PHILOSOPHY IN LIFE

“Each of us lives dependent and bound by our individual knowledge and our

awareness, all that is what we call reality. However both knowledge and awareness

equivocal, one’s reality might be another illusion. We all live inside our own fantasies”

- Uchiha Itachi

It is critical to comprehend Uchiha Itachi's life philosophy in addition to his personality

and background. Even if it is unconscious survival from hand to mouth, everyone

lives by some form of philosophy. Human beings can only make decisions by rating a

set of values.

The world is about "finding the self" and the meaning of life through free will, choice,

and personal responsibility, that is the philosophy Uchiha Itachi believe in. Personal

choice, responsibility and discipline is crucial for him making him an existentialist.

Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the importance of free will, choice,

and personal responsibility in determining one's identity and purpose in life. People

are said to be on a quest to discover who and what they are throughout their lives as

they make decisions based on their experiences, beliefs, and attitude. And without

the need for an objective version of reality, human choices become distinctive.

Without the aid of laws, ethnic rules, or customs, an existentialist thinks that a person

should be forced to choose and be accountable.

Eversince he was a child, Uchiha Itachi have seen all the killings, chaos and betrayal

because of the war. At a young age, he was confused why people want to kill him,

and the answer is that “because this is war”. And from then on he always asked

himself what is life and what is the meaning of it. Life is born, it dies, and then it is

revived. He was confused as to the real meaning of life.

“People's life are governed by what they believe to be correct and true. That is their

definition of "reality." But, exactly, what does "right" or "true" mean? Just some hazy
ideas. It's possible that their "reality" is all a mirage. Can we simply dismiss them as

being trapped in their own universe, shaped by their beliefs?” - Uchiha Itachi

Itachi is a deception master. As a genjutsu expert, his profession comprises

manipulating people's minds. As a result of a simple genjutsu, people experience a

mirage, rendering their actions ineffective since they are "trapped" in their own

thoughts, doing nothing in reality. Itachi, on the other hand, presumably learned as

his abilities grew that genjutsu was considerably more than just the capacity to

confuse an opponent. He may have discovered by chance that illusions are more

powerful than reality, and that altering a person's perception allows him to control

their actual world and, as a result, their beliefs.

A "existential" sensation of intense fear or dread would result from such a realization.

If Itachi can control others, then others must be able to manipulate him as well. Itachi

began to doubt all he knew or thought he knew about reality. How can he be sure he

isn't being manipulated or controlled by a higher power as well?

Since youth, Itachi is seeking what really is the definition of life. At the end he

understands that to know oneself is to achieve everything and not to become perfect

instead it is to become aware of what one is and isn’t capable of. It is simply to

forgive oneself for the things one cannot do alone. It is because you cannot do

everything yourself that you have comrades to help you. And also you should never

ignore things one still could accomplish. If you want to know who and what you are,

you must reexamine and re-acknowledge your true self. Itachi Uchiha realized that

he failed on that part because he lie to everyone around him. He also lie to himself,

he was deluded. According to him, those who is not or who cannot acknowledge

themselves are sure to fail just like him.

MORAL DILEMMA

Itachi Uchiha is the son of Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha, two devoted members

of the Uchiha Clan and the Village Hidden in the Leaves.When his power was

revealed, he was no longer considered a child. He was a prodigy, a miraculous child

born to the Uchiha Clan, and the ability that Itachi have should not be put to waste. It

was to be nourished and developed for the Clan's and Village's benefit. He was well

acquainted with his status within the family and never protested about it. Because of

his talent, he was sent straight to the battleground, where his skills were put to the

test. He saw people die, people try to save others, and people get stabbed in the

back by those they tried to save - the inhumanity was endless, and he processed it

surprisingly calmly as a child of war. He'd ask himself questions about what it meant

to be a ninja, what a village was, and if this world was just meant to be a war zone.

He would keep these questions to himself because no adult would ever understand

his predicament - he was a very lonely child.

His strength set him apart from the rest of his class, making him an outcast.

Superiority does not always make you famous; it can make those beneath you

envious and bitter. His childhood was just the beginning; as he grew into a young

adolescent, he was exposed to various stressful situations. He was already an Anbu

member and clan spy. His duties included everything from obeying every order

issued by his Anbu commander to informing his Clan members about any information

about the village. He wasn't picking side because he had no other option. If he

wanted to please everyone, he had to play the backstabber, betrayal on both sides.

There was no such thing as right or wrong.

He observed as both sides became frantic, attempting to eliminate the other. With

each passing day, the town grew more apprehensive of the Uchiha clan, and the clan

grew impatient with the village's mistrust and suspicion of a Clan that had never been

anything but faithful. Both sides quickly agreed to annihilate the other, and Itachi was
right in the middle of both battlegrounds. Which side did he belong to? He couldn't

stand seeing either side come apart, so his devotion was split in two. Either his entire

clan was wiped off, or his entire village, which included innocent children, was

assaulted by the Clan they trusted to keep them safe. Most crucially, there was his

younger brother, who had done everything in his power to win his respect and

attention. His helpless sibling was caught in the middle of one of the biggest battles,

with no say in the matter.

Then Uchiha Itachi had to choose between his Clan and his brother, a biggest

dilemma that he is facing. The town was not willing to give up on the Clan and had

offered Itachi a choice: either he dealt with it on his own or they would - and they

would not spare his brother. His brother's life would be spared if he took out his Clan,

and he would have a position in the village - a home.

Uchiha Itachi was considering the lives of many people before making the decision.

Each choice will have disastrous consequences. What was the correct thing to do?

His brother respected and envied him, the community and clan he loved had driven

him to split his loyalties in half and live as a backstabber - his morals were a tangle.

The only thing Itachi wanted to do was the "right" thing - the thing that would make

his family proud, the thing that would rescue the town and his clan, the thing that

would increase his younger brother's admiration for him - but what exactly was the

"right" thing? And, more importantly, did it even exist?

In the end, his decision to his dilemma caused the deaths of the people he cared

about the most. Despite the village's admiration for his bravery and commitment,

what he had done had saved no one. His brother's mindset began to slip into an

infinite pit of darkness the night he decided to slaughter his clan.

Itachi's entire existence, both his youth and the little adulthood he had, had led him to

this decision. Is it morally correct? Was it moral to kill his family, clan, and brother's
mind? Was it a good decision to choose the village? Was it moral? The list of

questions goes on and on. The ninja world was a battle zone. A terrible outcome was

unavoidable no matter what he did. Itachi was born during a time of conflict and

bitterness, which caused him to question things, including the ethics of the world.

REFLECTIONS

PERSONAL LIFE

PROFESSIONAL LIFE

References:

Anime Amino. (n.d.). Anime | Aminoapps.Com.

https://aminoapps.com/c/anime/page/blog/ethics-in-anime-itachi-uchiha-hero-

or-killer/Gwtn_uxJ0ZB6Nxxo2YBaRMdP6m3vn

D. (2020, October 22). Existentialism. AllAboutPhilosophy.Org. Retrieved November

13, 2021, from https://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/existentialism.htm

S. (2021, January 14). Itachi Uchiha’s Philosophy - To Know Oneself - (Quote)

English Dub #shorts. YouTube. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAtJI_n-Tyg&feature=youtu.be

Z. (2008, January 21). Itachi Analysis Essay - Part 5 - Itachi’s Philosophy -

Existentialism. Zapenstap.Livejournal. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from

https://zapenstap.livejournal.com/4942.html