Redesign of the Akatsuki robes bc I really like its design but it would have been more interesting if every Akatsuki wore it differently.
More details:
The length of the sleeves and robe depends on the need for mobilty of each character, which in turn depends on their fighting styles and abilities. Characters like Kisame and Sasori have shorter sleeves bc they need their arms free to fight. Itachi wearing a longer robe is bc he usually fights with genjutsu, it is also a sign of shameless pride to boast that he doesn't need movement to defeat an opponent.
Uchiha clothing usually have that same high collar thingy that the base Akatsuki robe gets and Obito and Itachi wear it open on purpose, to show their distance with the clan. Also Obito's collar gets bigger and pointier with each change.
Obito's shift from Tobi to Madara makes it seem like he tore his long sleeves. His silhouette is also hidden until the war where he becomes more reckless and stops caring about hiding his identity so carefully. He also got rid of the sleeve that hid the zetsu arm, the not-human one (both bc of symbolism and bc he tends to lose the arm often).
Hidan and Kakuzu seemingly represent the opposite of their themes, religion and money respectively. Hidan looks like a half naked anarchist (which is kind of way off "orthodoxy vibes") though he still has the Jashin jewlery. On the other hand Kakuzu looks homeless but that's bc he's so greedy and stingy he refuses to buy more clothes.
Pain/Nagato and Konan are the only ones with the basic robe bc they're the ones who feel more emotionally connected to the Akatsuki. They get more red bc of the "blood rain" symbolism.
I tried to add to those few hints at modern vibes in Deidara and Hidan's base designs while keeping the shinobi aesthetic bc it fits their character, and after all they are the youngest.
Overall I also did some small redesigns to everyone's base character design.
It was challenging to play around with the Akatsuki robe while also trying to make their character designs more telling of how they are as people but that's precisely why it was fun. I'll be using these when drawing the Akatsuki from now on.
