A DANGEROUS AFFECTION [II - CANONIZATION]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rnOKKgb22
II.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4spZjm1cuJ
CANONIZATION530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaK8ZY2hD3U
aka; Kishimoto’s writer intent530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLUvHqo85Y
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVZK0DZ9b4
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxw5LvWnzx
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44IsU8CfS2
Aside from everything I’ve said in the previous section, another useful way to determine a pairing’s chances of being canonized is to take into account the writer’s intent. In this case, there are various factors that can be detected in Kishimoto’s writing that both, suggest the effort and thought he has put into this pairing, and his intentions regarding it.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIg057WX37n
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLypPeoPoF
a) The number of moments they’ve gotten
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMBL24EtyP
This one speaks for itself, I believe. Like I mentioned as I was introducing this manifesto: while many are quick to dismiss this pairing, in reality, the development SasuKarin has gotten through Part II is more substantial than that of many of the non-canon pairings that have been around since Part I. What I’m trying to say is: many are convinced of the canonization of pairings that don’t even have a quarter of the substance SasuKarin has received. And when one considers such is the case despite the fact that Naruto has been running for 15 years while SasuKarin has been present solely for 7 (counting the 2 years where they went MIA), that’s got to be meaningful.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JEJpQmjYc
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteI45awHK6
Especially if one takes into account the fact that Kishimoto has to have given the pairing considerable consideration and regard to get them there. This regard is evidenced in various ways; like for example, the fact that it was Karin and SasuKarin who were the threshold for Sasuke’s descent into ‘true’ darkness. Or how Kishimoto continuously brought up SasuKarin (and in a positive, significant light, at that) through Suigetsu and Juugo while SasuKarin were separated. Or even Sasuke’s uncharacteristic smile to Karin during the Chuunin Exams, and the attention to detail Kishimoto paid to the flashback as a whole. And, most recently, how during the time of Sasuke's temporary death, the only character whose feelings [regarding the matter] Kishimoto focused on were Karin's.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbAzGioKU9
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PD1y9IZ5b
The aforementioned instances also signal another remarkable fact: Kishimoto does not only give focus to Karin's feelings for Sasuke, he also gives focus to Sasuke's side of their bond. In fact, one could say he gives both sides equivalent focus—and this is a trait that not many of Kishimoto's potential couples share.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgn8Vsv0ME
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lmizULji5
There is also the fact that Kishimoto saved Sasuke and Karin’s encounter (plus the stab being addressed, the mysteries surrounding their shared pasts, Karin’s feelings finally getting out in the open and Suigetsu's apparent knowledge of them, so on so forth) to what he, himself, considers the ‘highlights’ of the climax.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhqLfjb17M
Q5: Now that we've entered the climax of the Great Shinobi World War arc, please tell us what some upcoming highlights will be!530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cuvKJQelC
A: Everything from here on out will be a highlight!!530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvBzV4EtwV
- Kishimoto Interview in Weekly Shounen Jump (x)
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUn250SMvnf
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdXzneV5zp
Speaking about focus,530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzfkPrYWsc
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXauOS7tFPX
b) Kishimoto’s habit of singling out Sasuke and Karin among Taka
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPlxpCCvtg
It’s true. He sometimes does it in subtle ways, and sometimes in more obvious ones. From having a whole chapter dedicated to them, from being the ones with the most dialogues and the ones whose thoughts Kishimoto’s focuses on the most. And while this is more like a bonus rather than weight to the argument, this habit of his can be noticeable even in the 3rd Databook.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRp9uQSXxB
In order to "locate Itachi and fight him one-on-one to settle the scores", Sasuke picks out three people. Hoozuki Suigetsu, the prodigy from the Hidden Mist. Karin, the brilliant, lone female of the group, who boasts an outstanding Gift of Perception. Juugo of the Scales, the originator of the Cursed Seal.
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4PiczzkCx
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36CvkQTCM8
See what I mean? While the other two get a single compliment, Karin is continuously praised throughout the Databook.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKB4dvnh36O
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWG4e3hYXJC
Granted, the Kage Summit arc and what has happened since then completely proved that this (Kishimoto highlighting Sasuke and Karin) is indeed the case. Not only does he separate them from Suigetsu and Juugo (as such making sure that it is Karin and SasuKarin rather than Taka as a team that plays the role of the threshold), but when the latter two finally appear, it’s to talk about Sasuke and Karin. Even during their second appearance, Kishimoto outright states that one of the reasons why Suigetsu sticks around is because he enjoys getting in SasuKarin’s way; so it is indeed fairly evident that their dynamic lies at the core of the team. Especially considering that, as I’ve pointed out a couple of times above, Kishimoto let Suigetsu and Juugo already be reunited with Sasuke, while he saved Karin’s reunion with them for later. And more recently, it is Karin's drive and urgency to get to Sasuke that Kishimoto has been focusing on.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ll2B8mGos
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAotMh1dRO
And while not directly related to SasuKarin, it’s also worth mentioning that Kishimoto making Karin an Uzumaki adds even more weight (though in a completely different way) to my previous point about Karin being able to stand with Sasuke on equal ground.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktRoqgHn9u
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDEjWpIDQo
c) Recurrent Themes (how SasuKarin ties in)
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8Qfq2SgS6
On the subject of Kishimoto’s writer's intent, there are a couple of themes that have been continuously brought up through the manga; and SasuKarin happens to fit very well with many (if not most) of them. For example:530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxesaf6t0w
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjl1QGqUi1P
✦ “Even the roughest woman is tender to the guy she loves”530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHshl9T3dK
It’s easy to see how SasuKarin fits that quota. Especially because, as stated in the page, she may be ‘tender’ to the man she loves, sure. But that is special only because said ‘rough woman’ is just as bossy, feisty, and rough to him; which again, Karin is to Sasuke. Sasuke himself acknowledges back in 348 that she isn’t easy to handle, in reference to her attitude. And we have seen Karin give him a hard time countless of times, so we all know where he is coming from.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpgbdtF0f1
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuLjivjeBk
Yet, at the same time—we all know that there is a side of her that she shows only to Sasuke. And why, it is tender. So SasuKarin fits down to a Tee one of the tropes and dynamics that Kishimoto seems to support when it comes to his couples (Shikaku and Yoshino, Tsunade and Jiraiya—though they never got the chance to be together, Minato and Kushina, among others.)530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5et1X8hfvB
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nd6a39a5K
✦ “... Do you have someone who is special to you? ... When you have something special that you want to protect... only then can you become truly strong!”530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGtEChN6mN
Sasuke usually gets his power-ups due to his hatred (though we know where that took him last time); yet, there have been two instances in Part II where he harmonized with one of the manga’s most important themes: that of drawing strength from one’s bonds. One is 414, where he casts an Amaterasu after being moved by Taka (Karin included) and the second is, of course, 415. What is noteworthy about Chapter 415 is that by risking his life for Karin’s, Sasuke was, in fact, jeopardizing his revenge and unconsciously placing her wellbeing before it—something he has only done two other times (one for Naruto, one for Team 7) both of which took place back in Part 1. Atop of that, he actually awakens a new ability for Karin, so it really does go hand in hand with this memorable quote from Haku.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XKd8Ibf5p
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtQj5YStda
And in chapter 663, Kishimoto delivers the exact same thing again—except this time, he does it through Karin, who awakens her dormant Uzumaki powers at last due to the strength of her feelings for Sasuke, whom she (obviously) wants to protect at all costs.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MrrL5Twh5
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzmWIIBRtD
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqufbvhzs3
There are a few more, like Ending the Curse of Hatred (with which SasuKarin nicely ties in, because while it's up to Naruto and Sasuke to put an end to it, as descendants of the Rikudou Sennin outright unifying the Elder Brother’s clan with the Uzumaki would be a nice way to symbolize the end of that grudge, and a new beginning), and also that of Selfless Love, where much like Naruto's and Jiraiya's feelings for their special someone, all Karin wants is to see Sasuke happy—be it with her or not.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJzyLC0vdG
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNk2EozcsC
Lastly, there is another thing that—while not being a recurring theme, Kishimoto has also pointed out in the manga. That is:530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcP9ffx1pYX
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLcy1wTbTR
- The lack of suffix530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrLlvuxcdV
While many may have not noticed this, the truth is Karin uses no suffix with Sasuke. She calls him Sasuke, period. The reason why I’m bringing this up is that Kishimoto himself has highlighted this. Through Sai, Kishimoto has given his thoughts about suffixes and more importantly, the absence of them:530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORv2F6xZez
“In order to hasten the development of understanding between yourself and others, the first thing to do is reduce any emotional barriers. For instance, when addressing someone, by using suffixes such as “-san” and “-kun”, you’ll remain distant from that person, never seeing any reduction in emotional barriers.”530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBVEkcKN7u
“To combat this, one should first take the initiative to stop using such suffixes […] by doing so, one is able to position themselves in a particularly special and close relationship.”530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡculqIietxg
- pages here & here
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYKOHixJ0n
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51vXXo4K2G
So far, there are three girls in the manga who’ve had an obvious crush on someone. Those are Sakura, Ino, and Hinata; and they call their crushes “Sasuke-kun” and “Naruto-kun” respectively. Ino and Hinata aren’t particularly close with their respective crushes, but Sakura, while becoming his teammate and friend, continues to call him “Sasuke-kun” even today. So this is another trait of Sasuke and Karin's dynamic that separates it from that of other girls who have had feelings for him in the manga.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7OakVFNIJ
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPWwJrq98s
d) Their Similar Pasts
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2ohIDviqr
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KyDtV0hKj
I’m sure everyone here who has read a Naruto fanfiction at least once in his/her life, has come across one of the countless Sasuke/OC fanfics that depict him falling for a girl that’s basically the female version of him; from the higher-than-thou attitude to being collected, down to the fact that her whole clan/village/country was murdered, too, and she was the sole survivor. And said clan of hers? It’s a special snowflake, of course. Just as if not even more special than the Uchiha. Oh, and does she have special powers due to said special clan? Well, of course, she does!530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMZNIRgDMg
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KAaRcxPKc
Well, here you have her. And in canon, from Kishimoto’s own mind, pen, and words. It seemed far-fetched, didn't it? But it seems Kishimoto thought otherwise; and think he did, even going as far as to give them such a similar background for them to connect over. As a matter of fact, they have everything they need to connect over.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosJSXrzOxe
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIpchB9Ul2
And from a story writer’s point of view? That says a lot.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfgDOXr5lS
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYAC6FRs2C
e) The amount of canonical commentary regarding them
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5NQArJ2sX
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnX3PZmZib
Aside from building dynamics and being instrumental pieces for characterization, writers use character's dialogues for many things; from being narrative tools to deliver exposition to hyping up techniques and power-levels (that's shounen for you).530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3urpOtMFh
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qHNTKkTTc
And of course, they are also used to deliver insight into certain relationships. This insight can be positive or negative; a passing comment or a constant happening; focus on only one character's feelings or both.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9t4ihI4umS
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9XFE0Oa5y
In SasuKarin's case, the comments they've gotten so far have been positive, constant and they not only touch upon Karin's feelings for Sasuke but on Sasuke's side of their bond as well. More than that: rather than being mere observations that do nothing but state the obvious, some of these comments actually hint at mutual SasuKarin - and none of this should be taken lightly.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1CuKktQ4L
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSq8he9xyBk
Because the fact that the content of said commentary has been overwhelmingly positive on both ends and a constant (literally every character who has interacted with Karin and Sasuke for an extended period of time eventually makes a comment regarding them. So far these are Suigetsu, Juugo, Orochimaru, Kabuto and even Obito) This seems to indicate that Kishi is trying to make a point.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwseiOS94X
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sN1HqfGHh
Taking into account the type of character Sasuke is (closed-off to love and without interest in romance, mysterious and aloof to the point we hardly if ever get his POV) it's easy to see why Kishi uses third party commentary as a narrative device to draw attention to Sasuke's side of his bond with Karin.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWYDMfrlop
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYmewHQVCD
And that is yet another reason why the content of the most tellings remarks —that Sasuke knows Karin "quite well", that she is his "favorite", that they've been "about to hook up"— is so remarkable (and telling).530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKlRRaRyin
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVTcux5AgA
f) The importance given to what happened between Karin and Sasuke
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXxiFDVd4v
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiQ0hrO0Mw
But singling them out and making sure that Karin matched Sasuke in all ways possible though nice, weren’t the only things Kishimoto did.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHToL9M6KyQ
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyJldtQw3G
He also added some mystery to their bond; a mystery that’s so relevant, that he couldn’t reveal it in the Databook and wanted to reveal it in the manga itself.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWcFZnMlKE
Databook 3 - Kishimoto Question and Answer Session530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNIIEWgtFF
Q. Why did the Kyuubi's seal gradually fade?530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9itZl1V2R
Q. Why was Naruto able to grow up to four tails?530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Zv7BCikdy
Q. What did Karin do to Sasuke in the past?530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt37VvMnrKo
Q. Is Kushina alive?530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jTCUzrmdW
Q. How did Kakashi awaken his Mangekyou Sharingan?530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTfc6VEAtz
A. It's a secret!! Just keep on reading the manga!
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDdQLzvWd8
Look at the questions it got grouped with; questions of undeniable plot-relevance. Those are the ones that Kishimoto cannot reveal lightly; because he already has a role planned for those, and they are so important that the story has to reach a determinate point before he can address them. Case in point, it took him 500 chapters to address Kushina’s status; and it’s only now that Tobi has been unmasked, that we got a reply about Kakashi’s Mangekyo.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7InDuAXTId
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9z0giTxnm
Even if the said mystery turned out to be the fact that they met during the Chuunin Exams (though as previously mentioned, one would have to wonder how did Suigetsu know about that in the first place - which in turn becomes a mystery of its own), the fact remains that Kishimoto still considered it important enough to group it with questions of such caliber.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWgb44xkO8
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIoRwkSG5N
And that says miles about the importance of SasuKarin to the respective characters—and about its potential for the future.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDULCMPRofy
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLju9wEy7cO
Because they are relevant, far from fodder, like many naysayers are so quick to ignorantly claim—and that brings me to the 3rd point I wanted to address because it’s always important to consider both sides of the coin to realize if there’s a hole in one’s standpoint.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0Zl3FAqBT
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5wNnUyN5L
Is there a hole in this, though? Let’s see.530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwJyK6pB2N
III. COMMON ARGUMENTS AGAINST THEM
530Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyoZ604NqH
