When it comes to memorable characters in the world of anime, Konan from Naruto Shippuden is a name that frequently comes up. Her enigmatic presence, intricate abilities, and pivotal role in the series make her a character worth exploring in depth. In this article, we will delve into the fascinating world of Konan, a character whose complexity and depth have left an indelible mark on Naruto Shippuden fans.
Contents
All about Konan
[schemas]- Birthdate: February 20
- Sex: Female
- Age: Part II: 35
- Status: Deceased
- Height: Part II: 169.4 cm
- Weight: Part II: 45.3 kg
- Blood type: O
- Classification: S-rank/Sensor Type
- Occupation: Village Head
- Affiliation: Amegakure/Akatsuki
- Team: Ame Orphans
- Partner: Nagato
Konan’s Background
When she was young, Konan’s family was killed during the Second Shinobi World War, and she was left to fend for herself. Some time later, Yahiko found her, and the two worked together to survive.
Not long after that, Konan went for a walk and found a young, dying Nagato and his dog, Chibi. She rescued him and brought him back to their hideout. Gradually the three became best friends.
They eventually encountered the Sannin, who gave them some food. Konan impressed them by making an elaborate flower out of the paper wrappers left behind as a sign of gratitude.
When Orochimaru suggested to kill them so they would not have to suffer the horrors of war, Jiraiya instead opted to stay and teach the three how to look after themselves.
During their time with Jiraiya, he made a defence system composed of four planks, each with one red and one white side, attached to a part of a wall of the hideout they shared at the time with a string and a nail, each one above one of their names, which he called “Hop-In” planks.
The purpose of the planks were that when they were in the hideout, they turn their planks to the red side and they leave, they flip their plank to the white side, so when a plank’s on the red side and the person’s not in the hideout, it means they could have been captured by the enemy and when a plank’s on the white side and it appears that the person’s in the hideout, it could mean that an enemy has transformed into said person and has infiltrated the hideout, along with a trapdoor hidden among the floorboards leading to a hidden room and emergency escape route he left just in case.
After Jiraiya was confident they could take care of themselves, he told Konan that she will be very beautiful when she grows up and to come see him when she turns eighteen. With that said, he left for Konoha and the three continued to bring peace to their land.
Over time, the three formed Akatsuki and became renowned for their strength and effectiveness, with news of their actions even reaching Konoha.
When their group became too big, they were forced to find another hideout, and leave their current one. When they were about to leave, two Iwa ninja attacked the hideout but Yahiko noticed in time and they used the escape route to escape.
Through out their time together, Konan became close with Yahiko. During the Third Shinobi World War, their group was approached by a man calling himself “Madara Uchiha”. He offered to help them in their pursuits but Yahiko refused the offer, suspecting he only meant to use them.
Through out their quest for peace, Akatsuki’s ranks grew and became known throughout of Amegakure, so much so that Hanzō began to feel that Akatsuki threatened his rule so he approached the group and offered that they work together.
The next day while on patrol, Konan was abducted by Hanzo’s men and was brought to the meeting where he ordered Nagato to kill Yahiko in exchange for her life. Konan cried out for them to flee without her, but they refused to leave her behind.
Nagato was paralysed in shock by the order but Yahiko stabbed himself with the kunai in Nagato’s hand and in a fit a rage, Nagato saved Konan by slaughtering the Anbu and Hanzō’s subordinates.
Accepting Tobi’s earlier offer of support, Nagato and Konan began recruiting S-rank missing-nin into Akatsuki and started offering its services as a mercenary group to ninja villages, earning the money necessary to fund its long-term plans.
Some time later, Nagato under the alias of Pain, began a civil war within Amegakure, and as his messenger, Konan promised to the villagers that he would bring change to their village and other nations.
Nagato eventually killed Hanzo and Konan assumed his identity to make it appear to the world that he was still alive and in control of Amekagure. In the anime, Konan aided in recruiting Hidan into the organisation.
Konan’s Personality
Konan, a fictional character from the Naruto anime and manga series, is known for her unique and intriguing personality traits. Here are some key aspects of Konan’s personality:
- Calm and Composed: Konan is typically calm and composed, even in intense or dangerous situations. She approaches challenges with a level-headed demeanor, which makes her a valuable asset to her team, the Akatsuki.
- Loyalty: Konan is fiercely loyal to her friends and comrades, especially to Yahiko and Nagato (Pain). She is dedicated to their shared goals of achieving peace and eliminating conflict in the world.
- Strong-willed: She possesses a strong sense of determination and is unwavering in her pursuit of peace. Konan’s commitment to her beliefs is evident in her actions and decisions.
- Intellectually Sharp: Konan is intelligent and strategic, often using her intellect to her advantage during battles. She is known for her use of paper-based jutsu, which requires precision and clever tactics.
- Artistic: Konan has a creative side, as seen in her origami-style jutsu techniques. She can transform sheets of paper into various weapons and defenses, displaying her artistic flair even in combat.
- Protective: Konan cares deeply for those she considers family, and she is willing to put herself in harm’s way to protect them. Her protective nature is particularly evident in her interactions with Yahiko and Nagato.
- Tragic Past: Konan’s personality is shaped by her tragic past, having grown up in a war-torn environment. This background has contributed to her strong desire for peace and her resolve to end the cycle of violence.
- Mysterious Aura: She often carries an air of mystery about her, which adds to her enigmatic personality. Konan’s quiet and reserved demeanor can make it challenging for others to gauge her true thoughts and emotions.
Overall, Konan’s personality is a blend of calmness, loyalty, determination, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to her ideals of peace. Her character is an integral part of the Naruto series, and her depth adds complexity to the story’s themes of conflict and redemption.
Konan’s Appearance
Konan had short, straight blue hair with a bun, grey eyes (amber in the anime) with lavender eye shadow, and a white (black in the anime) labret piercing. Konan’s eyelashes are shown to be a diagonal line at the bottom corner of her eyes, but in the anime, they are shown to be distinctive lines.
She has worn a large light blue paper flower clipped on her bun since she was a child. Her facial expression was usually neutral, though usually protested or looked worried when Nagato performed a technique that would debilitate him.
She wore the Akatsuki cloak and her Akatsuki ring on her right middle finger, the kanji on it meaning “white” (白, byaku, haku). She also wore orange nail polish.
Although she never removed her Akatsuki mantle, it was revealed that underneath it she wore a revealing navy blue robe, with a large hemline on the front, and exposed her arms, her back, the lateral part of her breast and her belly, with her navel being surrounded by four more piercings.
It was also revealed that her headband is on her right hip instead of the standard sandals and leg warmers, she wore a pair of blue pants that also functioned as her shoes, with white high heels, inverting the organisation’s standard colour scheme.
As a child, Konan was seen wearing an array of simple clothing. When living with Jiraiya, she was seen wearing a karate top and skirt bottom, with a pouch she wore at the front of her outfit to carry her paper.
When Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato began to make Akatsuki, Konan wore a black cloak with purple stockings and high heels, as well as a midsection guard, and an Ame forehead protector, that being the only time period Konan’s been seen wearing one.
Konan’s Abilities
As an S-rank criminal who grew up in war-torn times and being personally trained under Jiraiya, one of the three legendary Sannin, Konan was undoubtedly a very powerful kunoichi.
Her skills were held in high regard by her partner Pain, and has been highly praised by her former teacher, Jiraiya. She was also able to nearly kill Obito, with the latter only surviving due to using the kinjutsu Izanagi, something she did not anticipate in her countless simulations of their battle.
Ninjutsu
Konan’s nature transformations included Wind, Water, Earth, and Yang Release. In the anime, she was also revealed to be a sensor type shinobi.
Paper Ninjutsu
As a child, Konan has had a natural talent for origami. She would go on to develop it into her fighting style, leading to the creation of the Dance of the Shikigami.
This technique transforms her entire body and clothing into numerous sheets of paper that she can control, shape and change the colour of at will. She could create butterflies in order to gather information or travel long distances.
She could harden her paper with chakra to make weapons such as spears, shuriken and chakram like weapons. She could restrain opponents by blanketing them in paper, and asphyxiate them if she wanted.
She could make paper clones to fight in her place, and even hide explosive tags within them to catch an enemy off guard. Befitting her title as Angel (天使, Tenshi), she was able to form paper wings on her back. This allowed her to fly (though she was able to hover without them), as well as fire paper from the wings.
Despite being made of paper, Jiraiya’s Fire Release: Flame Bullet barely damaged her when hit by it. She could even overpower the same technique with her paper. Her paper seemed unaffected by water, as seen during her fight against Tobi in the rain.
Konan was also able to produce and fold enough paper to mimic environmental surroundings, such as a giant tree that she used for Nagato’s base of operations.
She was also able to disguise her paper as the lake of Amegakure, which when opened, sends her opponent falling into an abyss with six hundred billion explosive tags detonating for a full ten minutes. This technique forced Tobi to use the Izanagi to survive since his intangibility would only last for five minutes.
Intelligence
Konan had a very keen intellect as she was able to quickly understand the process and reason behind the hop in, hop out system Jiraiya had created for them.
In later years, she studied Tobi’s space time technique, accurately deciphering how it worked and then did countless simulations in order to find the perfect way to kill him. Even Tobi expressed surprise that he was forced to rely on the forbidden Izanagi to survive her final assault at the cost of his left eye.
In the vast and intricate world of Naruto Shippuden, Konan stands out as a character who embodies perseverance, strength, and the power of conviction. Her unique abilities, compelling backstory, and pivotal role in the series make her a memorable figure for fans of the anime.
Whether you admire her Paper Jutsu or resonate with her unwavering determination, Konan’s presence in Naruto Shippuden is a testament to the rich storytelling and character development that define this beloved series.
As we bid farewell to this enigmatic character, we are reminded that in the world of anime, it’s characters like Konan who leave an indelible mark on our hearts and minds, transcending the boundaries of fiction to become timeless icons of storytelling.
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