This post contains spoilers for Naruto.
As far as popularity polls go, Itachi Uchiha is always near the top of them. He made a strong first appearance, so fans were immediately impressed with him. As the story progressed, Itachi's fame began to rise as well. until the end of NarutoItachi Uchiha was a firm fan favorite.
Naruto: 9 characters stronger than Itachi Uchiha, ranked
Itachi was a powerful ninja, yet he was outclassed by these Naruto characters.
Surprisingly, many side characters came and went, but almost none of them had the same level of impact as Itachi Uchiha. He was able to outwit everyone due to his vast backstory and exceptional fighting ability. The combination of the two was enough to push Itachi ahead of the rest Naruto characters. Needless to say, Itachi's popularity is a lesson in how to write a side character.
How Itachi Uchiha Awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan
Itachi Uchiha was part of the Anbu, an organization operating in the shadows and tasked with dealing with the dangers of the Hidden Leaf. The main reason Itachi worked for the organization was because of the sheer fear he witnessed as a child. He realized that war brought nothing but death and misery. These experiences shaped his thinking, so he always chose a peaceful way to deal with situations.
This was another reason Itachi looked up to Shisui, another Uchiha who had seen the dark side of war. Naturally, Shisui and Itachi were very close. When Itachi had to watch Shisui commit suicide, the former became so emotional that he ended up awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan. As was the case with all the other eyes, Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan also granted him access to special abilities. Itachi's eyes gave him access to Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.
Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan abilities
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Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan granted him access to Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu
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He could also use Susanoo
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are both dangerous abilities, which is why Itachi was so feared by his opponents. With Amaterasu, Itachi could conjure black flames that were so powerful they could burn anything, including other flames. Once Amaterasu's flames attack a person, they continue to burn until the target is completely destroyed.
Can you understand the pain felt by the dead who were forced to fight? The pain of living is greater. After finally getting over the grief and sadness, your jutsu has stirred those emotions again!
Itachi is renowned as one of the best Genjutsu users in the series, so it's no surprise that he was blessed by Tsukuyomi. Genjutsu is easily Naruto's strongest, as it is capable of defeating even skilled jonin like Kakashi Hatake. Anyone trapped within the genjutsu is subjected to great torture. Although the target is haunted for a few seconds, it feels like an eternity to them. This is why when Itachi used Tsukuyomi on Kakashi, he was hospitalized for a few days afterwards. With these two abilities at his disposal, it was no wonder that Itachi was feared by everyone around him.
Itachi Uchiha's ethereal weapon
While these skills would be enough for most ninjas, Itachi had one card – Susanoo. Itachi didn't use Susanoo very often because it took a large amount of chakra to maintain. In fact, the only time he used Susanoo was against Sasuke, and it was a way to prepare his brother for his afterlife. The basic version of the Susanoo is sufficient to block most physical and ninjutsu attacks, but the Itachi version had two special tools.
The The first of these ethereal weapons was the Yata MirrorAn ethereal shield that can change its properties to match any incoming strike. Therefore, it can prevent any physical or spiritual attack. The Yata Mirror was composed of all five natures, making it nearly impossible to injure him in battle.
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The The second ethereal weapon was the Totsuka Bladewhich was a different version of the sword of the Kusanagi. Unlike normal swords, the Totsuka blade was sheathed inside a gourd. The sword was enchanted with a seal just so anything it pierced would be instantly sealed. However, it does not work as well as most sealing techniques. Anyone stabbed by Totsuka's blade was trapped in genjutsu for eternity. With the Yata Mirror and Totsuka Blade at his side, Itachi was said to be invincible by Zetsu. But is this claim true or far-fetched?
Itachi might be the strongest ninja in the world
Zetsu's claim wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't wrong either. Itachi had the potential to be the strongest ninja in the world, but he never reached the level, which isn't entirely his fault. Kishimoto probably felt that Itachi would have been too powerful as an enemy for Naruto and his friends, so the author probably decided to give the Uchiha an incurable disease. Regardless of the illness, it affected Itachi's chakra reserves, rendering him unable to use multiple techniques in quick succession. With his stamina affected, Itachi was unable to fight for long. Furthermore, it was the main reason why Itachi decided to die fighting against Sasuke.
However, if Itachi wasn't sick, he could have become the strongest ninja in the world. He could easily take out any member of the Akatsuki, and he shouldn't have let Sasuke win. Maybe Itachi shouldn't lie to Sasuke either. He could tell Sasuke what had happened, which would have saved him a lot of trouble.
Itachi remains an amazing character
Regardless of what happens to Itachi in the story, there's no denying that he's one of the best-written characters ever. Despite being emotional, Itachi always made wise choices. He shouldered the burden of killing the entire Uchiha clan while protecting his little brother from harm. Itachi took all the blame so that the reputation of the members of the Uchiha clan would not be tarnished.
That's fine. That's one path for a ninja, to live a hated life.
Itachi also made sure that Sasuke hated him so that the latter would pursue power and become strong enough to protect himself. If Sasuke remained weak, his life would be in danger. When the time finally came, Itachi battled Sasuke explaining the functions of the Mangekyou Sharingan. He also revealed how Madara obtained the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan so that Sasuke could use the information, which indeed happened. Sasuke took Itachi's eye and transplanted it into his own.
However, Itachi regretted not being able to explain himself better to Sasuke. Thankfully, he got a chance to do so when Kabuto revived him. Itachi's words mattered to Sasuke, and it was safe to say that the latter was happy to have one last conversation with his brother. It would be remiss to mention that Itachi was also instrumental in stopping Nagato Uzuamki from nearly killing Naruto and Killer Bee. Furthermore, Itachi was constantly summoning old ninjas to fight the alliance together with Sasuke to stop Kabuto. If Itachi had not used Izanami, the Ninja Alliance would have suffered heavy casualties and may have been lost.
Naruto
- Release date
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2002 – 2007-00-00
- showrunner
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Masashi Kishimoto
- directors
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Hayato date
- The authors
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Masashi Kishimoto
