The Naruto series is filled with strong clans, but the Uchiha was arguably the most feared and respected clan in history. Their strength came from the Sharingan, a visual Kekkei Genkai, which allowed them to read enemy movements and see chakra. Some Uchiha was able to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, which unlocked various jutsu that was versatile and powerful.
Itachi Uchiha was considered a prodigy, as he managed to awaken and master his Sharingan by the age of fifteen. Itachi was one of the strongest ninja that the Leaf Village has ever produced, and if things had gone differently, there is a good chance he could have risen to the rank of Hokage. He may have died before the series ended, but Itachi managed to leave his mark on the story in several different ways.
10 He Stopped A Coup That Would Have Destroyed The Leaf Village
Itachi made quite a few mistakes over the course of the series, and the biggest one was wiping out his entire clan, an act that left his little brother completely alone. The Uchiha were regarded as the Leaf Village's strongest clan, but many villagers began to distrust them after the Nine-Tails attack claimed the Fourth Hokage's life.
The Uchiha were sectioned off from the rest of the village and placed under surveillance. These actions caused the Uchiha to organize a coup, and Itachi knew that this would lead to a civil war that would ultimately destroy the village. Itachi's actions saved the village from self-destruction, but it also kept other villages from attacking and taking advantage of the chaos.
9 He's The Reason Why Sasuke Left The Leaf Village
At first, it appeared as though Itachi didn't care much for Sasuke, but as the series went on, it became clear that he truly loved his younger brother. After their clan was wiped out, Itachi told Sasuke that he needed to hate his brother and become stronger if he wanted to avenge their clan.
Sasuke did as his brother asked, but when they met during the Search for Tsunade Arc, the gap in their strength was astronomical, with Sasuke ending up in a coma. Sasuke knew that he needed more power, which is why he decided to leave the Leaf Village in search of Orochimaru, who promised to make him stronger through the curse mark.
8 He Was Ultimately The Reason Why Deidara Dies
Deidara may not have been Akatsuki's smartest member, but he excelled in tricking and misdirecting his opponents with his clay explosives. He only joined the group because Itachi challenged him to a duel, which the Uchiha won with great ease.
Deidara hated Itachi and his Sharingan, which is why he spent a lot of time developing a method to counter and eventually kill him. When Itachi died, Deidara went after Sasuke instead, and he nearly killed him twice. In the end, Deidara blew himself up for nothing, and the Akatsuki lost one of its more effective members.
7 He Helped Turn The Tide Of The Fourth Great Ninja War
Itachi was one of the strongest characters resurrected during the Fourth Great Ninja War, and he was brought back by Kabuto. Orochimaru's former right-hand man allied himself with Obito and offered him his perfected version of the Edo Tensei, which resulted in hundreds of casualties for the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Itachi was able to break free of Kabuto's control by casting his friend Shisui's Kotoamatsukami genjutsu on himself. After defeating a resurrected Nagato, Itachi goes after Kabuto, and during their fight, he traps him within the Izanami genjutsu. While stuck in this illusion, Itachi forces Kabuto to undo the Edo Tensei, an act that saved hundreds of lives and which allowed the Allied Forces to join the Ten-Tails fight.
6 He Helped Kabuto Rediscover His Identity
Kabuto was an orphan who was adopted and raised in an orphanage, and he agreed to become a member of the ANBU's Root division for the orphanage to receive continued funding. While with Root, Kabuto became a spy who was planted in various villages, and he inadvertently killed the woman who raised him while on one of those missions.
This caused Kabuto to become disillusioned, and when Orochimaru offered to help him discover his true self, he became the Sannin's closest confidant. When Sasuke killed Orochimaru, Kabuto attempted to become his former master, but when Itachi trapped him within the Izanami, Kabuto remembered who he truly was. If it weren't for this realization, Kabuto would have never healed Sasuke after Madara fatally wounded him.
5 Sasuke Awakened The Mangekyo Sharingan Because Of Him
Sasuke would be a skilled ninja even without the Sharingan, but no one can deny the fact that he would've failed several times if he didn't have the ocular Kekkei Genkai. His skill with the ordinary Sharingan was practically perfect, and he ended up getting a massive power spike when he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The Mangekyo can only be awakened when someone close to the user dies, and Sasuke's activated shortly after Itachi's death when he learned the truth about his brother's actions. Without the Mangekyo, Sasuke would have never been able to use the Amaterasu or Susanoo, which means that he would've likely died while fighting Killer B, Danzo, and the Raikage. He also wouldn't have been able to shield himself from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
4 His Death Led To Sasuke Invading The Five Kage Summit
When Obito told Sasuke the truth about Itachi, the young Uchiha felt nothing but hatred for the Leaf Village, which is why he decided to exact vengeance on the village leaders who had Itachi kill his own clan. Danzo was one of those leaders, and when Sasuke learned that he would be at the Five Kage Summit, he decided to attack the summit.
This turned out to be one of the most important summits in history, and Sasuke ended up fighting all five Kage after taking out multiple Samurai. This turned Sasuke into an international criminal, and it resulted in the death of Danzo, who was being eyed as the potential 6th Hokage.
3 He's The Reason Why Sasuke Joined The Akatsuki
Before Sasuke attacked the Five Kage Summit, he and his team joined forces with the Akatsuki. This only happened because Sasuke wanted to use the organization's resources for his own vengeance, but to use those resources, he needed to help capture the 8-Tails.
Killer B is the 8-Tails' Jinchuriki and the adopted brother of the Fourth Raikage. Since Sasuke was the Leaf Village's responsibility, the attack caused a minor international incident between the Leaf and Cloud villages. This event led to the summit, which kicks off the Fourth Great Ninja War.
2 He Is Ultimately The Reason Why Orochimaru Went After Sasuke
Many things in the series would be different if the Sharingan didn't exist, and the clearest example of this revolves around Orochimaru's obsession with Sasuke. Orochimaru sought immortality, and while conducting experiments, he found a way to take over other people's bodies.
The Sannin believed that an Uchiha body with an activated Sharingan would be the best fit, so he tried to steal Itachi's body when they were both with the Akatsuki. Orochimaru failed, though, which is why he set his sights on Sasuke, who was younger and potentially easier to subdue.
1 He Saved The World By Thwarting Orochimaru's Plan
Itachi knew that his death was near, but he needed to make sure that Orochimaru's curse mark was removed from Sasuke's body before that could happen. The brothers went all out during their fight, and when Sasuke ran out of chakra, Orochimaru emerged from the curse mark and attempted to take Sasuke's body.
Itachi used his Susanoo's Totsuka Blade to seal Orochimaru before this could happen, and by doing so, he helped to save the world. If Orochimaru had succeeded, Sasuke would not have been there to stop Kaguya Otsutsuki and the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
0 Comments