Itachi Uchiha is a fictional character from the popular anime and manga series “Naruto” created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a highly skilled and powerful ninja known for his Sharingan eye abilities, genjutsu prowess, and tragic backstory. Itachi’s story is complex, and there are different perspectives on who ultimately defeated him, as the events surrounding his defeat are depicted in different parts of the Naruto series.
To understand who defeated Itachi, we must first delve into Itachi’s character and his journey in the Naruto series. Itachi was initially portrayed as a villain, responsible for the massacre of his entire clan, the Uchiha clan, except for his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha. However, as the story progresses, Itachi’s true intentions and motivations are revealed, and his actions are shown to be more complex than initially believed.
Itachi’s ultimate goal was to protect Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, from his clan’s uprising, as he believed it would lead to a civil war and threaten the village. Itachi joined the organization Akatsuki and carried out various missions while secretly protecting Konohagakure from the shadows. It was eventually revealed that Itachi had a terminal illness and was deliberately portrayed as a villain to protect Sasuke and the village from the truth.
The first encounter between Itachi and Sasuke takes place during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, where Sasuke seeks to avenge his clan by defeating Itachi. However, Itachi easily overpowers Sasuke and escapes, leaving Sasuke with a deep desire for revenge. Sasuke undergoes intense training to become stronger and eventually confronts Itachi again during the Akatsuki arc.
During the Akatsuki arc, Sasuke seeks to kill Itachi and initially manages to overpower him using his newly acquired power from the Curse Mark and the Sharingan. However, Itachi reveals that he was not trying to kill Sasuke during their first encounter and allows Sasuke to defeat him as part of his plan to protect the village and Sasuke. Itachi dies in Sasuke’s arms, and Sasuke learns the truth about Itachi’s sacrifices and motivations.
While Sasuke is ultimately the one who lands the final blow on Itachi, it can be argued that Itachi was not truly defeated by Sasuke. Itachi’s death was part of his plan all along, and he allowed Sasuke to defeat him as part of his larger scheme to protect the village and Sasuke from the truth about the Uchiha massacre. Itachi’s death is depicted as a self-sacrifice for the greater good, and his defeat can be seen as a culmination of his tragic story and his ultimate goal to protect those he cared about.
However, Itachi’s story does not end with his death. Itachi’s spirit later reappears during the Fourth Great Ninja War arc, where he helps Naruto and the Allied Shinobi Forces by providing critical information about the ongoing conflict. Itachi’s spirit fights alongside Naruto and uses his abilities to aid in the battle against the resurrected Uchiha clan members, including his former comrade, Nagato. Itachi’s spirit ultimately succeeds in breaking the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu, which allows the defeated shinobi to return to the afterlife, including Itachi himself.
In summary, Itachi’s defeat is a complex and multi-faceted event in the Naruto series. While Sasuke is the one who ultimately lands the final blow on Itachi, Itachi’s defeat can be seen as part of his larger plan to protect the village and Sasuke. Itachi’s death is portrayed as a self-sacrifice for the greater good, and his story continues to have an impact on the series.
