Magatsu Izanagi
Jōnin Strategist 🧠
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Obito Uchiha - "Find Your Way"
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Preface/Introduction
I started working on a thread about Obito, before Chapter 686 was released.
After reading it, and being reminded that one way or another, his story is going to come to an end soon (be it next chapter, in 10 chapters, or with the end of the manga itself) I decided to broaden the ideas being used in the thread a little bit, to make it a sort of tribute. The end product is what you're about to read now.
There's basically two main subjects I ended up covering, and I tried to combine them as well as possible. Most of the theorizing/analysis is done in Part I, whereas Part II is more of a conclusion.
Please, enjoy!
After reading it, and being reminded that one way or another, his story is going to come to an end soon (be it next chapter, in 10 chapters, or with the end of the manga itself) I decided to broaden the ideas being used in the thread a little bit, to make it a sort of tribute. The end product is what you're about to read now.
There's basically two main subjects I ended up covering, and I tried to combine them as well as possible. Most of the theorizing/analysis is done in Part I, whereas Part II is more of a conclusion.
Please, enjoy!
During the Kabuto fight, this theme is basically the central focus of the battle, plot-wise. It's why Itachi wanted to "help" Kabuto by placing him in the Izanami in the first place.
Here are a few examples of this theme being incorporated in the battle to refresh your memory, if needed.
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After looking back on Obito's story, I've noticed that the same theme is present in his life, too. In fact, it seems to be one of the main messages that Kishi is trying to convey with his character.
This thread will explain Obito's journey to accept himself.
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Part I - Masks
Madara Uchiha
After Rin's death, Obito agreed to undertake Madara's goal to attain the Infinite Tsukuyomi. In doing this, he also assumed the name, identity, and persona of Madara Uchiha.
In terms of the effect this had on other people, Tsunade summed it perfectly here:
So externally (on the outside), the name and persona of Madara Uchiha struck fear into others. But what about internally? What did undertaking Madara's identity mean for Obito himself?
It can be said that Obito assumed the name and persona of "Madara" not only to instill fear in people (get them to comply with him, etc), but also as mental support to boost his ego, due to feeling weak and emotionally shattered after Rin's death.
This helped him to not only cope with her death (or otherwise "failing" to protect to her), but also solidify his frail presence in the face of the world.
Clearly, he didn't want to be Obito Uchiha anymore, and dismissed his identity.
And with this mask on, he rejected the world.
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It can be said that Obito assumed the name and persona of "Madara" not only to instill fear in people (get them to comply with him, etc), but also as mental support to boost his ego, due to feeling weak and emotionally shattered after Rin's death.
This helped him to not only cope with her death (or otherwise "failing" to protect to her), but also solidify his frail presence in the face of the world.
Clearly, he didn't want to be Obito Uchiha anymore, and dismissed his identity.
You must be registered for see images
And with this mask on, he rejected the world.
You must be registered for see images
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Tobi
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This is a bit of a side point, but something I wanted to discuss regardless.
The infamous "goofy Tobi". I'm sure we've all had a few laughs when watching this guy fool around.
Let's dismiss speculation for now, and assume that this is Obito acting like this of his own free will. Using the same analysis in the previous section, this is what can be determined:
Externally, for other people, this fooled other Akatsuki members so as to not discover his true identity, somehow. They assumed he was just a goofball.
However, what did doing all this mean for Obito?
Well, there's a possibility that he acted like this to live out a life he wouldn't ever have anymore.
Obito was always more of a carefree-type as a kid, not really a prankster or a joker. Sure, he had a sense of humor, but his antics weren't ever this extreme. So, in a way, "Tobi" could be a sort of psychological aid for Obito, and he jokes around to make up for the fact that he'll never be able to act like a child again in the real world, as the moment he became "Madara", he abandoned himself.
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Part II - Truth
After being exposed to Naruto's ideals and seeing they are similar in many ways, Obito began to realize that he didn't want to dismiss himself.
The true Obito Uchiha was who we saw in Kakashi Gaiden. The same one who believed this:
The current Obito who dismissed himself also dismissed those thoughts and feelings he had along with him. But, after fighting Naruto and hearing his words, he began to have a change of heart.
He began to realize that, yes, he does in fact care about his teammates, even if it was ever so slightly at that point.
Even that small realization began to pave the way for him to accept who he is. That alone was enough to give him the strength to resist the Juubi on sheer willpower alone.
After gaining control of the Juubi, he began to realize this even more.
And, just to prove how important the bonds between friends are, Kishi included this message when Naruto, Sasuke, and the K11 beat Obito.
And that's when Obito had a final confrontation with Naruto, and he succeeded in convincing him to throw away the false mask he was wearing, and become the true Obito Uchiha again.
And now, after accepting his true self, he made the final step by repeating that sacrifice he chose to make that day. A final (or maybe not final, who knows) heroic act to separate his current self from the sins he committed when he neglected his identity.
The true Obito Uchiha was who we saw in Kakashi Gaiden. The same one who believed this:
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The current Obito who dismissed himself also dismissed those thoughts and feelings he had along with him. But, after fighting Naruto and hearing his words, he began to have a change of heart.
He began to realize that, yes, he does in fact care about his teammates, even if it was ever so slightly at that point.
Even that small realization began to pave the way for him to accept who he is. That alone was enough to give him the strength to resist the Juubi on sheer willpower alone.
You must be registered for see images
After gaining control of the Juubi, he began to realize this even more.
You must be registered for see images
And, just to prove how important the bonds between friends are, Kishi included this message when Naruto, Sasuke, and the K11 beat Obito.
You must be registered for see images
And that's when Obito had a final confrontation with Naruto, and he succeeded in convincing him to throw away the false mask he was wearing, and become the true Obito Uchiha again.
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
And now, after accepting his true self, he made the final step by repeating that sacrifice he chose to make that day. A final (or maybe not final, who knows) heroic act to separate his current self from the sins he committed when he neglected his identity.
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-Summary/Conclusion-
-Finding/accepting your true self was a prominent theme in Obito's life.-Obito assumed the persona of Madara not only to deceive others, but also to cope with his emotional state after losing Rin.
-Likewise, Obito may have used the act of being "goofy" Tobi to psychologically cope with not being able to return to his childhood life anymore.
-After being inspired by Naruto, Obito was able to find the strength needed to accept himself for who he really was.
-With one last heroic act, Obito recreated the same sacrifice he made to save Kakashi on that fateful day, and separated himself from the Obito who committed sins whilst neglecting his true self.
Thanks for reading,
Magatsu
Goodbye, Obito
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