ITACHI DEATH

Whether we are fans or not of the famous protagonist and exterminator of his own clan, Itachi death has never left anyone indifferent.

Whether because it’s the final conclusion of the journey Sasuke has been following since childhood or because it’s the conclusion of one of the most epic fights of the Naruto Shippuden series, the least that can be said is that there’s for every taste!

Itachi Uchiha dies in episode 138 named “The End” (in Japanese: “Shūen”, 終焉) of Naruto Shippuden, and his death has generated lots of questions:

• • • Why did Itachi die when he was going to kill Sasuke?
    • Is it Sasuke who really kills Itachi at the end of the fight?
    • How did Itachi really die?
    • What did Itachi say to Sasuke before he died?

 

The goal at the end of this article is that all these questions will have no more mystery for you. Are you ready? So let’s do it!

 

HOW DID ITACHI DIE?

It is indeed because of its illness that Itachi died and not because of his fight against his brother. Itachi Uchiha was sick and suffered from the consequences of his illness for a long time since he had awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan.

For those who want to know more about this wonderful and powerful Dojutsu, we’ve made an amazing article explaining everything you need to know about the Sharingan. So don’t hesitate to check it out!

But to save you time here is a little summary. Ninjas from the Uchiha clan who awaken their Mangekyou Sharingan after a traumatic experience or a highly emotional one are given powers that far exceed those of the average ninjas, but they have to pay the price for it.

Indeed, each time the Mangekyou Sharingan is used, this pupil draws on the life force of its owner. Already after a few uses, the ninja starts to suffer from kickbacks such as atrocious headaches and visceral pains making him spits blood regularly. 

 

 

We were able to witness such cases regularly in different chapters of the Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series as, for example, after Itachi’s return to Konoha Village with his partner, Kisame.

On a mission to capture Naruto, the Jinchuriki of Kyuubi, Itachi is forced to use Amaterasu in order to escape from the hotel during his fight with Jiraiya in episode 81 and 82. Then, he also used Tsukuyomi on Kakashi Hatake to take advantage on his opponents.

After these two uses, Itachi began to express strong pains, to which Kisame made us clearly understand that the Mangekyou Sharingan, although very powerful, is a pupil that shouldn’t be used regularly. 

 

There is no cure for this disease. The only solution to make the symptoms disappear is to transplant a pair of eyes that are genetically very close to those of the user such as those of a sibling or a parent.

However, Itachi never intended to steal his brother’s eyes as he only had one goal all along. Protect Konoha by becoming a missing-nin so that he could infiltrate the Akatsuki and keep it away from Konoha, and thus be able to protect his little brother while inciting him to become stronger and more mature by seeking a quest of power and hate.

Thanks to the help of various medicines, Itachi held out just long enough to be able to face his little brother in combat, but he was already doomed. Indeed, as Madara Uchiha later told Sasuke, Itachi was practically blind at the end of his life and the only reason he agreed to fight him was to save him from Orochimaru’s mark.

Sasuke awakens his Mangekyou Sharingan after learning the truth about Itachi.

 

So in the end, it is clearly his illness that took the life of Itachi. Although Sasuke fought very valiantly, he could never defeat his older brother with his power level at the time.

 

DOES ITACHI DIE AT THE END OF THE FIGHT?

Yes, Itachi Uchiha dies at the end of his epic fight against his little brother. He will later be resurrected by the Edo Tensei Technique of Kabuto, but he will still be dead.

 

HOW OLD WAS ITACHI WHEN HE DIED?

As in the case of Kakashi Hatake, Itachi Uchiha’s timeline is strewn with inconsistencies, no doubt due to the freedom of scriptwriting taken by Masashi Kishimoto at the beginning of his manga.

However, several sources agree on this point and we can be more or less sure that Itachi was 21 years old when he died. But we remind you that no official source has given a real answer at the moment.

 

WHAT DID ITACHI SAY TO SASUKE BEFORE HE DIED?

As he came threateningly close to his little brother to finish him off, instead, Itachi pokes Sasuke’s forehead and says to him “I’m sorry Sasuke… There won’t be a next time” or in Japanese “Yuruse Sasuke kore de Saigo da”.

To understand the symbolism behind this sentence, we must go back to the past when Itachi and Sasuke were still young children. Itachi Uchiha has always been a prodigy in his village and a source of pride for his clan. As his younger brother, Sasuke also always had a deep admiration for his Nisan, big brother in Japanese, trying as much as possible to have some private time with him.

However, Itachi being who he is, unfortunately never had much free time to pass with his younger brother. So every time Sasuke came to ask him to spend some time with him, Itachi had the habit to poke him on the forehead and telling him “I’m sorry Sasuke, maybe next time” or “Yuruse Sasuke, Mata kondo da” in Japanese.

 

All his life, Itachi never had time for himself or for Sasuke and such even until the moment of his death. Always on a mission or simply saving his little brother from complicated situations between the clan and Konoha, Itachi always tried to protect his family and the village as best as he could, even if it meant having to become the villain for the rest of his life.

In the end, after having had to play the big bad guy since the secret mission that made him become the most famous missing-nin in the Hidden Leaf Village, Itachi was finally given the right to drop off the mask and get his smile back while apologizing one last time to his little brother, the person that he loved the most in his living life, for not having any time for him.

 

Itachi Uchiha’s life and death are just masterpieces of story writing and we can only thank Masashi Kishimoto for making us discover such an amazing character in his manga.

Feel free to tells us what is the best thing that you’ll always remember about Itachi in the comments below and see you next time dattebayo!