Magatsu Izanagi
Active member
Awards
Itachi Uchiha: Beyond the Reanimation
Introduction
You must be registered for see images
Introduction
It is well known that Kishimoto uses names and references to Shinto mythology in his writing. For example, the Uchiha doujutsu "Izanagi" and "Izanami" are actually the names of two Shinto gods.
Itachi Uchiha has numerous connections to Izanagi and Izanami, which will be explained in this thread.
Please note, the topics discussed in this thread have nothing to do with Itachi's battle ability or his power.
Itachi Uchiha has numerous connections to Izanagi and Izanami, which will be explained in this thread.
Please note, the topics discussed in this thread have nothing to do with Itachi's battle ability or his power.
Part I:
Life
|
Izanagi
This is an excerpt from Shinto mythology, about Izanagi and his wife Izanami.
Itachi has Amaterasu in his right eye:
Tsukuyomi in his left eye:
And Susano'o (which requires the double MS to obtain) (see inside spoiler for explanation regarding Izanagi's "nose")
Susano'o in the nose?
In addition to possessing the same things Izanagi had in terms of MS techniques, Itachi also had the Totsuka Blade, which Izanagi used to kill the fire god. This further solidifies the connection between them.
Interpreting what was discussed in this section, it can be said that Itachi is a representation of Izanagi, and/or that his character had some influence from him, at the very least.
In the next section, this will be further solidified...
*There is a significant part omitted here. It is the focus of the next section, and will be discussed there.*
Immediately, you should recognize Itachi's MS techniques here: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susano'o. However, the eyes he possesses them in are reversed from the order Izanagi had them in. While not extremely significant, it will be discussed after.
Itachi has Amaterasu in his right eye:
You must be registered for see images
Tsukuyomi in his left eye:
You must be registered for see images
And Susano'o (which requires the double MS to obtain) (see inside spoiler for explanation regarding Izanagi's "nose")
You must be registered for see images
Susano'o in the nose?
This isn't exactly a concrete explanation, but bear with it...
A person's nose is in the middle of their face, between their eyes.
Would that "middle" exist if they only had one eye? There would be no vantage point to illustrate it as being in the "middle" or "between" two eyes.
Kind of like how two MS are required to obtain Susano'o.
A person's nose is in the middle of their face, between their eyes.
Would that "middle" exist if they only had one eye? There would be no vantage point to illustrate it as being in the "middle" or "between" two eyes.
Kind of like how two MS are required to obtain Susano'o.
Why are Itachi's eyes reversed from Izanagi's eyes?
While it's entirely possible this was done randomly or on a whim, I'd like to think that Kishimoto did this intentionally.
It's only speculation, but there's a strong possibility this change was done to show how Itachi always deviated from the norm.
In Obito's words (can't find a manga page atm, but I'm certain most of you will remember him saying this):
"He accepted disgrace in the place of honor and hate in the place of love and despite that Itachi died with a smile on his face."
Itachi's choices, morals, ideals... all of them went against what he was expected to do as an Uchiha. That's why in the end, he sided with the Leaf.
That's a plausible explanation as to why his eyes are reversed from Izanagi's.
(Please, if you have any other insight or thoughts about the significance of this change, leave a comment).
EDIT: Thanks to Sparks, here's a scan of Obito saying something along those lines (I'm sure the actual text varies from scanlation to scanlation)
It's only speculation, but there's a strong possibility this change was done to show how Itachi always deviated from the norm.
In Obito's words (can't find a manga page atm, but I'm certain most of you will remember him saying this):
"He accepted disgrace in the place of honor and hate in the place of love and despite that Itachi died with a smile on his face."
Itachi's choices, morals, ideals... all of them went against what he was expected to do as an Uchiha. That's why in the end, he sided with the Leaf.
That's a plausible explanation as to why his eyes are reversed from Izanagi's.
(Please, if you have any other insight or thoughts about the significance of this change, leave a comment).
EDIT: Thanks to Sparks, here's a scan of Obito saying something along those lines (I'm sure the actual text varies from scanlation to scanlation)
You must be registered for see images
In addition to possessing the same things Izanagi had in terms of MS techniques, Itachi also had the Totsuka Blade, which Izanagi used to kill the fire god. This further solidifies the connection between them.
You must be registered for see images
Interpreting what was discussed in this section, it can be said that Itachi is a representation of Izanagi, and/or that his character had some influence from him, at the very least.
In the next section, this will be further solidified...
Part II:
Death
|
Izanami
Now, take a look at the part of the legend that was omitted from the first section:
Bringing souls back from the dead to the world of the living, and using them to fight...
This is is very similar to Edo Tensei.
And, if you interpret Edo Tensei as being a representation of the link between the living world and Yomi, you can interpret Itachi stopping Edo Tensei as representing Izanagi blocking the pass between Yomi and the living world.
And what was the name of the technique that Itachi used to accomplish this?
Summarizing the above connections, it can be said that Itachi's time as an Edo Tensei reanimation was representative of Izanagi's journey to Yomi, and how he blocked the passageway between the dead and the living.
The spirits, gods, warrirors, etc, that Izanami sent after Izanagi were from Yomi, the land of the dead.
Bringing souls back from the dead to the world of the living, and using them to fight...
This is is very similar to Edo Tensei.
You must be registered for see images
And, if you interpret Edo Tensei as being a representation of the link between the living world and Yomi, you can interpret Itachi stopping Edo Tensei as representing Izanagi blocking the pass between Yomi and the living world.
You must be registered for see images
And what was the name of the technique that Itachi used to accomplish this?
You must be registered for see images
Summarizing the above connections, it can be said that Itachi's time as an Edo Tensei reanimation was representative of Izanagi's journey to Yomi, and how he blocked the passageway between the dead and the living.
-Summary/Conclusion-
-Itachi Uchiha represented Izanagi, the Shinto god.-Itachi's time as an Edo represented Izanagi's journey to Yomi, and how he blocked the passageway between the dead and the living.
Thanks for reading,
Magatsu
Last edited:
It's awesome that Itachi's character and story sync so well with this Shinto mythology. ^^
