what are your thoughts on itachi? also, if you're hoping I make a video on Sasuke, I'm planning to as soon as I reach 100 patrons on Patreon. So if you're interested in supporting me and the channel, and if you have the means for it you can at patreon.com/sagesrain. i appreciate the support, and thank you so much for watching.
Itachi is a very complex individual, some see him traitor, and some see him as a hero, and frankly, I see him as a boy who went through the worst. He shouldn't have had to have such a childhood he had, along with having to make the choices such as choosing his village, or his family.
“I’ve always lied to you and asked you to forgive me. Deliberately keeping you at a distance by my own hand. Because I didn’t want you to get caught up in any of this. But now I think that perhaps you could have changed father and mother and the rest of the Uchiha. If I had only come to you from the start looked straight into your eyes and told you the truth. With me, who failed telling you all this from above, it’s not going to penetrate and sink in. But I want to impart at least this much truth to you. You don’t ever have to forgive me. And no matter what you do from here on out know this I will love you always.”
Itachi wasn’t a good person, but what he was was a child forced to make adult decisions and lacked the clarity (the kind that only comes with maturity) To seek out alternative options.
You know nothing! He also did everything for shishi uchia as well that was that vow he accepted when he took that eye! Protect the village and the uchiha name itachi-shisui uchiha
@@badassproductions4734 Black Zetsu is worse and the reason the Uchiha suffered in the first place, Narutotards don’t ask the right questions and have short attention spans and a small scope in Morality Most of you guys hate Sasuke for how he acted and praise Itachi for all he did even though he literally traumatized a child multiple times and literally told Sasuke once to “kill his best friend” and then when Sasuke wants revenge you guys are like “Why doesn’t he just go after the elders?” And think Sasuke can just go in there, kill them, and the village won’t say anything Narutotards are the reason misanthropes exist and have short attention spans and a low and biased scope of morality
@@nearby222 Black Zetsu is worse and the reason the Uchiha suffered in the first place, Narutotards don’t ask the right questions and have short attention spans and a small scope in Morality Most of you guys hate Sasuke for how he acted and praise Itachi for all he did even though he literally traumatized a child multiple times and literally told Sasuke once to “kill his best friend” and then when Sasuke wants revenge you guys are like “Why doesn’t he just go after the elders?” And think Sasuke can just go in there, kill them, and the village won’t say anything Narutotards are the reason misanthropes exist and have short attention spans and a low and biased scope of morality
The Uchiha massacre was a result of the 3rd's failure as a Hokage. He knew about the coup and could have personally confronted Fugaku. But he didn't. If it was Minato or Naruto, the massacre would've never happened.
Hiruzen said he wanted to talk with the Uchiha, but Danzo responded by saying time was running out. The story made it seem like the coup was going to happen a day or two after they learned about it. However, I don't deny that there was plenty of time to hash things out beforehand and not have things get so bad that they would plan a coup.
@@Scarftail Hiruzen cared about other elders and Danzo's opinion. That was the issue with him. Whereas, Minato or Naruto would've done what they thought was right. Even Tsunade kicked out the elders when they spoke against Naruto.
@@manu201022 i think any other hokage would have talked to the uchiha clan personally . like they are one of the strongest clan along side the senju . u would think that the village would want the military power if they just made one uchiha a hokage most of the problems would be gone in my opinion
@@zero_snow4511 Yes. Hiruzen should have atleast personally talked to Fugaku. But he cared for Danzo's and other elders opinion and chose to not interfere.
I love your comments, Hiruzen should have laid down the Hokage position to either Fugaku or Itachi is he was still shaky. The fact that Danzo manipulated him without Shisui's eyes is sickening. Alternatively, Shisui should not have committed suicide but team up with Itachi to takeout Danzo or enlist the help of then Madara(Obito) in exchange for a favour.
@@mikaelantonkurki my best answer would be Itachi felt the world where the Uchiha coupe happened, was worse than a world where the Uchiha clan didn't exist. His experience in the war as a child disillusioned him from clan politics because he felt those very clan politics would result in more war, so he felt his loyalty should belong to Konoha as a whole, who he felt would do the right thing by ninja society, whereas the Uchiha would've plunged it into endless war. Remember, the Sharingan was feared world wide, what would you think would happen when the other great nations find out the Uchiha clan took over the Land of Fire? It'd be the ninja war to end all ninja wars.
@@erhiueQWEF I agree. There's multiple choices he could've make. But honestly I think everyone's being too harsh on him for making the wrong decision in the end. Because any one of us could've made the same wrong decision as him. No more, no less. Whether we were a prodigy, a genius or just plain stupid. Either way, chances are that we could have made the same ultimatum decision that Itachi did. If we were in his shoes, which is why I pity him so much.
@@kingnamor777 I agree that Itachi was in a "no-win" scenario, it shouldn't have happened to him. I'll still contend that Hiruzen's bag should've been a lot heavier than it was, I can only imagine the dire political straights Konoha must've been in to have Hiruzen come out of retirement. One story I would've liked to see is the societal impact of the Uchiha Massacre in Konoha, I could only imagine the newspaper headlines in Konoha. Ultimately tho, Hiruzen knew Danzo for decades at that point and to an extent he knew Danzo was up to no good, it was naive of Hiruzen to think Danzo would just disappear into the ether after publicly stripping him of his position (He seriously didn't think Danzo would have an underground org under his command) Perhaps if Kishimoto had planned these story beats earlier, and perhaps had invented Danzo earlier, so that he appeared in Part 1, some things would've gelled easier.
Itachi had a near flawless plan yet that plan was doomed to fail from the start due to a single fatal flaw, not trusting or even seeing Sasukes own individuality and agency
The way I see it, Itachi didn’t seem to care about what Sasuke wanted, but just wanted Sasuke to kill him because that’s what _he_ wanted. And nothing exemplifies this better than their hallway meeting. Regardless of if he knew how Sasuke was changing (by becoming less obsessed with revenge and actually having friends and happiness), the impact of their reunion is honestly heartbreaking. Sasuke feels as if he has to abandon his first and only ever friends because Itachi didn’t want Sasuke to not prioritize his vengeance. God forbid Sasuke not be trapped in his traumatized past forever! This guy definitely had a point when he said Itachi was selfish.
@@firefly5934 Exactly this, if you minus the hallway encounter between sasuke and itachi, sasuke was loosing incentive to act revenge on Itachi especially having those bonds with team 7 but itachi’s visit to the leaf village after all those years reignited the hate in sasuke’s heart from itachi after being provoked for his “weakness” and not having enough “hate” to the point where when sasuke was healed by tsunade his first thought on his mind was his “weakness” then the self comparison to “Naruto” which led to him going rogue, Itachi is the reason behind the sole thing he ought to prevent and he still couldn’t understand Sasuke’s resolve or even cared why Sasuke felt the way he did, the whole story is so sad tbh…
Bullshit. He could have; >Kidnapped Sasuke and fled the village with him sparring his innocent mind. >Exposed Danzo for the murder of Shisui proceeded to mediate between his father and the 3rd. >Not betrayed his clan in the first fucking place, and plan to make the coup as bloodless as possible with the end of the Uchiha's persecution in mind. > Or, do everything he did *except* for torturing his little brother within an inch of his sanity. Itachi was a narcissistic piece of shit no matter how you look at it.
Honestly,if you have a something called emotional brain I don't think it's possible to hate someone like Itachi .... That's why he is my favourite the author really made people question their own sense of morality and spirituality
It's a lie to say that none of the lives mattered to him and he didnt take them into account. Itachi has a whole canon light novel dedicated to his back story and if you read it you can see how much he struggles with his choice. He DID acknowledge every life he took, he DID care for his family, it's just that he cared for the Leaf and his brother even more. To say he disregarded the Uchiha family is false, he just cared for other things even more so.
It doesn't matter what choice he made he would always be perceived as selfish. And that's OKAY. Everyone makes selfish choices troughout their entire lives. No one is a selfless saint. It is sort of the same logic as when Nagato said to Naruto: "You strive for your justice, and I strive for mine. We're both ordinary man seeking vengeance in the name of justice."
I think you're missing the point. He was looking at it from multiple peoples perspectives. Looking through the eyes of how others viewed him. Of course they mattered to him. The way he cried when he had to take his parents lives shows that completely.
And I feel like, if you want to bring peace in the world ( in the Shinobi World I mean), you have to be violent sometimes because even pacifist actions are not sufficient enough. Well that's what I think, maybe I'm wrong
“You don’t ever have to forgive me, but no matter what you do from here on out know this I will love you always” as someone with a brother I relate to Itachi
while not as dramatic i always wished the fillers in shippuden 389 and 390 centered on hanabi were canon(thus seen by everyone, not just filler fans) cause of showing hinata as a caring big sis and her choice to not beat her cocky sister down in the moment and that being why her father saw her as a failure for not striking a weak foe not cause she was actually weaker than her younger sister which kept her from the heiress line and it explains why neji also saw her as a failure as well..thus these two eps being great eps to show a sisterly bond in a smaller focused less dramatic plot related context of course...it really adds to hinata's likeability I feel giving her love more than just a relation to naruto/neji for once ...it shows her also getting inspired by naruto's never give up training attitude watching him from afar in the afternoon making time despite her other duties despite herself being tired and naruto being hated alone and weak after neji beat her up training and her dad just threw her aside like she was worthless due to her compassion....it really puts into context that kishi when he wants could write good relateable female centric heartfelt storylines if he cared more..cause he wrote 389 and gave an outline for the non flashback parts of 390...
Sometimes I am kind of lost on how people will hate Sasuke for going against Itachis wishes but like … even Itachi knows he is at fault with Sasuke going down a dark path because he filled Sasuke with only hate and lies.
@@sebastianaristizabal3871 And he was eventually forced to come to the conclusion that making himself into a lightning rod for Sasuke's hatred (figuratively and literally) was a bad idea in hindsight.
@@kichiroumitsurugi4363 Itachi; Lets mentally torture Sasuke, the first just after i killed evertone in front of him and hes 7, the second when hes having a New family ¿What could possibly go wrong?
Itachi was not always a "good" person, but I thought his admittance of mistakes when he was reanimated gave a lot of credence to his true self, had he not been forced into such a position by two of the things he cared about most. Imagine living your whole life trying to achieve something, killing all your family save your brother, being ostracized from the one thing you sacrificed so much to protect just to have to admit you were wrong. Having the guts to admit that, I think, said a lot about who he truly was.
"He simply did what he had to the discrimination by the village and the object of their antagonism he shouldered all the blame himself. No one should ever question Itachi's decision and the sacrifices he made." Obito Uchiha
@@kanganaga1787 sure, besides his spin to make the uchiha look like poor little victims in order to nudge sasuke away from acting in accordance with itachi's wishes and toward hating the village. itachi didn't do what he did just because he was ordered. they never could have made him do it if he didn't want to. he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do for multiple reasons, one of them being that the clan was obsessed with their own name and plotting the coup
@@jmcghane Most of you guys hate Sasuke for how he acted and praise Itachi for all he did even though he literally traumatized a child multiple times and literally told Sasuke once to “kill his best friend” and then when Sasuke wants revenge you guys are like “Why doesn’t he just go after the elders?” And think Sasuke can just go in there, kill them, and the village won’t say anything Narutotards are the reason misanthropes exist and have short attention spans and a low and biased scope of morality
@@jaysmith3173 Actually I'm a Sasuke fan myself. Personally I find it ironic that everyone praise Itachi up and down but hates Sasuke when in fact the one who everyone praises is the same person who made Sasuke the person he is today (well at least one of them).
I’ve always had a bit of an issue with Itachi’s character. In no way can genocide be seen as “morally grey”, however, the way the show portrays it almost makes it seem like the Uchiha are the bad guys who needed to be put down, whereas in actuality, they’re just an oppressed people seeking their justly deserved rights and privileges. And I’m definitely not a big fan of the “will of fire” philosophy. The will of fire seems more patriotic than noble imo. The whole Uchiha situation made me feel very conflicted tbh. 😅 The entire situation is messed up, and I do feel bad for Itachi though, he was basically a tool for the higher ups of the Leaf to use however they want.
I don’t agree with you completely especially when you think about how people should act individually. It’s definitely hard to say that his decision was a morally grey one for sure even if I agree with why he did it. Definitely have some thinking to do 🤔😂
@@kaptainkrayzee9822 I'm not entirely sure what you're referring to when discussing how people should act individually, sorry. 😅 The reason why I can't agree with the destruction of the Uchiha is because it reflects what happens in real life. The oppressed want change, however, when they attempt anything that could lead to it, their oppressors, wrongfully, punish them. I could go into more detail about Itachi's character and his story, but it's way too long and complicated. 😂😅
At one point, I also shamed Itachi for being a murderer even in spite of his circumstances, but then I remembered that he was told up front that if he refused to carry out his orders, the alternative outcome would've simply been Konoha shinobi carrying out his mission in his stead. The murderer was the Konoha elders. Of course, I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole of whether or not they were justified. It could be argued the Uchiha got themselves killed, but then it could also be argued that Konoha pushed the Uchiha into feeling this way.
That’s what I’m saying, people think Uchiha were the bad guys whereas they were oppressed and continuously used by the village. I get it, Itachi loved the village to prevent war and bloodshed but slaughtering your own family because they were trying to stand up for themselves. That’s really fucked up.
Itachi's morality shouldn't be questioned. No Uchiha other than Tobi has a questionable morality. Instead, question the morality of the leaf and it's leaders. Who backed a teenager into a corner, and basically told him to kill his family because they couldn't deal with a problem they created. Who seem to have dirty laundry nobody ever wants to air out.
@Gomie Horesh The only two sides involved, are the two faces of the leaf village. The holy land of honor they pretend to be, and the empire. The Leaf is identical to the British.
@@GUURL101 About Hiruzen... hmm. I haven't read Naruto in a while but yeah. Hiruzen couldn't contain Danzo, but that only makes him a failure, rather than a bad character. I would like compare Tobirama to Akainu of One Piece, if that helps. Hiruzen did some good stuff too but his greatest mistake was Danzo and unability to solve the feud between the village and uchihas. In short, I agree with you but telling him a joke of a reader would be kinda bad/harsh... :sweat_smile:
Itachi in the Light novels is so amazing he has the best portrayal of a existential crisis he’s easily S tier kishimoto is a genius for making itachi character skyrocket off light novels
@@charleschiemekaekeogu6908 I get help cult-like the loyalty to the leaf is. I mean look at Minato. "I'll burden my only child, and make his life needlessly harder than it already is and let him be condemned and treated like a pariah." For the Leaf....
@@madambutterfly1997 Exactly, Hashirama killed his best friend Madara for the leaf which is ironic because that’s exactly what Madara claimed was his and the village’s fallacy. They say they want true peace but they’re willing to sacrifice/kill anybody for it. That’s why Madara left the village, he knew the village will treat the Uchiha poorly and war will just start among the villages and that’s what happened.
Might be a bit late to the party but no matter what side you're on with Itachi (Hero or Villan). I think we should all be able to agree that he was a young teen faced with an impossible choice.
Let’s look at it logically, Itachi was 14! He was wise beyond his years but he was ultimately still a child. He couldn’t contemplate there being a third option, having being raised in a very black and white world.
@@itachisucks6693 He wasn't scared of Danzo, he was scared of the war that might broke out if he wouldn't do anything quickly. If Itachi was given a lot of time to even think, things would go differently & all it takes for a normal human to understand is to enlighten themselves up for more deeper understanding. You're hating Itachi blindly XD.
@@gottalovevarii1722 he isnt well written. he sounds like a fanfic. *omg thought like hokage at 7 and killed clan at 13 and anbu captain at 11 and solo chunin exam at 8* smh if he was in naruto’s chunin exam gaara would’ve killed him with ease. not mention his intentions were terrible since he expressed them terribly. make your tiny brother witness his clan dying, then making him an introvert and only want revenge, made him go rogue. OMG HE’S GOOD GUY? now your brother wants to kill the kage and has mental breakdowns. oh and he was in the akatsuki, a terrorist group, for some time.
@@crazybl1tz88 bro please understand his character a lil before commenting shit like this. Itachi became a pacifist after he saw the horrors of war. War was the last thing he wanted and he would do anything to maintain the peace within the villiage. He explores so many philosophy’s and life questions to call him a bad character is just kinda blasphemy to me.
“I see the morrows and see them clearly sir. Even when all reason is lost and all truth has become lie, you will stand firm for loyalty is both your saving and your curse.” -Blind Man Cassidy: RDR2
i always felt bad for hinata..people pretend shes not likeable relatable or well written because she is in a story out of her element and feels forced into the minor character end of story love interest role with nothing else given to her while crushing from afar without admitting her feelings to him out of fear on the main boy who likes someone else ...she would be a great lead in a shojo series..too bad shes thrust into a shounen battle manga made for 11 year old boys which is super popular creating obvious haters by proxy...
@@razkable you're right and wrong. literally majority of the fandom is in love with her for the reason you stated-she's a character whose only purpose is to love the main guy.
Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha are the epitome of this show and the absolute center of the whole story. Two great characters in the history of manga and anime.
I think it need to be understood that itachi saw part of 3rd great ninja war at age 4, which made itachi a pacifist and he didn't want to see another war because he saw death all around him.
@@crazybl1tz88 but that was not itachi's intention. His plan was that sasuke never learned the truth, that he would go back to the village as a hero. That's why itachi put amaterasu on sasukes eye
@@crazybl1tz88 yeah, but I don't see that as itachi's fault entirely. Sasuke was manipuleted by obito and it was also how sasuke saw the current shinobi world. Maybe itachi would have found another way but again he too was manipulated.
Definitely not a hero, but probably quite close to the middle, as you said. Although there is never any absolutes if life or good fiction. So it being in the middle makes sense
In the end it was Sarutobis misjudgement and lack of initiative that caused so many issues. -Didn't kill Danzo( He tried to assassinate Hiruzen.) -Let Orochimaru go -Let Naruto live as an outcast and being hated instead of confronting the public. -Didnt talk personally to Fugaku and worked on a solution together to fix the Uchihas state. It shows how when the strongest nation with the most responsebolity get the wrong leader the whole world suffers.
As a kid I loved itachi but as a older guy now I look at him with a big side eye.. In a village where danzo & orochimaru thrived it was BS to me that itachi had to/made the choice he did... I also wanna say how more blame from perspective is given to kishimoto.. I feel just like the sakura situation kishi didn't write the uchiha good enough for the outcome..Another good analysis 💯 Btw i wanna mention I totally agreed with sasuke end of series choice.. I felt him & Naruto had two good ways at handling a situation...
Itatchi always struck me as the hardcore patriot. He would become his own enemy, the villain, and the target for the sake of becoming useful to his village, and the ones most important to him AKA sasuke. However he was also young, inexperienced, and was under a huge amount of pressure every age until his death.
he was but mf was 13 as u said so it's like it's a childish thought line cus he was still a child. no 13 year should be the one to kill a clan. sure he thought like a hokage doesn't mean he was one fr
I’ve always gotten the feeling that Itachi was originally meant to be a villain, but Kishimoto changed his mind last minute and pulled a “good guy all along card”. There’s just so many elements of his character that don’t make any sense (him being friends with Kakashi yet the both of them treating each other like they were meeting for the first time, him “loving” Sasuke yet forcing his little brother to live through watching their parents get slaughtered to the point that he becomes a psychological vegetable their FIRST time seeing each other in years, him spying on the Akatsuki yet the Leaf Village never knowing anything about the Akatsuki, him hating the clan only for it to be revealed he was practically forced to slaughter the clan for the greater good when the clan itself were actually innocent victims of systematic racism and oppression). I could go on. I love Itachi, but when I take the time to think about it, he’s a walking contradiction and a pretty poorly written character. A little foreshadowing could’ve gone a LONG way, like how AoT was always foreshadowing Reiner and Bertholdt (specifically Reiner though; my boy deserves an Oscar for his performance).
I won't defend Kishimoto on everything (like this video, we're supposed to believe he made every character wank Itachi but it was ALL PART OF HIS PLAN so it's actually GOOD WRITING like wtf). But he definitely foreshadowed Itachi when he went to Konoha. Tons of his lines have double meanings or just make more sense from the real Itachi than the psycho.
Super deep and philosophical it sometimes even can make me emotional but it puts different logic and perspectives in my head about the world and other things. Listening to these videos for 20 mins is so much better and educating about life than watching some guy play Warzone and I’m all for it.
My main issue with Itachi, and I guess the writing surrounding his character comes from his inaction while in the Akatsuki and how little emphasis the show put on how willing he was to potentially sacrifice the leaf and the world as a whole, in order to ensure sasuke remained safe. He knew the Akatsuki had big plans for the bijuu, even if he didn't know what they were and failed to act. He knew that his deal with Obito would only last up until his death and failed to act. He knew there was no one, including himself, who could actually take down the akatsuki alone and still failed to act. And while this might be an instance of kishimoto coming up with an idea late into the series, he had ample time to "accidentally" give info to Kakashi or Jiraiya via Tsukuyomi when he entered the village, yet didn't. It can be assumed that this was because Sasuke was his main priority and he didn't want to risk blowing his cover...I'll be honest and just say it was because of his stupidity, but that's not what the video is about so I'll just go along with it being caused by his loyalty to the akatsuki. I know the Itachi, post-truth reveal, had very limited screen-time but his character would've been far more compelling had there been honesty about his priorities. Even after the whole exploration about him loving sasuke above all, Sasuke's discussion with the kage still made it seem like the village and Sasuke were equal in his eyes. Since that's true, his inaction diminishes that argument. If the show allowed him to simply admit he loved Sasuke above every single person on the continent, including the leaf (as by not using Koto on Obito and giving it to Naruto for Sasuke he practically ensured the success of the Akatsuki), everything post-massacre, would've made far more sense to me.
The issue here is, Obito was aware of Itachis true reasons for the massacre, and only allowed him protection in the akatsuki, so long as he worked for Obito. Obito could have exposed him at any time, Itachi was completely at the mercy of Obito, and couldn’t trust him, even after his death, by implanting Sasuke with Amaterasu. Regarding Koto Amatsukami being used on Obito: Itachi was running out of life time, he knew Sasuke was coming, he even had Kisame waiting outside, to let only Sasuke through. At that time, as Itachi says, he couldn’t use shisuis eye, as it needed time to activate, so his last resort was Naruto. He basically entrusted both the world and Sasuke into Narutos hands, as he could not provide any further help after he died. Even he didn’t know he would be revived through Edo Tensei, and when he did, he did everything he could, to help Naruto to achieving that goal, by stopping the reanimations.
@@gottalovevarii1722 not well written. just overrated. he’s supposed to be like the greatest dude in the world after we find out the truth but in reality that just makes him worse. if he stayed a villain that’d be way better.
Fun fact: Itachi was one of the few that beat Naruto in talk no jutsu. (And pain/Nagato, I think that's the only 2 that did) Fun fact: Itachi was praised as a great "shinobi" by two legendary shinobis, Hashirama and Madara, without ever meeting them.
@@itachisucks6693 I don’t think he was scared of Danzo, more like pressured from both parties. But hey man, if you wanna hate for no reason, do as you please
@@crazybl1tz88 How so? His intentions was A) avoid civil war B) Let Sasuke kill him and restore the uchiha name Had not Obito interfered with Sasuke and told him the truth, Sasuke would’ve probably just returned to the village
@@ułttimate a) why didnt he just stick by shisui and try and make sure they could do the peaceful way. b) pretty dumb to ruin a kid’s possible innocent childhood and make him do that.
That was probably the best character analysis of a fictional character i have seen on UA-cam till date, coupled with the well scripted narration and a non bias and rational outlook. Keep up the work, The production quality was good as well. The positive and the negative side of a character that Kishimoto portrayed through itachi is well deserving of an award at the very least. My views on Ithachi are he was a very gentle caring and thoughtful soul but he also saw the realities of life at a very young age and his inherent intelligence forced him to see an ideal world of his own understanding. To take the steps to find the best effective and optimal solution to save his only brother, the village and the name of his clan was the only thing that he held dear. And yes I do believe that for the greater good even the cruelest of things may sometime seem reasonable, which was the case for Itachi. Good or bad is subjective but the fact that is not debatable is that what he did took guts and he endured till his last breath and even after death (reanimated). In my books that is the defination of a hero/hokage/ideal man.
“Itachi didn’t take into account those he killed” you do realize they talk about his reasonings more in the “Itachi’s Story” books. He did this to deter war. He believed that war would lead to the entire villages downfall, both uchiha and every other clan. He knows the outcome of war because of the 3rd great ninja war at the age of 4.
@@enamseptember1417 they’ll most likely to die anyway if they actually went to war. I don’t think they Uchiha would stand a full on war against the leaf thats why they needed the nine tails, plus danzo manipulated itachi to kill his whole clan so I don’t fully blame him for it
@@tuna3760 A war is long its not a lightning attack, Pain and Orochimaru was terrorist attack. The Uchiha vs Konoha would have been days of war that would allow the other villages to attack konoha that would not be able to react because of the war.
Once again, a well done video on a awesome complex anime character. Not only was Itachi a mega powerful ninja he was the hokage from the shadows. He never once asked for recognition.
Itachi was not only much weaker then Danzo at this time but him killing the clan was the more logical thing to do in the context of this situation. Siding with you’re family is equally as selfish since the idea of family doesn’t really exist but by being blinded by love you would indirectly cause the deaths of millions in the process. There was no selfless decision here since every action mode would result in one person dying one way or another.
Itachi was still a young man caught in the middle of the battle between the Uchihas and the hidden leaf, and he was forced to make a immensely difficult and unfair decision- spare his clan who was bent on hate and war that would wipe out him and Sasuke and the hidden leaf, or save the one person in this world who fully relied on him. And he wasn't unaffected by what he did. Funny how those who now live in peace call him who aided in that peace a monster. A hero isn't someone who does everything right and makes everything right, but someone who has the courage, strength and selflessness to do what needs to be done. Itachi was Sasuke's enemy, then his hero.
I love your nuance approach in your videos. Shining light on complex characters and series. I would love to see you tackle the Attack on Titans series more. I think the aot series gets very murky (character ideal and motives), the more the story progresses. I like Erwin video.
To have Honor is a good thing, to be blinded like it is not. Itachi was blinded by his love for the Leaf Village much in the same way as Sasuke was blinded by his hate for it, he chose to side against his own people only excluding his brother. Children and babies were not spared, he committed the True Sin, the destruction of the innocent and therefore his actions are indeed evil and as much as though he felt forced to do so he still did so as he selfishly valued Sasuke above all of the innocents within the Uchiha Clan. He is indeed a Villain and committed Evil, but he still holds some good, therefore he is an Anti-Villain.
Wait, isnt an Anti-villain someone who performs good deeds for villainous goals? I thought an anti-hero is someone who performs bad deeds for noble reasons
If you do video about sasuke, I think you sould watch swagkake's video "dissecting sasuke uchiha" it goes through what sasuke is thinking throughout the series
Wow, it was so interesting to hear both perspectives on Itachi! I think I agree with both, he's a villain AND a hero, but he's more of a hero than a villain in my opinion.
Itachi and Shisui were the most Fascinating and Mysterious Characters i ever wittnessed. Every time i think about them i feel pityness because only a handful of people knew about their sacrifice, also an mixed feeling of sadness and sympathy for both of them because they both prevented Konohas downfall and with Narutos Similarity to Shisui, Itachi had his unforseen pawn to safe sasuke from himself and konoha from his hatred. F..king Legends man.
I think you can solidly argue every hokage pre 4th was a failure. A combination of inaction and prejudices (in varying amounts for each) resulted in the failure to welcome and integrate the Uchiha and eventually resulted in the genocidal policy of the Leaf.
The Uchiha Clan didn't want to integrate and that ok. But constantly mistrusting them, blaming them for the Kyūbi attack & spying on them really made matter's worse. Hiruzen really is nothing more than a failure and a coward. For not killing Danzo, Orochimaru & doing what ever the other two elders wanted him to do.
He may have thought like a Hokage at 7, but we must also realize that he was forced to choose between killing the clan and saving his brother, and supporting the conspiracy and dying with his clan and his brother at the tender age of 13, debatably one of the most volatile years of a person's life in terms of maturing and growing up. He could've conspired with Hiruzen, yes, and I think he would have had he just been given more time on the decision, but between the pressure the clan was putting on him to work with them on the coup, and the false dilemma which felt like an ultimatum that Danzo offered him, where either everyone of his clan died in a bloodbath of a battle with the rest of konoha, or his brother lived on and the leaf was saved.
Itachi loves Sasuke, but I feel like he loved the idea of his brother more. He never talked to Sasuke or his fam about the coup. “So long as Sasuke lives” to me was Itachi’s mistake
You’re right: he loved “the idea of a brother”, not his brother. He considered everything a win as long as Sasuke lived regardless of what Sasuke has to go through. As if that was not enough, he said “Why didn’t Sasuke return to the leaf?” I wanted to slap Itachi for that bulls**t. 🤨
Killing the entire clan is still the most extreme solution I can ever think of to be honest. I can never agree with Itachi for doing it, but I understand his reasons, along with the reasons on why the Uchiha wanted to revolt. It's not really a 'black or white' situation, it's more in the grey area.
Yeah, but killing the clan was never his choice. His only choice was to either be the one to do it and save his brother, or let the leaf Anbu do it where even his brother would die. The third scenario would have been infinitely worse what with the whole great Shinobi war thing. The village elders were already ready to kill them only with Hiruzen passively stating that he wants to talk to them first. But he never actually makes an effort to do so. His best way to talk would have been to actually use Itachi as a mediator or point of contact for Fugaku. But he simply bided his time and did absolutely nothing. Danzo was fucked up and he wanted that sweet Uchiha power but even that asshole atleast decided to do something about the coup unlike Hiruzen
I personally believe that the massacre was a horrific crime and that the “Will of Fire” is simply a way to use propaganda to manipulate people to be loyal to the village and only the village, but that’s not what I would like to talk about. I believe that the Uchiha Massacre could have been avoided if Itachi had told Danzo that he wont kill his clan, and Danzo didn’t use Kotoamatsukami on Itachi. My main reason is this: the elders said that they would simply get other shinobi to do it if Itachi didn’t. But would they really? Do the elders expect to recruit enough shinobi that are strong enough to fight the Uchiha, and willing to do it? Danzo couldn’t get ROOT to do it, otherwise he would never have even approached Itachi. The Uchiha is a founding clan, so imagine if, say, the Hyuga knew that the village leaders had committed a genocide on the Uchiha, a founding clan. Sure, they’d be happy that their rival clan is gone, but they, and every other clan, would think “If the Leaf can kill the Uchiha, why wouldn’t they kill my clan?” I believe that the elders were completely bluffing when they said that. They NEEDED Itachi to do it. They needed Itachi to be framed as an insane lunatic who had murdered his own clan, because they had nobody else who would agree to be used for their stealthy genocide and was strong enough to do it. Because if they got other shinobi to do it, the clans would realize that the government could kill them, too. They would all start a coup themselves, and Konoha would be utterly destroyed in a civil war between Clans and shinobi loyal to the Leaf.
@Sir Scrubbington I honestly wish instead of the fourth war (or leading up to it), the truth is exposed and causes Civil War right after the Pain invasion taking the leaf to another low and after that, the stakes are even higher
Are we gonna ignore the fact the main foundation of the uchias plan was releasing the nine tails from a CHILD naurto and wouldve no doubt caused a lot of death. Not saying the clan werent oppressed or anythingn but they certainly were in the same boat as the life, no matter what wouldve after happened after shisuis death it wouldve caused a massacre.
It still intrigues me, the show doesn't really go into how bad Itachi's slaughtering of the Uciha clan was besides its effect on Sasuke. Honestly it seem more like the show frames it that what Itachi did was unfortunate but ultimately the right call, including the assassination of all non-combatants and most definitely a few children and probably even babies.
@@wem_iii you do realize when itachi said," once you have the same eyes as me, come fight me.", he was giving time to sasuke to show his true colours. No human can predict irrational behavior changes neither could itachi. Sasuke could have not had brain damage and become just like naruto (Naruto went through hell growing up but he catered love from the beginning). Eventually Itachi realized that sasuke had turned into a menace, so he searched for options to turn him. That's when he started observing naruto and finally trusted naruto with the mission to bring sasuke over. NOW, he didnt end here. He also put a plan B inside of naruto if his trust failed. That is how caring itachi is towards his brother and his village. You think his methods maybe wrong but he was the one who created a sasuke who could stand with naruto fighting off isshiki at the end. Think about that
I would have chosen my family over everything else. That's why when I think of Itachi, I see the resolve needed to do what he did. That's why I love and respect him so much! The best part is that he is someone who owns his action and never tries to justify himself. He acted based on his reality and his values. As for the argument of being a child in the Narutoverse; To me as soon as you see the darkness of the world, you are no longer a child. This world operates on a completely different morality. Any shinobi who has already seen blood being drawn or has personally drawn blood is an adult just like Zabuza & Haku transitioned Team 7 into adulthood. Ideally it shouldnt be like that but it is what it is!!!
For me Itachi is not a good guy. Before I used to love him I was a huge fanbiy but I grew , I rewatch the anime ans read the manga and the experience is different. Now I took a few step back and clearly in naruto part one, It was clear Itachi was meant to be a villain. None of his interaction suggest he was undercover in the akatsuki. So in shippuden , to fit the narrative of itachi as the tragic hero, the author put a lot of attention on the uchiwa massacre so that we have the pov of Itachi and sasuke over and over. So we can be attached to him and understand him. And surprisely people bought it and think he has the best writing of all the manga and he is the goat. So just for that Kishimoto is a genius. Now I think the writing of Itachi is flawed, I just can't buy anymore the narrative of the tragic hero. The man genocide his whole clan (who have valid reasons to not ok with the village) for a village (more an ideal) who is no better than his clan and who maked shaddy things behind. Beside I think weird for kishimoto to force this narrative to the public. I mean the 3rd hokage tell he's a hero, Danzo said the same, the 1st hokage, Sasuke and even naruto said he's a hero. It was schoking to me that Naruto will see Itachi's actions like a hero. It's just out of his character. You don't need to repeat in your manga that a character is a hero in order for the public to see it. Showdon't tell. And what he show is not the actions of a hero. Beside if we begin to say this kind of things I guess Thanos in the mcu is a hero, Killmonger in black panther is a hero,etc... So yeah overall I think he's an interesting character for sure, with a good writing (which has some problems) and slightly overrated. The author could make Itachi a full villain or a tragic hero and he choose the tragic hero and it wasn't that good. Maybe it's just me, I can't identify myself to Itachi because of my personal values, what he did disguted me and I could never agree with that. If he was a villain I could find it great but a tragic hero? Hell no
@Danny Anyway that’s something we will never know. What we know for fact is that the Uchiha wanted a bloodless and peaceful takeover of the leaf but Itachi who is supposed to be a pacifist opted for a violent solution
All your videos are good, but this one is definitely one of your best. It was an extremely well thought out analysis and one that much of the fandom would not have taken the time to consider in its fullness.
Itachi is a character I very much have a mixed opinion on, while I can sing the guys praises to the moon, as a Shinobi, as Soldier, and as an asset to the Leaf. As a person I can’t help but find for all the praise of intelligence he gets people over look his short comings, Itachi as a person despite how much he loved or said he loved Sasuke seemed to treat his little brother as more of a thing, an object rather then a person. He set Sasuke up on a path too narrow for him to walk. It was like he would do something and not think about it before hand in the way a person would react. Everything Itachi did just made shit worse for Sasuke the brother he loved. If Itachi just stayed the fuck away from Sasuke his plan would have gone better, Sasuke was at the time jealous of Naruto’s growth he was nowhere near as bad as he was after Itachi pounded in his weakness by making him relive the massacre for a second time. You could say he did it to motivate Sasuke, ok he did not need to go that hard. He set Sasuke up for his fall and when things did not go his way he was planning on using more force and manipulation. That is why when Naruto said “He is more of a Brother to me then you ever where to him.” I agreed one hundred percent wile Naruto tried to use force when Sasuke would not listen to him he always tried to talk to him first, no matter how effective it was or was not. Itachi is an amazing Ninja and a loving brother, but he was manipulative in his love he wanted things to go how he wanted it.
Wonderful. I have to agree on this every word. Itachi's love for Sasuke has more twists than a rinnegan eye. I feel bad for Sasuke though the path he took was influenced by the trauma induced by Itachi. Sasuke didn't deserve it.
You touched on it during the video but there's something to be said about the burden of the eldest. Being the older sibling itachi was treated like an adult as soon as sasuke was born. Being the prodigy of his generation he also shouldered the exectations of his clan. That pressure to perform and to grow up rapidly forced him into terrible situations where he was manipulated for others' agenda. In the end, despite everything that was going on, Itachi stayed true to his ultinate purpose: big brother. As you said that was the one thing that he wouldn't stray from and I think is very overestimated.
it all probably mainly stems from Tobirama's mistrust of the Uchiha ... Danzo took up his sensei mistrust of the Uchiha ... it shows how actions have consequences and are connected ... it's such a sad situation ...
The thing people fail to realize is there was never itachi the villain. He did some bad things but everything was ultimately for the village. If he was truly a villain and wanted he could have messed the leaf village up something fierce.
oh no hes a Villain, hes just blinded by his love por Konoha, but im pretty sure hes a villain, Anti villain because he had good deeds, in a twisted way
He was definitely an anti hero. He let himself go way to deep in wrong things to achieve peace. Remember the jinchuurikis? Itachi killed some. Remember Naruto as a 12y old? Itachi was gonna let Kisame chop his legs off. Remember kid Sasuke? he put him under hell for no reason. He's just like Obito.
This probably a flaw in the writing. Kishimoto clearly planned Itachi's story from the beginning given that flashback in Part 1 that included Fugaku's dialogue to him, but his villainy up until his death felt far too real if he was meant to be redeemed. It's similar to how Obito acted completely differently after his mask came off.
Kakashi's dad understood comrades come first and then the "leaf", itachi was the opposite, his loyalty to the leaf blinded him from understanding what peace means, also he was a kid
@@joeycash9739 well don't malign sukumos ideology by putting trolley problems sukumo like Obito place more value on comrades (not even family but people they went on missions with ) over weird hypothetical scenarios and "he was a kid ' Even a child could’ve figured it out that this person (Obito) bypassed the barriers set for Kuahina’s safety in the past and wrecked havoc, which his clan were blamed and persecutor for. Instead of informing Hiruzen of that that, perhaps, this rouge Uchiha (let’s play with this terminology for now) could be responsible for the attack, he personally sought out his help to eradicate the clan, a clan that took the blame for the unknown Uchiha’s transgression? So he shook hands with the very Uchiha who caused the mess and never informed anyone about it, not even Hiruzen?Am I supposed to feel sympathy for this cruel jingoistic fanatic that took all the right steps and made all the right choices to make sure that the Uchiha looked as guilty as possible and allowed himself to singlehandedly assume the role of their judge, jury, and executioner?
Itachi is my favorite character in the series and it’s important to see both sides of his decision. Whether we think he’s a hero or villain is a display of complex human morality and why he’s so relatable. Thank you for this video and I hope it helps the fandom appreciate this character and series more deeply.
Okey I am going to ask this now how is he relatable, tell me have you ever had to do anything even close to what he did in importance or morality evil because if you think you have that is you inflating your own self worth way higher then is healthy being relate able is being able to understand a character though personal experience I think you are mistaking the feeling with Empathetic
Great analysis as always! I put Itachi up there with Severus Snape as one of the best characters ever written. I don't agree with what he did, but I'm always amazed that Kishimoto was able to get us to sympathize with this character at all after he destroyed his own clan.
what are your thoughts on itachi?
also, if you're hoping I make a video on Sasuke, I'm planning to as soon as I reach 100 patrons on Patreon. So if you're interested in supporting me and the channel, and if you have the means for it you can at patreon.com/sagesrain. i appreciate the support, and thank you so much for watching.
Itachi is a good character
itachi is great
Itachi is a very complex individual, some see him traitor, and some see him as a hero, and frankly, I see him as a boy who went through the worst. He shouldn't have had to have such a childhood he had, along with having to make the choices such as choosing his village, or his family.
he's a bad brother
Sasuke was innocent until Itachi decided to protect him.
If nothing else, can the Itachi Lovers and Itachi Haters come together to agree that Danzo is the worst?
Always
No he is not . Pain obito madara itachi are worse than danzo but since they have a sob backstory they get a pass
no. i love itachi and danzo.
plus he was the only one with any creativity for wind release.
@@thejourney3718 I cringe so hard and always at death's door when someone says
sHaDoW hOkAgE
He’s a good villain tho
“I’ve always lied to you and asked you to forgive me. Deliberately keeping you at a distance by my own hand. Because I didn’t want you to get caught up in any of this. But now I think that perhaps you could have changed father and mother and the rest of the Uchiha. If I had only come to you from the start looked straight into your eyes and told you the truth. With me, who failed telling you all this from above, it’s not going to penetrate and sink in. But I want to impart at least this much truth to you. You don’t ever have to forgive me. And no matter what you do from here on out know this I will love you always.”
marcy???
@@SagesRain what up sage
@@SagesRain yo
The original onion cutting shinobi
@@SagesRain you should do some adventure time characters
Itachi wasn’t a good person, but what he was was a child forced to make adult decisions and lacked the clarity (the kind that only comes with maturity) To seek out alternative options.
How wise words of those are
Yea hes a awesome character but it doesnt absolve him from his crimes
Both ways uchiha clan was going to get terminated
You know nothing! He also did everything for shishi uchia as well that was that vow he accepted when he took that eye! Protect the village and the uchiha name itachi-shisui uchiha
@@Clapnn I think even if Itachi hadnt gained Shishui's eye he would have withheld his end of the bargain from which Shisui asked him to protect
Itachi was also one of the first persons to treat naruto like a human being. If you read the midnight novel at least
itachi was just ahead of the curve
Don't let this distract you from the fact that itachi got scared of jiraya and ran away like a fool.
@@itachisucks6693 you kiddin? right....?
@@itachisucks6693 you down bad. Jiraya can't even beat orochimaru
@@badassproductions4734 Black Zetsu is worse and the reason the Uchiha suffered in the first place, Narutotards don’t ask the right questions and have short attention spans and a small scope in Morality
Most of you guys hate Sasuke for how he acted and praise Itachi for all he did even though he literally traumatized a child multiple times and literally told Sasuke once to “kill his best friend” and then when Sasuke wants revenge you guys are like “Why doesn’t he just go after the elders?” And think Sasuke can just go in there, kill them, and the village won’t say anything
Narutotards are the reason misanthropes exist and have short attention spans and a low and biased scope of morality
“The child who sacrifice himself to solve adult problems.”
Forreal lol
Cheesy line “world problems” sounds better
@@Luceium01 nah the 3rd could've killed Donzo but was too pussy.
@@nearby222 Black Zetsu is worse and the reason the Uchiha suffered in the first place, Narutotards don’t ask the right questions and have short attention spans and a small scope in Morality
Most of you guys hate Sasuke for how he acted and praise Itachi for all he did even though he literally traumatized a child multiple times and literally told Sasuke once to “kill his best friend” and then when Sasuke wants revenge you guys are like “Why doesn’t he just go after the elders?” And think Sasuke can just go in there, kill them, and the village won’t say anything
Narutotards are the reason misanthropes exist and have short attention spans and a low and biased scope of morality
@@jaysmith3173 Black zetsu is evil but that's by design danzo was evil for no God given reason
The Uchiha massacre was a result of the 3rd's failure as a Hokage. He knew about the coup and could have personally confronted Fugaku. But he didn't. If it was Minato or Naruto, the massacre would've never happened.
Hiruzen said he wanted to talk with the Uchiha, but Danzo responded by saying time was running out. The story made it seem like the coup was going to happen a day or two after they learned about it. However, I don't deny that there was plenty of time to hash things out beforehand and not have things get so bad that they would plan a coup.
@@Scarftail Hiruzen cared about other elders and Danzo's opinion. That was the issue with him. Whereas, Minato or Naruto would've done what they thought was right. Even Tsunade kicked out the elders when they spoke against Naruto.
@@manu201022 i think any other hokage would have talked to the uchiha clan personally . like they are one of the strongest clan along side the senju . u would think that the village would want the military power if they just made one uchiha a hokage most of the problems would be gone in my opinion
@@zero_snow4511 Yes. Hiruzen should have atleast personally talked to Fugaku. But he cared for Danzo's and other elders opinion and chose to not interfere.
I love your comments, Hiruzen should have laid down the Hokage position to either Fugaku or Itachi is he was still shaky.
The fact that Danzo manipulated him without Shisui's eyes is sickening.
Alternatively, Shisui should not have committed suicide but team up with Itachi to takeout Danzo or enlist the help of then Madara(Obito) in exchange for a favour.
You can color it however you want but Konoha treated Itachi like a Napkin, used and then disposed of.
@Charles Chiemeka Ekeogu All thanks to the Elders and Black Zetsu
Shinobi's life
Itachi was not the only one who was used and disposed of. Many shinobi were
@@michaelballack3051 Yup, Shinobi are tools. Kishimoto even went such extreme route of making inhumane tool as the main villain; Black Zetsu.
Shinobis are nothing but a tool. They will all be used and disposed of by the Elders. They are nothing but pieces in the Elder’s game of Chess
“No matter what darkness or contradictions lie within the village, I am itachi uchiha of the leaf”!
Loyalty in person
But why? What was there about the village that made him choose that way?
@@mikaelantonkurki my best answer would be Itachi felt the world where the Uchiha coupe happened, was worse than a world where the Uchiha clan didn't exist. His experience in the war as a child disillusioned him from clan politics because he felt those very clan politics would result in more war, so he felt his loyalty should belong to Konoha as a whole, who he felt would do the right thing by ninja society, whereas the Uchiha would've plunged it into endless war. Remember, the Sharingan was feared world wide, what would you think would happen when the other great nations find out the Uchiha clan took over the Land of Fire? It'd be the ninja war to end all ninja wars.
@@erhiueQWEF I agree. There's multiple choices he could've make. But honestly I think everyone's being too harsh on him for making the wrong decision in the end. Because any one of us could've made the same wrong decision as him. No more, no less. Whether we were a prodigy, a genius or just plain stupid. Either way, chances are that we could have made the same ultimatum decision that Itachi did. If we were in his shoes, which is why I pity him so much.
@@kingnamor777 I agree that Itachi was in a "no-win" scenario, it shouldn't have happened to him. I'll still contend that Hiruzen's bag should've been a lot heavier than it was, I can only imagine the dire political straights Konoha must've been in to have Hiruzen come out of retirement. One story I would've liked to see is the societal impact of the Uchiha Massacre in Konoha, I could only imagine the newspaper headlines in Konoha. Ultimately tho, Hiruzen knew Danzo for decades at that point and to an extent he knew Danzo was up to no good, it was naive of Hiruzen to think Danzo would just disappear into the ether after publicly stripping him of his position (He seriously didn't think Danzo would have an underground org under his command) Perhaps if Kishimoto had planned these story beats earlier, and perhaps had invented Danzo earlier, so that he appeared in Part 1, some things would've gelled easier.
Itachi had a near flawless plan yet that plan was doomed to fail from the start due to a single fatal flaw, not trusting or even seeing Sasukes own individuality and agency
The way I see it, Itachi didn’t seem to care about what Sasuke wanted, but just wanted Sasuke to kill him because that’s what _he_ wanted. And nothing exemplifies this better than their hallway meeting. Regardless of if he knew how Sasuke was changing (by becoming less obsessed with revenge and actually having friends and happiness), the impact of their reunion is honestly heartbreaking. Sasuke feels as if he has to abandon his first and only ever friends because Itachi didn’t want Sasuke to not prioritize his vengeance. God forbid Sasuke not be trapped in his traumatized past forever! This guy definitely had a point when he said Itachi was selfish.
@@firefly5934 Exactly this, if you minus the hallway encounter between sasuke and itachi, sasuke was loosing incentive to act revenge on Itachi especially having those bonds with team 7 but itachi’s visit to the leaf village after all those years reignited the hate in sasuke’s heart from itachi after being provoked for his “weakness” and not having enough “hate” to the point where when sasuke was healed by tsunade his first thought on his mind was his “weakness” then the self comparison to “Naruto” which led to him going rogue, Itachi is the reason behind the sole thing he ought to prevent and he still couldn’t understand Sasuke’s resolve or even cared why Sasuke felt the way he did, the whole story is so sad tbh…
@@firefly5934itachi DEFINITELY didn't care about what sasuke wanted
Sasuke was too young to trust him when it all started he was just newborn
I've always viewed Itachi as a person who did his best in an impossible situation.
Bullshit. He could have;
>Kidnapped Sasuke and fled the village with him sparring his innocent mind.
>Exposed Danzo for the murder of Shisui proceeded to mediate between his father and the 3rd.
>Not betrayed his clan in the first fucking place, and plan to make the coup as bloodless as possible with the end of the Uchiha's persecution in mind.
> Or, do everything he did *except* for torturing his little brother within an inch of his sanity.
Itachi was a narcissistic piece of shit no matter how you look at it.
Why his haters don't realize how he was merely child caught in adult bs and even the hokage told sasuke itachi had carry burden a grown men couldn't
Honestly,if you have a something called emotional brain I don't think it's possible to hate someone like Itachi .... That's why he is my favourite the author really made people question their own sense of morality and spirituality
@@josephpena6181child capable of mass murder ?
@@SteveBufznah im sure his entire family hates his snake ass, he didn't give a single one of them a choice but his brother
It's a lie to say that none of the lives mattered to him and he didnt take them into account. Itachi has a whole canon light novel dedicated to his back story and if you read it you can see how much he struggles with his choice. He DID acknowledge every life he took, he DID care for his family, it's just that he cared for the Leaf and his brother even more. To say he disregarded the Uchiha family is false, he just cared for other things even more so.
The greatest example is the way he killed Izumi 🥺
Trueee!! . Thats the whole purpose of the famous line:
"The village or the clan"
It doesn't matter what choice he made he would always be perceived as selfish. And that's OKAY. Everyone makes selfish choices troughout their entire lives. No one is a selfless saint. It is sort of the same logic as when Nagato said to Naruto: "You strive for your justice, and I strive for mine. We're both ordinary man seeking vengeance in the name of justice."
I think you're missing the point. He was looking at it from multiple peoples perspectives. Looking through the eyes of how others viewed him. Of course they mattered to him. The way he cried when he had to take his parents lives shows that completely.
@@joshuabradford8206 ? What are you arguing? I literally said that they mattered to him but the village and Sasuke mattered to him more 😂
Talking about peace, whilst spilling blood, it's something that only humans can do - Madara Uchia
So basically.... Madara was right
And I feel like, if you want to bring peace in the world ( in the Shinobi World I mean), you have to be violent sometimes because even pacifist actions are not sufficient enough. Well that's what I think, maybe I'm wrong
@Alex Wainaina First of all, let me congratulate you for writing a very good comment my friend👏🏼. I definitely agree with you😉
Madara was always right ideologically speaking. His only mistake is that he isolated himself
@Alex Wainaina And most other villains actually.
If you think about it, the curse of hatred was actually a curse of isolation
True peace can only exist when 33+77=100
“You don’t ever have to forgive me, but no matter what you do from here on out know this I will love you always” as someone with a brother I relate to Itachi
Don't let this distract you from the fact that itachi got scared of danzo.
@@itachisucks6693 it's more so he was an elder of the leaf and it would probably cause an uprising in the village, and just distant the clan even more
@Tribunal Gear nah, sasuke is
@Tribunal Gear after a complex video like this you can't understand his character, congrats
while not as dramatic i always wished the fillers in shippuden 389 and 390 centered on hanabi were canon(thus seen by everyone, not just filler fans) cause of showing hinata as a caring big sis and her choice to not beat her cocky sister down in the moment and that being why her father saw her as a failure for not striking a weak foe not cause she was actually weaker than her younger sister which kept her from the heiress line and it explains why neji also saw her as a failure as well..thus these two eps being great eps to show a sisterly bond in a smaller focused less dramatic plot related context of course...it really adds to hinata's likeability I feel giving her love more than just a relation to naruto/neji for once ...it shows her also getting inspired by naruto's never give up training attitude watching him from afar in the afternoon making time despite her other duties despite herself being tired and naruto being hated alone and weak after neji beat her up training and her dad just threw her aside like she was worthless due to her compassion....it really puts into context that kishi when he wants could write good relateable female centric heartfelt storylines if he cared more..cause he wrote 389 and gave an outline for the non flashback parts of 390...
Sometimes I am kind of lost on how people will hate Sasuke for going against Itachis wishes but like … even Itachi knows he is at fault with Sasuke going down a dark path because he filled Sasuke with only hate and lies.
Itachi literally tortured Sasuke
@@sebastianaristizabal3871 And he was eventually forced to come to the conclusion that making himself into a lightning rod for Sasuke's hatred (figuratively and literally) was a bad idea in hindsight.
@@kichiroumitsurugi4363 Itachi; Lets mentally torture Sasuke, the first just after i killed evertone in front of him and hes 7, the second when hes having a New family ¿What could possibly go wrong?
@@sebastianaristizabal3871 Yea, it's Itachi's own fear of the truth that became his fatal flaw, and what led to Sasuke's despisal of the Hidden Leaf
Itachi was not always a "good" person, but I thought his admittance of mistakes when he was reanimated gave a lot of credence to his true self, had he not been forced into such a position by two of the things he cared about most. Imagine living your whole life trying to achieve something, killing all your family save your brother, being ostracized from the one thing you sacrificed so much to protect just to have to admit you were wrong. Having the guts to admit that, I think, said a lot about who he truly was.
yes!!!! I agree
"He simply did what he had to the discrimination by the village and the object of their antagonism he shouldered all the blame himself. No one should ever question Itachi's decision and the sacrifices he made." Obito Uchiha
And you're gonna believe whatever obito said ? 🤣 the same guy that lied about his identity for years . And obito was trying to manipulate sasuke
@@Coolguy-or8ex True but most of what he said was true though both Danzo and Itachi confirmed this.
@@Coolguy-or8ex What Obito said was confirmed to be true.
@@kanganaga1787 sure, besides his spin to make the uchiha look like poor little victims in order to nudge sasuke away from acting in accordance with itachi's wishes and toward hating the village. itachi didn't do what he did just because he was ordered. they never could have made him do it if he didn't want to. he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do for multiple reasons, one of them being that the clan was obsessed with their own name and plotting the coup
@@Coolguy-or8ex Exactly most words that were spoken by Obito shouldn't be taken seriously.
"Itachi was selfish." That's a bold ass claim. You got my attention.
XD
Lmao as an Itachi fan myself it’s hard to hear 😂
@@Bleeper852 He's morally gray he's not a villain nor a hero.
@@jmcghane Most of you guys hate Sasuke for how he acted and praise Itachi for all he did even though he literally traumatized a child multiple times and literally told Sasuke once to “kill his best friend” and then when Sasuke wants revenge you guys are like “Why doesn’t he just go after the elders?” And think Sasuke can just go in there, kill them, and the village won’t say anything
Narutotards are the reason misanthropes exist and have short attention spans and a low and biased scope of morality
@@jaysmith3173 Actually I'm a Sasuke fan myself. Personally I find it ironic that everyone praise Itachi up and down but hates Sasuke when in fact the one who everyone praises is the same person who made Sasuke the person he is today (well at least one of them).
I’ve always had a bit of an issue with Itachi’s character. In no way can genocide be seen as “morally grey”, however, the way the show portrays it almost makes it seem like the Uchiha are the bad guys who needed to be put down, whereas in actuality, they’re just an oppressed people seeking their justly deserved rights and privileges. And I’m definitely not a big fan of the “will of fire” philosophy. The will of fire seems more patriotic than noble imo.
The whole Uchiha situation made me feel very conflicted tbh. 😅
The entire situation is messed up, and I do feel bad for Itachi though, he was basically a tool for the higher ups of the Leaf to use however they want.
I don’t agree with you completely especially when you think about how people should act individually. It’s definitely hard to say that his decision was a morally grey one for sure even if I agree with why he did it. Definitely have some thinking to do 🤔😂
@@kaptainkrayzee9822 I'm not entirely sure what you're referring to when discussing how people should act individually, sorry. 😅
The reason why I can't agree with the destruction of the Uchiha is because it reflects what happens in real life. The oppressed want change, however, when they attempt anything that could lead to it, their oppressors, wrongfully, punish them.
I could go into more detail about Itachi's character and his story, but it's way too long and complicated. 😂😅
At one point, I also shamed Itachi for being a murderer even in spite of his circumstances, but then I remembered that he was told up front that if he refused to carry out his orders, the alternative outcome would've simply been Konoha shinobi carrying out his mission in his stead. The murderer was the Konoha elders. Of course, I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole of whether or not they were justified. It could be argued the Uchiha got themselves killed, but then it could also be argued that Konoha pushed the Uchiha into feeling this way.
That’s what I’m saying, people think Uchiha were the bad guys whereas they were oppressed and continuously used by the village. I get it, Itachi loved the village to prevent war and bloodshed but slaughtering your own family because they were trying to stand up for themselves. That’s really fucked up.
The leaf is evil.
Itachi died the day he killed the Uchiha. He was still a kid yet he gave up everything he had for the Leaf and Sasuke.
Itachi's morality shouldn't be questioned. No Uchiha other than Tobi has a questionable morality.
Instead, question the morality of the leaf and it's leaders. Who backed a teenager into a corner, and basically told him to kill his family because they couldn't deal with a problem they created. Who seem to have dirty laundry nobody ever wants to air out.
@Gomie Horesh The only two sides involved, are the two faces of the leaf village. The holy land of honor they pretend to be, and the empire. The Leaf is identical to the British.
Danzo is the only bad character responsible for the Uchiha clan massacre. Tobirama 's action could be justified to some extent, but Dsnzo's cannot be
@@munnamusashippuden7920 Hiruzen was a joke of a leader. No way Tobirama allows Danzo to have that kind of influence.
@@GUURL101 About Hiruzen... hmm. I haven't read Naruto in a while but yeah. Hiruzen couldn't contain Danzo, but that only makes him a failure, rather than a bad character. I would like compare Tobirama to Akainu of One Piece, if that helps.
Hiruzen did some good stuff too but his greatest mistake was Danzo and unability to solve the feud between the village and uchihas.
In short, I agree with you but telling him a joke of a reader would be kinda bad/harsh... :sweat_smile:
@@munnamusashippuden7920 Tobirama's actions can't be justified from an objective viewpoint. His decisions were ass backwards
Itachi in the Light novels is so amazing he has the best portrayal of a existential crisis he’s easily S tier kishimoto is a genius for making itachi character skyrocket off light novels
oh god please shut up
I was literally just watching a video on itachi when this notification popped up. Sages rain is true to his name. He is the sage this world needs
He couldn’t understand this blind familial loyalty that clan possessed
You could say the same thing about konoha with that will of fire nonsense. Just do any atrocity and label it as “for the leaf” and it’s totally fine!
"I killed billions."
*For the leaf*
“I’m willing to kill my love interest if she helps Orochimaru”
For the leaf.
@@charleschiemekaekeogu6908 I get help cult-like the loyalty to the leaf is. I mean look at Minato.
"I'll burden my only child, and make his life needlessly harder than it already is and let him be condemned and treated like a pariah."
For the Leaf....
@@madambutterfly1997 Exactly, Hashirama killed his best friend Madara for the leaf which is ironic because that’s exactly what Madara claimed was his and the village’s fallacy. They say they want true peace but they’re willing to sacrifice/kill anybody for it. That’s why Madara left the village, he knew the village will treat the Uchiha poorly and war will just start among the villages and that’s what happened.
Might be a bit late to the party but no matter what side you're on with Itachi (Hero or Villan). I think we should all be able to agree that he was a young teen faced with an impossible choice.
Exactly. I don't Know if he's good or bad but he's definitely a Good kid inside who was forced to grow up
Let’s look at it logically, Itachi was 14! He was wise beyond his years but he was ultimately still a child. He couldn’t contemplate there being a third option, having being raised in a very black and white world.
Don't let this distract you from the fact that itachi got scared of danzo.
It’s not that he couldn’t see a third option but that every third option was removed by Danzo
@@itachisucks6693 tf? He’s a child of course he gon be scared. Any what does this have to do with anything?
@@luchats Yeah the same child that stupidly threatened "Madara" without having any knowledge of his abilities
@@itachisucks6693 Danzo literally ripped the eye out of his best friend who came up with an idea to prevent the coup. But go off I guess.
Back to Naruto eh? Well, I have to say Itachi is my favorite character of them all. Every time I here Crispin Freeman speak the last line, I cry.
same!
He got scared of danzo and people still love him lol
Even Itachi can be scared of something. Aren't we all?
@@itachisucks6693 He wasn't scared of Danzo, he was scared of the war that might broke out if he wouldn't do anything quickly. If Itachi was given a lot of time to even think, things would go differently & all it takes for a normal human to understand is to enlighten themselves up for more deeper understanding. You're hating Itachi blindly XD.
never been this early before. itachi is definitely in my top 3 for naruto characters! 🔥
Absolutely
Top 3 all time so well written
@@gottalovevarii1722 he isnt well written. he sounds like a fanfic. *omg thought like hokage at 7 and killed clan at 13 and anbu captain at 11 and solo chunin exam at 8* smh if he was in naruto’s chunin exam gaara would’ve killed him with ease. not mention his intentions were terrible since he expressed them terribly. make your tiny brother witness his clan dying, then making him an introvert and only want revenge, made him go rogue. OMG HE’S GOOD GUY? now your brother wants to kill the kage and has mental breakdowns. oh and he was in the akatsuki, a terrorist group, for some time.
@@crazybl1tz88 bro please understand his character a lil before commenting shit like this. Itachi became a pacifist after he saw the horrors of war. War was the last thing he wanted and he would do anything to maintain the peace within the villiage. He explores so many philosophy’s and life questions to call him a bad character is just kinda blasphemy to me.
@@crazybl1tz88 also strenght doesn’t matter much and he would send intel to the leaf villiage on the akatsuki
“I see the morrows and see them clearly sir. Even when all reason is lost and all truth has become lie, you will stand firm for loyalty is both your saving and your curse.”
-Blind Man Cassidy: RDR2
The character development in this anime is so good, you could probably take any character and make a short anime for yourself
i always felt bad for hinata..people pretend shes not likeable relatable or well written because she is in a story out of her element and feels forced into the minor character end of story love interest role with nothing else given to her while crushing from afar without admitting her feelings to him out of fear on the main boy who likes someone else ...she would be a great lead in a shojo series..too bad shes thrust into a shounen battle manga made for 11 year old boys which is super popular creating obvious haters by proxy...
@@razkable you're right and wrong. literally majority of the fandom is in love with her for the reason you stated-she's a character whose only purpose is to love the main guy.
At least Hinata got a story and some kind of recognition, look at the other ninja from their year.
Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha are the epitome of this show and the absolute center of the whole story. Two great characters in the history of manga and anime.
Man I love sages breakdown of characters
Itachi is that character that changed the way I thought completely 💙
Itachi as a character is someone I respect and someone I do not envy
you respect someone that slaughtered their own family because they were scared if an old dude
I think it need to be understood that itachi saw part of 3rd great ninja war at age 4, which made itachi a pacifist and he didn't want to see another war because he saw death all around him.
yet he almost made his brother kill all the kage and throw off the ninja world to be worse
@@crazybl1tz88 but that was not itachi's intention. His plan was that sasuke never learned the truth, that he would go back to the village as a hero. That's why itachi put amaterasu on sasukes eye
@@jesseranta9540 he caused it however. all just by making him seek revenge.
@@crazybl1tz88 yeah, but I don't see that as itachi's fault entirely. Sasuke was manipuleted by obito and it was also how sasuke saw the current shinobi world. Maybe itachi would have found another way but again he too was manipulated.
@@jesseranta9540 that’s true, it’s just the fact that itachi kinda started it and kinda made sasuke involved.
Definitely not a hero, but probably quite close to the middle, as you said.
Although there is never any absolutes if life or good fiction. So it being in the middle makes sense
@CamTheKitty Naruto fans only take absolutes
In the end it was Sarutobis misjudgement and lack of initiative that caused so many issues.
-Didn't kill Danzo( He tried to assassinate Hiruzen.)
-Let Orochimaru go
-Let Naruto live as an outcast and being hated instead of confronting the public.
-Didnt talk personally to Fugaku and worked on a solution together to fix the Uchihas state.
It shows how when the strongest nation with the most responsebolity get the wrong leader the whole world suffers.
I can’t think of a character more morally complex then Itachi himself
Facts
sasuke
Anakin SkyWalker
@Tribunal Gear Narutotards are the reason misanthropes exist
@@sarveshnathan7559 guts yes L and Lelouch no
*Good, evil, or gray. Itachi will always be my favorite Naruto character of all time!*
The shining red eye of the Uchiha clan.
As a kid I loved itachi but as a older guy now I look at him with a big side eye.. In a village where danzo & orochimaru thrived it was BS to me that itachi had to/made the choice he did... I also wanna say how more blame from perspective is given to kishimoto.. I feel just like the sakura situation kishi didn't write the uchiha good enough for the outcome..Another good analysis 💯
Btw i wanna mention I totally agreed with sasuke end of series choice.. I felt him & Naruto had two good ways at handling a situation...
Itatchi always struck me as the hardcore patriot. He would become his own enemy, the villain, and the target for the sake of becoming useful to his village, and the ones most important to him AKA sasuke. However he was also young, inexperienced, and was under a huge amount of pressure every age until his death.
he was but mf was 13 as u said so it's like it's a childish thought line cus he was still a child. no 13 year should be the one to kill a clan. sure he thought like a hokage doesn't mean he was one fr
Such a well written character
I’ve always gotten the feeling that Itachi was originally meant to be a villain, but Kishimoto changed his mind last minute and pulled a “good guy all along card”. There’s just so many elements of his character that don’t make any sense (him being friends with Kakashi yet the both of them treating each other like they were meeting for the first time, him “loving” Sasuke yet forcing his little brother to live through watching their parents get slaughtered to the point that he becomes a psychological vegetable their FIRST time seeing each other in years, him spying on the Akatsuki yet the Leaf Village never knowing anything about the Akatsuki, him hating the clan only for it to be revealed he was practically forced to slaughter the clan for the greater good when the clan itself were actually innocent victims of systematic racism and oppression). I could go on. I love Itachi, but when I take the time to think about it, he’s a walking contradiction and a pretty poorly written character.
A little foreshadowing could’ve gone a LONG way, like how AoT was always foreshadowing Reiner and Bertholdt (specifically Reiner though; my boy deserves an Oscar for his performance).
This
i think u dont really know him tbh
Read the light novels
I won't defend Kishimoto on everything (like this video, we're supposed to believe he made every character wank Itachi but it was ALL PART OF HIS PLAN so it's actually GOOD WRITING like wtf). But he definitely foreshadowed Itachi when he went to Konoha. Tons of his lines have double meanings or just make more sense from the real Itachi than the psycho.
Every point u mentioned is wrong lmao tf
Super deep and philosophical it sometimes even can make me emotional but it puts different logic and perspectives in my head about the world and other things. Listening to these videos for 20 mins is so much better and educating about life than watching some guy play Warzone and I’m all for it.
Absolutely
My main issue with Itachi, and I guess the writing surrounding his character comes from his inaction while in the Akatsuki and how little emphasis the show put on how willing he was to potentially sacrifice the leaf and the world as a whole, in order to ensure sasuke remained safe. He knew the Akatsuki had big plans for the bijuu, even if he didn't know what they were and failed to act. He knew that his deal with Obito would only last up until his death and failed to act. He knew there was no one, including himself, who could actually take down the akatsuki alone and still failed to act. And while this might be an instance of kishimoto coming up with an idea late into the series, he had ample time to "accidentally" give info to Kakashi or Jiraiya via Tsukuyomi when he entered the village, yet didn't. It can be assumed that this was because Sasuke was his main priority and he didn't want to risk blowing his cover...I'll be honest and just say it was because of his stupidity, but that's not what the video is about so I'll just go along with it being caused by his loyalty to the akatsuki.
I know the Itachi, post-truth reveal, had very limited screen-time but his character would've been far more compelling had there been honesty about his priorities. Even after the whole exploration about him loving sasuke above all, Sasuke's discussion with the kage still made it seem like the village and Sasuke were equal in his eyes. Since that's true, his inaction diminishes that argument. If the show allowed him to simply admit he loved Sasuke above every single person on the continent, including the leaf (as by not using Koto on Obito and giving it to Naruto for Sasuke he practically ensured the success of the Akatsuki), everything post-massacre, would've made far more sense to me.
The issue here is, Obito was aware of Itachis true reasons for the massacre, and only allowed him protection in the akatsuki, so long as he worked for Obito. Obito could have exposed him at any time, Itachi was completely at the mercy of Obito, and couldn’t trust him, even after his death, by implanting Sasuke with Amaterasu.
Regarding Koto Amatsukami being used on Obito: Itachi was running out of life time, he knew Sasuke was coming, he even had Kisame waiting outside, to let only Sasuke through. At that time, as Itachi says, he couldn’t use shisuis eye, as it needed time to activate, so his last resort was Naruto. He basically entrusted both the world and Sasuke into Narutos hands, as he could not provide any further help after he died. Even he didn’t know he would be revived through Edo Tensei, and when he did, he did everything he could, to help Naruto to achieving that goal, by stopping the reanimations.
Itachi Uchiha is a gift to the anime world, which would be very difficult to recreate. Getting a character to Itachi's level surely a difficult task.
One of the best written characters
Guts
@@gottalovevarii1722 not well written. just overrated. he’s supposed to be like the greatest dude in the world after we find out the truth but in reality that just makes him worse. if he stayed a villain that’d be way better.
Ya sorry itachi is cool and interesting but he don’t deserve all the hype and clout he gets. He was only really cool in part 1 naruto anyway.
@@Orbis618 i 100% agree
I love this analysis of Itachi. Most of the time people praise him and ignore all the evil he has done. Great job 👏
Fun fact: Itachi was one of the few that beat Naruto in talk no jutsu. (And pain/Nagato, I think that's the only 2 that did)
Fun fact: Itachi was praised as a great "shinobi" by two legendary shinobis, Hashirama and Madara, without ever meeting them.
He sucks and got scared of danzo and people still like him lol 💀
they meant a great shinobi from his intentions. if only they knew how much his intentions turned out in the end. pretty bad.
@@itachisucks6693 I don’t think he was scared of Danzo, more like pressured from both parties. But hey man, if you wanna hate for no reason, do as you please
@@crazybl1tz88 How so? His intentions was A) avoid civil war B) Let Sasuke kill him and restore the uchiha name
Had not Obito interfered with Sasuke and told him the truth, Sasuke would’ve probably just returned to the village
@@ułttimate a) why didnt he just stick by shisui and try and make sure they could do the peaceful way. b) pretty dumb to ruin a kid’s possible innocent childhood and make him do that.
Uchiha Itachi is One of my Best Favourite Character.
That was probably the best character analysis of a fictional character i have seen on UA-cam till date, coupled with the well scripted narration and a non bias and rational outlook. Keep up the work, The production quality was good as well.
The positive and the negative side of a character that Kishimoto portrayed through itachi is well deserving of an award at the very least.
My views on Ithachi are he was a very gentle caring and thoughtful soul but he also saw the realities of life at a very young age and his inherent intelligence forced him to see an ideal world of his own understanding. To take the steps to find the best effective and optimal solution to save his only brother, the village and the name of his clan was the only thing that he held dear. And yes I do believe that for the greater good even the cruelest of things may sometime seem reasonable, which was the case for Itachi.
Good or bad is subjective but the fact that is not debatable is that what he did took guts and he endured till his last breath and even after death (reanimated). In my books that is the defination of a hero/hokage/ideal man.
Itachi ❤️
The more we grow as a person, the more we understand Itachi.
Why am I crying? And why do I always cry when I watch your videos?
Love the irony showing one of the strongest genjutsu users was himself blurred by an illusion.
“Itachi didn’t take into account those he killed” you do realize they talk about his reasonings more in the “Itachi’s Story” books. He did this to deter war. He believed that war would lead to the entire villages downfall, both uchiha and every other clan. He knows the outcome of war because of the 3rd great ninja war at the age of 4.
Still not a good enough reason to kill innocent children and babies and grandmas and grandpas who literally new nothing about the coup.
@@enamseptember1417 they’ll most likely to die anyway if they actually went to war. I don’t think they Uchiha would stand a full on war against the leaf thats why they needed the nine tails, plus danzo manipulated itachi to kill his whole clan so I don’t fully blame him for it
Did that stopped orochimaru from destroying konoha?
Did that destroyed pain from destroying konoha?
@@tuna3760 A war is long its not a lightning attack, Pain and Orochimaru was terrorist attack. The Uchiha vs Konoha would have been days of war that would allow the other villages to attack konoha that would not be able to react because of the war.
@@kagetsuki23 it's not a war it's a coup it's last for a half day
Itachi Uchiha, the pure child who was broken by this accursed world
One of the most impartial takes at explaining the character of Itachi! Fantastic content 👍🏼
That definition of a hero, applies to madara. Reality is subjective, so what does it matter which one is which. They are all still together.
Just got back into naruto so I’m super happy that you posted this
Once again, a well done video on a awesome complex anime character. Not only was Itachi a mega powerful ninja he was the hokage from the shadows. He never once asked for recognition.
You sweared to not join the sith but destroy them.
Been waiting for another about itachi uchiha, great video. Itachi uchiha truly is a complex character.
Best analysis of itachi I've watched, alot of deep knowledge and explanation here. Well delivered, not rushed.
He was only 14? Kishi really needed to work on how he draws teenagers.
No he was 12 in light novels and 13 in the anime and manga
14 yo's aren't that tall?
I’d love to see a world where itachi goes against danzo
Would’ve been an interesting filler
Bruh he got scared of danzo lol 🤣
He love danzo more than his parents
@@itachisucks6693 he beats danzo with ease
Itachi was not only much weaker then Danzo at this time but him killing the clan was the more logical thing to do in the context of this situation. Siding with you’re family is equally as selfish since the idea of family doesn’t really exist but by being blinded by love you would indirectly cause the deaths of millions in the process. There was no selfless decision here since every action mode would result in one person dying one way or another.
Itachi was still a young man caught in the middle of the battle between the Uchihas and the hidden leaf, and he was forced to make a immensely difficult and unfair decision- spare his clan who was bent on hate and war that would wipe out him and Sasuke and the hidden leaf, or save the one person in this world who fully relied on him. And he wasn't unaffected by what he did. Funny how those who now live in peace call him who aided in that peace a monster. A hero isn't someone who does everything right and makes everything right, but someone who has the courage, strength and selflessness to do what needs to be done. Itachi was Sasuke's enemy, then his hero.
I love your nuance approach in your videos. Shining light on complex characters and series. I would love to see you tackle the Attack on Titans series more. I think the aot series gets very murky (character ideal and motives), the more the story progresses. I like Erwin video.
as soon as the anime finishes, AOT videos are coming, thank you!
Incredible character-design, great theme music and awesome voice-actor
To have Honor is a good thing, to be blinded like it is not.
Itachi was blinded by his love for the Leaf Village much in the same way as Sasuke was blinded by his hate for it, he chose to side against his own people only excluding his brother.
Children and babies were not spared, he committed the True Sin, the destruction of the innocent and therefore his actions are indeed evil and as much as though he felt forced to do so he still did so as he selfishly valued Sasuke above all of the innocents within the Uchiha Clan.
He is indeed a Villain and committed Evil, but he still holds some good, therefore he is an Anti-Villain.
Wait, isnt an Anti-villain someone who performs good deeds for villainous goals? I thought an anti-hero is someone who performs bad deeds for noble reasons
@@supersani21Amti Villain is also someone Who has good intentions and goals buuuut... well...
If you do video about sasuke, I think you sould watch swagkake's video "dissecting sasuke uchiha" it goes through what sasuke is thinking throughout the series
Wow, it was so interesting to hear both perspectives on Itachi! I think I agree with both, he's a villain AND a hero, but he's more of a hero than a villain in my opinion.
Itachi and Shisui were the most Fascinating and Mysterious Characters i ever wittnessed. Every time i think about them i feel pityness because only a handful of people knew about their sacrifice, also an mixed feeling of sadness and sympathy for both of them because they both prevented Konohas downfall and with Narutos Similarity to Shisui, Itachi had his unforseen pawn to safe sasuke from himself and konoha from his hatred. F..king Legends man.
The Uchiha clan massacre is proof enough that the third hokage was a failure
I think you can solidly argue every hokage pre 4th was a failure. A combination of inaction and prejudices (in varying amounts for each) resulted in the failure to welcome and integrate the Uchiha and eventually resulted in the genocidal policy of the Leaf.
He led his village through 2 wars I give him a pass.
The Uchiha Clan didn't want to integrate and that ok. But constantly mistrusting them, blaming them for the Kyūbi attack & spying on them really made matter's worse.
Hiruzen really is nothing more than a failure and a coward. For not killing Danzo, Orochimaru & doing what ever the other two elders wanted him to do.
@@kijanajenkins2546 who else are they going to blame? The uchiha were the only known people to have the power of controlling the nine tails
He may have thought like a Hokage at 7, but we must also realize that he was forced to choose between killing the clan and saving his brother, and supporting the conspiracy and dying with his clan and his brother at the tender age of 13, debatably one of the most volatile years of a person's life in terms of maturing and growing up. He could've conspired with Hiruzen, yes, and I think he would have had he just been given more time on the decision, but between the pressure the clan was putting on him to work with them on the coup, and the false dilemma which felt like an ultimatum that Danzo offered him, where either everyone of his clan died in a bloodbath of a battle with the rest of konoha, or his brother lived on and the leaf was saved.
Itachi loves Sasuke, but I feel like he loved the idea of his brother more. He never talked to Sasuke or his fam about the coup. “So long as Sasuke lives” to me was Itachi’s mistake
You totally read that off of a website.
L
@@blackjesus2916 And how is Itachi supposed to talk to an 8 year old about a coup their parents were planning??
@@GUURL101 why tf did you @ me? I didn’t write that.
You’re right: he loved “the idea of a brother”, not his brother. He considered everything a win as long as Sasuke lived regardless of what Sasuke has to go through. As if that was not enough, he said “Why didn’t Sasuke return to the leaf?” I wanted to slap Itachi for that bulls**t. 🤨
@@blackjesus2916 lol sorry
Killing the entire clan is still the most extreme solution I can ever think of to be honest. I can never agree with Itachi for doing it, but I understand his reasons, along with the reasons on why the Uchiha wanted to revolt.
It's not really a 'black or white' situation, it's more in the grey area.
Yeah, but killing the clan was never his choice. His only choice was to either be the one to do it and save his brother, or let the leaf Anbu do it where even his brother would die. The third scenario would have been infinitely worse what with the whole great Shinobi war thing.
The village elders were already ready to kill them only with Hiruzen passively stating that he wants to talk to them first. But he never actually makes an effort to do so. His best way to talk would have been to actually use Itachi as a mediator or point of contact for Fugaku. But he simply bided his time and did absolutely nothing.
Danzo was fucked up and he wanted that sweet Uchiha power but even that asshole atleast decided to do something about the coup unlike Hiruzen
I personally believe that the massacre was a horrific crime and that the “Will of Fire” is simply a way to use propaganda to manipulate people to be loyal to the village and only the village, but that’s not what I would like to talk about.
I believe that the Uchiha Massacre could have been avoided if Itachi had told Danzo that he wont kill his clan, and Danzo didn’t use Kotoamatsukami on Itachi.
My main reason is this: the elders said that they would simply get other shinobi to do it if Itachi didn’t. But would they really? Do the elders expect to recruit enough shinobi that are strong enough to fight the Uchiha, and willing to do it? Danzo couldn’t get ROOT to do it, otherwise he would never have even approached Itachi.
The Uchiha is a founding clan, so imagine if, say, the Hyuga knew that the village leaders had committed a genocide on the Uchiha, a founding clan.
Sure, they’d be happy that their rival clan is gone, but they, and every other clan, would think “If the Leaf can kill the Uchiha, why wouldn’t they kill my clan?”
I believe that the elders were completely bluffing when they said that. They NEEDED Itachi to do it. They needed Itachi to be framed as an insane lunatic who had murdered his own clan, because they had nobody else who would agree to be used for their stealthy genocide and was strong enough to do it. Because if they got other shinobi to do it, the clans would realize that the government could kill them, too. They would all start a coup themselves, and Konoha would be utterly destroyed in a civil war between Clans and shinobi loyal to the Leaf.
@Sir Scrubbington I honestly wish instead of the fourth war (or leading up to it), the truth is exposed and causes Civil War right after the Pain invasion taking the leaf to another low and after that, the stakes are even higher
Are we gonna ignore the fact the main foundation of the uchias plan was releasing the nine tails from a CHILD naurto and wouldve no doubt caused a lot of death. Not saying the clan werent oppressed or anythingn but they certainly were in the same boat as the life, no matter what wouldve after happened after shisuis death it wouldve caused a massacre.
Wait did Danzo uses Kotoamatsukami to Itachi?
@@justmediocrelad nah he only eve used to koto like once ot twice fpr all we know and it was at the 5 kage summit
@@kadensas3021 yeah, i just know that the only time Danzo used it is in five kages summit to Mifune.
Sages rain your naruto based videos for some reason are always better than the rest. Keep it up u are awesome
It’s always time to revisit Itachi uchiha. Cmon Sage
It still intrigues me, the show doesn't really go into how bad Itachi's slaughtering of the Uciha clan was besides its effect on Sasuke. Honestly it seem more like the show frames it that what Itachi did was unfortunate but ultimately the right call, including the assassination of all non-combatants and most definitely a few children and probably even babies.
Lucky for Itachi all that power he gave Sasuke through pain and suffering came in useful when protecting the world from Otsutsuki level oponents.
thankfully Naruto was there to fix the brain damage that Itachi inflicted on Sasuke
@@wem_iii you do realize when itachi said," once you have the same eyes as me, come fight me.", he was giving time to sasuke to show his true colours. No human can predict irrational behavior changes neither could itachi. Sasuke could have not had brain damage and become just like naruto (Naruto went through hell growing up but he catered love from the beginning). Eventually Itachi realized that sasuke had turned into a menace, so he searched for options to turn him. That's when he started observing naruto and finally trusted naruto with the mission to bring sasuke over. NOW, he didnt end here. He also put a plan B inside of naruto if his trust failed. That is how caring itachi is towards his brother and his village. You think his methods maybe wrong but he was the one who created a sasuke who could stand with naruto fighting off isshiki at the end. Think about that
The only time when that power was useful is his fight against bee
Otsutsuki can absorb chakra
@@emilymaze6616 itachi tortured sasuke showing him killing his parents for 24 hours. How tf are you justifying that
I would have chosen my family over everything else. That's why when I think of Itachi, I see the resolve needed to do what he did. That's why I love and respect him so much! The best part is that he is someone who owns his action and never tries to justify himself. He acted based on his reality and his values.
As for the argument of being a child in the Narutoverse; To me as soon as you see the darkness of the world, you are no longer a child. This world operates on a completely different morality. Any shinobi who has already seen blood being drawn or has personally drawn blood is an adult just like Zabuza & Haku transitioned Team 7 into adulthood. Ideally it shouldnt be like that but it is what it is!!!
@Danny That a fictional world where an 8 year is said to have the intelligence of a country leader - I think them narutoverse kid are quite different
Morality is twisted in the world of naruto
For me Itachi is not a good guy. Before I used to love him I was a huge fanbiy but I grew , I rewatch the anime ans read the manga and the experience is different. Now I took a few step back and clearly in naruto part one, It was clear Itachi was meant to be a villain. None of his interaction suggest he was undercover in the akatsuki. So in shippuden , to fit the narrative of itachi as the tragic hero, the author put a lot of attention on the uchiwa massacre so that we have the pov of Itachi and sasuke over and over. So we can be attached to him and understand him. And surprisely people bought it and think he has the best writing of all the manga and he is the goat. So just for that Kishimoto is a genius.
Now I think the writing of Itachi is flawed, I just can't buy anymore the narrative of the tragic hero. The man genocide his whole clan (who have valid reasons to not ok with the village) for a village (more an ideal) who is no better than his clan and who maked shaddy things behind. Beside I think weird for kishimoto to force this narrative to the public. I mean the 3rd hokage tell he's a hero, Danzo said the same, the 1st hokage, Sasuke and even naruto said he's a hero. It was schoking to me that Naruto will see Itachi's actions like a hero. It's just out of his character. You don't need to repeat in your manga that a character is a hero in order for the public to see it. Showdon't tell. And what he show is not the actions of a hero. Beside if we begin to say this kind of things I guess Thanos in the mcu is a hero, Killmonger in black panther is a hero,etc...
So yeah overall I think he's an interesting character for sure, with a good writing (which has some problems) and slightly overrated. The author could make Itachi a full villain or a tragic hero and he choose the tragic hero and it wasn't that good. Maybe it's just me, I can't identify myself to Itachi because of my personal values, what he did disguted me and I could never agree with that. If he was a villain I could find it great but a tragic hero? Hell no
“I’m really quite surprised that someone who slaughtered the uchiha clan in cold blood as such a tender heart” - Kabuto Yakushi
Itachi being retconned into a loving brother, ruined his character & Sasuke's development.
@Danny The Uchiha wouldn’t have made a genocide to begin with. They wanted to make a bloodless takeover.
@@kijanajenkins2546 That’s true. After Sasuke "killed" Itachi, his character development was very questionable.
@Danny Anyway that’s something we will never know. What we know for fact is that the Uchiha wanted a bloodless and peaceful takeover of the leaf but Itachi who is supposed to be a pacifist opted for a violent solution
This was dope! You should make one on the
Tragedy of Sai.
“He accepted disgrace in place of honor, and hatred in place of love. And yet, Itachi still died with a smile on his face”
- Obito Uchiha
Can I do it again ❤
Everyone talks about Itachi’s sacrifice, but everyone glosses over Yahiko’s sacrifice. “I will never forget Yahiko’s sacrifice” ~Nagato
another beautiful video that managed to make me cry
All your videos are good, but this one is definitely one of your best. It was an extremely well thought out analysis and one that much of the fandom would not have taken the time to consider in its fullness.
Itachi is a character I very much have a mixed opinion on, while I can sing the guys praises to the moon, as a Shinobi, as Soldier, and as an asset to the Leaf. As a person I can’t help but find for all the praise of intelligence he gets people over look his short comings, Itachi as a person despite how much he loved or said he loved Sasuke seemed to treat his little brother as more of a thing, an object rather then a person. He set Sasuke up on a path too narrow for him to walk. It was like he would do something and not think about it before hand in the way a person would react. Everything Itachi did just made shit worse for Sasuke the brother he loved. If Itachi just stayed the fuck away from Sasuke his plan would have gone better, Sasuke was at the time jealous of Naruto’s growth he was nowhere near as bad as he was after Itachi pounded in his weakness by making him relive the massacre for a second time. You could say he did it to motivate Sasuke, ok he did not need to go that hard. He set Sasuke up for his fall and when things did not go his way he was planning on using more force and manipulation. That is why when Naruto said “He is more of a Brother to me then you ever where to him.” I agreed one hundred percent wile Naruto tried to use force when Sasuke would not listen to him he always tried to talk to him first, no matter how effective it was or was not. Itachi is an amazing Ninja and a loving brother, but he was manipulative in his love he wanted things to go how he wanted it.
finally, someone who acknowledges this. completely agree w everything you said.
Wonderful. I have to agree on this every word. Itachi's love for Sasuke has more twists than a rinnegan eye. I feel bad for Sasuke though the path he took was influenced by the trauma induced by Itachi. Sasuke didn't deserve it.
You touched on it during the video but there's something to be said about the burden of the eldest. Being the older sibling itachi was treated like an adult as soon as sasuke was born. Being the prodigy of his generation he also shouldered the exectations of his clan. That pressure to perform and to grow up rapidly forced him into terrible situations where he was manipulated for others' agenda. In the end, despite everything that was going on, Itachi stayed true to his ultinate purpose: big brother. As you said that was the one thing that he wouldn't stray from and I think is very overestimated.
it all probably mainly stems from Tobirama's mistrust of the Uchiha ... Danzo took up his sensei mistrust of the Uchiha ... it shows how actions have consequences and are connected ... it's such a sad situation ...
It’s all Black Zetsu and The Otsutsuki Clan’s Fault too, they were at fault before Tobirama and the elders came along
@@Seasonal-Shadow_4674 hahaha true ... haha
Best itachi video I ever seen
Definitely your best video yet! Itachi is one of my all time favorite anime characters.
Without watching the full video, I know I'm in for a treat. Appreciate the content
The thing people fail to realize is there was never itachi the villain. He did some bad things but everything was ultimately for the village. If he was truly a villain and wanted he could have messed the leaf village up something fierce.
oh no hes a Villain, hes just blinded by his love por Konoha, but im pretty sure hes a villain, Anti villain because he had good deeds, in a twisted way
He was definitely an anti hero. He let himself go way to deep in wrong things to achieve peace. Remember the jinchuurikis? Itachi killed some. Remember Naruto as a 12y old? Itachi was gonna let Kisame chop his legs off. Remember kid Sasuke? he put him under hell for no reason. He's just like Obito.
This probably a flaw in the writing. Kishimoto clearly planned Itachi's story from the beginning given that flashback in Part 1 that included Fugaku's dialogue to him, but his villainy up until his death felt far too real if he was meant to be redeemed. It's similar to how Obito acted completely differently after his mask came off.
@@Scarftail that just means his acting was that good.
Yeah he was stupid
Naruto part 1: you need MS
Naruto S: I let you live because you need to be a hero
*Anti-Villian
These videos (especially the ones about the naruto and avatar verses) always make me cry at some point
Your first Itachi video is my favorite video from you, looking forward to watching this
Kakashi's dad understood comrades come first and then the "leaf", itachi was the opposite, his loyalty to the leaf blinded him from understanding what peace means, also he was a kid
Big difference between to compare, a village fully of many lives vs some mission of importance is not the same
@@joeycash9739 well don't malign sukumos ideology by putting trolley problems sukumo like Obito place more value on comrades (not even family but people they went on missions with ) over weird hypothetical scenarios
and "he was a kid '
Even a child could’ve figured it out that this person (Obito) bypassed the barriers set for Kuahina’s safety in the past and wrecked havoc, which his clan were blamed and persecutor for. Instead of informing Hiruzen of that that, perhaps, this rouge Uchiha (let’s play with this terminology for now) could be responsible for the attack, he personally sought out his help to eradicate the clan, a clan that took the blame for the unknown Uchiha’s transgression? So he shook hands with the very Uchiha who caused the mess and never informed anyone about it, not even Hiruzen?Am I supposed to feel sympathy for this cruel jingoistic fanatic that took all the right steps and made all the right choices to make sure that the Uchiha looked as guilty as possible and allowed himself to singlehandedly assume the role of their judge, jury, and executioner?
Itachi is my favorite character in the series and it’s important to see both sides of his decision. Whether we think he’s a hero or villain is a display of complex human morality and why he’s so relatable. Thank you for this video and I hope it helps the fandom appreciate this character and series more deeply.
Okey I am going to ask this now how is he relatable, tell me have you ever had to do anything even close to what he did in importance or morality evil because if you think you have that is you inflating your own self worth way higher then is healthy being relate able is being able to understand a character though personal experience I think you are mistaking the feeling with Empathetic
Great analysis as always! I put Itachi up there with Severus Snape as one of the best characters ever written. I don't agree with what he did, but I'm always amazed that Kishimoto was able to get us to sympathize with this character at all after he destroyed his own clan.
Sage’s rain is so good bro I literally binge these vids on replay
bro your videos are peak no joke