Zetsu, a man of mysteries [Essay, analysis]

[peaceful]

Uchiha Madara ,the master manipulator ,the puppeteer ,the engineer of a master-plan to put himself at the top that has so far fallen exactly into place.

Zetsu ,seemingly is his "loyal" subordinate.

And yet ,everything that Zetsu has ever said or done contradicts the notion that he is Madara's poodle.


The suspicions began arising ,because of this very one panel: "When you are sad and alone..."
"...All you can count on is yourself."


If anything ,this is the ultimate proof of Zetsu's loyalty to no-one other than himself. Madara thinks he is his loyal subordinate. To tell the truth almost everyone thinks so. Yet this one simple sentence conveys such a vast amount ,hinting at his past ,that he did put his trust in others ,that he was shunned, and that the one single universal truth is you cannot rely on anyone ( is this a reason he left his village?). Nevertheless, the question remains: Why is that Zetsu who apparently has his own goals and desires acts as a loyal servant to Madara Uchiha?

The answer is that both Akatsuki and Madara Uchiha are mere tools for his ultimate goal ,whatever that may be.


Zetsu ,undoubtly is a man of mysteries that little is known about him. This ,except for the readers, applies to the members of akatsuki as well. I put it to you that Zetsu is stringing along Madara just as Madara had Itachi and has Sasuke. ,that page may seem trivial to you but it is not: "Tobi is a good boy".
As it seems ,Zetsu did not know of Tobi's true identity ,even calling the strongest and greatest Uchiha ever... "Idiot". Yet he has found himself directly entwined in Madara's nefarious plot Naruto 404 page 17 | One Manga.

Madara trusted him with details of the engineered fight between Itachi and Sasuke, most likely before Sasuke even knew where they would be fighting.

Madara trusted him with retrieving Itachi's body, to preserve those eyes that will one day give Sasuke his Permanent Sharingan.

Those are two pivotal vectors in Madara's grand master-plan, and yet he trusted Zetsu's "loyalty" enough that he would not interfere and derail this scheme.

All this trust in such a short amount of time, whilst Zetsu never even knew who the hell Tobi actually was. That is qute funny and interesting at the same time. Why would Madara ,the ultimate Uchiha ,entrust details of his plan to a stranger? He could have told Kisame ,who showed his loyalty at the same time Tobi took of his mask ,yet he chose Zetsu the "stanger".

This is not all. The most intriguing pages of all ,is this simple yet interesting page: Naruto 404 page 16 | One Manga

Zetsu stands, waiting for Madara to arrive ,as if he is a subordinate coming to deliver a report to his master after a completed mission.

Zetsu then initiating the conversation ,almost as if he were demanding a report from this subordinate ,followed by a declarative that would almost always be associated with the senior superior.

See how the speech bubbles are placed in the middle-right panel ,showing Madara standing behind Zetsu.

Just like Kankurou stood behind Gaara in his reintroduction after the time-skip as the Kazekage. Just like Leaf shinobi standing behind Sandaime Hokage as he looked over the village that he had sworn to protect.

Yet then Madara begins to reassert his leadership and authority with his talk of no-one standing in his way and the inner workings of Akatsuki.

The dichotimy between body language and speech is incredible. Zetsu holds the position of authority in where he stands and how he talks ,with Madara almost seemingly "delivering" a report ,yet Madara then continues talking showing that he clearly holds the head position in Akatsuki.

This final page almost makes me think that Zetsu is more than a subordinate to Madara; he is a full blown partner-in-crime. And then his talk of never having hope in anyone except himself brings me to what I see as the inevitable conclusion. Madara has complete trust in Zetsu and is the only Akatsuki who he sees as an equal ,yet Zetsu does not reciprocate that trust.

[Another interesting thing to note is that each member of Akatsuki sometimes report directly to him. Not only that ,but they also recieve orders from him: Hidan and Kakuzu the two most rebelous members of Akatsuki!]

Last but not least ,our suspicions are confirmed in this particular page:Naruto 383 page 14 | One Manga

One side of Zetsu asks if he can go with him, but the other side wants to go watch Sasuke's and Itachi's fight instead. This is quite interesting taking into account the fact that this was a very important battle for their plan. The white self of Zetsu wanted to go with Pain as if he already knew the outcome of Itachi's fight but the serious one decided that it would be better if they watched The Uchiha Fight.

Conclusion: Madara views Zetsu his equal. Zetsu may have the same view of Madara, but the key difference being he is only using Madara before he discards him.

[Arbitrary]

Going by that thought, if he does respect Madara but only to use him, then we can see the manga go on longer.

After the Akatsuki-Madara arc, Zetsu may leave behind the scenes and a new force shall arrive.

About the Zetsu-giving-orders/receiving-reports, well if they (him and Madara) were partners then they may have thought about a master plan already therefore they can execute the plan better. And by having equal status as you say, Zetsu can also do what Madara can do (mostly perhaps, since they are doing something greater).

[peaceful]

Going by that thought, if he does respect Madara but only to use him. Then we can see the manga go on longer.

After the Akatsuki-Madara arc, Zetsu may leave behind the scenes and a new force shall arrive.

About the Zetsu-giving-orders/receiving-reports, well if they (him and Madara) were partners then they may have thought about a master plan already therefore they can execute the plan better. And by having equal status as you say, Zetsu can also do what Madara can do (mostly perhaps, since they are doing something greater).

Exactly. The mastermind who is even greater than the great mastermind(Madara) is Zetsu. And if we take into consideration the fact that Madara respects him so much, i assume he is very powerful, at least on Madara's level or even greater. It is apparent that they are preparing something big beyond imagination, but at the final stage of the plan i imagine Zetsu betraying him. And then (i hope) there will be an epic battle between them.

[Shinhan]

I"m going to have to disagree here. You cited good reasons but I still don't buy it. The way I see it too much has gone on in the manga to make Madara the ultimate bad guy. He's been a distructive force causing the very events that this manga revolves around. Its not likely that Zetsu will end up being above him in any way. I really doubt that he is on Madaras level. He could just be really clever, or possibly a great spy. There's nothing to prove that he's a great fighter, the mastermind behind everyhing, or anything but Madaras subordinate. IMO.

[Arbitrary]

He may not be as strong or great as Madara, but he can be the best spy there is... ever. By being the best spy, he may survive whatever the recoil of Madara's plan (of course it is bound to fail since the manga is called Naruto).

If he survives, he may lead us to a new greater arc of villains. People in the Narutoverse will eventually learn about the achievements of Konoha (esp. Naruto) after the Akatsuki-Madara arc thus, they may find exploits to use against them. Zetsu apparently can record just as he said to Madara after the Sasuke-Itachi battle.

If you have watched at least the last episode of Gundam 00 First Season (the scene of Alejandro and Ribbons, with Alejandro dying), we may see a similar scene when Madara eventually falls.

Still, we have seen many defeats of the first main antagonist (Orochimaru) but he held his ground very well. We cannot assure how much long will the current arc thrive before a new one (Orochimaru's return!) finally emerges.

[Shinhan]

No I'm thinking the end of Madara will mark the end of Naruto. I'm hoping that this meeting of Kages and further events will eventually lead to Naruto creating a peace treaty and disolving ninjas as war tools. Once Madara is stopped I'm expecting pervy sages dream to be a reality. As for Zetsu I hope Killer Bee kills him.

[POW]

An intresting thread & good research however I would not say Madara places his trust so blindly. He is the ultimate mastermind so he always analyses his subordinates well before recruiting them.

Everyone in Akatsuki has their own beliefs Zetsu is no exception but his personal belief in himelf shows partly why he works alone aside from his abilities.

In an orginization of villains trust is never a strong factor they are united in thier mutal goals.

I would quote from Gaara that to live without a purpose is the same as being dead. Zetsu may only believe in himself but he still needs a purpose in life and a goal to pursue whatever they maybe.

One thing that intrests me is why he has to record all the fights? Is it so Madara can copy all the jutsu's?

Anyways the databook backs up the idea that Zetsu does not trust Madara.

Here is the databook on Zetsu.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h3...7Zetsucopy.jpg

[Arbitrary]

No I'm thinking the end of Madara will mark the end of Naruto. I'm hoping that this meeting of Kages and further events will eventually lead to Naruto creating a peace treaty and disolving ninjas as war tools. Once Madara is stopped I'm expecting pervy sages dream to be a reality. As for Zetsu I hope Killer Bee kills him.

This is why exactly the manga will NOT end. Lots of characters / events / plots to explore because Kishi has opened up such event.

[Shinhan]

But you're assuming that Madara will be defeated very very soon. That isn't the only possibility. Alot of events could take place (including those) before the final fight with Madara.

[Arbitrary]

An intresting thread & good research however I would not say Madara places his trust so blindly. He is the ultimate mastermind so he always analyses his subordinates well before recruiting them. - Deception is a key in victory.

Everyone in Akatsuki has their own beliefs Zetsu is no exception but his personal belief in himelf shows partly why he works alone aside from his abilities.

In an orginization of villains trust is never a strong factor they are united in thier mutal goals. - Agree.

I would quote from Gaara that to live without a purpose is the same as being dead. Zetsu may only believe in himself but he still needs a purpose in life and a goal to pursue whatever they maybe.

One thing that intrests me is why he has to record all the fights? Is it so Madara can copy all the jutsu's? - For the lulz? [replacer_img]

Anyways the databook backs up the idea that Zetsu does not trust Madara.

Until the current arc progresses, we have little knowledge for now. Damn.