The Naruto franchise has introduced hundreds, if not thousands, of characters in the shonen series’ history. Amongst the many heroic and villainous ninjas that have been a part of Naruto Uzumaki’s life, there has been one who has become far and away one of the most popular figures of the Ninja World. Itachi Uchiha hasn’t been a part of the shonen series for years at this point but fans are taking the chance to celebrate a major anniversary for Sasuke’s big brother. In kicking off this big celebration, we thought that now would be the perfect time to dig into what made Itachi work so well in the series, warts and all.
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To kick things off, Itachi Uchiha first premiered in the Naruto anime adaptation, in full view, twenty-one years ago. Since Sasuke Uchiha was introduced early in the shonen franchise, his main goal was to defeat his brother as Itachi was responsible for the death of the Uchiha Clan. Joining with the villainous Akatsuki, Sasuke’s older brother became a major threat to the ninja world at large. Harnessing the awesome power of the Sharingan, the villainous Uchiha primarily worked in the background but his shadow loomed large over both Sasuke and the Hidden Leaf Village at large.
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What Made Itachi Work?
Let’s take a look at what made Itachi such an effective villain at the start. From the get-go, eliminating an entire clan of ninjas is no easy feat and leaving protagonist Sasuke as an orphan worked to get fans to see the threat level of the Akatsuki member. On top of this, while Itachi wasn’t featured nearly as much as the likes of Orochimaru early on, his demeanor and presence in the series’ story helped push him in the minds of anime fans. Despite being a part of a villainous enclave made up of colorful characters, Itachi carved out a place of his own.
Itachi’s arrival in the anime series was one that still makes for one of the biggest moments of the shonen series. Appearing completely out of nowhere to kidnap Naruto for the purposes of the Akatsuki, the future Seventh Hokage only gained reprieve thanks to the interjection of Jiraiya. Itachi has long been a cool, calm, and collected villain, seemingly never taking any pleasure from his antagonistic ways. Its in this mystery of his character that fans were hoping to peel back more of the eldest Uchiha’s character.
Does The Itachi Twist Work?
Of course, you cannot talk about Itachi Uchiha without discussing the big twist that was ultimately revealed about Sasuke’s sibling. As was revealed during the events of Naruto: Shippuden, Itachi eliminated his family and clan at the request of the Third Hokage. Thanks to the Uchihas planning to take over the Hidden Leaf Village and kill anyone who got in their way, Itachi both killed his clan to stop this from happening and sacrificing his future to infiltrate the Akatsuki. It added a brand new level to Itachi’s character and sent Sasuke on a path of revenge that far exceeded simply taking down his older brother.
The choice to reveal Itachi’s true motivations was quite controversial at the time, making him a double agent for Konoha the entire time. His death at the hands of his own brother felt earned on Sasuke’s behalf but it would send the younger brother on a path of revenge that would look to consume his former friends in Team 7. While it somewhat decimated his villainous motivations, it showed that there were layers to the disgraced Uchiha members.
Itachi Would Never Return But That’s Ok
When Sasuke delivered the death blow to his older brother, Itachi would not make a comeback to the shonen series. The series by creator Masashi Kishimoto was no stranger to resurrecting characters but Itachi’s role had quite the satisfying conclusion. Long past Itachi’s demise, the fact that we are discussing his place in the anime world proves that Sasuke’s older brother, and Sarada’s uncle, remains a fan-favorite.
Want to see what the Naruto franchise has in store for fans moving forward? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Hidden Leaf Village and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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