There are many characters in Naruto anime who tried to create their own impact in their nations, and some even sacrificed their lives to protect what they love. It is an old saying which goes, “You must sacrifice for the things you love otherwise the things you love will be sacrificed” and most of the characters in Naruto took this quote way too seriously. Sacrifices are not only about giving life, but it comes in many ways, and each way creates an equal impact on the thing you are trying to get or save.
There was one such character in the show, Itachi Uchiha, who also sacrificed for his village, but his way of sacrificing was a bit different than the rest of the people. In this article, we will dig deep into his character and will learn the core values of life, which he reflects from his heart.
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden is a Japanese manga-based anime written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The story revolves around the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki who aimed to become the Hokage of his village, Konoha, even after getting ignorant and hated by his fellow civilians of the village. He is the vessel of the demonic Nine-Tailed fox, which caused chaos many years before and even killed countless people. The then Hokage Minato Namikaze sealed that fox inside Naruto and stopped the destruction. Will he ever become the Hokage and get accepted by the people? You have to watch the show to find out.
A Brief Introduction Of Uchiha Itachi:
Before coming straight to the character analysis, it is very important to learn the actual identity of the character. Itachi Uchiha was the elder son of Fugaku Uchiha and the elder brother of the second major character of the show, Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi was way talented and skilled shinobi. He loved his family a lot, but for him, the village always came first. Itachi was the ideal shinobi, and he is still the motivation for many of the shinobi.
Itachi Uchiha of the leaf
Itachi The Youngest Hokage:
Well, Itachi never became the Hokage of the village, but his brain was not less than the Hokage. From a very small age, he used to think like the Hokage and want to put a full stop to the never-ending conflicts and wars. He used to wonder about the significance of wars and the meaning of human lives.
He wanted to find the answer about the meaning of existence. Itachi’s perspective was very different than the others as he used to put his logic and intelligence in each glimpse of human action and the cycle in which they are repeated. Itachi wasn’t the guy who beat around the bush regarding his skills and intelligence rather, he was the quiet guy who believed in observing more than speaking.
Uchiha Itachi
He had very less people around him, and there were very few of them with whom he genuinely made connections. When Nine-Tailed attacked the hidden leaf village, Itachi was a teenager back then, and he saw people dying in front of him. He even told him that one day, he will discover the meaning of human lives and will stop the cycle of wars and hatred.
Itachi’s Sharingan That Reflects His Heart:
Sharingan is the special dojutsu of the Uchiha Clan, and it is being said that this Jutsu reflects the trauma and broken heart of the user. Sharingan activates only when the user goes through heavy emotional shifts. It can be either witnessing the death of your loved ones or getting extremely happy for a certain event(Sarada is the perfect example of this). Itachi unlocked his Sharingan when his friends were murdered by the Obito in the disguise of Madara, and after a few years, when his best friend Shisui sacrificed his life for the village, this is when he finally got his mangekyou Sharingan.
Mangekyo Sharingan
After getting two of the most powerful eyes, this is the time when Itachi’s mind started planning future actions. Now Itachi wanted to execute what he saw back then. He wanted to stop the unnecessary wars, and quite something strange happened just after this incident. Itachi’s Sharingan is one of the most powerful sharingans in the series. He can perform countless techniques with his Sharingan, including Totsuka Blade, Susanoo, Amaterasu, Isanami, Isanagi, Genjutsu, etc. On the other eye, he carries the eye of his best friend, Shisui. He had Kotoamatsukami in his other eye, which helped him in breaking the spell of Kabuto in the fourth shinobi war. We will discuss this event in the later section of this article.
Uchiha Itachi Two Sides Developed:
This is the time when Itachi developed his two identities. We all know Itachi is described as the antagonist in some of the articles, but it is not the case. In fact, he is the hero of Konoha. We will discuss this too in a later section. Uchiha Itachi was called upon by Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo, the one who killed his best friend, Shisui. Itachi knew that his father Fugaku Uchiha is planning the coup d’etat, and he must be stopped in any case to save the village. Danzo ordered Itachi to kill his entire clan for the sake of Konoha on which Itachi put a single condition in front of him. He told that he will wipe out his clan only when he gives a guarantee to save his brother Sasuke later on.
Itachi Uchiha
They agreed on this condition, and on one night, Itachi murdered his entire clan including his father and mother. After killing everyone, Itachi too wanted to die, but his father asked him to take care of Sasuke so he decided to die at the hands of his brother so he acted villainous in front of Sasuke and pretend that he killed him each and everyone in his clan by his own will. Since then, Sasuke lived in vengeance and decided to kill his brother someday, and this is where Itachi get the identity of a great antagonist.
Why Itachi join Akatsuki?
After wiping down his clan, Itachi became the rogue ninja in front of people’s eyes. When Third Hokage, Hiruzen, saw this, he advised Itachi to join a terrorist organization Akatsuki and as a spy to gather intel about this organization. He easily joined Akatsuki because he was quite compatible with Akatsuki’s membership. Even after living with enemies, he has sung for his own nation and helped Konoha to get major details about Akatsuki.
When Itachi visited Village to get Naruto, he actually came to warn Konoha that the Akatsuki was actually on a hunt to gather tailed beasts, and they must prepare for the ultimate war. He also wanted to meet his brother and to show Danzo that he is still alive and if he tried to hurt his brother, he will kill him in no time.
Sasuke kills Itachi
Itachi’s Sacrifice Before & After His Death:
Another thing that we can learn from the character of Itachi is the impact that remains after us. We just read how Itachi served the village by wiping out his whole clan but he didn’t stop there. When Itachi was killed by Sasuke in the duel, he got reanimated by Kabuto in the fourth great ninja war. Itachi used his Kotoamatsukami to break the Kabuto’s spell, and he fought alongside the shinobi alliance. He and his brother, Sasuke, fought with Kabuto and saved the village from his spell, and contributed a major part to alliance victory.
Itachi teasing Sasuke
Here, we can imagine how much Itachi loved his village. He never thought of cutting ties with Konoha, and even after death, he do what he could to save the village. Itachi was someone who never let Konoha down, even after living with the eternal enemies of Konoha. He is the reason why Sasuke is so strong today, and Konoha is still standing tall in front of other nations. Characters like Itachi rarely appear in any anime, and there are actually few of the characters who created a long-lasting impact on fans.
Itachi was the one who showed Sasuke about various Uchiha Jutsus like Susanoo, Isanami, Isanagi, etc. Even though Itachi is not here with us anymore but his values, impacts, and ideas will always live in our hearts. Hearts will still be dedicated to him, and he will be mentioned in the next generation of Naruto, i.e. Boruto: Naruto Next Generation.
Also, read: What if Naruto is a ‘Bad Guy’? An Alternative Scenario
