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rcris123 · 7 years

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NAGAITA: A SHIP ANALYSIS

It’s been 3 years since I wrote my first ‘rant analysis’, which has recently started circulating around the site again. I thought of remaking it with an updated view, more comprehensive and less ‘ranty’. There will be links to manga/anime screencaps, because uploading a 3000 word analysis with pictures will crash tumblr.

As such I have decided to split this up in 4 parts:

1. Direct canon, interaction or mentions of one another, or slimpler said: THE CANON part.

2. Indirect canon, or what might be inferred from the canon of both characters, based on their personalities, actions, past or morals. The things that could have happened, but didn’t on screen. This will be the CANON DYNAMICS part.

3. Speculative canon, meaning scenes, lines or interactions from canon that could be interpreted as in favor of the ship based on the dynamics of both characters.Thus the INTERPRETATIVE CANON part.

4. And last, some of my personal headcanons and dynamics regarding their canon interaction or that can be derived from canon interactions. The HEADCANON part.

1- THE CANON.

It’s true, there is little canon interaction to support the ship. But the little that we were offered can be just as valuable, especially since both Itachi and Nagato are well developed characters, with well established personalities, moral codes and pasts. However now I’ll only be looking at direct canon interactions or mentions.

When thinking Nagato and Itachi one will obviously associate it with the Edo Tensei arc, where the two were teamed off. And while brief it is telling of their relationship.

The two are obviously friends: helping each other and talking amicably about their past and current situation. It may seem that the two have met each other in person before. Notable is also the fact that, at least Nagato, seems to be recognizing Itachi’s jutsus before he uses them.

Two more important scenes are as follows:

“I’M SORRY, ITACHI.”

After being forced to fight Naruto, Bee and Itachi, the fight ending with Nagato caught by the spirit sword of Totsuka, Nagato’s first words towards the three are: “I’m sorry, Itachi.” It is an apology for forcing Itachi to fight him and ultimately ‘kill’ him. And although it may seem that Nagato and Naruto are closer for their bond as pupils of Jiraya, Nagato does not apologize to Naruto for having to face him again. Itachi is the only one that he apologizes to, before his demise, somewhat reminiscing of Itachi’s parting with Sasuke. After being nudged by Itachi to say goodbye to the rest, Nagato does so with his speech to Naruto. Then he is sealed and portraits of the three being shows in the meantime: Naruto and Bee are looking forward, Itachi is looking backwards as Nagato says one last ‘goodbye’, presumably to the one looking at him: Itachi.

From this scene we can say that the two are indeed close.

“I’M LEAVING WITH NAGATO.”

While not technically canon, since it was featured in a filler episode of Shippuuden(Episode 420), it is still very much tied to canon as part of Tsukoyomi dream sequence arc, where everyone imagines a perfect ending. And that is very telling; in his Tsukoyomi, Bee, who met both Itachi, Nagato and Kisame, chose to give Itachi his happy ending alongside Nagato, as the two basically elope in the scene, setting the canon groundwork for what might have actually been more than a friendship.

2-CANON DYNAMICS

This looks at their personality, backstory and beliefs and how well they mesh together. And first and foremost will come their similarities.

Nagato and Itachi are two characters that are quite similar: both experienced war at a young age (Nagato lost his parents when he was younger than 10, and according to Shinden, Itachi witnessed war before Sasuke’s birth, so before he was 5!) and as such want peace and to protect those closest to them from war (Nagato towards Yahiko and Konan, Itachi towards Sasuke). They both have powerful eyes (sharingan and rinnegan) that would allow them great power, which they harnessed at a young age, in order to protect those they love, trying to bear the world on their shoulders (Itachi taking on himself to kill the entire clan and become the ‘ultimate evil’ and Nagato taking the mantra of ‘the chosen one/the child of prophecy’ trying to save the world). They both had a ‘friend mentor’ figure that the two were very close to, maybe even getting to romantic feelings (Shisui and Yahiko) and they both died tragically having a significant impact on them. Ultimately they are two very lonely people, broken inside due to their past, ill (Nagato is anorexic and unable/struggling to walk and Itachi is suffering from a heart/lung disease) and aware that they can’t bring peace to the world, living their lives under a false identity (Nagato as the God Pein and Itachi as the Psychopathic Criminal.)

They share a lot, from similar pasts to similar philosophies so the two could get very much along together, supporting each other through their illness as they’re the only ones in Akatsuki with so prominent health issues. The only obstacle a proper friendship/romance would face in this situation is the two having created alter-egos that do not let their vulnerabilities and true intentions shine through.

Lastly I want to outline an opinion that might be a bit controversial in the fandom: that Itachi’s is not as good at hiding his emotions as we’ve been led to be. It is supported in several instances in canon by the people Itachi is relatively close to. First it is Shisui that points out that his expression betrayed him and that he is ‘good at fooling himself’, it is true that Itachi couldn’t have been older than 10 then, but in the next instance he is in Akatsuki, when he should be technically already wearing the ‘mask of the criminal’. If Itachi Shinden is to be considered canon, then Juzo’s death is a prime example that teenage Itachi was still easy to read: Juzo notes before dying that Itachi has regrets and someone he wants to talk to before dying. The last instance is when Kisame points out that Itachi seems to be crying and tries to comfort his partner about his brother’s death; by this point Itachi managed to master hiding his emotions as noted by Kisame as him being ruthless, however Kisame still picks up on how Itachi might be feeling.

As such, if these people could pick up on at least some of Itachi’s emotions it wouldn’t be a stretch to say others would too, maybe even someone like Nagato.

3-INTERPRETATIVE CANON

Most of the scenes that I will be analyzing here have at their base the assumption that Nagato and Itach know each other and that they have a deep bond on friendship at least.

In cronological order here are the following:

OROCHIMARU’S EXPULSION FROM AKATSUKI

If we follow the narative pushed by Itachi Shinden, Orochimaru and Itachi had been in the organisation since ‘the very beginning’ and at some point Orochimaru is thrown out of the organization. And it is because of several reasons: he’s spying on the Akatsuki and leaking information and because he attacked Itachi. However it sounds nonsensical to throw a member out because he’s being antagonistic to another member (Kakuzu killed several of his partners and would keep doing so if Hidan wasn’t immortal), however I think Tobi/Madara/Obito (I’ll call him Madara because that’s who the characters think he is) needs Itachi alive and well either as a person he can manipulate or as a bridge to Sasuke for further manipulation, or because the leader has a preference in his members. Both can be considered to be quite a stretch however why would Orochimaru be thrown out of the organization almost immediately after the incident. More on the interpretative side (however this is what this section is for) I believe Madara didn’t yet have plans to manipulate Sasuke as he still relied on Nagato to do his dirty-work, instead it is Nagato trying to protect Itachi, a boy who he read (see part 2) as being distraught and traumatized still by the events of the clan massacre decided to give him a little help and protection. Nagato cares for the members of his organization (trying to find a suitable partner for Kakuzu, pairing Itachi a second time with a defected Swordsmen of the Mist nin, just like Juzo who Itachi was getting along with and mourning Deidara’s death).

AFTER ‘SASUKE’S DEATH’

Returning to the rainy scene mentioned before where Itachi ‘seems’ to be crying in the rain, it is noteworthy to mention that Madara, Pein/Nagato and Konan knew Sasuke wasn’t dead, just before the aforementioned scene took place. It is still raining, an unusual thing, and Itachi goes out to meet the rain, looking up at the sky.

Itachi doesn’t mourn the loss of his brother for too long and shortly after this incident Sasuke and Itachi have their showdown, Itachi knowing full-well that Sasuke was coming his way. In other words someone told him that his brother wasn’t in fact shortly after – maybe even in this scene, as we know Nagato can infuse rain with his own chakra and sometimes help loosen it up, or on the contrary make it last longer. Here it could be read as Nagato making the rain last longer, as comfort (allowing Itachi to ‘cry’ in the rain) and maybe as a message to Itachi that his brother isn’t dead yet.

NAGATO’S TURN TO THE ‘LIGHT’

Nagato’s turn after Naruto’s infamous ‘talk-no-jutsu’ is legendary in how poorly it has been written as Nagato seems to switch sides at the press of a button. My interpretation of this scene and the entire ‘invasion arc’ hinges a lot on my shipper feelings.

The invasion arc happens after Itachi’s death – and if you think their relationship happened, now Nagato’s lover is gone and buried leaving him with no moral support. An all out revenge attack on Konoha, the village Nagato thinks it’s to blame for everything (his parents and Yahiko’s death, and to a degree maybe even Itachi’s) isn’t that implausible. However after meeting Naruto and being explained that they’re both students of the same master, sharing the same goal, Nagato realized there’s someone to carry on the fight he has been through his entire life. So now he can let go, die, meet Itachi again, and, by reviving the village, repenting his sins, forgiving the village that took everything from him while at the same time giving him Jirayia, his mentor, and Itachi, his lover.

“SO THIS IS HOW IT TURNS OUT…”

Just a little tid-bit of dialog after Itachi manages to release himself from Kabuto’s control, in my interpretation, noting with sadness (ellipses and expression) that now he will be forced to fight Nagato, maybe even ‘kill’ him, a thing that he’s reluctant to do and didn’t wish to happen this way. Nagato’s line “I’m sorry, Itachi” encompasses that indeed Itachi didn’t want to fight, yet was forced to, and Nagato apologizes for putting him in this situation.

“I’M SORRY, ITACHI” (REPRISE)

A very important canon scene for these character’s development and if interpreted further it can be a mirror to this Itachi Shinden line, where Itachi asks Juzo if he has any last words, in this case similar to how he asks if Nagato has any last words. In the first scene Juzo reads through Itachi’s line as him having regrets and wanting to say goodbye to someone, in that case Sasuke. However in the latter, Itachi has already said his goodbye to Sasuke and he has no idea he will be meeting him later at Kabuto’s lair, however Itachi hasn’t said his goodbye to Nagato or he’s waiting for Nagato to part with him in a more meaningful manner than with a simple “I’m sorry”. But Nagato doesn’t, “I’m sorry, Itachi” being his last words towards him (if the “Goodbye” afterwords is not counted). However a simple “I’m sorry” is reminiscing of Itachi’s parting to Sasuke and it is the most meaningful parting the two could have had.

THE CRACKING OF ITACHI’S EDO TENSEI FORM

After sealing away Nagato, Itachi’s edo tensei form becomes cracked, maybe as a way to tell that having to fight and ‘kill’ his friend/lover Itachi feels broken, or not whole. On the other hand a cracked edo tensei could mean coming to terms with one’s self, becoming at peace and detaching spiritually from this world (how Sasori did after being captured). In a sense Nagato becoming sealed inside Itachi can lead to the thought that the two have become one and that eternity is theirs to spend together.

NAGATO AND SHISUI SHARED IDEOLOGIES

This entry is a bit more speculative than the others however I believe one of the reasons Itachi would be comfortable around Nagato is that he and Shisui shared ideologies and morals. In this panel Itachi refers to Naruto as possessing Shisui’s feelings (probably referring to a world of peace where people talk things out before jumping to violence). Before Yahiko’s death, Nagato too believed talking things out was the way to solve conflict, only to have those expectations shattered when Yahiko was murdered unjustly. As a result Nagato realized there can’t be any discussion if violence isn’t carried out first, because only then can the ‘the small ones’ speak and be heard. However maybe a part of his old beliefs still remained in his time in Akatsuki even if not directly stated.

However even more telling in linking Nagato and Shisui is that Nagato and Naruto are fellow students that share a good portion of moral code, and in this scene Naruto has been shown as sharing Shisui’s feelings too. So maybe Nagato, like Naruto, shares those feelings as well.

(BONUS) THE HEART

Nothing more to add here then, maybe, just maybe there’s a heart on the ground in this panel.

4-HEADCANONS

This part focuses more on ‘what-if’ scenarios, symbolism and relationship headcanons.

WHAT-IF’S

- What if the older Nagato gets the more he can read through Madara’s manipulation of him, since Madara came to him tempting him just after Yahiko’s death, when Nagato was still an emotional mess. What if seeing Itachi being brought in by Madara clicks in his head as this Masked Man manipulating another young grieved shinobi and he tries to protect Itachi from Madara, protecting him from going down the same terrible path as him.

- What if Nagato shows his true self to Itachi as a means of showing that he is no threat and that he’s trustworthy and because of that Itachi realizes that Nagato is just as broken and suffering as himself. And Itachi realizes he can’t let him struggle alone as he helped him through Akatsuki as well

- What if Nagato thinks of himself not as a God of Bountifulness and Good but a God of Death and Pain and he fears that anyone he loves will inevitably end up dying in his arms, which happens with Itachi too.

- What if it is Itachi that falls in love with Nagato first, the more he realizes that he is a man that shares Shisui’s intentions, at the same time offering Itachi a shoulder to lean on in need. Nagato reciprocates the feelings as Itachi becomes a constant presence in his life

- What if the two start discussing the world around them, about the meaning of life, of the shinobi, of the village, of peace and how the latter can be achieved at all, or if the very human nature prevents such peace. What if they realize peace can only be achieved at a personal level and they wish to achieve their peace together.

SYMBOLISM

- The dog and the crow: Itachi is undoubtedly linked with crows, they act a meaningful symbol, the birds that are harbingers of death and at the same time scavengers, picking up what’s left behind, intelligent and cautious. Nagato’s symbol animal is the dog, Chibi, the loyal one, protecting those it loves even if it claims it’s life, facing its struggles and fighting till the bitter end. And he can be considered Madara’s lap-dog for seemingly obeying his orders, or a stray dog that sruvived despite the hardship faces, always loyal to his cause. Both Itachi and Nagato were saved when young by their symbol animal (Shinden crow and Chibi)

- You are my eyes as I am your legs: they are both vulnerable in their own way and alone that can be debilitating, however together they are stronger, supporting each other through their vulnerabilities and hard times.In the Edo Tensei arc Itachi helps Nagato walk, and Nagato helps Itachi ‘see’.

- The Devil and Death: Nagato thinks of himself as the God of Death, one of misery and pain, his appearance somewhat resembling that of the Reaper with an exaggeratedly thin body and the ability to take life away with a touch, while Itachi is the Devil for mercilessly murdering his clan and taking up the mask of a psychotic ruthless criminal, the Devil incarnate.

- Atlas and the Sacrificial Lamb: Both Itachi and Nagato tries to bear the world on their shoulders, one tasked protecting his village and brother from the shadows, unseen and unheard to the point of killing his whole clan for it, and Nagato made out to be the one to save the world and bring peace, bearing the sins of the world on his shoulders. Both are Atlas, bearing their burdens alone and ultimately failing to do so, and both are Sacrificial Lambs, trying to save the world by offering up themselves, at the end both dying

- Flowers for blood: Both Itachi and Nagato are ill and suffering and the symbol for suffering is blood. However their suffering is poetic and meaningful and in each other’s presence the blood turns to flowers, just like the flowers their graves will bear because they were ‘unspoken heroes’.

RELATIONSHIP

- The two love spending silent moments together, where they don’t have to share words, yet at the same time enjoy the company of someone they feel comfortable with.

- “I’m sorry, Itachi” is a phrase that is much more common in Nagato’s thinking and speech and it is meant to symbolize that he wouldn’t want to hurt Itachi in any sort of way, even if it is inevitable that he does so, because they will inevitably die and the other will suffer greatly.

- Illness is something ever present in their lives, with the ever-looming presence of inevitable death, the two have acknowledged that their existence will come to an end soon, that every bond they had was doomed from the very beginning. They cherish every moment, taking care of each other, hoping it all lasts longer.

- They bring little useful gifts for each other, things that may cheer each other up, a package of dangos and medicine sneaked in Itachi’s room, a warm sweater or coat for Nagato who seems to always be walking naked, or some interesting new brew of tea or poetry book.

- Nagato knows how much Sasuke means to Itachi and he sometimes wonders how would it be possible to reunite them without having the two murder each other, in the end prolonging both their lives and sparing most of their suffering.

#naruto shippuden #nagaita #nagato uzumaki #itachi uchiha #akatsuki #theory #analysis #ship analysis #ship #shipping

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