The Ideal Superhero

I’m a huge fan of the manga Naruto, although I do not watch the anime. For those of you looking to kill some time or get a new hobby and if you think you have some inclination towards comics and stuff, I think reading mangas is a great option. And there’s nothing better out there than Naruto. It is a long running series and 588 chapters are out so far (!). In short, it is about Ninjas, their way of life and their wars.

I find the lead characters created by the Japanese to be much less clichéd than our celebrated American superheroes. This post is mainly to express my fascination for probably the most underrated character of Naruto – Itachi of clan Uchiha. I’ll attempt a short summary without using too many manga terms. In other words, this post is in English. In the Ninja world, the powers of certain clans are unique to them alone. In this regard, the Uchiha is one of the most blessed and powerful clans ever. And Itachi is the best of his generation. He was held in high regard by his father and groomed to become a leader. He mastered his clan’s special powers at an early age and was truly a child prodigy. However, his village (or nation) wanted something extraordinary out of him. His clan was believed to plot to destroy the village. The ball had been set rolling by the most powerful character of the series – also an Uchiha. So, as a servant of the village army he was asked to destroy his clan. And Itachi obeyed. However, he spared his brother Sasuke in the hope that he will grow up to judge him for his actions and wishes to be killed by him. He massacres his entire clan including his own family and is thrown out of the village. He is a spy after all. He has lived his life as a spy; he has forsaken his identity and has become a puppet. Or so a reader is made to think. But that is not so. The greatest strength of Itachi is his intelligence. All his actions are his alone. He has not obeyed anyone or been a mere puppet. He has, in fact, steered the destiny of the Ninja world, without anyone recognising it. There are at least three intriguing instances in the comic where I found Itachi takes his own decisions in a matter of seconds. (Spoiler alert. Skip this part if you’re planning to start reading the manga or are halfway through it).

1. As a secret spy, he was only asked to spy the village and sniff out threats. He chooses to spy his own clan and passes on information, which leads to the decision to root out the Uchiha clan.
2. He has been portrayed as an antagonist for most part of the series. However, that was also Itachi’s choice. After sparing the life of his brother, he chooses to be seen as the bad guy and tells his brother to man up and seek revenge.
3. This happens much late into the series. In fact very recently. Itachi dies somewhere in the middle of the series. That is not the end of him, of course. He saves a technique which he originally planned to use to save his brother (and change him as a person) from destroying the village (as revenge for the village destroying his clan). But due to unforeseen circumstances, he uses it to bring himself back to life for another reason. To save the village and not his brother.

Compare him with the traditional superheroes. (Technically, Itachi can’t be classified as a superhero though). Itachi Uchiha is the polar opposite of Spider-Man. Spidey takes the superhero mask to avenge his uncle’s death. The village has been unjust to Itachi’s clan, just like how the thief (read: society) has been unjust to Spidey’s uncle. Itachi kills his family and saves the village numerous times and ends up being seen as an anti-hero. Spider-Man becomes a hero and decides to root out the obvious evil. Why can’t we celebrate aberrations? The only reason a superhero should wear a mask should be to hide his identity from public so that they don’t beat him up. The ideal superhero should not just fight against the visible evil but look at the larger picture and fight bravely without bothering as to what the society would think of him. He can be shunned but he has a mask. So why does it matter? Hollywood has sucked to this cliché. Of course, there are few characters like Itachi but they are not as celebrated as they should be. This is also why I love the Watchmen comics. And Batman to some extent doesn’t mind taking the fall. Superman and the other DC guys do not deserve a mention here. They are mere heroes. Like our Rajinikanth. These guys want to be rich and famous. A superhero should maximise the advantage of his mask. He should be a vigilante because he can afford to be.

That said, I cannot wait for the upcoming Spider Man movie.