There are traumas that remain forever ingrained in our minds. In the Naruto universe, Itachi Uchiha is one of those characters who, from their most "tender" childhood, experienced events that will have marked them forever. He was only four years old when he had to witness the death of several members of his family during the Third Ninja War . Fortunately for him and for his biggest fans, Itachi quickly distinguished himself by his precocious skills and his talents as a ninja, transforming his hatred and anger into a desire to bring peace to Konoha. 🕊️
He did not wait long to evolve in the ninja hierarchy of his village. Promoted to genin at the age of seven, he was given the rank of captain in the Anbu special sections at the age of thirteen! But what is most impressive about his rise is his mastery of the Sharingan when he was barely entering his eighth year. This innate, and above all hereditary, talent was the pride of the Uchiha clan and particularly of his father, Fugaku, whose eyes certainly turned red with emotion when he saw the Sharingan appear - "the eye that reflects feelings" - in those of his son. 👁️🗨️
But why does the Uchiha tribe attach so much importance to the Sharingan? Are its members the only ones who can use this power? Did Itachi Uchiha evolve the abilities of this ancestral power ? Here are some answers!
Who can possess the Sharingan?
The Sharingan is transmitted above all hereditary . This dôjutsu – which means “pupil technique”, is received from birth. But there is also another way to possess the Sharingan, through an organ transplant . 🧬 Let's develop together these two ways for Naruto heroes to obtain this power.
1. The Uchiha clan
The first, in the case of inheritance, simply comes from the parents. However, natural transmission is not given to just any clan. She only belongs to one tribe, that of the Uchiha . 🌑 Only Uchiha descendants can therefore acquire it , especially since the Sharingan reaches its peak among those who have the most love, and therefore hatred. And which tribe cherishes love more than anyone else? The Uchiha of course!
This emotional factor specific to Itachi's tribe sometimes results in excessive pride, its members not hesitating to display their superiority over the other ninja clans of Konoha. Thanks to the Sharingan, they know they are destined to be inherently more powerful than their village counterparts .
2. Sharingan transplantation
But we must not forget that throughout the Naruto manga, history has demonstrated that the Sharingan could come into the possession of Shinobi from outside the Uchiha clan . This natural superiority can therefore be called into question and Itachi's family is not safe from being deprived of this devastating technique.
If an Uchiha, beaten in combat, has his eye equipped with the Sharingan taken out, the opposing ninja is offered the possibility of implanting it himself or another ninja . 🐱👤 This eye transfer will thus transmit all the technical skills of the Sharingan to its new holder, making him a being as powerful as the Uchiha themselves.
This transmission, or rather acquisition, also has the advantage of being done without conditions: the fate of the Sharingan is not sealed to that of its initial owner . It is therefore not necessary to kill to acquire it definitively, but there is also no risk of seeing the Sharingan fly away at the same time as the soul of the Uchiha from which it comes. This is why so many Uchiha hunts have been organized by shinobi, in the hope of relieving them of their eyes as we have seen through the confrontation between Orochimaru and Itachi, for example. ⚔️
How to control the Sharingan?
We have therefore seen that the Sharingan was not given to just anyone and above all, its use is not necessarily innate. This gift is a double-edged sword and whether you are Uchiha or have appropriated it, its use requires special training. The Sharingan is strictly speaking considered a mutation of the eye . If the importance of emotions must be taken into account in its transmission, as we will see below, it is above all a chemical mutation. ⚗️
The product that the brain secretes when a Shinobi comes into possession of the Sharingan has the direct effect of transforming the genome of the cells 🧬 at eye level, which results in that famous red pupil that is so feared . We have all observed that the first effects of the Sharingan after obtaining it tend to cause some constraints for its owner. The heightened visual perception of its user initially reduces their reaction time, forcing them to push their limits to be able to adapt to their new power.
In other cases, a ninja's emotions have the effect of activating the Sharingan , temporarily blurring the vision of its new possessor until he takes control of it. 🧿 It is only after this appropriation that the user becomes fully aware of their pupil and manages to use it without suffering from side effects. Typically, when a character activates their Sharingan for the first time, they wake up with a single tomoe in their eye, this small spiral symbol that appears around the pupil and which denotes the level of mastery of the Sharingan.
Others, however, woke up with two tomoe from their beginnings, like Hagomoro, who had completely awakened his power with three tomoe. It is only with training and self-sacrifice that each user can achieve total mastery of the abilities granted to them, some even pushing the known limits of this power as Itachi managed to do.
How Itachi Developed His Sharingan
As Tobirama explained, the Uchiha place particular importance on love . Unfortunately, when a member of the clan loses this love, it then metamorphoses into violent hatred, which instantly modifies the character's personality. This modification arises through a chakra. This acts from the brain and affects the optic nerves, producing a transformation in the pupils. This is where the Sharingan appears, this “ eye that reflects one’s feelings ”. ♾️
Tobirama says that what causes this change is linked to emotions. Either these are negative, caused by stress or the loss of a loved one, as was the case for Itachi, or positive, linked to the desire to protect those around them, which is illustrated by the peaceful ideals which animate the hero of Naruto. It was only at the age of eight that Itachi's Sharingan was activated .
Through this early mutation, Itachi demonstrated impressive qualities for a ninja of his age , which even had the gift of surprising Orochimaru. 🐍 This allowed him to develop skills going beyond other Uchiha, making him capable of performing a genjutsu, revealing a past event without sinking into madness or even seeing deep within a shinobi to observe their hidden powers .
Another event that allowed Itachi to access the next level of his Sharingan is directly linked to the death of Shisui Uchiha, his lifelong companion. It was at this moment that Itachi came into possession of the Mangekyô Sharingan , also known as the Hypnotic Kaleidoscope . 🕹️ This attribution gave him the power to use an alloy of three powerful techniques: Amaterasu , which we call “Heavenly Light, Tsukukyomi , “Lunar Arcana” and finally Susanô , which allowed him to invoke a shield combining defensive but also offensive properties in combat.
What powers does Itachi's Sharingan offer?
There are few ninjas who have been as complete as Itachi. Excellent in the arts of taijutsu , genjutsu , ninjutsu and seals despite the fact that he did not have enormous physical resources, his versatility allowed him to gain the upper hand by adapting to his opponents, notably through his ability to systematically surprise them. This variety in combat techniques has also earned him to be considered a genius within the village of Konoha. 🌳
1. Best analytical capabilities
Itachi's technical palette also impresses through his Sharingan. Earlier we discussed tomoes, these symbols representing the level of mastery of each user.
This advantage gives him a significant lead in the execution of movements compared to his opponents. It can better understand their movements, but also anticipate them, so as to predict exactly what their next attacks will be. 💣
This speed of analysis is also expressed in his own movements. He also masters the use of projectiles , such as shurikens, and his speed of movement pins each of his opponents in place, the execution of his techniques being so rapid that it becomes invisible to the naked eye, even for those who possessed the Sharingan . That’s how he defeated Kakashi Hatake, remember? ⚰️ And yet these are only a few additional qualities, aside from everything he was able to accomplish thanks to his Sharingan.
2. The Mangekyo Sharingan
Itachi's Mangekyô Sharingan is still in the minds of the most dedicated fans. This pupil offered him the possibility of combining three techniques, each more powerful than the other. 📜
The first, the Amaterasu , which we will call the “Heavenly Light” allowed him to make immense black flames appear, which devoured everything in their path. If an opponent unfortunately finds themselves in their path, they are immediately reduced to ashes, these flames only stopping their work after having completely consumed their target.
The second is called Tsukuyomi , which translates as the “Lunar Arcana”. With this technique, Itachi Uchiha instantly had access to his opponents' five senses, thus limiting his opponent's movements. 🚶♂️ This application could last for a variable time, but above all had the advantage of giving the impression to the adversary that they perceived reality as longer than it really was. Kakashi had paid the price, tortured by Itachi. He had experienced this torture as if it had lasted three whole days, whereas the execution carried out by Itachi had actually only lasted… a second! ⏳
And finally, the third is called the Susanô . This technique allowed Itachi to use an ultra-resistant shield. Thanks to Izanagi's technique, he could make Itachi invincible for sixty seconds (although requiring the sacrifice of one of his Sharingan). An impassable defense for its user, this shield could also act as a weapon, projecting magical Yasaki projectiles. However, Itachi could not abuse it, the use of the Mangekyö Sharingan being limited in time if its owner did not wish to take the risk of going blind... 👨🦯
3. Powerful Genjutsu
Itachi Uchiha had a habit of pushing the limits of the ancestral and hereditary techniques he used. For example, within the framework of the illusion that he could create thanks to the Hypnotic Kaleidoscope (the Mangekyo Sharingan), he managed to create illusions as varied as each other. Curiously, they mainly fucked on one animal in particular: the crow.
This ability allowed him more than once to get out of very bad situations, facing formidable adversaries. 👹 But just when these same opponents thought they had gained the upper hand over him, Itachi vanished, his body giving way to a cloud of crows, which flew away with blood-curdling croaks. This ability to surprise the opponent, Itachi Uchiha mastered it to the point of his nails, so much so that he came to declare to Naruto in the anime: " I only need one finger to launch a technique of illusion ”, leaving the hero of the manga of the same name speechless. 😮
But the range of techniques linked to Itachi's Genjutsu does not stop there. He managed to make his opponents speak against their will, thus forcing them to reveal their darkest plans. He also mastered the I zanami , as he did against Kabuto, which suggests that he could use the Izanag i, even if we cannot testify to this, Itachi never having used it.
On the other hand, he also liked to play with sound, as when, thanks to the sounds of bells emitted by Akatsuki's hat, he put his opponent to sleep. 😵 This time it was a guard who wanted to prevent him from entering Konoha in the company of Kisame Hoshigaki who paid the price.
Other tricks up his sleeve
Despite his name – Itachi translates to “ weasel ” in French – our shinobi looked like a frightening opponent when he faced him. If his combat range linked to his Sharingan is already well developed as we have discovered above, Itachi Uchiha did not miss an opportunity to show stunned spectators the full extent of his power . We could not present this character without exhaustively discussing all of his techniques. Here are some evocative ones, lasting memories of the hours we spent admiring it in front of our small screen 📺
How can we forget “ Katon ”, the supreme fireball? This technique, also specific to the Uchiha clan, bears its name particularly well since it involves a ball of fire blown towards the opponent. This usage is also not devoid of symbolism, since when a member of the tribe succeeded in performing it, he obtained the status of “man” within his clan. Itachi therefore did not remain a child for long, since he completed his first Katon at the age of seven ...
Let's also not forget the Barkuretsu Sui Bunshin , literally translated as the "explosive water clone." 💣 This is a name just as intriguing as the technique itself, since it allowed him to create a clone that looked like two drops of water (do you get it?). In addition to destabilizing the opponent, this clone also had the ability to cause a huge explosion, injuring Itachi's opponent at the same time. This type of cloning was only one variation among the many used by the hero. 🏆
And finally, our last choice, and probably our favorite, the Heavenly Light Duplication Seal, the aptly named Tensha Fûin Amaterasu . We explained earlier that Itachi had the power to spread devastating flames straight in the direction of his opponents.
He had also developed what could be called an alternative: he sealed the Amaterasu within the very eye of a person he chose, even if that person did not have the Mangekyo Sharingan within them, and designated a target on which the flames would be thrown not by his own action, but through the intermediary of the character to whom he had entrusted the seal. 🔥 He used this stratagem in particular to ensure that Sasuke Uchiha could keep Tobi away.
It's your turn to transmit Itachi's Sharingan!
At the end of this reading, you have a complete grasp of Itachi's entire Uchiha heritage. From a young age, he strived to develop his skills, to the point of becoming one of Naruto's greatest shinobi. It's not for nothing that he regularly returns to the top 5 of Naruto fans' favorite characters! The fame of his Sharingan crosses the oceans and there is no doubt that oral tradition will continue to perpetuate his legend . 💯
Would you have liked to embody his ninja values and lead the same fight as him to protect Konoha? 🟢 Would you also have wanted to hypnotize the world with the same ember red eyes? 🔴 So don't hang around any longer and come and bring him to life by discovering our entire collection of Itachi Uchiha t-shirts, figures and other accessories to maintain the myth around our favorite hero.
