I think Rabbit Teth's point of Kaguya being Orochimaru's puppet has been near about proven. After seeing the snake mark on Kaguya in the anime, I wondered if it comes in the manga too ? I asked for a Viz scan of the panel knowing that it will be of the original quality.
And Lo and Behold, it does appear. Normally, the snake mark could have been passed of an mistake in the anime, but it's hard to believe that it's a mistake when it pops up in the manga too.
I think Rabbit Teth's point of Kaguya being Orochimaru's puppet has been near about proven. After seeing the snake mark on Kaguya in the anime, I wondered if it comes in the manga too ? I asked for a Viz scan of the panel knowing that it will be of the original quality.
And Lo and Behold, it does appear. Normally, the snake mark could have been passed of an mistake in the anime, but it's hard to believe that it's a mistake when it pops up in the manga too.
Veeeeeeeeeeeeeery nice catch. If kishi is drawing such a detail he is a fool if hes not coming to this conclusion in the manga story!! So much epic potential in here. Kishi pls...
Veeeeeeeeeeeeeery nice catch. If kishi is drawing such a detail he is a fool if hes not coming to this conclusion in the manga story!! So much epic potential in here. Kishi pls...
I’d get a big kick out of Kishi reading this. I tend to think that Kishi adds every detail with care and attention but perhaps he just does it by accident. Maybe someone can send him a link to find out…
Which brings me to the next installment (I might be able to squeeze one more out after this one). If you assume that the manga was finished then there’s really nothing to spoil. If like me you’re still in denial about the end of Naruto then read on but be warned potential *Mega Spoilers* lie ahead. This is more or less a second half to an already bloated theory but I hope you enjoy.
Naruto and the Old Gods
For a good few years now I knew that there was a manga written by Masashi Kishimoto’s brother called 666 Satan but I went out of my way not to read it because I’d heard that the two Manga had a lot in common and I didn’t want to spoil any of Naruto’s story. After 700 finished I went back and started reading what many regard as the prototype story of Naruto.
I was immediately struck by how much the two manga had in common. Some scenes are copied panel for panel in Naruto. What’s more is that Naruto uses the same exact formula for its core philosophy. Reading 666 Satan completely changed my understanding of Naruto’s story.
I have tended to base most of my theories on the idea that Kishi has a keen interest in religions and mythology mostly rooted in Asian cultures. I’ve tended not to rely on Christian or European traditions too much when attempting to identify and explain the many influences on Kishi’s work since I figured that Kishi was more likely to look to local myths and legends than those from further afield.
True enough, Kishi makes endless references to specifically Japanese spirits (“Kami / Kamui”) all the time. The Shinto pantheon talks of more than eight million spirits known as yaoyorozu no kami. There are hundreds if not thousands of nods to these local (at least as far as Kishi is concerned) Japanese legends in the manga. However I was wrong. Kishi has been using significant amounts of material from European sources… sources that most Europeans and Americans would be entirely unaware of.
What changed my mind were the first and last panels of the manga. These are the keys to unlocking hidden symbolism throughout the Manga. Before I get to explaining these panels, I will need to fill you in on the European Paganism.
European Pantheons
Before Christianity spread across Europe, Europeans believed in many gods. Religion was disorganized and beliefs varied from tribe to tribe and nation to nation. A pantheon is a family of gods that belongs to a religious community. Asia has many pantheons that are grouped into a handful of overarching religions. India has Hinduism while East Asian blocks tend to veer towards Buddhism. In Japan Shinto is the dominant faith but Hinduism, Buddhism, the Tao and Shinto all have considerable overlap in their gods and tales.
After the Roman Empire reinvented itself as the Holy Roman Empire, most of Europe’s old religions were destroyed whether by conversion to Christianity or by conquest. Monuments and relics to the old gods were purged or forced into hiding. Some old traditions were reinvented as new Christian ones as a lot of Christian festivals co-opted existing practices. Christianity absorbed much of Europe’s quirks but discarded the rest. Take for example the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs. These two symbols have absolutely nothing to do with Christianity or the Bible. They were fertility symbols before the rise of Christianity and over time Christians found ways of incorporating them into Christian festivals. Easter is about the Death and Rebirth of Christ (not chocolate). The Easter Bunny was held up as a symbol of Mary because in the middle ages they believed that rabbits were hermaphrodites that did not need to “do the dirty” in order to reproduce …Mary is credited with a Virgin Birth… 2+2=twelvety.
Easter Bunny
You must be registered for see images
However the closing panel for Part 2 is a design that belongs more to Jewish, Christian and European Pagan heritages. Before Europe turned to Christianity and Monotheism (belief in One God), Europe had a parallel belief system to Asia. The European pantheons (there are several that we know about and probably many that have been forgotten) were inspired by and in turn inspired Asian beliefs through the backward and forward movement of peoples (whether in trade (the Silk Route), migration or conquest (see Alexander the Great below).
For instance, in several of the oneshots you will notice depictions of gods that represent the characters they stand behind. Eg.
You must be registered for see images
Behind Naruto is an image of the Fujin – the god of the winds (usually popular with sailors – who used to rely on wind to get anywhere). The Fujin spread to Asia through the exploits of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian King) who conquered vast swathes of Eurasia. The Fujin tends to be traced to the Greek God Boreas…
Fujin Naruto
You must be registered for see images
Fujin Real Life
You must be registered for see images
Boreas
You must be registered for see images
Alexander the Great
You must be registered for see images
Which brings me to the Norse myths…
Naruto and the Norse gods
I was a little apprehensive about suggesting a link between Naruto and Viking legends at first. I figured that Kishi would be unlikely to reference something so European when he had so many legends on his doorstep to borrow from. The evidence at first was circumstantial…Naruto has blond hair (that sort of thing). The Tree of Life appears in Norse mythology but it was something that also appears in most every other religion. Bit by bit though I started to recognise more and more uniquely Norse storylines in Naruto’s tale.
Naruto as a character corresponds to Tyr / Tiw. Tyr is one of the earliest of European gods originating from Viking / Norse mythology. Tyr is credited with influencing the development of later gods adopted by the Romans. The Etymology (i.e. the origin of the word / name) of Zeus is traced back to Tiw. Indeed the word for god in all Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish …) is comes from Tiw – Dieu, Deus, Dios). The word Tuesday comes from the old English for Tiw’s day just as Wednesday is Odin’s day and Thursday is Thor’s day.
Tyr was leader of the Norse gods before Odin. He was renowned for his wisdom and courage. His most famous glory was achieved by capturing (sealing) a wolf. The wolf (Fenrir) was the son of Loki and was destined to kill Odin during Ragnarok (the destruction of the gods). In order to stave off the end times the gods attempted to capture and seal the wolf. The gods were unable to capture the wolf since Fenrir did not trust them. In order to earn Fenrir’s trust Tyr offered to put his hand in the wolf’s mouth. This allowed the gods the opportunity to seal the wolf (using a magic band called Gleipnir) until Ragnarok (when Fenrir ate Odin whole). Before the wolf was sealed, he bit off Tyr’s hand, but by then Tyr had saved the gods from oblivion. After the destruction of the gods, legend had it that Tyr would be reborn and rule again.
Tyr and Fenrir
You must be registered for see images
This parallels the story of Naruto. Naruto represents a sort of god in the manga. He has blond hair like any good Viking. He was sacrificed in order to seal a fox and in the end his endeavours resulted in the loss of his hand – Naruto gave up his arm in order to quell the beast in Sasuke. They are also both known for their courage:
Putting the Fox to Sleep
You must be registered for see images
Naruto with his replacement arm:
You must be registered for see images
It is not just Naruto that matches up with a Norse god. Sasuke and Hagoromo do as well. Sasuke is an incarnation of Indra. Indra is the god of storms across Asia. In Japan he would be described as a Raijin (Thunder god) or Raiden (Thunder and Lightning [god]). Raijin is the god positioned behind Sasuke opposite Fujin (the Wind god)in the panel I highlighted earlier...
Indra Sasuke:
You must be registered for see images
Raijin Real Life:
You must be registered for see images
Thor
You must be registered for see images
The Link between Hagoromo and Odin is harder to prove. Hagoromo represents a Bird god. His name translates as feather mantle and he is worshipped in the main Fire Temple of the Fire Country:
Hagoromo
You must be registered for see images
Fire Temple Statue (modeled on Garuda)
You must be registered for see images
Odin’s most distinguishing feature are his ravens (Huginn and Muninn they were mistaken for horns later which is where we get the popular fallacy that Vikings had horns on their helmets) – and his one eye (the price of knowledge from Mímir Norse god of wisdom)
You must be registered for see images
Parallels to the One eye of the Sharinnegan? Tbd …
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
…. like Garuda, Odin was fond of battling serpents – though there was one he could not defeat:
You must be registered for see images
Returning to the subject of the Demon, it is worth mentioning that Ragnarok (the destruction of the gods) is only staved off temporarily by sealing the Wolf (putting it to sleep). According to Norse Mythology, the world is destined to come to an end at Ragnarok thanks to another of Loki’s children, Jörmungandr – the snake who swallows the world. Loki’s third child is his daughter Hel, the god that we get the word Hell from and who was ruler of the same. At Ragnarok the Wolf (Fenrir) devours Odin (Hagoromo) and the Snake (Jormungandr) eats Thor (Sasuke):
Fenrir Sealed and put to sleep until Ragnarok:
You must be registered for see images
Kurama sealed and later put to sleep:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Loki’s children at Ragnarok:
You must be registered for see images
The Shinju also matches up to the Tree of Life known as Yggdrasil and which serves as the link between realms in Norse Mythology just as the Lotus does in Pure Land Buddhism…
Shinju (more on this later):
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Yggdrasil
You must be registered for see images
Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds (old Marvel explanation)
You must be registered for see images
Up to this point I’ve covered what I would describe as direct references to Norse Mythology. Kishi makes a lot of fascinating indirect references to the Pagan gods but to explain these I’ll need to give you a brief grounding in the Occult.
Background to the Occult
I don’t want to alarm anyone with Satanic imagery and conspiracy theories but the crazies give the Occult a bad name which is not entirely earned so I feel I need to provide some context. By the Occult I mean the hidden religions of Europe – Occult translates as “the hidden” from the Latin, Occultus. Mysticism has the same meaning as Occult except it is derived from the Greek for “I conceal”, Mystikos. These are catch all terms that themselves obscure a wide variety of beliefs that are treated as “the other” in European discourse. Generally it is best to be skeptical of those who espouse such beliefs – since they are for the most part nutcases. However, I think it is worthwhile breaking down where Occult imagery comes from since it is much less threatening than I was, or, I imagine, anyone else has been raised to believe.
The Occult is a term used by Christianity to describe any heretical beliefs. These beliefs were hidden because they were persecuted and cracked down upon in order to unify Empires. These are the pagan beliefs that were popular among the peoples of Europe before being conquered by the Romans (the Holy Roman Empire as it became known for its mission to spread Roman Catholicism). For more than a thousand years, Celts, Nords, Germans and a multitude of other tribes resisted the spread of Christianity until in time they too were conquered or converted (it wasn’t all butchery … a lot took up the faith willingly and without force). Kishimoto is Japanese but as I only found out recently, he is extremely aware of European unorthodox traditions (more later).
An example of these unorthodox beliefs is the imagery around Satan. If I were to ask you to draw Satan then you would probably draw a horned monster with red skin. However, this character has very little to do with the core beliefs of Christianity. When Christianity started to become organised they struggled to find ways of converting the common man away from long held beliefs. Before Monotheism spread across Europe (taking root first in Rome – the central hub of the Roman Empire), Europe was an expanse of many beliefs and many gods that have a lot more in common with the polytheistic cultures of Asia (the many gods and buddhas of Hinduism, the Tao, Shinto and Buddhism).
The popular image of Satan with goat’s legs, red skin and horns was something dreamt up in all likelihood to quite literally demonise existing faiths. Pan formed the basis of this myth. Pan was a popular fertility god in the countryside who had horns and goats legs (a satyr – a half goat half man legend from ancient Greece):
You must be registered for see images
When evangelists went to the countryside to convert the people to Christianity, they probably pointed to the horned god as the incarnation of all that is evil. The image of Satan as Pan went through several iterations. Early Christianity mostly depicted Satan as blue skinned (he was said to consort with young innocents later accused of witchcraft and was always described as being cold to the touch). At some point the imagery flipped in the same way that the colour associated with boys and chivalry used to be pink and then overnight one day it became blue while pink became …well, for want of a better word… girly.
Early depiction of Satan from the Codex Gigas:
You must be registered for see images
God’s Angels battling the Fallen:
You must be registered for see images
Later depictions of Satan (Irving Berlin and Tenacious D):
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Satan (which translates as Adversary from Hebrew) with wings is often used to evoke the fallen angel Lucifer (which translates as Morning Star). As far as the Bible is concerned, more often than not God’s adversary is actually depicted as a Serpent or Snake…
Tempting Eve
You must be registered for see images
As Christianity became the central faith of the Roman Empire it started to crush local beliefs and traditions. The old gods made way for the new One. Archeologists have been left to piece together what remains of the old gods. Many relics of the old gods were destroyed or hidden in secret collections (the Vatican has an impressive collection of forbidden materials in their vaults).
Some of the old ways were preserved in secret societies and cults like the Freemasons, various mystic groups and occultists. Those who spread ideas at odds with the Church (and not just members of the Occult) were often persecuted, locked up and/or executed – hence the secrecy. When scientists or philosophers developed ideas that had existed before the Church, like for instance Galileo, the astrologer credited with discovering that the heavens did not revolve around the Earth, then they would quickly find themselves in jail or on a burning pyre. Less well known victims of such purges are the victims of witch trials that took the lives of many accused of practicing the dark arts or worshipping other gods.
It’s hard to say how popular these groups were since they were secret. Quite often those accused fell prey to false rumours spread by rivals rather than because of the dangers of any beliefs they held. At the other extreme were social climbers and charlatans offering false hope to those with no alternatives. Rasputin, the famous Russian mystic, was embraced into the Tsar’s court in Imperial Russia because he claimed to be able to control the hemophilia of the Tsar’s son.
Rasputin’s sway over the royal family was so strong that he is alleged to have had affairs with the Tsaritsa (Empress) and numerous married women from the court. In the end, Rasputin was assassinated by his enemies. A group of aristocrats lured to Rasputin to a soundproofed room, plied him with alcohol, poisoned him with cyanide and then when that didn’t work quickly enough they clubbed him down, shot him and dragged him into the snow. Legend has it that still not quite dead, the conspirators dragged Rasputin to the an icy river (though they forgot to weigh the body down) and before long the local police arrived. The Tsaritsa was not best pleased that her son’s carer had been murdered and the perpetrators were promptly exiled without trial.
Even today rumours surround Vladimir Putin who either trades off the rumor or is the victim of a campaign of false propaganda suggesting that he is a distant relation to the famous mystic (Ras-Putin probably an urban myth)… then again perhaps it’s true. Here’s the man himself and the song about him performed by Boney M (the Disco band I promised – the leading man from the group died on the anniversary of, and in the same city as, Rasputin – treat it as fun trivia rather than the work of vengeful spirits):
You must be registered for see images
The Disco band I promised - a great song
You must be registered for see links
These days the two most prominent sects that might be described as propagators of the Occult are the Freemasons and Kabbalah. The two sects share a lot of imagery that they borrow from Early Judaism, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, assorted Asian traditions and the Nords. The Freemasons include a who’s who of influential figures among their number (including 14 American Presidents, Mozart…) while Kabbalah tends to attract air headed celebrities (Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher…).
For the most part these groups seem to be about networking and socializing. The Freemasons were satirized in a classic episode of the Simpsons:
You must be registered for see links
It is incredibly hard to find any serious Occult thinkers. The best example I can find is Alan Moore, the only comic book writer to be recognised in Time Magazine’s “All-Time 100 Greatest Novels list”. Alan Moore is also the reason why all those people wear Guy Falkes masks during Left Wing marches and protests. Alan Moore turned Guy Falkes (the prototype terrorist) into a symbol of religious persecution… he was hung, drawn and quartered (every bit as gruesome as it sounds) for trying to blow up the British Houses of Parliament). Here is Alan Moore providing a very cogent and compelling account of his beliefs (take a guess who he models himself on) and the Mask of his hero V from V for Vendetta (popularized by the Anonymous movement) – Note for later the symbolism of the V:
To this day the Freemasons and others similar groups are preserved on a list of forbidden by the Catholic Church. Here is what Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) had to say on the organization
"... the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion."
While the Nazis (despite having their own occult tendencies (the myth of the Aryan Race embraced by the SS is a nonsense dreamt up by German New Age Romantics) also persecuted Freemasons unwilling to renounce their practices. Between 80,000 and 200,000 Freemasons were sent to the gas chambers alongside the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust – the Nazis assigned radicals the downward facing red triangle to mark them out (more on this symbol later):
You must be registered for see images
This all brings me to Kabbalah. This is a sect of mystics that claim heritage from early Judaism. Their beliefs have little to do with the Torah as far as I’m aware (the Jewish Bible that also comprises most of the Old Testament for Christians as well). What they preach has more in common with polytheistic symbolism as far as I can tell. Kabbalah travelled to Europe with the Diaspora (like the Uzumaki, the Jews fled their homeland) and until recently was a fairly niche belief system.
Naruto and Kabbalah
Naruto started and ended with a geometric representation of the overarching story. In many religions it is common to use the symbolism of geometric designs to simplify messages, these are what can be referred to as Mandalas.
Opening Symbolsim
You must be registered for see images
Closing Symbolism
You must be registered for see images
These two images reference Kabbalah in ways that are not immediately apparent but that tease of developments to come in an as yet unrevealed Part 3 (at a guess probably dealing with Ragnarok).
The two central symbols of Kabbalah are the Sephirot and the Kelipot. The Sephirot is a considered a sort of map that encompasses ten paths representing complementary virtues that together lead to enlightenment. The Kelipot represents the mirrored vices to the Sephirot and lead to the path of becoming an empty shell or husk. I was totally unaware of Kabbalah before starting to read 666 Satan, the manga written by Masashi Kishimoto’s younger twin Seishi. Here are the symbols representing good and evil (which together represent the “Absolute” – symbolizing that good and evil cannot exist in isolation from one another) in 666 Satan:
You must be registered for see images
Naruto starts with Kelipot – because at this stage in proceedings the world is in disorder. The Demon Fox is sealed by Minato but this represents a defeat of sorts. In order to seal the Fox Minato was forced to resort to a forbidden Jutsu that results in the deaths of Minato and Kushina. Minato regrets his use of ninjutsu against Tobi later because he learns that Tobi was Obito in disguise and he missed the opportunity to save his former pupil from himself and by extension the entire ninja world:
Regrets
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
The seminal moment - Minato (the tiny man on the Frog) before using Ninjutsu (the forbidden jutsu of the Dead Demon Seal) to trap Kurama:
You must be registered for see images
The Fox being Sealed:
You must be registered for see images
Minato summoning Gamabunta during the actual fight with Kurama:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Kurama reminiscing about the experience
You must be registered for see images
A couple of features of these two symbolic images stand out within the context of Kaballah. There are three pillars to the Sephiroth / Kelipot. These three pillars represent two extremes that are crisscrossed and united in the middle by a central pillar. The Pillar to the left is known as Boaz (symbolized by the Sun) and the Pillar to the right is is known as Jachin (as in Jashin with a c – this is symbolized by the moon) – these pillars are symbols of the pillars thought to have once stood in the Temple of Soloman (the son of King David, whose symbol was the six pointed Star of David and himself a Jewish King known for his wisdom).
Boaz and Jachin are also represented by the Sun and Moon on the sealing arch that contains the Fox in the opening page and that seals Kaguya in the closing page:
Boaz and Jachin
You must be registered for see images
Chibaku Tensei sealing Kaguya:
You must be registered for see images
Jachin and Boaz (the pillars from the Tarot)
You must be registered for see images
This Kaballah symbolism appears throughout 666 Satan. Notice the angle of the all seeing eye – the Sharinnegan in the Naruto Sephirot and its parallel here from 666 Satan:
You must be registered for see images
Sound or look familiar?:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
The symbol for Jachin, the Triangle, is also a symbol of Jashin:
Jashin Triangle
You must be registered for see images
Jachin Triangle
You must be registered for see images
Note how the Star of David (the Jewish symbol for God) in the centre is also the design of Sasuke’s MS left to him by Itachi while the EMS signifies both Jachin and Boaz:
Sasuke MS
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke EMS
You must be registered for see images
Naruto and Sasuke’s joined hand symbol is not yet complete:
You must be registered for see images
Returning for a moment to Norse mythology, the downward facing triangle was originally the rune or mark of Thor. This symbolism is paralleled in other Asian gods as well which like the Norse gods are probably much older than Kabbalah…
Thor’s Rune:
You must be registered for see images
This mark is complemented by the symbol of Tyr (whose rune was the upward pointing arrow) – The conjoined symbols represent the supreme god in Freemasonry (disguised as a compass / the markings around the All Seeing Eye)
You must be registered for see images
Combined Tyr and Thor symbols - The Freemason symbol for god
You must be registered for see images
The Rinnegan is also a symbol of Kaballah that represents the “infinite” of god (the Ein-Sof):
You must be registered for see images
Enlightenment in Kabbalah is represented by the coming together of opposing extremes – as represented here:
You must be registered for see images
The All Seeing Eye - represented by the Sharinnegan in the Manga and by the Eye of Horus in real life - is often portrayed alongside other symbols of Kaballah and Kundalini Yoga that also appear in the manga…
Boaz (Left Pillar), Jachin (Right Pillar), the Eye of Horus (the All Seeing Eye also shown on the dollar bill) and the Kundalini (a representation of the the emergence of Chakra through the spine used in ancient medicine) are all combined here…
Kabbalah / Kundalini:
You must be registered for see images
The All Seeing Eye:
You must be registered for see images
The Eight Gates:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Meanwhile the Star that represents Ninjutsu… I think that this symbol is the mark of Jashin. Jashin translates as Evil (Ja) God (Shin) in the same way that Shinju translates as God (Shin) Tree (Ju). The Star is a reference to another Manga from Weekly Shonen Jump called Fist of the North Star. That star represents the Southern Cross and is the emblem of the primary antagonist called Shin in the manga:
Fist of the North Star:
You must be registered for see images
Shin:
You must be registered for see images
Shin’s flag:
You must be registered for see images
This emblem is repeatedly used to represent Ninjutsu since it also doubles up as a throwing star. That Star represents Minato using the Dead Demon Seal (a forbidden Jutsu):
You must be registered for see images
Kaguya and her Sharinnegan:
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke in Cursed Seal Mode:
You must be registered for see images
… and the rebellious Uchiha Police Force organised by the chief agitator in the Uchiha uprising, Sasuke’s Dad Fugaku:
You must be registered for see images
In Kaballah, good and evil are separated into the Spirit and the Shell. The empty Shell (Kelipot) represents evil. The Gedo Mazo is the Empty Shell of Hagoromo:
Description of Kellipot 666 Satan - the Dark Kabbalah
You must be registered for see images
Souls trapped by Satan in 666 Satan:
You must be registered for see images
Souls trapped by Orochimaru
You must be registered for see images
Empty Shell
You must be registered for see images
Hagoromo … look closely at the beard
You must be registered for see images
Gedo Mazo
You must be registered for see images
Leaked pictures from the Last appear to show the empty shell of Hamura (notice the horns, aged face and tomoi around his neck…
Hamura
You must be registered for see images
Hamura’s Shell?
You must be registered for see images
I don’t think that Toneri is this monster because a second leak reveals Toneri to only have one horn in his Chakra Cloak form:
You must be registered for see images
Finally it is worth considering the imagery of Kaguya. Kaguya represents an Eve like figure. In Occult imagery, Eve is portrayed as being tempted by Satan:
You must be registered for see images
The Eye of Horus is an Egyptian symbol that was borrowed by Kaballah and Freemasonry for the All Seeing Eye (also remember how Odin was reduced to one eye from before – there’s a lot of cross fertilization in religions). Horus (a man bird god like Garuda) was merged with another god by the Eqyptians called Ra (the Sun god). Ra had two children Shu (god of wind … Fuujin) and Tefnut (goddess of rain / storms …Raijin). Every day Ra / Horus (Hawk) would fight Apophis / Set (Snake) maintaining balance in the heavens (Night and Day):
Ra/Horus vs Set/Apep
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
… An example of this symbolism would be Tobi asking whether Sasuke would choose Hawk or Snake (anther parallel with Garuda / Naga)
You must be registered for see images
Image of Osiris (Horus’s father)
You must be registered for see images
Comparison with Hagoromo:
You must be registered for see images
The mother of Horus is a horned goddess, Isis:
You must be registered for see images
Kaguya and child
You must be registered for see images
Union of Sun and Moon
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
As you can see, Kishi has drawn on a variety of not just Eastern traditions but European and Middle Eastern ones as well. Kishi does not make explicit reference to Kabbalah in his manga, unlike his brother, but the influence and symbolism are clear.
O-Parts Hunter
Bringing everything back to the Demon, it is worth looking at Satan from 666 (known as O-Parts Hunter in the US to avoid offending Christian groups). In 666 Satan, Satan needs a an empty vessel. That empty vessel is marked with the number of the Beast (666). Eventually Satan gets what he wants before the hero’s come good. Here are Satan’s eyes:
You must be registered for see images
Here’s Orochimaru’s
You must be registered for see images
Satan 666
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke 666
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke cursed seal mode
You must be registered for see images
We never did see Orochimaru’s Dragon Sage mode. In 666 Satan, Satan’s final form is the Beast from the Moon:
You must be registered for see images
Kaguya not quite there:
You must be registered for see images
If there is an evil god (Jashin) that still desires an empty vessel before he can launch his true plan then I’m pretty convinced it’s going to be Orochimaru. Sasuke got pretty spooked in the final chapter while walking into the woods:
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke, like Thor, still has a date with destiny and it might involve a Snake (NB the cover of chapter 24 shows an the older Sasuke instead of the boy we had up until that point been introduced to)
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Part 2 always ends with a hand being chopped off
You must be registered for see links
Hopefully I haven't overloaded you with too much speculation about the Demon:
You must be registered for see images
Maybe it's time to take a break and stare at some clouds:
Veeeeeeeeeeeeeery nice catch. If kishi is drawing such a detail he is a fool if hes not coming to this conclusion in the manga story!! So much epic potential in here. Kishi pls...
Cuz he said the their is "near about proven" which is one of the most idiotic thing I've read this forum in awhile. Including minamoto's ramblings.
You know a lot of people in this thread remind me of the lady in this video. They mistake their minds natural tendancy to look for patterns and derive deeper meaning from completely innocuous things.
Cuz he said the their is "near about proven" which is one of the most idiotic thing I've read this forum in awhile. Including minamoto's ramblings.
You know a lot of people in this thread remind me of the lady in this video. They mistake their minds natural tendancy to look for patterns and derive deeper meaning from completely innocuous things.
Nah, if there was a nose, there will be two separate marks. Even if you don't zoom in, it looks like something is wrong with her eye, there is a mark on it.
What I actually meant was that it proved Rabbit's point in my opinion. But, I guess the wording is messed up. Lol
I don't agree with the bold though. If your only intention is to insult others, I would sincerely suggest you to stay away from this thread.
Nah, if there was a nose, there will be two separate marks. Even if you don't zoom in, it looks like something is wrong with her eye, there is a mark on it.
I'm not going to go into how preposterous it is for that scant bit of evidence swayed you to the point you think this fanfic is actually what the author had in mind when he drew it, but... okay.
That wasn't an insult, it was an observation that offended you. There is a distinction there, please recognize it.
Oh and LOL at disliking a theory I wrote like a year ago... you wound me.
Nah, if there was a nose, there will be two separate marks. Even if you don't zoom in, it looks like something is wrong with her eye, there is a mark on it.
While I’m not going to pretend as though it’s conclusive proof, I do think that Kaguya’s eye in the Naka Shrine Tablet flashback is pretty strong evidence in support of my theory. (more later)
You say that a simple line can be used to represent any nose in Naruto but that just isn’t the case. The mark on Kaguya’s face is very distinctive. Dragonor might have gotten a bit overexcited (something I am guilty of all the time in writing these theories) but the point he was proving was that the mark that appears in the Anime (the one I picked out) is present in the original Manga as well. Lets play the police line up game. We can go through some of the pictures you’ve gathered of generic noses and see whether any of them matches the Flashback marking on Kaguya's face (the marking on the reincarnated Kaguya is no longer there so I won't bother with comparisons for those and two of your links don't seem to be working):
Cuz he said the their is "near about proven" which is one of the most idiotic thing I've read this forum in awhile. Including minamoto's ramblings.
You know a lot of people in this thread remind me of the lady in this video. They mistake their minds natural tendancy to look for patterns and derive deeper meaning from completely innocuous things.
You’re right to be skeptical. I don’t want anybody walking away from this thread believing in any mumbo jumbo. I get a kick out of listening to those crazies talking nonsense but I’m not inventing patterns that aren’t there. Kishi (Masashi) uses a lot of the same imagery that his brother (Seishi) uses in 666 Satan. There is a ridiculous amount of crossover between Naruto and O-Parts Hunter:
Naruto:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
666 Satan:
You must be registered for see images
Symbolism can mean whatever you want it to. The Eye of Providence on the American Dollar Bill, for instance, is often interpreted as some kind of Satanic conspiracy. The truth is that the image was decided on by a committee, who thought that the symbol would evoke the Christian message of the Holy Trinity. The three sides to the Pyramid represent the Trinity (Father (God), Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit), the eye represents God’s omnipotence (common to Norse, Egyptian, Buddhist and Hindu symbolism) while the unfinished Pyramid represents the work yet needed to be done in completing the New Jerusalem in America.
Eye of Providence:
You must be registered for see images
Please be under no illusion that I subscribe to any mumbo jumbo or conspiracy theories. I simply find the use of symbolism and its history fascinating. Kishi uses this symbolism in a very interesting new way to tell his own story. This is entertainment with a religious grounding though.
Fair enough I don’t think it’s conclusive proof but the design of that eye is extremely similar to the Byakugan’s view of Kabuto transformation from man to Snake. Call it a smudge if you want but I think that there is mounting evidence to think that Kaguya did not begin as the “Demon” but was corrupted into serving him…at least that's the theory.
The Rabbit Goddess
I’ve been arguing that Kaguya was unlikely to end up as the final antagonist for a while now. The imagery that Kishi uses to portray Kaguya borrows from a lot of stories where an innocent woman is corrupted before she is later redeemed or rescued. Having established some of the sources that Kishi is borrowing from it is far easier to get a sense of the direction of where Kaguya’s story is headed and what to look for in terms plot developments.
The first thing to point out is that Rabbits are rarely considered evil. They eat grass and are hardly a threat to any other creature:
You must be registered for see images
Something would need to have happened to a rabbit in order to make it turn evil:
You must be registered for see images
I do not consider the Demon Rabbit the final stage of the Demon for reasons that I will come back to (… the Eye):
You must be registered for see images
The imagery of the White Rabbit provides some clever nods to classic literature that you might not have picked up on. The White Rabbit is what leads Alice into Wonderland in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:
You must be registered for see images
While the symbolism of Life and Death being represented by Light and Dark is something explored in another classic tale that Kishi borrows from, Watership Down:
Light (Lord Frith):
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Dark (Black Rabbit of Inlé):
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Kishi has provided some very strong hints that Kaguya was corrupted by an outside force. We receive conflicting messages about how evil Kaguya really was from the moment we were introduced to her…
Her motive for eating the fruit of the Shinju was to stop war:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
When she is reminded of her sons, she cries:
You must be registered for see images
…While the upbringing of her children shows no signs of darkness:
You must be registered for see images
Something happened to Kaguya in order to make her evil. Hagoromo reminisces at the end of Part 2 that his mother had not always been a tyrant:
You must be registered for see images
Hagoromo does not understand what corrupted his mother but I think we can work it out. When the Demon takes over a body the process can be drawn out:
You must be registered for see images
The mark on the eyes is a dead give away:
You must be registered for see images
The mark of the demon always seems to creep across the eye though it doesn’t matter which:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Meanwhile the stance that Kaguya takes as she slaughters her worshippers with Gudoudama has been seen before. Here is Madara using TSB against Tobi
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Here is Kaguya using the same on her followers (?) - notice the stance:
You must be registered for see images
This stance is reminiscent of those captured by Snake Genjutsu:
You must be registered for see images
This is the fear of death that brought Sasuke, Kakashi and Ibiki to their knees. Kakashi was not broken by Itachi's genjutsu but he was by Orochimaru's. Oro can break the will of anyone he chooses to:
Sasuke
You must be registered for see images
Kakashi:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Ibiki:
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
I think the moment that it started to go wrong for Kaguya is the moment she ate the Fruit. The fruit can take two forms and confers two sets of powers. One set of powers is pure and represents the Legacy of the Shinju (God Tree). These powers are represented by the concentric circles of the Rinnegan…
Shinju Fruit (God Tree Fruit) - concentric circles
You must be registered for see images
Rinnegan - concentric circles
You must be registered for see images
The other set of powers is evil and represent the power of the evil god, Jashin. These powers take the shape of the Spiral and in their highest form can result in the Evil Eyes that Indra inherited (once he had had a devil whisper in his ears):
Jashin Fruit - spiral design
You must be registered for see images
Indra’s Eyes - Spiral Rinnegan:
You must be registered for see images
Corruption of Indra:
You must be registered for see images
I think that Indra is Spiral Zetsu … Half of Indra’s Chakra transmigrated into Sasuke (hence why he only has one corrupted Rinnegan). Sasuke has not yet awoken the full Mangekyou version of his Rinnegan just as Indra, when younger, did not have his complete eyes:
You must be registered for see images
The Rinnegan can take shape in either a pure version (no tomoi) or the corrupt version (that has tomoi until it reaches it's complete form). The Rinnegan can either be a heavenly tool of God or a weapon of destruction that ushers in the end times:
You must be registered for see images
The Devil’s Fruit is one of the aliases of the Cursed Seal belonging to Orochimaru:
You must be registered for see images
The original Juubi that gave birth to Black Zetsu was composed of more than one element. Kaguya was only part of Black Zetsu’s mother:
You must be registered for see images
The Shinju was also part of whatever gave birth to Black Zetsu though it wasn’t what was trying to recapture all chakra:
You must be registered for see images
… I think that the Demon (Jashin) was a third part, Black Zetsu’s father … the one who craves Sasuke:
You must be registered for see images
Kaguya is not the spirit in the Tree, she is the one reincarnated by Black Zetsu stabbing Madara in the back:
You must be registered for see images
The Evil Tree (Jashin's Tree) is what talks to Madara and lends him the Shinju’s power:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
In the bible it is the Serpent that tempts Eve:
You must be registered for see images
In Egyptian mythology it is Set that tricks Isis into doing his bidding and who kills Horus’s father, Osiris:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
In Hindu mythology it is the Naga who Garuda’s mother (Vinata) must serve for giving into curiosity and prematurely hatching one of her eggs (Garuda’s twin brother Arun) – Here’s Vinata dancing for Shesha:
You must be registered for see images
In Greek Mythology, the brother of Osiris is known as Typhon,:
You must be registered for see images
Accoriding to Greek variations on the legend of Horus. Typhon tricked Osiris (Horus’s father) into becoming an eternal corpse – this is why Osiris is always pictured with dark skin (like a blue corpse):
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
In Naruto I think that something similar might have separated the spirit of Hagoromo from his body…
Spirit:
You must be registered for see images
Body:
You must be registered for see images
Typhon is known as the father of all monsters (Cerberus, various dragons and the Chimera were all his children). In Naruto, this role is filled by Orochimaru… whose endless experiments have created armies of monsters (that are still out there for a Part 3):
You must be registered for see images
Typhon like almost every other evil god is a giant serpent or dragon. Typhon was the son of Tartarus and Gaia, two of the founding Greek gods. Chaos came first (Chaos means the void or nothingness), then Tartarus (both a god and the deepest pit of Hades (Hell) into which the Titans (evil giants who ruled before the gods – like the Naga before Garuda) were cast) and Gaia third (Gaia is Earth). Typhon is essentially the Demon of Greek mythology, the Hell Beast. Tartarus in Naruto equates to Orochimaru’s dimension where all the souls of those eaten by the evil Shinju (Jashin) are sent…
Orochimaru’s Dimension:
You must be registered for see images
Buddhist conception of Hell:
You must be registered for see images
Villain from the Last (Toneri in chakra cloak):
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
The name Typhon is where we get the word for Typhoon. It actually comes from the Greek for “to smoke”:
You must be registered for see images
I think that Kishi is paying homage to a lot of myths in subtle and sophisticated ways – all of which point to Orochimaru being not just evil but the evil. I think that Kaguya (Hagoromo and Hamura's mother and not the creature that gave birth to BZ) is still out there somewhere trapped. We will only find out if or when there’s a Part 3:
Even Toneri has the snake mark. Except it's inverted.
You must be registered for see images
Lol
Though on a serious note.
If Toneri was consumed by the Demon and was banished to hell, then the inverted mark could be like a scar. (Inverted because he escaped hell, Orochimaru's dimension ?)
Even Toneri has the snake mark. Except it's inverted.
You must be registered for see images
Lol
Though on a serious note.
If Toneri was consumed by the Demon and was banished to hell, then the inverted mark could be like a scar. (Inverted because he escaped hell, Orochimaru's dimension ?)
There isn’t really a symbol for both sun and moon combined or if there is then it tends to represent God. Some religions consider good and bad, light and dark as aspects of the one God, while others treat them as different gods engaged in a constant struggle for supremacy. Once you know what to look for it is easier to break down the meaning.
I doubt Toneri’s horn has any symbolic value except for identifying him as an Ootsutsuki and potential servant of the Demon (see the Buddhist image of hell above). If I were to try and break down the symbolic code then this is how I’d do it. *Anyone reading this fresh should start from “Naruto and the Old Gods” above since it provides background and context.*
The Code
I look at Kishi’s use of symbolism in Naruto as a secret language. It’s a very simple and elegant way of framing the story, which serves as a narrative device. Kishi plants symbols that have meaning in the real world to emphasize points he wants to make within the story. Kishi is free to use symbols however he chooses but for the most part he parallels the stories of where these symbols come from – using not just the imagery of these symbols but their original mythology as well. Kishi is careful to make sure that you need no grounding in the history of these symbols in order to understand the story, however knowing where these symbols came from can provide extra context and helps you anticipate what is coming next.
If you didn’t watch the video of Alan Moore above – I would suggest you do so now. Not only does Alan Moore provide a much better description of the use of symbolism than I could hope to match, but if you look over his shoulder you will see a good number of the symbols I describe. It wouldn’t surprise me if Kishi adopted these symbols after listening to Alan Moore. He is far and away the most famous comic book writer in the world and rewrote the rules of what comic books can achieve. Other writers, like Kishi, would look to him for inspiration.
Assuming that you haven’t been scared off by endless mumbo jumbo, I’ll try and provide you with my interpretation of how the symbolism works. Over the course of the Manga we have seen Naruto and Sasuke progress and develop both as characters and as warriors. The development of their powers follows a path of spiritual evolution that reflects their journey and is reflected in their imagery.
Naruto - Ninshuu
Naruto represents the path of Ninshuu. He is the Child of Destiny as far as the Frogs are concerned and is the focus of Gamamaru’s prophecy that both Hagoromo and Kurama subscribe to:
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
Naruto has taken opposing forces and learnt to reconcile them in order to unlock their true potential – this is the message that Hagoromo left on his Naka Shrine Tablet:
You must be registered for see images
Naruto has taken his teachings from the Frogs (Good – represented by the horizontal line):
You must be registered for see images
Frog Sage Mode:
You must be registered for see images
… and his innate power over the Demon Fox (Evil – represented by the vertical line):
You must be registered for see images
Kyuubi Chakra Mode (KCM)
You must be registered for see images
… and brought these powers together to work in harmony with one another:
You must be registered for see images
Naruto first unlocks this power when he embraces Jiraiya’s teachings (Ninshuu) and restrains himself from perpetuating the cycle of hatred. While Naruto says at first that he can’t forgive Nagato, in the end that’s exactly what he does. As Alexander Pope put it …”to err is human to forgive divine”:
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
Jiraiya’s the one that taught Naruto Hagoromo’s message of Ninshuu:
You must be registered for see images
In embracing Ninshuu, Naruto has tamed the darkness within:
You must be registered for see images
Naruto could be said to wield the pure form of the divine power that traces back to the Shinju (God Tree) or just plain Shin (God):
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke - Ninjutsu
Sasuke on the other hand has been forced down the darker path of Ninjutsu by Orochimaru. This path led him to attempt to seek power by killing Naruto in order that he might obtain revenge on his brother Itachi. Every stage of Sasuke’s development has been a descent further into darkness with Orochimaru orchestrating every step of it.
Sasuke’s power grew not from the harmony of opposing forces but by the subjugation of them to his will. Madara does not work with Hashirama in order to combine them to their potential:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
No, instead he takes a bite out of Hashirama and stuffs it into his wound:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
The perfection of Madara’s powers comes via the help of outside forces. Madara attributes his improved body to the efforts of his “partner” (Obito). Unbeknownst to Madara, his improved body is the result of the influence of a certain snake and the work of his minions:
You must be registered for see images
It is not even Obito who raises Madara from the dead. Black Zetsu hands the corpse of Madara over to Kabuto so that he can Edo Tensei him:
You must be registered for see images
But Black Zetsu is not the Demon, he is merely the product of Kaguya:
You must be registered for see images
…the Shinju and I suspect… the Demon:
You must be registered for see images
Like Naruto, Sasuke has the divine mark of the star but unlike Naruto his star represents Jashin (the Evil God):
You must be registered for see images
Orochimaru might just be the evil god behind all the various plots and conspiracies that we have so far enjoyed – Akatsuki, Root, the Cursed Uchiha Tribe… and the Jashinists (who counted Hidan amongst their number).
Oro, his cursed seal victim Anko and Hidan all have a taste for blood…
Hidan:
You must be registered for see images
Anko:
You must be registered for see images
Orochimaru:
You must be registered for see images
While the Snake and Jashin both demand ritual human sacrifices…
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
Sasuke’s power was brought out by the curse
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke almost achieved what Madara could not and bring the power of the the Juubi to heel:
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
Madara never had Sasuke’s potential but then Orochimaru always understood that:
You must be registered for see images
There are few constants in Naruto but Orochimaru’s pursuit of Sasuke is one of them and from the very beginning nobody else would do:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Troika
Most symbols in Naruto come in threes. Naruto and Sasuke usually represent separate poles. The Uchiha symbol is a play on the moon:
You must be registered for see images
When Sasuke defected from the village in search of revenge, Sakura was always reminded of Sasuke by the Moon:
You must be registered for see images
While the Uzumaki symbol is a play on the Sun:
You must be registered for see images
When Sun and Moon converge the result is a Solar Eclipse:
You must be registered for see images
Which happens to be the Haruno Clan’s symbol:
You must be registered for see images
When the sons of Hagoromo work together the union of their power is represented by the Rinnegan – notice how this eye is sat on the horizontal axis like the Frogs’ eyes:
You must be registered for see images
Hagoromo using the power of Sun and Moon together:
You must be registered for see images
When the Sons work in opposition to each other the outcome is the Sharinnegan which sits on the Vertical axis, like the Snakes’ eyes:
You must be registered for see images
Essentially there seem to be two forces at work in the Narutoverse each with opposing symbolism and each with contrasting powers. We have only just begun to learn the power of the Sharinnegan versus that of the Rinnegan. If there is a part 3 then I would expect this story to be developed further.
For now it is worth mentioning that both the Rinnegan and Sharinnegan can be stolen and used by the other side. The Rinnegan fell into the hands of Madara and Pain while one of the Sharinnegan is currently in the hands of Sasuke.
These opposing forces can be depicted with other sets of symbols as well. The downward arrow represents the demonic forces that are now put to rest in Sasuke and Kurama…
Joining hands (putting Sasuke’s beast to sleep):
You must be registered for see images
Kurama “playing” with Naruto:
You must be registered for see images
Kurama’s beast (the V symbolism)
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
The opposite arrow is what distinguishes Naruto’s surrogate father figure Iruka:
You must be registered for see images
Seishi Kishimoto uses some of the same symbolism in 666 Satan, where the hero Jio uses a boomerang as his primary weapon (he carries it facing downward):
You must be registered for see images
The Union of these Symbols in Freemasonry becomes the emblem for God or the All Seeing Eye also seen on the Dollar Bill:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
In Naruto it is represented by this:
You must be registered for see images
The Rinnegan and Sharinnegan are split versions of the All Seeing Eye. I think the Sharinnegan belongs / belonged to the Demon originally (I think he had two or three of them for reasons I’ll come back to):
You must be registered for see images
The Byakugan are neither good nor evil. They are the eyes that both good and bad alike take on when bridging the gap between this world and the next:
Byakugan
You must be registered for see images
Spirit Eyes
You must be registered for see images
Evil Spirit Eyes
You must be registered for see images
Naruto’s new Chakra cloak from the last represents the next step along his path. The Risen Sun is one of the symbols used for Horus – this is good at it’s apex. In Buddhist art, similar symbolism is used to represent enlightenment. The US has appropriated the same symbolism for the Great Seal of the United States (again appearing on the Dollar Bill).
Horus:
You must be registered for see images
Cintamini
You must be registered for see images
Buddha (Enlightenment)
You must be registered for see images
Great Seal of the United States
You must be registered for see images
Naruto’s New Chakra Cloak
You must be registered for see images
Close Up
You must be registered for see images
Toneri’s symbol from the last is an aberration of Naruto’s more holy emblem:
You must be registered for see images
Close Up
You must be registered for see images
Next Up the Naka Shrine, the Uzumaki Shrine and Spiral
There isn’t really a symbol for both sun and moon combined or if there is then it tends to represent God. Some religions consider good and bad, light and dark as aspects of the one God, while others treat them as different gods engaged in a constant struggle for supremacy. Once you know what to look for it is easier to break down the meaning.
I doubt Toneri’s horn has any symbolic value except for identifying him as an Ootsutsuki and potential servant of the Demon (see the Buddhist image of hell above). If I were to try and break down the symbolic code then this is how I’d do it. *Anyone reading this fresh should start from “Naruto and the Old Gods” above since it provides background and context.*
The Code
I look at Kishi’s use of symbolism in Naruto as a secret language. It’s a very simple and elegant way of framing the story, which serves as a narrative device. Kishi plants symbols that have meaning in the real world to emphasize points he wants to make within the story. Kishi is free to use symbols however he chooses but for the most part he parallels the stories of where these symbols come from – using not just the imagery of these symbols but their original mythology as well. Kishi is careful to make sure that you need no grounding in the history of these symbols in order to understand the story, however knowing where these symbols came from can provide extra context and helps you anticipate what is coming next.
If you didn’t watch the video of Alan Moore above – I would suggest you do so now. Not only does Alan Moore provide a much better description of the use of symbolism than I could hope to match, but if you look over his shoulder you will see a good number of the symbols I describe. It wouldn’t surprise me if Kishi adopted these symbols after listening to Alan Moore. He is far and away the most famous comic book writer in the world and rewrote the rules of what comic books can achieve. Other writers, like Kishi, would look to him for inspiration.
Assuming that you haven’t been scared off by endless mumbo jumbo, I’ll try and provide you with my interpretation of how the symbolism works. Over the course of the Manga we have seen Naruto and Sasuke progress and develop both as characters and as warriors. The development of their powers follows a path of spiritual evolution that reflects their journey and is reflected in their imagery.
Naruto - Ninshuu
Naruto represents the path of Ninshuu. He is the Child of Destiny as far as the Frogs are concerned and is the focus of Gamamaru’s prophecy that both Hagoromo and Kurama subscribe to:
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
Naruto has taken opposing forces and learnt to reconcile them in order to unlock their true potential – this is the message that Hagoromo left on his Naka Shrine Tablet:
You must be registered for see images
Naruto has taken his teachings from the Frogs (Good – represented by the horizontal line):
You must be registered for see images
Frog Sage Mode:
You must be registered for see images
… and his innate power over the Demon Fox (Evil – represented by the vertical line):
You must be registered for see images
Kyuubi Chakra Mode (KCM)
You must be registered for see images
… and brought these powers together to work in harmony with one another:
You must be registered for see images
Naruto first unlocks this power when he embraces Jiraiya’s teachings (Ninshuu) and restrains himself from perpetuating the cycle of hatred. While Naruto says at first that he can’t forgive Nagato, in the end that’s exactly what he does. As Alexander Pope put it …”to err is human to forgive divine”:
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
Jiraiya’s the one that taught Naruto Hagoromo’s message of Ninshuu:
You must be registered for see images
In embracing Ninshuu, Naruto has tamed the darkness within:
You must be registered for see images
Naruto could be said to wield the pure form of the divine power that traces back to the Shinju (God Tree) or just plain Shin (God):
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke - Ninjutsu
Sasuke on the other hand has been forced down the darker path of Ninjutsu by Orochimaru. This path led him to attempt to seek power by killing Naruto in order that he might obtain revenge on his brother Itachi. Every stage of Sasuke’s development has been a descent further into darkness with Orochimaru orchestrating every step of it.
Sasuke’s power grew not from the harmony of opposing forces but by the subjugation of them to his will. Madara does not work with Hashirama in order to combine them to their potential:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
No, instead he takes a bite out of Hashirama and stuffs it into his wound:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
The perfection of Madara’s powers comes via the help of outside forces. Madara attributes his improved body to the efforts of his “partner” (Obito). Unbeknownst to Madara, his improved body is the result of the influence of a certain snake and the work of his minions:
You must be registered for see images
It is not even Obito who raises Madara from the dead. Black Zetsu hands the corpse of Madara over to Kabuto so that he can Edo Tensei him:
You must be registered for see images
But Black Zetsu is not the Demon, he is merely the product of Kaguya:
You must be registered for see images
…the Shinju and I suspect… the Demon:
You must be registered for see images
Like Naruto, Sasuke has the divine mark of the star but unlike Naruto his star represents Jashin (the Evil God):
You must be registered for see images
Orochimaru might just be the evil god behind all the various plots and conspiracies that we have so far enjoyed – Akatsuki, Root, the Cursed Uchiha Tribe… and the Jashinists (who counted Hidan amongst their number).
Oro, his cursed seal victim Anko and Hidan all have a taste for blood…
Hidan:
You must be registered for see images
Anko:
You must be registered for see images
Orochimaru:
You must be registered for see images
While the Snake and Jashin both demand ritual human sacrifices…
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
Sasuke’s power was brought out by the curse
You must be registered for see images
Sasuke almost achieved what Madara could not and bring the power of the the Juubi to heel:
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
Madara never had Sasuke’s potential but then Orochimaru always understood that:
You must be registered for see images
There are few constants in Naruto but Orochimaru’s pursuit of Sasuke is one of them and from the very beginning nobody else would do:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
Troika
Most symbols in Naruto come in threes. Naruto and Sasuke usually represent separate poles. The Uchiha symbol is a play on the moon:
You must be registered for see images
When Sasuke defected from the village in search of revenge, Sakura was always reminded of Sasuke by the Moon:
You must be registered for see images
While the Uzumaki symbol is a play on the Sun:
You must be registered for see images
When Sun and Moon converge the result is a Solar Eclipse:
You must be registered for see images
Which happens to be the Haruno Clan’s symbol:
You must be registered for see images
When the sons of Hagoromo work together the union of their power is represented by the Rinnegan – notice how this eye is sat on the horizontal axis like the Frogs’ eyes:
You must be registered for see images
Hagoromo using the power of Sun and Moon together:
You must be registered for see images
When the Sons work in opposition to each other the outcome is the Sharinnegan which sits on the Vertical axis, like the Snakes’ eyes:
You must be registered for see images
Essentially there seem to be two forces at work in the Narutoverse each with opposing symbolism and each with contrasting powers. We have only just begun to learn the power of the Sharinnegan versus that of the Rinnegan. If there is a part 3 then I would expect this story to be developed further.
For now it is worth mentioning that both the Rinnegan and Sharinnegan can be stolen and used by the other side. The Rinnegan fell into the hands of Madara and Pain while one of the Sharinnegan is currently in the hands of Sasuke.
These opposing forces can be depicted with other sets of symbols as well. The downward arrow represents the demonic forces that are now put to rest in Sasuke and Kurama…
Joining hands (putting Sasuke’s beast to sleep):
You must be registered for see images
Kurama “playing” with Naruto:
You must be registered for see images
Kurama’s beast (the V symbolism)
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
The opposite arrow is what distinguishes Naruto’s surrogate father figure Iruka:
You must be registered for see images
Seishi Kishimoto uses some of the same symbolism in 666 Satan, where the hero Jio uses a boomerang as his primary weapon (he carries it facing downward):
You must be registered for see images
The Union of these Symbols in Freemasonry becomes the emblem for God or the All Seeing Eye also seen on the Dollar Bill:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
In Naruto it is represented by this:
You must be registered for see images
The Rinnegan and Sharinnegan are split versions of the All Seeing Eye. I think the Sharinnegan belongs / belonged to the Demon originally (I think he had two or three of them for reasons I’ll come back to):
You must be registered for see images
The Byakugan are neither good nor evil. They are the eyes that both good and bad alike take on when bridging the gap between this world and the next:
Byakugan
You must be registered for see images
Spirit Eyes
You must be registered for see images
Evil Spirit Eyes
You must be registered for see images
Naruto’s new Chakra cloak from the last represents the next step along his path. The Risen Sun is one of the symbols used for Horus – this is good at it’s apex. In Buddhist art, similar symbolism is used to represent enlightenment. The US has appropriated the same symbolism for the Great Seal of the United States (again appearing on the Dollar Bill).
Horus:
You must be registered for see images
Cintamini
You must be registered for see images
Buddha (Enlightenment)
You must be registered for see images
Great Seal of the United States
You must be registered for see images
Naruto’s New Chakra Cloak
You must be registered for see images
Close Up
You must be registered for see images
Toneri’s symbol from the last is an aberration of Naruto’s more holy emblem:
You must be registered for see images
Close Up
You must be registered for see images
Next Up the Naka Shrine, the Uzumaki Shrine and Spiral
Above, the three sixes are in a circle forming a triple spiral.
The mark of Satan, the triple spiral is right out there staring at our faces in Naruto.
Mangetsu and Suigetsu both share the name the Second Coming of the Demon as pupils of Zabuza whose trademark was his Demon Cloak which we have seen twice (I’m hoping Suigetsu has the technique as well)…
On the Great Naruto Bridge
It also has the trademark triple spiral of a shrine dedicated to who I assume to be Kaguya (Kaguya had three eyes, had the same long hair, collected souls like the masks in flames under the hair through IT…):
