This is an age-old debate amongst Naruto fans – can Itachi Uchiha defeat his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha, in a fight? There are convincing arguments on both sides. In this article, we’ll analyze their abilities and feats to determine who would win in an all-out battle.
Itachi’s Abilities and Feats
As a prodigy of the Uchiha clan, Itachi has access to a vast array of powerful techniques and abilities:
- Sharingan – Itachi awakened his Sharingan at age 8 and swiftly mastered it. With the Sharingan, he can see chakra, predict movements, copy techniques, and cast powerful genjutsu.
- Mangekyo Sharingan – Itachi awakened the Mangekyo after witnessing the suicide of his best friend, Shisui. This grants him access to unbelievably powerful techniques like Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo.
- Amaterasu – Itachi can summon black flames that will burn anything they touch for 7 days and 7 nights. This attack is incredibly difficult to avoid or extinguish.
- Tsukuyomi – An extremely powerful genjutsu that traps opponents in an inescapable illusion realm. Itachi can torture them for what feels like days in just a second of real time.
- Susanoo – Itachi’s armored avatar that wields the Sword of Totsuka and Yata Mirror. The Sword of Totsuka can seal anything it pierces, while the Yata Mirror can block any attack.
- Intelligence – Even as a child, Itachi showed incredible intellect, becoming an ANBU captain at age 13. His advanced tactics and strategies make him extremely dangerous.
Some of Itachi’s most impressive feats include:
- Defeating Orochimaru easily despite Orochimaru being a Sannin
- Outsmarting and defeating Deidara, another Akatsuki member
- Forcing Sasuke to retreat during all of their battles, despite holding back tremendously
- Surviving battles with Sasuke, Kabuto, and other powerful opponents even while holding back and critically ill from his terminal disease
Itachi’s mastery of the Sharingan, extremely powerful Mangekyo techniques, intelligence, and battle feats make him an incredibly dangerous opponent.
Sasuke’s Abilities and Feats
As Itachi’s younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha is also extremely skilled and has gained many powers of his own:
- Sharingan – Sasuke awakened his Sharingan at a young age and has mastered its predictive and copying abilities.
- Mangekyo Sharingan – After learning the truth about Itachi, Sasuke awakened his own Mangekyo Sharingan. This grants him Amaterasu and other techniques.
- Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan – After transplanting Itachi’s eyes, Sasuke gained the Eternal Mangekyo. This gives him enhanced techniques and removes the Mangekyo’s drawbacks.
- Susanoo – Sasuke can manifest his own Susanoo avatar, armed with a bow and arrows.
- Amaterasu – Like Itachi, Sasuke can use these black flames to attack. His control over Amaterasu improved after gaining the Eternal Mangekyo.
- Intelligence – Sasuke is also very analytical and strategic. He is skilled at quickly understanding new abilities and developing counter tactics.
- Chidori – Sasuke’s signature lightning-based attack can pierce through most defenses. He has enhanced it in many ways over time.
- Snake Techniques – After training under Orochimaru, Sasuke gained access to dangerous snake-based attacks like the binding snakes technique.
Some of Sasuke’s best feats include:
- Defeating Orochimaru and absorbing him to gain his abilities
- Fighting Itachi on equal footing despite Itachi holding back
- Defeating Deidara, one of the most dangerous Akatsuki members
- Battling all five Kage simultaneously and defeating Danzo, another powerful figure
- Helping defeat Kaguya alongside Naruto and Sakura
With his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, intelligence, and array of powerful techniques, Sasuke is one of the strongest shinobi alive.
Comparison
Now let’s directly compare Itachi and Sasuke’s abilities and accomplishments:
| Category | Itachi | Sasuke |
|---|---|---|
| Sharingan Mastery | Itachi mastered the Sharingan at a very young age, showing incredible talent. He uses it very effectively in battle. | Sasuke awakened his Sharingan later than Itachi but has mastered its abilities. However, Itachi’s Sharingan mastery still seems greater. |
| Mangekyo Techniques | Itachi has complete mastery over techniques like Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo after years of experience. | Sasuke gained the Mangekyo more recently but has quickly become skilled with Amaterasu and Susanoo after gaining the Eternal Mangekyo. |
| Intelligence | Itachi’s intelligence and strategic ability allowed him to become an ANBU captain at just 13. He has repeatedly outsmarted powerful opponents. | Sasuke is very analytical and adept at understanding abilities and developing counter tactics. However, Itachi’s intelligence still appears greater. |
| Other Abilities | Itachi has extensive training in shinobi skills like taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. He has many other techniques aside from his Sharingan. | Sasuke has many other abilities like his Chidori variations, summoning snakes, and Wing Chun taijutsu. However, Itachi’s repertoire seems larger. |
| Chakra Levels | Itachi’s chakra levels are average. His illness further depleted his chakra over time. | Sasuke has very high chakra levels, giving him greater stamina. He can use many chakra-taxing abilities without tiring. |
| Feats | Itachi defeated numerous powerful shinobi despite holding back greatly. He forced Orochimaru to flee and outsmarted Kabuto and other dangerous opponents. | Sasuke defeated powerful shinobi like Orochimaru, Deidara, Danzo and the five Kage. He assisted in the defeat of Kaguya. |
Who Would Win?
Given the above comparison, who would win in an all-out fight between Itachi and Sasuke at their respective peaks?
Itachi’s advantages include:
- Greater mastery and experience with the Sharingan
- Superior intelligence and strategic ability
- More overall shinobi skills and techniques
- Special techniques like Tsukuyomi and Totsuka Blade
However, Sasuke has several key advantages of his own:
- The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, giving him greater mastery of Amaterasu and Susanoo
- Vastly greater chakra reserves and stamina
- Immunity to Itachi’s Mangekyo techniques after transplanting his eyes
- No illness or stamina issues
It would likely be an incredibly close battle with both brothers pressuring the other. However, Sasuke’s advantages in stamina and his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan would give him the means to outlast Itachi.
Itachi’s illness, average stamina, and one-time use techniques like Tsukuyomi would work against him in a lengthy battle. Sasuke would likely be able to resist the Mangekyo’s mental attacks after gaining Itachi’s eyes. And his own Susanoo has proven strong enough to withstand Itachi’s attacks.
Of course, Itachi is incredibly cunning and could potentially catch Sasuke off guard. But in an all-out fight, Sasuke’s advantages would give him the means to overcome his brother after a hard-fought battle.
Path to Victory
Here is a possible path to victory for Sasuke against Itachi:
- Itachi immediately puts Sasuke under Tsukuyomi, but Sasuke is able to break free using his Eternal Mangekyo.
- The two exchange blows using taijutsu, ninjutsu, and weaponry, with their Sharingan allowing them to evenly match each other.
- Itachi uses Amaterasu, but Sasuke counters with his own to stalemate. He then tries to seal Sasuke with Totsuka Blade but is blocked by Sasuke’s Susanoo.
- Realizing Tsukuyomi failed and Sasuke can counter his Mangekyo techniques, Itachi resorts to high-level ninjutsu like Water Dragon Jutsu.
- Sasuke withstands the assaults with his Susanoo while attacking with his Chidori. Itachi is forced to expend more and more chakra.
- As the battle drags on, Itachi’s illness, low chakra levels, and overuse of his Mangekyo take their toll. He starts slowing down.
- Sasuke presses the advantage with his superior stamina. He lands an Amaterasu hit and finally breaks through Itachi’s Susanoo with Kirin.
- Severely weakened, Itachi attempts a final Mangekyo attack but collapses, completely spent. Sasuke moves in for the finishing blow.
This hypothetical sequence illustrates how Sasuke could use his advantages to wear Itachi down over time before finally overpowering him. Of course, the exact details would depend on the circumstances of their battle.
Conclusion
In summary, despite Itachi’s superior intellect and Sharingan mastery, Sasuke’s Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, greater stamina, and immunity to Itachi’s Mangekyo abilities would give him the edge he needs to triumph. The key factors are:
- Sasuke can counter Itachi’s Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu
- Itachi has average stamina and is battling an illness
- Sasuke’s Susanoo is strong enough to absorb attacks from Itachi’s Susanoo
- In a prolonged battle, Sasuke’s energy reserves allow him to outlast his brother
For these reasons, if the two brothers fought all-out at their full powers, Sasuke would likely emerge victorious after a difficult clash. His advantages would ultimately overwhelm his brother’s superior battle tactics and Sharingan skills. But the battle would be incredibly close and competitive due to Itachi’s own skills and mastery of powerful techniques.
In the end, the Uchiha brothers are both extraordinarily powerful shinobi. But Sasuke’s specific advantages give him the edge he needs to defeat Itachi in an all-out duel, crowning him as the victor in this legendary matchup.