students" https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Zabuza_Momochi
Joe W
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-24T14:16:46.800Z
So I re-read page 5, 6 and 7 of chapter 14. 

Page 5 and 6 is about the graduation exam, where 2 pitted against to death.
Page 7 is about Zabuza, "not even a ninja", killed entire class. The image has dead holding kunais, and there is no other info.
So Zabuza was already a student at that time, and the event was very likely during graduation exam, unless Kishimoto stated otherwise or there are other more info.
Skron31
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-24T14:52:32.917Z
Not sure what not being a ninja is supposed to mean as either all the test takers are non ninjas and it doesn't have any real meaning or he is the only one who isn't a ninja and it suggests he isn't a member of the class. I think it is a leap of logic to take a statement of not being a ninja to being a member of the class and taking the test.
Joe W
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-24T15:14:30.333Z
From what I understand, academy students are not titled as ninja, only after graduated, most becomes Genin. But some like Konoha, has extra test like Kakashi.
And "not a ninja" and "not a student" have different meanings. I don't see any info about Zabuza outside the class, came into class and kill everyone.
I will just leave at that now, as it didn't change cruelty and mindset of Zabuza at that time, as well as environment of Kirigakure.
Skron31
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-24T15:22:20.983Z
Just seems strange that they would put it like that as all the students wouldn't be ninjas and we have seen plenty of examples in the show where a student ninja is more powerful then full fledged ninjas. To me it doesn't seem surprising at all that the best student in a class would be strong enough to kill many, if not all, of the other students in a class. It makes more sense to make a note of it if he wasn't a student in the class already.
Joe W
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-22T12:49:36.123Z
2024-04-22T12:55:33.300Z
2024-04-22T12:55:33.300Z
Skron31
<p>In <em>Naruto</em>, Kakashi mentions the graduation exam in the Hidden Mist Village used to be to pit two students to fight to the death, then he says Zabuza, a boy who was not even a ninja at the time, slaughtered a year's graduating class in the Hidden Mist Village.</p>
<p>I've always thought Zabuza looks kind of sad in the image shown:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/j2gSV.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/j2gSV.png" alt="Young Zabuza amongst bodies" /></a></p>
<p>Zabuza gives a psychotic reason (&quot;It felt so good&quot;), but to me, it seems like there's some missing part of the story, something we're not being told, due to the posture Zabuza's taking here, Zabuza's own words about what it means to be a ninja, and also similar lies told by other characters in the story.</p>
<blockquote class="spoiler">
<p> Such as Itachi and Gaara's uncle.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It makes me curious about what his motivation was. Is it ever explained why Zabuza did this in any of the various media?</p>

<naruto>
Why did Zabuza kill that year's graduating class?
# Why did Zabuza kill that year's graduating class?
Posted by: username_0 on 2024-01-24
In *Naruto*, Kakashi mentions the graduation exam in the Hidden Mist Village used to be to pit two students to fight to the death, then he says Zabuza, a boy who was not even a ninja at the time, slaughtered a year's graduating class in the Hidden Mist Village.

I've always thought Zabuza looks kind of sad in the image shown:

[![Young Zabuza amongst bodies](https://i.sstatic.net/j2gSV.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/j2gSV.png)

Zabuza gives a psychotic reason ("It felt so good"), but to me, it seems like there's some missing part of the story, something we're not being told, due to the posture Zabuza's taking here, Zabuza's own words about what it means to be a ninja, and also similar lies told by other characters in the story.

> Such as Itachi and Gaara's uncle.

It makes me curious about what his motivation was. Is it ever explained why Zabuza did this in any of the various media?
**Tags:** naruto
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2024-04-22. Score: 1
The author himself lacks to provide more backstory for Zabuza.

From what we can tell is, that exam is intended for selecting the potential successors for Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure, and was in practice even before Fourth Mizukage.

And the class of Zabuza is last for having such practice, as he killed the entire class, not just his opponent.

As for the reason or his motive, we will have to look at his character during Land of Waves arc. His working under Gato as mercenary is to get enough funds for starting another coup at Kirigakure.

And his reason for starting the first one? His believe is shinobi should the ruling class of the land, and during his time at Kirigakure, had disagreement with fourth Mizukage(Not sure if already under Obito's control). And the failure is said to be betrayal from one of his team.

And his interaction through the Part 1 arc defined him as cruel and arrogant one. And see his subordinates as expendable, until things were changed with Haku.

So for his motivation in killing his entire class in graduation rite, it's not like how being shinobi is for Itachi or Yashamaru(Gaara's Uncle).

We would also want to recheck on meaning of Shinobi or Ninja, as there are many portrayal of aspects of being shinobi. Some could be nobel as Hashirama and protagonist Naruto. Or could be cynical, like most adversaries of the series. Also there are pure ideological like in some of Akatsuki, Madara, Obito or Pain, who wanted to end all the suffering.

As for Zabuza, his cruelty surfaced even during the academy class, and also the environment of Kirigakure at that time was a contributing factor, survival of fittest, and unrestrained violence.
> **Comments:**
> **username_2** (2024-04-24): This is incorrect as he wasn't even a student when this happened and we are unsure if he killed the entire class. " After Zabuza, not yet a student himself, killed over one hundred Academy students" https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Zabuza_Momochi  
> **username_1** (2024-04-24): So I re-read page 5, 6 and 7 of chapter 14. 

Page 5 and 6 is about the graduation exam, where 2 pitted against to death.
Page 7 is about Zabuza, "not even a ninja", killed entire class. The image has dead holding kunais, and there is no other info.
So Zabuza was already a student at that time, and the event was very likely during graduation exam, unless Kishimoto stated otherwise or there are other more info.  
> **username_2** (2024-04-24): Not sure what not being a ninja is supposed to mean as either all the test takers are non ninjas and it doesn't have any real meaning or he is the only one who isn't a ninja and it suggests he isn't a member of the class. I think it is a leap of logic to take a statement of not being a ninja to being a member of the class and taking the test.  
> **username_1** (2024-04-24): From what I understand, academy students are not titled as ninja, only after graduated, most becomes Genin. But some like Konoha, has extra test like Kakashi.
And "not a ninja" and "not a student" have different meanings. I don't see any info about Zabuza outside the class, came into class and kill everyone.
I will just leave at that now, as it didn't change cruelty and mindset of Zabuza at that time, as well as environment of Kirigakure.  
> **username_2** (2024-04-24): Just seems strange that they would put it like that as all the students wouldn't be ninjas and we have seen plenty of examples in the show where a student ninja is more powerful then full fledged ninjas. To me it doesn't seem surprising at all that the best student in a class would be strong enough to kill many, if not all, of the other students in a class. It makes more sense to make a note of it if he wasn't a student in the class already.  
---
