Character Application Example -- Itachi

Rachael · Rachael on Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:26 pm

Name: Uchiha Itachi

Gender: Male (I think)

Age: 21

Village/Affliation: Ex-Konoha; Akatsuki

Element(s): Fire

Important Relationships: Kisame (partner); Sasuke (little brother); Madara (ex-sensei)

Appearance: Long, flowing raven hair that cascades over his hooded eyes, mostly held back in a maroon ponytail; long eyelashes that frame his eyes, nicely complimenting the crimson Sharingan; two lines below his eyes due to his facial structure; a slender body with perfect posture; customary Akatsuki cloak as garb, as well as a Konoha forehead protector with a single slash through it, signifying his (apparent) disloyalty to the village.
Yeah, he may sound like a Gary-Stu, but that's canon for ya.

Personality: Cold, silent, and brooding; rarely speaks, but his words are meaningful when he does; thoughtful, cool, and calculating; nonviolent due to trauma from fighting in the Third Ninja War; never kills unnecessarily, and makes a point to avoid most conflict when possible; unfathomably clever; really quite loving and willing to sacrifice anything for loved ones.

Jutsu: Everything the Sharingan can copy...but his main are: {Exploding} Kage Buunshin and Katon: Goukakyu

Specialties: Abilities of the Mangekyou Sharingan: Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and Susanou

Strongest Attribute: Genjutsu

Weakpoint: Tendency to overuse the Mangekyou; Sasuke

Summons: None

Miscellaneous: Always seems to be a step ahead of everyone. Often hesitates before speaking, which indicates he gives his words some thought before voicing them. Creator of the Forehead Poke of Doom™.
Infamous Revenge Speech: "Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, despise me, hate me. Run away, run away... Cling to life and survive in an unsightly way. Then someday, when you've the same eyes as I, come before me."
(Note: the fact that he never hesitates before reciting the speech gives away the fact that he'd apparently practiced it beforehand and picked the words with great caution. He obviously knows how big of an impact they'll make on Sasuke and wanted them to be perfect. < 3)

Catchphrase: "Orokana otouto yo." ("Foolish little brother.")

History: Long believed to be the future leader of the Uchiha clan, Itachi was the sole hope for many to take on his father's position and assume his position of authority over his fellow clan members as well as join the Police Force. However, he unexplainably began to look down upon the clan suddenly, believing it to be a worthless, pathetic organization that flaunted its power unnecessarily and was begging for its end by displaying such ostentatiousness and arrogance. He stopped being the loving, caring brother towards Sasuke that he once used to be and took on a detached, indifferent personality, claiming that he didn't care if Sasuke hated him -- that was one path for the shinobi: to be hated all their lives. He would exist as an obstacle Sasuke had to overcome, and that he did.
One night, without warning, Sasuke came home late to discover a horror that would change his life forever; the clan, his entire family, was dead. And none other than his own older brother, to whom he had once looked up and admired, stood above the corpses of his parents with a bloodstained katana. From that moment, he vowed to take revenge on the brother who so selfishly (seemingly) killed the clan to "test his capability."
It was later revealed that Itachi was ordered by Konoha to kill the entire clan, but he couldn't bring himself to take the life of the younger brother he loved so much. As a result, he did everything within his power to protect Sasuke and keep him from the truth, so he would believe he was to avenge a righteous, respectable clan and not the dishonorable group they really were. Even from afar, he watches over Sasuke and sacrifices his entire life and reputation to keep the boy safe -- even if it meant dying by the boy's hand. All in all, Itachi truly loved Sasuke, though the boy knew it not and went about blindly following the path of an avenger lay out before him.

Roleplay Sample:
"He himself wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to come back here, of all places.

It was an impulse, you could say. An animalistic urge that compelled him to excuse himself abruptly from his polite partner (which had, in fact, left him feeling a twinge of guilt when he thought about it; but the emotion was soon nullified and squashed beneath a metaphorical sandal before it could entrench itself in his psyche and grow to something more). It was pure instinct that drove him from branch to branch, halfway unbuttoned cloak flittering behind him from the wind of his passage, making a steady beeline towards his 'beloved' village of origin: Konoha.

Perhaps it was an ill-timed bout of nostalgia, or a memory that refused to be left buried in the depths of his complex mind. Whatever the case, Itachi simply could not stay away from the Leaf with such an unrequited, stubborn need that would not dislodge itself from his consciousness no matter how hard he tried.

And so, here he was. Emerging from the treetops and straightening up upon a sturdy branch stood the murderer of the infamous Uchiha clan, crimson Sharingan eyes surveying the bustling village that lay before him. The view was quite breathtaking, really, what with the mid-morning sun shining above the horizon and nicely highlighting Hokage Rock in the far distance, but he payed it no mind. The place was nothing now compared to what it used to be; next to the empire it once was, the ramshackle buildings now looked beaten up and scattered in dismay, as if thrown carelessly from the hand of a god and dubbed 'Konoha' after a few saplings decided to spring up from the barren earth.

Slowly Itachi inhaled a deep breath of crisp winter air that made his throat sting, but he failed to notice. His concentration now was far from the current scene; his thoughts were wandering, in fact, to years before. His mind was meandering into places he dared venture, delving into memories that were best left locked away. But for all the self-control the Uchiha possessed, he just couldn't seem to bring himself to have the desire to stop. All those years of ignoring it and bottling it up were haunting him now, and he found he couldn't hold back the single tear that threatened to spill over at the simple memory of a single image: the pure fear, the unrivaled betrayal, the heartbreaking hurt that had reflected so blatantly on his little brother's face eight years ago.

In retrospect, it might have been a bit more merciful to take his life as well. But then, he supposed, Sasuke would never have gotten the chance to shine. And that was something even he -- no, especially he -- deserved.

And boy, would he get it."

{That was pretty long, just because I chose to reuse an intro I'd already typed. Yours could be just a paragraph, if you like. Remember: quality over quantity.}