Itachi Uchiha is one of the fan-favorite characters in the Naruto series. Born into the Uchiha clan as the first son of Fugaku and Mikoto, Itachi was branded a genius from the very beginning. He was introduced to the fans as a villain and the obstacle that Sasuke wanted to surpass for the murder of his clan, however, as things unfolded, it was revealed that Itachi was actually a victim, if anything.
Fans warmed up to Itachi quite a lot and Kishimoto himself has covered his life extensively, knowing that he is wildly popular. Itachi was not a regular Shinobi by any means and certainly one of the very best that Konoha ever produced. It is no surprise that a shinobi of his caliber has several incredible achievements under his belt.
9 Graduated Academy At 7
Itachi Uchiha joined the Academy at the very young age of six and by the age of seven, he had already graduated. He had the highest scores in every subject that he undertook and was deemed to be an exceptional child.
While he isn't the youngest ever to graduate from the Academy, doing it at the age of 7 is still extremely impressive. To put this into perspective, fans must remember that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all did this after the age of 10.
8 Became A Chunin At 10
If graduating from the Academy at the age of seven was not enough, Itachi went on to surprise even more people by becoming a Chunin at the age of 10. Attaining the title of Chunin is certainly not easy.
To do this, a ninja must compete in the Chunin Exams, where their skills, willpower, along with their level of maturity, are tested to the fullest. Given that Itachi was a genius and extremely skilled in combat, this exam was not an issue for him at all. Itachi is one of the youngest Chunin to ever appear in the Naruto series.
7 Awakened The Sharingan At 8
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When it comes to the Sharingan, Itachi is known to have been a master of this ability. He awakened his Sharingan before even becoming a Chunin. It is believed that Itachi, after witnessing the Masked Man slaughtering his friends, felt great grief and this is what led to the awakening of his Sharingan.
He always wanted the Sharingan as a kid, however, when this eye awakened, he realized that the cost of this power was grief and understood that he must walk a difficult path if he used to get stronger using this eye.
6 Youngest Ever ANBU Member At 11
Itachi's skill was such that he was enrolled in the ANBU at the very young age of 11. This makes him the youngest ever ANBU member to ever appear in the Naruto series. He was well respected during his time as part of the ANBU.
Just one year later, Itachi made it to the rank of Captain, which is nothing short of staggering once again. It is clear to see that his skill as a ninja and leadership qualities both shot through the roof and he progressed at a blistering speed.
5 Awakened The Mangekyo Sharingan
Itachi is one of the few Mangekyo Sharingan users in the Naruto series. In fact, he was the very first person in the story to make use of this power. The Mangekyo Sharingan granted him immense powers such as the Tsukuyomi and the Amaterasu and truly made him a menace in combat.
Itachi Awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan at the age of 12, after witnessing his best friend, Shisui, commit suicide. The grief that he felt from this was so strong that he ended up awakening this cursed eye. Years later, he mastered it to the pinnacle of its abilities.
4 Massacred The Uchiha Clan
Perhaps the act that Itachi is known for the most is putting the entirety of the Uchiha clan to the sword. Itachi was ordered by the village elders, specifically, Danzo, to eradicate his entire clan.
In exchange, Sasuke, his little brother, would be spared. Since Itachi chose the village over his clan, he went on to join hands with Tobi and massacred the entire unit. He took the responsibility of murdering his parents upon himself and traumatized Sasuke for the rest of his life.
3 Found The The Ethereal Weapons
One of the many achievements of Itachi Uchiha that isn't spoken about enough is him finding the ethereal weapons and incorporating them with his Susanoo. These ethereal weapons are the Sword of Totsuka and the Yata Mirror.
These two weapons are known to be legendary and were even sought after by the likes of Orochimaru. Using the Sword of Totsuka, Itachi could seal anyone in a world of Genjutsu permanently by piercing them. Meanwhile, the Yata Mirror allowed him to reflect any attack, be it physical or spiritual, back at the user.
2 Defeated Orochimaru Without Lifting a Finger
When it comes to strength, Itachi was almost invincible. His strength level was so high that even one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, Orochimaru, could not so much as scratch him in combat.
When both of them were a part of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru tried to get his hands on his body, however, he was defeated without Itachi even lifting a finger. His genjutsu prowess was so incredible that he cast a powerful technique over the Sannin with his finger and paralyzed him with fear.
1 Kept Himself Alive To Die At Sasuke's Hands
Perhaps the greatest achievement of Itachi was the fact that, despite suffering from a terminal illness for years, he managed to keep himself alive just so he could die at the hands of his brother, Sasuke Uchiha.
Itachi had planned everything in advance and wanted the perfect death for himself, as well as Sasuke being seen as a hero. Given that Itachi suffered terribly for years, his level of strength when fighting Sasuke only comes off as an even bigger shock.