jsrhoden
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Warning - Very long thread. Only read if you've got some time on your hands. Otherwise, stay clear away.
Here we go.
Okay, so I admit, at one point I could have been considered as an Itachi hater - I couldn't stand the posts going around and tried my best to downplay him so that he wasn't just stupidly worshipped by everyone, trying to make things a bit more fair and less biased. However, after the previous chapters with the four Hokages, I took a step back, and realized - Itachi is basically Kishi's idea of a God, and were just gonna have to stick with it.
It's no coincidence that the worship and his portrayal as a "God" and "King" throughout forums is due to the symbolism that Kishi feeds us throughout the course of the series. On top of the various links to Japanese Mythology that nearly every MS technique holds (Amaterasu, Izanagi, Izanami, Yasakani no Magatama), Kishi constantly stays true to symbolism throughout. And no other character gets this visual symbolism as good as Itachi does.
- Here is Itachi against Deidara, trapping him in genjutsu
- Itachi sitting on a throne
Add to that the following:
1. Deliberately dies by Sasuke's hand to protect the Leaf and his brother
2. Rises from the dead via Edo Tensei and conquers evil
3. Itachi's sins (e.g. the massacre of his clan) are forgiven by Sasuke, and the 5 Kages then refer to him as a "saviour of this world"
4. A lot of things that Itachi says has some form of philosophical relevance
5. The repetition of the word "sacrifice" when talking about him
And you basically have the Jesus of Naruto.
We all know that Kishi tends to exaggerate. Hyperbole in this manga has been the cause of the majority of shitstorms that occur on vs threads. Because Kishi leaves so much stuff out in the open, it's up to use to decipher it all and ascertain which stuff can be considered fact and what can be considered exaggeration.
It all comes down to what you regard as a credible resource. A few people do not see Iruka's explanation of Hiruzen being the strongest Hokage as credible, nor does anyone bat an eyelid at the fact that Suigetsu said the Bluntsword Helmsplitter "Crushes any and all defences".
Itachi has received praise from high level shinobi only. The list is far too long to go through, but note the repetition of Itachi being "unique", "special", a "genius", "true art" and "prodigy" by the likes of Kabuto, Kakashi, Hiruzen, Deidara, Tobi and many more, all of these us fans would deem as trustworthy sources. Black Zetsu, a representation of Madara's Will, the leader of the Uchiha Clan, gives us evidence on how the Yata Mirror and Totsuka Sword work. Kishi has basically cemented this as canon, and when Madara's Will gives info on legendary weapons, it's quite difficult to argue against.
I don't need to tell anyone the praise that Itachi is getting at the moment from 3 out of the 4 Hokages right now, each week Kishi adds on layers. His ANBU and ninja accolades are to be praised, and already make him beastly enough, however the fact that Itachi had the "wisdom of a kage" at the age of 7 is unnecessary hype to further fuel his status as a shinobi legend. As for the Hashirama statement, I think Kishi knows exactly what he's doing there with regards to how vague the statement is, and either he's being cheeky or the translators are. He/They must know that such a statement would cause problems, or else he would have been more specific. Next up we have Minato's dose of praise. Minato fans, try to endure the pain over the next few weeks.
Another thing is the constant loop of received praise and humility. It's a vicious cycle, a conflict of Itachi going on about how he "failed" while everyone else praises his perfection, making him the manga representation of this guy.
Have a favourite character? Right now, It's likely that Itachi is your favourite character's favourite character.
Now this is where I think that Kishi is deliberately playing it smart. Note that when an ability is brought up as absolutely unstoppable, Kishi may try and reverse things and prove otherwise e.g. Gaara absolute defence being broken. Note that unlike other characters, we have still failed to see the following:
1. Whether Itachi's unbreakable Tsukyomi can be broken by a non-uchiha or perfect jin, an ability deemed instantaneous and able to control time and space at will.
2. Whether the Yata Mirror can block absolutely everything
3. Whether the Sword of Totsuka can seal absolutely everything
As the manga is drawing to a close, and Itachi's return seems more and more unlikely, these questions will be left open to discussion, forever. Leaving us to be forced to admit that Itachi is basically invincible, and that things such as his sickness and his tendencies to "hold back" in various fights further give us an indication of a man with limitless potential.
Kishi's display of his abilities and the fact that they are practically unstoppable make it clear that he wants Itachi to be the best in the series. So why fight it anymore? If Kishi wants him to be the best, we might as well take it and let him be the best. Place him on a god tier like the SO6P so that we don't have to debate about this guy anymore. After all, it looks like that's what Kishi's aiming for and what he wants us to believe.
My view is that there is actually no point trying to fight the fanbase anymore. I am not saying I will join them, but what I will say is that as long as Kishi is forever pushing hype his way, the less resolve I have to find Itachi's imperfections. It's no fun anymore. Kishi has decided on his catalyst of the show, the guy who gets the most attention. Just like Kubo has done with Urahara, and Oda has done with Mihawk (although maybe unintentionally). Why is Itachi a God and a "Solo King"? Because that's what Kishi is aiming for. Not to mention that there is a positive correlation between the exposure of Itachi in the manga and the increase in sales. Itachi is an excellent cash cow.
I don't love Itachi, but I don't hate him either. It's more to do with acceptance, Kishi will keep bringing him back into the plot and will keep hyping him. So i'm just gonna deal with it. My response isn't "ZOMG Itachi solos!", nor is it "To hell with this manga, I hate Itachi". It's more like "lol Kishi, just do whatever you want, I give up"
Thoughts?
Here we go.
Okay, so I admit, at one point I could have been considered as an Itachi hater - I couldn't stand the posts going around and tried my best to downplay him so that he wasn't just stupidly worshipped by everyone, trying to make things a bit more fair and less biased. However, after the previous chapters with the four Hokages, I took a step back, and realized - Itachi is basically Kishi's idea of a God, and were just gonna have to stick with it.
Symbolism
It's no coincidence that the worship and his portrayal as a "God" and "King" throughout forums is due to the symbolism that Kishi feeds us throughout the course of the series. On top of the various links to Japanese Mythology that nearly every MS technique holds (Amaterasu, Izanagi, Izanami, Yasakani no Magatama), Kishi constantly stays true to symbolism throughout. And no other character gets this visual symbolism as good as Itachi does.
- Here is Itachi against Deidara, trapping him in genjutsu
You must be registered for see images
- Itachi sitting on a throne
You must be registered for see images
Add to that the following:
1. Deliberately dies by Sasuke's hand to protect the Leaf and his brother
2. Rises from the dead via Edo Tensei and conquers evil
3. Itachi's sins (e.g. the massacre of his clan) are forgiven by Sasuke, and the 5 Kages then refer to him as a "saviour of this world"
4. A lot of things that Itachi says has some form of philosophical relevance
5. The repetition of the word "sacrifice" when talking about him
And you basically have the Jesus of Naruto.
Praise
We all know that Kishi tends to exaggerate. Hyperbole in this manga has been the cause of the majority of shitstorms that occur on vs threads. Because Kishi leaves so much stuff out in the open, it's up to use to decipher it all and ascertain which stuff can be considered fact and what can be considered exaggeration.
It all comes down to what you regard as a credible resource. A few people do not see Iruka's explanation of Hiruzen being the strongest Hokage as credible, nor does anyone bat an eyelid at the fact that Suigetsu said the Bluntsword Helmsplitter "Crushes any and all defences".
Itachi has received praise from high level shinobi only. The list is far too long to go through, but note the repetition of Itachi being "unique", "special", a "genius", "true art" and "prodigy" by the likes of Kabuto, Kakashi, Hiruzen, Deidara, Tobi and many more, all of these us fans would deem as trustworthy sources. Black Zetsu, a representation of Madara's Will, the leader of the Uchiha Clan, gives us evidence on how the Yata Mirror and Totsuka Sword work. Kishi has basically cemented this as canon, and when Madara's Will gives info on legendary weapons, it's quite difficult to argue against.
I don't need to tell anyone the praise that Itachi is getting at the moment from 3 out of the 4 Hokages right now, each week Kishi adds on layers. His ANBU and ninja accolades are to be praised, and already make him beastly enough, however the fact that Itachi had the "wisdom of a kage" at the age of 7 is unnecessary hype to further fuel his status as a shinobi legend. As for the Hashirama statement, I think Kishi knows exactly what he's doing there with regards to how vague the statement is, and either he's being cheeky or the translators are. He/They must know that such a statement would cause problems, or else he would have been more specific. Next up we have Minato's dose of praise. Minato fans, try to endure the pain over the next few weeks.
Another thing is the constant loop of received praise and humility. It's a vicious cycle, a conflict of Itachi going on about how he "failed" while everyone else praises his perfection, making him the manga representation of this guy.
You must be registered for see images
Have a favourite character? Right now, It's likely that Itachi is your favourite character's favourite character.
Abilities
Now this is where I think that Kishi is deliberately playing it smart. Note that when an ability is brought up as absolutely unstoppable, Kishi may try and reverse things and prove otherwise e.g. Gaara absolute defence being broken. Note that unlike other characters, we have still failed to see the following:
1. Whether Itachi's unbreakable Tsukyomi can be broken by a non-uchiha or perfect jin, an ability deemed instantaneous and able to control time and space at will.
2. Whether the Yata Mirror can block absolutely everything
3. Whether the Sword of Totsuka can seal absolutely everything
As the manga is drawing to a close, and Itachi's return seems more and more unlikely, these questions will be left open to discussion, forever. Leaving us to be forced to admit that Itachi is basically invincible, and that things such as his sickness and his tendencies to "hold back" in various fights further give us an indication of a man with limitless potential.
Kishi's display of his abilities and the fact that they are practically unstoppable make it clear that he wants Itachi to be the best in the series. So why fight it anymore? If Kishi wants him to be the best, we might as well take it and let him be the best. Place him on a god tier like the SO6P so that we don't have to debate about this guy anymore. After all, it looks like that's what Kishi's aiming for and what he wants us to believe.
Conclusion
My view is that there is actually no point trying to fight the fanbase anymore. I am not saying I will join them, but what I will say is that as long as Kishi is forever pushing hype his way, the less resolve I have to find Itachi's imperfections. It's no fun anymore. Kishi has decided on his catalyst of the show, the guy who gets the most attention. Just like Kubo has done with Urahara, and Oda has done with Mihawk (although maybe unintentionally). Why is Itachi a God and a "Solo King"? Because that's what Kishi is aiming for. Not to mention that there is a positive correlation between the exposure of Itachi in the manga and the increase in sales. Itachi is an excellent cash cow.
I don't love Itachi, but I don't hate him either. It's more to do with acceptance, Kishi will keep bringing him back into the plot and will keep hyping him. So i'm just gonna deal with it. My response isn't "ZOMG Itachi solos!", nor is it "To hell with this manga, I hate Itachi". It's more like "lol Kishi, just do whatever you want, I give up"
Thoughts?
