At a young age Sasuke's parents were killed in front of him by his brother(who told him to hate if he wants to kill him). And we can also glean from konoha that it has no kind of policy what-so-ever about orphans aside from, too bad so sad (if we look at Iruka, he was alone for like... ever). So now we have a traumatized twelve year old Sasuke who's lived alone for years, and the only person that matters to him and is alive right now told him to hate and kill. How could he _not_ make bad life decisions? That sort of trauma would mess anybody up, let alone a child. He had a choice, yes, but given that he's only twelve and for him there would be a 'I'm going to presumably learn how to kill my brother sooner' and a 'I'm going to learn to kill my brother not as soon as I'd like' choice, I think he'd go with the former (having friends is a big step for him, but he's TWELVE and his family was killed not too long ago. Friends or not, any person angry enough would go for revenge). It's nice to say, omg he had a choice and didn't choose the choice I would what a cold hateful little bastard, but I don't know if anybody would be able to take that kind of thing in stride and always make good decisions. I know I'd screw up every now and then, and I'm an adult. It would also be nice to say 'you shouldn't let your past shape you, make good decisions', but saying it is the easy part. The way he could have learned to make a better choice would have been if someone _cared enough to take care of him after his entire family got axed_. One year of teamwork and adult guidance won't hold against years of anger and hate. And Sasuke doesn't just have 'problems', that sort of trauma will leave you ** in the head.

To sum, he's angry, maybe weak willed, twelve, and expecting him at this point to remain completely good and make good life decisions is like trusting that an already slightly burnt cake can sit in the oven another hour and come out tasting just fine. You have every right in the world to dislike him, and I don't deny that he made the wrong choice and he is a jerk, but the twelve point is actually valid if you realize that TRAUMA WILL SCREW ANY ADULT UP and it can absolutely ruin a kid (nevermind a kid with no adults to look after him e_e).

Yeah, I agree he'd make a good villain. Obviously, he's become quite powerful if he can scare Orochimaru. But honestly, how many different ways to deal with his problems were there? His big, big problem is Itachi. In Sasuke's mind, the only way to deal with Itachi is to kill him. Let's review Sasuke's options for this problem:

1. He can stay in Konoha with his friends, and wait much, much longer to have all the power he wanted to kill Itachi.

2. He could go to Orochimaru and get his power quicker, thus shortening the amount of wait time to kill Itachi.

In Sasuke's position, after everything that's happened to him, he's definitely going to (and did) choose to go to Orochimaru. You forget that Sasuke hasn't been raised with the same set of morals as we have, and unless you've actually been through what he's been through (and if you have, I am very, very sorry), you can't say that 'Oh, he should choose the 'right' choice'. To Sasuke, it was, in the long run, most likely the right choice.

Jiraiya says it, "It looks like he has taken heavy psychological damage".

Now, remember he was going for Itachi to save Naruto too.

Maybe that fight with Itachi ...

xD

Sasuke's like Anakin Skywalker, in a way ...

"How severe these symptoms are depends on the person, the type of trauma involved, and the emotional support they receive from others."- So we can conclude from here that it was too traumatising, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi should be blamed from lack of support or he was just f***ed and betrayed Konoha.

In the lack of support scenario, it seems somewhat likely. Spoiler- Naruto was with Jiraiya attempting to convince Tsunade at that city during Tsunade Decision Arc.*End* Sakura doesn't seem to be a comforting person at the time and was probably doing fangirly things and being stupid and useless background. Kakashi was probably spending time reading Icha Icha Paradise and was probably outcold in fighting ability.

I can kind of understand him now, but I still won't even call him my favourite character or anything close. I wonder who had the biggest and time-wasting angstfest out of Neji, Gaara and Sasuke. But still I would like to see Sasuke a villain for once, but no all the Sasuke fans see him as a hero even after his Betrayal and all the Sasuke haters spend time bashing instead of Villifying him.

He has every single trait of a good villain and probably asexual.(contrary to all the completely militant Sasu/Saku supporters) I believe personally that if Sasuke does get along with Itachi in future, he'd still be a villain.

Right now I'm neutral with Sasuke, but he definitely won't be my favourite character soon. I'm just waiting for Sasuke to make his move, so I can love to hate him.

Isn´t she crazy????

1. I like his attitude because it makes him really stand out.

2. not to sound shallow or anything, but i do think he is kinda cute. especially with that hair.

reasons to dislike:

1. he is greedy for power.

2. most of my favorite characters got beaten to hell trying to bring him back. (although it is partially their fault for going in the first place)

3. he left Konoha because he was willing to do anything to kill Itachi

I may not really utterly deeply hate him but it is my opinion that his faults outweigh his assets. and please, any crazy fangirls, i dont want to start a fight over my opinion because it is very childish to do so.

At my age, as people have stated, peer pressure is way too overbearing, and I doubt even Sasuke is immune to this problem. As a LITTLE kid, Sasuke was both pressured AND ignored by his parents as they considered him constantly second to his prodigy of an older brother. And now his single goal is to kill his brother, and just out of random thoughts, refusing his beginning hormones, which is incredibly hard for anyone.

There are all these challenges to win and many powerful opponents to defeat, just like choices and pressures in real life. And at the end of it all, there's Orochimaru with this incredible promise of power, enough to complete his goal, and kill his brother. With this, as Sasuke probably thinks of as, miraculous chance, he like any 12 year old is going to through all caution to the winds. Even if Naruto has stated that Orochimaru's going to steal his body, he's devoted to it and probably doesn't realize the consequences.

02) Reason's that I like Sasuke:

1. He's hot, I'm 12, we're the same age, so shoot me...

2. He's from a really well off family.

3. Sharingan, it's the cheater's way, but it's awesome.

4. I like the angsty character's, even if they seem to all get killed off...

5. He's good in Yaoi, I'm a Yaoi-fan, big whoop, you may not like it, but we are all entitled to our own opinions.

Reason's that I don't like Sasuke:

1. He's cocky and arrogant, even for a 12-year-old.

2. He shows no care to his teammates nor his comrades.

3. He left the village he was born and raised in and tried to kill Naruto.

4. He's obsessed with gaining power and killing Itachi.

5. He left Konoha and joined Orochimaru.

Summary: Sasuke's okay, and I like him, but he's made some horribly stupid decisions in his life.

P.S This is the first time I've gone into a forum, so go easy on me please, I'm PRACTICALLY a newbie.

This essay was made by Chevira Lowe. And I worship her for it!

Original URL: http://sunsitenthai.livejournal.com/246332.html

The Essay:

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Sasuke doesn't suck. No, really.

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Picture this.

You’re an eight year old child. You’re in school. You do well. You’re at the head of your class, you receive a great deal of praise, but your family still doesn’t think you measure up to someone that you idolize. So you use your idol as a goal to reach, something to strive for. “I want to be like him,” you tell yourself. “I want to do that.”

Imagine this idol is strong and smart and perfect, to your eight-year-old intuition. Everyone looks up to him. You want to be like that, so you can protect all of the people that matter to you, because you think that’s what he’s doing with his strength.

And then one day, you come home to an unsettling scene. The streets are empty. The lights are out. You turn a corner, and bodies are everywhere. Bodies of people you know, people you cared about.

Now imagine that your idol, deliberately and emotionlessly, went to your house. He would be welcomed, of course, because he is trusted. Imagine that man killing your mother, your father, your friends.

Imagine coming home to that and wondering, why…?

-

Uchiha Sasuke is a prodigy child. But he’s worked for it. Mastering the katon jutsu took time, and he devoted every spare moment he had to learning it, to improve, to impress. He wanted his father to look at him and smile and say “You are my son.” He wants to be claimed. He wants to feel like he belongs, in a world where excelling is expected, where genius is generic.

And in a single day, all of that is taken away. By someone that he loved and respected and looked up to. People don’t just recover from that. They bleed, silently, on the inside where no one can see it if they aren’t looking hard enough.

And then the prodigy, the boy genius, graduates and becomes a ninja. He’s flung into life or death situations, and he excels. He protects the people he wants to protect and is willing to sacrifice himself for them, though he himself doesn’t know why. “My body moved on its own,” he says. From that point on, in the eyes and hearts of three different people, he was student, rival and first crush.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke and saw himself. Saw a boy who watched his family fall apart and decay. Kakashi looked at Sasuke and saw a chance that he was never given.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and saw a jackass. A stuck-up, self-centered arrogant prick, but one that would have died for him. Naruto looked at Sasuke and saw the first friend he ever had.

Sakura looked at Sasuke and saw a hero. A knight in shining armor who stood in front of her in a fight, who was cool and calm and collected. Sakura looked at Sasuke and saw someone she could love.

All three of them see bits and pieces of Sasuke, but only together do they see the whole of him. And that whole is a broken, fragile boy that none of them on their own can save.

-

Uchiha Sasuke thinks he’s worthless.

This is a canon fact. It’s not out and out stated, but boy is it implied. He’s strong, but never enough to save his precious people; he fights, but never succeeds. He deals with his demons on his own turf in his own time and he fails.

This doesn’t make him a monster. It makes him human.

That’s the part of himself that Sasuke most wants to kill. The part that cares, the part that cries, the part that smiles. Why would any sane person want to do that, you ask? They wouldn’t. Sasuke is not sane. Not entirely. He watched his family die. He watched his brother do it all. His brother who then crammed the fact down his throat with the unforgettable words, ‘If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life.’.

Sasuke wants to kill that part of himself because it’s not necessary. Because compassion isn’t going to kill Itachi, nor crying nor cracking a smile. Power is the only thing capable. Power only Sasuke can achieve. Being human means he can be hurt. Risking his life for Naruto, smiling for Sakura, that endangers them. It makes them targets. The last time Sasuke loved anyone, he watched them die and was powerless to do anything about it.

He lived through that once, and he would go through hell before he’d have it happen again. He proves this. He runs away. He knows he could stay in Konohagakure no Sato. He knows he could grow up and grow old and learn to laugh and to love.

But Sasuke lives in a world of ghosts, and they will not let him go so easily. Ghosts that were almost quiescent, ghosts like wounds almost healed. And then what happened? Itachi showed up. Itachi showed up for Naruto. Someone whom Sasuke had come to regard tentatively as a friend. The man who took everything from him was back in his life and again in the vicinity of someone Sasuke cared about, however grudgingly.

What did he do then? He panicked. Part of it was resentment (why isn’t he here for me?) part of it was terror – not for himself, but for Naruto (why is he here for him?) He ran off, recklessly, endangering himself and not caring. Looking for Itachi – looking for Naruto. He had every intention of killing the one to save the other.

It’s doubtful he expected he could beat Itachi. Maybe he thought he’d die trying, but damn, he was going to try. He formed the hand-seals for chidori, and went immediately on the offensive.

Itachi all but ignored him. And when challenged, brought him down without breaking a sweat. “Even now, the gap hasn’t closed at all…”

And then, everything that Sasuke had overcome, everything that he had fought for, his memories, his past, and those ghosts that lingered still, in the blink of an eye it was all brought back. The wounds were no longer four years old and fading. Itachi dug his claws into Sasuke’s fragile, broken mind and he undid all of the good that team seven had done for him. It was, quite bluntly, a psychological rape. It was Itachi showing just how much power he still had over his little brother. It was Itachi using that power, cruel and cold.

Sasuke is not a strong person. Somewhere in his mind, there is still a lost eight year old child, asking again and again, why did all of this have to happen? Sasuke is not a strong person, and the fragile threads he’d been building up, the tentative friendships and all those bonds were not enough to anchor him.

He ** snapped.

Maybe if he hadn’t been so badly beaten. Maybe if Naruto had actually needed his protection. Maybe then he would have survived that encounter with his personality intact. He didn’t. It tore him apart and once again showed him how he powerless he was.

-

Sasuke isn’t a hero. He isn’t a shining paragon of perfection. He’s not the sort of person you want to become, because he is flawed and because he is broken and because of all the things that made him that way. He carries himself with a sort of desperation, like someone who has dug their own grave and resigned themselves to the fact that one day they will fill it. And in many ways he has.

He walked away from his old life. It was a conscious decision, sparked by Itachi, fuelled by Orochimaru and although all of his precious people tried desperately to save them, they forgot that the theme and heart of the series Naruto is ‘teamwork’. They tried on their own. They failed the same way. Kakashi tied him to a tree and tried in his quiet, damaged way to appeal to his intelligence. Sakura appealed to his emotions. Naruto appealed to everything else.

Sasuke wants them to stop believing in him. He’s not a knight in shining armor; he’s not a very good friend. He wants to be a weapon, and they’re getting in his way. He doesn’t understand what they see in him, why they aren’t willing to let him go. He sees only what’s wrong with him. How many times he’s failed, how frequently he’s fallen down. He doesn’t realize that when he fails, they’re there to pick up the pieces, and when he falls, they’re there to get him back on his feet. He doesn’t realize that he doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved. Sasuke has tunnel vision. At the end of that tunnel is Itachi’s death. Along the way is everything he is going to have to sacrifice to get there. But Itachi is in stark color, black and white and red, and everything else is just shades of gray.

Sasuke is single-minded. He is determined. He wants power and he is willing to do anything for it. Why? So he can rest. So he can be at peace. So the ghosts in his mind can go back to their graves, so he doesn’t have to live in fear every day of his life that Itachi is still alive. He lives in the past. He’s frozen in time, still eight years old, still asking that same damn question over and over again. He desperately wants to hear an answer from Itachi’s own lips.

He’s selfish, in that regard. He’s willing to make a martyr of himself. He’s strung himself up on a cross and waiting for the end, hoping it will come in fire and fury and Itachi’s bloody death at his hands. He doesn’t want help. He needs it, and it’s possible he even knows it, but he doesn’t want it. Why? Because he’s seen what Itachi can do. He’s seen him kill, seen him inflict horrors that no one should ever have to live through. If he goes alone, he’s only risking himself. That’s what he wants. That’s the way he thinks it should be.

-

Sasuke can’t save himself. This is also canon. He’s never tried, and doesn’t understand why he should. He’s not worth the effort.

Kakashi wants to save him because it would be like saying, ‘I told you so,’ to a stubborn fourteen year old boy who got his best friend killed.

Naruto wants to save him because he needs to. Because Sasuke was his first friend and his only rival. Because Sasuke is the one person he couldn't save, and if he can't save Sasuke, he might as well not be able to save anyone else, either.

Sakura wants to save him because she knows just how broken he is, how lost and young, and she desperately wants to protect that part of him, and love the rest of him.

And they’ll only ever do it together. As a team. As a family.

One day, even if it takes them the rest of their lives, they’re going to bring Sasuke home.

I think the point is that- Sasuke let himself love too much. Let me elaborate. He doesn't let the important things in his heart go. His family used to be in his heart. They died, and that part of his heart died along with them. Itachi used to be too, and he still is because his whole life is devoted to killing him. Because he's had that tragedy, it's hard to let anyone come close anymore- it's somewhat of an unconscious defense mechanism. Thus, he's antisocial, he's UNPLEASANT to be around- it's expected from someone who doesn't want anyone to be around him anyway.

I agree on the part that Sasuke thinks he's weak and worthless. When he acts snobby or bullies Naruto, he's also saying those things about himself. Generally, people bully others to make themselves feel better. I can also vouch for this, once being a bully myself. When Sasuke calls Naruto "dead-last", he also means that he views himself that way. He doesn't compare himself with the Rookie 9, he only compares himself with Itachi. When Sasuke says, "You think you're better than me?", there's an underlying message that he doesn't feel confident enough to just let Naruto see for himself. Notice how Itachi or Kakashi don't brag about their powers- they're confident enough about their skills- they don't need to proclaim it. Sasuke's usually quiet, but it's more for his antisocial-ness. Once, a long time ago, Kakashi said something like "The loudest ninja are often the weakest" to Naruto (who is an exception, he's the protaganist). Sasuke's always had this complex since Itachi mind-raped him, but it really emerged prior to his defect. So while Sasuke has the choice to insult other people, he has very little power in deciding his personality/psyche that make up who he is.

About Sasuke being disloyal to Konoha, I don't think he was ever loyal to the village in the first place. First of all, Sasuke doesn't let himself be attached to anyone else besides Itachi. Second of all, Sasuke only took the Chuunin exams because there were other worthy opponents to fight against- not to move up to be able to serve his village. He's said so himself that he couldn't care less whether he made Chuunin or not.

However, he did betray Team 7. The very least they were to him were simply teammates and comrades and the very most they were to him were precious people to protect. He knew that his defect was going to hurt Sakura and Naruto because in retrospect, they had gotten into his heart, as an avenger, he can't allow that. When Orochimaru comes into the picture, Sasuke is reminded that he still has a long way to go from reaching his dream. He stops cold. Here’s the personality shift after the Gaara fight, Naruto becoming his equal, the Sound 4 beating. His betrayal was something he had to do- essential, in fact, to accomplish his goal. When Sasuke made that vow, he was logical in distancing himself from others in order to avoid getting close enough to hurt someone, because Itachi is and always will come first. Therefore, anyone who knew Sasuke was going to get hurt. It happened to be Naruto and Sakura that received the blow.

He is power-hungry. That’s something even Sasuke-fangirls can’t avoid. Because starving people are desperate people, and they are not sane. Genius or no, morality doesn’t matter- humanity doesn’t matter. As long as Itachi’s six feet under, Sasuke can rest in peace knowing that a ruthless b*stard like him is gone for good. There isn’t anything Sasuke won’t do to avenge his family; his body is an easy sacrifice for someone who has nothing left to lose. Family comes first, you can't choose your family and you are eternally bound to them until the day you die.

So it all comes down to the bottom line: avenging Itachi. His revenge is not selfish- it would have been much easier to die, to let someone else kill him, to forget about the past and move on with the future. But it would have been almost impossible to live with yourself, to not do anything when “that man” is still out there, to live like a normal person when everyone else is dead. His goal is also a bit beyond answering a clan duty. Sasuke understands and knows that life is precious. He knows how much it hurts when it’s taken away- and putting up walls around himself is again, a coping mechanism. He knows what it’s like to be loved, to love- he knows he has to kill his own heart in order to kill Itachi. It’s a bloody mess and a sin to kill your only brother. But he has integrity to keep to that promise, and integrity is based on the personal beliefs and ethical code of the individual. So whether his goal is morally sound- murdering someone vs. protecting life- is up to personal discretion. Doing both is in effect, the same thing because Itachi’s a murderer too. Itachi wants to get Naruto. And Sasuke simply won’t stand for that, or for anyone else. It’s not a duty, as ninja bound in their profession, but a promise he’s chosen to take on himself.

The reason why I love Sasuke is because he’s a romantic character, in the philosophical sense. He’s like Naruto in the way that even though there’s an easier way, neither would take it. Sasuke’s just as likely to give up killing Itachi as Naruto is likely to give up his dream of being Hokage. I love everything about him- from his wonderfully complex character to his fwooshy hair and down to the little things like having tomatoes as a favorite food.

And he is indeed still possibly redeemable, in my view. It’s apparent that Naruto and Sakura have had an impact on him, how much is debatable. Although they weren’t enough to keep him from defecting (which was inevitable), they made gave him the luxury of almost being like a normal kid, of accepting and loving him when he was weak and screwed up. He was… not in debt, but thankful to them, a bit summarized with his ambiguous “thank you” to Sakura. How that even though he’s tried to turn them away, they’ve burrowed deep into his heart and became his precious people. Naruto gave the acceptance he sought from his father, Sakura loved him unconditionally as did his mother. Itachi was a precious person, and Sasuke guards him closely in his heart. Likely, Naruto and Sakura are still in his heart too. Let me say this again. Family comes first, you can't choose your family and you are eternally bound to them until the day you die. Just like team assignments. Even though Sasuke's life is dedicated to Itachi, he is still obligated to Naruto and Sakura. Whether he chooses or is influenced to act upon their once-friendship, is up to Kishimoto.

In the end, I see Sasuke as an anti-hero; for him to come back to Konoha like nothing had ever happened is absurd. I know that I restated redundant and obvious points, but I didn’t want to leave anything out or leave it up to misinterpretation. Rebuttals to my rant are welcome.

Actually I interpret it as a superiority complex at one point since he did say and I quote "You won't even be able to lay a finger on me" or something like that. First episode of Sasugay betrayal arc (HA Sasugay). Let's not forget that when Sasuke saw that Naruto made a bigger hole, he freaked he couldn't let him be stronger than him. I honestly believe that his sense of superiority and the rivalry is going to his head too much.

as an avenger, he can't allow that

Uh huh so the foolish Uchiha (Ha Itachi style) thinks that his friends will become targets, I'm not quite sure why he cares too much since A)Naruto is already being a magnet for Akatsuki attacks and B)Pre-timeskip Sakura was a damsel in distress anyway but someone was always there to save her behind. Though I also feel after hearing that speech that he doesn't want anything to do with his "former friends" anymore.

He is power-hungry

He is I can see where he's going with avenging his family but the things he does to do it. Breaking links with friends, leaving his former home, joining the freaking snake pervert that I don't agree with. If you ask me he's beginning to sound as ruthless as Itachi. Logically as you say, leaving the village to make his goal a full time job may seem unselfish yet however at the same time it's exactly what his Brother did except possibly less hurtful. Itachi betrayed his village and destroyed part of his heart physically by killing his family scarring his Brother in the process. Sasuke also left and left a void in his former teammates' hearts hurting them deeply.

About Sasuke being disloyal to Konoha

While it didn't seem he was loyal to any village, Sound nor Konoha and being only interested in his ultimate goal of killing Itachi. It only strengthens my belief that Sasugay is only interested and possibly overly obsessed with his Brother. While this may seem of no significance to you in what could be the start of a debate, I would like to note that one of the reasons I hate Sasuke is his clicheness of being only interested in revenge. I mean seriously how much plotlines have used it.

possibly redeemable

I doubt that if you mean "redeemed" as in going back to Konoha, however if you mean redemption as in killing his brother there's a small possibility but I'm not quite sure if it will happen. And let's not forget Sasuke did say he wanted to destroy connections with his former friends.

Also I guess I also Sasuke cause they aren't as emotionally happy as other characters. I'm a fan of Deidara even though he can be a ruthless killer, he is always nice around certain members and just seems so happy despite knowing he has betrayed his village and his job requires killing. Also unlike Itachi who lacks emotion Dei is lively bright and his art seems to bring him joy. Same with doctor Who (just got into it) Tennant makes out the new Doctor to be a happy, witty sort of guy who you could easily get along with and seems to be almost always in a happy mood despite the dangerous situations he's in.

Maybe it could be both... somehow, I don't think it's just one or the other. He's the Number One Rookie, but he got his [butt] whooped by Itachi. Ech. Thinking about Sasuke makes my brain hurt, so I'm not going to say a lot.

Uh huh so the foolish Uchiha (Ha Itachi style) thinks that his friends will become targets, I'm not quite sure why he cares too much since A)Naruto is already being a magnet for Akatsuki attacks and B)Pre-timeskip Sakura was a damsel in distress anyway but someone was always there to save her behind. Though I also feel after hearing that speech that he doesn't want anything to do with his "former friends" anymore.

Did I make it sound like it? *goes back and rereads* Well, I meant that he cared too much for Itachi. Even when Itachi and his father were having diputes, it seemed like Sasuke loved his brother unconditionally. So basically, he got hurt when Itachi betrayed and Mangekyou'd him.

While it didn't seem he was loyal to any village, Sound nor Konoha and being only interested in his ultimate goal of killing Itachi. It only strengthens my belief that Sasugay is only interested and possibly overly obsessed with his Brother. While this may seem of no significance to you in what could be the start of a debate, I would like to note that one of the reasons I hate Sasuke is his clicheness of being only interested in revenge. I mean seriously how much plotlines have used it.

Well, at this point, Sasuke IS interested and overly obssessed with his brother. And as for overused plotline, you'll have to take that up with Kishimoto...

He is I can see where he's going with avenging his family but the things he does to do it. Breaking links with friends, leaving his former home, joining the freaking snake pervert that I don't agree with. If you ask me he's beginning to sound as ruthless as Itachi. Logically as you say, leaving the village to make his goal a full time job may seem unselfish yet however at the same time it's exactly what his Brother did except possibly less hurtful. Itachi betrayed his village and destroyed part of his heart physically by killing his family scarring his Brother in the process. Sasuke also left and left a void in his former teammates' hearts hurting them deeply.

You have a point there. And the only defense I have to say is that while Sasuke made the decisions himself, he did not control the factors that made him this way- if he could choose how to live his life, he'd just want his family back. And we don't know a whole lot about Itachi. Still, the choices he made were incredibly bad- for others and himself. Though not Orochimaru, (who should DIE in horribly written badfics...)

I doubt that if you mean "redeemed" as in going back to Konoha, however if you mean redemption as in killing his brother there's a small possibility but I'm not quite sure if it will happen. And let's not forget Sasuke did say he wanted to destroy connections with his former friends.

Sasuke said that he wanted to destroy the connection, but Sakura and Naruto are also part of it too, so unless they give up on Sasuke, he still has a shot for redemption. I seriously doubt that they will.

And besides, if Sasuke got rescued the first time (or two,) it would make his character and situation less important. And speculatingly, less dramatic when Naruto and Sakura DO rescue him. When people start freaking out over what he did (and Kishimoto is good about plot twists) they get to see how really revenge-obssessed he is... and parallel-y, how far Team 7 is willing to go to save him. I think it made the manga more interesting and "gray"; and it makes sense where the good guys are in reality no more than glorified hitmen.

2)he doesnt care that he gets all the attention.

do u want him to care? what do you want him to do anyway? he doesnt even want that attention.

4)all he cares about is Itachi. almost every page that you see about him has someting to do with his stupid obsession with killing itachi.

of course he would want to get revenge! that's part of his personality. how would you feel if your older brother who you used to look up to killed your whole family to see how good he was? and the small fact that he has nothing better to do......... and no........sasuke doesnt think about itachi in every single page. that topic doesn't come up that frequently.

5)he abandons a village that loves him and finds it justified.

ummm...excuse me? i thought u said that the village only gives him attention because of his last name and who he was related to. *points to reason number 3). the village doesn't really understand him and he doesn't have any best friends, so that reason is invalid.

6)he used that stupid sharingan to steal Lee's style and doesnt care. and, he uses it to copy the chidori and just wants more when he sees the rasengan. come on, dont you think he has so much, so easy that he doesnt need any more??

the sharingan is supposed to copy techniques. your insulting everyone else with the sharingan u know. when he used it for the chidori, kakashi was teaching him that technique! don't you know anything? and i thought we already established that it is in sasuke's nature to become a power crazed maniac.

7)all he cares about is power ( refer back to reason 4)

well that's the same thing so far. any other reasons?

8)he doesnt look ahead (didnt care when naruto said orochimaru would take over his body)

not looking ahead and not caring are two different things. sasuke knew that oro would take over his body and LET him do that becuz he already said that this was his only goal in life and he was willing to throw away his life to get powerful enough to kill itachi, and with oro offering this much power, he couldn't resist. (though that was a pretty stupid idea)

9) would kill his "best friend" just to get some power. but..with him, it doesnt take much to become his "best friend".. he doesnt have any others.

actually, he attempted to kill naruto for the mangekyou sharingan, but in the end, decided against it becuz he wanted to defeat itachi in his own way and not copy itachi by killing his own best friend. later after he meets naruto and sakura again after being with oro, he just tries to kill them because ther're in his way. not for power.

10) SO MANY PEOPLE STILL LIKE HIM ONLY CUZ HE'S CO COOL AND ANGSTY!

oh, so you hate sasuke because many people like him becuz hes cool and angsty? didnt u just admit he was cool? ok........that wasn't even a reason.

it would have been nice if you could have come up with better reasons for hating sasuke. these sucked, no offense.

if you were wondering what My future is in my past I tell you.(Hope you got that far)

Look his brother killed his family.He wants to kill his brother.

He'd do anything (even die) to kill his brother

He doesn't care about the future only the past.

Get it?

Now on to Sasuke as a person and understanding him. Sasuke whole life revolves around one thing the murder of his clan by his brother. Now unlike Naruto who never had anyone to begin with Sasuke had a family then it was taken away arguably a crueler fate then Naruto suffered but that is neither here nor there. The abrupt loss of his family caused sasuke to withdraw into himself to the extent that while he was not antagonistic he was not sociable. The result being though he was revered as the last uchida until he was put on team 7 he had no close aquaintiances. Also as no one is likely to speak ill of the dead Sasuke grew up under the impression that the Uchiha clan was the best of the best and to be anything less then the best would be unthinkable. This is further enforced in his mind by his brother's many acomplishments and his failure to match them as quickly. Enter Sasuke into team 7 this is Sasuke first close contact with people since the murder of his family. Since the last time he was close to people in ended with their murder Sasuke begins at first to try and stay detached from them however this is complicated by Naruto. Naruto is dirrectly confrontational with Sasuke. This is something Sasuke has never know someone to be like with him so he does not know how to deal with it. As a result he tries is best to ignore Naruto which is something that is not easily done. However though the missions and life and death situations that team 7 goes through the team begins to bond. As a result Sasuke begins to actually open up again to people. While vengance against his brother remains a highly motivating factor time and new bonds have deadened the pain. While the fact naruto is matching him and supassing him in some areas at this time is noted it does not effect him as much as it would have before. This however is changed by sasuke's meeting Itachi again for the first time after the murder. Sasuke procedes to attack Itachi by using the cultimation of his training with the chidori. The attack however is completely ineffective. This meeting ends with Itachi forcing Sasuke to relive the murder of his clan again and again. When Sasuke is awaken from this state he has be reverted to Academy Sasuke in personality. This means he believes he must be the best of the best. Seeing naruto being better then him at this time is unacceptible to him. Also added to this is the knowledge that Itachi gave him in the last encounter that if he kills naruto he will get an increase in power possibly to Itachi's level. However this Sasuke still has close bonds to team 7. Sasuke knows Itachi wants Sasuke to come after him. He also know Itachi want Sasuke to become stronger and the Itachi belives bonds to be a weakness. Given the knowledge that Itachi has killed those he was close to before he has no reason not to believe that Itachi will do it again. Also a number of other facts should be taken into account now. Naruto has grown stronger under the training of a Sanin. His sensei Kakashi was defeated by Itachi. Itachi ran from the Sanin Jiraiya. Orochimaru is said to be equal or stronger then Jiraiya. So when the offer comes to be trained by Orochimaru Sasuke has several reasons to do so. 1. By breaking his bonds with sakura and naruto he is in protecting the from Itachi going after them to get to him. 2. He will be going from a sensei that lost to Itachi to one the is supposedly on par with Itachi. 3. He will be removed from Naruto presence which will lessen the temptation for him to kill Naruto to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan. Now given this veiw Sasuke he seems to be a bit more then the whiney spoiled brat most fanfics make him out to be no? Now I know that this is merely my interpretation of Sasuke's thought process but to me it seems the most likely. If you disagree please tell me why.

I either dislike or like Sasuke depending on how he is characterized. I know, that's weird.

I like SasuHina!

Just felt like saying that.

=D

You're smart!

So, which Sasuke characterizations do you hate?

I hate it when...

Sasuke suddenly has feelings for Sakura

Sasuke is a playboy/flirt

Sasuke hates Sakura and vice versa

Sasuke has no depth whatsoever

Sasuke is all emo-ish when he has no reason to be (y'know, when in modern AU fics he's all emo and moody but really Itachi didn't even kill his family)

Yeah. That's pretty much it... I can't think of anymore...

S-D I made that up! I copyright it!!!! (Unless someone made it up before me. *cries*)

I hate seeing where Sasuke has a sudden epiphany with no reason and starts going after Sakura screaming 'have my babies' or something. Really, and there's also where they make Sasuke some man **. Sasuke is just not... like that.

- Sharingan

- Chidori

- He's good-looking (though i hate to admit it)

- He wears a lot of blue (before the timeskip) and blue's my fav. colour!

Dislikes:

- Cocky attitude

- Hairstyle

- Acts like he's got a sitck up his ** when talking to Sakura (i don't like Sakura that much, but at least he can act like a gentleman!!)

- Joined Michael Jackson's twin brother for power (i know, he wants revenge , but still...)

- Is blind to the fact the people in Konoha care for him (makes me want to throw him off a cliff or sumthing...)

- Killed Deidara. Im not a rabid Deidara fangirl, but hell, the guy blew things up, and he likes art (me too!)! What's there not to like?

Likes/loves:

-His good looks (he's so hot, even as a short 12-year-old!)

-His voice in the anime--it suits him, both in the Japanese and English

-His cool and even attitude

-His natural-born talent (e.g. Sharingan and Chidori)

Dislikes/Hates:

-His goal of revenge, that leads him to join Orochimaru, leave his friends and his village, and then form his own stupid team

-The way he neglects Sakura and always calls her annoying

-When he's cocky and thinks he's all-that

There are some things I don't like about Sasuke, but overall, I like him more than I dislike him! =D

As for the whole 'leaving the village' deal, I admit I don't like him as much now, but I do realize that it was necessary for the plot to move on. Many Sasuke-haters don't get that if he didn't turn evil and everything, the Shipuudeen will have no purpose...and yea.

It's Itachi's fault for making him suffer so much anyways.

And it's SO fun to torture him and make him OOC in stories. The show wouldn't be half as good without him! =D

Sasuke's cool even WITH his coldhearted personality. Like you said, he just wouldn't be Sasuke if he weren't like that. And yes, I hate how Sasuke left the village, but what I hate more is when all those Sasuke bashers out there say that hate HIM just b/c of that.

Yeah, it's also fun to see Sasuke OOC! You should read a story my sister (Princess Malika) and I wrote, titled "Naruto Randomness." XD

I. Luv. Sasuke. ^_^ No one can deny his hotness.

And yeah, Sasuke is really, REALLY hot. I know I can't deny that. XD

First off, he's always trying to show how much better he is than everybody and thinks he's so strong and mighty(Yes, you can counter me here by saying that he went to Orochimaru to get power, so he may not have thought he's that strong.)He's also really arrogant and seems to hold a pretty high opinion of himself in comparison with others. He's actually a pretty weak person, allowing himself to become corrupt because he's so intent on killing someone who left his life years ago. Ok, so if my parents were killed by my brother, yeah, I'd be ** and want revenge too, but what Kakashi told him with regards to revenge was really true and he should have taken it more into account.

He doesn't really show much emotion, except anger and apathy(though, that isn't really an emotion). He can't accept the fact that people who are not his parents love him and actually give a damn about his well being. Again, I understand how that can put a cramper in your revenge plan but maybe it's best if you just left the revenge and moved on with your life. Didn't his dad tell him not to chase after Itachi a couple days before getting killed anyway? So he's pretty much disobeying his parents' wishes.

Pretty much, the kid needs some friends and other important persons to show him what true strength really is. And to tell him to stay away from that Orochimaru creeper.

So running of to Oro was a mistake we know, but it was the only way to gain power to kill Itachi...and yeah. Its suppose to make the plot (and angst) acually, so without Sasuke, the Shipuudeen wouldn't have existed. (or been very exciting)

Not that Im 100 percent defending him. But I do like Sasuke as one of the characters. ^_^ He's Naruto's bestfriend/rival!

...but I still want him back as a good guy...ugh this is painful.

I don't like him. At all. Because he's a PMS-ing retarded jerk, that is.

1. He is a friggin Marty-Stu

Proof:

-He made Deidara blew up. Not even Gaara could do that.

- He was the first person to beat Gaara. I can bet that if Kakashi did the Raikiri, it couldn't pass through Gaara's sand.

-He beat Temari. Well Temari could lose but Sasuke beat ALL the people he fights with. (Except Naruto maybe. I forgot to watch the Final Valley fight.)

- He has a friggin angsty past.

-He thinks Sakura is annoying, even if she would die to save him. (Remember the Invasion of Konoha arc, when Gaara was about to crush Sasuke with sand?)

-He prefers Karin over the Konoha kunoichi. (You have got to be BLIND to resist girls like that. They are hot and powerful.)

- He goes to OROCHIMARU for power. (Aww, c'mon, Sasuke, Orochimaru is a gay phedophile.)

-Sasuke has an angsty past and keeps being angsty.

(Naruto never even friggin MET his parents and he's a jolly prankster.)

(Iruka's been alone almost all his life because of the Kyuubi and happily treats Naruto, the Kyuubi Jichuuriki to too many bowls of ramen.)

(Gaara is almost like Sasuke but at least he's not a Marty-Stu. In the Deidara vs. Gaara fight. He wouldn't let Deidara blow up Suna. But Sasuke only 5% cares for Konoha!)

Well Yea Elinzamunster's stuff are right, but well, as he grows up he COULD make better options you know.

Well, he is the Shounen Rival character. Typically, they are strong and do beat almost everyone so that when Naruto is finally standing at the top of the heap the reader is supposed to go 'ah, okay. So he's the strongest ever!!!one'. Anyway, gary stu-ism can be made for most shounen hero's and rivals. But I don't know. I didn't see many gary stu traits in him.

- Yeah, he beat Dei, but oh well? I was never given the impression that Gaara was the most powerful character. Plus, people grow in the series. Maybe he just got stronger. Which, again, is like a setting up for the ultimate Naruto Sasuke show down. If he wasn't getting stronger, who'd really care about the eventual fight between them?

- Refer to the first point.

- Again, first point. Basically, being stronger than most people... not that gary stu-ish when one considers the fact that this is shounen manga.

- He has an angsty past, but so does two million other ninja as you mention later, so I don't see how that should count for anything.

- This... I don't know where you got this from. At all. He's pretty considerate towards her, from what I remember. I think that's just a projection mistake on the parts of a lot of people. ....yeah, no I can't recall a single time where he was inconsiderate to her. Unless you're talking about how he doesn't seem to return her feelings, which is.... um... too bad?

- I didn't get any impression that he preferred Karin anymore than he preferred Sakura over ...Ino for lack of memory of another female character who liked him. And Sasuke seems very asexual and emotionally stunted. He didn't leave to get hot ladies, so women shouldn't factor into this anywhere.

- Orochimaru... well, I spoke about that in my old post, so I won't : ). Wrong decision, but he's a dumb kid so what can you do?

- Yeah. Yeah he does, because like I said before one year of friendship does nothing against years of Sasuke being alone and only thinking what his brother wanted him to think. His brother who he loved and looked up to told him to hate him and so on.

I know, like I said before a million other characters had angsty backgrounds. Naruto was ignored, so he was a prankster. Neji had his own destiny fate nonsense, okay what I'm getting at is coping mechanisms and the situation of said characters angst. Naruto was ignored as a child. Children thrive on attention, so there is the good kid who gets attention through praise and then there is the bad kid who gets yelled at, but still gets attention. Naruto is the latter in that he had to become a prankster because any attention is better than no attention at all (which is why if you ever have kids, if they act out you've either given birth to a little monster or they just want attention in any way shape or form). So no, I wouldn't call him a jolly prankster by nature so much as by necessity. This is similarly Iruka's situation (both are orphans much like Sasuke, but he's different, I'll get to that later). Neji's crutch was fate. If it's fate, what can you do, right? It's a means to ignore or brush away almost anything so that you don't lose it.

Gaara is a bit different. I really don't think he's close to what Sasuke is, so much as Naruto. He's what Naruto might have been if Iruka hadn't taken the hit. But they all have one common factor that allowed for them to change easily and accept friendship whole heartedly and that is the fact that they were all working towards getting attention or love (or wanted that, in Gaara's case, but then sad past explosion, whatever). Itachi didn't say 'you'll never have any friends' or 'mom and dad never loved you : (', he told him to hate. So now we have a little boy working towards the goal of trying to kill his brother. He's not looking for love, he's looking for the opposite of that. His dilemma or angst is the separation of himself from others as a result of what his brother did. Naruto almost lost it, but Iruka intervened and let him know he cared. Naruto beat love into Neji and Gaara and everyone who was looking for it, but Sasuke wasn't looking.

Was he wrong to run away and not accept the help of his friends? Yes. But I can see why it happened, and it all goes back to if konoha had gotten to him sooner he might have been fine.

And as to the last point... well, yeah he could make better decisions. Or he would if I didn't think he wasn't a single minded child trapped in the body of a fifteen year old. And better choices like what?

Anyways, I'm not saying this to tell you not to hate him. ....but at least don't hate him for being a gary stu when there seems to be reason for what he does when a gary or mary stu seem to have angst and magical powers just for the heck of it. His reasons and reactions seem very thought out so I appreciate it, that and it's for plot. What would Naruto have to obsess over if Sasuke didn't run away XD?

....................................................I like him. =D

He is a very unique character, I think. Theres no way Kishi would make him completely evil, because he has become his favorite character to draw. Uchihas are the main plot line, without them, 'Naruto' just wouldn't be the same.

Lots of people hate him for his lack of concern for others, but thats the other way around for meh.

For me, I think I like him even more than Naruto, the main character. But not personality wise, just as a whole. He's not a heartless traitor like everyone claims. There are clues that he actually cares...but you have to look really hard. No, he's not evil. He took advantage of the power from the evil side to reach his goal. I'll admit it was taking a big chance, but someone has to trigger the plot, right? OF COURSE Naruto rocks too, but Sasuke is just...plain awesome in his own cocky bastard-ish way. **is shot**

Then again, I was always a sucker for emo and assexual characters. =D

He's alright I mean...

Likes:

1. His attitude later on (before he left the village)

2. How he cares about his comrades

3. How he cares about his family (it's the thoughts not the actions he did)

4. His looks (come on, seriously..)

5. His abilities

Dislikes:

1. His will to go to Orochimaru Jackson

2. Breaking his only bonds with the Leaf

3. Willing to destory the Leaf after realizing his bro was good (WTF? He was trying to save the village from the coup de tat!)

4. Basically his new attitude in Shippuuden

Hopefully, someone should smack him awake to realize what the hell's he doing... like Naruto

I'm very torn about Sasuke. We've seen almost every other character redeemed in some way but Sasuke's character almost DARES us to not like him. I could kinda get why he wanted to avenge his family; even defecting to Sound to train under a Sanin (as Naruto and Sakura did) is reasonable as long as there was some point in the tale where he is redeemed. Where he makes amends with Naruto and Sakura and attempts to get his life back ontrack.

I was desperately hoping for that after Itachi died but now he's gallavanting around with the freak show that is Team Hawk with a mentally unstable giant, a snaggle toothed sword slinging freak and yet ANOTHER hopless fangirl who wants to "ravage him" while the others are asleep. BUT now that he's going back to Konoha (albeit to kill every man woman and child there) he's on a collision course with Naruto and Sakura again. At some point, he's going to have a revelation and abandon his endless quest for revenge. He's going to stop blaming everyone else for his unhappiness and start taking control of his own life (a'la Neji Hyuga).

THEN and only THEN will I truly like Sasuke...or just make him a full villian so someone can kill him...like...Neji...or...Gaara...

Well, train to avenge his family I understand, but why Orochimaru? I mean, there's other shinobi that he can meet and be trained under with. It's called traveling around the world to find a master. Where did you think Naruto found his?

I agree with you that I thought he was gonna get his life back and realizing what he's done, but noooo, he decides to get rid of Konoha. I really hope that when he fights someone who had changed by Naruto (Neji, Gaara, and other people) or even Naruto himself that he'll get to that path...

And apparently, it's happening during the fight between Rapping 8-Tails...he seems to now CARE for his teammates, like waaay back then.

no your sister is correct y? it is because Itachi killed the uchiha clan because he recieved a fake mission from the 'hokage', but it wasn't the real hokage it was danzo, aka Sai previous teacher. The mission for Itachi was to kill the whole uchiha clan but he spared sasuke out of love. Mardara Uchiha tells Sasuke that after sasuke killed Itachi.

like your sister I hate Sasugay

Um...... so? That point makes no sense. And it's biased and not telling the whole issue! Itachi didn't kill the whole clan, then lovingly take Sasuke into his arms and say 'I'm sorry, I love you' then flee into the night. He didn't stay and 'pay for his crimes' nevermind that he could have technically done that since he was planning on dying anyway, thereby leaving Sasuke with a similar but slightly more stable future of working for The Man. Nor did he take Sasuke with him. And if he wanted Sasuke out of the village, he even could have told him 'if you want to know the truth, then find me' but he didn't. But instead he told him to hate him and stuck him in a horrible illusion for days. Itachi loves in the stupidest ways. It was assisted suicide (due to guilt of killing your family, and self loathing. He told him to hate him cause eh probably hated himself. Maybe it had some love from sparing his life, but there was a LOT of selfishness there). I'm not saying I'm not sympathetic towards Itachi. Itachi was only thirteen when he did it, and yes Danzou is the worst fellow ever, and I'd be suicidal too, but it makes me no less sympathetic towards Sasuke. Because Itachi, love or not, suicidal intentions or some bs myrtar 'I was doing it for you, no really' or not, he helped to make Sasuke a crazy avenger (konoha did the other bits by not having an adult jump on that immediately and make sure he grew up well adjusted and having stupid orphan policies).

As far as I'm concerned Sasuke's problem was and still is listening to other idiots, and then leaping to some conclusion or descision based on what other people say, provided that that person happened to drop the name 'Itachi'.

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