Naruto Columns
11/08/2023
[Birthday Column] Celebrating Sasori's Birthday on 11/8! Looking Back on the Akatsuki's Genius Puppeteer from the Hidden Sand!
A column celebrating the birthdays and achievements of everyone's favorite ninja!
Today we'll be reminiscing about the incredibly talented puppet master who devotes himself to the pursuit of eternal art: Sasori!
Today we'll be reminiscing about the incredibly talented puppet master who devotes himself to the pursuit of eternal art: Sasori!
■Sasori
・Birthday: November 8th (Scorpio)
・Favorite Food: Doesn't Eat
A Tragic Childhood
Sasori begins life as just another boy from the Hidden Sand, but his parents' death during the war has a deep and lasting effect on him.
Lost in solitude, his only comfort is the embrace of the "Father" and "Mother" puppets he creates using the skills taught to him by his grandmother, Chiyo. But his lifeless and cold creations aren't enough to replace the comfort of human warmth.
Lost in solitude, his only comfort is the embrace of the "Father" and "Mother" puppets he creates using the skills taught to him by his grandmother, Chiyo. But his lifeless and cold creations aren't enough to replace the comfort of human warmth.
Disappointed with the limits of standard materials, he begins using corpses in an attempt to make stronger creations—becoming more and more twisted as his arsenal of "human puppets" grows.
Eventually, he leaves his village and joins the Akatsuki, an organization of S rank criminals.
Eventually, he leaves his village and joins the Akatsuki, an organization of S rank criminals.
A Genius Puppet Master
Once famed in Sunagakure as the master craftsman "Sasori of the Red Sand", he displays his immense skill during a battle against fellow puppet-wielder Kankuro.
His opponent attacks with the Crow, Ant, and Salamander puppets, but Sasori easily sees through their moves, utterly defeating Kankuro.
His opponent attacks with the Crow, Ant, and Salamander puppets, but Sasori easily sees through their moves, utterly defeating Kankuro.
"HEH HEH...
BY THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE, I CAN TELL WHAT YOU'RE THINKING...
HOW DID HE KNOW...?!
ELEMENTARY, BOY...YOU SEE, THE PUPPET MASTER WHO CREATED THE CROW, THE ANT, THE SALAMANDER...
...IS NONE OTHER THAN I, THE ONE PULLING THEIR STRINGS!"
Sasori made many priceless puppets before leaving his village, which continue to be passed down. This speaks to his prowess not just with wielding puppets, but also with crafting them.
The Ultimate Art Form: Sasori's Puppet Collection
"HIRUKO"
Hiruko is a versatile puppet that serves as armor in addition to being a weapon, protecting Sasori from the close-range attacks that often prove to be the bane of puppet users.
While he has used Hiruko since his days in the Hidden Sand, Sasori continues to strengthen its defenses and add new capabilities, driven to improve by devotion to his craft.
"A HUNDRED PUPPETS"
"I DESTROYED AN ENTIRE COUNTRY WITH THESE."
Sasori also has a horde of puppets strong enough to take on a nation that he uses for a large-scale attack called Secret Red Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.
A puppet master's skill is measured by the number of puppets they can use, and his ability to control this many cements his status as a rare genius.
"THE THIRD KAZEKAGE"
"YOU KNOW, THIS ONE WAS HARD TO FINISH.
BUT THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME SO FOND OF HIM."
Out of the hundreds of shinobi Sasori has killed and added to his collection, one human puppet is particularly dear to him: the Third Kazekage.
He brings out the Third Kazekage in his battle against Granny Chiyo and Sakura, using the deceased's Iron Sand jutsu to drive the two kunoichi into a corner.
"MYSELF"
"IT'S BEEN A WHILE INDEED...
SINCE LAST I USED MYSELF."
Sasori's true masterpiece, however, is himself. In addition to creating countless puppets, he also turns his own body into one.
He himself becomes a piece of art, able to be restored when damaged and possessing eternal beauty. Perhaps it could be said that with this, he reaches the pinnacle of his craft.
The Line Between Puppet and Human
He may have attained an ageless body, but Sasori still has one weakness—the sole part of his body that remains flesh and blood, allowing him to control chakra.
In the midst of the battle for the fate of the Jinchuriki, Granny Chiyo and Sakura seize victory by piercing through that vital point with swords held by Sasori's own Mother and Father puppets.
In the midst of the battle for the fate of the Jinchuriki, Granny Chiyo and Sakura seize victory by piercing through that vital point with swords held by Sasori's own Mother and Father puppets.
In his dying moments, he is once more embraced by the puppets modeled after his parents.
"SUFFICE IT TO SAY...
...I'M A HUMAN BEING WHO COULDN'T BECOME A COMPLETE PUPPET..."
Though Sasori anticipates Granny Chiyo's attack, he is unable to dodge in time. The moment of hesitation that costs him his life seems to prove that despite his best efforts, something human yet remains within him.
Eternal Art, Passed Down Through Generations
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasori is revived by Kabuto's Reanimation Jutsu and faces Kankuro once more.
Kankuro uses Sasori's previous puppet body to fight him, but Sasori remains unbothered, declaring that he no longer needs that body as he has finally succeeded in becoming a true, eternal puppet himself.
As the battle continues, Kankuro manages to contain Sasori inside a puppet, and tells him that a puppet master should never let themselves be controlled by others, before assuring him his creations will live on so long as ninja exist to inherit them.
"SO THAT...IS THE TRUE FORM OF ART I SOUGHT, EH..."
"KANKURO..."
"I ENTRUST YOU WITH FATHER AND MOTHER!
WHEN YOU YOURSELF PASS, YOU MUST THEN BESTOW THEM UPON ANOTHER SO THEY ALSO LIVE FOREVER."
From Sasori to Kankuro, and from Kankuro to future generations...
Sasori realizes his long-sought eternity can now be truly achieved as he bequeaths his Mother and Father puppets to Kankuro, and returns to the world beyond.
Sasori realizes his long-sought eternity can now be truly achieved as he bequeaths his Mother and Father puppets to Kankuro, and returns to the world beyond.
Article and Composition: Mio Chimasu (Caramel mama)
That's all for Sasori's birthday column!
Take this opportunity to reread the manga and look back on his artistic creations!
Take this opportunity to reread the manga and look back on his artistic creations!
This site includes machine-translated texts for some news articles. Please be aware that you might find some unusual expressions that are difficult to understand.
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