#Obito analysis

[mayhaps-perhaps-probablynot]

I keep having somewhat-disjointed thoughts about Team Minato and their fighting styles [not including Rin, sorry, because we never see her in any active combat ever, alas]

One thing about Kakashi is that his footwork is probably the smoothest of the entire cast - he loves close-range combat and only occasionally disengages to retreat a few steps to use ninjutsu. Even his sole (pre-Hokage era) self-developed jutsu is a very up close and personal assassination technique. His taijutsu is almost more of a dance.

And I had thought it's only Kakashi - but in his final fight against Obito in the kamui dimension we get to see that his and Obito's styles are EXTREMELY similar. Insanely quick, flexible, and very precise, not one wasted movement

Which led me to think that they both MUST have gotten it from Minato. It's not just a genius-prodigy-Kakashi thing - he's just the only one left alive of Team Minato (at least that we knew for the largest part of the series) we get to see utilise this style.

And Minato is fascinating to me in that he's always hailed as the genius he is and was feared on battlefields and as the hokage. And - at least for me - that'd make one assume he's a very versatile fighter (like the first, second and third hokages had been). But he's not. He only ever employs close combat, he doesn't even do mid-range ninjutsu like Kakashi and Obito do. (Ignoring the 4th War and his KCM), He consistently forces his opponents into close combat through tactical use of the terrain or - more often than not - simply through his insane speed and hiraishin. Even the rasengan necessitates an extremely close range.

Minato's strengths are in fuuinjutsu and taijutsu. Rasengan is the only ninjutsu we ever see him use (I'm counting the hiraishin under fuuinjutsu). His two standard techniques (his brand, if you will) are of extremely high level and extremely difficult to master (and develop!) but his range of techniques is not very large, even though he does have the knowledge (in order to very quickly and very precisely analyse his opponents). My guess is that he refuses to employ techniques that would waste time on weaving signs - when he could instead be chopping off heads or putting some organs through a blender in the blink of an eye.

Anyway, my point was that Kakashi and Obito must have gotten their taijutsu from Minato as he must be an exceptional close-combat fighter and their styles are so similar. Which should also prove that Obito was never a bad fighter to begin with if he's able to use (and has been using) the same taijutsu style as Minato and Kakashi, certified geniuses. He's just had the misfortune of standing next to those two and their very critical and analytical eyes which would see any weakness that Obito showed (and which opponents of a more normal level might not have realised).

I'm not sure I am making any sense at this point lmao

But it WOULD be interesting to know if Naruto's style (also almost exclusively close-range but focused on power and hard hits instead of efficiency) would have looked different if Minato had lived.

[notsorryiml8]

why does minato get so much slander on this app by kakashi and obito fans?

Interesting question. I may not necessarily be hanging in the same circles of tumblr as you, so I may be wrong, but I haven’t seen a lot of Minato slander, especially from Kakashi fans. His fan base generally tends to be rather chill. However, if push comes to shove, Kakashi fans are passionate and will defend him through thick and thin. But I don’t see them typically intentionally tearing down or attacking another character, especially his sensei. Or maybe I just tend to only see and follow the “nicer ones”🤷🏽‍♀️.

Because most of what I do and focus on is Kakashi-centric, I don’t see a lot of Obito content, unless it’s related to Kakashi in some way with a little Madara thrown in from time to time, so I can’t really say much regarding that space, but even what I do see is more Obito-centric from his fans. I really don’t see the Obito fans that I do interact with going out of the way to bash Minato, either.

That all being said, I don’t want to invalidate you, as I know not all fans are angels - people are human. tumblr is huge and every light side also has a dark side, so I believe there may indeed be some fans out there who do slander Minato, as I’ve definitely seen some fans talk negatively about Kakashi and I’m sure some do the same to Obito. So, it would be unrealistic to not picture the same for Minato.

You don’t mention in what area or ways he’s being slandered, so I can only conjecture as to why and can’t really say why people do what they do, though as I’ve never seen the point in bringing another character down just to make your favorite look better.

Personally, as I can only speak for myself, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Minato and think he’s an awesome character. I think people forget how young he was. Kakashi became a jonin at 9 or 12 - verdict’s still out on that one - which means Minato was his and Obito’s sensei at 19 or 22. And in a war. He lost not one, but two of his students because he was so in-demand that he could only be in one place at a time. The amount of guilt he must have felt is immeasurable. And he kept going.

I will say, if anything, I have seen Kakashi and Obito fans erroneously, in my opinion, call Minato a “bad sensei.” I think for the Kakashi fans I’ve seen do that, they’re reflexively being defensive about Kakashi being labeled as a bad sensei for 20 years, like “Kakashi’s not a bad sensei! Minato was the worst, his students died!” I will say I have seen that. But again, it’s erroneous to say that for both. Due to their talents and demand, both were exceptional and exceptionally in demand. Minato in war and Kakashi because he was spread way too thin and was expected to be a sensei and simultaneously a one man team financing the village with solo S-rank missions.

As for Obito, again, I don’t really have an exorbitant amount of interaction with his fanbase. I’ve seen a lot of power scaling between Minato and Obito on other apps, which is not my thing because it can cause arguments, has potential to bring out the worst in people- people are passionate about what they like, and is inherently biased towards a person’s favorite character. But I don’t see a lot of that on here. If anything, even with that, it’s usually the other way around with Minato being praised for his abilities and Kakashi being “slandered” as the weakest thing that has ever existed compared to everyone else. I have seen fans defend Kakashi in that regard, but even then, they’re not insulting Minato.

So, all that to say, I’m not seeing a ton of slander, but do believe it exists. As a Kakashi fan, I think it may be that his fans constantly feel as if they have to defend him and some may get carried away and degrade Minato in the process 🤷🏽‍♀️? But can’t see the chilled out Kakashi-stans just hating on Minato for no reason. And for Obito fans, again, I’m not a huge Obito fan - I don’t hate him by any means; just not a major fan - so, don’t know much about his fanbase.

Any Obito fans or Minato fans or anybody else feel free to jump in.

[enavstars]

I wanted to do this in digital but I don't have the time right now.

For context I hc Rin and Obito as 2 years older than Kakashi, so Kakashi was 12 during Kannabi and Rin and Obito 14.

I don't usually draw Rin that much but I absolutely love her and plan to do more with her. It's funny because when I first watched the show I didn’t like her. It wasn't until I began to read fanfics and saw all the headcanons and interpretations of her character here on tumblr that I started to like her. So thank you all for that <3<3

So here are some (bits of how I see her/of my my headcanons about her) on her relationship with Kakashi.

Rin used to idealize Kakashi, so ended up crushing on him. And Kakashi really did carry himself with a lot of self-confidence and strenght, always giving that prodigy vibes. So Rin being a kid didn't realize how young Kakashi actually is.

This changes after the Kannabi bridge mission. Kakashi, whose body is still adapting to his Sharingan, is unable to keep the confident facade due to the inmense pain he's in (I can expand on this in another post if you'd like), so he looks extremely vulnerable and small.

After seeing Kakashi in this state, Rin can't ignore anymore that Kakashi is a kid even younger than herself and inmediately drops her crush.

So now Rin sees Kakashi as more like a little brother, and she decides to look after him. (This comes from what little caracterization we have in canon of her. In the scene where Obito dies, while Kakashi is crying and shaking, Rin inmediately stops crying when Obito asks her to do the transplant, showing her incredible mental strength).

And she takes care of Kakashi not just because she understands how important he was to Obito, but also as a way to cope, in the same selfless (but unhealthy) way she's always known. She needs this, needs to take care of someone vulnerable to help herself. After all, she was really messed up by Konoha and the war, she is still a child soldier who got her obsession with being useful to the village drilled into her head. So she distracts herself from her own grief by helping Kakashi with his, thinking it's what Obito would have wanted, even if it's slowly destroying her.

Because here's the thing, Rin underestimates how important she truly was to Obito and prioritizes Kakashi over her, in the same way Kakashi prioritizes Rin. Neither realizes that both of them were the most important people to Obito.

So in summary, Rin seals her own pain and refuses to cry or show weakness in front of Kakashi (supporting him like she supported Obito) but at the same time she spends most of her time with him with the excuse that she’s helping him with the pain from the Sharingan.

They sometimes sleep in the same hospital bed, hugging and exhausted, and then there can be heard soft sobs and sniffles. But it's impossible to know which one of them is making those noises.

[oodearest]

I’ve found myself back into Naruto after being somewhat indifferent to the end of Shippuden. Was not a huge fan of that final arc.

Anyways I remember initially being annoyed and/or disappointed with some of Sasuke’s actions towards the end of the series. Don’t get me started on him immediately trying to fight Naruto after they ended an entire WAR. Grrr!!

But I’m able to articulate better why I found the whole ‘let’s get Sasuke back’ rhetoric in Shippuden so frustrating. This might get long so bear with me, might as well format this as a zany essay while I’m at it.

Mission get Sasuke back — The terrible, no good experience of having your trauma ignored

It’s been a while so I could be wrong, but I feel like team 7 never address how absolutely valid Sasuke’s desire to leave is? Kakashi touches on it when he tries to reason with Sasuke pre-defection but I don’t think it ever got through.

In Sakura and Naruto’s case, they want him back, they say they want to be a team again, but none of them ever considers his perspective?

The inherent racism against the Uchiha

Their approach is pretty tone deaf honestly. Sasuke’s a victim of violence. His people were massacred. At the start of the series it’s only been like 5 years since it happened. Sasuke has no one. He also can’t trust anyone. Prior to the massacre the village ostracised them and feared them. In Sasuke’s lifetime, the village has never been welcoming to his identity as an Uchiha.

To top it all off this hatred was incited YEARS earlier by non other than the village’s own second Hokage. It’s pretty vile how much passive and oftentimes—straight up overt—racism is directed towards the Uchiha and no one ever calls it out?

Honestly after Sasuke learns the truth from Itachi, why would he ever feel at peace in the village again? How could he ever return there knowing what they allowed? Does he even fit in there? Did he belong in the first place?

The loneliness of processing his people’s oppresion

These are some complex issues. Sasuke starts tackling them at 12 when he first leaves and only really process it by the end of the war. He spends his adolescence seeking revenge, when he gets it he spends the remainder of the series grieving. He’s mourning, he’s searching for the truth, he’s trying to grasp anything tangible in this awful world he’s inhabiting.

I cannot stress how MAD I get when Sakura and Naruto are like come back, we miss you, what about our bond 🥺 Like guys priorities?? Sasuke is single-handedly tackling systematic corruption and discrimination, give him a minute.

All things considered, he handles those issues in lik four years. He’s pretty efficient.

Overall I don’t think Sasuke’s problem was ever about losing his morals or succumbing to rage. That played a role of course. But the crux of his issue was him fighting for himself, his people and getting justice for something that was largely brushed aside.

I think it’s disappointing that we don’t see more support from team 7 or the village. No rage on Sasuke’s behalf? Not even a brief acknowledgment that the previous leadership was cooked and unfortunately dropped the ball on protecting his people.

Does forgiveness even apply here?

Naruto is a series about forgiveness and redemption. Which can be so beautiful. However I get the sense they want Sasuke to move on from anger and that’s so not possible given what he experienced. There’s a reason reparations is a big part of reconciliation. Konoha was never going to do that under its current leadership.

Konoha is a system. If Sasuke opposes that system then it’s simply him paving a better way for himself. I don’t get why that concept is hard for them to understand. This village is so cooked that the Sannin peaced out of there as soon as they could. Didn’t even come back post Kyuubi attack.

Naruto is a forgiving character, but as someone who also got done dirty by the village it’s sad that he didn’t understand why Sasuke couldn’t drop all of his grief and plans, to simply return to being one of Konoha’s soldiers.

Anyways there’s a lot of nuance missing here that I didn’t go into detail about. Sasuke objectively did some horrible things. Shippuden is him processing trauma realtime, it’s not a surprise that he’s messy, raw and self-destructive. I switch between being so frustrated with him then feeling so sad about his circumstances.

They could never make me form a one-dimensional opinion on you Sasuke! You’re worth thousands of think pieces.

[yotonyokai]

So, it's news to no one that the Sharingan is representative of trauma. That's a level one Naruto fact. But I think not enough fans really appreciate how that's represented through what the Sharingan actually can do. Between projecting hellish nightmares into someone's mind and perfectly recording whatever the Uchiha sees, letting them flawlessly replay it over and over again... its main abilities seem to stem from PTSD symptoms. That's the core of what the Sharingan is and why it's so tragic.

The thing that *I* think is really cool about the Sharingan is that it has two branching evolutions. The Mangekyou Sharingan and the Rinnegan. A lot of people seem to think that the Rinnegan evolves from the Mangekyou, but that isn't really true, it is connected to the basic Sharingan and that's because the Rinnegan and Mangekyou are two different methods of processing trauma. The Mangekyou Sharingan doubles down on trauma and makes it integral to one's character. The visions it can project are even worse, the user grows in power with every negative thought and the user will gain two abilities directly feeding from their own personal trauma. Obito and Sasuke have different Mangekyou Sharingan abilities because the way that their worlds were destroyed were completely different. Obito feels like a ghost floating through a fake world, while Sasuke believes that the world is very real. It just need to be burned down and reshaped from the cinders. The one ability shared between every Mangekyou Sharingan user is Susano'o. It isn't a coincidence that the Kanji for this technique breaks down into "He With The Ability to Help Through All Means". It's the Mangekyou user's best friend.

Their own chakra.

Formed from hate.

And it brings them immense pain.

It's an incredibly lonely ability, the end of wallowing in hate and being unable to heal from trauma. Pain and Blindness are the only things that awaits someone who awakens a Mangekyou Sharingan, it's one of the most bleak and cynical things in the series.

So, is the Rinnegan a better way to conquer trauma? Lol. Lmao. So, whereas the Mangekyou Sharingan seeks to exploit the user's own trauma for drive and power, the Rinnegan is the rejection of trauma and all worldly matters. The rejection of death, the rejection of humanity, the rejection of basic rules that govern our world. It is complete and utter detachment with the end goal of becoming God and just leaving it all behind. But... it's cope. Madara was the only human character to naturally possess two Rinnegan. Nagato tried to be a god, but couldn't succeed because the eyes weren't his. Obito tried to become a God, but always kept his Mangekyou Sharingan because he couldn't let go of his trauma, he didn't want to. As unhealthy as it was to cling to this, Madara's goal is even worse. Even Sasuke who gets a Rinnegan independent of Madara, notably only gets one because he doesn't want to sever his ties to the past and wants to remember his trauma, remember what he wants to preserve and why. Only Madara's insane ass is truly resolved to leave it all behind in the name of becoming a God.

[phoenixremix69]

I think Obito would've been 100% more compelling and justified in killing the shinobi way of life if he switched his reasoning from Rin to Kakashi

Because Kakashi really is a distillation of everything wrong about the shinobi system. trained from birth as a ninja, expected to kill at the age of 5, his father, a legendary shinobi, suicide baited by the village he served his whole life for actually adhering to their village's supposed mantra.

Then Minato and Hiruzen, the two men he trusted most in his life(because really, who does he have left?) shove him into black ops where he can kill his emotions and fade from his identity as a human and turn into a tool for use. Used by his teacher, used by his village, even used as a tool for suicide by his last remaining friend. for decades on end.

And imagine Obito could see all of it through his eye. Kakashi's reality from his perspective. He could see the absolute travesty that is Kakashi's life. and he could see it happen again and again. Itachi. Sasuke. Naruto. Gaara. Yeah. I would want this way of life to burn too.

[sasukekys]

vulnerability, manipulation, sexualisation

an attempt rewrite of my old post that picked up many instances which kishimoto sexualises sasuke’s character when he is being manipulated specifically. this was the post that first inspired me and, as you can see, sasuke’s sexualisation is also used to depict homoeroticism, show him as a desirable character, and even portray him as some type of heroine sometimes. this post will be long but i will not risk to put it under a read more and lose it forever k.

beginning with orochimaru, whose character is full of undeniably pedophilic subtext. we can say that orochimaru is an evil scientist that grooms children/teenagers, sasuke being one of them. in his case, orochimaru wishes to possess sasuke’s body in order to control the sharingan and he tries to make that happen by placing the curse seal on sasuke, something that actively triggers his trauma and anger so that he will seek orochimaru. the curse seal itself is the way orochimaru tries to manipulate sasuke and the whole context surrounding it is- shady, to say at least.

orochimaru’s first appearance is in chapter 45, but we start taking more of a look at him in chapter 47, titled “predator”.

as we can see, not only he compares sasuke to a prey and he himself to a predator and says that “he wants sasuke”, but there’s also the whole creepy and insinuating body language with his tongue, something his character does quite a lot.

the act itself of him placing the curse seal on sasuke is very telling… he literally bites his neck.

when orochimaru meets anko, he says sasuke is very beautiful, i’ve done some research on this and the original japanese text, of course orochimaru is admired by sasuke’s skills, you can see in the forrest of death chapters, but this panel specifically is also speaking of sasuke’s physical beauty, as in it’s something that matters to orochimaru as well. there is also the fact that orochimaru uses the word 美しい (utsukushii), which is not a very usual word to describe a person, it can be used poetically and to describe someone with a refined and delicate beauty. this matches with orochimaru’s way of speaking, but it also makes it more unsettling because it’s how he sees 12 year old sasuke. another thing i noticed is that in the moment orochimaru meets anko, he doesn’t show any of the creepy body language, not even once, even though he was just doing it in the previous chapter.

orochimaru again licking his lips at the sight of sasuke trying to control the curse seal.

and later we have not only orochimaru licking his lips at the thought of “painting sasuke with his own colours”, but also shuddering. quite an interesting choice of vocabulary btw, since sasuke is referred as a “blank slate” by other characters he is manipulated by. kishimoto doesn’t even need to use sasuke’s image or draw him present, but these are used in shady situations, and with characters that don’t really have the best intentions towards sasuke.

and of course there’s this very suggestive cover for the chapter named “the ritual”, in which orochimaru tried to take over sasuke’s body, the reason why he manipulated sasuke in the first place. so yeah, there’s very suggestive visual language and even plain text surrounding sasuke being manipulated, and despite orochimaru being the most obvious one, thanks to the pedophilic subtext, that’s not the only occasion that it happens in the manga.

i’ve talked about this before in some asks of my old blog, but sasuke is often put in positions more typical of heroines, such as being desired by both men and women, being sexualised, and needing to be “saved”. as the linked post already explained, kishimoto uses the legend of kushinada-hime to put sasuke in such position. what i want to talk about is the difference between sasuke’s fight with itachi and the “i will always love you” moment, in which sasuke finally speaks to itachi and finds out the truth by his own brother.

when sasuke fights itachi, he doesn’t know, but he is being manipulated by him, he is going after his revenge and doing as his brother told, with no knowledge of what happened to the uchiha. and this is the moment when kishimoto writes him as the princess/goddess/maiden that needs to be saved. a moment he’s also shirtless. it’s interesting because you might wonder he’s being saved from orochimaru’s manipulation, but only to (unknowingly) give in to itachi’s.

when sasuke wants to find out the truth by himself and talk to itachi however, kishimoto does no such thing. no shirtless or sweating sasuke in questionable positions, no metaphors to compare him as a maiden that needs to be saved, nothing to sexualise him whatsoever.

they constantly talk about itachi telling the truth to sasuke during his fight, and like i said, it seems kishimoto doesn’t see any need to sexualise sasuke here. even when you take a small detail such as itachi admitting he tried to use kotoamatsukami against his brother, again to manipulate him, you have a naked sasuke in the panel.

contrasting to itachi admitting that to sasuke himself.

i would say such an imagery in this context is interesting, because itachi is another character that refers to sasuke as a “blank slate”. nakedness = blank slate.

and the same happens when obito tells him the truth about itachi and his clan in comparison to when sasuke seeks the hokage to ask them about the uchiha and the shinobi system. when obito is talking to him, we have shirtless, sweaty and tied up sasuke, and we can say thay the panel compositions are the vert least... suggestive.

despite the fact that obito is telling sasuke what really happened, sasuke is being manipulated in this moment, it’s the first thing that happens after itachi’s death, when sasuke is at his most vulnerable, so obito can later use him as he wishes in his plans. he is not well intentioned towards sasuke either.

and this doesn’t mean obito or itachi see sasuke in a sexual way, it just means sexualisation is a resource used by kishimoto to depict something else. in these cases specifically, it’s manipulation.

and like i said, when sasuke goes after the hokages to have the answers himself, kishimoto does no such thing, even with orochimaru present, because sasuke is not being manipulated anymore.

the distinction is honestly very clear.

and by the way, there are different ways to portray sasuke’s vulnerability, such as trembling lips, a sad expression and a lowered head.

sasuke is probably the most sexualised character in the naruto manga, in kishimoto’s writing (not fair to say the series since there’s so much fanservice regarding hinata from studio pierrot), and his sexualisation is used in multiple contexts, this post wanted to point out only one of those contexts. i believe kishimoto uses this resource in a way to depict vulnerability in the face of abuse and grooming. the manipulation surrounding sasuke is a big theme for his character, who struggles so much for agency. despite everything, sasuke is able to keep his self determination and autonomy. and i must say it speaks volumes how such a recurring resource is never used with naruto, i think kishimoto is being very clear there is no manipulation in their relationship.

[sasuke-shway]

[obitoslover]

Kishimoto basically wrote Obito saying "if the system is flawed, then I'll destroy it" and proceeded to never touch on this topic again, only focusing on the first part of his speech

It's interesting to think he said that this early, was it meant as foreshadowing to his villain arc?

It's also worthy saying it's never stated in Kakashi Gaiden he desired to be Hokage at all, only in chapter 607, which can be interpreted as Kishimoto not planning it to Obito's character

Of course both concepts work together, as a kid wanting to be Hokage (apparently to get attention, just like Naruto) and eventually learns the system's flaws, but I doubt that was the original intention

Makes me think how Kishimoto made both Naruto (at the end of Land of Waves Arc, chapter 33) challenging the shinobi system after seeing how harsh shinobi life is and chapters later (Kakashi Gaiden ranges from ch. 239 to ch. 244) makes Obito, who parallels the protagonist, also criticizing the shinobi system

But then Kishimoto ends up making criticizing the system as a bad thing, yikes

[araived]

Amanai Riko, Nohara Rin, and death as a catalyst in a world without them

The similarities between Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen are easy to see. Within the mentor trio groups, you have the standard shonen trio laid out for you right there. There's Kakashi and Gojo, Obito and Geto... and then there are the girls. At first, it might seem easy to set out Rin and Shoko as franchise mirrors due to their positions as the only girls on the team. They're both healers, and neither of them fulfill the combat roles that their teammates do. Team dynamics also place them to the side, with the majority of the relationship concerning the boys' interactions, whether that's rivalry or friendship. Rin is the peacemaker. Shoko is... well, she's fairly apathetic, but the point is that she's not invested in the team in the same way the other two are.

But in my opinion, there's a far better character parallel for Rin within the Jujutsu Kaisen series, and that's Amanai Riko. They both serve as emotional catalysts within their respective stories, and the outcome and the fate of the main characters (we're going with the original trios as the narrative main characters here) are heavily influenced by their deaths.

In both of these stories, these girls exist not for their own development, but for the impact they have on others. Even before they are introduced, they are already dead. There is no world where they can continue existing as living, breathing people, because the narrative has no role for them apart from their purpose to shape the male leads. In the case of Geto and Obito, they come to very similar conclusions in that a world where such atrocities are supported is not a world either of them can stand to live in. This is the trigger to both of their falls in an attempt to overturn the system entirely. On the other hand, Gojo comes to the conclusion that he needs to become stronger alone, while Kakashi instead turns to teamwork. It is interesting that both of them decide to take on parts of their teammates' rejected beliefs, although that isn't the point here.

Neither Riko nor Rin's stories are about them, and their legacies aren't about them either, it's about the emotional burden carried by the male leads. They are meant to symbolize the innocent betrayed by a broken system, and their personalities reflect this. Rin is portrayed as cheerful and kind, and Riko is similar in that they are both beacons of positivity that are later crushed. However, their deaths are narratively opposite. Riko has known her whole life what her role is, and it is right before her death that she makes the choice to live for herself - and is cruelly cut down right at this key moment. Rin is the opposite in that she fights for her village, and at her key moment, she chooses to die for the village and succeeds in doing so. Depending on the interpretation (but we're going with my interpretation, so ha) Rin succeeded, while Riko failed.

And now we're going to get more into the narrative contrast using a very specific interpretation of Nohara Rin, so this might not make a whole lot of sense. Riko has known her whole life what her role is and what purpose she exists to serve. She is the sacrifice, and she seemingly accepts it without complaint (and even with pride), but her outspoken personality suggests this may be a mask she puts on to conceal her true thoughts. Better to fake excitement than to rail against it and fail, right? We could even interpret it as Riko having some idea of her place in the narrative (the victim, the sacrifice, the catalyst). She accepts it until she finally decides to try and break free, and then the narrative punishes her for it by using her as she was always meant to be used. She will never get to live for herself, her death was always meant for a greater purpose.

And this leads directly into Rin, because she too is masking something and hiding from what she desperately wants, because to try and fail is worse than to turn away from it entirely. Rin's role is constantly revolving around her teammates. She is the nice girl. Obito's love interest, the one to support his dreams, the one who takes care of him and promises her support. She is Kakashi's vow, the promise he has given to protect her, and the guilt that comes with breaking it. Rin will never be known for herself alone, and she doesn't even try to fight it, shaping herself into the perfect supporting character with no intention on showing more than the surface level picture the narrative expects.

It's at the end that we finally see her choose differently. There were so many solutions for the jinchuuriki issue. Why does she jump immediately to suicide? Yes, the narrative calls for her death, and it's part of Madara's plan to turn Obito to the dark side, but even he admits that Rin killing herself via Kakashi was sheer luck. This was Rin's decision and her decision alone. She tries to take control of her fate and take the decision out of anyone else's hands, but in the end, this ultimately fails as the narrative wrests back control and frames it as the defining moment of Obito's fall and places the burden of guilt on Kakashi. Even with her own choice, she doesn't get to die for herself. Rin becomes an idealized memory who is ultimately never known.

Both Riko and Rin's deaths are not meant to progress their own arcs. They are instead emotional catalysts in their respective stories with deaths that act as narrative turning points while the true characters themselves lie unknown. Although both of them attempt to fight for narrative agency, they both ultimately fail and become symbols rather than the people they desired to be.

This leads into the actual purpose of this whole... analysis? Not really sure what it is. It's not an analysis really, it's just my thoughts. But the point of it is that I see them as analogous characters with narrative parallels that would be very fun to see compared and contrasted. Meaning... I would like to see fanfiction of Rin as Amanai Riko. And her struggle with the futility of fighting fate, the rage that comes with going along with it because the fear of trying and failing is worse. Yeah, that's right. The whole reason I wrote this thing was because I wanted to examine the potential of a Rin as Riko fanfic :) :)

So... if anyone's interested...?

[anime97-99]

PARALLELS: Fate is an Endless Cycle

I might do more parallel analyses from Naruto or Boruto later, but for now, I will focus on analyzing Sarada, Boruto, and Kawaki. We all know Kishimoto (and his pupil Ikemoto) loves to recycle his work!!

The New Konoha’s Sun and Shadow

Sarada and Naruto

1. Shared Goal of Becoming Hokage

• Both Sarada and Naruto are united in their ambition to become Hokage, driven by their desire to protect their loved ones and lead their village with strength and compassion. Sarada, in particular, mirrors Naruto’s growth, learning to balance leadership and care for others while staying true to her ideals of protection and justice. Naruto’s dream was born from loneliness, but for Sarada, it represents both responsibility and love for her village, similar to how Naruto’s ideals evolved from his yearning to be recognized and valued.

2. Symbol of the Sun

• Sarada embodies the sun, just like Naruto, both in terms of personality and in her Mangekyo Sharingan, which has a design resembling the sun. This is a fitting parallel as both characters shine brightly as beacons of hope for their communities. For Naruto, the sun represented his unyielding spirit and optimism, while for Sarada, it symbolizes the warmth and strength she strives to provide for others, illuminating the path ahead, no matter the obstacles.

3. Friendship and Loyalty

• Sarada’s loyalty to Boruto mirrors Naruto’s undying commitment to Sasuke, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Sarada refuses to “sell” Boruto out, reflecting Naruto’s declaration during the Pain arc that he would never abandon Sasuke. Both Sarada and Naruto share an unwavering belief in their friends, no matter how difficult the journey. Sarada, like Naruto, also faces the challenge of standing by those she cares about, even when they make mistakes or become misunderstood by others.

4. Protective Actions

• Sarada, like Naruto, creates a technique specifically to protect those she holds dear. Boruto. This mirrors Naruto’s own journey, where he developed a technique to protect Sasuke especially, his friends and the village. Both characters are driven by an innate need to protect others, even at the cost of their own safety, highlighting their deep commitment to those they love.

5. Belief in Others

• Sarada, much like Naruto, never gives up on the people she cares about, even when others have written them off. Just as Naruto continued to believe in Sasuke, Sarada is the only one who still believes in Boruto when others doubt him. This parallels Naruto’s core belief that people can change, and it reinforces their shared understanding that love and trust can overcome any obstacle, no matter how difficult.

6. Foundation of Love

• The driving force behind both Sarada’s and Naruto’s ambitions is love. Whether for their village, their friends, or their ideals. Sarada’s desire to become Hokage is rooted in her love for the people she wants to protect, much like Naruto’s dream was founded on the love and desire to form meaningful bonds with others. Their journeys are both fueled by a deep sense of connection to others, with love acting as the central foundation for their actions and decisions.

7. Naivety and Struggles with Emotions

• Sarada, like Naruto, struggles with understanding the emotions of others at times. This isn’t due to malice or being hypocritical, but because of her inexperience and naivety in navigating complex emotional landscapes. Sarada, much like Naruto in his early years, can be somewhat impulsive and unaware of the emotional impact her actions have on others. This makes her relatable, as both characters exhibit a certain “carelessness” when it comes to reading and understanding others, echoing Naruto’s own challenges with the same thing early in his journey.

They don’t fully understand their own feelings for Boruto and Sasuke. The difference is that Yodo actively questions Sarada about her feelings, making her reflect on them, while Naruto never had someone to do that for him. This left his emotions unresolved.

In The Last, his first open conversation about romance takes place with Sakura. As I mentioned in my long Naruto analysis post, Naruto does understand Love, but he does not understand the different Kinds of Love. He likely measured his feelings by quantity. He really liked Sakura, who was bullied too and admired her strength (probably since she was a girl and he liked her as a person he thought that she would be his girlfriend since every man married a girl they “liked”) (Sakura, in The Last, also said that kid Naruto probably liked her because he didn’t want to lose to Sasuke, which implies how unaware Naruto is of his own feelings), and cared deeply for Sasuke, his closest bond and best friend. However, he wasn’t sure if that bond was purely platonic or romantic because he simply didn’t understand the difference and guided himself with what he saw as common.

As a result, when thinking of Sasuke, he assumed it would feel like a brotherly connection because of how personal it was. Yet, in Boruto, he denies the idea of Sasuke and him having a brotherly relationship but does not specify what it actually is, this is because he has matured and probably realized a deep secret about himself, but he still tries to push and deny it.

This journey of self-discovery follows a person’s life and how is shaped by hardships, good moments, and bonds. Naruto never had someone who could explain to him why people marry (thought many of them at that time were probably arranged marriages) or date. That is why he told Sakura that he liked her the same way he liked others, even desserts, which only added to her confusion.

As Eida said… The Drama!!😱 Love, whether romantic or not, is hard to understand. But judging by Daemon’s reaction, it now feels like they are implying the romantic kind. So, is Mitsuki starting to develop romantic feelings for Boruto?? Or just friendship??

Maybe he is confused about who Boruto is since he doesn’t remember, and his feelings for his “Sun” is causing that Eida’s powers are becoming less and less effectived to him. Since he is thinking more about Boruto than Eida. It feels that he still doesn’t fully understand his feelings.

Boruto and Sasuke

1. Symbol of the Moon

• Boruto is intrinsically tied to the moon, just as Sasuke is. Sasuke’s eyes, particularly his left Sharingan, are special, while Boruto’s unique right eye, the Jougan (Pure Eye), signifies his connection to Sasuke. Both characters bear the weight of special eyes that mark them as important figures in the world of shinobi. Boruto’s eye, like Sasuke’s, are a reflection of his growing potential, and their connection mirrors the bond between the moon and the sun, two different forces that are still intrinsically linked.

2. Fighting Style

• Boruto has adopted the Uchiha fighting style, which is a direct nod to Sasuke. He chooses a sword as his weapon of choice, reminiscent of Sasuke’s iconic sword and his battle techniques. This shows Boruto’s natural affinity for Uchiha methods and highlights how he, despite his differing personality, follows in Sasuke’s footsteps. This adoption of the Uchiha style also signifies that Boruto is not only linked to Sasuke in terms of his eyes but also in the way he approaches combat.

3. Serpent Summoning

• Like Sasuke, Boruto forms a contract with snakes. This parallel is clear, as Sasuke is famous for using snakes in battle, whether for combat, transportation, or summoning them for various purposes. Boruto’s affinity for the snake summons (Garaga) reflects the same bond Sasuke had with them, reinforcing the shared connection between them. Thought Sasuke later chose a hawk, Garuda.

4. Appearance

• Boruto’s resemblance to Sasuke is striking, both in terms of physical appearance and clothing style. While they aren’t blood relatives, the visual parallels are hard to ignore. Boruto shares many traits with Sasuke, such as the dark, spiky hair and sharp features, reinforcing their connection. This resemblance isn’t just superficial but also symbolic of the deeper ties between them, signifying that Boruto is, in many ways, Sasuke’s spiritual successor.

5. Criminal Reputation

• Boruto, due to Eida’s influence, is seen as a “criminal” or a troublemaker by some, despite his good intentions. This mirrors Sasuke’s own reputation as an outcast, labeled a “criminal” by the village during his vengeful path. However, unlike Sasuke, Boruto’s actions are not driven by revenge but by the pressure of wanting to be recognize by his father (cough-Sasuke’s daddy issues-cough) and his desire to be taken seriously. The influence of Eida’s power adds complexity to Boruto’s situation, as it creates a distorted view of his character. This highlights the burden of perception, much like Sasuke’s struggles with his own reputation. Boruto is hunted by the village mirrors how Sasuke was pursued by Konoha after leaving and Sarada and Naruto are the only one who still believed in them respectively.

Also…👀

And a funny one!! The beef!!🤣 Reminds you of a kid’s grudge about a black haired kid acting cool?!

I recently read an analysis on Twitter comparing Sarada and Obito. While the parallels are valid, especially with Boruto saving Sarada and getting his eye cut similar to Kakashi, there are still stronger connections between Obito and Naruto. After all, in Shippuden, Obito was directly compared to Naruto. Sarada’s ideology mirrors Naruto’s, as she wants to protect the village, sees the citizens as family, and believes in love and bonds.

Some also draw comparisons between Sarada and Boruto’s relationship with Sasuke and Sakura or Obito and Rin. However, I don’t see those as strongly. It’s true that Rin once said she would support Obito as Hokage, but she didn’t love him romantically, her feelings were for Kakashi. In that sense, she parallels Sakura in the Naruto manga, though her character and the decisions she makes are still different. It feels like fans try to deny the parallels between Sasuke and Naruto because of what they may imply.

I also wanted to point out that Naruto isn’t the only parallel to Obito, since Sasuke’s Rin is Naruto.

🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥

A Cycle of Sacrifice

Kawaki and Boruto vs. Sasuke/Itachi and Kurama/Naruto

1. Kawaki

• Kawaki’s extreme views on peace and his willingness to sacrifice everything for what he believes in directly parallel Sasuke’s early ideologies. Both Kawaki and Sasuke share a complex relationship with sacrifice, they are willing to go to great lengths to bring about a change, even at the expense of their own happiness or lives. However, unlike Sasuke, Kawaki’s approach is reckless and more openly driven by hatred and revenge, showing a more volatile path. Kawaki’s path is one of destruction and rebirth, much like Sasuke’s, but Kawaki’s potential to change remains more uncertain.

At the same time, his sacrifice feels really in line with Itachi’s!!

Or even Kurama when he didn’t accept Naruto!! Kurama hated humans, especially the Uzumaki. Similarly, Kawaki hates the Otsutsuki, yet Naruto is an Uzumaki and Boruto has Otsutsuki DNA. In Two Blue Vortex, he is even called Boruto Otsutsuki!!

2. Boruto

• Boruto shares many qualities with Itachi, especially in terms of his belief in the importance of bonds and the value of love. While Boruto mirrors Sasuke in terms of eye power and fighting style, he lacks Sasuke’s vengeful drive. Instead, like Itachi, Boruto seeks to understand and protect those he cares about, even if it means enduring hardship. Boruto’s approach is one of growth, adaptability, and emotional maturity, he’s willing to learn from his mistakes, much like Itachi did in his own tragic way.

Unlike Sasuke, who initially struggled to see the importance of bonds, Boruto embraces them, making him more aligned with Itachi’s belief in protecting his loved ones at all costs, even if it means bearing the weight of painful sacrifices and wanting to save his brother from it.

Boruto’s actions are driven by self-sacrifice and protection, which mirrors Itachi’s choices. His internal struggles with destiny and bonds reflect Itachi’s philosophical and emotional conflicts. Unlike Sasuke’s quest for revenge, Boruto’s maturity emphasizes preserving relationships and legacy. His empathetic nature and reflective decisions highlight an Itachi-like commitment to those he loves. Ultimately, Boruto embodies a blend of strength and emotional depth that aligns more with Itachi’s protective ideology than Sasuke’s path.

However, there's also a shared belief in Naruto's will to protect bonds, which Sasuke notices, this is part of why he decides to help him.

Boruto and Kawaki’s bond is often compared to that of brothers, with their rivalry and deep connection growing over time. But Naruto once said his relationship with Sasuke was different. He didn’t see Sasuke as a brother in the usual way. For Sasuke, Itachi was his true brother, and their bond was built on sacrifices and painful choices.

Naruto, however, saw Kurama, as his “brother.” What began as an enemy turned into a deep, sibling-like relationship. So while Boruto and Kawaki might have a more typical brotherly bond, Naruto and Sasuke’s connection was unique, shaped by their own struggles and unexpected bonds.

[leaf-sam]

Akatsuki-Ring-Analyse #6

Tobi/Obito | 玉 (Gyoku)

1. The Hand (left)

In the east-asian symbolism, the left hand stands for the Yin - principles, which is connected with intuition, the soul, inwardness, and the receiving in general. Wearing a ring on the left hand often reveals something about one's inner state or hidden intentions/agendas, something they would never say openly.

2. The Finger (Thumb)

The thumb is the source of hand strength. In many cultures, it symbolizes will, self-determination, control, and creativity. In Asian medicine, the thumb is often associated with the lungs: the seat of breath, the life force. A ring on the left thumb represents a deep urge for inner control, self-development, or even isolation. It represents people who reinvent themselves, or isolate themselves.

3.  The Kanji ( 玉 (Gyoku) )

"玉" means "jewel," "gemstone," "sphere." In Chinese philosophy, 玉 represents perfection, purity, and value, but also something beautiful yet fragile. In ancient myths, the "soul stone" is a symbol of what makes people immortal, or what preserves the soul. A fascinating contrast: A gemstone is perfect but dead. It shines, but is not alive.

4. The connection to Tobi/Obito

Obito wears the Ring of Perfection, even though he is internally destroyed. He becomes Tobi: a shell, a clown, a phantom, but beneath it all lies a soul that still believes that the ideal can exist if only reality is destroyed. The left thumb ring shows: His inner will is unbroken, just radically reversed. He no longer believes in the world, but in replacing it with illusion. And so he, too, wears the "Gyoku", but it is not a symbol of beauty, but of lost purity.

[purpleajisai]

Uchiha Observation n°1: Sasuke’s lineage - headcanons, storyline and hints in canon

This post is part of the worldbuilding process for a fanfic idea that I’ve been maturing over the past year, so I will update this if needed. I have wondered about the relationship between Madara and Sasuke for a long while now, and I knew there has to be a deeper connection than just reincarnations of Indra. The moment that piqued my interest was the point that Hashirama made about Sasuke looking like Izuna, implying that if Madara saw someone so similar to his beloved younger brother he could listen to what Sasuke had to say and perhaps change his mindset in regards to the war.

This cannot be a coincidence. Today, I’m going to share my headcanon regarding Madara and Sasuke’s kinship: Sasuke is Madara’s great nephew, connnected through Izuna. Here is the genealogical tree:

First of all, let’s explain Izuna’s generation. Of course, you can see Madara represented there as an older brother as well as the 4 unnamed younger siblings mentioned in the river flashbacks. The language used by Madara suggest that there were 5 other siblings aside from him, not 5 in total and including him. In the case of Izuna, according to the databooks he died at age 24, which is definitely old enough to be married and have a child.

And perhaps the readers are wondering why I’m not considering Madara to be married as well since he’s not only older than Izuna but also the clan leader. The only reason why I’m not giving him a wife and kids at the time of Izuna’s death is because I want to adhere to canon in this regard (no spoilers about the fic’s plot).

In the storyline I’ve planned, Izuna would die and leave behind a little baby or even a pregnant wife. The exact moment is yet undecided. However, it is through this only son of Izuna from which we can connect him to Sasuke. Once Izuna’s son grows up, having the pressure of being the last surviving heir to the clan, it’s not far-fetched for this man to have more than 2 children to ensure his legacy and prevent the clan from descending into anarchy. The reason why his firstborn son, who would be Izuna’s eldest grandson, is marked as “disgraced” in this chart is because the existence of this generation collides with the 2nd Great Ninja War. A possible reason I may consider to add for his fall into disgrace and shunning by the clan is that he would’ve left some Uchiha comrades to die in order to protect important Konoha intel, therefore gaining the reputation of a traitor and not being suitable for inheriting the clan’s leadership.

With the eldest son banned from the position of clan heir, the younger son would immediately take his place. From the disgraced eldest brother, we get Obito’s ancestry, and from the younger brother we get Mikoto’s generation. For Obito’s case, I theorize a normal Uchiha picked at random wouldn’t be able to handle the toll of Madara’s eyes, whether in EMS or Rinnegan form. Technically speaking, these eyeballs are actually Izuna’s, reinforcing his importance for this lineage. Please consider the importance of genetics in handling kekkei genkai in the Naruto universe. For Mikoto’s case, I added an older brother for her. Why? Because it used to be a custom in the Sengoku period and the subsequent Edo period to follow agnatic (male-only) succession for leadership. The death of Mikoto’s brother would put Fugaku as a leader, given that he’s the husband of a bearer of the lineage of clan leaders.

Finally, we get to Itachi and Sasuke. Neither one nor another were “normal” Uchiha: both unlocked the mangekyo sharingan and handled the toll of the Susano’o, among other remarkable feats. If Sasuke is connected to Madara through Izuna’s descendants, it would imply the existence of a direct line of ancestry that starts with Indra himself. The headcanons regarding the internal structure of the Uchiha clan will be discussed in a future post. The direct family line from Izuna to Sasuke can therefore explain why both looked so similar (recessive genetics) and why Madara felt nostalgic or touched at the sight of someone who resembled his beloved little brother so much.

Thanks for reading thus far, and if you have any questions plkease use the blog’s ask box.

[sasucaty]

it's supposed to be one comedic scene for sasuke to declare his desire to be a hokage in war arc and the still fandom CLOWNS him for it despite sasuke having an actual reason to be one.

Sasuke had his entire clan murdered by his dear older brother leaving him as an orphan and he spent his entire childhood and teenage years as an avenger chasing after that said older brother in hunger for revenge. When he finally kills his older brother and believes that he avenged his parents and clan, he faces an uncomfortable truth. His older brother was apparently forced by the government of his own motherland to commit genocide against his clan. The revenge sasuke spent years on vanished into nothing and yet again remained uncompleted. He also realises that his very dear older brother's last wish was for sasuke to protect his own motherland and so the only conclusion he could come up with is to replace the pathetic corrupt government and TRULY avenge his people and protect his country at the same time.

[cool-thymus]

YouTube link Every time I'm in the mood for this version of the song my brain instantly paints a vivid image of Obito going on a rampage. Evil Obito, Jounin Obito - any Obito just loses it, and his chains are flying around, catching the guilty, his mokuton bursts from the ground in ugly terrifying shapes; the world is trembling.

The epic arrangement does it, but the lyrics go so soft and devastated at "I could not foresee this thing happening to you" that it hits me in my obkk feels. How can so many songs be about them 💔

(Obito feels) I look inside myself and see my heart is black I see my red door, I must have it painted black Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black

(Obito and Kakashi feels) No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue I could not foresee this thing happening to you (Kakashi bc Obito is the sunset sky and.. you know) If I look hard enough into the setting sun My love will laugh with me before the morning comes

(Obito's red sharingan and the fake world with no light in it) I see a red door and I want it painted black No colours anymore, I want them to turn black

[nearlysurvived]

roommate, coworker, stalker with minato, rin and obito 👀

Nightmare blunt rotation. Deeply fascinating characters, who I'm gonna have to sort according to which level of attachment I would survive. 10/10 thank you so much for this (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

Roomie: Rin. I love her so, so much. My favourite character by far. The issue is that she's schroedingers crazy - we know that something is wrong, but we aren't allowed any kind of insight into what precisely it is. There's no way to tell what a stalker version of her is like - because even when she actually is the stalker in canon, she is unable to do anything but watch. Also I think she'd be great at remembering to take out the trash.

Coworker: Minato. He's so fucking insane and so deeply indoctrinated, it's not a coincidence that all his 'loved ones' die 'for the village'. I would like to avoid any emotional attachment (as far as he is capable of it ig). He's a great coworker tho! Very good at keeping you focused on the mission, but distracted from all the blood. Nice!

Stalker: Obito. The One True Stalker™. Honestly, being stalked by Obito seems.. pretty chill? Like, with Rin he was just a really good bestie and with Kakashi he.. didn't do anything? Like, he watched the guy for over a decade and didn't hurt him once despite claiming to hate him. I think we'd manage just fine.