Naruto Shippuden is a popular anime series that follows the adventures of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.
The anime is based on the manga of the same name by Masashi Kishimoto, and it features a large cast of characters, each with their own backstory, personality, and abilities.
One of these characters is Izumi Uchiha, a kunoichi (female ninja) who belongs to the Uchiha clan, a powerful and prestigious family of shinobi (ninja) that possess the Sharingan, a special eye technique that grants them enhanced perception, genjutsu (illusionary techniques), and copying abilities.
In this article, we will explore the character of Izumi Uchiha, her role in the anime, her relationship with Itachi Uchiha, her death, and her legacy. We will also compare her anime portrayal with her original appearance in the novel Itachi Shinden: Book of Bright Light, which is a spin-off of the main Naruto series that focuses on the life of Itachi Uchiha, Izumi’s childhood friend and love interest.
Contents
All about Uchiha Izumi
[schemas]- Sex: Female
- Status: Deceased
- Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan
- Affiliation: Konohagakure
- Clan: Uchiha Clan
Who is Izumi Uchiha?
Izumi Uchiha is a kunoichi of Konohagakure (the Hidden Leaf Village) and a member of the Uchiha clan. She was born to an Uchiha mother and a non-Uchiha father, and for that reason, she was not considered a full-fledged member of the clan.
She lived separately from the Uchiha compound for the first few years of her life, until her father died during the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s Attack, a devastating event that occurred when a giant beast called the Nine-Tails attacked the village. Her father sacrificed his life to protect Izumi and other villagers, and from the grief and guilt of his death, Izumi awakened her Sharingan, the kekkei genkai (bloodline limit) of the Uchiha clan.
Izumi enrolled in the Konoha Academy, a school that trains young ninja, a few years later. She was in the same class as Itachi Uchiha, a boy who was one year older than her and a prodigy of the clan.
She developed a crush on him, and tried to get closer to him by talking to him during breaks, walking home with him, and defending him from the criticism of their peers.
Itachi initially showed no interest in her, until he discovered that she had the Sharingan, which he himself had not yet awakened. He then became friendlier to her, and they started to bond over their shared love for the village and their clan.
What is Her Role in The Anime?
Izumi Uchiha’s role in the anime is mainly to provide a glimpse into Itachi Uchiha’s personal life, his feelings, and his motivations. She is one of the few people who understood him, supported him, and cared for him.
She also represented his hope for a peaceful future, where the Uchiha clan and the village could coexist without conflict. She was his first and only love, and he was hers.
However, their relationship was doomed by the tragic fate of the Uchiha clan, who planned to stage a coup d’etat against the village’s leadership, due to their dissatisfaction with their treatment and their suspicion of being behind the Nine-Tails attack.
Itachi, who was loyal to the village and wanted to prevent a civil war, was assigned by the village’s elders to spy on his clan and to eliminate them if necessary.
He was also approached by a mysterious man named Obito Uchiha, who claimed to be a survivor of the clan and offered to help him with the massacre, in exchange for sparing his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha.
Itachi accepted the deal, and on one fateful night, he slaughtered his entire clan, except for Sasuke, who he left alive to be his avenger. He also spared Izumi, who he visited before the massacre and put her under a genjutsu, a technique that manipulates the victim’s senses and mind.
He made her experience a lifetime of happiness with him, where they got married, had children, and grew old together, in a fraction of a second. He then killed her with a kunai (a throwing knife), while she thanked him for giving her such a wonderful life.
Uchiha Izumi’s Personality
Izumi was described as a kind and considerate girl for an Uchiha. After her father’s sacrifice, Izumi was traumatised and blamed herself. Since then, she decided to live up to her father’s example by becoming stronger so she could help others like her father did.
Because of this, Izumi never fell into the Curse of Hatred, unlike the vast majority of her fellow clansmen. Even though she appeared to distrust the rest of her clan like Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, she still had great pride and faith in her clan as she refused to believe an Uchiha would’ve summoned Kurama to cause such death and destruction that took her father’s life.
Her desire to help others weighed heavily on her, as she was deeply distressed she wasn’t progressing as quickly as Itachi, who she used to measure her abilities against.
When Itachi tried to convince her to abandon her goal of helping others because of her innocence and weaknesses, she was visibly hurt.
Izumi was deeply in love with Itachi, so much so that she accepted Itachi’s decision to end her life for the sake of the village, and was grateful to be given the life she wanted with him: growing old and having kids together, even if it was only a genjutsu.
How Did She Die?
As mentioned above, Izumi Uchiha died at the hands of Itachi Uchiha, who killed her with a kunai after putting her under a genjutsu. She was one of the last victims of the Uchiha clan massacre, and she died peacefully, believing that she had lived a full and happy life with Itachi. She was 13 years old when she died.
What is Her Legacy?
Izumi Uchiha’s legacy is that she was the only person who truly loved Itachi Uchiha, and who he loved back. She was his source of happiness, his reason to live, and his greatest regret.
She was also the only person who he showed his true emotions to, and who he cried for. She was the only person who he spared from the pain and suffering of the massacre, and who he gave a merciful death. She was the only person who he wished he could have saved, and who he hoped to meet again in the afterlife.
Izumi Uchiha also influenced Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi’s younger brother, who learned about her existence and her death from Obito Uchiha, who used her as an example of Itachi’s cruelty and hypocrisy.
Sasuke, who was consumed by hatred and revenge, initially dismissed her as a meaningless person, and vowed to kill Itachi for what he did to their clan.
However, after he succeeded in killing Itachi, he learned the truth about his brother’s actions, and his reasons for sparing him and killing Izumi. He then realized that Izumi was an important person to Itachi, and that he killed her out of love, not malice.
He also understood that Itachi wanted him to be happy, and to protect the village that Izumi loved. He then decided to honor his brother’s will, and to follow his footsteps.
Uchiha Izumi’s Abilities
When her father died during the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s Attack on Konoha, she awakened her Sharingan, even earlier than Itachi himself.
However, she was not able to handle it for long, quickly fainting every time she activated it as she lacked the necessary chakra levels.
This did not get better as she still fainted even when she was getting closer to her graduation into genin. In the anime, it was noted that she had especially advanced taijutsu prowess. It was implied that Izumi was skilled as a kunoichi for graduating a year earlier than others.
How Does She Differ From The Novel?
Izumi Uchiha’s anime portrayal is mostly faithful to her original appearance in the novel Itachi Shinden: Book of Bright Light, which is the first part of a two-part series that tells the story of Itachi Uchiha. However, there are some minor differences between the two versions, such as:
[schemas]- In the novel, Izumi’s father was an Uchiha, not a non-Uchiha, and he died during the Third Shinobi World War, not the Nine-Tails attack. He was also a friend of Itachi’s father, Fugaku Uchiha, and a member of the Konoha Military Police Force, the law enforcement agency of the Uchiha clan.
- In the novel, Izumi awakened her Sharingan when she was 8 years old, not 5, and she had a two-tomoe Sharingan, not a one-tomoe. She also had more control over her Sharingan, and could use it to cast genjutsu and copy techniques.
- In the novel, Izumi graduated from the Academy at the age of 10, not 11, and she became a chunin (a mid-level ninja) at the age of 11, not a genin (a low-level ninja). She also had more combat skills and experience, and participated in several missions with her team.
- In the novel, Izumi had a closer relationship with Shisui Uchiha, Itachi’s best friend and cousin, who was also a prodigy of the clan and a master of the Sharingan. She admired him as a mentor and a role model, and he treated her as a younger sister and a friend. He also taught her some of his techniques, such as the Body Flicker Technique, a high-speed movement skill.
- In the novel, Izumi was more involved in the events of the Uchiha clan, and she witnessed some of the conflicts and tensions that arose between the clan and the village. She also learned about the Uchiha’s plan to rebel, and she tried to dissuade them from doing so. She also had a confrontation with Obito Uchiha, who tried to kidnap her and use her as a hostage to force Itachi to join his cause. She managed to escape from him, but not before he revealed his identity and his role in the Nine-Tails attack.
Izumi Uchiha is a character from the anime Naruto Shippuden, who was a kunoichi of the Uchiha clan and a friend and lover of Itachi Uchiha. She was a kind, loyal, and gentle person, who loved her village and her clan, and who supported Itachi in his dreams and goals.
She was also a victim of the Uchiha clan massacre, which was carried out by Itachi and Obito Uchiha, who wanted to prevent a civil war and to protect the village.
She died in Itachi’s arms, after he gave her a genjutsu of a happy life with him, and killed her with a kunai. She was his only love, and his greatest regret.
She was also an influence on Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi’s younger brother, who learned about her and her death, and who changed his views on Itachi and his actions. She was a minor but significant character, who left a lasting impact on the story and the characters of Naruto Shippuden.
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