Review: Naruto Shippuden “The Man Named Kisame”

Kisame has been captured, but that can’t be it for the man known as the zero tailed beast, right?

 

Kisame was tricked by Gai, and that led him to be captured by Gai and Bee. However, Kisame didn’t get into the Akatsuki on pure power alone. I dig this episode a lot, because Kisame was a badass since the word go. Unfortunately, if you’re not named Uchiha and in the Akatsuki, you’re probably going to end up dead.

Spoilers!

As such, the aftermath of Gai’s Hirudora just hits the island. The animation is crisp here, because even the details of Naruto’s hair is seen flapping in the wind gust. Gai, still powered up, is standing over Kisame, and explains that Hirudora is a pure taijutsu move. Kisame then moves a muscle, and gets his insides rearranged by Gai’s punch. So, Gai brings Kisame back, and Yamato puts Kisame in stockades. Aoba uses this moment to get into Kisame’s head, and learn intel for themselves.

Aoba uses his jutsu to get inside Kisame’s head, and goes back to when Kisame was a ninja in the hidden mists. He’s with the Cypher Corps, and he’s as ornery has ever. Then Aoba flashes back even further, to when Fuguki Suikazan gives Kisame the mission to protect the missive and the corps at all costs. The corps is attacked by the Leaf, and Kisame starts sacrificing the Cypher Corps so he can acomplishes the mission. Ibiki (with a lot less facial scars) asks Kisame why he killed his team. Kisame responds that the Mist has secrets he couldn’t let fall into the enemy’s hand.

Aoba flashes forward, and we get Kisame killing Fuguki Suikazan, and taking Samehada for himself. As Kisame goes to walk out, he is stopped by the fourth Mizukage, Yagura. Yagura tells Kisame that he’s now the owner of Samehada, and Yagura’s direct subordinate. Kisame has done the work for the village that no one else would. Behind Yagura, Madara steps out, and offers to let Kisame join the Akatsuki. The mere mention of Madara’s name shakes Kisame, but Kisame wants Madara to reveal himself.

Before Aoba can see the identity of Madara, Kisame bites his tongue off so he can wake up. He breaks out of the stockade, and encapsulates himself in a dome of water, and summons sharks. The sharks are summoned just to eat Kisame so he doesn’t have to defend against Aoba’s intel gathering. Before the sharks start eating, he has a flashback to the first time he met Itachi. What brought the flashback was one of the  final thing Itachi said at that meeting: “No one who dares raise a hand against a comrade will ever dies a decent death. Remember that.” Kisame remembers that down to the last second.

So, of course, everyone is shocked by Kisame’s sacrifice, even Samehada. However, they have the scroll, still. Gai has the idea to open it, but it was a trap. Everyone is trapped in the Water Prison Jutsu, along with summoned sharks. One shark grabs the scroll, and gets out to sea, while the team is stuck inside their water prisons.

This episode flew by, didn’t it? The episode focused on the type of ninja Kisame was, and how that got him right into the Akatsuki. Like I said before, the animation is really crisp. I’m glad to see these episodes were drawn that well, because I keep getting flashbacks to how bad some of the animation and drawing the Pein fight had.  Kisame really surprised me, because everything he did, he viewed that he did for the better of the world. He wanted to rid the world of lies, and find a place to belong, and he thought he was doing the right thing.

There really wasn’t much I have to say on the episode that I haven’t said already. With each member’s story, you find why an Akatsuki member is the real deal. From Sasori and Deidara, to Pein and Tobi / Madara. You could go with “they’re the baddest of the bad, so they’re the most wanted,” but proof always works better.

This was a great back story and outro for Kisame. If you’re a Kisame fan, or a fan of giant sharks, check it out. It’s also a good prelude to Shark week in a couple weeks. Check out the episode on Hulu.