Madaraās Issues - a combination of nature and nurture
My elaborate answer to this particular anon ask.
It is no secret that Madara suffers from issues. The most obvious is probably his trust issues, but the other thing is him having a psychological complex as well, and how could he not have one when the environment he grew up in is the way it is?
How could he develop a healthy sense of self when his entire reality hinged upon survival, and - more importantly and even tragically - the survival of his loved ones.
I think itās pretty straightforward to read an inferiority complex between the lines that, as Madara became older (and more unhinged), became a superiority complex (mixed with a god complex even) to compensate for his every perceived failure and mistake(s).
Or why would Madara want to create a world āof only victorsā (besides love and peace) if he did not perceive himself as having been someone who ālostā?
It would also surprise me if anyone in that situation (and I just mean the environment itself, the tension, the conflicts, the wars) would be able to grow up with their trust intact. Itās impossible in all honesty. Of course he had (severe) trust issues, and it is best illustrated in his inability to even pee the moment someone stood behind him. (The same scene in the anime had him relax for a second, breathe a sigh in relief, before becoming incredibly tense at Hashirama standing behind him)
Thatās actually tragic.
And now we return to his inferiority complex. The thing is, it did not simply appear out of thin air, it had to come from somewhere. And I suspect that it would - realistically - come from a combination of the following; Tajima (who instilled a āpower is everythingā philosophyā¦at least if the below scan is any indication. Madara and Hashirama had to gain their worldview from someone, no? And their fathers are the most logical onesā¦considering they lead by example, literally even)
In german the meaning is pretty much the same. The most interesting change is the fact that Hashiramaās statement about ālasting changeā is changed into a question. It is probably the same in the official english release as well, but I cannot say for certain.
It is the āno one will follow a weaklingā that probably is the philosophy Tajima drilled into the heads of his remaining sons, that they need to be strong so people will follow them. But are we talking about physical strength or emotional? Or even a combination of both?
The next thing would probably be Madaraās status as heir apparent, that in some shape or form he shouldered a heavy burden of being the son of the clan head. Then the fact that he was the eldest brother of five (and in many cultures, perhaps even all, the eldest child in the family has the responsibility to be a good ārole modelā to their siblings) which means that he was expected to care for his siblings.
Last but not least, we have Madaraās personality itself. The probably greatest contributor to his inferiority complex even taking root.
The most defining traits of Madaraās personality (surprising as they may seem): his sensitivity and his capacity to feel emotions deeply.
He felt emotions deeply, and he was someone who loved and adored his siblings, while valuing his family highly.
He saw it not so much as a burden, and probably more like his purpose, to keep his loved ones safe.
And there is a particular scene that confirms just how essential family was to Madara.
While his ultimatum can be seen as the complete opposite of someone being compassionate, he is still kind at his core (or would he have gone back on his word and stopped Hashiramaās foolishness otherwise?).
In that moment in time he simply lashed out in grief and in pain.
Too wounded emotionally to do anything but lash out in the way that would āeaseā the pain the most. The only way someone could understand the pain he was in from losing Izuna.
āI have nothing left to protect.ā Is the sentence that follows thereafter.
He needed something to protect, without such he probably saw himself having little value. Mind you, the above is coming from one of the greatest warriors in their generation - one of the strongest to have ever graced their world - and yetā¦as much as power meant to him, as much as he enjoyed battling someone capable and strongā¦it could scarcely replace that first and foremost Madara loved his family. He became strong for their sake. He fought for their sake. He wanted peace for their sake (and his own).
And in the above scene he is completely beaten down, has lost the will to live even. Accepting death and that it would be an honour dying by Hashiramaās hand (or, āif itās you I can go in peaceā).
Power was only the means to an end for Madara. The way to achieve his ambitions. The centre of his world was his loved ones.
Even his desire for peace was intimately linked with his sole surviving brother, Izuna - who was the one thing he could - and would - protect from any harm.
He probably swore to protect each and everyone of his siblings, until he was only left with Izuna in the end. Making a promise like that as a child and not being able to keep it, had to hurt.
He appears quite young in the flashback of Hashiramaās, perhaps 10 - 14 at most.
That is a lot of pain to bear. That is a lot of blame to wrongfully attribute to himself (which he is implied to do). While not plainly stated, Madara probably was very critical of himself - spoke harshly about himself and blamed himself for deaths that were out of his control (perhaps he was in a similar situation as Hashirama when he raced to save Itama? Madara most likely had something similar happen to him where he was too late to save a life that perhaps would have still been alive had he just been better - as stated by himself)
That isā¦heartbreaking honestly. If he was ābetterā, that is worse than saying āif only I was stronger/fasterā
He is attacking himself - not blaming the death of his loved ones on his abilities per se.
To speak that low of himselfā¦
This (the death of his other three siblings at this point in time) is probably where his inferiority complex began in earnest in all honesty.
While he was a prodigy - having killed capable adults when a mere child - and was rightfully proud of his talent and accomplishments on one hand, a part of him probably still saw the need to boast about his strength - so to feel better about himself because he could not protect what mattered.
āSometimes, people with an inferiority complex show signs of being overconfident or narcissistic, but this isnāt really the case. Instead, itās a way of masking an overwhelming feeling of being inadequate. These symptoms may include:
Being a perfectionist or sensitive to criticism
Having trouble admitting mistakes
Individuals with inferiority complex usually have experienced events during their childhood that fuel their symptoms. One isolated episode typically isnāt enough to trigger a long-term disorder.ā (source)
Madara has showcased each of these traits, no? āSeeking attentionā may be up for debate, but the rest have been shown throughout Hashiramaās memory.
I can imagine that having Izunaās admiration helped Madara immensely on one hand, on the other hand it would be a certain Senju that would challenge Madaraās ego tremendouslyā¦
Madara is a very competitive soul. And you can see his sensitivity to ācriticismā here as well. It obviously chafes at him not mastering something so āsimpleā as skipping a mere rock across a riverā¦
Throughout Hashiramaās memory we see that - in a way - Madara was always āinferiorā to Hashirama. Well, maybe outside of him suggesting that his eyesight is better than Hashiramaās (nearly giving away from which clan he hails in the process).
Yet - while he might have been weaker in physical strength - Madara showed tremendous emotional strength. During the river confrontation Madara appeared much more collected than Hashirama at the beginning - only giving in to genuine wrath (and distress the moment Izuna willingly put himself in harmās way when confronting Tobirama and Butsuma together with Tajima) when Izuna could have died in front of his eyes.
He also showcases a strong sense of loyalty to his loved ones (which differs a touch from Hashiramaās loyalty in all honesty).
For all his flaws in prioritizing Izuna - and then their clan - Madara is honest about it (even when it has severe repercussions in hindsight).
Madaraās trust issues probably had everything to do with his siblings and maybe comrades. Anything could have happened: from kidnappings to more literal scenarios (turning his back to a believed dead enemy and one of his brothers protected him from death). But his trust issues could also be there because of Madara just not trusting himself (his abilities and leadership) and this uncertainty of his spilled out to encompass the rest of the clan: showing itself by Madara hating having people behind him. Having to trust them. Having to depend on them while they have to depend on him. Being a leader (especially the type of leader Madara was) had to be suffocating for him due to his trust issues (that were severe, as much as it is played for laughs and āneurosisā)
Hashirama does not appear as if his leadership is questioned the same way Madara is doubted (after the scene where he flees with Izuna, leaving his people to fend for themselves).
While never regretting prioritizing Izuna, he probably realized in hindsight that he should have done something differently. He did the right thing by listening to Izuna, but he could perhaps have taken a different action (ordered a retreat for exampleā¦but he was in distress and did not think clearly at the time).
In his old age Madara appears tired and melancholic. And bitter, the type of bitterness that comes from having been disappointed time and time again.
The sadnessā¦that is the gaze of someone remembering a lifetime of failures and regrets.
The reason he created his Moon of the Eye plan (Mugen Tsukuyomi) was partly out of the feelings he felt above, but also because the world - mankind - is the way it is.
To reality Madara lost first his three siblings. Then his father. Then Izuna perished - and then Hashirama ended up disappointing him, before completely horrifying him, the moment he literally ābackstabbedā him for a village that would end up becoming shrouded in ādarknessā.
No matter if you feel Madaraās extreme idea of peace is āpeaceā or not - at its core he wanted to spare the world of experiencing the loss of losing what you hold dear, spare people the disappointments of reality and create a world only full of love and peace (and victors), because he had to lose everything for a world that ended up remaining the same even after Konoha was built.
