From splendid narrative to compelling characters, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto contained every key element that established it as a legendary show, standing apart from every Shonen manga. Among all the fan-favorite characters, Uchiha Itachi remains a standout within the fandom. Not to mention, Itachi’s action to wipe out his entire Uchiha clan is regarded as a noble sacrifice by many fans.
As viewers discover more about his past, Itachi Uchiha’s complex character and his noble sacrifices sympathized most with the Naruto fandom. Itachi has arguably one of the largest fanbases, second only to Minato in the community. As Kishimoto starts unveiling the secrets of Itachi’s traumatizing past, one character that the prodigy ninja deeply idolizes, Uchiha Shisui, is introduced.
Shisui had the potential to become one of the strongest in the show; however, he died at an early stage, resulting in Itachi awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan. Despite being viewed as terrifying enemies, Itachi and Shisui were very close comrades who shared a strong brotherhood bond in the eyes of many fans.
Naruto Fans Declare Itachi and Shisui as the Ultimate Uchiha Duo
Although Shisui was an exceptionally skilled member of the famous Uchiha clan, not many Naruto fans are aware of his character. In the shinobi world, there are only a handful of ninjas who received a flee-on-sight order. After the Fourth Hokage, Shisui is the only known ninja who instilled this much international fear, highlighting his immense strength and terror.
Masashi Kishimoto showcased Shisui as the only person who was extremely close to Itachi, nearly considered his best friend by many fans. The brotherhood bond between the two Uchihas was showcased beautifully, with Shisui’s death impacting Itachi so deeply that he awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Similar to Itachi, Shisui was also a prominent ninja who showed empathy to his enemies through his actions, setting him apart from most Uchiha clan members. After losing his best friend during the Third Great Ninja War, Shisui met Itachi, seeing a reflection of his own self in him, which drew them closer.
Not to forget, Itachi once confirmed that he’s no match for Shisui, making him a standout character in the show despite his brief appearance. From training together to undertaking life-threatening missions, Shisui was the closest friend to Itachi, who influenced his character to a great extent.
Why was shisui so invested in Itachi ? Was he his cousin or something,? 19 years of my life on this earth & I still never met a homie like that LoL 🥲
by inNaruto
Sadly, Shisui’s role was limited to being a major plot point of the story. Kishimoto only introduced Shisui to progress the story and emphasize Itachi’s tragic character.
Regardless, fans are aware of Shisui’s role in Itachi’s life and highly respect the brotherhood bond between the two, earning the title of the greatest Uchiha Duo, surpassing Madara and Obito.
After barely escaping from Danzo, Shisui came across Itachi and entrusted his remaining eye to him before taking his own life. The sad ending of the two beloved Uchihas left many fans emotionally scared.
How Naruto Overtook One Piece in Popularity Overseas
Although Kishimoto’s manga debuted later after One Piece, the series received a lot of support from overseas in comparison to Japan. Interestingly, Naruto‘s editor revealed the hidden secret behind the anime’s success among Western fans by highlighting the importance of complex drama, which some fans overlooked.
Yahagi Kosuke who worked as an editor of Naruto alongside Masashi Kishimoto supported One Piece as a supreme anime. Yahagi revealed that the key factor behind One Piece‘s immense popularity is the drama.
Eiichiro Oda explores complex themes and touches on gray areas; whereas, Kishimoto’s narrative focuses heavily on our beloved protagonist’s journey to become Hokage.
The editor also reveals that Western people focus mostly on plot and intense action scenes which makes the anime more captivating for viewers than One Piece overseas.
Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
