Is Itachi good or evil in Naruto? Explained

Modified Jun 17, 2024 13:00 GMT

Naruto and the question of whether is Itachi a villain or a hero (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Naruto fans often debate the question, "Is Itachi good or evil?" because of the character's actions throughout the series. Itachi is initially introduced as a villain and Sasuke Uchiha's evil older brother who murdered their clan. His motivations and reasoning are not addressed until the Shippuden portion of the story, which has led to this current state of affairs.

Itachi is one of the most popular characters in Naruto because of his design, style, and abilities. His motivations to protect the village and his brother Sasuke made him a much more complex individual. And while it is difficult to classify him as a hero or a villain, there are many different perspectives to consider when analyzing his character.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series.

Itachi's evil actions in Naruto

Itachi as a member of Akatsuki (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The character is first mentioned in the series by Sasuke Uchiha, his younger brother. It is revealed that Itachi murdered the entirety of their clan, with the two of them being the sole known survivors. Itachi eventually became a rogue ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. He turned into a wanted criminal because of this genocide, while his brother swore to kill him as revenge.

After the events of Orochimaru's invasion, Itachi comes back to the Hidden Leaf Village as a member of the Akatsuki, a terrorist organization made out of rogue ninjas who are aiming to capture all nine Jinchurikis, so they are searching for Kurama. After a failed attempt, Itachi is not seen until his final battle with Sasuke during the Shippuden portion of the story, with the former claiming he wants his brother's eyes. Eventually, Itachi died of an illness in this fight.

Itachi's love for Sasuke and the Hidden Leaf

Itachi the night he murdered the Uchiha clan (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Once he died fighting his brother, Obito Uchiha, then pretending to be Madara Uchiha, revealed to Sasuke that Itachi didn't kill his clan out of selfish reasons and didn't spare him to get his eyes. The truth is that Itachi loved his family, especially Sasuke and the Hidden Leaf Village, but was tasked with killing his clan because the latter were attempting a coup.

In reality, the events of the Uchiha clan massacre in Naruto were orchestrated by Danzo Shimura, who used his political influence to make that event take place. The Uchiha were planning a coup to gain more power in the village, and Danzo decided that the best decision was to kill them, forcing Itachi's hand under the condition that Sasuke be spared.

Itachi joined Akatsuki because he knew Obito was leading the organization and wanted to keep an eye on him. Obito also got involved in the Uchiha massacre and helped Itachi take the lives of children and other innocent people. There is a fan theory that Itachi was Jiraiya's spy on Akatsuki since the latter claimed he had someone within that organization.

Itachi's good or evil status, finalized

Itachi saying goodbye to Sasuke (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Based on the information given by author Masashi Kishimoto in the canon material of the manga, Itachi never did anything out of malice in the story. He killed the Uchiha clan because he thought that was the best way to provide peace for the Hidden Leaf Village. He dedicated his life to protecting the village by spying on Akatsuki and ensuring Sasuke was alive.

Therefore, it is safe to say that it doesn't make Itachi qualify as evil, but problems arise for a lot of fans when they understand that Kishimoto didn't plan for him to be a good guy in Naruto. It can be said that while Itachi was a dutiful person who tried to do the right thing, his actions caused a lot of harm. While Itachi is not evil, he cannot be called entirely good either.

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