Itachi Uchiha’s killing of his entire clan is one of the most shocking, riveting, and pivotal events in the Naruto manga and anime series. Early on in Naruto, Itachi quickly became one of the series’ top villains. The massacre set the background of Sasuke Uchiha’s revenge plot.
Even for Masashi Kishimoto, the Naruto Manga’s writer and illustrator, Itachi Uchiha’s backstory wasn’t planned out from the onset. However, understanding his motives changes readers/viewers’ perspective about the character. As such, Itachi is arguably one of anime’s greatest antiheroes. To better understand why Itachi Uchiha killed his entire Uchiha clan, one has to appreciate the character’s origin story.
Who Is Itachi Uchiha?
Itachi Uchiha was the oldest child of Fugaku Uchiha, the Uchiha clan leader. The Uchiha clan were from Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). Itachi, Sasuke’s older brother, was a child prodigy and the pride of his father and clan. However, at a young age, Itachi witnessed the Third Shinobi World War, a devastating war that became a turning point in his life. The atrocities and horrors from the war turned the young Itachi into a pacifist. As far as he was concerned, Itachi believed he could prevent another war by becoming the best ninja in the village.
Itachi Uchiha excelled at the Academy for Shinobi. At age 11, Itachi was already an Anbu captain. The Anbu was a secret Black Ops group within the Shinobi, scouted at a young age and handpicked by the village Kage. Usually, new Anbu members join around the age of 13. However, Itachi’s fighting abilities didn’t just see him graduate early from the Academy for Shinobi; he joined the Anbu and was made a captain by age 11. Besides bringing glory to his Uchiha clan, Sasuke looked up to him, and the brothers shared a close relationship when they were younger.
The Growing Tension Between The Uchiha Clan and The Hidden Leaf Village
The Uchiha clan was one of the Hidden Leaf Village’s founding clans. The Uchiha clan was renowned and feared for its Sharingan in the village. Uchiha’s Sharingan was a powerful dōjutsu kekkei genkai, which allowed them to cast genjutsu, see chakras, and copy their opponent’s jutsu. Despite being powerful, the Uchiha clan was marginalized and generally distrusted by the Hidden Leaf Village’s leadership.
In the past, the Hidden Leaf Village was attacked by the Nine-Tails. Since the Uchiha clan was known for their ability to control the Nine-Tails with their Sharingan, many in the village believed the Uchiha clan was responsible for the attack. As such, besides being placed under close surveillance, the Uchiha clan was effectively isolated from the rest of the village. Over the years, this led to a growing resentment from the Uchiha clan leadership, led by Itachi’s father, Fugaku Uchiha.
Itachi Becomes A Double Agent
As a child prodigy, Itachi was not only chosen to be a part of the village’s Shinobi but a member of the elite Anbu. The Uchiha clan, especially Itachi’s father, saw it as an opportunity to have one of their own within the Hidden Leaf Village’s leadership. By default, he became a spy for the Uchiha clan. However, being a member of the Anbu Black Ops wasn’t only about carrying out covert operations, but they were sworn to fealty. This made Itachi’s true mission far more complex than his clan realized.
The village’s leadership chose Itachi, specifically the Third Hokage and the elders, to act as a spy within his own Uchiha clan. Itachi was torn between his loyalty to this village and his love for his family. However, Itachi remained a pacifist at the heart of being a double agent. He understood the consequences of a civil war between the village and his powerful Uchiha clan. Not only could a civil war generally weaken the village against outside threats, it could lead to the village’s destruction. In the end, both the Hidden Leaf Village and Itachi’s own Uchiha clan manipulated the young 13-year-old for their perceived gains.
Why Itachi Killed the Entire Uchiha Clan
Itachi killed the entire Uchiha clan to avoid a senseless coup that would have killed many innocent lives in the Hidden Leaf Village. Over the years, the Uchiha clan’s resentment, having been forced to live on the outskirts of the village, had grown. Itachi’s father, Fugaku, was hellbent on avenging the clan by plotting a coup to overthrow the Hidden Leaf Village’s leadership. As a young boy, Itachi watched his clan’s plan for revenge slowly grow into a well-thought-out plan. Realizing the Uchiha clan’s coup was inevitable and would lead to widespread bloodshed, as a pacifist, the 13-year-old Itachi chose to inform Danzo Shimura, the Leaf High Council member.
The Hidden Leaf Village’s leadership knew they were powerless against an enraged Uchiha clan marching into the village. Danzo Shimura, realizing Itachi was a pacifist at heart, led the young 13-year-old Itachi into believing only he could stop his clan. A coup would devastate the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving many innocent dead. Although it is easy to cast stones at Itachi for opting to kill his entire clan, the decision was not made lightly. Itachi was forced to weigh the lives of his family (intoxicated by power) against the countless lives lost in a senseless civil war.
Itachi’s decision was also influenced by his desire to protect his younger brother, Sasuke. Danzo Shimura knew Itachi’s unrelenting love for his brother and used it as a selling point to convince Itachi to massacre his clan. However, while Itachi believed the massacre was necessary, in his heart, he knew he deserved to be punished for this heart-wrenching genocide. Itachi spared Sasuke’s life but orchestrated the events so that Sasuke would be driven to seek vengeance against him. Considering himself an unworthy hero, Itachi knew Sasuke’s vengeance would make him grow stronger, avenge his clan, and be seen as a hero. Itachi killing the entire Uchiha clan in Naruto: Shippuden truly made Sasuke one of the series’ strongest characters.
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