

Everything in Naruto seemingly has a Japanese cultural reference. From the
name Sasuke meaning legendary ninja to the Sannin summons (slug frog snake)
representing the Japanese version of the game Rock Paper Scissors.

I recall briefly that I read Itachi's crow also had a special, underlying
meaning culturally, but cannot recover the source.

What cultural reference does the crow come with? And if there are nonculture
related themes, please state those as well.


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2014-01-08T06:39:12.940
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2019-09-28T13:34:00.087
2014-01-08T07:56:17.467
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naruto culture
What does Itachi's crow symbolize?


Crows are serious—and seriously creepy—wherever they show up. In most of their
fictional appearances, they are the go-to scary bird, and are traditionally
associated with death in many mythologies and cultures.

On the other hand, crows are also very clever. They may feature a crow as:

  * the **"Deadpan Snarker"** \- A character given to gnomic, sarcastic, sometimes bitter, occasionally whimsical asides. 

The Deadpan Snarker exists to deflate pomposity, point out the unlikelihood of
certain plans, and deliver funny lines. Typically the most cynical supporting
character. In most cases, it is implied that the snarker would make a good
leader, strategist, or consultant given their ability to instantly see the
flaws in a constructed plan;

  * the **"Trickster Mentor"** A Trickster whose actions, while seemingly pointless, selfish, antagonistic, or just plain random that contains a valuable lesson.

In more fantastic settings, a Trickster Mentor educates their proteges by
subjecting them to various transformations, body-swaps, literal wishes, and
faked tests of character. Trickster Mentors love it when someone who first
meets them doesn't realize who they are. They get to assess the "true
character" of someone, then beat their sense of superiority out of them with
it after the revelation. Or, rarely, give them a small break if they reveal
honesty and good intentions.

  * or the **"Zen Survivor"** A character who has been through utter hell, and came out sad, cynical, and wise beyond their years. Part of their wisdom is knowing that it is wasted on most people, so they don't go around babbling it to everybody. Instead, they wait until they see somebody who is worthy, and serve as the worthy one's mentor.

As for Uchiha Itachi, his summoning technique best suited for what happened in
his life. Itachi with his _symbolic crow_ can be related to the "Zen Survivor"
of his clansmen who is wise beyond their years (technically because of his
age) and serves as a worthy one's mentor (both Sasuke and Naruto). On the
other hand, the "Trickster Mentor" part also include _faked tests of
character_ also for both Naruto and Sasuke.

Please comment if you want to clarify something.


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2014-01-08T07:41:42.810
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2014-01-08T07:41:42.810
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Well, crows can symbolise death as crows are known to pick at human corpses,
it's not just that the crow is a dark bird, it is quite predatory in that
sense. It could be that the writer liked the film The Crow (!) (The lead
actor- Bruce Lee's son Brandon Lee died during that film creepy, suspicious
and sad)... Also there is **"The Madara Rider"** which is a World Heritage
Site carving. Madara is the name of the horse (a horse universally represents
power) that has a snake, a crow and a dog at it's feet, I wondered if the crow
could represent Itachi, the Snake Sasuke (he works with it later) or
Orochimaru, and Madara's dog seems to be Tobi (don't want to give anything
away there though). Also it's clear that that site must have been carved by
Ninja's as it was carved up a straight 100 metre wall quite far down and
people aren't sure how it could have been made, so there's your answer to that
one:- IT WAS NINJA'S! (joking :D )


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2014-07-11T21:52:01.213
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Let me express my theory as well then... Western cultures usually connect a
crow with bad, evil and unlucky phenomena. However, among Ainu, indigenous
tribes of Japanese islands, crow is a bird which sacrificed itself so that
evil could not destroy the Sun, and with it the whole world. I believe that
Kishimoto used this concept when he chose a crow as a symbol for Itachi.


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2017-06-06T10:28:43.977
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