‘It makes Itachi a huge fool’: Masashi Kishimoto Made Itachi a Prodigy, But His 1 Action in The Uchiha Massacre Makes Zero Sense

As one of the seasoned mangaka in the shonen genre, Masashi Kishimoto isn’t appreciated enough. This is especially true for his impeccable writing of villains along with greyscale characters in his ninja series Naruto.

Be it Nagato Uzumaki or Obito Uchiha, Kishimoto redefined antagonists. This extends to his writing of Itachi Uchiha albeit the character’s biggest mistake during the clan massacre.

Itachi and Sasuke in a still from the anime | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Apart from being one of the child prodigies, the clan killer made a huge mistake in the series. With fans pointing to the detail in a Reddit post, it circles back to the problem of plotholes in the series.

On top of that, it highlights the problematic portrayal and glorification of child soldiers by Konohagakure. This also ties well with the ever-present symbol of prodigies and their intelligence.

Itachi’s biggest mistake during the Uchiha clan Massacre

Before killing off his clan, Itachi Uchiha was hailed and regarded as a prodigy. Be it genjutsu or ninjutsu, he excelled in his feats as a Konohagakure shinobi. But that is not all considering his unwavering loyalty toward his village in the series.

Unfortunately, it was this very loyalty that led the village leaders to exploit him as a pawn. The Uchiha Clan Massacre is the worst thing that Konoha ever did to its citizens. But that is not the end of it considering the village’s flawed policies and laws.

Itachi prepares to kill his parents Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Throughout the series, Konohagakure is portrayed as a village harnessing bravery and glory. In doing so, the village sacrificed numerous innocent lives and its citizens. A false sense of patriotism is instilled into the citizens via the indoctrination of the “will of fire”.

Uchihas were no exception to this considering their treatment by the Second Hokage and Danzo. For centuries, the clan was sidelined by its village despite its contributions. And while it was eventually killed off, there were several pitfalls following the event.

While Itachi killed his clan, he failed to safeguard the Sharingan as most Redditors pointed out.

While he failed to safeguard Sharingan, it didn’t absolve the village leaders of their responsibility. Although he was a prodigy and a skilled killer, he was a 13-year-old child. Most fans overlook this detail in their criticism of the character.

And while Konoha was blessed with geniuses, it did little to protect them and ensure normalcy. This is especially true for the twisted sense of belonging and bravado instilled in child soldiers.

Preferential treatment of child prodigies in Masashi Kishimoto’s series

One of the recurring themes in Masashi Kishimoto’s series is child prodigies and soldiers. The Konohagakure shinobi are subjected to brutalities and perils at an early age. From ANBU to Chunin exams, the ninjas carrying out suicidal missions are as young as 14.

Moreover, it isn’t merely the age but the added pressure that Kishimoto brings out in his series. The societal expectations along with the trauma and perils of war are overbearing for most characters. Of late, Konoha’s involvement and perpetration of atrocities have been pointed out by several fans.

Itachi says goodbye to Sasuke in his reanimated form | Credit: Studio Pierrot

The ideas of loyalty and bravado are flawed and warped in every sense. Be it the Uchiha clan or the Hyuga clan, the child prodigies were treated differently. In Tobirama’s case, there’s blatant bias considering his indifference toward the Uchihas.

Conversely, the Uchihas were wiped off under the garb of a “possible coup” which further demonized them. To make matters worse, Danzo’s experiments were diabolical and highlighted unprecedented hate. It underlines the gross dehumanization of clans in the manner of fashioning the Sharingan arm.

In retrospect, Kishimoto laid out the darker aspects of the shinobi world through his series. From clan hierarchies to genocide, the series is nothing short of a masterpiece in its portrayal of realism.

Naruto is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.