Yagura Karatachi

Yagura Karatachi ( 枸橘やぐら , Karatachi Yagura ) was the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, Isobu and the Fourth Mizukage ( 四代目水影 , Yondaime Mizukage , literally meaning: Fourth Water Shadow) of Kirigakure . Yagura is chiefly remembered for a bloody, despotic reign that contributed to Kirigakure being well known as the "Bloody Mist".

## Background [ ]

As a child, Yagura took part in the village's barbaric ritual where Academy students would be forced to kill each other in order to graduate. Following the Three-Tails' revival after being killed in Rin Nohara , the tailed beast was sealed within a young Yagura and he learned to control its powers over the following years. As a jinchūriki, he became known as the third person to achieve full control over a tailed beast. Yagura, being the strongest shinobi in his village at that time, was elected as the Fourth Mizukage. In the anime, he effectively united the various islands of the Land of Water under his leadership.

In the anime, when two members of Akatsuki infiltrated the Land of Water, Yagura joined a team of hunter-nin to apprehend them. The hunter-nin all died during the battle, but Yagura was able to kill Jūzō Biwa by using a version 2 form; Jūzō's partner, Itachi Uchiha , immobilised Yagura with Amaterasu so that he could escape. At some point, Yagura killed Iwabee Yuino 's grandfather.

Around this time, a masked man (who claimed to be Madara Uchiha ) took control of Yagura, effectively gaining control over the village. In the anime, this confrontation took place in an encounter with Obito, Pain , and Konan . During his reign, he became widely known for his hand in various crimes such as exploiting money from the weak and his zero-tolerance against any dissent in the village, reinforcing its nickname as "Village of the Bloody Mist" ( 血霧の里 , Chigiri no Sato ). According to one of the Boruto novels, the masked man used his control of Yagura to steal money, information, and other supplies from Kiri for use by Akatsuki. This motivated the tyranny of Bloody Mist, in order to cover up and compensate for the stolen resources. After Kisame Hoshigaki killed Fuguki Suikazan for leaking intel to other villages, Yagura commended Kisame for killing the traitor, before "Madara" revealed that he was manipulating the Mizukage.

His tyrannical reign led many in Kiri to believing he was being manipulated, as well as other villagers wanting him to be executed. Zabuza Momochi was one such individual who came to disagree with Yagura's reign, to which he led a coup d'etat that ended with a failed attempt on his life. Eventually, Ao 's Byakugan managed to dispel Tobi's genjutsu, which had a fatal effect on the Fourth Mizukage shortly afterwards. In the anime, Kirigakure was still grieving over Yagura's death shortly before the joint Chūnin Exams .

Although Yagura died shortly after Tobi's hold over him was broken, he did sire a child prior to his death, who years later went on to have Kagura .

## Personality [ ]

Yagura seems to be very formal, outspoken and composed in an almost diplomatic manner as seen when he welcomed Naruto on behalf of all the jinchūriki and tailed beasts. He does, however, have an exuberant and defensive side as seen by his exasperated outburst at Naruto Uzumaki for thinking he was weaker and younger than him, who had died before experiencing the world as well as ignoring what he was saying. Yagura is also proud of his accomplishment as a Mizukage, claiming to be distinguished in his life. Also, Yagura was very talkative and curious, breaking out of his formality, asking Naruto how it was to kiss Sasuke Uchiha (however, this appeared to be more in the vein of mocking Naruto over curiosity given his annoyed demeanour at the time).

Having been placed under Tobi's genjutsu during his reign as Mizukage, however, Yagura became a tyrant known to instill fear throughout the village; committing various crimes against them and having absolutely no tolerance for shinobi he deems traitors to the village. He also held grudges against them, such as Jūzō. He was ruthless in battle, refusing mercy to Itachi and Jūzō for challenging him, and was rather direct in battle, as he turned into Version 2 rather quickly to kill his opponents.

## Appearance [ ]

Yagura was a young-looking adult, though rather short for his age. He had short, messy, grey hair, which fell over the right side of his face and spiked up on the left. He also had pupilless pink eyes and what seemed to be a stitch-like scar running from under his left eye, all the way down his cheek. His attire included a grey, sleeveless shirt with the Kiri forehead protector attached to the front, as well as a short-sleeved mesh armour, which he wore a green poncho. He also wore a turquoise sash around his waist, paired with a matching green apron over his pants and a pair of brown boots. Along with it, he would carry a club with uneven sized hooks, which bared a green flower on the larger end.

## Abilities [ ]

Yagura was once the most powerful shinobi in his village, which led to his election as the Fourth Mizukage. He also mastered Isobu's power at a young age, becoming a perfect jinchūriki. In the anime, he was able to simultaneously fight Itachi and Jūzō, two members of Akatsuki, killing the latter and nearly killing the former.

Yagura was always seen carrying the Claw Club , a weapon with uneven sized hooks and a green flower on the larger end, implying skills in bōjutsu . As the role of Mizukage is traditionally passed onto the strongest swordsman of the village, it can be inferred he was a greatly skilled kenjutsu user. In the anime, he was shown able to fend off Jūzō Biwa's assault with Kubikiribōchō using his club. After his reincarnation , serving as one of Tobi's Six Paths of Pain , Yagura was seen with both the Sharingan and Rinnegan. Combined with the perceptual and predictive abilities of the Sharingan, and the shared field of vision ability of the Rinnegan, Yagura is able to battle more effectively and precisely. Just like the rest of the Kage, Yagura was capable of using the Summoning Technique , although what he was capable of calling upon is unknown.

### Ninjutsu [ ]

#### Nature Transformation [ ]

Yagura was able to incorporate his large, hook-ended club into his Water Release ninjutsu , which allowed him to create water mirrors that can reflect attacks by rotating the "mirror" 90°, causing the reflections to emerge and materialise from the mirror to collide with the mirrored targets. As these reflections use the exact same technique as their counterpart — regardless of its type — they repel all attacks successfully. However, upon contact, the reflections disperse into water. In the anime, he also was proficient in Wind Release , able to swiftly dispel a thick fog with a strong gust .

### Jinchūriki Transformations [ ]

Main article: Jinchūriki Forms

As the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, Yagura was granted a significant amount of chakra and stamina from the beast. He was also one of the few people regarded to have achieved full control over their respective beast. He displayed a partial transformation into the Three-Tails, being able to manifest one of its tails. Furthermore, when attacked and immobilised by B's clone , Yagura transformed into his Version 2 form to escape being sealed . As such, he could perform the Tailed Beast's ultimate technique, the Tailed Beast Ball . In the anime, Yagura had enough control over this form to prove it was powerful enough to survive Amaterasu , albeit Yagura was left severely injured. In this form Yagura was able to perform Coral Palm , a technique which causes corals to grow on any surface he chooses, when used on opponents, it restricts their movement and eventually immobilises them. When forced to transform into his full Three-Tails form , Yagura was able to move with both tremendous speed and force by simply curling himself up into a ball . Even with a small capacity Tailed Beast Ball, Yagura is able to harness all the power into one spot in which he can fire to cause severe damage.

## Part II [ ]

### Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation [ ]

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation

In preparation for the Fourth Shinobi World War , Yagura was reincarnated by Kabuto Yakushi to fight against the Allied Shinobi Forces , where he was mobilised alongside the other deceased jinchūriki . As dawn broke on the second day of the war, it was revealed that Tobi had turned the reincarnated jinchūriki into his own customised Six Paths of Pain , with each having a Rinnegan and Sharingan in place of their left and right eyes respectively. Each jinchūriki also had their particular tailed beast resealed within them and a chakra receiver embedded into their body.

### Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax [ ]

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax

Yagura later travelled together with Tobi, in pursuit of Naruto and Killer B . Encountering their targets, the reincarnated jinchūriki were sent into battle. After the enemy evaded Rōshi 's attack , Yagura used his Water Release: Water Mirror Technique to counter their attacks; repelling them momentarily. However, when this initial assault failed, he, like the others, unleashes the power of their respective tailed beast by materialising the first of its tails. Incapacitated in the wake of the Eight-Tails ' devastating attack , after B's recent transformation, Yagura was then restrained by the latter's sealing technique . However, before the technique's completion, he managed to escape by adopting his Version 2 form, where he then proceeds to strike Naruto from behind and covering him in coral.

Regrouping with the other reincarnated jinchūriki, after Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy 's intervention, Yagura charged past the pair towards Naruto. Rallying once again, he along with the other jinchūriki prepare to confront the two Konohagakure jōnin , after Han's previous attack was thwarted by Kakashi. After Son Gokū was resealed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path , Yagura was forced to enter his full Three-Tails form, as Tobi prepared to go all-out. Unleashing a Tailed Beast Ball along with the others, the jinchūriki instead resorted to a direct assault when these attacks are deflected by Naruto, only to then be repelled as the latter adopted his Tailed Beast Mode . In the resulting chaos, Yagura evaded the plummeting Seven-Tails by rolling into a ball, before attempting to run over the Nine-Tails. However, he was stopped by the Eight-Tails' grasp, but once freed, the rival beasts regrouped and prepare a collaborative Tailed Beast Ball, launching it towards their opponents only to have it diverted by an opposing one.

As Naruto attempted to remove the opposition's chakra receivers in the ensuing blast, Naruto entered the joint consciousness of the tailed beasts, where Yagura greeted and thanked him for his efforts on behalf of the others. Shocked by Naruto's tearful reaction to his belief that Yagura was a child younger than he was and as such had not experienced the world before dying, he desperately tried to correct Naruto and regain his attention. Once achieved, he introduced himself alongside his tailed beast, Isobu . After Isobu was resealed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path , Yagura and the other jinchūriki's corpses were collected by B and held in the Gyūki's tentacles. With the release of the Impure World Reincarnation, Yagura and the others were enveloped in a light of sorts before their bodies start to deconstruct and his soul returned to the afterlife, but not before waving Naruto and B goodbye.

### Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes [ ]

Main article: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes

Subsequent to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki being sealed by Naruto and Sasuke, he and the other deceased Kage were summoned from the Pure Land by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki to aid him and the Hokage in summoning Team 7 , the tailed beasts and Madara Uchiha from Kaguya's dimension . Later, his and the other Kage's souls were returned to the Pure Land.

## Legacy [ ]

Yagura's legacy in the shinobi world is a very dark one, still being viewed as a monster decades after his death; even when it was exposed that he was being manipulated, it did little to redeem his reputation. As Kiri continued to modernise and have a more peaceful relationship with the rest of the world, the citizens' hatred for him lived on. It was so great that they even mistreated his descendants . According to one of the Boruto novels, Yagura's very name still strikes fear among the villagers because of its connections to the horrors of the village's past: projects he championed, laws he enacted, subordinates who worked with him, all are regarded negatively because of their association with him. For this reason, his descendants ceased to use his family name, in an attempt to avoid relation to Yagura.

## In Other Media [ ]

### Video Games [ ]

Yagura Karatachi is a playable character in the following video games:

## Trivia [ ]

- The word " Yagura " ( 櫓 or 楼 ) means "tower", otherwise it can mean "turret". It could also refer to the tombs in the middle ages. The surname "Karatachi" refers to the trifoliate orange , also known as the Japanese bitter-orange.
- According to the Boruto novel, Yagura's family name was Tachibana (橘), with Karatachi (枸橘) being a name adopted by Kagura. He is exclusively referred to as "Yagura Karatachi" in the anime.
- The name “Tachibana” primarily refers to a prominent Japanese surname, an ancient kuge clan (710–1185), and a later Sengoku-period samurai clan (1333–1868) known for naval expertise and figures like Tachibana Dōsetsu, A legendary Sengoku-period samurai retainer known for his battlefield prowess, who also in Japanese Folklore and Legend used a sword called Chidori and cut a lightning bolt and Thunder God Rajijin in it, in half and his blade was renamed Raikiri lightning cutter. It also represents a wild Japanese citrus fruit called Tachibana Orange and various locations.
- In order to prevent the jinchūriki from turning traitor, it is tradition for the host to be selected from the family of the village's own Kage. Due to this, Yagura may have been connected to one of the previous Mizukage.
- According to Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky , only families who were annexed into Kirigakure were to partake in the Academy's death match graduation ritual. Yagura, having participated in it, indicates the Karatachi Family was conquered by the village.
- According to his Naruto Mobile profile, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Yagura was one of six individuals capable of controlling the power of a tailed beast. In addition to the other three stated in the manga, the additional two were presumably Naruto Uzumaki and Obito Uchiha. He also personally sealed Isobu within himself.

## Quotes [ ]

- (To Kisame ) " I can trust you because of who you are, Kisame. For the sake of our nation and village, you've done our dirty work. And additionally, you've followed through on traitorous assignments. You're well aware this world is full of lies, and deceit. "
- (To Naruto ) " Welcome! I thank you on behalf of all of us jinchūriki and tailed beasts! I've wanted to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki! "
- (To Naruto) " I'm the former Mizukage! And I was really distinguished! I'm an adult too! "
- (To Naruto) " The Four-Tails was right. You don't listen very well at all. "

## References [ ]