The Anbu Captain Itachi Uchiha was a shinobi of Konohagakure’s Uchiha clan. He later became an international criminal after murdering his entire clan, sparing only his youngest brother, Sasuke. Later, he joined the international criminal organization Akatsuki, whose activities brought him into conflict with Konoha and its ninja – including Sasuke, who sought revenge by killing Itachi. Following Itachi’s death, it was revealed that his motivations were more complex than they appeared, and that his actions were always in the interest of his brother and village, causing him to remain a loyal shinobi of Konohagakure until his death.
Creation and design
While Masashi Kishimoto had not planned Itachi Uchiha’s backstory before introducing the character, Sasuke Uchiha was the first to mention the character in the manga. He only had an idea to attribute to Itachi some violent act that would have Sasuke wanting to kill him. However, when Itachi was introduced, Kishimoto had the idea to make Itachi Konoha’s agent who killed his clan on their orders. Itachi was originally intended as the leader of Konoha’s Special Assassination and Tactical Squad called the Anbu, the Itachi Squad (*** Team, Itachi-tai), which would have comprised 70 members split into 4 teams with a focus on assassination and other illicit activities. The idea was eventually scrapped in favor of the current Itachi working for Akatsuki. Itachi was Kishimoto’s favorite of the Akatsuki characters because of his backstory.
Itachi’s Japanese voice actor, Hideo Ishikawa, frequently talked with Sasuke’s Japanese actor, Noriaki Sugiyama. When Ishikawa and Sugiyama first encountered each other, they found Itachi’s murder of the Uchiha clan hard to believe and began to read the Naruto manga to find out if Itachi was hiding anything. After Itachi’s death, the two actors agreed that Itachi served as a good elder brother to Sasuke. Even after making multiple visits to the series, Crispin Freeman had a good time voicing Itachi.
Personality
His childhood was marked by quietness and insight. He observed people and ideas from a distance, making sure he understood them fully without getting directly involved. This prevented him from becoming close to many people, but it enabled him to think and act without prejudice and preconceptions, evaluating things according to their own merit. It would make him think about shinobi, the village’s origins, and its future. As a result, he never had the self-righteous loyalty characteristic of the Uchiha: the Curse of Hatred. Even though he loved his family and wanted the best for his clan, he knew there were more important things than the Uchiha’s ambitions. Despite being a pacifist, Itachi found that his own needs were secondary to the greater good; he therefore became a shinobi. He trained tirelessly to become the best he could and endured the inconveniences of shinobi life without complaining, just for the simple motivation of serving others. Being an accomplished ninja enabled Itachi to approach problems in a less violent way than other people, which suited his peace-loving nature. The two extremes of his personality clashed when events led to the downfall of the Uchiha clan. He wanted to protect his family and sought a peaceful solution, yet he knew the path with the least bloodshed was clan annihilation. The inevitability of his clan’s massacre created a change in Itachi’s normal polite attitude towards his clansmen. He criticized them openly and lashed out at them for their choices, which sealed their fates, as well as his.
Background
Itachi is the first child of Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. His early childhood was marked by violence, as he witnessed the Third Shinobi World War at the young age of four, which led to many casualties. When Itachi was a child, he experienced death and destruction, and he became a pacifist. This led him to train non-stop to attain his dream of becoming a ninja among ninja who would erase fighting from the world. They soon became best friends as they taught each other new tricks. In the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s Attack, he was at home alone caring for Sasuke, while Itachi saved Mikoto from falling debris[8] and Izumi sought shelter with him in the anime. The attack soured relations between Konoha’s leadership and the Uchiha, the former believing the latter was responsible. The Uchiha were relocated to the edge of the village, making it easier to monitor them since they were isolated from the rest of the village.
Abilities
As a child whose abilities were already manifest at an early age, Itachi’s teachers at the Academy noted that his progress hardly required any assistance, since he had already been advanced through the ranks of ninjas while still a child, further demonstrating his remarkable abilities, and ultimately gaining mastery of all three kinds of techniques. In battle, Itachi was shown to be a powerful ninja and gained praise from both allies and foes. While Itachi was fighting against Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Y*hi, and Asuma Sarutobi, Kakashi commented on how Itachi wasn’t using half his strength despite clearly pressuring his opponents. Itachi, reputed as one of the three legendary Sannin, openly admitted that he was significantly stronger than Omachimaru. Tobi also remarked that Itachi never ceased to amaze him. Although Itachi had impressive abilities, he never underestimated the strength of Jiraiya, as he noted to Kisame that, provided he had the latter’s full support, if he fought Jiraiya they would either be killed or Itachi would lose. Even though he was on the edge of death, Itachi was still too strong for Sasuke to beat when they faced off in their final battle. Despite being repeatedly beaten by his brother, Itachi eventually flipped the tides, holding back and still having the ability to kill him if he had wanted to.
1. Chakra and Physical Prowess
2. Ninjutsu
3. Bukijutsu
4. Nature Transformation
5. Genjutsu
6. Sharingan
7. Mangekyō Sharingan
Intelligence
Itachi was highly intelligent, having the second highest scores in the history of the Academy behind Minato Namikaze, regardless of their varying ages at the academy, which Itachi graduated at age 7 and Minato at age 10. A composed and observant individual, he thought rapidly and remained calm in combat, enabling him to respond with the utmost efficiency and with the smallest likelihood of mistakes. Even at a young age, he was calculating and methodical about approaching a situation, leaving little room for error. He took several precautions for Sasuke and against Tobi that he intended to activate after he died. Tobi even admitted he might have been killed by Itachi’s trap if he hadn’t kept some secrets from him.