[MANGA] Itachi - Hero or Villain? (poll)

[itachi-san314]

Originally Posted by Akashin

The main reason people call Itachi heroic, I think, isn't because he slaughtered his clan. It's because he knew it was wrong and knew he was condemning himself by doing so, yet chose to do so anyway because it was the only way he saw (and perhaps the only way at all) to avoid greater bloodshed. I don't condone the action itself, but willingly giving up his life for Konoha's peace like that is indeed heroic, even if the action he performed to go about it isn't.

that's a nice way to put it.

just to add something else in itachi's defense, I think there is a difference between a general (hokage and elders) and a soldier in terms of responsibility. ultimately it is the soldier who acts, but after pledging most of their life to discipline, order and obeying their leader. itachi was presented a nearly impossible situation and he chose to err on the side of the greater authority and the greater good as he saw it. not that it's best to agree with a villain, but sasuke thinks this way as well since he doesn't blame itachi for what happened eventhough itachi was the one who physically did it.

[El_Negro]

Originally Posted by Akashin

Up until this point you had a good point and I agreed with you, in that people make light of Itachi's role in the massacre too much and paint it as something done for the greater good (since, you know, the Elders authorized the massacre "for the greater good" but they don't get that lenient treatment), but here you lost me. We know nothing of how succession works in the Uchiha Clan, so by default that's mere assumption. More importantly though, what seemed to be the vast majority of the Uchiha Clan supported the massacre; it is unlikely that Itachi overthrowing Fugaku would be nearly enough to change that.

The main reason people call Itachi heroic, I think, isn't because he slaughtered his clan. It's because he knew it was wrong and knew he was condemning himself by doing so, yet chose to do so anyway because it was the only way he saw (and perhaps the only way at all) to avoid greater bloodshed. I don't condone the action itself, but willingly giving up his life for Konoha's peace like that is indeed heroic, even if the action he performed to go about it isn't.

Self-sacrifice is noble and just but I'm just saying challenging the Uchiha clan leader or probably use sharingan to hypnotize him so he can become your puppet to call of the coup or even killing the rebels that is stirring up trouble and stamping your authority to ensure no rebellion occurs could be another means to avoid performing the heinous act, but he did what the elders thought was best for the village even though he knew it was wrong

[itachi-san314]

Originally Posted by El_Negro

Self-sacrifice is noble and just but I'm just saying challenging the Uchiha clan leader or probably use sharingan to hypnotize him so he can become your puppet to call of the coup or even killing the rebels that is stirring up trouble and stamping your authority to ensure no rebellion occurs could be another means to avoid performing the heinous act, but he did what the elders thought was best for the village even though he knew it was wrong

you're basically describing the moon's eye plan it may equal peace but it is a really awful thing since it takes away free will from people and makes them slaves. in a warrior culture like the ninja, I'd venture to say that the victims would prefer to be killed as opposed to being made into mental slaves by itachi, shisui, tobi or whoever.