Pretties

I wish I wrote the way I thought Obsessively Incessantly With maddening hunger I’d write to the point of suffocation I’d write myself into nervous breakdowns Manuscripts spiralling out like tentacles into abysmal nothing And I’d write about you A lot more Than I should

- I Wish I Wrote the Way I Thought, Benedict Smith

Well my English teacher made me write an essay about duck’s metabolism;-;

It was so weird..

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Sensational

How reincarnation works in the Narutoverse? Like, it's the soul/spirit that reincarnates into a new body or is just the chakra that is passed down to a new person?

Reincarnation and Souls in Naruto

Hey Anon! This is gonna be a bit of a longer one. I have seen many people getting reincarnation in Naruto wrong. Term definitions, mistranslation allegations, and misconceptions about the involvement of souls in the reincarnation process. For some of these (particularly the mistranslation allegation), I had to look up Japanese raws.

Let me explain some vocabulary first.

Reincarnation in Japanese

In Japanese, there are different ways to say "reincarnation". Similarly, in Naruto, we encounter multiple different expressions and uses for "reincarnation" and even a few terms that are a little misleading. The two best translations for "reincarnation" are, however, "Umarekawari" (生まれ変わり) and "Tensei" (転生).

"Umarekawari" seems to refer to both rebirth and reincarnation. Meanwhile, "Tensei" appears to be more specific to reincarnation and the transmigration of souls. My friend who knows Japanese explained that "Tensei" is also commonly used in Buddhist contexts.

Fun fact! "Tensei" is also very commonly used in Isekai titles like "Mushoku Tensei" (Jobless Reincarnation) and "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken).

Tensei and Umarekawari in Naruto

In Naruto, "Tensei" appears, for example, in the context of "Edo Tensei" (穢土転生). "Rinne Tensei" (輪廻天生) uses a similar spelling, composed of the characters for "Heaven" and "Life", translating to "Heavenly Life", according to the Naruto wiki.

"Shinra Tensei" (神羅天征) and "Chibaku Tensei" (地爆天星) use the same pronunciation for the "tensei" part but not the same spelling. Hence, those terms do not translate to reincarnation. Instead, "Shinra Tensei" translates to "Heavenly subjugation" and "Chibaku Tensei" translates to "Heavenly Star" or "Heavenly Body Bursting".

As previously explained, "Tensei" translates to "Reincarnation". Now add "Sha" (者) and you get "Tenseisha" (転生者) which translates to "Reincarnated Person". "Tenseisha" is what Hagoromo uses to describe Naruto and Sasuke as reincarnates of Ashura and Indra. There are English translations of the manga that instead say "successor" but those are incorrect as you can see here.

Obito uses a similar expression when referring to Nagato, but combines it with "Umarekawari". Interestingly, Obito doesn't refer to Nagato as an actual reincarnation but as the "reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths' wish for peace" - so it is not an actual reincarnation.

Jiraiya also refers to Nagato as "Umarekawari" when suggesting he might be the rebirth of the Sage of Six Paths.

Reincarnation Lore in Naruto

Since Nagato wasn't actually a reincarnation of any particular person, the only in-the-sense-of-the-word reincarnates we know of are Ashura's and Indra's reincarnates.

In their case, it is an endless cycle initiated by Indra and then always followed by Ashura. We know that the cycle takes its origin with Indra thanks to an elderly Madara, who had to die of old age first, years after Hashirama's own passing, before new reincarnates could be born. And even then, Sasuke (the Indra reincarnate) is born first ahead of Naruto (the Ashura reincarnate), who is born second.

Hagoromo describes the situation as "reincarnation", but that is not all he says. Specifically, he explains that Ashura's chakra is clinging to Naruto and that Naruto can feel his presence. Hagoromo doesn't explicitly state, however, whether that presence belongs to Ashura's soul or chakra.

Hagoromo makes it sound as though Indra's and Ashura's chakra are merely tagging along with Sasuke and Naruto, rather than being the same person. That makes the chakras of reincarnates still distinct from one another. It might be a similar situation as with Jinchuriki, basically, in which one soul uses another body as a host.

A reincarnate may retain access to Ashura's or Indra's chakra even in and after death, as seen in the case of Madara. This is what allows Hagoromo to return to the mortal world during the war arc. It is unknown, however, whether this chakra (Indra's) is naturally part of Madara's own reserves or whether it is exclusively stored in Madara's Rinnegan and his borrowed Hashirama Cells.

Regardless of which, a person will lose their status as "reincarnate" upon death. This means that chakra alone doesn't make a reincarnate, implying the existence of yet another component, such as the quantity of chakra or the existence of a soul.

And in spite of seemingly popular belief, Indra's and Ashura's souls (魂 "Tamashi") do indeed reincarnate alongside their chakra. This is confirmed in the fourth databook. This makes sense considering the use of the term "Tensei" - because why would you refer to a transmigration of souls specifically if no souls are involved?

Souls and Chakra

Ashura's and Indra's reincarnation cycles bring up an interesting question: What is the connection between chakra and souls in Naruto? While the manga doesn't make any explicit statements, we are shown time and time again just how closely related and deeply intertwined these two concepts are.

Chakra, in general, is not just an energy source. It often transports core aspects of a person. We are being told in multiple instances that chakra contains, is mixed, or clings to a person's will, consciousness, or memories. The most notable example is probably the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Same thing with Minato and Kushina. While, supposedly, Minato only sealed his and his wife's chakra within Naruto, the chakra in question appears to possess a certain consciousness. Alternatively, it may be capable of summoning Minato's and Kushina's souls for a short amount of time (similarly to how Hagoromo's soul gains access to the mortal world if there is chakra for his soul to cling to). Either way, the manifestations of his parents that Naruto meets inside his mind have personalities, thoughts, feelings, and memories.

This chakra is not able to self-sustain, however, possibly due to chakra's nature of being the product of physical and mental/spiritual energy that requires a physical body (please refer back to chapter #17). Although, it could also be argued that, if a physical, working body is not available, a soul might suffice as well (as is likely the case with Kurama).

While it could just be a coincidence, the appearances of Obito's soul in Kakashi's mind and Kushina's chakra in Naruto's mind follow a similar pattern. Both Obito and Kushina appear in a white void, share their special abilities with a loved one for a short amount of time, and then dissolve into something flame-like before fading away.

A potential connection between soul and chakra becomes even more likely when looking at two Jutsus: The Edo Tensei and the Shiki Fujin.

The goal of the Edo Tensei, as Kabuto describes it, is to bring back a target's soul from the Purelands (ninja heaven, basically). This requires a piece of the person's DNA and, in the end, their body's specific chakra is fully restored or replicated. Hence Madara is capable of recognizing Hashirama's chakra on the battlefield. Looking at Hagoromo's appearance during the war (see the screenshot from chapter 686), chakra seems to be a necessary component for a soul to return to the world of the living.

In the case of Shiki Fujin, the jutsu is supposed to seal a target's soul. But it is not debatable that the jutsu seals the target's chakra in equal measure, as seen in the case of Kurama.

Compiling all of this information together, and assuming that souls and chakra are not synonymous, it appears as though souls in the world of Naruto cannot exist without chakra. Perhaps even vice versa. The presence of chakra within the mortal realm immediately allows for if not causes the retrieval of a person's soul from the Purelands, as is the case with Hagoromo and likely Minato and Kushina as well.

It only makes sense that reincarnates, who inherit the majority if not all of Indra's and Ashura's chakra would become hosts to their souls as well.

Difference to Real World Reincarnation

Quite obviously, reincarnation in Naruto doesn't operate like it does in real-world religious beliefs. While in Buddhist/Hindu traditions, a reincarnate is the reborn person themselves, in Naruto, the reincarnate is more of a host to a soul.

But does that mean that the definition of "reincarnation" no longer applies to Naruto's and Sasuke's connection to Indra and Ashura? The answer is no.

Fiction does not always follow the standard definitions laid out by religion or mythology. It always takes its liberties. Take chakra for example, which, in Hindu beliefs, describes energy centers inside the human body. In Naruto, chakra is a mana-like resource that reflects a character's stamina. It is so unsimilar, the 8 gates are actually a much better parallel to real-world chakra.

Kishimoto often bends religion and mythology to suit his story's needs and make them his own. Had Kishimoto made a different choice, Madara's and Hashirama's revival during the war would have either been impossible or made no sense.

Writing References: World-Building

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They're adorablee

They are Anna and Elsa. I like how this will be my first impression. Hi :)

I just had to do fanart of cressie by @gravityfying and @paneyneygirl I just loved this girl from the very beginning (*≧∀≦*)

:((

Indra Ōtsutsuki (大筒木インドラ)

*no one appreciates me :'

What an amazing and informative analysis! Was wondering about indra's eye makeup for a while, actually

The history in fiction: Parallels between historical Japan and the Narutoverse

Part 1: The era of the Six Paths

Naruto may not be a historical fiction and most people will think that the utmost historical reference in the series is the fact that ninja were a thing in feudal Japan. But what if I told you that there is an insane amount of historical parallels in the series? That we could actually place the events of the main timeline within real periods of Japanese history? In this two-part series, I’ll be explaining the many parallels, references and design inspirations of the main events and generations that shaped the course of the series that we all know and love. I’ll start with the era of the Six Paths (starting from Kaguya and ending with Indra and Ashura), and part 2 will be about the Warring States (dynamic between the Senju and Uchiha). At the end of each part, I’ll add useful links so that you can deepen your investigation and see my sources. Without further ado, let’s start overanalyzing.

Historical references and parallels in character design and dynamics

I’d place this particular era of the Narutoverse in the Heian period of Japan (or at least the most important people, the brothers Indra and Ashura). Considering that we’re spanning 3 generations here, I’ll separate the individuals involved in the following way:

Kaguya: End of Nara period (710 AD - 784 AD)

Hagoromo and Hamura: Early Heian period (794 AD - 1185 AD)

Indra and Ashura: Heian period (794 AD - 1185 AD)

Kaguya

On a side note, I’d like to add that I’m not really considering Tenji in the list above because he’s an anime only character. However, his case caught my eye so I’ll discuss him as well. Let’s start by evaluating Kaguya and Tenji then. Kaguya’s character design is a very classical archetype of Heian beauty standards and clothing. Long, straight hair with flowy kimono and a delicate face. Her unusual eyebrows are no coincidence as well, as in the Heian period the practice of hikimayu was commonplace in noblewomen. 

"Hiki means "pull" and mayu means "eyebrows". Aristocratic women used to pluck or shave their eyebrows and paint new ones using a powdered ink called haizumi, which was made of soot from sesame or rapeseed oils." (source)

Left: Filler anime episode // Right: Manga panel

Above: Hikimayu through the ages of Japan

Another interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that Kaguya is a character with striking similarity to a Japanese folk tale, in this case the Tale of Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari), whose origin we can trace back to Heian Japan. The Tale of Princess Kaguya tells the story of a little baby girl who “fell from the skies” and was found by a couple of old farmers inside of a bamboo. She grew up to be extremely beautiful and was courted by lots of noblemen, but she rejected them all insisting that somebody would come for her, as she looked at the moon. Of course, Naruto provides us with a different ending to the story but this similarity can’t be overlooked.

Above: "The Receding Princess" from The Japanese Fairy Book, 1908

Moving on to Tenji, it gets a bit more complicated to place him in an exact historical moment as he has elements of many different periods. His hairstyle resembles the styling of the Jomon period, whereas the entire setting in the filler episodes are more similar to the Nara period with the many small kingdoms fighting for dominance within a vast land, just like pre-unification Japan. Therefore, I place Kaguya and Tenji at the end of the Nara period, because we see how Kaguya takes over Tenji’s rulership and is regarded as a noblewoman after she casts the first Infinite Tsukuyomi. I have to rely on some filler in this case because otherwise I can’t find a logical explanation as to why Hagoromo was so well settled and had a large group of people following his teachings if it wasn’t for Kaguya ruling some land that originally belonged to Tenji. 

Hagoromo and Hamura

Let’s start with the second generation. Following the events of the end of the Nara period I quoted in the previous section, Hagoromo and Hamura would go in the beginning of the Heian period. Their character designs feature long, flowy tunics without a visible belt. Here you have an image of men’s clothes through Japanese history, the third one being a feudal lord of the Heian period. Compare and contrast with these anime and manga images.

Above: “Men’s Japanese clothes” by Glimja

Left: Filler anime episode with both // Right: Hagoromo manga panel

Again, since we get very few manga panels related to Hagoromo and his sons, I’ll refer once again to the filler episodes where he is shown as the ruler of a village. The spot within the Heian period in which I’m placing Hagoromo would be around 100 years after the Taika reforms which established one of the first codes of law in Japan and (Taihō code) and divided the country in provinces ruled by feudal lords. Curiously, around the time where the Taika reforms happened, there was an emperor called Tenji. 

Indra and Ashura

The third generation of the alien-human hybrids is here, and I place them in the Heian period as well. My main reason to consider Indra and Ashura in the Heian period is the fact that this is the exact time period where the samurai originate. A common misconception is that a samurai is a Japanese warrior highly trained in the martial arts and weapons. While this statement holds some truth, the samurai were the military social class of feudal Japan, which means that there were people who were of the samurai class but had never touched a weapon in their lives. Therefore, samurai clans were not entirely composed by warriors but also had a number of people who lived a more “civilian” lifestyle. And you may be wondering, “what do the historical samurai have to do with the ninja that we see in Naruto?”. The answer is: more than you think. Historically speaking, the ninja is a samurai specialised in stealth and sneaking, the only difference with the Naruto universe is that the ninja we know and love from the show possess chakra and perform techniques with that. 

The story of Indra and Ashura is strongly tied to the origin of ninja clans in Naruto, just as the Heian period is the origin of the samurai clans. From this time period I’d like to highlight the myth of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, more commonly known as Minamoto no Raiko. His story says that he slayed demons (yes, really) and saved many maidens from being abused by drunk oni with his great sword, Dojigiri Yasutsuna. The difference between myth and legend is that myths hold some kind of historical fact whereas legends are purely fictional. Minamoto no Raiko has been heavily mythified and his story sounds unbelievable or too much like a fantasy story until you realise that he did exist and that his sword is kept in a museum. Doesn’t this resemble how the origins of ninja in Naruto are almost like fantasy stories up until Hagoromo shows up in the 4th war and explains that everything was real all along? 

Above: Ukiyo-e of Minamoto no Raiko and others fighting the demon Shuten Doji.

Just as Minamoto no Raiko is considered the first samurai, Indra could be considered the first shinobi. He was the first to channel and shape chakra to create jutsu, and he was considered as part of the legends surrounding Hagoromo. Please compare these two panel sequences, one is from earlier in the story and the second one is Hagoromo’s version. 

The brothers’ character design can also be correlated with the Heian period. Indra’s eyebrows seem to be real but resemble the hikimayu design of Kaguya’s eyebrows, however he does add eye makeup. The people who wore makeup in the Heian period were nobles (mostly noblewomen), once again reinforcing my point that this family started out as feudal lords and eventually fused with the warrior class, becoming ninja clans. Although the character design for Indra and Ashura isn’t 100% equal to Heian Japan’s male clothing, the inspiration is subtle yet visible. I’d say that the inspiration is mostly for the plot rather than the appearance of the character. If you’d like to see more real Heian period clothing, this link has recreations of the outfits of the characters in the Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu.

Sources

These are some useful links that I’ve referred to while writing this post. I’d like to invite you to read them if you’d like to do further research on the beautiful history of Japan.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tenji

https://www.britannica.com/event/Taika-era-reforms

https://www.japanhousela.com/articles/princess-kaguya-a-tale-for-the-ages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikimayu#:~:text=Hiki means "pull" and mayu,from sesame or rapeseed oils.

https://www.thoughtco.com/beauty-in-heian-japan-195557

https://history.hanover.edu/hhr/22/HHR2022miller.pdf

https://www.tumblr.com/heian-collection/30869762024/beauty-ideal-in-heian-japan?source=share

https://thegate12.com/article/264

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for part 2, the Warring States era. Special thanks to @al-hekima-madara-blog for actually motivating me to write all of this down 💜

Writing References: Plot

Basics: Plot Structure & Narrative Arcs

Basics: Plot & Other Elements of Creative Writing

Plot Methods: Save the Cat! ⚜ The Story Circle

Plot Development: The Transformation Test

Plot Twists ⚜ Types of Plot Twists ⚜ Subplots

Ten Story Genres ⚜ Elements of the 10 Story Genres

The Shape of Story ⚜ The Shapes of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut

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