For years, Itachi Uchiha was viewed as a cold-blooded murderer in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. He was the man who betrayed and slaughtered his entire clan before abandoning the Hidden Leaf Village and joining the criminal group Akatsuki as a rogue ninja. One of the anime’s central figures, Sasuke Uchiha, was the lone survivor of Itachi’s bloodshed and he used his desire for vengeance against his brother to fuel him on his path to become a powerful shinobi.

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Sasuke eventually achieved his goal of avenging his Uchiha clan by killing Itachi in an epic battle during season six of Naruto: Shippuden. However, during the Fourth Great Ninja War arc at the end of the series, Sasuke and fans alike learned of Itachi’s true motivation for the Uchihas’ desolation.

Itachi stopped the Uchihas’ plan to overthrow the Hidden Leaf Village

Itachi was brought back to “life” by Kabuto’s reanimation technique to help realize Madara and Obito Uchiha’s vision of capturing all of the tailed beasts and casting Infinite Tsukuyomi — a genjutsu that would ensnare the world into a dream state. However, the genius broke out of the technique’s control by utilizing his own genjutsu prowess. He then met up with Sasuke and the two brothers took down Kabuto, ending the reanimation technique and, ultimately, Itachi’s time on Earth.

But, Itachi used his final moments with Sasuke to share the truth about his mission to cut down their clan — and parents.

Itachi revealed that the Uchiha clan was planning a coup d’etat against the Hidden Leaf Village’s Hokage. The Uchiha were forced into the outskirts of Konohagakure due to public mistrust stemming from Obito’s attack on the village using the Nine-Tailed Fox. At the time, the young Itachi was an Anbu working for the Hidden Leaf’s council. Through spying, he became aware of the Uchihas’ desire to upheave the village — an idea headed by his father. The Uchiha was a noble clan in charge of the village’s policing. The fall from grace was too much for the clan to accept, and they were prepared to do what they perceived as necessary to restore their name.

But, after being shaped by the horrors of the Third Great Ninja War, Itachi made a gut-wrenching decision. He silently ended his clan in the night to support his village — and peace. As part of the plan, Itachi became a rogue ninja by deserting Konohagakure. Although he joined the Akatsuki, Itachi remained loyal to the Hidden Leaf while being branded a criminal.

If Itachi didn’t stop the Uchiha, many would’ve likely died during the clan’s thwarted plans. He sacrificed everything, including the love of his brother, to protect his village. Because of this, Itachi is now heralded by fans as one of the greatest Naruto characters — a complete turn from how he was viewed during the majority of the anime.