Itachi Uchiha is a shinobi of Konohagakure’s Uchiha clan, who served as an Anbu Captain. He later became an international criminal after murdering his entire clan, sparing only his younger brother, Sasuke. He afterward joined the international criminal organization known as Akatsuki.
This organization’s activity brought him into frequent conflict with Konoha and its ninja — including Sasuke who sought to avenge their clan by killing Itachi. Although Itachi might come off as an antagonist, the fans of ‘Naruto‘ know that he is one of the most revered and powerful characters in the anime series.
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Who Is Itachi Uchiha?
Itachi was the first child born to Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. His early childhood was marked with violence. When he was four years old, the Third Shinobi World War waged and he witnessed first-hand many of the war’s casualties. The death and destruction he experienced at such a young age traumatized Itachi and made him a pacifist. This led to him training non-stop to achieve his dream of becoming a ninja in order to erase fighting from the world.
At age 5, after becoming a big brother to Sasuke, Itachi was approached by Shisui, who offered to train together. Soon, the two became best friends, forming a brother-like bond as they continued to teach the other new tricks.
The Nine-Tails’ attack had soured relations between Konoha’s leadership and the Uchiha, the former believing the latter to be responsible. The Uchiha were relocated to the edge of the village, isolating them from the rest of the village and making it easier to monitor them.
At age 6, Itachi enrolled in the Academy, where he consistently scored the highest in each subject and quickly learned any skill taught to him, resulting in him being praised as the best of his generation. At age 11, Itachi joined the Anbu as its youngest member. In the anime, Itachi is assigned to Team Ro, working alongside Tenzo and with Kakashi Hatake as his captain.
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What Is His Personality?
From a young age, Itachi was calm and insightful, showing noticeable maturity for his age and knowledge on how to deal with every situation. For all his accomplishments, talent, and fame, Itachi was a rather humble man.
Never arrogant about his own abilities nor underestimating others, most things he said were unbiased and accurate. If an opponent exceeded his expectations or posed a legitimate challenge to him or his allies, Itachi would freely admit it.
As a seven-year-old, his reasoning was on par with a Hokage. Having studied history, not just of his clan or his village but of the world, he gained a broader appreciation of what was important. Learning so much enabled him to understand how events of the past came to happen and, when he applied that same understanding into the future, he became concerned for where things were going.
At the same time, Itachi was still fairly naïve as a child in many real-world scenarios and as such was willing to learn from his peers on how to differentiate situations. He lived at a distance, observing individuals and ideas without getting directly involved so that he could fully understand them.
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