Manga Naruto Manga [Warning: Spoilers]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Found an absolutely awesome article based on what occurred in chapter 393, and I'd advise anyone to have a look at it.

[url]http://zapenstap.livejournal.com/8344.html[/url]

Although I disagree with some small parts of what the author has said, I think it's still a very compelling read.[/SIZE]

[Kei]

[color=darkblue][size=1]That was indeed an excellent analysis of the chapter. Thanks for the link, Gavin.

In all honesty, I feel that every point the author made was correct. There were many things leading up to Sasuke's eventual defeat.

Hate is indeed the only thing that really drove Sasuke to leave Konohagakure. For that, he threw away his relationships and bonds that he felt was holding him back and went down the path he thought would take him where he wanted to go the fastest. However, the only thing that did was create a rift between himself and his village, a place (as the author said) he never really had to leave in the first place.

Konohagakure is a village of family. If one member of the village falls, the rest will come for revenge. If someone comes to claim one of them, all will rise to defend. Sasuke forgot that when he got blinded by ambition. He forgot that he wasn't alone. He could have turned to anyone in the village for help, but because of his stubborness and resolve to see Itachi dead for what he's done (allegedly), he ended up making a deal with the Devil and now he's back to square one: Lost, confused and scared just like he was when the clan was killed all those years ago.

What can he do now? Just as the author said, he can't go after Madara. He's apparently lost his cursed seal powers, so there's no point even in thinking about taking him on. Really, the only thing I can imaging him doing is traveling alone to think about all that's happen and eventually his feet are going to lead him where he needs to be: Konoha. Not everyone will be waiting for him with open arms, but there will be enough people there happy to see him back for him to start rebuilding his bonds and making up for all those years he spent living in his brother's wake as a lone survivor.

Then again, there is also the possibility that Itachi isn't dead. What if he still is living? What will Sasuke do then? Just keep running?

And what about Orochimaru? [i]Was[/i] that snake we saw a piece of himself escaping? Does Kabuto have enough of Orochimaru grafted onto him for Orochimaru's psyche to begin to take over, thus giving birth to him again? Will his actual form that was trapped in Totsuka be able to escape now Itachi is dead/incapacitated?

There are a lot of angles of this story still left to cover. I can now understand why Kishi said that there will be a primary focus on Sasuke this year. We have to watch as we see who comes out of the woodwork for him and what he decides to do from now on.[/color][/size]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Kei'][color=darkblue][size=1]I can now understand why Kishi said that there will be a primary focus on Sasuke this year. We have to watch as we see who comes out of the woodwork for him and what he decides to do from now on.[/color][/size][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]After reading that article, I've realised that even if I don't like Sasuke as a character much any more, the fact that his "ninja god" status has been removed actually does present the chance for him to become a more interesting character. Hopefully he'll see that all the shortcuts he took, all the deals he made to get to fighting Itachi early have not been worth it and genuinely reassesses how his life can change at this point.

I wonder, was this what Madara meant by whether or not Sasuke would become a hawk or a snake ? He's back to being a blank enough slate now. Either way, I'm actually looking forward to Sasuke's future development, as long as he's not God-modded back to his previous status unjustly again.

If you enjoyed that article Kei, check out his one on Pein, it's as interesting.[/SIZE]

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms] I'm just really glad Naruto didn't end up saving the day on this one. It would have been a major character development flaw and irregularity in storytelling if Sasuke didn't deal with how stupid his quest for revenge was alone.

And so I really hope Naruto doesn't even come into contact with Sasuke until Sasuke decides to go back to Konoha himself, or decides to find Naruto himself.

I'm actually incredibly glad Itachi died, because now we can get on with Sasuke's character development. I don't expect him to go back to Konoha or come into contact with Naruto willingly in the near future; I'd be really disappointed if that happened. There are a lot of bad things that could happen with Sasuke's development from here on out, and I really just expect him to spend time alone after this. It makes me irritated that I'll probably have to read through another huge fight before the manga really addresses Sasuke again. lol

And my final thought: [spoiler]Kishi has serious problems with drawing upper male abdominals....[/spoiler][/font]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Lunox'][font=trebuchet ms]I don't expect him to go back to Konoha or come into contact with Naruto willingly in the near future; I'd be really disappointed if that happened. There are a lot of bad things that could happen with Sasuke's development from here on out, and I really just expect him to spend time alone after this.[/font][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]I completely agree, as tempted as I am to start supporting Sasuke again on a limited basis, he needs some serious time alone for reflection before he can go back to Konoha, that is of course counting his limitless arrogance has been knocked out of him by Itachi with that fight.

Besides, it's not as if Team Hebi was all that interesting, a fangirl, mini-Kisame/Zabuza and of course Kishi's version of Two-Face. If they all died, and with maybe the exception of Juugo I'm seriously hoping so, I doubt there'd be many tears shed.[/SIZE]

[Magus]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Besides, it's not as if Team Hebi was all that interesting, a fangirl, mini-Kisame/Zabuza and of course Kishi's version of Two-Face. If they all died, and with maybe the exception of Juugo I'm seriously hoping so, I doubt there'd be many tears shed.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]It's been so long since we've even seen Team Hebi till I've forgotten all about them.

That does leave me to wonder what will Kisame's reaction to Itachi's death be. I don't expect anything vengeful. Just wondering if he's going to stay there or get back on mission. With Itachi not being around, he can fight till his heart's content.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]Speaking of Kisame is he like the strongest of the Akatsuki?[/COLOR]

[Magus]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I think it was said that Kisame had large amount of Chakra, but as far as being the strongest, I don't know. Itachi stating that Kisame's moves tends to stand out, I would assume that he's another one of those reckless fighters. (But I don't think he cares about all that.)[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]I read on Wikipedia that he uses a level of Chakra equivilant to the 4-Tailed Fox Naruto, or something like that, so I was wondering.[/COLOR]

[Kei]

[color=darkblue][size=1]I would take anything on Wikipedia with a grain of salt, especially something along the lines of popular information like Naruto stats. People tend to get a little happy and creative with their additions to the page, so it sometimes leads to misinformation (such as Naruto being a "4-Tailed Fox;" Naruto is merely the host for the Kyuubi, or "9-Tailed Fox," at present).

As far as being the strongest of the Akatsuki, I would venture to say that he may be up there in terms of relative power-level, but he's not necessarily the strongest, unless he's been holding back some kind of hard all this time. Then again, it is possible with Kishi. However, we have not seen the full extent of the powers of all the Aktasuki, so technically, a debate would be a moot event at this point.[/color][/size]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]I'm still stuck on Naruto, don't read the manga, or watch Shipuuden, but if it ever becomes dubbed, I'll watch for sure. Too bad it's not, eh, have to wait I guess.[/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Interesting new username Prem, just BTW.

Anyway, on Kisame, well, with Madara and Pein, I doubt he's the strongest member of the group in terms of overall fighting ability. That said, he could have the largest supply of chakra out of them all, as at 30% he was able to fight fairly competantly against Gai's team, although again I doubt it, because usually chakra supply gives an idea of someone's overall strength, and if he's not the strongest overall, he likely also doesn't have the overall largest chakra supply.

As for watching it, seriously Prem, subs > dubs, that's just a general rule of anime. How you can even sit through the first series dubbed is beyond me, those voices are just way too annoying.[/SIZE]

[Solo Tremaine]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE=1]As for watching it, seriously Prem, subs > dubs, that's just a general rule of anime. How you can even sit through the first series dubbed is beyond me, those voices are just way too annoying.[/SIZE][/quote][COLOR=#503f86]Hey, don't knock it. If it weren't for animes being dubbed there'd be no international support for the industry.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503f86]To be honest I think Viz did a great job of trying to match the voices- Orochimaru in particular is pretty impressive. It's only because I already know the Japanese voices so well that I'm used to how they sound that I watch it subbed, but even for an English dub it's not all that bad.[/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine'][COLOR=#503f86]Orochimaru in particular is pretty impressive. It's only because I already know the Japanese voices so well that I'm used to how they sound that I watch it subbed.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]True enough, and Itachi's voice is quite well done as well. Oddly though, Naruto was the first anime I watched subbed with the original Japanese voices and it never bothered me. I just found overall the English voices weren't as good as their Japanese counterparts, specifics that come to mind being Chouji, Gai and Jiraiya, who are all terrible.[/SIZE]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]Gavin the thing is, I absolutely HATE subs. Unless an anime is godly and it must be seen, I won't watch subs. Subs suck period, imo. I don't want to spend my time reading subtitles and having my head drilled with annoying and repetitive Japanese voices. Sorry but a lot of the Japanese sound the same to me. I mean, usually subs go unedtited and untouched, but I don't really find that a problem. Plus on the net, they're a ***** to find and my computer won't load ****. BTW, at my ex-gf's I watched a few mintues of Naruto: Shippuden, and I couldn't stand the voices.

Plus, I love the voices for the character sin Naruto. Zabuza, Gaara, Orochimaru, Itachi, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and a whole bunch of others have great voices. The only ones I can't stand are Ino, Temari, and Tenten, but the voice actors voice just bugs me period.

Also, thanks for comment on my username Gavin. It's a type of drum, and it also means 'Non-believer.' Thus, my custom title.[/COLOR]

[Magus]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]As for watching it, seriously Prem, subs > dubs, that's just a general rule of anime. How you can even sit through the first series dubbed is beyond me, those voices are just way too annoying.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Hm, I watch, but I don't watch the dub... (It's on the fillers) The thing is, I don't watch subs because I don't want to get high hopes like everyone else. (And some of the reasons Prem said) People always want the dubbed voice to match the original, and while that's good and all, I prefer them to just go with what sounds good. (Mainly a voice that'll match that characters persona. I'll elaborate if need be.)

As far as the dubbed voices go in general. Itachi, Neji, Orochimaru, and Zabuza are the best they have. Everyone else is dull / boring or annoying. I would've preferred that Viz Ocean group did the voices instead of what they got now. (Same goes for Bleach.... They know that Sesshomaru = Byakuya XD)[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]Well, me and my ex are having a fight as to whether it's Shippuuden or Shippuden, and if sasuke and naruto, are supposed lovers. God she's annoying.[/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Aberinkula'][COLOR="Navy"]Gavin the thing is, I absolutely HATE subs. Unless an anime is godly and it must be seen, I won't watch subs. Subs suck period, imo. I don't want to spend my time reading subtitles and having my head drilled with annoying and repetitive Japanese voices. Sorry but a lot of the Japanese sound the same to me. I mean, usually subs go unedited and untouched, but I don't really find that a problem. Plus on the net, they're a ***** to find and my computer won't load ****. BTW, at my ex-gf's I watched a few minutes of Naruto: Shippuden, and I couldn't stand the voices.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[size=1]Heh, funny that we have the exact same opinion on opposite sides of the argument. I meant to say it at the end of my last post, but I seem to have forgotten to, but at the end of the day, I think the subs vs. dubs argument is plainly in the eye of the beholder. For someone like you Aber, who hates reading what people are saying while having to listen to a language you don?t like, obviously the dubs are going to be preferable.

I mean it?s not simply subs > dubs for me either. I watch a few episodes in both and then make my decision, it just so happens that the majority of the time, I prefer the Japanese voices. Dragonball Z is the big exception to this rule, as I can?t even sit through two minutes of a subbed episode because of Goku?s VO, where as I think FUNI really nailed a lot of the characters superbly.

What bothers me the most about Naruto is that the majority of the voices sound forced, it goes back to the point Memphis made about the English VOs trying to match their Japanese counterparts, and in a lot of the cases they just for me come out poorer, with a few exceptions. I completely agree when him with he says that instead of trying to match the English dub to the Japanese voices, they should try and match the voice to the character themselves, again this goes back to why I think Dragonball Z didn?t suffer from the problem of subs > dubs. Of course, it did and still does suffer from the FUNI vs. Ocean dubs war, but that?s for a completely different thread.

So again, at the end of the day, it?s what you prefer, but I will completely agree with the sentiments Memphis put forward.[/size]

[quote name='Aberinkula'][COLOR="Navy"]Well, me and my ex are having a fight as to whether it's Shippuuden or Shippuden, and if sasuke and naruto, are supposed lovers. God she's annoying.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]Technically speaking it's spelled Shippūden, and I've seen it spelled using both the "uu" and just the single "u", usually I spell it the latter but of the two, I'm not sure which is more correct.

Secondly, no, just no. I assume you're referring to the clips at the end of the latest Shippuden episodes featuring "sasuxnaru" pictures. I don't get it myself, as nothing in the manga or anime has ever hinted about that kind of relationship between the two, Naruto loves Sakura and Sasuke, well, Sasuke seems kind of non-sexual to me. But no, assure your ex, unless she's one of those rabid yaoi fangirls that no, Sasuke and Naruto are not lovers.[/SIZE]

[ImmortalGuru]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Secondly, no, just no. I assume you're referring to the clips at the end of the latest Shippuden episodes featuring "sasuxnaru" pictures. I don't get it myself, as nothing in the manga or anime has ever hinted about that kind of relationship between the two,[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
I know you gotta be either joking or being sarcastic about that. You do realize that all of those pics are fan drawings right and they just picked the best ones to put into the ending. Guess somewhat of a shout out to the fans of Naruto Shippuden. I'm sure you probably already knew that, thus is why I'm leaning towards you being sarcastic about it. But just incase....yeah.

Anyway on the subject of the manga....todays issue was pretty good. They went straight back to the fight between the Konoha Elite(guess thats what you can call em)against Tobi/Madara. Looks like we're about to get to see Shino use his new ability in the next issue. Should be interesting.

And on the subject of the anime...GOOD LORD it was hot. Definetly cant wait til nex...well, APRIL FRIGGEN 3RD! Gotta wait 2 more weeks to watch some new Naruto. :(

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]I'm assuming that this isn't going to be a straight fight with one side or the other losing. Given Tobi's actual identity, I'd be willing to bet we get some pretty greivous injuries... or he disappears before actually killing anyone. T'has happened before.[/COLOR]

[chibi-master]

I just read ch. 394...GRAAA!!! Sasuke actually CRIED?! THEN he chooses to act gloaty with that triumphant smile, then faints! And then Shino was hurting my head with his incomprehensible explanations! I guess I was mostly creeped out that Mr. Bug Happy was acting all scary 'cause he finally gets to fight someone...although I will admit that he really hasn't been given enough chances to fight...so maybe I'm judging him too early...maybe?:animestun

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][SIZE="1"]I agree about the 'forced voices' Gavin, Shikimaru imo, ahs the most f. I mean, sometimes I admit, I'll turn on the Japanese vocies on video games or DVD's, cause really it's not that big of a deal, but with anime it's different, casue a) I don't own any anime DVD's and b) I don't want to read subtitles for an episode I'll probably never see again.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[TwistedChick]

[quote name='chibi-master']And then Shino was hurting my head with his incomprehensible explanations! I guess I was mostly creeped out that Mr. Bug Happy was acting all scary 'cause he finally gets to fight someone...although I will admit that he really hasn't been given enough chances to fight...so maybe I'm judging him too early...maybe?[/QUOTE]

Shino really is my second favorite character, so I for one am thrilled to see him get down to business. Naruto's reaction to Shino's explanation was priceless - he soooo doesn't understand Shino, ever. I'm hyped for the next few chapters. ^^

I'm glad Zetsu came out and said what we'd all been thinking about Itachi's behavior, though that would mean he'd been ever more handicapped from the start than I'd thought. What does that mean? And uber-lame win for Sasuke.

Sasuke's collapse... I didn't see coming. Perhaps I should have. Any guesses on what Zetsu will do now...? "Yummy" I think is out of the question. Will he take Itachi's body away, or leave it? Probably leave it - my guess. He could finish Sasuke off, but yet again, that would be too much effort. I still want to know exactly what is up with that two-faced guy...

[chibi-master]

I'm just really nervous about the next chapters. As much as I love to see the good guys win, I don't want Tobi to get hurt! Luckily it doesn't look like he'll get too hurt. Although I would be warry of Mr. Bug Happy. Actually, I'm also interested in the fight with Kisame and what's his face from team Hebi. HEY! How's Kisame gonna take the news about Itachi?! Well, that is assuming that he wins the fight...hmm...

[TwistedChick]

[quote name='chibi-master']How's Kisame gonna take the news about Itachi?![/QUOTE]

Honestly, I'd guess he'd shrug it off. None of the Akatsuki really seem that attached to any other others, at least not from my point of view. Maybe Pein and that chick, but even then, I'd guess that's one-sided. Evil dudes can only be so personable, you know?