Rabbit Teth
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In honour of Golden Week and because there is little new worth discussing until next chapter I thought I'd take this window to pick up where I left off talking about colours and their meaning / importance in Naruto. Here’s a second, more speculative part 2. This is more a collection of ideas on a theme rather than a complete theory but it does tie in with some earlier ideas on the nature of the Demon. If you haven’t read the first part of this then you can find it towards the bottom of Page 10 (I'd start there before skipping to Part 2). Spoiler warning for anyone who doesn't like thinking ahead.
ROYGBIV Part 2
ROYGBIV Part 2
Green
Rainbow
Black
Green is important for two reasons. The first of these isn’t really all that important. It’s the colour of Might Guy who calls himself "Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey" (木ノ葉の気高き碧い猛獣, Konoha no Kedakaki Aoi Mōjū). By extension green is also the colour of Rock Lee. Opening the eight gates makes them both change colour, with green being the most sustainable level reached (they turn Blue at 7 and Red at 8). I doubt there is any great significance to these colour changes though it is similar to Bijuu Tail releases. Instead I think green is their predominant colour choice in homage to the real life martial artist they are both based on… Bruce Lee.
Most people will probably be more aware of Jackie Chan, who is currently the most famous martial artist still alive, though his Springtime of Youth has probably had its day. The real pioneer of martial arts as entertainment though was Bruce Lee. Jackie Chan actually started out his career as a stuntman in two of Bruce Lee’s films (Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon). Bruce Lee revolutionized the style of fighting seen in movies and prompted a craze for taking up Eastern style martial arts the world over.
Why Green? The colour might have something to do with Bruce Lee’s break out role. Bruce Lee was the star of a superhero TV series called Green Hornet. He wasn’t the title character, instead he played a sort of manservant to the Green Hornet called Kato. Even though he was supposed to be a sort of Alfred character to the Green Hornet, Bruce Lee’s talent stood out so much that very few fans of the show could tell you who the main star was but everybody remembers Bruce Lee.
The Green Hornet
The Jumpsuit, pudding bowl haircut and nunchuku that distinguish Might Guy and Rock Lee are more prominent homages to Bruce Lee. These were probably inspired by the film Enter the Dragon:
Might Guy
Meanwhile, Itachi is modeled on a character played by Bruce Lee’s son called the Crow (which is due to be remade). Tragically, Brandon Lee (Bruce’s son) was killed during the making of The Crow. In one of the scenes where Brandon is shot at, one of the stunt guns that was supposed to be loaded with blanks was loaded instead with a live round. The scene is still in the movie and although they hadn’t finished filming at the time they were able to complete shooting without him. The film is actually really good and stands as tribute to somebody who would have been a great talent.
The Crow / Itachi
Comparison 2
The second reason why green might be important is because it is because it crops up in one of those cryptic comments that Orochimaru makes from time to time. When asked of his intentions, Orochimaru starts to talk about the first person to mix Yellow and Blue to create Green:
This comment might simply be a throwaway aside with no importance or meaning whatsoever but the choice of words seem odd. People don’t invent new colours, they simply name them or recreate them. Orochimaru, however, talks about the first person to mix two colours and that person’s creation being green. What could this mean, if indeed it has any meaning?
Well I tend to think that Orochimaru might have been around since the time of Kaguya (transmigrating between bodies whenever he needs to or whenever he finds a more powerful host). The theory is that Orochimaru is this “first person” to experiment by mixing colours to create new ones. I reckon that there is a good chance Orochimaru was the one responsible for creating a new creature that mixed different colour chakra natures and that this creature’s chakra nature would have been green…
I also think there’s a good chance that Orochimaru is the one behind the conception of a new character whose origins are the mystery at the centre of this new run of chapters … her chakra looks like it could end up being a mix of Uzumaki Red and Uchiha Dark Blue (though she takes more after her father):
Most people will probably be more aware of Jackie Chan, who is currently the most famous martial artist still alive, though his Springtime of Youth has probably had its day. The real pioneer of martial arts as entertainment though was Bruce Lee. Jackie Chan actually started out his career as a stuntman in two of Bruce Lee’s films (Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon). Bruce Lee revolutionized the style of fighting seen in movies and prompted a craze for taking up Eastern style martial arts the world over.
Why Green? The colour might have something to do with Bruce Lee’s break out role. Bruce Lee was the star of a superhero TV series called Green Hornet. He wasn’t the title character, instead he played a sort of manservant to the Green Hornet called Kato. Even though he was supposed to be a sort of Alfred character to the Green Hornet, Bruce Lee’s talent stood out so much that very few fans of the show could tell you who the main star was but everybody remembers Bruce Lee.
The Green Hornet
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The Crow / Itachi
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Well I tend to think that Orochimaru might have been around since the time of Kaguya (transmigrating between bodies whenever he needs to or whenever he finds a more powerful host). The theory is that Orochimaru is this “first person” to experiment by mixing colours to create new ones. I reckon that there is a good chance Orochimaru was the one responsible for creating a new creature that mixed different colour chakra natures and that this creature’s chakra nature would have been green…
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Since I’ve been going through the colours of the Rainbow I thought it was worth stopping for a moment to consider the importance of the Rainbow itself.
On one side of the war you have light in all its many colours. ROYGBIV are the colours of the rainbow. Rainbows are simply refracted sunlight. Within White Light are several different frequencies and wavelengths that when separated we register as the different colours. When light passes through raindrops it does the same thing as when you pass it through a prism – suddenly all the different colours become distinguishable… Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo and Violet (ROYGBIV):
Rainbow
A lot of important characters tend to get their own distinct colours, but the rainbow itself is important in a couple of different ways. First and foremost is the legacy of the true Akatsuki – the Rainbow represents the Bridge to Peace that Nagato, Konan and Yahiko fought so hard to realise:
Naruto helped build and sustain this bridge by bringing all the many colours together in the Shinobi Alliance and lifting them when they struggled to defeat the Juubi on their own.
Then there is the Rainbow as a weapon. This is what Sasuke wields against Naruto. Kishi doesn’t emphasise the point too strongly in the manga but Indra’s Bow is actually a Rainbow. Indra is the god of storms in various real world religions. The Bow that Sasuke’s Avatar wields would be Indra’s Bow. Indra’s Bow in Sanskrit actually translates as Rainbow - Indradhanus इन्द्रधनुष.
Indra’s Bow
His knife represents the power of lightning - it is called Vajra and is the weapon seen in the hands of several of Sasuke’s Avatars:
Vajra as a Club (the Drums represent Thunder)
Real Life Depiction
Vajra as a Knife
Real Life Depiction
The fact that Sasuke has been pictured alongside a depiction of Vajra (Indra’s weapon) long before we ever knew the name of the Sage’s first son makes me think Kishi planned this story out long before the war arc got underway and that the story has much further to go before it is fully resolved.
On one side of the war you have light in all its many colours. ROYGBIV are the colours of the rainbow. Rainbows are simply refracted sunlight. Within White Light are several different frequencies and wavelengths that when separated we register as the different colours. When light passes through raindrops it does the same thing as when you pass it through a prism – suddenly all the different colours become distinguishable… Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo and Violet (ROYGBIV):
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Then there is the Rainbow as a weapon. This is what Sasuke wields against Naruto. Kishi doesn’t emphasise the point too strongly in the manga but Indra’s Bow is actually a Rainbow. Indra is the god of storms in various real world religions. The Bow that Sasuke’s Avatar wields would be Indra’s Bow. Indra’s Bow in Sanskrit actually translates as Rainbow - Indradhanus इन्द्रधनुष.
Indra’s Bow
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Vajra as a Club (the Drums represent Thunder)
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Black would be the other side in the war. This could alternatively be described as the Darkness.
With one exception, none of the principle bad guys seem to know who they are serving. Obito thought he was serving Madara but had ambitions of his own. Madara thought he was serving his own “will” until his “will” stabbed him in the back. Black Zetsu thought he was resurrecting his mother but what he brought back to life seemed like nothing more than a Shell of Hagoromo and Hamura’s mother. The big bad is yet to step forth into the light… so to speak.
I think Orochimaru represents Black. The thing about Orochimaru is that his human form is nothing more than a disguise. He moves from body to body replacing his host whenever the body gets worn out. It is unclear when he started transmigrating into new bodies. Indra and Asura have been doing it for millennia:
The child that Jiraiya grew up with might not be the same as the ninja who he trained alongside. Jiraiya reminisces that Orochimaru was not the same after his parents died… and perhaps he wasn’t:
Ibiki remarks that when he first met Orochimaru he was terrified, it was like Orochimaru was wearing human skin:
So how does Black fit in with Orochimaru? Given that his human form might be nothing more than a disguise it is worth considering what Oro really looks like.
When we see Orochimaru’s Chakra slowly taking control of Kabuto it is noteworthy how Kabuto appears when inspected by the Byakugan:
Each time we have seen Oro fight it has been nothing more than a throwaway host body fighting under Orochimaru’s control:
When Oro fought Sasuke, it was nothing more than a custom made body:
Spares
It’s not entirely clear whether we’ve ever actually seen Orochimaru’s original body or just a series of hosts that had been subjected to his experiments. One of the distinguishing features of those who have been experimented on by Orochimaru is their “Dark Transfiguration”, this is the change undergone by those who suffer from the Cursed Seal (transfiguration is simply a fancy way of saying a change in appearance and is most commonly used in religious contexts):
“Dark Transfiguration”
The Cursed Seal is supposed to have been synthesized from Juugo’s blood:
Recently though, we’ve learned that what drove Jugo’s clan crazy was the Sage Chakra from Ryuchido, the home of the snakes and counterpart to Mt Myobokuzan:
The Cursed Seal is a vessel for Orochimaru’s consciousness and a type of Sage Chakra, roughly equivalent to Naruto’s Frog Sage Mode which grants mastery of nature energy:
It may be unconnected, but there is a chance that Hidan’s Cursed Mode is also related to the Cursed Seal. If Orochimaru is the Demon then praying to Jashin (which translates as Evil God just as Shinju translates to God Tree) might in effect be praying to Orochimaru. Both the Cursed Seal and Hidan’s Cursed Mode prompt a Dark Transfiguration:
Orochimaru’s followers all look to him to grant them power
…and these wishes have been granted to his army of followers who are no doubt keen to welcome his return:
This brings me to Karin… Karin is the current focus of a lot of attention because of her potential to be Sarada’s true mother. One interesting question about Karin though is about the nature of her developing powers. Karin has markings all over her body that might be bite marks but equally might be the activation of her Cursed Seal Mode…
Bite Marks:
Karin is one of Orochimaru’s prize guinea pigs:
The marks on her arm are spread across the rest of her body as well, including places where she is unlikely to have been bitten (though who knows, she’s always been kind of kinky):
These marks might in fact be Karin’s Cursed Seal markings, which look very similar to markings on Kabuto (when transforming into Orochimaru) and Obito (when transforming into the Juubi Jinc)…
Kabuto Markings (showing the spread of Orochimaru)
Obito Juubi Jinc
What would the Demon look like when not wearing another’s body? I think that this figure could be the best look we’ve gotten at the true Demon (a figure whose influence only Karin has been able to see):
This would be his incomplete form however… the Demon, it would seem, traditionally has three spiral eyes on his forehead as seen in the Demon Cloak
…and the Uzumaki Shrine:
I think that the Demon is also the symbol of the Curse of Hatred that has haunted the Uchiha Clan through the generations. In the Samsara (the Buddhist Wheel of Life) the Curse of Hatred is represented by a snake at the centre of the wheel. The Six Realms of the Samsara correspond to the dimensions opened by Kaguya and to the names of the Six Paths of Pain. I think the Samsara is what Orochimaru alludes to when he talks about spinning wheels and windmills (hatred and destruction have always been seen as drivers of change making the wheel spin):
Samsara Breakdown
Six Paths of Pain
Kaguya’s Dimensions
Orochimaru’s Wind of Change / Windmills (alluded to in cryptic conversations with the Third and the Fifth)
The Black figure used by Itachi to represent the dark past of the Uchiha clan is also a multi-eyed deity:
… and also has its own statue – the counterpart to the one who I think represents Kaguya (see White in ROYGBIV part 1)
I figure that Orochimaru belongs to the Family at the centre of the story moving forwards. The Ootsutsuki all wear distinctive white robes with Tomoe markings:
Kaguya
Hagoromo and Hamura
Indra and Asura
… but the Child who was taken in by the ninja academy after his parents died also wore the same robes – though he doesn’t seem overly bothered by his parents death:
The Tomoe are the hallmark of the Uchiha but they are also the hallmark of the Snakes and of the Cursed Seal:
Snakes:
Cursed Seal:
Which brings me to Orochimaru’s distinctive chakra nature. Orochimaru’s Sennin Chakra has a distinctive design. This can be seen in his early Cursed Seal Experiments:
In Madara’s transformation into Kaguya:
…and in the Bijuu Chakra passed down to Naruto:
This Black Chakra is made from the consumed souls of deceased ninja. When Ninja are consumed they are turned into the material White Zetsu is formed out of:
Orochimaru has a massive collection of this White Zetsu material:
When enough souls were originally collected, they were used to construct the first Juubi:
The Juubi’s Chakra was then split by Hagoromo and reformed into the 9 Bijuu. Those Bijuu, however, still carry echoes of the souls who were consumed to make the original Juubi … this is what Naruto saw within Kurama:
I’ll close on a question that Karin asked but never answered. When she first met Naruto she checked out his chakra. It reminded her of something though she did not explain what other than to say it was evil. I think the Demon Fox in Naruto was made in part from the Demon’s Chakra that originally corrupted Kaguya. I think what she recognised was Orochimaru’s chakra:
I meant to cover Blue as well but I've run out of room again so it'll have to wait for next time.
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I think Orochimaru represents Black. The thing about Orochimaru is that his human form is nothing more than a disguise. He moves from body to body replacing his host whenever the body gets worn out. It is unclear when he started transmigrating into new bodies. Indra and Asura have been doing it for millennia:
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When we see Orochimaru’s Chakra slowly taking control of Kabuto it is noteworthy how Kabuto appears when inspected by the Byakugan:
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“Dark Transfiguration”
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Bite Marks:
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Kabuto Markings (showing the spread of Orochimaru)
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Samsara Breakdown
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Kaguya
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Snakes:
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