Akatsuki (Naruto)

For other uses, see Akatsuki (disambiguation).

File:Akatsuki Naruto.jpg

Akatsuki

In the fictional manga and anime series Naruto, the Akatsuki (暁, meaning "Dawn," or "Daybreak") is a criminal organization which is first introduced midway into the first arc; it gains greater significance in the storyline during the second arc. Despite its small size (it consists of nine S-class kage-level wanted criminals), the Akatsuki is extremely influential due to its potency, which is due in no small part to its elite membership. The exact criteria for admission to the group are unknown, but extraordinary fighting ability and deadly ruthlessness seems to be prerequisites; the rings worn by the members seem to have a significance in the process of joining. It has been speculated by fans that in order to join the Akatsuki one must break away past relations (this explanation explains Uchiha Itachi's wholesale slaughter of his clan: he had to kill them to not merely prove himself a strong fighter, but also to sever his previous connection). The members of Akatsuki who wear village headbands have struck a line through the village symbol on the plate, supporting the hypothesis further.

Most people believe that the organization is called Akatsuki, dawn, is because their working for the dawn of a new world order. This would explain their need for the Bijū and other things that they aren't shown collecting.

Akatsuki's motive is still obscure, and one of the more interesting unresolved questions Naruto poses; they show great interest in the powers of the Bijū (Tailed beasts) and the leader has obliquely referred to their ultimate goal as "obtaining the Kyūbi... And everything else." They currently possess three Bijū (one is the One-tailed Shukaku, the other two are unknown).

Known Members

The Akatsuki comprises ten members; this is only when one includes former member Orochimaru who left and founded Otogakure for an unknown reason (presumed to be due to Itachi's power). Orochimaru's position was that of 空 (Kū, "Sky"); Currently, the known members include:

Uchiha Itachi

Uchiha Itachi

Uchiha Itachi

Name: Uchiha Itachi, うちはイタチ
Age: 17^{1 at the start of the series, now 202
Rank: Jounin/Former ANBU Black Ops Leader
Height: 175.2 cm2
Weight: 57.1 kg2
Birthday: June 9
Blood Type: AB}
Registration #: 012110
Ring: 朱 (Shu, scarlet/bloody)
Position: Right ring finger
Partner: Hoshigaki Kisame
Affiliation: Akatsuki, Uchiha Clan, Nukenin (Missing-nin) from Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf)
Signature Abilities: Sharingan, Mangekyō Sharingan, Amaterasu (Shining Heaven), Tsukuyomi (Moon Reader), Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Art of the Shadow Doppelganger), Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique), Kage Bunshin Daibakuha (Shadow Doppelganger Great Explosion), Magen: Kyōten Chiten (Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change), Suiton: Suigadan (Water Release: Water Fang Bullet)

Noted even within the Bingo Book (a list of powerful ninja who have been marked for assassination because of their crimes), Uchiha Itachi is an S-Class criminal and a Konoha Nukenin. He graduated at the top of his Academy class at age 7, had mastered the Sharingan by age 8, became a Chūnin at 10 and was previously a Black Ops (ANBU in the Japanese versions and the English Anime) squad leader at the age of only 13.

He left Konoha about five years prior to the setting of Naruto, after slaying his whole clan, sparing only Uchiha Sasuke, his little brother. At 17, he was feared by even Orochimaru. He is now currently associated with Akatsuki. Orochimaru had planned to use Itachi's body as a new container for his soul, but Itachi's power had grown to such a frightening extent that Orochimaru dared not carry out his plan, and decided to leave Akatsuki and try his luck with the younger Sasuke instead.

The reason Itachi killed his clan, and the reason he left only his brother Sasuke alive, still remains unclear. When questioned by Sasuke, he replied "To test my 'Utsuwa'." In Japanese, 'Utsuwa' (器) can mean "Vessel," or "Container," but it can also mean "Ability," or "Tool." Orochimaru uses this word to refer to the bodies he takes over with his Fushi Tensei no Jutsu ("Living Corpse Reincarnation"). In this respect, Itachi's words can mean anything from him having a past connection with Orochimaru, to him simply wanting to test his own power, or to his plans to join Akatsuki and forsake past relations. To make matters even more ambiguous, the first person pronoun Itachi used can also be used as a vulgar second person pronoun. So he could also have meant that he wanted to test Sasuke's 'Utsuwa,' although this is unlikely, given his previous remarks about his 'Utsuwa'.

He was until recently the only known person who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan as revealed in the manga. Itachi has told Sasuke that if Sasuke were to obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan, the people able to use it will total three. It is unknown who the second person Itachi is referring to.

Despite being the murderer of his entire clan as well as his best and closest friend, a top member of Akatsuki, and a shinobi capable of putting an adult shinobi to sleep at a mere glance; Itachi is by no means a cold blooded murderer looking for any excuse to kill someone in their way. When Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai stood between him and the way to his goal (Uzumaki Naruto), he did not kill Kurenai when given the chance, though he did wound her enough for her to remember it; as well as trap her within her own Genjutsu.

Trivia

• The name "Itachi" means "Weasel". In Japanese mythology, weasels are a bad omen, signifying bad luck and death.
• While it is generally agreed on by fans that Uchiha Itachi became an ANBU captain and massacred his entire clan at age 13, quite a few of them seem to be confused about when he graduated from the academy, mastered the Sharingan, and became Chūnin. The events are often misinterpreted as having happened one or two years earlier than they did.
• His favorite food appears to be green and red colored dango (Japanese dumplings) on a stick.

Hoshigaki Kisame

Hoshigaki Kisame

Hoshigaki Kisame

Name: Hoshigaki Kisame, 干柿鬼鮫
Age: 29¹ when first introduced, now 31²
Rank: ?
Height: 195 cm²
Weight: 83.1 kg²
Birthday: March 18
Blood Type: AB
Ring: 南 (Nan (Minami), south)
Position: Left ring finger
Partner: Uchiha Itachi
Affiliation: Akatsuki, Nukenin (Missing-nin) from Kirigakure (Hidden Mist), Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū (Seven Swordsmen of the Mist)
Signature Abilities: Samehada, Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique), Suiton: Bakusui Shōha (Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave), Suiton: Goshokuzame (Water Release: Five Eating Sharks), Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Art of the Water Doppelganger), Suirō no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique)

Hoshigaki Kisame, along with Uchiha Itachi attempted to kidnap Uzumaki Naruto the first story arc, Part I, but were thwarted by Jiraiya. Itachi later explained that it wasn't the proper time to kidnap Naruto yet. Kisame and his sword Samehada (鮫肌, "Shark skin") both have shark-like characteristics. The sword also has the ability to drain and eat chakra.

Kisame comes from Kirigakure. He is known as the Mysterious Person of the Hidden Mist (霧隠れの怪人, Kirigakure no Kaijin). He is also one of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū (霧の忍刀七人衆, "Seven Swordsmen of the Mist"), seven powerful ninja who utilize large and unique swords. Momochi Zabuza and Kurosuki Raiga (anime only) were also members.

The amount of chakra Kisame possesses is apparently considered very large, even by the Akatsuki's standards. The Leader commented on his amount of chakra; a Kisame body-double at 30% power, made with the Leader's Shōten no Jutsu (Shapeshifting Technique), had as much chakra as Uzumaki Naruto possessed while drawing on the Nine-Tails chakra when he fought Neji during the Chūnin exams. A similar observation was made by Hyūga Neji when he observed Kisame's body-double with his Byakugan. Kisame also has immense physical strength as he demonstrated against Sarutobi Asuma and later against Maito Gai.

Like everyone seen from the Hidden Mist Village, Kisame uses water element jutsu in combination with his powerful physical attacks.

Trivia

• Kisame (鬼鮫) means demon shark, probably a reference to his tall height and appearance.
• Hoshigaki (干柿) means dried persimmon.
• Kisame's shark-like appearance and his sword Samehada are rumored by fans to have been related to the Three-Tailed Shark in Japanese legend known as Isonade and his subordinate Samehada. Some fans think that one of the Bijū (Tailed Beasts) taken already by Akatsuki was an Isonade, and Kisame now contains it. This could explain his unusual amount of chakra and possibly his peculiar appearance; other fans differ, believe that his character is just inspired by the mythical monster, and he doesn't actually contain the Bijū.
• Kisame is the only other person to use suiton without a water source besides Nidaime.
• Kisame doesn't seem to mind taking orders from other members of Akatsuki, it more appears he sees them as his friends and always wants to hear their opinions.
• Like all Akatsuki members thus far, Kisame is surprisingly very honorable. An example of this is when he wouldn't let anyone get in the way of Itachi and Saskue's fight believe it was family matters.

Sasori

Hiruko

Hiruko

Sasori's true form

Sasori's true form

Name: Akasuna no Sasori, 赤砂のサソリ, "Sasori of the Red Sand", literally "Scorpion of the Red Sand"
Age: ? (deceased)²
Rank: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Ring: 玉 (Gyoku, jewel/ball)
Position: Left thumb
Partner: Deidara (previously Orochimaru)
Affiliation: Akatsuki, Nukenin (Missing-nin) from Sunagakure (Hidden Sand)
Signature Abilities: Kugutsu no Jutsu (Puppet Technique) (Hiruko, Sandaime Kazekage, himself, etc.), Aka Higi: Hyakki no Sōen (Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets), Satetsu (the Sandaime Kazekage's jutsu via the Sandaime Kazekage puppet)

Deidara's partner, Sasori is a Nukenin (Missing-nin) from Sunagakure (Hidden Sand). In first appearance, he is a hideous hunchbacked figure with a poisoned scorpion-like puppet tail attached. He is known as Akasuna no Sasori ("Sasori of the Red Sand"), the creator of Kankurō's puppets and a genius puppeteer in his own right. His first appearance is during their mission to Sunagakure where Deidara is to capture Gaara. After Gaara's capture, Kankurō attempts to stop the Akatsuki duo, but to no avail. Sasori battled the enraged brother, nearly killing him and easily destroying Kankurō's puppets in the process.

It is revealed that he left the village 20 years before, but the background on his crimes is unknown at this point. Flashbacks seem to indicate that his descent into darkness started when his parents died, and he attempted to simulate being with them by turning their corpses into puppets (the first puppets he ever created). After hearing news of his return, Sasori's grandmother Chiyo, decides to join Team Kakashi in search of the duo and to rescue Gaara.

Sasori and Deidara have quite different views of what art is. Sasori believes art is something that should last, while Deidara believes art is fleeting. Although Deidara respects Sasori's view, Sasori doesn't seem to respect Deidara's.

During combat, and possibly all the time, Sasori "wears" his puppets and controls them from inside, thus eliminating the puppeteer's weakness of being a separate and exposed target. His favorite puppet is named 'Hiruko' (ヒルコ), according to Chiyo. Hiruko has a mechanical tail extending from the mouth of what appears to be a mask on his back, the left arm is something that appears to be a large studded projectile capable of firing shrapnel, and the clearly artificial mouth opens to reveal a projectile-firing device. What makes him even more frightening, however, was the fact that Sasori makes his puppets out of human bodies, as he stated in the quote. So far, he has a collection of 298 hitokugutsu, (人傀儡, "person puppets") made out of human bodies. And to show this, after he was forced to abandon Hiruko, he summoned a hitokugutsu of the Sandaime Kazekage. This puppet was made from the living body of the Kazekage, and thus is able to retain some traits and jutsu of the Kazekage while he was alive.

The truly frightening aspect of Sasori, however, was that his real body is actually as young as he was, and bishonen too. The secret of his youth is revealed after the Kazekage puppet is destroyed: he had made himself into a puppet. His stomach is now hollow, allowing a thick cable to be coiled and stored inside; the cable can act both as a stinger and a support for his body. On his back, a pair of arms, equipped with five large claws, is mounted, and on top of the spine is a scroll holder holding four scrolls, used to summon the puppets for his Aka Higi: Hyakki no Soen (Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets). Each of his hands now mounts a flamethrower nozzle. His right chest contains a hidden compartment, which can spin unknown numbers of chakra strings to control one hundred or more puppets. Over his heart is a large talisman that has the kanji 蠍 (Sasori, "Scorpion"). His puppet body can also be pieced back together after being splintered into multiple pieces; this is because the only part of him which is still truly "alive" (and thus able to control chakra) is his heart, located under the talisman. He can also easily transfer the talisman, and by extension himself, between puppets. (How he transfers his face/facial features, as depicted in the manga, is not explained.)

The talisman also proved to be his only weakness, as Chiyo used his mother's and father's puppets to stab him through this location in a manner similar to the hug that he desired. Interestingly, Chiyo seemed to believe that in the end Sasori had allowed himself to be killed - he saw the attack coming and chose not to react, and he died in a way similar to how his parent puppets used to embrace him. At the end of the battle, Chiyo, Sasori, and Sakura are all fatally wounded, but Chiyo uses a jutsu she originally developed for Sasori, "to give life to a lifeless puppet," to save Sakura's life. The jutsu takes the life of the user, but did not kill Chiyo (since Sakura was still alive), until she funneled the last of her life-force through it to revive Gaara after he died.

Sasori's last words (as a reward to Sakura for defeating him) were that he has a spy in Orochimaru's ranks, whom he was supposed to meet with in Kusagakure in ten days. This spy is revealed to be Yakushi Kabuto. However, Orochimaru had long ago undone the jutsu on Kabuto that kept him (and presumably others, such as Yūra) loyal to Akatsuki (Sasori and Deidara knew of Kabuto's betrayal however as shown in chapter 247), and Kabuto remained loyal to Orochimaru.

According to the front cover of volume 31, Sasori's hair is bright red. His eyes have the same color.

Trivia

• Some fans believe Sasori to be still alive. This is due to the fact that when Sasori unveiled his puppet body, he carried four scrolls on his back, and when he had apparently been killed by Sakura and Chiyo, several of the scrolls remained unused. Also, the question of how he is able to transfer his soul to other puppet bodies is unexplained. It is speculated that one of the scrolls at least might be able to revive him, though this is pure guesswork.

Deidara

Deidara in the Manga

Deidara in the Manga

Deidra Colored

Deidra Colored

Name: Deidara, デイダラ
Age: ?
Rank: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Ring: 青 (Sei, blue/green)
Position: Right index finger
Partner: Originally Sasori
Affiliation: Akatsuki, Nukenin (Missing-nin) from Iwagakure
Signature Abilities: Kibaku Nendo (Exploding Clay), Hand-mouths

A Missing-nin from Iwagakure, Deidara is one half of the Akatsuki duo that comes to Sunagakure (Hidden Sand) to kidnap Gaara. A fancy and skillful fighter, with special mouths in the palm of each hand, he is able to manipulate clay into either a flight-capable clay bird that can support him, as well as a huge bomb that is capable of leveling a village without the use of exploding tags. Deidara is teamed with Sasori, whom Deidara refers to as Sasori no Danna (サソリの旦那, "Master Sasori"). This is probably because Deidara has a lot of respect for his fellow artist because Sasori is, as Deidara himself admits, a lot stronger. Despite that, Deidara still argues a lot with Sasori. They often argue about what art is, Deidara holding that art is something that is transient, departing quickly ("Fine art is the beauty of that single fleeting moment of explosion.") whereas Sasori believed that good art is immortal, a thing that lasts a long time. ("Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future... Eternal beauty.") Deidara outwardly seems to respect Sasori's beliefs, but couldn't resist getting a final jab in after Sasori's death ("Like anything that is left for the future as a thing of eternal beauty... He got killed straight off!").

During his fight with Gaara, his left arm was mangled by Gaara's Sabaku Kyū (The Coffin of Crushing Sand), but he still managed to defeat the new Kazekage when he threatened Sunagakure itself. Deidara remarked after winning that it was just like a Kage to save their village over their own life.

Deidara lost his right arm to Hatake Kakashi when Kakashi used his newly obtained Mangekyō Sharingan against him. As a last resort (and in keeping with his favorite art form), Deidara blew up one of his bunshin in an attempt to kill everyone else around him after absorbing some of his clay though his mouth. However, his bunshin was teleported away from the scene by Kakashi. Deidara later returned after burrowing away from the scene and looked for his Akatsuki ring which he lost due to Kakashi's attack. Zetsu and Tobi both expressed surprise that Deidara was still alive when they found him after discovering Sasori's death. Deidara is presumably still a member of Akatsuki, because he had successfully accomplished his mission to capture Gaara.

According to the front cover of volume 31, Deidara's hair is blonde. He has blue eyes.

Trivia

• He tends to end his sentences with "...un" pronounced in the anime with a nasal "n" sound corresponding with the english "hmmm" or "yeah."
• Due to the Japanese language's sparse use of pronouns, translators have to use their own ideas of Deidara's gender to make sentences flow smoothly. This has caused a lot of confusion, since both "he" and "she" are used to refer to Deidara.
• Deidara's final attack has a close similarity to Cell's self-destruction in Dragonball Z. The similarity is only made closer by the way Kakashi managed to teleport it away, much like Goku did in the series.
• Deidara surprised many fans when he was in third place in the sixth Character Popularity Contest (taken in Japan), placing even higher than Uzumaki Naruto.
• Thus far, Deidara appears to be the weakest and the wildest of the Akatsuki but he appears to be stronger than Orochimaru (like all the Akatsuki members) thus showing he is probably the lowest ranking member.

Zetsu

Zetsu

Zetsu

Name: Zetsu, ゼツ
Age: ?
Rank: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Ring: 亥 (Kai, boar)
Position: Right little finger
Partner: None or Not Yet Introduced (most likely the former)
Affiliation: Akatsuki, Nukenin (Missing-nin) from Kusagakure (Hidden Grass)
Signature Ability:

Not much is known about the mysterious Zetsu, indeed, little more than that he is Akatsuki's spy. His head appears to be enveloped in a large Venus flytrap. The right side of his face, and likely his body, is black in color while his left side is white in color. His pupil-less eyes and superior vision suggest that he may harbor something similar to Byakugan and Ranmaru's Kekkei genkai eye abilities. He also has the ability to merge the ground but also with trees and other plants.

His first appearance was after the Naruto and Sasuke fight at the end of Part 1, which he observed in secret. He was also responsible for warning Akatsuki of the positions of the approaching Team Kakashi and Team Gai during their extraction of Gaara's bijū.

He seems to have a split personality, as the white half of his face speaks only in Katakana (which could indicate a robotic voice) while the black side uses Kanji and Kana, and they seem to converse with each other. He is also a cannibal (in Ch. 261, he ate Kisame's body substitute), which fits his "venus flytrap" body.

The Leader dispatched Zetsu to recover Sasori and Deidara's Akatsuki Rings since they were expected to both be killed but Deidara survived. This highlighted some significance in the rings since Zetsu takes Sasori's ring and Tobi asks if he can join Akatsuki in Sasori's place. This leads one to believe that a potential member must have one of the rings, which would explain why Orochimaru was not replaced- he took his ring with him when he left Akatsuki.

Trivia

• Zetsu's ring has the kanji 亥 (Kai, boar) while the list of Akatsuki rings suggests he should have the kanji 玄 (Gen, mysteriousness). The two kanji are somewhat similar in appearance though, which suggests an error by either the artist or the reader/translator.

Akatsuki Leader

The Akatsuki leader in the manga

The Akatsuki leader in the manga

Name: ?
Height: ?
Rank: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Ring: 零 (Rei/zero, zero/nothing/overflow)
Position: Right thumb
Partner: Unknown
Affiliation: Akatsuki
Signature Abilities: Fūin Jutsu: Genryū Kyū Fūjin (Sealing Technique: Illusionary Dragon Nine Consuming Seals)

Not much is known about this person except that he acts like the leader of the Akatsuki; he is the only one to have given orders to other members. He appears to be more human than other Akatsuki members with the exception of Itachi. Considering that the Akatsuki originally had ten members, it seems like the leader was not assigned to capture a Jinchūriki by himself.

Trivia

• Many fans believe that the Akatsuki leader has the Sharingan. This is probably because the scanlation group Inane once cleaned up a low-quality of chapter 254 and, noticing the similarity between the Sharingan and the Leader's eyes, but not being able to see the eyes clearly because of the low quality, gave him Sharingan by adding the Tomoe. This was a mistake, because, when looking at a high-quality version of the chapter, it is clear that there are no tomoe present.
• There are many theories surrounding the identity of the Akatsuki Leader, ranging from him being the Yondaime to him being Uchiba Shisui, due to the spikey hair. However, these theories are just theories, and are not regarded as being hard fact since they have never been proven.

Agents/Subordinates

Yura

Name: Yūra, 由良
Age: ? (deceased)
Rank: Jōnin²
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Registration #: ?
Affiliation: Akatsuki, Sunagakure (Hidden Sand)

Yūra served as a trusted member of the Kazekage advisory council of Sunagakure (Hidden Sand) for four years. In reality, he was a sleeper agent for Akatsuki and a subordinate of Sasori. He was used as a replacement for the Akatsuki Leader's Shōten no Jutsu (Shapeshifting Technique), taking on the shape of Uchiha Itachi. He was killed by Naruto.

Yakushi Kabuto

Kabuto

Kabuto

Name: Yakushi Kabuto, 薬師カブト
Age: 20²
Rank: Genin²
Height: 176,2 cm²
Weight: 65 kg²
Birthday: February 29
Blood Type: AB
Registration #: 012140
Affiliation: Affiliation: Orochimaru gang, Otogakure (Hidden Sound), formerly Akatsuki
Signature Abilities: Shōsen Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique), Nehan Shōja no Jutsu (Temple of Nirvana Technique), Shikon no Jutsu (Dead Soul Technique), In'yu Shōmetsu (Secret Healing Wound Destruction), Meisai Gakure no Jutsu (Hiding Camouflage Technique) (anime only)

A former spy for Sasori, Kabuto betrayed him and Akatsuki in favour of Orochimaru. For more detailed information, click here.

Possible future members

Tobi

Tobi

Tobi

Name: Tobi, トビ
Age: ?
Rank: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Birthday: ?
Blood Type: ?
Ring: ?
Position: ?
Partner: ?
Affiliation: ?
Signature Ability: ?

Tobi is Zetsu's possible subordinate who wishes to fill in Sasori's position now that he is dead. When he found Sasori's ring, he thought he could now be a member of Akatsuki. However, Zetsu scolded him for this, saying it wasn't that easy to join Akatsuki.

Tobi has a very formal, correct manner of speech. Tobi finds Deidara's other arm, but Deidara tells him to drop it. After being scolded by Deidara 3 times, Deidara jokingly strangles Tobi with his feet.

Some fans believe that Uchiha Obito, despite being (apparently) deceased, is Tobi. This is because of the similarity of name (Kishimoto describing himself as heavily inspired by Dragon Ball Z which featured the villain Buu and his reincarnation Uub) and because the apparent mechanization of parts of Tobi's body correspond to the injuries Obito suffered when last seen. In particular, Tobi wears a mask that directs attention to his one working eye. Obito had, in his dying moments, let his other eye be surgically extracted and implanted into his friend Kakashi.

It's unknown if and how Obito would have become Tobi, but at the time of Obito's apparent death, Akatsuki had two members who were highly skilled at the preservation of a body's abilities after death, Orochimaru and Sasori .

It is unknown how powerful he is, but he must be powerful if he believes he can possibly rival the powers of some of the current and deceased members. He is at least a kage-level warrior since everyone in Akatsuki are S-class kage-level criminals.

Former Members

Orochimaru was formerly a member of Akatsuki, where he worked as Sasori's partner. This is particularly as both were interested in attaining a form of immortality by transferring their consciousness into perfect hosts and into methods of resurrection and reanimation, making their partnership potentially full of research and experimentation.

It is unclear as to the circumstances which led to Orochimaru leaving Akatsuki. Orochimaru did state that he left because Itachi was stronger than he, but how truthful Orochimaru was being is unclear. Upon leaving, he kept his Akatsuki ring, which is currently still on the hand of his original body. The apparent special nature of his ring, his knowledge of their plans, and bad blood have led to him being the target of a number of Akatsuki plots, one of which involved a member of his retinue being a (eventually double) sleeper agent.

It is possible he might be an Akatsuki-created Jinchūriki, like Kisame who is also rumoured to be one. Evidence of this is that the Akatsuki has been hesitant to attack him face on, and has delayed their operations to capture more bijū, timing it to the exact time period that his host body would begin to fail. Additionally, there are very strong thematic connections between his character design and one of the Hachimata.

The Unknown Existing Members

It is unknown who are the last three offical members of Akatsuki are-they are only shown as projections in several incidents in the manga and the anime (episode 135) We can assume that one of them does not have a partner as Zetsu seems to work alone and was not originally partnered with Orochimaru.

The Members

File:Akatsuki Naruto.jpg

Akatsuki

This is all we can gather from the picture above on who's who.

• Outer left: Kisame (the sword)
• Back left: Unknown (the big guy)
• Middle left: Unknown
• Inner left: Itachi (hair style)
• Ceiling: Diedara (eyes)
• Middle: The Akatsuki Leader
• Inner Right: Sasori
• Middle Right: Zetsu
• Outer Right: Unknown

Miscellaneous

• In addition to these named members, there are three more Akatsuki yet to be identified.
• "Aka," in Japanese, can mean "Red" (赤), and "Tsuki" can mean "Moon" (月). So, many believe Akatsuki stands for "Red Moon". However, the correct kanji for Akatsuki is 暁, which means "Dawn" or "Daybreak".
• Each Akatsuki member wears a ring, inscribed (with the exception of the leader's ring) with the first kanji related to the nine mythical beasts in Japanese mythology, including the four Kyoto guardian gods (shijin). They are:

• 青龍- せいりゅう, Seiryū - Green/blue Dragon - God of East and Spring

worn by Deidara

• 白虎- びゃっこ, Byakko - White Tiger - God of West and Autumn
• 朱雀 - すざく, Suzaku - Hōō (literally "Red Sparrow") - God of South and Summer

worn by Itachi

• 玄武 - げんぶ, Genbu - Tortoise (literally "Mysterious Warrior") - God of North and Winter

worn by Zetsu

Zetsu's ring actually has the kanji 亥 (Kai, boar). The two kanji are somewhat similar in appearance though, which suggests an error by either the artist or the reader/translator.

• 空陳 - くうちん, Kūchin - The Void

formerly worn by Orochimaru and still in his possession.

• 南斗 - なんじゅ, Nanjū - Southern Star

worn by Kisame

• 北斗 - ほくと, Hokuto - Northern Star
• 三台 - さんたい, Santai - The Three Levels
• 玉女 - ぎょくにょ, Gyokunyō - The Virgin

worn by Sasori (deceased), recovered by Tobi.

• 零, Rei/zero - zero/nothing/overflow

worn by Akatsuki Leader

• The group has a jutsu similar to Orochimaru's Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection) named Shōten no Jutsu (Shapeshifting Technique) which allows a member to replace someone else's body with his own likeness, complete with his jutsu, chakra level, and other abilities, and control it to fight on Akatsuki's behalf.
• There has been a brief mention in the manga about how each Akatsuki member seems to have been assigned one, and only one, bijū to hunt down and capture (manga ch.264), and indeed there is (currently) one Akatsuki member for each bijū.

Sources

1. First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, "Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book")
2. Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, "Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book")
3. Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini, "Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini")
4. Taken directly from the Naruto manga chapters
5. Based on character's ability and status

Uchiha Itachi Fan Links

• Naruto Network - Uchiha Itachi Biography