Naruto - Itachi Uchiha / Characters

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Itachi Uchiha

Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (JP), Yuka Terasaki (JP, young), Skip Stellrecht (EN, original), Crispin Freeman (EN, current) (main series), Michelle Ruff (EN, young), Robbie Daymond (Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals), Roberto Cuenca Rodríguez Jr. (Spain), Héctor Emmanuel Gómez (Latin America), Laurent Vernin (French), Simone D'Andrea (IT)

Debut: Naruto Chapter 139 (Manga), Naruto Episode 80 (Anime)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/naruto_itachi.png

Your hate is not strong enough.

Sasuke's Aloof Big Brother is the Akatsuki member with the most screen time to date (not сonsidering Tobi). He was believed to have killed his closest friend in order to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan, a more advanced form of the Sharingan with several unique abilities. He then proceeded to kill the entire Uchiha clan save Sasuke for reasons of his own, then abandoned the village to join Akatsuki.

Onscreen, he rarely moves and rarely speaks, but he's too good a fighter for even high-level ninja to take on. He was a prodigy as a child and has only gotten stronger since. He is an expert at genjutsu, is a master of the Fire-Style Techniques of his clan, and knows most of Konoha's signature jutsu, such as the Shadow Clone Jutsu; Itachi, uniquely, has demonstrated the ability to detonate his clones as an offensive technique when he no longer needs them. In addition, the Mangekyo Sharingan gives Itachi three extremely powerful but draining jutsu with which to fight: Amaterasu, a black flame hotter than the sun which can burn anything, even other flames; Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu which can bring its target to complete mental and physical collapse by tormenting them for what seems like days in just a few seconds; and Susano'o, which summons a massive ethereal warrior which can attack and defend on Itachi's behalf. The new abilities the Mangekyo gives come with a price, however. Extended use causes the user's eyesight to fade, eventually resulting in complete blindness. The only way to combat this is to create a permanent Mangekyo Sharingan by replacing the user's eyes with his brother's.

His only appearance in the original series was directly after the Chunin Exam arc, when he appeared in Konoha with his partner Kisame to capture Naruto. He and Kisame easily defeated Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi, but retreated rather than become involved in a general melee. When Sasuke heard his brother was in the area, he immediately rushed out to challenge him, but Itachi easily beat him and Mind Raped him in the process, further feeding Sasuke's inferiority complex. After Jiraiya chased the Akatsuki off, Itachi was ordered not to attempt to capture Naruto again until after the Time Skip.

In Shippuden, Pain creates a clone of Itachi to serve as a delaying action during the Rescue Gaara arc. Team 7 beats it, and Itachi doesn't appear again until directly prior to his fight with Sasuke, where he briefly confronts Naruto, force-feeding him a crow containing one of his friend's Sharingan before leaving to duel his brother. He claims that he left Sasuke alive because he wanted to take Sasuke's eyes for himself. However, Itachi dies from a terminal illness before he can kill Sasuke. More about his character and his relationship with Sasuke is revealed after his death.

His hobby was visiting traditional Japanese cafés.

Favorite word: "peace"

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A-F

The Ace: Itachi is one of the best ninjas the Leaf has ever produced. He was the third strongest shinobi in the Akatsuki Organization (right under Nagato and Tobi). His abilities include all the regular Sharingan abilities, such as being able to copy various techniques he sees, predict another person's movements, and trapping people in illusions. Beyond this, however, his Mangekyou Sharingan granted him access to Amaterasu, which casts eternal black flames of intense heat, Tsukuyomi, an illusion that manipulates a person's perception of time, and Susano-o, a chakra avatar that defends his entire body, while also being able to attack opponents as well; Itachi's particular version also holds a nigh unbreakable mirror that could adjust to all of the different Chakra natures and a blade that could seal anyone it stabbed away in an illusion. Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are both hailed as some of the most powerful ninjutsu and genjutsu in existence and, when combined with his Susano-o, were enough for Black Zetsu to claim that Itachi was invincible. He also understands the essence of what it means to be a true shinobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third God of Shinobi, even claimed he had the mindset of a Hokage when he was just seven years old.
Adaptation Dye-Job: His Susanoo is yellow in the manga, but red in the anime.
Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: Similar to Tobi, in the anime, Itachi was explicitly seen using Tsukuyomi without having his Mangekyo active.
A Day in the Limelight: The Itachi Shinden light novels, which were adapted into an arc in the anime, focus on Itachi's childhood.
Affably Evil: Initially seems as, and tries to appear as Faux Affably Evil, but turns out to be genuinely this. He’s always polite, offers his opponents the chance to escape (unless they are his target) and never uses more power than needed to disable, without lasting harm if possible. He is also an extremist with history of mentally torturing several protagonists of the series, especially his little brother (who was 7 years old the first time, 13 the second).
Aloof Big Brother: One of the Anime poster boys for this trope. Even before his family's death, he was always detached. His father remarked that Itachi wasn't good with people.
Always Someone Better: Sasuke develops a massive inferiority complex because Itachi is always leagues ahead of him.
And I Must Scream: As a genjutsu expert, he's more than capable of pulling this off, particularly with Tsukuyomi.
Itachi: Only 71 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds to go.
Animal-Eared Headband: Anime only, a flashback shows him wearing cat ears so he could talk to Nekomata. No, seriously.◊
Animal Motifs: Itachi will often dissolve into a murder of crows, which Sasuke remarked was his favorite jutsu.
Antagonist Abilities: Mind Rape (3 days in 3 seconds) and Instant Armor with an Absurdly Sharp Blade and an impregnable Deflector Shield.
Anti-Villain: He killed his entire clan, including his family, in order to avoid civil war. Although his goals for peace are ultimately noble, his methods, which include torturing his little brother in order to strengthen him, are questionable.
Arch-Enemy: A subverted one to Sasuke. After witnessing Itachi kill their parents right in front of him, he swore revenge on him throughout the series until they finally confront each other and after Sasuke fatally wounds him, he learns that Itachi still cares about his little brother despite what he did. Then Sasuke learns more from Tobi that Danzo was the one who ordered the Uchiha massacre and forced Itachi to kill his parents.
Arc Words: "Your hate is not strong enough".
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: A common trait of the Uchiha, but Itachi displays a different take of the trope. He wasn't overly boastful or quick to put others down on their ability. In their childhood, he tells Sasuke that strength isn't everything and those who seek it are quick to lose sight of their goals. Itachi however did end up turning out like this. Itachi only valued his own strength and didn't rely on anyone else which lead to the mistakes in his life. The Itachi Shinden novels show that even as a child, Itachi was so focused on becoming strong to bring about peace that he neglected other parts of his life such as relationships.
The Atoner: After he's revived by Kabuto, he fights in order to help the Allied Shinobi Forces and save Sasuke.
Aura Vision: The Sharingan allows him to see chakra, and distinguish different types based on color.
Awesomeness by Analysis: Among all his other abilities, Itachi is excellent at analysing his opponents' skills.
Ax-Crazy: During an explanation of the life of Madara Uchiha prior to their fight in Shippuden, Itachi suddenly screaming about his intentions to take Sasuke's eyes in order to become stronger, sounding like a bloodthirsty maniac, atypical of his usual disposition, before the whole proclamation is revealed to be a genjutsu. This turns out to be be an act Itachi adopted in order to provide Sasuke with further incentive to kill him, and his true personality and motives were completely different.
Back from the Dead: Kabuto revives him to fight in the war. He manages to undo the technique with Sasuke's help.
Badass Boast: "Every jutsu has a weakness. That jutsu's weakness... is me."
Badass Bookworm: The Itachi Shinden novels reveal him as one. As a child, in between his training, academy classes and as a genin he studied all sorts of material from books such as the history of ninja starting from the Sage of Six Paths, politics of other shinobi lands, ninja techniques, kekkei genkai, tailed beasts, natural energy fundamentals, etc. He didn't need to cheat on the first chunin exam and thought it was easy. Itachi having studied so much in his youth explains why was knowledgeable on Konoha's founding and of Madara Uchiha, and also how he was familiar with Kabuto's sage jutsu.
Badass Longcoat: As per usual for Akatsuki.
Bash Brothers:
- He and Kisame make an excellent team, even when they aren't actually fighting alongside each other.
- He and Sasuke become an official pair of literal bash brothers against Kabuto during the 4th war.
Batman Gambit: Attempts one. His plan hinged on expecting people to take specific actions when confronted with specific scenarios. For example, he expected Sasuke to want to transplant Itachi's eyes to himself upon learning the truth about his brother; or that Naruto would find Sasuke before he managed to cause a lot of trouble, which would have then activated Shisui's eye, which was set to brainwash Sasuke into protecting Konoha. And let's just say that everything went not quite according to plan.
Becoming the Mask: It's strongly implied that the cold, stoic, cruel figure Itachi pretended to be while in the Akatsuki started to become closer to his real self than Itachi would have liked as a result of the intense trauma of the Uchiha massacre and being forced to commit so many dark deeds to maintain his cover.
Believing Their Own Lies: He admits at one point in his life he thought he was capable of shouldering all responsibility for the Uchiha Massacre and Sasuke that he never believed he needed help from anyone. He sees similar behaviour in Kabuto attempting to acquire power of others that he disregards his true self.
Itachi: If you want to know who you are, you have to look at your real self and acknowledge what you see.
Beneath the Mask: During his fight with Sasuke, he briefly lets his stoic personality slip and psychotically gives a speech about stealing Sasuke's eyes, and claims that this unhinged persona is his true self. It's subverted when you learn that Itachi was merely faking it and never intended to take Sasuke's eyes. However, post-mortem it's revealed that the aloof personality he maintained was indeed an act. What was underneath was a young man torn up by guilt. After he's revived by Kabuto, we get to see how Itachi really is, and he turns out to be a virtuous, wise, and even humorous individual.
Beware the Nice Ones: At his core, Itachi is a decent, respectful guy and likes to end his fights as quickly and painlessly as possible, but push him too far at your peril. For Yashiro Uchiha, a coward who manipulated the entire Uchiha rebellion conflict, helped get Shisui killed and did it all without having to take responsibility himself? Itachi lets him realize how utterly screwed it is before torturing him in Tsukuyomi to utterly shatter his mind before beheading him.
Big Brother Mentor: Seems to be this way to Naruto when they meet during the 4th Shinobi War. He convinces Naruto to actually let others help him instead of trying to save everyone by himself, which was a flaw in Itachi's life.
Big Brother Instinct:
- He spared Sasuke from the Uchiha Massacre and made sure he would be safe from Danzo until the day they fought. In their battle he made sure to remove Orochimaru's influence permanently and tried to make him a hero.
- Zigzagged later. In case Sasuke became a threat to Konoha, he left Shisui's ability in Naruto with the intend to brainwash Sasuke into loyalty to Konoha.
Big Damn Heroes: When he rescues Naruto and Killer Bee from certain death at the hands of Edo Nagato after Nagato defeated the two Jinchuuriki in a Curb-Stomp Battle.
Big Good: In Part 1, he is this in hindsight along with Jiraiya, after Hiruzen dies. Much like Jiraiya is implied to be able to defeat most Akatsuki duos, Itachi is the stronger of the Akatsuki duo, and the threat of Itachi no longer cooperating with him is one reason Tobi doesn't attack Konoha, with Tobi noting that with Itachi dead, Konoha isn't off limits anymore (either because he feared Itachi, or because it would be more convenient at any rate).
Big Guy, Little Guy: The little guy (175.2 cm and 57.1 kg) to Kisame's big guy (195 cm and 83.1 kg). However, being a shonen anime, this doesn't matter as Itachi is the stronger of the two to the point when discussing if they can take Jiraiya, Kisame knows he doesn't stand a chance against Jiraiya, but he believes Itachi does, implicitly admitting he wouldn't stand a chance against Itachi if they fought.
Black Sheep: He is one for the Uchiha clan, being the only one in his family who does not believe that being an Uchiha makes one superior, and eventually massacres all but one member of the clan. That last part is because he was the only Uchiha who opposed a planned hostile takeover of Konoha.
Blessed with Suck: Using the Mangekyō Sharingan required vast amounts of chakra. If he used these techniques too often in a short span of time, Itachi would become so fatigued that he would deactivate his Sharingan altogether. Every time he used his Mangekyō Sharingan his eyesight deteriorated, a process that would progressively worsen. Early uses of the Mangekyō would only cause his eyes to bleed, but by the end of his life he reached the point where he was nearly blind, most things looking to him like mere blurs. He does not suffer these shortcomings after being resurrected via Edo Tensei, thanks to the infinite chakra and regeneration the Edo Tensei body grants him, and thus can use all his Mangekyō techniques without problems.
Bloodbath Villain Origin: He started on his path to villainy by killing his entire family except for Sasuke to prevent them from staging a coup.
Break the Cutie: He witnessed and was traumatized by the Third Shinobi World War at just four years old.
Broken Ace: He's one of the most talented shinobi in the setting but we also see that he's sacrificed his family, his health, his future, his happiness, and his honor all for the sake of serving the village. In addition to this, after his death, almost all of his plans backfire horribly in his face, as Sasuke goes completely insane and decides to destroy Konoha. Tobi also heavily implies that the only reason he is so strong and wise is because he was so traumatized by war when he was four years old that he had no choice but to grow up quickly.
Byronic Hero: Itachi was assumed by many to be a stoic, ice-cold villain who slaughtered his clan to test the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan. Posthumously, he is revealed to be a conflicted and tragic person who took on the role of a villain to prevent a war and set up a convoluted scheme so that his brother Sasuke would kill him, put a stop to Akatsuki, and return to the Hidden Leaf a hero. Unfortunately, his trait of keeping people at arm's length, including comrades, along with his sight of horrors and tragedies meant he tried to do everything by himself without trusting others. His plan backfired big time and his resurrection shows that he has realized his shortcomings in this.
Cain and Abel: Intentionally made Sasuke hate him, so he'd never learn the truth that the clan was killed on orders from Konoha.
Character Development: After he's revived. He finally acknowledges how disastrous his plans to keep Sasuke safe ended up, and acknowledges that he should have simply been honest with his younger brother.
Character Shilling:
- Everybody loves to point out how much of a good ninja he was, even his enemies, characters who would have valid reasons to dislike him, or characters who have only just heard of him. However it's more a praise on how he had to make a choice when it wasn't possible to get it right.
- The First Hokage, of all people, says that Itachi's a better shinobi than him, after simply hearing a brief description of his history. Also Hiruzen affirm that Itachi had 'Hokage-level reasoning skills/wisdom' at age seven. In context, they are referring to Itachi's willingness to put the village ahead of his clan.
- Tropes are Tools as Itachi notably hated being the target of this, readily pointing out that regardless of everything he had going for him he made mistake after mistake and all his carefully laid plans ended up not going like he wanted due to his unwillingness to trust in or depend on anyone else, and that in the end he was left just wanting to die. When Sasuke at one point outright claims Itachi was perfect, Itachi silences him by revealing he had planned to brainwash Sasuke into protecting Konoha.
Characterization Marches On: He going from a somber sadist who brutalized Sasuke and Kakashi both physically and mentally and was ok with Kisame cutting off Naruto's limbs who killed his clan For the Evulz to a secret hero who killed his clan to prevent war, non violent and had cared for his brother deeply. Let's not even get into when Itachi develops a witty sense of humor after his resurrection as a Edo Tensei ninja.
The Chessmaster: Itachi executed a complex plan intended to put a stop to "Madara/Tobi" — who he believed responsible for the Nine-Tails attack and who helped him slaughter the Uchiha Clan. To accomplish this he joined the Akatsuki to keep a tab on Tobi's activities, manipulated Sasuke into giving in to the Curse of Hatred to get him to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, kill him and take his eyes to gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, kill "Madara" to fully avenge the Uchiha Clan and save the world, and return to Konoha a hero. In case "Madara" got to Sasuke first, he implanted an Amaterasu into Sasuke that would trigger at the sight of his Sharingan and implanted a crow with Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyo into Naruto that would activate at the sight of his own Mangekyo — intending to have it brainwash Sasuke as a last resort. Subverted in that nearly everything he planned or wanted to accomplish failed hideously, as "Madara" was an even greater Chessmaster than he.
Chewing the Scenery: When he confronts Sasuke, he drops the stoic facade and shouts. Made even more awesome by Crispin Freeman in the dub.
Itachi: SASUKE! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL BECOME MY NEW LIGHT!
Child Prodigy: At age 7, Itachi graduated from the Academy at the top of his class after only one year, mastered the Sharingan at age 8, passed the Chūnin Exams at age 10, and enrolled in the Anbu half a year later. He became Anbu Captain at 13.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Inverted like his partner. He is fully loyal only to Konoha and to his younger brother Sasuke. However, while he was a spy he managed to betray the Uchiha clan (along with the personal betrayal of his parents), Danzo (blackmailing him that if he will tries to do something with Sasuke, he will disclose information about the Konoha to other countries), and Akatsuki (as a double agent for Konoha). He was also later ready to partially do it in regards to Sasuke, as he considered Sasuke's free will an acceptable sacrifice for the good of Konoha.
Cold-Blooded Torture: Itachi mentally tortures his foes with genjutsu; among his victims are Kakashi, Naruto, and especially Sasuke. He does it as a standard fighting technique, apparently without wrath or pleasure.
Combat Clairvoyance: One of the Sharingan's abilities, allowing him to see his opponent's next physical movement based on the tension in their muscles.
Combat Compliment: While Itachi was a powerful shinobi, he showed no arrogance and often commended his opponents on their abilities.
Combat Pragmatist: Itachi tries to end fights as quickly as he can and certainly doesn't shirk away from dirty tactics. Justified since his stamina is pretty awful and the degenerate disease he later gains makes it worse.
The Comically Serious: Despite his traumatic past and the lifetime of guilt that accompanies it, he has a sense of humor, believe it or not. Pretty much the only person never thrown off by Itachi's joking is Sasuke, implying that Itachi used to be like this before the massacre (or possibly that nothing Itachi does throws him off anymore). He even joins in at one point!
[Itachi and Sasuke have just successfully double-teamed Kabuto, using an upgraded version of a move that Sasuke messed up on when he and Itachi took on a giant boar as children.]
Itachi: You could easily kill that pig now!
Sasuke: Rather than the pig, I think this snake is the more pressing priority.
Consummate Liar: His life in a nutshell. There were only a handful of people who knew the real Itachi. Otherwise he fooled everyone into believing whatever role he fabricated. He acted as The Mole for the Uchiha clan, was a member of Akatsuki, was known to the world as a criminal, and had Sasuke believe he was the one-dimensional villain that slayed the Uchiha Clan.
Convenient Terminal Illness: As it turns out, Itachi was terminally ill at the time he battled Sasuke and only managed to stay alive as long as he did thanks to a combination of special drugs and sheer willpower.
Cool Big Bro: Itachi was a loving and devoted big brother to Sasuke, with the latter greatly looking up to him. Then, things got traumatic and complicated.
Crazy-Prepared: The number of steps he's taken to protect Sasuke either directly or indirectly definitely qualifies him. He even has a backup plan in case Tobi survives his trap and wins Sasuke over. Subverted in that all of his plans, though fairly well-thought out, simply don't work like he wanted them to and in some cases backfire. In particular, Sasuke ends up doing the EXACT opposite of what he wanted, the trap he set for Tobi failed, and the failsafe he left Naruto ended up being used on himself instead of Sasuke. By the end he's down to his last backup plan, which is basically "trust Naruto to fix this somehow."
Creepy Child: When he was younger, nobody understood him. He was actually very conflicted between the village and the clan and his social abilities took a lot of damage as a result, especially between him and his parents. Seeing plenty of death, especially that of your comrades, at such a young age would do that to you.
Creepy Crows: Itachi's most identifiable jutsu are those involving the use of crows. He is able to create a large flock of them which he uses in his ninjutsu and genjutsu. This is seen primarily with his use of clones which dissolve into crows, and crows that would dissolve into shuriken for surprise attacks. Whenever his enemies strike him down, chances are he'll just turn into a bunch of crows and reveal they were in a genjutsu.
Creepy Monotone: The whole damn time, save for one instance (see Chewing the Scenery above). His voice becomes less monotonous after he is revived, since he no longer has to pretend to be emotionless.
Cruel to Be Kind: As a rogue ninja, Itachi still had to defend himself from otherwise being captured or being killed. He would warn enemy ninja not to engage him, and if they did, would put them down quickly with Tsukuyomi, keeping his partner Kisame from escalating a battle further at the same time. Kakashi doesn't realize this, but does wonder why Itachi didn't just kill him instead.
Cryptic Conversation: Pretty much everything Itachi has EVER said. After being revived as a zombie and teaming up with Sasuke to defeat Kabuto and undo the jutsu, he finally decides he's done trying to manipulate Sasuke and tells him how he really feels.
Curb-Stomp Battle: His fight against Orochimaru, over in literally three seconds. Later, his battle with Kurenai and his subsequent battle with Sasuke.
Curb Stomp Cushion: His fight with Kakashi (possibly the 2nd strongest ninja in Konoha with Hiruzen dead). Although he has the upper hand and keeps Kakashi (who notes his jutsu signs are too fast to keep up with) on the defensive, Itachi notes that a conventional fight with Kakashi would be difficult due to his sharingan giving him the ability to fight back to an extent. Thus, he chose to brings out the big guns.
Dark Secret: See Awful Truth above.
Deadpan Snarker: Especially after his resurrection, since he doesn't have to pretend to be emotionless anymore, so his real personality is more apparent.
Death Seeker: He intentionally made his little brother hate him so one day he could be brought to justice for his crimes by the hand of another Uchiha. His Survivor Guilt also played a part.
Defector from Decadence: In the Valley-of-the-End flashback, he expresses his disgust at how his fellow clansmen are obsessed with the Uchiha's glory and utterly full of themselves, losing sight of their actual capacities. He then proceeds to throw a kunai into the nearest Uchiha crest, and the rest is history... We later learn that he turned against them because they were planning a coup d'etat.
Determinator: Due to disease, Itachi had taken medicine to prolong his life until the day he fought Sasuke. In their battle; Itachi had his thigh punctured with a shuriken, his right arm burned, his eyesight deteriorate into nothing, and coughed up blood numerous times. In the end, he succeeded in removing Orochimaru's curse seal and implanted Amaterasu within Sasuke before dying.
Deus ex Machina: Multiple times he has pulled plot-developing jutsus or items right out of nowhere to advance the plot. Izanami, his sickness, and even his backstory seem to come straight out of nowhere.
Didn't Think This Through: ZigZagged. He certainly thought through much of his Gambit Pileup, but in hindsight his methods to implement it were contradictory with his goals. A large part of it was due to his lack of trusting other people, as he tried so hard to do stuff on his own.
Dirty Business: He took up the mission to eliminate the Uchiha Clan and became a rogue ninja afterwards, regardless of whether or not he wanted to do so personally. In doing so, he prevented Konoha being held accountable and the Uchiha's reputation being damaged because they planned a coup.
Don't Make Me Destroy You: In his first appearance, he warns Asuma and Kurenai that he doesn't want to kill them because he actually doesn't want to kill them.
Doom Magnet: Danzo's arc words in the Itachi Shinden Novels.
"Chaos will follow you throughout your life."
Drama-Preserving Handicap: He was hindered by near blindness and a terminal illness during his fight with Sasuke, and was seeking to wear his brother down rather than actually kill him. The extent of how weakened he was during the fight is unknown, although Tobi explicitly states that if Itachi were serious, then Sasuke would be dead.
Easily Forgiven:
- By Sasuke, who went from loathing him to protecting his legacy (albeit in a way completely opposite to what Itachi wished) in the matter of a night.
- By Naruto: even though Itachi can be directly responsible for what happened with Sasuke, Naruto doesn't give him any crap.
- Justified, in that considering the circumstances Itachi had to deal with, it's really hard for anyone to hold a grudge. Sasuke was mentally unbalanced from learning that Itachi still loved him and at the point was just looking for another target to direct his rage at. For Naruto, the massacre happened because Itachi wanted to protect Konoha, and that and everything afterwards was ultimately desperate attempts to protect Sasuke. While Naruto clearly and firmly disagreed with his methods, he did not disagree with his intent.
Eldritch Location: Itachi's preferred method of using Tsukuyomi is to create a world that completely warps the perception by turning the sky red with black clouds and people monochrome.
Evil Is Hammy: Turns out to have been invoking this during his Ax-Crazy rant about taking Sasuke's eyes - it was all part of his attempt to get Sasuke to kill him by acting like a lunatic, it turns out he is neither especially evil or hammy.
Excellent Judge of Character: Besides Kakashi and his students, he is the only character to give Might Guy any dignity, warning that Guy isn't to be underestimated. As accomplishments in Part II (One-shotting Kisame while not trying to kill him, and blasting back Madara's significantly more powerful Susano'o) show, not only was Itachi correct, it's all but stated Might Guy is the strongest ninja in the village, and considering the previously mentioned accomplishments, had things continued, he had a reasonably good chance of beating them both even if backup didn't show.
Excuse Me While I Multitask: He is capable of doing ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijitsu, and/or shuriken jutsu simultaneously against an S-ranked opponent without any strain.
Exotic Eye Designs: The Mangekyo Sharingan, of which his is the first revealed.
Exposition Beam: Using genjutsu to display images and memories in the mind, he does this twice with Sasuke. The first time, to reveal the history of Madara Uchiha and reveal his inner "true self". The second time, when he revealed the truth to Sasuke, he showed him his memories before and during the Uchiha Massacre.
Fake Defector: After slaying the Uchiha clan, he joined Akatsuki as a spy for Konoha.
Fallen Hero: He was the pride and joy of the Uchiha clan and Sasuke's idol before the massacre.
Family Honor: He seems to have cared about this. Apparently this was all Danzo led him to believe he could save of his family, that and Sasuke's life, given the choice between preventing the Uchiha rebellion under the cover of massacre and letting a civil war begin that would destroy all of Konoha, he made the choice that at least salvaged his family honor since Itachi felt that his clan would lose all the honor they had ever had by betraying the village. When resurrected as an Edo Tensei and finding out that Tobi has revealed the secrets of the massacre, he stresses to Naruto that the truth must never become public knowledge, as it would ruin the Uchiha's name.
Fatal Flaw: Itachi himself acknowledges two major failings after he is revived.
- Excessive self-reliance. A mix of belief in his own abilities along with his trauma and concerns on trusting people meant he tried to take all the burdens on himself which backfired horribly. His last gambit with Sasuke involved using Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, stored within Naruto, to reprogram Sasuke should he turn against the village. After his revival he puts his trust with Naruto and no longer worries about his own failure to keep Sasuke away from the wrong path. The Itachi Shinden light novels expand on his past: It shows he was once part of a genin team that did not have a successful end. One of his teammates died protecting Itachi (one that initially disliked him no less) and the other was traumatized by that and other events, leading to her retirement. It's likely that seeing this may have brought about his need to do it all himself, out of concerns they couldn't do it or not wanting them to suffer.
- His obsession with keeping Sasuke away from the truth, as it spurs him to constantly deceive his younger brother. As a result, Sasuke is driven towards revenge against Konoha because Sasuke sees the village made his brother suffer, despite Itachi's desire for Sasuke to defend the village. Itachi attempts to correct this flaw by spending his final moment while reincarnated admitting the truth and his feelings to Sasuke, which does change Sasuke's goals enough to avoid destroying the village, but it leads Sasuke to think that the ninja world is irredeemably flawed because of what it made Itachi do and that it must be dismantled from top to bottom via revolution. It takes a final battle with Naruto for Sasuke to finally understand what his brother was really all about.
Faux Affably Evil: Subverted. He prefers to give off the appearance of a cold-blooded sociopath more than willing to get rid of anyone in his way, while simultaneously appearing polite. He especially gives off this front to make Sasuke want to bring him down, so Sasuke would be known as a hero to the Hidden Leaf. Once it’s made clear what his intentions really were, it becomes clear he’s truly Affably Evil pretending to be Faux Affably Evil.
Feather Motif: His genjutsu often include a shower of crow feathers.
Foregone Conclusion: The Itachi Shinden arc introduces Izumi, the supposed girlfriend Tobi mentioned to Sasuke. We all know what is going to happen to her eventually.
Foil: With Kabuto. Both were spies that pretended to be people they were not and held valuable secrets. They both worked hard to acquire power to meet their goals. While Itachi died lying to himself believing he could accomplish everything with his own strength, he tries to help Kabuto realize the mistake in seeking strength and ignoring his true self. He succeeds after trapping Kabuto into a "Groundhog Day" Loop genjutsu, Izanami... made to keep Uchihas from abusing Izanagi.
For the Evulz: He pretty much confessed to Sasuke that the only reason he killed off the clan was to see if he could. Subverted later, when it turns out he was ordered to do it.
Freudian Excuse:
- His childhood was during the Shinobi World War and he was traumatized by it (Quote Tobi: "For a child, war is hell."), so he grew up to be a man who values peace above anything else. Above anything else. And then, you know the story. Then again, unlike some of the other Freudian Excuse-inspired villains, he was forced into the situation, albeit because Danzo knew about that part of his personality.
- The anime expands on it to where we saw he was on Team 2 and saw the death of one comrade and the trauma caused his other comrade (amongst other reasons) to retire from Shinobi life. This understandably probably made things worse.

G-L

Gambit Roulette: Itachi planned to push Sasuke to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, tell him about "Madara", and die fighting him so that the Uchiha Clan could be avenged. After that Sasuke was to take his eyes and kill "Madara" with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and return to Konoha a hero. This, of course, banked on Sasuke actually wanting to go back to Konoha instead of razing it to the ground.
The Gift: Obviously. He graduates from the Academy at age 7, masters the Sharingan at 8, becomes Chuunin at 10, joins the ANBU at 13, then defects to become an S-ranked criminal and one of the strongest members of Akatsuki. He's also the Stronger Sibling to Sasuke, who had more potential than Madara during his life after obtaining the Eternal Mangekyou. Therefore, it can be extrapolated that Itachi may very well be the most gifted Uchiha we see in the story.
Genius Sweet Tooth: Revealed in the filler arc about Itachi's childhood and hinted in the books it's adapted from, despite his favorite food being onigiri with cabbage and seaweed. In the case of the latter, his hobby is often visiting Japanese tea shops; in the former case, he really wanted to go for some dango with his father at some point, though it's thanks to a childhood friend of his he was pretty thankful he had some, despite earlier implications.
Genocide from the Inside: Killed off his entire clan aside from younger brother Sasuke, on orders from Konoha, to prevent their plans at a coup.
Glass Cannon: Itachi is very skilled and powerful, but suffers from a lack of stamina that prevents him from spamming the sheer game-breaking powers he possesses to their fullest potential. On the other hand, considering overuse of said powers permanently cripples him, his inability to spam them can be seen as a blessing in disguise. Thus, most of Itachi's fights tend to involve misdirection and avoiding direct attacks so he can set up using those game-breaking powers as his single-use trump card.
Gone Horribly Right: Congratulations, Itachi. Your attempts to turn your little brother into a nigh-invincible, revenge-bent One-Man Army worked. Too bad people like that aren't interested in returning home a hero to live peacefully surrounded by friends like you wanted.
Good All Along: As revealed by Tobi, Itachi is not some villain who took in the Uchiha Massacre for the hell it. Rather, it was an attempt to prevent Konoha from being destabilize as the Clan was intending to commit a coup in response to how they were treated after the Nine Tails attack.
Go Out with a Smile:
- When he died the first time, he smiled and said:
Itachi: "Sorry, Sasuke. There won't be a next time."
- Once again, on his second death:
Itachi: "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."
"Groundhog Day" Loop: He uses the genjutsu Izanami to place Kabuto in a mental loop until Kabuto is able accept his true self. The jutsu comes at the cost of one of his eyes and was meant as a counter for the Izanagi, a genjutsu that changed the reality of the user.
Happiness in Slavery: The ultimate fate he prepared for Sasuke. He left Shisui's eye inside Naruto which would activate if Sasuke, possessing Itachi's eyes, were to become a threat to Konoha and would cast him into a genjutsu to protect the village instead. He had to use Shisui's eye on himself instead after Kabuto resurrects him with Edo Tensei which helped Itachi regain control of his body.
Heartbroken Badass:
- He actually doesn't want to do the things he does, mostly he's just following orders and trying to atone for it all.
- Anime makes this even worse, his girlfriend was one of the first people he targeted... because he loved her. His final act was to put her in a genjutsu to let her experience them growing old togther.
Heel–Face Brainwashing: He does this to himself using the chakra-crow he implanted in Naruto. That was an accident, though. It was intended for Sasuke as an absolute last resort. Itachi didn't count on being revived as a mind-controlled zombie. And since It Only Works Once, his plan was ruined.
Heel Realization: At the very least in his relationship with Sasuke. After he's revived he finally acknowledges how disastrous his plans to keep Sasuke safe ended up, and that he turned his brother into the exact opposite of what he wanted.
Hellfire: With his right Mangekyō eye he could use Amaterasu, igniting whatever he looked at with inextinguishable black flames that would burn anything, including fire itself. It was noted by Jiraiya that these flames could even burn the Mountain Toad that could breathe fire itself.
Heroic Self-Deprecation: Somewhat helps balance out the above Character Shilling. Itachi recognizes his actions as misguided and largely responsible for what Sasuke has become, and considers himself a failure. Not that he's precisely heroic.
Hero with an F in Good: Itachi might not be what he appeared to be at the outset, but it's still quite a stretch to call him "good guy". While Itachi killed the Uchiha family to prevent a devastating civil war (although wholesale genocide as a peacekeeping measure is rather fucked up, too) rather than simply as a way to test his own powers, he made some rather complicated decisions regarding sparing his brother Sasuke's life and try and make Sasuke hate him enough to kill him to turn Sasuke into a hero and let him live free of the shadow-conflict that consumed their family. Unfortunately, he did this by inflicting horrific Mind Rape upon Sasuke on the night of the massacre and later on, emotionally crippling Sasuke for the rest of his life. Unsurprisingly, a lifetime conditioned into hatred for his brother to the exclusion of all else means Sasuke goes completely batshit insane once he's gone and Tobi gives him a slanted account of Itachi's life, but Itachi turns out to have had a plan for this; using Sasuke's erstwhile best friend Naruto as the delivery system, if Sasuke failed to become the hero Itachi wanted him to be, Itachi left behind a genjutsu that would brainwash Sasuke into protecting Konoha with his dead best friend's Kotoamatsukami. When he was revived via Edo Tensei, he eventually acknowledged that he was wrong, and realized that the most he could do was hope Naruto would fix everything.
Hidden Agenda Villain: Since the first act it has been confusing which are his goals or if indeed he has any beyond messing with Sasuke's life. It's only revealed later that he just hoped to close the book on his actions and leave Sasuke as the hero.
Hidden Depths: He's one of the strongest antagonists in the series, a genius of the Uchiha clan and master of the Sharingan. However, unlike Sas uke, he recognizes the skills of others and knows when he's outmatched. His childhood truama also made him a pacifist yet he knew he was going to need to do violence.
Hidden Heart of Gold: He doomed himself to a life of being hated by his only remaining family, who he truly loved all along, along with the stigma of being a missing-nin AND part of an evil organisation, all while hating violence and combat, and was ordered to kill his family in order to prevent another war from breaking out but he spared Sasuke. His actions were partly motivated out of love for Sasuke, and he put on a cold emotionless front acting like he just wanted to kill Sasuke and take his eyes (which wasn't true) and unfortunately Sasuke only found out about Itachi's true intentions after Itachi died.
Hypnotic Eyes: Itachi regularly used Sharingan Genjutsu. Through eye contact, he could suggest thoughts and actions to a target, coercing them to divulge information or act in a particular way, potentially without the target's awareness. He defeated Deidara in this manner. He hypnotized a women into luring away Jiraiya when he and Kisame went after Naruto. He also had Kabuto reveal the hand signs of cancelling the Edo Tensei Jutsu. Ao noted that Itachi was the only person who could use his genjutsu to control other individuals outside the range of even the Sensor Division.
I Did What I Had to Do: He killed the Uchihas on the orders of his superiors, in order to prevent his clan from starting a civil war that could've led to another Shinobi War due to the opportunism of enemy nations. More poignant when one recalls he saw the horror of the last one at the age of four.
I Let You Win: What he was intending to do in his last battle with Sasuke. He still wanted to wear Sasuke down enough in order to release Orochimaru and to rid Sasuke from the cursed seal, and also wanted to teach Sasuke about the Mangekyo in case he awoke it, and thus made sure to use his strongest techniques despite the extra strain they put on him. He also knew he was going to die in that fight, one way or another.
Instant Armor: His Susano'o, which wields all 3 of Japan's Three Sacred Treasures: the Totsuka Sword (Evidently another version of the Kusanagi) which here is a Laser Blade with sealing abilities, the Yata Mirror which functions as a shield and the Yasaka Magatama which is a giant shuriken.
Interrupted Suicide: Witnessing the horrors of war and then being told there's no meaning in life by Orochimaru drove a four year-old Itachi to throw himself off a cliff, before a passing murder of crows brought him to his senses.
Invincible Villain: In Part 1, he's this. He's stronger than Orochimaru, who's roughly equal to Tsunade and Jiraiya (and may or may not be the strongest of the three), and he easily beats both Kakashi (one of the best jonin in Konoha) and Sasuke.
I Regret Nothing: As he puts a stop to the Edo Tensei, he proclaims as Itachi Uchiha of Konoha, he's happy to have been able to help the village again, and trusting Naruto to save Sasuke from the wrong path. That said, he does regret many other things in his life, admitting that he thinks if he had trusted Sasuke more perhaps the Uchiha Massacre would never have happened.
Improbable Aiming Skills: Defense: Counter Shuriken Rain fires a volley of insanely accurate shuriken.
- In an anime flashback, a buclnch of guys had the bad idea of throwing rocks at kid Itachi. Itachi catches one, and throws it back using Pinball Projectile moves to knock away ''every single one of the rocks thrown at him plus the ones in the hands of the attackers.
Ineffectual Loner: His Fatal Flaw. He didn't put trust in anyone and relied solely on himself. His ultimate goal fails completely due to his belief that he was the only one who needed to suffer the burden of the Uchiha Clan's darkness. Later on, he admits to Naruto that if he had been willing to share the pain and let others help him, especially Sasuke, things would have worked out much better than they did. The anime expanded on his past and showed that part of his reason for becoming a loner was the result of what happened to his Genin team.
Informed Ability: His having been terminally ill and holding back against Sasuke is only over said by Zetsu and Tobi, and the former is mostly making random guesses (which are all contradicted when Sasuke uses the Mangekyo later) while the latter has every reason to tell Sasuke exactly that. Ultimately, not even he himself, upon being revived, makes any comment on whether he truly let Sasuke win or not—and notably, he doesn't contradict Sasuke's assertion of having killed him.
Informed Attribute:
- Allegedly, at the age of seven he had Hokage-level skills of reasoning and wisdom. Let's just say that his actions don't lend themselves well to this claim. Granted, the context reveals it meant in regards to putting the needs of the village over yourself, rather than that he actually made the best decisions.
- Hiruzen informs us that Itachi was a spy in Akatsuki who he had keep an eye on their activities. Unfortunately we don't see any real results of Itachi's work since we were never shown if what little Konoha find out that is at all useful about Akatsuki actually came from Itachi. We do know he made an agreement with Tobi to leave Konoha alone in exchange for working with Akaksuki, but it's unclear if Sarutobi was aware of this deal.
- Played with in regard to his views on clans. On the one hand much is said of how Itachi was able to see beyond the confines of clan thought, to look to the good of the village and nation first, and Itachi himself gives a passionate speech on how much he detests the importance placed on the "clan". Yet, one major part of his motivation to take part in the Uchiha Massacre was actually to save the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village and world at large, to have them be seen as the victims of a criminal and keep their plan to enact a traitorous coup a secret.
Innocent Prodigy:
- During Kurama's attack on Konoha, Itachi (then five) calmly comforted the crying Sasuke (who was only a few months old) and assured him that he would keep him safe no matter what. His inner-monologue, however, reveals a rather frightened child wishing their parents would hurry and get home.
- He was so advanced during his time in the academy that one teacher mentions having to do very little work with him. He still put off doing his homework in favor of playing games with Sasuke, even with their mother wanting him to study.
Ironic Name: The name "Itachi" means "weasel" (鼬), which is another way to describe someone cowardly. Itachi may have seemed that way in his first appearance, but the reality is that he is a very brave and noble sinobi.
It's All About Me: His Fatal Flaw, as expected from an Uchiha, even if he shows it in different ways than some of the others.
- He believed that he alone (and he alone) could fix everything, every time. He admitted this after his death.
- The reason he let Sasuke live and mind raped Sasuke repeatedly by forcing him to repeatedly relive the gruesome deaths of their parents, forcing him to grow up into a bitter obsessive lunatic all so that Itachi could die on his own terms: at Sasuke's hands (which he didn't in the end, making all of his efforts totally meaningless). He also acknowledges this as a mistake and that he's to blame for how Sasuke turned out.
Jacob Marley Warning: What Itachi was saying when he warned Naruto not to take on everything by himself, or he'll risk ending up like Tobi and himself.
Just Following Orders: The excuse given to his atrocities by everyone, in and out of universe. More complicated in practice, as Itachi puts much of the blame on himself and his own character flaws rather than on his superiors.
Kill the Ones You Love: Itachi was forced to kill his girlfriend, mother, and father during the Uchiha Clan Massacre. The only person he spared was his younger brother.
Kissing Cousins: It's mentioned that one of the people Itachi killed in the Uchiha Clan Massacre was his lover. Given that only members of the Uchiha Clan were killed, this person had to have been a relative, most likely a cousin. Her identity is eventually revealed to be Izumi Uchiha, who was technically only half Uchiha as her father was not an Uchiha.
Knight in Sour Armor: If his comments after Kabuto resurrects him are anything to go by.
Knight of Cerebus: First thing we learn about him is that he killed the entire Uchiha clan save Sasuke for reasons of his own, then abandoned the village to join Akatsuki. And when he first appeared in Konoha with his partner Kisame to capture Naruto. He and Kisame easily defeated Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi, sending the last in hospital. When Sasuke heard his brother was in the area, he immediately rushed out to challenge him, but Itachi easily beat him and Mind Raped him in the process, further feeding Sasuke's inferiority complex.
Knight Templar Big Brother: Had decided on his own what was best for Sasuke. Sasuke will become a great warrior. Sasuke will avenge the Uchiha. Sasuke will become a hero, and putting him through horrible torture, forcing him to walk the path of rage and hate, and making him a criminal is just a small price to pay. He left Shisui's eye to Mind Rape Sasuke should he try to destroy Konoha. However, after his resurrection Itachi realizes he was beyond wrong in his methods and reasoning and was unbelievably selfish for choosing that path for Sasuke without accounting for what Sasuke would've wanted and what would've made his brother happy. He realizes he should have believed in Sasuke and trusted him instead of trying to decide his destiny.
Know When to Fold Them: He's fairly confident he and Kisame can defeat Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai but retreats when Guy joins the fray, since it's only a matter of time before more Leaf jonin arrive. And he didn't even try to fight Jiraiya; as soon as the sage got serious, they bolted.
Leitmotif: "Many Nights", a mournful piece befitting his plaintive and ruminative character .
Lock-and-Load Montage: An anime-only scene of him getting ready to slaughter the Uchiha clan can certainly be viewed this way.

M-R

Magical Eye: Like many Uchiha, Itachi possesses the Sharingan, and he awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan by witnessing his best friend's suicide.
Making a Splash: With Water Release, Itachi could perform the advanced Water Dragon Bullet Technique without an external water source, as well as shape existing water into tendrils to strike his opponents from behind.
Manly Tears:
- The night of the Massacre when he ran from Sasuke having attempted to kill him.
- He wept in grief when he had to murder his parents.
Master of Illusion: One of the best genjutsu users in the manga. The only ones that compare to (or exceed) him are Shisui, Madara Uchiha himself, Tobi, and the Second Mizukage.
Master Swordsman: We only see him using a sword a few times (deflecting kunai thrown by Sasuke and cutting off Kabuto's horn) but it's clear he's incredibly skilled with the blade, as expected of an ANBU member. It also seems that he used his sword extensively when he killed off the Uchiha Clan. After relinquishing his ANBU gear, his skills carry over to his usage of kunai in close proximity combat. He also gets to wield Sasuke's sword during the brothers' fight against Kabuto, utilizing it to great effect.
Meaningful Echo:
- Throughout their childhood, when Sasuke would ask Itachi to train with him, Itachi would poke his forehead and say something along the lines of "Sorry, Sasuke, next time." The last thing he does before dying is to poke Sasuke's forehead and say "Sorry, Sasuke, there won't be a next time." It's heart wrenching.
- Then, as he is released by Edo Tensei, he seems poised to poke Sasuke's forehead again... and then he reaches back towards his neck, and their foreheads meet.
Itachi: "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."
Mega Manning: Averted. The Sharingan gives him this, but we never saw him using this ability, though we don't honestly know if some of his heightened abilities stem from using this power at one point or another. The water technique he uses against Kakashi was more than likely learned this way.
Mental World: He can do this with Tsukuyomi.
Mind Rape: With his left Mangekyō eye he can use Tsukuyomi, an extremely powerful genjutsu that distorts the victim's perception of time to make seconds of torture seem like days.
Mirror Character: From his fellow Akatsuki member Kisame Hoshigaki. Kisame claims that they both are the same.
Kisame: I think we are alike. It's why I wanted to be teamed with you in the Akatsuki. Murdering your own clan is quite a feeling, eh Itachi-san?
The Mole: Joined Akatsuki to keep an eye on their activities.
Morality Chain: Itachi's existence notably keeps Sasuke's sanity anchored to this world. Back when Itachi was alive, Sasuke may have been angsty, but not insane. After he killed Itachi was when he began to lose it, but, now that Itachi is... "alive" again, Sasuke was acting far more sane than he had in 100 chapters. And after Itachi goes back to being dead (as a result of ending the technique that revived him), he's right back to talking about destroying Konoha...
My Country, Right or Wrong:
- As Itachi put it himself: "The village does have its dark side and inconsistencies. But I'm still the Leaf's Itachi Uchiha."
- Ironically, it was this attitude that makes him an inheritor of the legacy of the First and Second Hokages. More than one character (and fan, for that matter) has expressed the sentiment that, had things been different, Itachi probably would've one day been named Hokage.
My God, What Have I Done?: After being revived, Itachi is shocked to learn from Naruto that Sasuke is seeking revenge against the Leaf village, even to the extent of collaborating with the Akatsuki. This was a result of Itachi's own well-meaning but misguided actions towards Sasuke. Itachi openly confesses to Naruto, Kabuto, and most importantly, Sasuke that his attempt to control everything and manipulate Sasuke through his hatred was a grave mistake.
My Greatest Failure: Everything involving the fact that he had to mentally torture Sasuke for his long-term plans, and that it led Sasuke astray and into Orochimaru's hands down the path of injustice. Itachi outright expresses that it's his fault and that he completely failed his younger brother after his resurrection.
Necessarily Evil: He certainly viewed his actions and himself this way, though, and hated himself for it. Then, after his resurrection, he realizes how horribly wrong he was.
The Needs of the Many: He thought more highly of the village as a whole than clans keeping their individualized mindset. When he spoke out against his father concerning this, his father only thought of it as more strange behavior. As a result, he massacred his clan to prevent them from starting a civil war with Konoha and possibly a world war because other countries would exploit the opportunity of a fractured Kohona.
Nerves of Steel: Itachi lived his life as a spy within Akatsuki and maintained his façade despite not being anything like the other members. He was so good Nagato was surprised at how good he was.
New Powers as the Plot Demands: Multiple times he has pulled jutsu or items right out of nowhere. The biggest example would have to be Izanami, the purpose of which is incredibly contrived and wouldn't have worked on anyone except than the person Itachi was fighting at the time.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He placed Sasuke on the path for revenge, only to shield him from the truth of the coup, but ending up making things worse once Sasuke found out about it and the added burden Itachi carried.
No More Lies: As the Edo Tensei jutsu is deactivated, he confesses everything to Sasuke and assures him that he really does love his little brother unconditionally.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: A bit of a Zig-Zagged Trope for him, and that zig-zagging is justified because of the context of his fights. During the slaughter of the Uchiha Clan and his battle against Nagato, he is this, as he only spares a few words for his father in the former, and only makes conversation with Nagato once Nagato is about to be sealed, and before then only talks to get info on Sasuke and assist his opponents (like warning Killer Bee he was behind him). He is not this trope with Kakashi, Sasuke and Kabuto however, for different reasons. With Kakashi, he never intended to kill (at the time) the second-strongest ninja in Konoha (and one of the few who posed any threat to the Akatsuki leadership). With Sasuke, he was grooming him in his encounters, and in his last encounter, he's essentially warning Sasuke about Tobi and attempting to force out Orochimaru. With Kabuto, he would have been this trope, initially fully intending to simply kill him, but decided to save him after realizing genjutsu would be the only way to stop the Edo Tensei (and noticing Kabuto's similarities to him).
No Social Skills: Played With. As noted numerous times, his Fatal Flaw of keeping everyone at arm's length along with his aloofness and self-imposed burden meant that he was usually pretty stoic. However, when he's resurrected, he's a lot more affable and even cracking jokes. It's unknown if his stoicism was a front or if his greater joviality was the result of trusting others.
Not So Stoic: During his final fight with Sasuke. Subverted in that it was actually fake. Turns out, he was crying hysterically when he killed their parents, so much so that they actually had to encourage him to go through with it.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: A filler episode taking place in part one has Team 7 go through hell fighting their way through a city of ninja cats, then against their leader Nekomata in order to get his pawprint. At the end of the episode it's revealed that Itachi, when he was about six years old, decimated the entire ninja-cat army and Nekomata himself with apparently no difficulty whatsoever.
Oddly Shaped Sword: The Sword of Totsuka does not look like a normal tsurugi. The manga depicts the blade is in a liquid-like shape while the anime gives it a fire looking appearance.
Oh, Crap!: His reactions to Kirin during his final fight with Sasuke and, later, to Sage Mode Kabuto.
One Dialogue, Two Conversations: When the Uchiha police question Itachi about Shisui's death, Itachi rants at them and his father for being simple-minded. They aren't able to understand and Fugaku sees it as strange behavior. At first glance, it looks like Itachi is speaking of achieving new heights in ability because he sees the Uchiha clan as weak in strength. After The Reveal, he was actually criticising them for their planned betrayal against the village.
Itachi: You hold on to your organization, your clan, your name... These things limit us and limit our capacities... These things deserve to be shunned... It is foolish to fear what we've yet to see and know.
Fugaku: Stop, Itachi! Stop it, already. What in the world is wrong? Itachi, you've been acting strange lately.
Itachi: Nothing's strange. I'm just carrying out my duty.
Fugaku: Then.. why did you not come last night?
Itachi: ...In order to reach the height.
Fugaku: The what?
Itachi: Of my capacity. I've lost all hope for this pathetic clan. You forget what is most important to you because you cling to something small like your clan. True change cannot be made if it is bound by laws and limitations, predictions and imagination.
Fugaku: What arrogance!
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: For the most part, Itachi is calm and stoic, with occasional cracks in the facade, such as faked psychosis, or gentle kindness. This extends towards his enemies, with the exception of Orochimaru. When he easily overpowers Orochimaru upon trying to steal his Sharingan, Itachi doesn't even bother to hide his scorn and disgust towards Orochimaru's lack of care for human life, actually showing anger, and when Orochimaru declares that he fully intends to take over Sasuke's body for good after being released from Sasuke's Cursed Seal, Itachi flashes him a look of raw, unbridled hatred and wastes no time sealing him in the Totsuka blade.
Parental Favoritism: Fugaku spent much of his time focusing on the development of Itachi and little time with Sasuke. This had more to do with Itachi being the eldest and one day required to assume leadership of the clan, and at the time Itachi was The Mole for the Uchiha against Konoha.
Perpetual Frowner: His default expression outside of flashbacks, only breaking it the moment before his death when he pokes Sasuke a final time. Not a case when he's brought back as an edo tensei as he acts more like himself.
Playing with Fire: The Uchiha specialize in Fire-style ninjutsu, the most basic of which is a fireball as big as a house and strong enough to plow a furrow in the ground.
Power Degeneration: The Mangekyou Sharingan degrades the user's eyesight with each use. In Itachi's case, it was to point he could only see Sasuke as a blur at some points in their fight. However, in some respects, Itachi's lack of stamina was a blessing in disguise since he could only use his eyes a few times before needing to stop and thus he was able to stretch out his usage of them for years, while Sasuke who spammed their usage managed to reach comparable levels of blindness in what's implied to be at most weeks of time.
Puppy Love: Itachi Shinden reveals that Itachi did have a girlfriend, Izumi Uchiha, whom he killed first, using his Tsukuyomi to ease her passing with a vision of them growing old together.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Deconstructed. He annihilates the entire Uchiha Clan, his own family, apparently For the Evulz. His actual reason was because they were about to go forward with their betrayal of Konoha, which would have led to civil war and potentially another shinobi war. He also antagonizes and tortures his pre-teen little brother into hating him and casts himself as the vile traitor so that one day his brother will be led to kill him, all to tie up everything and making everybody believe that the Uchiha Clan, save for him, were a proud and noble clan devoted to Konoha, when he knew fully well that he was one of the few left in the clan that was actually like that.
Quick Draw: Shuriken flavor. Capable of throwing dozens of shuriken with perfect accuracy in seconds without any effort.
Real Men Wear Pink: Itachi's hobby is visiting traditional Japanese cafes.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: His Sharingan, which he almost always has activated.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: His Mangekyou Sharingan powers are named after the three main Shinto kami. Of note is that his battle with Orochimaru using Susanoo strongly paralleled the myth where Susanoo slew the Orochi.
The Reveal: Being under orders from the village to slay the Uchiha clan was a surprising revelation and also shifted Sasuke's revenge motives to destroying the Leaf Village.

S-Z

Sadistic Choice: He had to side with either his clan or the village, basically summed up by Danzo, the main benefit being keeping his brother safe should he side with the village. He chose the village and thus the Uchiha Massacre.
Sanity Slippage: Displays it during his fight against Sasuke, when he explains his desire to steal the younger Uchiha's eyes, and surpass Madara. It's later revealed that Itachi was faking it, and intentionally invoked the trope in order to provide Sasuke with further motivation.
Secretly Dying: He was "plagued" by an unnamed terminal illness for an unspecified amount of time before it finally killed him, meaning he may have been slowly dying since before the series even started.
Self-Duplication: He integrated crows into clones of himself that would draw opponents' attacks. He was likewise able to create shadow clones which could lure in opponents before exploding.
Self-Made Orphan: He killed his parents and many members of his clan to prevent them from starting a civil war with the village.
Self-Sacrifice Scheme: The Uchiha Massacre was this. Itachi took responsibility for the murder of the Uchiha clan to prevent the breakout of a shinobi war. In doing so, making his brother hate him to prevent him from finding out the truth.
"Shaggy Dog" Story: The Uchiha Clan Downfall, at least from Itachi's point of view. He carried it out in the hopes of preventing a possible Fourth War. A Fourth War did end up happening and, as if to drive the point further, it was triggered by the same person who helped him do it. Itachi himself seems to be aware of his failure.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: His father took him to the Third Shinobi World War battlefield when he was four years old. Itachi spotted a wounded enemy ninja and gave him water, only to be forced to finish him off when the ninja suddenly attacked him. One could trace many of Itachi's neurosis and problems from having seen the devastation of warfare at such a young age.
Shoot the Dog: He went through with the Uchiha Massacre to avoid the potential world war the Uchiha would create and the countless lives that would be lost with it.
Sibling Team: He and Sasuke against Kabuto.
Sixth Ranger Traitor: Was this in Akatsuki all along alongside Orochimaru.
So Proud of You: Right before his death, Fugaku bluntly told Itachi that no matter what, he was proud of him.
Spanner in the Works: Itachi foils or complicates the plans of pretty much every single organization or Chessmaster he encounters in the series. In chronological order, the Uchiha clan's plan to revolt against Konoha, Danzo's plan of taking over Konoha, Orochimaru's plan of stealing Itachi's Sharingan eyes and later preventing him from taking over Sasuke's body, Team 7's attempts to rehabilitate Sasuke (in order to preemptively foil any plans Danzo might have after the Third Hokage's death), a failed attempt to foil Akatsuki's plans as The Mole and also a failed attempt to foil Tobi's plan to brainwash Sasuke. Even the resurrected Itachi foils Kabuto's plans by sealing the resurrected Nagato, and then traps Kabuto himself in an infinite loop. He also foils his own plans for Sasuke multiple times by needlessly messing up with an already vengeful Sasuke's mind.
Start of Darkness: The Itachi Shinden Novels tells the story of how a four year old Itachi is motivated and becomes a ninja up to the point of the Uchiha Massacre. The story begins with Itachi's dream of becoming Hokage and ridding the world of fighting and concludes with Itachi's deciding to draw in all the fighting and darkness into his heart, so he could make Sasuke the hero who struck down the darkness.
Stealth Mentor: In a very perverse manner he was one for Sasuke. He made Sasuke hate him so much that he would spend his entire life training to get strong enough to kill him, informed him of "Madara" and how to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan before his death, and implanted an Amaterasu into him to protect him from Tobi. His methods were a little harsher than most of the other examples, but he got the job done... too bad what Sasuke decided to do with this power, really.
Stepford Smiler: Acting like a kind and gentle boy to hide his plan to murder his clan pretty much for the heck of it. Although his mask started to slip quite a bit after Shisui died. Later revealed that he was kind and gentle but smiled to hide his despair at knowing he had no choice but to kill the people he loved. His attitude changed after Shisui's death because he was legitimately mourning his best friend.
The Stoic: He never shows emotion unless he either is faking it or is an Edo Tensei zombie.
Story-Breaker Power: His genjutsu was so powerful he could Mind Control others without making eye contact with them. A portion of the anime is spent detailing how the main character learned how to counter this kind of technique, only for it to be revealed that Itachi's version can't be countered the normal way. And that's before he brings out his trump card which just happens to be equipped with a shield that can counter almost any attack, and a sword which can trap the victim in a world of eternal drunken dreams!
The Strategist: So good that all his fights degrade into well-oiled choreographs eventually.
Stronger Sibling: To Sasuke by a large margin. The gap between them during Part I ultimately motivated Sasuke into defecting Konoha to Oto due to his belief that Orochimaru can make Sasuke be the stronger of the duo. Even though Sasuke does surpass him, it's only after he gets Itachi's eyes. Sasuke is still seen as the weaker of the two in genjutsu after mastering his Mangekyou, and goes blind much faster than Itachi did (though possibly due to using his Mangekyou for longer periods than Itachi did, as until his final battle with Sasuke, Itachi was never seen to use his MS for more than a few seconds at a time). If Itachi had Sasuke's eyes, got used to them, and faced his brother, he'd likely still be the stronger of the two.
Suicide by Cop: He kept himself alive despite being eaten up with disease so that 1) Sasuke could kill him, become a hero for Konoha and redeem their clan, and 2) to punish himself for his sins.
Super-Reflexes: So fast with his hand seals that the two other ninja with Super-Reflexes can barely see a blur.
Super-Speed: Has been noted for making hand signs so fast that Kakashi can't keep track.
Survivor Guilt: He spared Sasuke from the Massacre because he loved his little brother and also to be judged and defeated by Sasuke's hand since he believed only an Uchiha should pass justice.
Sympathetic Murder Backstory: The Uchiha Clan Massacre wasn't for his villainous motives but revealed to have been done to prevent a civil war that quite likely would have triggered the Fourth Shinobi World War. Not to mention Itachi was pretty shaken by the whole ordeal.
Sympathy for the Devil: Towards Kabuto. He empathizes with Kabuto because they both lived their lives as spies and acted like people they were not. Because Kabuto grew obsessed with becoming like others, Itachi casts Izanami on Kabuto to trap him in a mental loop until he can accept his own identity and stop trying to be someone else. It seems to work, as Kabuto shows up to help Sasuke later on, giving up on acquiring the Uchiha's power.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Fairly tall, and has been reffered to being handsome In-Universe at least once or twice.
Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He and Bleach's Ulquiorra are the anime poster boys of this trope.
Tantrum Throwing: When his father and three other policemen start to lecture him about the importance of the clan (immediately after he's been accused of murdering Shisui), he hurls a kunai at one of the crests painted on a nearby wall, then goes off on a rant about how useless and limiting concepts like clans are.
Teach Him Anger: And Hate, in order to push Sasuke into awakening his Mangekyou Sharingan and avenging the Uchiha Clan. He Mind Rapes Sasuke twice with a heavy dose of trauma and encourages him to develop an obsession with power so the latter could become a loyal shinobi of Konoha and redeemer of the Uchiha Clan... yeah.
Technical Pacifist: After the Third Shinobi World War, he became a pacifist above all else. His slaughter of the Uchiha clan was to prevent them from throwing Konoha into chaos and starting another war. He's one of the least violent fighters, only ever using enough power to accomplish his ultimate goals, of which just victory is a rare one...
Telepathy: Using genjutsu, Itachi can communicate with people in the mind. Such as when he and Naruto had a talk about Sasuke and he gave Naruto Shisui's Sharingan.
Thanatos Gambit: He attempts this. His plan revolves around Sasuke killing him as retribution for his crimes. Due to his life threatening illness he is already dying, when the final confrontation with his brother occurs. The whole point of his actions are to redeem the Uchiha clan and to allow his brother to be seen as a hero for killing him after he massacred the Uchiha clan. It fails spectacularly. He also set up a postmortem trap to kill the Big Bad and stop him from spilling his secrets. This also fails. He also set up another postmortem contingency plan to brainwash Sasuke to protect Konoha in the event he turned evil. This also fails. His Plan C is apparently "trust Naruto". This succeeds.
Tough Love: In the most extreme and twisted way possible. He comes to regret it later.
Tragic Villain: His love for his village and family tore him apart when he was forced to pick a side, and he was shaped into a villain in order to bear the responsibility and safety of his brother.
Traumatic Superpower Awakening: He awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after witnessing the suicide of his best friend, Shisui Uchiha, shortly before the Uchiha Clan Massacre. In the Itachi Shinden novels, when he was eight, he witnessed his teammate Tenma Izumi killed by Tobi, which awakened his Sharingan at the two tomoe stage shortly after.
Trying Not to Cry: In the Itachi Shinden Novels, Itachi believed crying was a weakness and wouldn't allow himself to shed tears in front of others since the day he shed tears at the sight of corpses on the battlefield he witnessed when he was four years old. Despite attempting to hold back his tears; he cries when Shisui commits suicide in the novels, when he kills his parents, and when he flees from Sasuke the night of the Uchiha massacre.
Tritagonist: Ultimately shares this role with Jiraiya, as the most important influence on Sasuke. While both of them have less-than-massive screentime, they ultimately are the biggest influences on the two main characters, and their actions have large reverbations throughout the series as the people most affected by them become the most powerful people in the world.
Tsundere: Type B. When he was a kid, to Izumi.
Undying Loyalty: Uchiha Itachi will never betray Konoha, not even after death.
The Un-Favourite: Subverted with his mother. Despite having become distant and little to no interaction taking place between them, the night she was killed by Itachi, she still told him she loved him and to look after Sasuke.
The Unfettered: He will do anything to protect Sasuke and the Land of Fire. Subverted later, in regards to Sasuke, as he considered Sasuke's free will an acceptable sacrifice, after realizing that his brother may have fallen too far to save.
Unintentional Backup Plan: Just before he dies, he plants a mysterious crow inside of Naruto with the message, "I hope you never have to use it." Jump to the Fourth Shinobi World War where Itachi has been revived as a zombie under the enemy's control. He and Naruto fight, that crow appears, and suddenly Itachi is on the good guys' side. Itachi explains that the crow contained a pre-prepared genjutsu that would hypnotized whoever saw it to protect Konoha, programmed to only to respond to the presence of Itachi's eyes. The plan was that if Sasuke decided to turn on the Leaf and use Itachi's eyes to power himself up, the genjutsu would turn him good. However, now in control of himself, Itachi can work to undo the resurrections and talk some sense into Sasuke personally.
Unwitting Pawn: Ultimately was this to Tobi. Itachi believed, like almost everyone else who was confronted by him, that Tobi was Madara, and despite his efforts to act in defiance, all of his failsafes to protect Sasuke from Tobi failed and he only succeeded in making Sasuke into a more powerful and hateful pawn for Tobi to manipulate.
Villainous Friendship:
- With Kisame; par for the course for Akatsuki, who generally go about their grim business in pairs. This is given some depth in the two understanding each other, both being men lost without knowledge of their true selves, unable to forgive and acknowledge themselves. Itachi wants nothing more than death, Kisame wants his world of truth. Both live with the pain of having betrayed and killed their comrades.
- Later on, he strikes up quite the rapport with Nagato, whom he helps about the battlefield as they involuntarily serve Kabuto.
Villainous Legacy: He was once claimed to be Konoha's worst villain by a group of Konoha shinobi. His legacy was so powerful that several years later, Shin Uchiha took after Itachi and sought to avenge his death against Sasuke. Itachi's legacy was also praised by Danzo who considered him the perfect shinobi willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Sasuke also believed Itachi choosing to take such a legacy meant he was the true Hokage choosing to embrace the village's darkness at the cost of his own self, which motivated Sasuke to bring forth revolution against the ninja system and embracing darkness until Naruto convinced him otherwise.
Villain Respect: Itachi's interactions with Naruto have been quite polite for an antagonist, and he ends up giving a smile when Naruto declares that he will bring back Sasuke to Konoha. As well, he acknowledges Might Guy's Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass credentials, escaping as soon as the latter shows up when he and Kisame first show up in the series. This may be a complicated example, though, since he's not exactly a villain in the full sense of the word.
Visible Silence: Probably 75% of Itachi's dialogue consists of this. He's a bit more talkative when he's revived as a zombie. Probably because he doesn't have to pretend to be evil anymore.
Vocal Dissonance: In the Japanese version, his deep voice is initially a bit off-putting. The English dub gives him a higher-sounding, yet still fairly low voice. It becomes deeper post-timeskip, presumably due to having grown a bit more.
Vocal Evolution: In the dub at least. Initially, his voice sounded softer, higher, and practically emotionless. Come Shippuden, however, his register took on a noticeably deeper but more ominous and contemplative tinge.
Walking Spoiler: It was revealed that he was Just Following Orders and his death reveals many subsequent twists as a result.
War Is Hell: His real motivation for killing off his clan. They were on the verge of starting a civil war (that would likely lead to a world war) and he was unable to convince them to call it off. He also experienced it at four years old, which is what helped make him into what he was.
Warrior Therapist: In a very odd way to Kabuto. Kabuto's arrogance, unwavering faith in his own abilities and belief he cannot fail and handle everything himself reminds Itachi of himself. Itachi was unable to let go of the selfish belief that he could shoulder every burden, which ended up making things far worse than if he hadn't tried at all. As a result, even though he knows what Kabuto is doing is wrong, Itachi wants to save Kabuto from the lies he tells himself, even if the methods he uses are a mite unconventional.
Was It All a Lie?: Yes and no, depending on which "it" is being referred to. The insane, unrepentant murderer we first meet? Yeah, that's a huge lie. The loving (if extreme) brother Sasuke remembers? No, it wasn't.
Weak, but Skilled: Played with. Itachi through the Mangekyo Sharingan has access to incredibly powerful game-breaking abilities. The problem is that his stamina is so poor that trying to use those abilities more than once or twice during a battle wears him out considerably, and attempting to spam them would just as likely put him on death's door as much as his foes. As a result, Itachi learned to finish his battles as quickly as possible through clever use of trickery and deception to set up using one of those trump cards as his finishing move.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Why he's an Anti-Villain. He might have had the best of intentions, but genocide is genocide.
What the Hell, Hero?: When they meet during the 4th Shinobi War, Sasuke tries to do this to him, trying to understand his brother. Due to Itachi both being in a hurry to stop Kabuto and feeling it's in Naruto's hands now to save him, Itachi keeps shutting Sasuke down with curt yet vague replies. Once Kabuto is stopped, Itachi finally explains himself and understands he was wrong. Not requiring Sasuke's forgiveness, he still reassures his love for his brother.
When He Smiles: Itachi rarely smiles, and most of the time it's rather unnerving. However, the few times he cracks a genuine smile are downright heart moving.
Wise Beyond His Years: In several ways, but the ways in which he's wise cause him a severe lack in other types of intellect.
- Itachi was 18-21 during his role in the series and he is shown to have wisdom and maturity extending well beyond his age, even in scenes focusing on his past childhood. It is revealed late in the series that this is a result of witnessing the brutal effects of the Shinobi World War when he was only four years old and causing him to become a pacifist. Searching for a way for peace, he studied the ancient history of not only his home village but the entire world, which allowed him to garner the mindset and wisdom expected of a Hokage by the age of 7. Through this and the teachings of his best friend, Shisui Uchiha, he understands what it truly means to be a shinobi, being able to bear disgrace and hatred in the place of honor and love should it be necessary to further the greater good. Another example is his lecturing of his father and his fellow clansmen about the potential deceptions that are judging solely based on appearances and preconceptions, at the same time surreptitiously advising the Uchiha to rethink their plans at a coup towards the village, being one of the very few of his people not bound by the clan's individual mindset, and ultimately having to wipe them out to prevent another potential large-scale war due to his prioritizing his village as a whole. At that point he was still only 13.
- Deconstructed at the same time. Despite having a much greater understanding of what was needed to be done and a desire for peace, this intellectual isolation led to him gaining the attitude of having to do everything by himself. This inabiity to trust others became his Fatal Flaw and despite utilizing his intelligence and wisdom in several back-up plans, they all failed and fell apart due to his inability to trust other people to help with plans or even to explain matters to them. After his resurrection, he fully acknowledges his folly and entrusts Naruto to help bring Sasuke from his abyss of insanity and hatred.
  - The anime expands on this, having had teammates and even a girlfriend. His team fell apart when he was young when one died and the whole truamatic ordeal was the last straw for his other teammate and caused her to retire. Furthermore, while he did love his girlfriend, he still priortized his mission and killed her first (though she was offed in the anime by Tobi.)
Wolverine Publicity: Due to his huge fanbase, Itachi is featured on tons of merchandise and promotional material. He's got two novels plus an anime adaptation of them, a special OVA from Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, and he is a popular Halloween costume among fans of the series. He's even featured on some covers for DVDs that don't even feature him. Even after his death in the series, they still didn't stop marketing him. Thing is, he's not featured in the show that much, and was only featured in a few arcs. And even then, he wasn't in them for very long.
Worf Had the Flu: Potentially subverted. It's stated by Tobi that if he really wanted to he could have defeated Sasuke in their final battle regardless of his debilitating illness and lack of desire to fight full force.
World's Strongest Man: Possibly held this title while alive. As one of the strongest members of the Akatsuki, his only rivals were the Sannin, Obito, and Pain. To compare:
- He easily beats Orochimaru while Orochimaru's body was giving out, but that said, Orochimaru doesn't try again, even with Edo Tensei, Kabuto or when he gets a new body, and straight-up admits that Itachi was impossible for him, as he was too strong.
- How he compares to Jiraiya is unclear. On the one hand, he flees rather than fight Jiraiya, but it's mostly Kisame who is fearful and says he's on a whole different level than he is, but also stating that while he has no chance of defeating him, he's pretty sure Itachi does. Itachi does say that he and Jiraiya could mutually kill each other, and it should also be noted that he could have very well been easily faking his fear towards Jiraiya, as it's made clear that he has zero intentions on capturing Naruto. He even challenges Jiraiya back when he said he wouldn't hand over Naruto, and only retreated after using Tsukuyomi, a technique that's very draining to him, which suggests he was confident he would be capable of contending with Jiraiya.
- Obito/Tobi refrains from attacking the village directly while Itachi is alive, and did not dare to make a move on Sasuke until his death. While they did make a pact to this, Obito has shown he has no problem lying to and betraying people, which means that he was at the very least wary of Itachi, and his comment after surviving Itachi programming Amaterasu into his eyes heavily indicates that Itachi would have pushed him to reveal his secretive powers if they were to fight.
- There's no direct comparison between himself and Pain, but going back to Obito, it's safe to say that he at least regarded Itachi as a threat to Pain if he didn't attack after Orochimaru's invasion, as his team was already assembled and Konoha would've been vulnerable. However, it should be noted it took Itachi, Bee, and Naruto together to take Pain down even with his limited mobility and being hindered by Kabuto's control. That said, Itachi was facing Pain in his true body, far more powerful than the Six Paths of Pain that almost destroyed Konoha, so it was possible that Itachi could have been capable of defeating the Six Paths of Pain, either by himself or teaming up with Konoha.
- As an Edo Tensei Zombie, however, he most certainly isn't this, as although it can be assumed he ranks well among the army, Kabuto believes Madara (followed by Nagato, who fights and dominates Itachi, Naruto and Killer Bee simultaneously while healed) is the strongest member of his army.
Would Hurt a Child: His beatings and mind-rapes on Sasuke qualify him as this. Also Danzo implied that there were other children besides Sasuke in the clan, whom he too killed.
You Are What You Hate: Vividly believed this at one point in his life, but then forgave and accepted himself for who he was and acknowledged his mistakes in death. His own experience with self hatred and forgiveness caused him to see the error in Kabuto's ways, which motivated him to help Kabuto learn his mistakes.
Zero-Approval Gambit: He massacred his clan (except his little brother) in order to prevent a coup d'etat that would've led to war, taking on the blame for himself to prevent it leaking that the village elders ordered him to do it and thus prevent Sasuke from hating the village.

"If I had come to you from the start, looked straight at your eyes and told you the truth, then I wouldn't have had to stand before you as a failure, telling you all of this. But I want to impart at least this much truth to you... You don't ever have to forgive me. And whatever you do from here on out, know this... no matter what, I will love you always."

Characters / Naruto - Itachi Uchiha

Itachi Uchiha

Debut: Naruto Chapter 139 (Manga), Naruto Episode 80 (Anime)

Video Example(s):

Itachi and Shisui vs ANBUs

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Characters / Naruto - Itachi Uchiha

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Itachi Uchiha

Debut: Naruto Chapter 139 (Manga), Naruto Episode 80 (Anime)

Video Example(s):

Itachi and Shisui vs ANBUs

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Itachi and Shisui vs ANBUs