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coldtigerheart · 3 years

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Itachi Uchiha - A Big Brother Who Knows "Best" (NARUTO)

“I’m always going to be there for you, even if it’s as an obstacle for you to overcome. Even if you DO hate me. That’s what big brothers are for.”

If you’ve had older siblings, think about what they are supposed to do for you. The responsibility of a older sibling entails making sure the younger siblings are treated with respect and care. They must also teach them values and be viewed as “great” in their eyes. Now what if the older sibling tries to impart his/her wisdom via the most violent and traumatic methods possible? You now have NARUTO's Itachi Uchiha, the seemingly-emotionless older brother of Sasuke Uchiha. Once considered to be an antagonist in the series, the truth about Itachi’s actions towards Sasuke reflects how difficult it can be for someone to be the first role model in a younger sibling’s life.

When we are first introduced to Itachi, he is viewed as a criminal. A runaway ninja from his own village and the murderer of his entire clan, including his own parents. Sasuke witnessed Itachi killing their parents and becomes driven by hate to beat him. The two would meet in an intense battle with Itachi being defeated. It is later revealed that Itachi was planning to die at the hands of Sasuke and that he truly loved him with all his heart. We also learn his motivations for wiping out the Uchiha clan. He wanted Sasuke to bring the Uchiha name (as the Clan was considered to be quite rebellious) back with pride. In order for that to happen, Itachi purposely became evil to give his brother a huge incentive to kill him. Although he died, Itachi would make a return as he was resurrected by Kabuto Yakushi’s Summoning: Worldly Resurrection Jutsu. He broke free from the Jutsu and runs into Sasuke once more. The two brothers would subsequently team up to fight Kabuto. Death comes back to take Itachi away in the end, but not before he tells Sasuke that no matter what his brother does, he will love him forever.

Being the first born in life is never easy. So many expectations are placed on you and you have to quickly evolve over time to meet them. Itachi was known to be a prodigy among the Uchiha clan and was constantly praised by his father. He tried valiantly to convince his father that Sasuke was worthy of love as well. While youngest siblings have a high possibility of being pampered brats, they have some good traits that should be taken under consideration:

They are more sociable.

They are more willing to take risks.

They are more innovative.

When Itachi orchestrated his plan for Sasuke’s growth, did he truly believe that his methods would increase the positive traits found in those born last? In some ways, the infamous speech where he tells his brother to hate and detest him helped to encourage his brother to think ahead and take whatever risks needed to reach his goal. Look at Sasuke’s progress from Part I to Part II/Shippuden and you see the potential of last borns fully unleashed. While Sasuke rebelling against Konoha Village was not what Itachi intended, you have to admit that he must have studied birth order psychology during his free time.

During his final speech to Sasuke, Itachi notes that he regretted not consulting with him about the dark history of the Uchiha Clan and Konoha Village before setting his plan in motion. Do oldest siblings take their younger siblings’ opinions in consideration? Perhaps not. It is heavily suggested that elder siblings tend to be less agreeable about new ideas compared to their younger siblings. Itachi’s biggest flaw was that his intelligence, which is the most notable trait of being the oldest sibling, might have hindered his reasoning. Being intelligent doesn’t guarantee that you know everything there is to life and it may not help cure emotional worries. Itachi also forgot an ever-present truth that we’re all familiar with: youngest siblings have a tendency to emulate the bad behavior of their older siblings.

Itachi’s quest to make Sasuke great serves as a reminder that no matter how different you are from each other, your siblings will always have some effect on your life. Develop that relationship for the better especially as you get older. Once your parents are gone, the closest family member you have to rely on will be a sibling.

Remember, blood is always thicker than water.

Love our favorite “big brother” ninja and want more information? I highly recommended you check out Zapenstap’s collection of essays on Itachi Uchiha. Albeit a bit dated, they are insanely good reads and worth the time. Definitely check out “Itachi and Existentialism: A Philosophy of Life”.

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