This thread is going to look over an aspect of Sasuke's character that revolves around "judgement", and establish it as a prominent part of his persona (while also linking it to Japanese mythology). The first section of this thread, where the actual aspect is explained and established, may be somewhat rough to comprehend. But, keep reading and it should make some more sense towards the second part.
Note: any observations made towards things such jutsu, MS, or anything that could normally be applied to a versus scenario are being made strictly in the context of portrayal in the manga, story-wise.
Likewise, any observations made towards Sasuke are made in the context of the time they were being spoken about. Hebi Sasuke is definitely not the same person, psychologically or otherwise, that Sasuke in 699 is.
Please, enjoy~
Throughout the manga, it's easy to see that one of Sasuke's main character traits (or "role" in the story, however you want to look at it) was being an "avenger", seeking revenge. The desire to defeat his brother and avenge his clan was the predominant force that drove him from
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all the way up until the truth about Itachi was revealed to him, where he took up another goal that revolved around vengeance:
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, in turn avenging his brother's sacrifice.
However, there is another aspect of his character that revolves around being an avenger: judgement. The whole reason Sasuke wants to avenge his clan in the first place, or to destroy Konoha, etc, is because he has "judged" the responsible parties as being wicked, as being evil. Otherwise, if he believed what they did was right, he wouldn't have been going after them in the first place.
This is further shown at several other key instances in the manga. To name a few, when he wants to
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, when he wants to get revenge on Konoha
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of
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, or even when he is in the inn with Tobi and wants to, presumably, kill
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and talking about how wealthy they could have became had they killed him themselves.
What is significant about all of this is that every time vengeance comes up with Sasuke, the concept of "judgement" also comes up, going hand-in-hand with it. It's a subtle connection, but it's there. And with good reason, as one of Sasuke's most iconic jutsu was meant to emphasize that exact concept. The lightning manifested: Kirin.
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"Kirin", the jutsu, is actually a representation of Qilin, a mythical creature seen in Shinto, Chinese, and other Asian mythology (in Japanese the creature is referred to as きりん, romanisized as Kirin). And, as with the vast majority of other mythological/folklore references that Kishimoto has made in the manga, there is a lot of significance in Sasuke both being in possesion of this jutsu, and actually using it.
Here is a summary of what the Qilin is and what it's role is in general mythology:
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First and foremost, it is said that Qilin only punish the wicked. This is the real reason why Kirin didn't kill Itachi. Sasuke was under the belief that Itachi was evil, and killed off the Uchiha clan for the sole purpose of gaining power. This is what was going through his mind when he unleashed Kirin upon him, and precisely why it didn't work. The usage of Kirin was the "trial", and it found Itachi to be "innocent" (Itachi didn't commit the massacre out of an evil intention, which is explained shortly after by Tobi), as was the backdrop for many stories involving Qilin in Eastern mythology.
Two other significant parallels that can be drawn from Qilin's mythological description are the fact that they are "associated in color with the elements", explaining why Kirin was a pure, lightning-based technique, and that they are often associated with prosperity, which can be seen as a sort of foreshadowing of Sasuke obtaining the Mangekyou Sharingan shortly after Kirin was used.
Additionally, the "Qilin dance" has a description with matches that of the Kirin jutsu very, very closely. "Fast, powerful strokes of the head": when Kirin is used, the first thing we see is the giant head of the creature emerge from the clouds, then fly down at a freightening speed,
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.
More specifically with regards to Japanese Shinto mythology, the Qilin undergoes a few differences/additions. Here is a summary:
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In the manga, if you look closely, you can actually see the "backwards curving horn" that the text mentions. Also, the small arms that extend from Kirin's main body (which actually have hooves on the end) match the legs of a deer quite well, only further solidifying the parallel that Kishimoto wanted to associate with this technique.
As a bit of a side note, "Kirin" being used as the word for giraffe in Japanese was actually used as a gag in the Rock Lee SD series, haha.
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Another Side: Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission
It is heavily implied that, during the end of the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaisance arc, where the new Team 7 attempts to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, that Sasuke is
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It would make sense, since it’s possible that Kisihimoto hadn’t thought of the lightning/atmosphere pre-requisites (as exhibited in the Itachi fight) for the jutsu yet. There is always the possibility that it’s just a coincidence, but if it wasn’t, then it compliments the aspect of “judgement” that Kishimoto ended up conveying with the jutsu rather well. If you revisit the scene anew after learning about the significance of Kirin, it can be said that Sasuke was going to “judge” Team 7. At the beginning, he says to Naruto
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At first glance, this puts his attitude in a sort of place where he is criticizing Naruto's values, therefore criticizing the values of Team 7 as a whole by association (or even as a village entirely, as he says
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). So, it can be said that Sasuke thinks that they aren’t fit to be ninja, to a certain extent. It could also be said that he simply believes their values are wrong, and he is judging them for it.
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-Summary/Conclusion-
-Judgement was an important aspect of Sasuke's story throughout the series, working hand-in-hand with vengeance to drive his character.
-Kirin is intended to represent Sasuke's judgement, and has various parallels alongside the mythical creature from Shinto (and other Asian) mythology that it is based on.
Wonderful analysis and parallel Thank you for this Izanagi! It's amazing how there's so much symbolism and one then gains a totally different perspective when reading or watching the scenes again.
Thank you for this Izanagi! It's amazing how there's so much symbolism and one then gains a totally different perspective when reading or watching the scenes again.