countdown to Karin's bd; day 6
My favorite Karin moment from the Kage Summit and from The War
→ a) The Kage Summit
I realized there’s a pattern when it comes to my favorite Karin moments since I was about to pick either Karin going “Sasuke!!” yet still focusing on tracking Danzou in 464, or showing how spot on and logical her fore-sight is in 457 (I mean, she basically called exactly what ended up happening to them, except it was triggered by Zetsu).
But then I remembered my absolute favorite (yes, even above 482, though 483 does like to give it a fight from time to time I’ll use day 2 as an excuse to ramble about that one) is this sequence right here:
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I have so much love for those panels, you have no idea. Everything about them calls out to me. The first thing I find worth noticing is how Kishi transmits so much about Karin’s character through details alone; it’s such a short sequence, yet so effective in transmitting one of the main allures of both, Karin’s character and of the way she handles her feelings for Sasuke.
Look at how Kishi has her gripping her cloak in an attempt to get a hold of herself and focus. Karin’s rationality and cautious approach are things of beauty, but she is only human. It’s only natural that seeing the boy she loves in danger is going to put her in turmoil.
But her strength comes in how she is able to steer herself, get her emotions under control, and remind herself of what she can do to help. She knows that worrying won’t help Sasuke. That the boy she would risk her life to save won’t benefit from her freaking out. That there are ways in which she can be helpful to him, ways in which she can help save him in whatever measure; and she focuses all her attention on those. She does not waste her resources, doesn’t let her distress blind her from them.
Even in desperate times, Karin does not forget to play to her strengths. And that is - in turn - one of her greatest assets. And one of the things that make her so reliable.
Seriously though, I can’t stress enough how much I admire that.
→ b) The War
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I trust Karin awakening her chains will get the love it deserves, so I’ll go with something different haha. BUT before doing that, I have to indulge myself and say that my favorite bit about 663 was actually this:
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Look at this woman not battling an eye at the impending threat charging straight at her with an attack that would’ve killed just about anyone else. LOOK AT HER. As if that weren’t badass enough, she follows it by tanking the damn attack while simultaneously biting herself as if it were nothing. She doesn’t even cringe. Pain, what pain?
No, seriously, she literally breezes through the whole thing as if it were nothing.
It’s a testament to both, how thorough and fast her healing powers are (dem Uzumaki chakra), and how strong her will and determination truly are when she’s got her sights set on something. Not to mention: it is yet another exhibit of the strength of her feelings for Sasuke. Karin’s cunning, resourcefulness and intellect make her a dangerous foe; but when it comes to Sasuke, she literally becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Another thing I love about it is that by healing herself through Spiral Zetsu’s attack, Karin effectively gives Suigetsu enough time to make a surprise attack of his own because she keeps Zetsu in place. So it wasn’t only that Karin’s physical display of her special abilities took down the statue that was giving the entire alliance and edo Hokage trouble; but that her quick-mindedness gave the team as a whole the opening they needed to temporarily halt the enemy. Even spiral Zetsu himself can’t help but comment on the results of their teamwork.
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She fulfilled two different roles simultaneously and did so successfully.
It was seriously a fantastic sequence from beginning to end. And it only becomes even sweeter (to me) because it reminded me of two things I’ve always loved. First, her “Don’t underestimate me!” immediately reminded me of Naruto - something I love to bits, because Uzumaki is the best hands-down. Secondly, it reminded me of Sakura healing herself while Sasori had her impaled in 274.
okay, that got longer than I anticipated I Now for my actual pick though!!
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A fucking razor in her glasses.
I repeat A FUCKING. RAZOR.
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I need to get myself a pair. I’ve never in my life seen anything more useful I swear.
As if that weren’t enough, TOOL PICKS.
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UNDER A SASUKE BROMIDE.
Do you know how smart that is? How much foresight that shows? She literally turned two of the most seemingly harmless things into dangerous tools and no one suspected a thing. Damn, was her time as a jailer good on her. You just can’t beat her. Things like these show that she goes around basically prepared for anything.
AND she is an amazing actress and manipulator to boot. She played the interrogation squad like a violin. Karin - again - through sheer cunning and resourcefulness and cleverness alone turned a disadvantageous situation upside down and came out on top. It was brilliant. She is brilliant.
And I don’t know you guys but I think this was one of the most shinobi-ish things anyone in Naruto has done in the last, like, 200 chapters. Seriously. In a ninja world where characters can fly and manipulate space-time and change eyes like changing diapers, it’s refreshing to see someone actually act like a ninja for a change lol
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