Itachi Uchiha needs no introduction. A pivotal character in the Naruto Universe, this beloved character has won the hearts of many.
He has also become the anime fan’s favorite older brother so let’s head right into some fun facts that you wish you knew about this tragic ninja.
Beware: this article contains spoilers, so read this at your own risk!
Little-Known Amazing Facts About Itachi Uchiha
17. Itachi Had a Sweet Tooth
Perhaps the only happiness in his tragic life was sweets. Despite his seemingly cold nature, he was quite fond of sweets.
His favorite was Dango, an interest shared by Tobi. He also had a hobby of visiting traditional cafes to enjoy his favorite sweets.
16. Itachi’s Original Concept Was Given to Danzo
Anime creator, Masashi Kishimoto initially wanted his story to be entirely focused on Naruto. However, his editors encouraged him to explore other characters to add more depth to the story.
Itachi was originally meant to be the leader of the 70-strong ninja group called the ‘Itachi Squad’ that would deal with assassinations and other tasks secretly without the awareness of the village.
The original Itachi also had an x-shaped scar on his chin. All these features were later transferred to Danzo in the final version who became the leader of the secret group ‘Root’ within Konoha.
15. The Waste of the Eye
Although it’s widely believed that Itachi was the most respected fighter of the Uchiha clan, the title of the most feared would go to one of his few friends – Shisui Uchiha.
What made Shisui so powerful was his ability – Kotamatsukami. This incredible genjutsu was akin to mind control and could alter and falsify memories.
Before his death, one of Shisui’s eyes was stolen by Danzo, and the other was given to Itachi by him before he committed suicide with the intent to awaken Itachi’s Mangekyo Sharingan.
Unfortunately, Itachi implanted the eye in Naruto through a crow to revert Sasuke if he ever turned evil. This was a huge loss of an opportunity to use the eye on one of the villains instead.
14. Itachi’s Sharingan Was More Powerful Than You Think
Itachi gained his Mangekyo Sharingan by the age of 13, an admirable feat which earned him the title of ‘Itachi of the Sharingan’, a title possessed only by Kakashi and Sasuke.
Itachi’s Mangekyo Sharingan had the power of Susanoo, an indestructible being made of chakra.
His Susanoo differed from others because it possessed the Sword of Totsuka which could trap those it strikes in an endless dream and the Yata Mirror which protects the user from all elemental damage. However, the origin of such powers still remains a mystery.
13. Itachi Had Low Stamina
Itachi suffered from an unspecified respiratory illness which lowered his chakra reserves and restricted his Mangekyo Sharingan use to just three times a day – even his Sharingan would deactivate in this period.
Its use also had a detrimental effect on his eyesight and he was nearly blind towards the end of his life.
Nonetheless, Obito claimed that despite his illness and Sasuke absorbing Orochimaru’s power, Itachi could easily kill Sasuke in battle.
12. He Was Initially a Pacifist
Despite how he was initially portrayed in the series, Itachi’s primary goal was to end violence. Being a witness to the Third Shinobi War, he experienced first-hand what war was. He would always end fights as quickly as possible.
It’s interesting that the reason why he betrayed his own clan was to prevent a coup that would spark another war. It’s no wonder that his favorite word was “peace”.
11. Itachi’s Tragic Past
A quick learner since childhood, Itachi wasted no time to master anything that was thrown at him. He had mastered ninjutsu by the age of eight and became an Anbu at 11 and an Anbu captain at 13.
His vast knowledge of history and indomitable skills made him on par with the Hokage. This allowed him to pass the academy after his first year with the highest marks in history, second only to Minato Namikaze.
10. Itachi’s Name in Japanese Means ‘Weasel’.
Itachi in Japanese means ‘weasel’ which supposedly symbolizes bad luck. This could be an analogy to his status as a double agent, his role in the clan betrayal and his somewhat elusive status.
9. Itachi Was Highly Intelligent
As evidenced by his time during the Third Shinobi War, Itachi’s childhood was not a happy one.
Though they only hint at his past throughout the series, his story is further explored in the novels and their anime adaptations.
Marred by war and bloodshed and the eventual betrayal of his clan, the happy moments in life were few and far between, his brother’s birth is one of them.
8. Itachi Could Summon Crows
Itachi’s kinship to crows began from the age of four. He was not only able to summon them but also to train them into battle formations against enemies or make lookalikes of him to create confusion.
This greatly improved his stealth and assassination skills.
7. Itachi’s Mysterious Girlfriend
Sorry, ladies. He’s already taken. Though this fact was only mentioned in passing in the anime, it managed to create a lot of buzz among fans.
Later, this story was elaborated on in the light novels and also the anime adapted version. His girlfriend was revealed to be Izumi Uchiha; another Uchiha clan member who was the first to die in the Uchiha massacre.
However, in an attempt for farewell, Itachi used his Tsukuyomi to let her live the life with him in the genjutsu dream world as she couldn’t in real life.
6. Itachi Was Aware of Naruto’s Parentage
When Kushina was pregnant with Naruto, Mikoto was also carrying Sasuke in her womb.
As the two were friends, little Itachi was able to spend a lot of time with them and so was aware of the identity of Naruto’s parents. This makes him one of the very few people who knew this fact.
5. Itachi Refused to Kill Brothers
Perhaps stemming from his own love for his younger brother, Itachi refused to kill brothers even if they were enemies.
In the novel Akatsuki Hiden: Evil Flowers in Full Bloom, Itachi and Kisame battle twin brother ninjas from Kirigakure but he cannot bring himself to kill them even at great risk to himself.
4. He Could Perform One-Handed Seals
A highly valuable ability in the Naruto world, this allowed users to perform two jutsus at once, or wield a weapon while creating seals.
Only Naruto, Sasuke, the 4th Hokage, and Itachi possess this ability.
3. He Was Tied With Jiraiya for the Highest Stats
According to the data, Itachi was tied for the highest stats with Jiraiya. This was shown through his reluctance and genuine fear to battle Jiraiya head-on, even with Kisame alongside him.
2. He Was Kishimoto’s Favorite Akatsuki Member
Akatsuki, the team of ousted ninjas and wanted criminals was created with the idea that villains have a rich and detailed backstory, just like the heroes.
Itachi was Kishimoto’s favorite, and it finally paid off as the group quickly garnered popularity among fans because of their combat skills, character design and pivotal role in the plot.
1. Itachi Tried His Best to Stay Alive in Order to be Killed by Sasuke
Itachi’s final wish was to die by Sasuke’s hands so that Sasuke would be hailed as the Hero of the Hidden Leaf, like Naruto.
But, in the face of his terminal illness, he tried his best to stay alive by taking the most potent drugs available and through sheer willpower. This is revealed in the novel Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled.
Kishimoto also revealed that Itachi was killed in order to continue the story – after all, Itachi was strong enough to take out Madara in a heartbeat so he feared that this would halt the story’s progress.
Craving More?
All these Itachi facts must be making you miss Naruto. So, if you are like me and enjoy anime, be sure to check out this fantastic list to fill the void left behind by one of the greatest animes of this generation.
Conclusion
Itachi is one of the most well fleshed out anti-heroes in the history of anime. His character, actions, and philosophies have earned him fans worldwide.
We hope these fascinating facts gave you a more in-depth view of his character. Now, we’re off to reminiscence the wonderful moments of the anime by watching reruns, and we suggest you do the same.
