Maybe i'm just not cut out for the 'average madara fan' title because every once in a while i see people who are really big fans of him completely mischaracterize him and it ? perturbs me ? perhaps...
although i'm very understanding that at the end of the day madara is the equivalent of a raggedy little doll that you can play with [as are most if not all fictional characters] , and that however someone likes to play with his character is entirely up to them, it's still something that i think from time to time
i've seen a lot of people put madara into this one specific box: he's either interpreted as a kind, completely just and Sane individual, whose plans were entirely made in goodwill and also would NEEEVER do anything immoral... OR, if he does do something immoral, he's completely justified in those actions, and actually, someone else [USUALLY, for whatever reason, Hashirama] is the true bad guy. i won't disagree fully, it's completely possible to intepret him in a nuanced way, that doesn't entirely focus on his participation in the 4th shinobi war. i'm of the opinion that ignoring these aspects generally water his character down & ruins his purpose as a commentary on war and it's effects on people. if you were to simply pretend madara is pure evil, and that he does what he does out of malice, you would lose the entire significance of the evil of war itself and how it shapes people
yes, to some degree, madara IS compassionate, his plans are not solely selfish. him feeling almost powerless in the constant ebb and flow of war & peace's futility in that regard is Realistic and reflects on his humanity. Yes!!! he can still be empathetic, and generally a caring individual. madara's love for people, for his BROTHER especially, is wholly integral to his story. he needs to have that side of him acknowledged to be a strong narrative tool in the ideology that naruto presents; war is awful and will damage even the kindest of people.
Hhowever. At the same time. pretending madara is incapable of willful cruelty, or worse, is Justified in it, ALSO is detrimental to his character. for as kind and compassionate as he was he is not compassionate anymore. if it's to fullfil his idea of peace – which, 100%, is Not made in good intentions – there is VERY little he wouldn't do to achieve it. madara has always seen power as the ultimate tool for peace; this is reflected in his conversations with ohnoki, with hashirama and later with the shinobi alliance. madara isn't above committing acts of terrorism [that endangered his own people, mind you], traumatizing & grooming children into his cause, and jumpstarting – or at least planning to – domestic wars. he 'assures' that this is for the best, that the world needs to subjugate to his ideals, and in turn spins the wheel of war himself. he hates war, but he lives and breathes it so thoroughly, he isn't opposed to using it to his own benefit
inherently, madara is a hypocrite, powerhungry and Dare I Say delusional. but he can also be understanding, remorseful and empathetic in that same regard. And you know what?? that's what makes his character so, so fun. he's an unreliable narrator to the story, his flawed thinking is so glaringly obvious that it's fun to pick apart at what's ACTUALLY truthful, and what isn't!!! he's a villain and a particularly entertaining one!!! i think many can agree that his visual appeal isn't the only thing that draws them in to his character, so it makes me all the more confused when people make lengthy posts about how he was Totally in the right and he never did anything wrong... i guess it's easier to like characters who are More-redeemable villains; it's easier to take in a character who is only 'mildly flawed' over one whose entire point as a character to have those flaws be glaringly obvious
but then again, it sucks the air out of the sails when it comes to topics about madara, and makes conversation about even Other characters relating to madara. there's no nuance when discussing characters like tobirama, or even hashirama, because there's already an Established Opinion on either characters: tobirama is wholly an oppressive force, who hates uchiha wholeheartedly [← This in Particular Makes Me Wail Like an Old Mad Dog] and hashirama is either another oppessor – although rather dimwitted and unintentional – or he's just. madara's d1 glazer who would Totally back madara fully if it weren't for his pesky evil brother who hates uchiha. it's very, very, VERY difficult to talk about these characters all together without the notion that madara is just clogging up people's minds
i just kind of wish there was more of an acknowledgment in madara's faults, in his glaring hypocrisy. i wish there was more of an open mind to discussing his relationships, Especially without dragging other characters through the mud, or making them into one-note caricatures for madara's sake [Hashirama Senju i'm looking at you. ok? its ok mr shodai.....]. there's so much that i personally adore about his character and i'd love to go on & on about, If that wasn't clear from all this Word vomit, that i'm afraid gets rarely acknowledged
“You absorb me in spite of myself—you alone: for I look not forward with any pleasure to what is called being settled in the world; I tremble at domestic cares—yet for you I would meet them, though if it would leave you the happier I would rather die than do so.”
John Keats, in a letter to Fanny Brawne, July 25, 1819.
“A sleeping mother snow leopard curled up in a doughnut shape, front paws resting against her back, while her tiny, eyes-and-ears-closed kitten nuzzles into the fur of her belly and wraps their arm around her”
Not Naruto related but cute and I want to see it again when I go through my reblogs. Maybe I'll expand the scope of the blog to accommodate these kinds of posts
The Senju never used to take prisoners of War or enemies alive. But with Hashirama's rise to clan head, the branches of mercy are slowly extended. At first, Tobirama is strongly opposed to this. Best to kill them quickly and mercifully. But with their father dead and his brother at the helm, Tobirama is now heir and has the time and power to finally develop his jutsu's. But he needs test subjects. ...
And remember, his range of jutsu extends to everything: medical, bombs, transportation, all the sealing, all the summoning, ALLLLL the shadow and light style jutsu stuff. Nothing is off limits.
Nagato’s parents died during the second war, which is also the war in which the Sannin battled.
From the fourth databook:
Nagato’s father, Ise, died at age 34. He served as a doctor in the hidden battlefields.
Nagato’s mother, Fuso, died at age 28. Assisted Ise with medical activities.
In the manga, they are hidden in the shadows, so if they have red hair, it’s not known. They don’t have any family names. Similar to how Madara in his childhood mentioned that ninja don’t reveal their family names, we can see that as one or both fled Uzushio, they hid their family names.
Uzumaki Kushina
Kushina is sent to Konoha around the time of the second war. There is a 14 year age difference between the Sannin and Kushina. We don’t know how old Kushina was when she arrived in Konoha or when she graduated. So when the sannin were fighting in the war in their 20s, Kushina was between 6 and 15.
In the third databook, it states that Kushina grew up during turbulent times of a civil war. The reference is to Uzushio since Konoha has not had a civil war. She arrived in Konoha before the age of 10. Minato has a stated graduation age but not Kushina. I assume that they are part of the same graduating class.
Karin
Karin was a Grass ninja in the chunin exams. She wasn’t a spy for Sound. She was genuinely a Grass ninja. We get this extract from the third databook:
Karin is too young to have been from Uzushio, as by the time she is born, which is when Naruto is born, Uzushio is destroyed. The village that was destroyed was Kusagakure. After the chunin exam, we don’t see any further activity in the manga from Kusa.
One of Karin’s parents is from Uzushio. The anime expands on this but the manga doesn’t. The databook also doesn’t say which one of her parent is an Uzumaki.
Result
Uzushio is a small island on the east of Fire country.
Two known individuals from the Uzumaki clan ended up in Konoha. Kushina and Mito. Kushina’s child doesn’t inherit any of the Uzumaki abilities, but his Uzumaki blood is the reason he is the transmigrant for Ashura. We know from the exposition on jinchuriki pregnancy that Mito had at least one child, but we don’t know if he or she survived.
Karin’s Uzumaki parent ended up in Kusa. Karin went from Kusa to Sound.
Nagato’s parents ended up in Ame. Nagato remained in Ame.
So it has a purpose related to the control and suppression of the tailed beasts.
Yamato claims that this power is partly why Hashirama was elected as Hokage, but we know from Hashirama’s narration of past events that the bijuus became an issue long after Hashirama became Hokage and Madara attacked the village with the kyuubi. Hashirama isn’t seen wearing the necklace during this time, even in his final fight against Madara and the Kyuubi.
(chapter 297)
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