another look at Obito's “favorite” comment; what exactly did he mean by it?
I’ve seen the question of how is one supposed to read Obito’s comment regarding SasuKarin often brought up in different places, and it’s honestly a pretty good one when one gets down to it. This is why I couldn’t help but share my POV even though I know they're already must post about the matter haha.
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For starters, I think it’s safe to assume that the first thing that comes into mind when reading it is that Obito is saying that Karin is Sasuke’s favorite among those he handpicked, right? This would translate into Taka; and Karin being Sasuke’s favorite among Taka is indeed true, if Sasuke’s behavior is anything to go by.
Plus, while Tobi hadn’t been around Taka for long, it wouldn’t be hard for him to reach that conclusion; after all, Karin was the one teammate Sasuke still took with him even after going dark. Just as Obito himself said: Karin’s abilities were pretty useful and no darkness made Sasuke blind to that.
So basically, I can’t say I don’t find that take on his comment valid, because I do. Moreover, I think that not even reducing the comment to that context is enough to turn it into something irrelevant for SK; after all, it still remains about Karin being "preferred before all others of the same kind“, or ”a person that is particularly well-liked by someone [Sasuke]“. And that is pretty meaningful, considering she having Sasuke’s favor to such an extent is something no other living character beside Naruto ("his closest friend”, as Sasuke once put it) can boast of.
However, if you ask me, I do think the role that comment is meant to play suggests that there’s more to it than just a matter of how useful Karin is. Granted, this is only my personal opinion about the matter~
To begin with, I find it worth noticing that when it comes down to it, Obito’s wording itself opens room for interpretation. After all: at no point did Obito bring Taka up nor specify the context of his comment.
“That woman [Karin]… It was right to bring her here…she’s useful. [She’s the woman] Sasuke specially chose as his favorite.” (translation by jo, thank you so much!)
As you can see, there is an actual pause between Obito talking about Karin’s usefulness (right speech bubble), and Obito addressing Sasuke’s favoritism (left).
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Leaving semantics aside, I find that limiting Obito’s comment to a contest of mere “usefulness” - and as such suggesting that his observation is solely based on how highly Sasuke regards Karin’s abilities - neglects two very important things.
a) Obito knew Karin was no mere tool. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wondered what Sasuke would do once Karin’s life was standing between him and his revenge, for what importance could a tool possibly have in the face of the goal it was meant to help to achieve? The Sasuke from before might have shown some regard, but this one had already fallen quite a bit, so it should have posed no issue to his callousness.
Yet, Tobi still wonders.
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More importantly: if Karin were a mere tool, Tobi wouldn’t have looked so gleeful after Sasuke chose to go through with it and take Danzou down at Karin’s expense.
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^ in the Raw, he is basically gleefully saying the equivalent of “Now we’re talking!”.
Why? Because Sasuke discarding a tool would’ve held no remarkable weight in his down-spiral into darkness, but Sasuke sacrificing someone he cared about? Now that made all the difference.
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^ Sasuke’s reaction when he first thought he had beat Danzou.
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^ Sasuke’s reaction when he thinks the very same thing but has done it at the prize of sacrificing Karin.
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And if you ask me, Obito reacting the way he did shows he knew that.
b) It’s also very important to take into account what role - like a literary device - did Obito’s observation play during that scene. Personally, I find this the most telling aspect.
He calls Karin Sasuke’s “favorite" right before Danzou takes Karin hostage. As such, it serves to highlight and affirm Karin’s importance to Sasuke, so that Sasuke doing what he did well:
- Be even more unexpected.
- Be even more jarring.
- Draw home the point that Sasuke has changed for the worse.
So, since the whole point of Sasuke stabbing Karin is that he was sacrificing someone he cared about: if Obito’s comment were meant to be read solely in a context of "usefulness”, it just would not quite fit. As a matter of fact, it would basically defeat the point of the scene, IMO.
If, however, it was meant to be read in a wider context; regarding how highly Sasuke personally values Karin and how partial he is to her as an individual - it not only fits but effectively plays the literary device role I mentioned above. (Plus, it would also tie in with the direction in which all the third party commentary regarding Sasuke->Karin so far has gone).
A manga is a visual medium, after all, and observations like Obito’s are not gratuitous; they’re always meant to play a specific role, and their placement is often key in determining said role.
So, that’s - in a nutshell - why I’m personally more inclined to believe that Obito’s comment not only can but most likely should be taken as an assessment of how highly Sasuke values Karin as an individual. But like I said before, I also find the other viewpoint valid in its own right; since the point remains that Karin has outright been pointed out as Sasuke’s favorite, and nothing anyone says regarding that can make it less valuable lol
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