Itachi Uchiha: Beyond the Reanimation

Tennis Robot · Jun 25, 2014

You did this the right way. Out of curiosity: did you already know a lot about Japanese folklore or did you research it because of Naruto?

Magatsu Izanagi · Jun 25, 2014

Called a Genius said:
You did this the right way. Out of curiosity: did you already know a lot about Japanese folklore or did you research it because of Naruto?

I knew a few things about Shintotism and Japanese folklore from before I got into Naruto, from samurai movies and other things.

Most of my knowledge though comes from other theorists on the Base. I knew enough to make a few connections here and there, and then did a lot of research to solidify them.

Dãrth1 · Jun 25, 2014

Nice thread mate
All Hail God Itachi

KayaUzumaki · Jun 26, 2014

Loving this thread so much! You've done a great job on it!

Colonel Armstrong · Jul 21, 2014

Magatsu Izanagi said:
Itachi Uchiha: Beyond the Reanimation

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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.

Part I: Life | Izanagi 

This is an excerpt from Shinto mythology, about Izanagi and his wife Izanami.

*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.

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)

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:

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

great read and work man

God of War · Jul 21, 2014

Lord Itachi never dies.

KisuneUchiha · Sep 26, 2014

Magatsu Izanagi said:
Itachi Uchiha: Beyond the Reanimation

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.

Part I: Life | Izanagi 

This is an excerpt from Shinto mythology, about Izanagi and his wife Izanami.

*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.

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)

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:

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

It's sad when Kishi puts more thought into an OP side character than his own main character lol Lord Itachi solos all

Itachi Uchiha: Beyond the Reanimation

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Tennis Robot

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Magatsu Izanagi

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Dãrth1

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KayaUzumaki

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Colonel Armstrong

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God of War

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KisuneUchiha

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