The winners write the history books
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Think Sasuke's evil after he made THAT decision? Think again
The winners write the history books
Let me explain the title for those who don't know what it means. Alexander the Great is seen as a "good guy" because he was virtuous, even if he did terrible things and murdered people. Hitler did the same, but he lost the war. So, he's evil. Oy, if you still don't know what I'm talking about, then just skip this part _-;; After Sasuke deserted Konoha for Orochimaru, many called him a selfish jackass who made the stupidest choice in the world. There's no doubt that one of Sasuke's biggest downfall is his ambition. However, now, most people call him "evil" or "turning to the dark side". Actually, the anime perceives it that way as well. After I learned about Kimimaro and his story, it makes one wonder if he's really that awful. Kimimaro isn't a bad person at all, he's just chose the wrong person to side with (Orochimaru). When they parallel him to Sasuke, it just sends our heads in for a spin. "An enemy that is pure evil? Right and wrong are not what separate us and our enemies. It's our different standpoints, our perspectives that separate us. Both sides blame one another. There's no good or bad side. Just two sides holding different views." -- Squall Leonhart, Final Fantasy VIII Sasuke isn't evil; he just has a way of accomplishing things that go against Naruto's morals. Why is it Naruto's? After all, he's the protagonist regardless of what decisions he makes. His morals and boundaries match those of the general population, which makes any character who goes against his wrong. Unless you're given people like Kiminaro and Haku, then most antagonists are generally perceived as "evil". Naruto is virtuous, and the anime is basically about him. Sasuke is his opposite, and he's made "bad" because he defies Naruto. If we weren't given mainly the point of views and experiences from the people of Naruto's side of the battle, then we wouldn't sympathize with them as much. If we were given the history of the Sound 4 and their motives for joining Orochimaru, then most of us might side with them. For this "history book", the Shinobi of Konoha are the winners. And the winners write the history books. The one thing most should take account of is Sasuke's care for the well being of his friends. True, he almost killed Naruto, but the point is, Sasuke had enough sense left in himself to realize that he would only being doing what his brother wished if he killed Naruto. Another time would be knocking out Sakura. Forget the "arigato" part of it. Sakura offered to help him defeat Itachi, but he refused. He doesn't want to drag anyone down because of his ambitions. He knows dead well that Orochimaru would take his body, as long as he killed his brother; as long as he gets revenge. He's rather more selfless than selfish, if one puts it that way. He had to decided in a no-win situation; if he stayed in Konoha and live normally, then he wouldn't be able to extract his revenge, but if he went with Orochimaru, he would lose his body. Because of his thrist revenge, he chose the latter, even if he could remain perfectly fine if he chose the former. Now don't get me wrong, I completely disagree with Sasuke's decision. He was just given an opportunity he couldn't turn down; a temptation he couldn't resist. The huge flashback Sasuke had of Itachi that we, as an audience, come across during the battles of Naruto vs. Sasuke was rather just informational and pointless; it created no catharsis and wasn't as influential as Kimimaro's story. I didn't exactly see how it supported his motive to go after Itachi. Heh, maybe it's just me being stupid again O_@;; |