Last time, I gave you the background on Orochimaru, once a child in ninja school who grew up to be a roaming master of evil in Naruto.
Orochimaru’s big dream was to master every chakra (which is what they call their ninja powers and attacks) known to ninjakind. This, to me, is one of the series weaknesses; some of the chakras depend on things like having insects nest inside your body, and others are cherished family secrets. It seems unlikely one could attract the insects and then just get rid of them, or persuade an elder to teach secret family techniques to an outsider. BUT. That’s what they say.
So one of the things that makes Orochimaru dragon-like is his obsession with hoarding — in this case hoarding knowledge. Only rarely does he bestow part of his knowledge on others, and then only to cement his control or advance his agenda.
As you might expect, the adult Orochimaru has a mind-boggling array of powers to choose from. In his initial appearances, he summoned a giant serpent, and also transformed himself with various serpent-like attributes such as snake-arms and taking the form of a multi-headed snake — surely a reference to the legend of Yamata no Orochi, the eight-headed dragon. Later in the series, he takes the form of a Naga (a snake with a human head).
Given his twisted personality, it shouldn’t be surprising that he favors the most insidious tools in his kit. Orochimaru can absorb chakra from others, and block the chakra so they can’t use their powers to defend themselves. He can place Seals on people that allows him to boost their powers. Usually he does this to someone he wants to recruit, causing their powers to run amok so they have to turn to him for guidance.
If that isn’t enough, Orochimaru has methods to disguise himself, and indeed spent several months masquerading as the ninja lord Kazekage, with even his closest advisors unaware of the imposture. This allows him to travel around and observe events as he wishes. Orochimaru often claims to be bored, and it appears he sometimes provokes warfare for his own amusement.
I’m sure there are more I’ve left out, and I invite anyone to comment if I’ve skipped over something crucial. Let’s just say that his second dragon-like attribute is his overwhelming power. Very few ninja can take him on and live to tell.
But the most terrifying thing about Orochimaru is his shrewd and ruthless calculation. In most battles, he’s thought things out three steps ahead of his foe. There have been those occasions, though, when his arrogance led him into unwise battles. For instance, one of the Hokage managed to paralyze his arms, effectively crippling his powers. Orochimaru managed to manipulate a situation where the next Hokage was forced to undo that damage.
So what does a guy with all this power do? Pretty much whatever he wants! He backed a criminal organization, Akatsuki, and then orchestrated their destruction. He tried to take over his childhood village, but couldn’t overcome the defenders. Whatever the end result, he doesn’t give up, just backs off and thinks things through before trying again.
I won’t try to describe all the plots and schemes Orochimaru has carried out during the very long Naruto series. Partly because spoilers are no fun, and partly because this post would be even more unwieldy! He’s kind of like Voldemort in the Harry Potter series — if something bad is going on, you know you’ll eventually find Orochimaru behind it.
It appears Orochimaru’s ultimate aim is to become a godlike being with immortality and all the chakras at his fingertips. To this end, he’s invested a lot of time and energy in people and techniques that could resurrect him if he ever actually dies.
As you can probably tell, Naruto is a complicated series full of colorful and amazing characters. The pacing may seem slow for an American audience, with long stretches of back story and battles stopping for conversations between the combatants. On the other hand, they do the super-ninja-battle-soap opera extremely well, and it’s a paradise for anyone who likes to keep track of trivia. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Once you get into Naruto, you’ll never lack for something to watch.
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