Itachi Is Savage, And He's 100% Responsible for Naruto's Most Brutal Defeat
There is plenty of fighting in Naruto, but one of the most brutal and humiliating defeats comes from a brief encounter between Itachi and Orochimaru. Both characters are known for their renowned strength and backgrounds as prodigies of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and serve as antagonists throughout the series. Each of them was a member of the Akatsuki when they initially met. This was also the first time they battled with one another. However, the series has made it painstakingly clear that no matter what, Orochimaru stands no chance against the eldest Uchiha.
What makes their first encounter so brutal is that it's not even long enough to consider it one of Naruto's fights. It’s shockingly one-sided, over in the blink of an eye, and goes on to dictate the rest of Orochimaru’s life, changing the course of his plan to acquire immortality. The cherry on top is that not much has changed when the two encounter each other again years later in Naruto Shippuden, and Orochimaru is dispatched with one shot yet again by Itachi while simultaneously dealing with his younger brother Sasuke.
A Casual Itachi Feat Changed The Course Of Orochimaru’s Life Forever
The Encounter Between Itachi and Orochimaru Only Lasted Two Minutes
Before the events of the show, Orochimaru joined the Akatsuki and began plotting as soon as Itachi joined the organization. Already looking for a stronger vessel, Orochimaru took an opportunity to attempt to steal Itachi’s body and acquire his Sharingan ability. However, as the two passed each other, Orochimaru made his move, unaware that he was already captured in Itachi’s genjutsu. As Orochimaru moved to escape, Itachi took his hand, and only his faithful spy, Kabuto, could cause enough distraction to save him from further harm.
The encounter only lasted two minutes in real time. And just as quickly, the rest of Orochimaru’s life had been dictated. Since he was maimed, he was forced to defect from the Akatsuki to acquire a new body. This led to him forming several of his hideouts and eventually developing Otogakure, the Village Hidden in the Sound. Before his swift defeat, Orochimaru was prideful, arrogant, and reckless in his pursuit of immortality, but Itachi made him the cautious and calculating villain audiences came to know. Despite knowing nearly every shinobi technique, they’re all rendered useless without two hands to cast them.
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This two-minute encounter also sets up Orochimaru as the Big Bad of Naruto Part 1. Seeing the all-powerful ability of a Uchiha is also what made Orochimaru set his sights on developing Sasuke as his next vessel. But it also made him smarten up and create contingency plans to resurrect himself if he ever met someone stronger. If Itachi had never taken Orochimaru’s hand, he would never have set his sights on Itachi's kid brother.
Orochimaru Is Immensely Powerful, But It’s Still Not Enough
Orochimaru Is One Of The Legendary Sennin, But He’s Outclassed Against Itachi
Despite his humiliating defeat at the hands of Itachi, Orochimaru is a ninja to be reckoned with. As one of the most powerful ninjas to come out of the Hidden Leaf Village alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade, he was known as a prodigy between the two. He’s one of the strongest ninjas to ever live, especially considering his mastery of nearly every technique in existence. Although he needed to use Edo Tensei, which reanimated the corpses of the First and Second Hokage, Orochimaru held his own while fighting Naruto's Third Hokage.
However, Orochimaru still cannot defeat Itachi. Not only does that put Itachi’s abilities on the level of a Hokage, but even with the skill to reanimate two legendary ninjas, he still may not be able to beat Itachi. The eldest Uchiha may not be invincible, but his mastery over his Sharigan, alongside his tactical intelligence, allows him to outclass most powerhouses, even if they’re stronger than him in raw power.
Itachi’s cunning and perfected abilities are what make him so feared. These skills are showcased when he outsmarts Deidara and forces him to join the Akatsuki without fighting. Orochimaru, with all his talents, would be handled the same way and dispatched before he could do anything. It must be humiliating to go out of your way to learn every technique, even the most forbidden ones that got him exiled from Konohagakure, and not be able to use them against an opponent like Itachi. Then, add in the fact that during this conflict, Itachi was still only a teenager, and the embarrassment deepens.
Orochimaru Can Never Beat Itachi
Even At Itachi’s Weakest And Orochimaru’s Strongest, It’s No Contest
Even when Orochimaru and Itachi meet again during his battle against Sasuke, when Orochimaru is at his strongest, it isn’t enough to earn him victory. Itachi, already blind and on the brink of death, made swift work of the emerging Orochimaru as he began to take over Sasuke's body. The ever-cunning Itachi used his tact yet again to eke out a victory by sealing Orochimaru with the Totsuka Sword, which Orochimaru was looking for himself. This marked another embarrassing defeat at the hands of Itachi, who was able to save his brother once and for all from his influence in the process.
Naruto's Biggest Mistake Is Still Orochimaru's Redemption
Among all the memorable Naruto villains, Orochimaru is the only one who should have never been redeemed, as his crimes were simply too horrible.
Being defeated once again by the same man who beat you on your quest for a new vessel is a humiliation most anime villains don’t experience. He also dealt the final blow with a weapon the snake master was looking for in his earlier days. Orochimaru also used the Eight Branches Technique, which is his most powerful snake-related power that transforms the user into a giant serpent with eight heads and tails, and it still did nothing.
The only reason Orochimaru lived was because Itachi taught him the lesson of foresight, thus allowing him to reincarnate later on elsewhere. Despite this, Orochimaru’s initial defeat by Itachi, which only lasted two minutes, was more brutal and humiliating than any other encounter seen in Naruto.
- Latest Film
- Boruto: Naruto the Movie
- First TV Show
- Naruto
- Latest TV Show
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
- First Episode Air Date
- October 3, 2002
- Cast
- Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei
