Itachi Uchiha

Itachi Uchiha (うちは イタチ, Uchiha Itachi?) is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the series, Itachi is the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha and is responsible for killing all the members of their clan, sparing only Sasuke. Itachi is treated as an antagonist for much of the series, but around the time of his death, his villainous role is greatly downplayed. It is revealed that he was ordered by the counselors of Konohagakure to kill the clan in order to prevent the Uchiha coup d'état which would have resulted in war. Despite his reservations, Itachi fulfilled his mission and defected from Konohagakure to become part of the criminal organization Akatsuki to continue protecting Konohagakure from behind the scenes.

Itachi has not been featured in the films and original video animations from Naruto, but he is a playable character in most video games of the series. His character has been very popular within readers from the manga, having ranked high in various popularity polls from the series. Also numerous anime and manga publications have commented on Itachi's character. His fights are often noted to be "one of the best" in the series. His appearance as an antagonist has been praised by several writers although some considered his initial not to be very surprising. The gradual revelations of his past and its impact on the story has also been praised. Several types of merchandising have also been developed based on Itachi's appearance including figurines and plush.