Interior Monologue # 2: Pain: His philosophy and Introduction to Yu Yu Hakusho

Interior Monologue # 2: Pain: His philosophy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRWw6TW8a1Y - 6:18

https://1anime.to/episode/109502-naruto-shippuden-episode-165_82000-english-dub - 13:15 to 17:47

As I said in the first character analysis of a character from Naruto, there are also characters in the Naruto series who make their first appearance in this series in Naruto Shippuden.  One of these characters is known as Pain.  Pain is also an example of an anime villain that makes you question if he really was a villain.

What makes Pain’s role as a villain questionable is his philosophy, which is seen in the first video that I show of analyzing his character.  Pain wasn’t always known as Pain.  He was born as a child named Nagato who experienced hardship and suffering as he grew up.  Despite his beliefs of achieving true peace as child, his experience of hardship and suffering was greater, and it led to him trying to achieve his version of peace with the Akatsuki, as well as the six paths of Pain (one of these paths is the Path of Asura, which was seen before, and will be again).  Pain’s idea of achieving peace is based on a philosophical idea that results are more important than rules known as utilitarian theory that was developed by philosophers.  Pain thought that only results of violence could bring a rule of peace by taking things too far by trying to play God.  In taking on a role that no one should take, Pain tried to create something he thought was unattainable by making it attainable.  Everyone tries to do this, both hero and villian, and Pain is considered a villian for doing it his way.  This is one of the reasons why Pain is considered a villian.

Pain is also considered a villian due to what happens in the second video.  In the second video, Pain is explaining to Naruto why he would destroy his village, and kill people he cares about, including someone who was also important to him.  Pain explains the cycle of hatred to Naruto, and that it’s what keeps the world they live in going, which is demonstrated by the fact that Pain and Naruto both want the same thing.  However, just because everyone wants the same thing doesn’t mean that getting it will be the same for everyone.  Naruto and Pain may want the same thing, but they have different ideas of getting what they want.  This results in the reasoning for Pain to be considered a villain, and Naruto as a hero.  The ideas of having villains and heroes are just simply ideas, and are based off of what happens.  

Another important thing that happens between Pain and Naruto is seen at the end of this video.  After Naruto thinks about what Pain has told him, with a flashback of what his master, and Nagato’s master, has told him about this hatred, he is asked by Pain of Naruto’s answer to how he’ll create peace.

Character Analysis Assignment - In the style of an interior monologue, write what Pain would be thinking of Naruto’s answer to his question at the end of the second video based on what he said in it, as well as his philosophy from the first video.
Introduction to Yu Yu Hakusho

Summary: Yu Yu Hakusho is my favorite anime series for many reasons, which are seen in the video
I use to explain this anime.  In the video I use to explain this anime, I take a look into this anime from
the perspective of it’s protagonist, or main character, Yusuke Yurameshe.  Yusuke Yurameshe is a
character that not only represents the flight or fight response, a psychological phenomenon that
explains how we react to certain situations we are faced with in our lives, but how both responses can
be seen in one person, not just one or the other.  How this is possible is also seen in the video for this
presentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpZ6aYb7zsU&t=310s - 15:08

Yu Yu Hakusho is my favorite anime series.   The reasons for this will be seen throughout this week (next 4 days) of doing a more thorough analysis of it, starting with a video of a basic analysis of this anime.

In the video I show of a basic analysis of Yu Yu Hakusho (I think a video analyzing the main character of the anime is essentially a basic analysis of the anime), it starts off with an interesting question, and the rest of it’s an example of an answer by talking about Yusuke Yurameshe, the main character of Yu Yu Hakusho.  The question is basically an interesting way of asking us about the flight or fight response, which is both an important psychological concept and a question for us to answer (one of the reflection and discussion questions for this reflection).  The answer is equally, if not more, interesting because it gives us an example of how someone can do both in the character Yusuke.

I think an important element in Yusuke’s character that enables him to have a combination of the flight or fight response is the idea of his lack of a conscious agenda, which the video mentions near the end.  Besides giving an example of it in the character Goku in an incident in Dragonball Z (like I said, the Dragonball series has a big influence on anime, and this is one example), it’s mostly seen in Yusuke by what he likes to do, which is fight.  He doesn’t have concrete reasons for fighting.  He just likes to do it.  However, he also likes to solve his problems by running away from them, or dealing with them in other ways, like by smoking, drinking, and gambling (gambling is really gaming, although both are similar - I guess the smoking and drinking are in the manga; I have nothing against manga, but I stick with anime).  Either way, his reactions are ways he expresses himself, and they depend on what happens according to him, which is also what I think makes him realistically flawed (Yusuke is at the age where his brain isn’t fully developed, specifically the part that controls executive functioning, or decision making).  These reactions are also influenced by the other characters in this series.

Yusuke’s character is also influenced by the other characters in this series, as we see in this video.  The first one introduced in this video is Yusuke’s mother Aunt Suko (aunt?  Only manga mentions she gives birth to Yusuke - in the anime, Yusuke’s birth mother is a mystery woman that the demon Raizen falls in love with; manga also mentions another father who is human - really complicated for Yusuke anyway, which is common for anime characters).  She tries to raise Yusuke on her own despite her problems, but this isn’t good enough for Yusuke, as he tries to do this himself, which is what gives him a bad reputation as a troubled kid (I see this a lot where I work - a lot of our students are like Yusuke).  It’s also the reason he sacrifices his life for someone else, even someone he doesn’t know (the first episode is really interesting because it starts with this sacrifice - definitely worth watching).

However, when Yusuke does this, and when he attempts to get his life back, he’s able to see that people did care for him in their own way, even his mother.  Like I said, Yusuke’s mother did try to raise Yusuke on her own despite her problems, but she still cared for him.  Another significant example of such a character is Keiko, who is not only Yusuke’s childhood friend, but also his girlfriend (this relationship is really interesting).  Keiko clearly demonstrates this when she risks her life to protect Yusuke’s dead body in order for him to come back.  Yusuke chooses to save Keiko even if he can’t come back, although making such a decision is how he continues the trials of getting his life back (the anime may have removed most of them, but this one is definitely worth seeing, both here and in the fourth episode of this series).  When Yusuke does get his life back, thanks largely to Keiko (with help from the character Kuwabara, who is also an interesting character), this idea of caring in their own way for him continues with these characters and others.

One of these other characters is a woman named Genkai.  After Yusuke gets his life back, he starts his work as Spirit Detective for the person who decided to give him a second chance (Koenma, the son of the ruler of Spirit World).  His first case is to stop three demon thieves, and bring back what they have stolen from Spirit World (more about this when analyzing the characters Hiei and Kurama, two of these demon thieves, both this week and next week).  He meets Genkai on his second case of winning her tournament to receive her training, which an example of is seen in this video and again in the fight I analyze from Yusuke’s third case in the next reflection for this day (the second case isn’t a fan favorite - the example of this training definitely is).  Genkai continues to be an important influence for Yusuke due to how Genkai handles his character.  Genkai continues to train Yusuke not only to increase his power, but also to increase his understanding of fighting, specifically why he actually fights (Genkai pretty much replaces Aunt Suko as Yusuke’s mother - interestingly enough, as Genkai is seen more as this series continues, Aunt Suko is seen a lot less, and not at all).

This continues to be seen directly by Genkai in The Dark Tournament (Yusuke’s 5th case - I talk more about his 4th case when analyzing the character Hiei and this 5th case).  The first major enemy that Yusuke faces is Toguro (the younger one - Elder Toguro is his brother who Kuwabara seemingly defeats, and is finished for good by Kurama), a former ally of Genkai (more about this when analyzing The Dark Tournament tomorrow, although part of it is also seen in this video, like the part with Puu).  This also continues with her in Yusuke’s 6th case of fighting Sensui, the second major enemy, and his psychic henchmen (more about that one when analyzing this on Wednesday - part of it’s also seen in this video).  Genkai isn’t directly involved in Yusuke’s last “case” of the Demon World Tournament (we’ll see why this isn’t really a case on Thursday), but is still important in reminding him of why he’s fighting (also seen on Thursday).

The influence of Genkai is one of the reasons that Yu Yu Hakusho is my favorite anime series, as well as how it starts.  There are other reasons that will be seen as this analysis continues, but I figured starting it with a basic analysis would help (I also like how it treats the beginnings of what happens in this series - more about this basic analysis video, specifically the ending of it, and anime in general, in the conclusion).  I continue it today with a reflection of Yusuke’s fight in his third case.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1. When you find yourself with you back against the wall, do you retaliate, or do you let the world consume you?  Explain your answer.
2. Do you think it’s possible to both retaliate and let the world consume you?  Why or why not?