AKATSUKI

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AKATSUKI
Introduction
N aruto is a manga by
Masashi Kishimoto
with an anime TV
series adaptation. Its main
character, Naruto Uzumaki, is
a loud, hyperactive, adolescent
ninja who constantly searches
for approval and recognition,
as well as to become Hokage,
who is acknowledged as the
leader and strongest of all ninjas
in the hidden village. Naruto
has a large and colorful cast of
characters, running a gamut of
detailed histories and complex
personalities, and allowing many
of them their fair share in the
spotlight; they are also seen to
grow and mature with the series,
as it spans several years. As fitting
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for a coming-of-age saga, Naruto’s
world constantly expands and
thickens, and his social relations
are no exception. Akatsuki was
a group of shinobi that existed
outside the usual system of
hidden villages. Over the course
of several decades, Akatsuki took
different forms and was led by
different individuals. Though
each iteration is viewed as either
subversives or criminals, all seek
to make the world a better place
through their own means. Each
Akatsuki tended to have multiple
lairs across the world, inaccessible
either due to their remoteness or
the various security measures
that protected them. The initial
concept of Akatsuki was devised
by Black Zetsu as part of its plan
to revive its mother, though it
pretended the idea came from
Madara Uchiha, whom Black
Zetsu tricked into thinking that
it was a manifestation of his will.
Akatsuki was originally founded
by Yahiko during the Third
Shinobi World War alongside his
childhood friends, Nagato and
Konan. As citizens of Amegakure
who had been orphaned by the
Second Shinobi World War, the
three created Akatsuki as a way
to bring peace to their home
country, which too often got
caught in the crossfire of the Five
Great Shinobi Countries’ many
conflicts.

NAGATO's AKAtsuki
With Yahiko’s dying breath
he entrusted the pursuit of peace
to Nagato. Nagato, grieved by
Yahiko’s death, came to believe
that the world would never
willingly consent to peace and
that Akatsuki’s previously pacifist
approaches were therefore futile.
He concluded that the only way
the world would turn away from
its constant warfare would be
to experience such catastrophic
death and destruction that it
could never again stomach the
idea of conflict. Intending to be
the one to show these horrors to
the world, Nagato began using
the alias “Pain” and formed the
Six Paths of Pain, into which
he integrated Yahiko’s corpse
so that he could symbolically
continue leading Akatsuki.
Nagato sought out Obito, and
accepted his earlier offer of
support, which he provided in
secret. After the Third Shinobi
World War, Akatsuki began
recruiting S-rank missing-nin;
mostly through strong-arming
them and promising protection
to carry out their respective goals.
Orochimaru and Itachi joined for
their own reasons, while Kisame
and Zetsu joined to secretly
ensure the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Once Akatsuki recruited its target
of ten members, Akatsuki began
following a three-step process to
AKATSUKI
achieve this stated objective:
• Obtain enough money to
support their organisation.
• Provide mercenary services
at well under the compet-
itive rate, using the money
gathered in the first step to
offset costs. By capturing
and strategically deploying
the tailed beasts, Akatsuki
could quickly start and then
quell wars, thereby speeding
up the process.
• Once all other major shi-
nobi forces have dissolved,
Akatsuki will be able to
quickly conquer all the
countries of the world.
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 ITACHI
Master of the Sharingan's most
advanced techniques, including
the inextinguishable flames
of Amaterasu, the illusions of
Tsukuyomi, and the battling
avatar Susanoo.

SASORI
Sasori is the greatest puppet
master ninja in Naruto and is
nearly immortal as well. He can
summon an army of upwards
of a hundred puppets made
from humans with their powers

HIDAN
Hiddan is known for being im-
mortal.He uses a technique that
turns him into a voodoo doll
that harms anyone who attacks
him so long as he’s within a spe-
cial symbol.

DEIDARA
Deidara is an explosives expert
who specializes in widespread
destruction. He uses the various
mouths on his body to turn
ordinary clay into moving
explosives with his chakra.

KAKUZU
Kakuzu is near-immortal and
monstrous member of the
Akatsuki. He possesses the
ability to use each element of
chakra to the fullest potential.

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 KISAME HOSHIGAKI
With a somewhat monstrous
appearance and the strength to
back it up, Kisame Hoshigaki
is one of the most capable
members of the Akatsuki.

ZETSU
Zetsu is an Akatsuki member
with a unique genetic compo-
sition that grants a distinctive
pale complexion with plant-like
appendages.

KONAN
The only woman in the orga-
nization’s second generation,
and the advisor to the second
generation’s leader, Pain,
Konan is an exceptionally
strong and cautious ninja.

NAGATO/PAIN
Blessed with the legendary
Rinnegan that Madara spent
decades creating, Nagato took
on the name Pain when he
turned the Akatsuki into a
villainous organization.

TOBI
Tobi is initially introduced as a
quirky and eccentric member
of the group who is capable of
teleportation.

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AKATSUKI
Wardrobe
Members of Akatsuki wear
long, black cloaks with red clouds,
a red interior, and a chin-high
collar; Tobi and the members
of Taka wear a similarly-marked
hooded mantle. The red clouds
represent the rain of blood that
fell in Amegakure during its wars,
and were viewed as a symbol of
justice by its original members.
The robes are very distinctive,
allowing members of Akatsuki
to be identified even from a
distance. Though the robes are
a standard feature throughout
Nagato’s tenure (with Konan
even continuing to wear it after
leaving Akatsuki), the robe
falls out of use under Obito’s
leadership: Kisame stops wearing
it owing to circumstances of
faking his death, Obito does not
replace his when it is destroyed
by Konan, and Zetsu ceases
using a robe once its two halves
begin operating separately.
During Shin’s attempt to revive
the organisation, he is the only
individual to wear the robe, as
none of his clones wear it.
Akatsuki’s mission to
capture the tailed beasts gradually
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elevates them from the shadows of their shrinking numbers, Tobi
of the world and, in turn, pressures Nagato into taking a
prompts a growing resistance more active role in capturing the
by the hidden villages. After remaining tailed beasts. In the
Deidara captures the One-Tail, anime, he and Konan are first
Sasori is killed in battle with the sent to capture the Six-Tails,
Suna and Konoha forces sent to which was captured at some
rescue the One-Tail’s jinchūriki. earlier point in the manga. They
Obito takes this open position are afterwards sent to Konoha
as an opportunity to officially to capture the Nine-Tails, and in
join Akatsuki as “Tobi”, helping the course of the resultant Pain’s
capture the Three-Tails. Around Assault the village is destroyed.
the same time, Hidan and Kakuzu
capture the Two-Tails, but both
are subsequently defeated in
unrelated confrontations with
Konoha’s Nijū Shōtai. Kisame
Hoshigaki later acquires the Four-
Tails, after which both Deidara
and Itachi separately die in battle
against Sasuke Uchiha. Because

Under Nagato, each member
of Akatsuki is given one of ten
rings, to be worn on a specific
finger. Other than apparently
signifying one’s membership,
the rings seem to have some
role in sealing the tailed beasts
into the Demonic Statue of the
Outer Path, indicating which of
the statue’s finger the members
NAME
Pain
Deidara
Konan
Itachi Uchiha
Zetsu
Kisame Hoshigaki
Kakuzu
Hidan
Sasori/Tobi
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RINGS
should stand on. The rings Tobi specifically seek out Sasori’s
are apparently important and ring after his death, needing it for
irreplaceable: when Orochimaru Tobi to replace him. When Tobi
defects he takes his ring with takes over, the rings are no longer
him, and for that reason he is important, as he simply discards
never officially replaced when it along with his damaged robe
Deidara loses the arm that after battling Konan. Despite all
his ring is on, he has greater this, the rings’ exact significance is
interest in recovering the ring never explained.
than the arm itself; Zetsu and
FINGER COLOUR
Right thumb Purplish-grey.
Right index finger Teal
Right middle finger White
Right ring finger Red
Right little finger Green
Left ring finger Yellow
Left middle finger Dark green
Left index finger Orange
Left thumb Purple
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AKATSUKI
Mahasvin Raj Mittal
ADMA A - 2022-2023
Xavier Institute of Communications