Tobi is not Obito: The Overwhelming Evidence of Obito's Death and Burial at Konoha.
(A summary and updated essay against the supposed non-recovery of Obito's body and the possibility of its use as Tobi/Madara's shell)
INTRODUCTION
The Tobito theory, or "Tobi is Obito" theory claims that Obito's body is being used by Tobi/Madara as a shell/container.
This claim with all its evidence, basically rests on the assumption that Obito has survived or his body was taken by Madara and used as his container.
In this essay, I will argue that it is least likely, if not impossible, that Obito may have survived and/or that his body may have not been recovered by Konoha but was taken by Madara to be used as his container.
THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE STRICTLY BASED FROM FACTS IN THE MANGA:
At Chapter 244 page 19, the last panel of the Kakashi Gaiden, we can clearly see Obito's tombstone where Kakashi laid down flowers and Obito's goggles.
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/19/
"If Kakashi found it important to retrieve Obito's goggles, then he would have retrieved Obito's body also. Of course, the body of Kakashi's friend,comrade,and savior would be of greater importance than his goggles."
Surely we will have noticed that Obito was not wearing his goggles anymore as he and Kakashi went to save Rin and confront the rock nin. He was not even wearing the goggles when those rocks fell on him. So it is possible that his goggles and body may not be at the same location where the rockslide happened.
But the main argument here is that Kakashi VALUED his friend so much that he even retrieved his goggles. Would he not value the body of his friend and savior who was buried underneath a rubble of rocks? Would he allow his comrade's body to rot on enemy ground? Surely he would retrieve it! If you have a friend who gave his life and his eye for you, would you care enough to retrieve his body? I don't think you can live with yourself knowing that you left your friend to die and even did not bother to give him a proper burial. That is sick. As Obito and Kakashi would say, "Those who don't take care of their comrades are worse than trash!"
Obito: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/242/07/
Kakashi: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/8/naruto_v02_ch008_024/
This is arguing merely on the basis of bonds, or valuing friends. This is notwithstanding the fact that Obito's body is the body of an Uchiha, who is naturally a carrier of the secrets of the Sharingan bloodlimit. Kakashi's sharingan is proof enough that the body of an Uchiha could be "exploited" in order to acquire the Sharingan and not only to understand its weakness. Hunter nins (or for Konoha, the ANBU) is tasked to keep/defend the secrets of the village. This is maybe also why Kakashi became an ANBU commander after this incident. As a matter of principle and of duty, ANBU would never leave Obito's body under that rubble of rocks. (See further argument and references below.)
If this argument is sound, it can be accepted as confirmatory evidence to the fact that in the KG, all the main characters behaved in such a way that heavily suggests that Obito has INDEED perished in that mission.
A recap of the FACTS:
(1) Kakashi Gaiden clearly states the cause of death: Obito was crushed twice by falling rocks.
first rockfall: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/12/
second rockfall: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/10/
(2) Obito himself said he was dying.
Obito: "It looks like it's over for me. The right side of my body is almost smashed. There is no feeling in it."
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/13/
Obito:"I'm already going to die."
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/17/
(3) Rin, a medical ninja, affirmed that to be the case, thus she agreed for the high-level eye transplant medical jutsu.
see http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/17/
(4) Yondaime confirmed Obito's death, and apologized for coming in too late.
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/17/
(5) Konoha gave Obito a hero's burial in a tomb/memorial/monument that Kakashi daily visits.
see: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/237/02/
Additional evidence to this is the text which says,
"Two heroes carrying the Sharingan were born to Konoha. One of them has his name written on the tombstone. One of them, afterwards, made the name of Sharingan Kakashi become famous even as far as other countries." (chap.244,p.18-19)
see http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/19/
The mention of "tombstone" means that it was indeed a grave that it marks: Obito's grave.
All these evidence put together give us a high degree of probability a little short of absolute certainty that Obito has indeed died and was buried in Konoha.
On the question whether the tombstone indeed marks Obito's grave in Konoha or if it was only a fallen heroes' memorial, please compare
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/139/09/ with
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/19/
At ch.139,p.9 is the first ever mention of Obito in the manga. His name was mentioned in the context of the ceremony for Sandaime Hokage's death. It is worthy of note that here Kakashi and Hayate's girlfriend are at the same place [in front of the fallen heroes' memorial] to honor the memory of their loved ones; while the rest of Konoha is at a different place, at the ceremony for the 3rd Hokage. It suggests that the village people is at the grave of the Hokage while Kakashi and Hayate's girlfriend are at the memorial. This gives us evidence that aside from the heroes' memorial there would be a grave for individual shinobis also. Also note that the epitaphs [or texts on the stones] at chapter139 and chapter244 looked different from each other. They may not be the same, after all.
The 3rd Hokage has indeed said that the heroes' memorial was a cenotaph (from Greek, kenos "empty" and taphos "tomb"). A cenotaph is a tomblike monument to someone buried elsewhere, especially commemorating people who died in a war. (from Oxford American Dictionaries for Mac OS X, 2005)
See http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/139/05/
In other words, the one at chapter 139 is a heroes' memorial while the one at chapter 244 is indeed a tombstone, a grave marker. This gives us the conclusion that Obito has a grave aside from having his name on the heroes memorial.
Even if Obito's body has not been buried, it is most likely that it has been burned/destroyed --according to Blast-- in accordance to the hidden village rule to dispose bodies that could be exploited by enemies to reveal the secrets or the weakness of the clan or the village. This principle is affirmed by Kakashi in the Zabuza-Haku vs. Team 7 arc about hunter nins, a.k.a. body erasers, disposing of the bodies of Shinobi that contain many secrets. See http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/16/naruto_v02_ch016_174/
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/16/naruto_v02_ch016_177/
"Body erasing teams usually dispose of the body they killed right there." (The picture shows a hunter nin burning a corpse)
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/17/Naruto2-10-02/
"If he needed proof of his work, he could have just taken the head."
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/17/Naruto2-10-03/
Kakashi knows this as he was an ANBU commander and also because of his previous experience of the death of Obito.
I think bringing proof is a standard requirement that the clean-up mission was successful. So there is no way Konoha would think that Obito could have survived, or that his Sharingan was taken by the enemy. (that is, especially if the ANBU brought Obito's head home).
In other words, Konoha could not have been mistaken in declaring Obito's death and making a memorial for a Shinobi that could in fact be alive. There is no doubt, therefore, about Obito's death.
Be that as it may, Kakashi did believe that his best friend Obito really died; and that he died as Konoha's hero. Proof to that was a statement he made about the fallen heroes memorial during the survival "2-bells" training of Team 7. The fallen heroes memorial is also proof that all of Konoha believed that Obito died as a hero.
See http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/8/naruto_v02_ch008_016/
Sure it was not shown that the Konoha shinobis or the ANBU recovered Obito's body from under the rubble but the fact that Kakashi visits his grave/memorial in Konoha and it was not just a memorial for missing-in-action nins. That "excavation" scene is not anymore necessary.
Obito was not even missing-in-action; he was killed-in-action. Obito's teammates know exactly where his body was crushed by the falling rocks, and in honor of his heroic death (he saved Rin from the enemies and Kakashi from the rockfall and probable death) they gave him a proper burial. That would be the least they could do for a friend, hero, and honorable shinobi who offered his life for his friends and his mission.
CONCLUSION:
With the overwhelming evidence for Obito's death and the complete absence of any suggestion in the manga that Obito has survived or that his body has never been recovered,
it is very much unlikely, if not downright impossible,
that Tobi's body is Obito's.
{end}
(A summary and updated essay against the supposed non-recovery of Obito's body and the possibility of its use as Tobi/Madara's shell)
INTRODUCTION
The Tobito theory, or "Tobi is Obito" theory claims that Obito's body is being used by Tobi/Madara as a shell/container.
This claim with all its evidence, basically rests on the assumption that Obito has survived or his body was taken by Madara and used as his container.
In this essay, I will argue that it is least likely, if not impossible, that Obito may have survived and/or that his body may have not been recovered by Konoha but was taken by Madara to be used as his container.
THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE STRICTLY BASED FROM FACTS IN THE MANGA:
At Chapter 244 page 19, the last panel of the Kakashi Gaiden, we can clearly see Obito's tombstone where Kakashi laid down flowers and Obito's goggles.
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/19/
"If Kakashi found it important to retrieve Obito's goggles, then he would have retrieved Obito's body also. Of course, the body of Kakashi's friend,comrade,and savior would be of greater importance than his goggles."
Surely we will have noticed that Obito was not wearing his goggles anymore as he and Kakashi went to save Rin and confront the rock nin. He was not even wearing the goggles when those rocks fell on him. So it is possible that his goggles and body may not be at the same location where the rockslide happened.
But the main argument here is that Kakashi VALUED his friend so much that he even retrieved his goggles. Would he not value the body of his friend and savior who was buried underneath a rubble of rocks? Would he allow his comrade's body to rot on enemy ground? Surely he would retrieve it! If you have a friend who gave his life and his eye for you, would you care enough to retrieve his body? I don't think you can live with yourself knowing that you left your friend to die and even did not bother to give him a proper burial. That is sick. As Obito and Kakashi would say, "Those who don't take care of their comrades are worse than trash!"
Obito: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/242/07/
Kakashi: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/8/naruto_v02_ch008_024/
This is arguing merely on the basis of bonds, or valuing friends. This is notwithstanding the fact that Obito's body is the body of an Uchiha, who is naturally a carrier of the secrets of the Sharingan bloodlimit. Kakashi's sharingan is proof enough that the body of an Uchiha could be "exploited" in order to acquire the Sharingan and not only to understand its weakness. Hunter nins (or for Konoha, the ANBU) is tasked to keep/defend the secrets of the village. This is maybe also why Kakashi became an ANBU commander after this incident. As a matter of principle and of duty, ANBU would never leave Obito's body under that rubble of rocks. (See further argument and references below.)
If this argument is sound, it can be accepted as confirmatory evidence to the fact that in the KG, all the main characters behaved in such a way that heavily suggests that Obito has INDEED perished in that mission.
A recap of the FACTS:
(1) Kakashi Gaiden clearly states the cause of death: Obito was crushed twice by falling rocks.
first rockfall: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/12/
second rockfall: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/10/
(2) Obito himself said he was dying.
Obito: "It looks like it's over for me. The right side of my body is almost smashed. There is no feeling in it."
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/13/
Obito:"I'm already going to die."
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/17/
(3) Rin, a medical ninja, affirmed that to be the case, thus she agreed for the high-level eye transplant medical jutsu.
see http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/243/17/
(4) Yondaime confirmed Obito's death, and apologized for coming in too late.
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/17/
(5) Konoha gave Obito a hero's burial in a tomb/memorial/monument that Kakashi daily visits.
see: http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/237/02/
Additional evidence to this is the text which says,
"Two heroes carrying the Sharingan were born to Konoha. One of them has his name written on the tombstone. One of them, afterwards, made the name of Sharingan Kakashi become famous even as far as other countries." (chap.244,p.18-19)
see http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/19/
The mention of "tombstone" means that it was indeed a grave that it marks: Obito's grave.
All these evidence put together give us a high degree of probability a little short of absolute certainty that Obito has indeed died and was buried in Konoha.
On the question whether the tombstone indeed marks Obito's grave in Konoha or if it was only a fallen heroes' memorial, please compare
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/139/09/ with
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/244/19/
At ch.139,p.9 is the first ever mention of Obito in the manga. His name was mentioned in the context of the ceremony for Sandaime Hokage's death. It is worthy of note that here Kakashi and Hayate's girlfriend are at the same place [in front of the fallen heroes' memorial] to honor the memory of their loved ones; while the rest of Konoha is at a different place, at the ceremony for the 3rd Hokage. It suggests that the village people is at the grave of the Hokage while Kakashi and Hayate's girlfriend are at the memorial. This gives us evidence that aside from the heroes' memorial there would be a grave for individual shinobis also. Also note that the epitaphs [or texts on the stones] at chapter139 and chapter244 looked different from each other. They may not be the same, after all.
The 3rd Hokage has indeed said that the heroes' memorial was a cenotaph (from Greek, kenos "empty" and taphos "tomb"). A cenotaph is a tomblike monument to someone buried elsewhere, especially commemorating people who died in a war. (from Oxford American Dictionaries for Mac OS X, 2005)
See http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/139/05/
In other words, the one at chapter 139 is a heroes' memorial while the one at chapter 244 is indeed a tombstone, a grave marker. This gives us the conclusion that Obito has a grave aside from having his name on the heroes memorial.
Even if Obito's body has not been buried, it is most likely that it has been burned/destroyed --according to Blast-- in accordance to the hidden village rule to dispose bodies that could be exploited by enemies to reveal the secrets or the weakness of the clan or the village. This principle is affirmed by Kakashi in the Zabuza-Haku vs. Team 7 arc about hunter nins, a.k.a. body erasers, disposing of the bodies of Shinobi that contain many secrets. See http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/16/naruto_v02_ch016_174/
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/16/naruto_v02_ch016_177/
"Body erasing teams usually dispose of the body they killed right there." (The picture shows a hunter nin burning a corpse)
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/17/Naruto2-10-02/
"If he needed proof of his work, he could have just taken the head."
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/17/Naruto2-10-03/
Kakashi knows this as he was an ANBU commander and also because of his previous experience of the death of Obito.
I think bringing proof is a standard requirement that the clean-up mission was successful. So there is no way Konoha would think that Obito could have survived, or that his Sharingan was taken by the enemy. (that is, especially if the ANBU brought Obito's head home).
In other words, Konoha could not have been mistaken in declaring Obito's death and making a memorial for a Shinobi that could in fact be alive. There is no doubt, therefore, about Obito's death.
Be that as it may, Kakashi did believe that his best friend Obito really died; and that he died as Konoha's hero. Proof to that was a statement he made about the fallen heroes memorial during the survival "2-bells" training of Team 7. The fallen heroes memorial is also proof that all of Konoha believed that Obito died as a hero.
See http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/8/naruto_v02_ch008_016/
Sure it was not shown that the Konoha shinobis or the ANBU recovered Obito's body from under the rubble but the fact that Kakashi visits his grave/memorial in Konoha and it was not just a memorial for missing-in-action nins. That "excavation" scene is not anymore necessary.
Obito was not even missing-in-action; he was killed-in-action. Obito's teammates know exactly where his body was crushed by the falling rocks, and in honor of his heroic death (he saved Rin from the enemies and Kakashi from the rockfall and probable death) they gave him a proper burial. That would be the least they could do for a friend, hero, and honorable shinobi who offered his life for his friends and his mission.
CONCLUSION:
With the overwhelming evidence for Obito's death and the complete absence of any suggestion in the manga that Obito has survived or that his body has never been recovered,
it is very much unlikely, if not downright impossible,
that Tobi's body is Obito's.
{end}
