I know I’m not alone when I say that Naruto is one of the greatest series of all time, and a huge part of the series’ success came from the villains in it. The villains in Naruto are diverse in their goals, origin, and power, making for interesting arcs every time they’re on-screen. Most of the villains in Naruto are much more complicated than they appear to be. It’s rare that an antagonist is purely evil, as they usually have at least a decent reason for acting the way they are.
One of the most complicated characters in the series is Itachi Uchiha. He’s more than just a great villain, and honestly, he might not even be a villain at all. His goals and background are too complex to just put him in an “evil” bucket, relegating him to a normal antagonist status.
Naruto Has Some Of The Best Villains In Anime
Pain, Madara, And Sasuke Stand Out Among Giants
There are so many great villains in Naruto that I don’t know where to start. There’s a good chunk of villains that get reformed in the series. Thanks to Naruto’s famous “Talk-no-Jutsu”, a lot of the most antagonistic characters in the series can reflect on their actions, admit their mistakes, and repent.
Related
Pain vs Orochimaru: Ranking the 8 Strongest Villains in Naruto
The villains in Naruto are a huge part of the show’s success with each villain bringing something new to the franchise, but who is the strongest?
Pain, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Gaara, and even Sasuke are just some of the characters that end up changing their ways. They trade their anger for hope, looking towards the titular character to guide them out of their darkness.
That’s not to say there aren’t a fair share of villains in the series who aren’t just straight-up evil. Madara Uchiha, Kakuzu, and Hidan have almost no redeemable qualities about them. Naruto didn’t kill any of the five villains listed above, but he had no choice but to finish off Kakuzu with one of his greatest Rasengans ever.
The fact that there are so many different types of villains in Naruto makes the series even greater. There are villains who are just misguided, villains who are frustrated with their pasts, and villains who just want to see the world burn.
Itachi Stands Out Among Heroes And Villains
Itachi Is More Than Just A Villain In Naruto
Itachi is one of the most complex characters in Naruto, and that’s saying something. Naruto excels at creating well-written characters with plenty of depth, and out of every character in the series, no character is as deep as Itachi Uchiha.
Itachi was a prodigy as a child. He was one of the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village before he was a teenager. He was selected to go out on top-secret missions for Konoha, allowing him to gain the trust of the Third Hokage.
As an Uchiha, however, his life was complicated. He was loyal to both the village he lived in and the clan he was part of; however, those two interests didn’t always align. When the Uchiha were going to stage a coup d’état, Itachi was in a rough position.
He was forced to choose between his village and his family. If the Uchiha coup d’état was successful, it would have led to the slaughter of Konoha. Itachi ended up choosing his village over his family, and it was one of the darkest moments in Naruto.
Itachi Was Never A Bad Guy: He Was Protecting Sasuke And Konoha
Everything That Itachi Did, He Did For His Brother And His Village
Itachi isn’t a villain in Naruto because he’s never trying to harm anyone or pursue his own twisted interests. If anything, Itachi is a victim in Naruto. He’s a victim of his own potential, a victim of the Uchiha clan who wanted to tear his village apart, and a victim of the special forces unit in Konoha that used him as a tool. As one of the smartest characters in Naruto, Itachi understood that he was the only person capable of making such massive decisions.
Related
You Know It’s True: Itachi Uchiha Deserves His Own Naruto Spinoff
Itachi’s story is marked by tragedy and sacrifice, and given his complexity, it deserves to be explored in greater depth through his own spin-off.
Itachi killed his entire clan, not because he wanted to, but because he had to. If he didn’t take his own clan down, they would have destroyed the entire village he worked so hard to protect. He saw his family’s actions as selfish and decided that the best course of action would be to minimize the damage.
Even after killing his own clan, Itachi dedicates his life to protecting Sasuke. He realizes just how brutal his actions were to his little brother. Instead of trying to repent, he makes himself Sasuke’s ultimate villain. By becoming Sasuke’s nemesis, he can give his brother a goal to strive towards, forcing his brother to become stronger in the process.
Even in Itachi’s final battle with Sasuke, he’s really just testing his brother. He’s not fighting casually, but he is taking his time with Sasuke to make sure that his brother has gained the strength needed to survive in such a harsh world. Sasuke vs. Itachi is one of the best fights in Naruto, and because of their bond as brothers, it might be the most emotional too.
Itachi Is One Of The Best Written Characters In Anime
Itachi Uchiha is one of the greatest characters in anime, full stop. He’s one of the strongest Uchiha in Naruto, one of the wisest characters in anime, and a man who was able to put his brother above himself. Itachi is the greatest villain in Naruto because he isn’t a villain at all.
Sasuke is much closer to a real villain than Itachi ever was. Sasuke actually joined the Akatsuki hoping to bring Konoha harm. Itachi joined the Akatsuki so that he could keep an eye out on his former village and little brother. Sasuke went after the Eight-Tails for the group, while Itachi returned to Konoha to remind Danzō not to harm Sasuke.
Related
We Love Naruto’s Parents, But I Think Sasuke’s Family Was Better
While both sets of parents made sacrifices, the Uchiha showed that love for your children can sometimes take priority over duty, shaping their fate.
Once Itachi’s true intentions are shown, it feels like a revelation. It changes everything that Sasuke thought he knew about his brother. Sasuke spent his whole life hunting the very brother who was protecting him. He hated his brother for killing his clan, but once he learned the truth, he hated his clan for putting Itachi in such a terrible position.
Itachi’s character arc shows how deep he is as a character and how well Naruto treated him. He’s not an absent-minded villain like Kisame or Madara. He’s a thoughtful young man put in the worst position possible, and he did it all for the love of his village and his brother.
Naruto
- First Episode Air Date
-
October 3, 2002
Summary
Naruto is a Japanese manga and anime franchise created by Masashi Kishimoto. It follows Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja striving for recognition and aiming to become the Hokage, the leader of his village. The franchise has a global fanbase due to its rich storytelling, character development, and themes of perseverance and friendship. It has expanded into anime series, films, novels, video games, and more. The sequel series Boruto continues the story, focusing on Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki.
Source link
