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comikas-fandom-dump · 24 days ago

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The "Itachi Retcon"

Because the fandom still believes that Itachi got "retconned last minute" and I decided I wanted to submit an analysis to @itachi-uchiha-week.

Obviously, I'm an Itachi fan, but if you consider yourself to be one of his antis, at the very least, you will find this post insightful as to why Itachi fans believe that Itachi was "never retconned". Conversely, if you are an Itachi fan, you might find some of the contents of this post upsetting, for this is intended as an analysis.

Length: • 2.8 K Content: • The Kobayashi Interview • Proto-Itachi • Between Two Debuts • Itachi's Debut Mission • Confirmed Retcons

DISCLAIMER: Blue links are sources. The art in the header is mine, but drawn referencing Kishimoto's original art.

The Kobayashi Interview

A retcon (short for "retroactive continuity") is the act of retroactively adding to and/or subtracting from an established canon, in a way that either recontextualizes or contradicts past events. While technically, reveals also fit this description, the most commonly accepted definition only applies if the author changed their mind between publications.

Undeniably, Itachi's plot twist (Chapter #397-#403) recontextualizes every single scene Itachi had previously appeared in. But since when had the scene been planned? How much of Itachi's screentime was retconned? Well, there's a statement on that.

Back in 2014, Masashi Kishimoto gave an interview about his work on Kendo Kobayashi's "Mando Kobayashi" show, broadcast by the Japanese network "Fuji TV One Two Next" on December 13th. These days, Naruto fans commonly refer to it as "the Kobayashi interview". To my knowledge, the original video is no longer available and has never received an official English translation. However, we still have fan transcriptions, translations, and summaries. According to those fan contributions, Kishimoto explains how he was very flexible with his story, adding and changing things as he went. Several questions in, Kobayashi then inquires about Sasuke's brother, and that's when this happens:

Transcript by @/kamosuke69 on posfie.com コバヤシ：「サスケの過去、殺したいやつがいるのあたりは？と聞かれて」岸本：「なんかお兄ちゃんがいる、でもお兄ちゃん悪いことしたっては考えていた」コバヤシ：「じゃあそのままイタチは単に悪い奴というままいったかもしれない？」岸本：「いや、イタチを出すくらいの時はもう本当は良い奴と決めていた」 Translation by an anonymous, tired Itachi fan Kobayashi: "What about the part about Sasuke’s past, where Sasuke said there was someone he wanted to kill?" Kishimoto: "He had a brother, but I was thinking his brother did something bad." Kobayashi: "So it could have been that you’d just let Itachi be a bad guy?" Kishimoto: "No, about the time I was to roll out Itachi, I’d already decided he was a good guy."

So yes, Kishimoto altered Itachi's character over the course of production, but that change was already in place ahead of Itachi's debut, according to the mangaka himself.

So, Itachi has never been retconned, right? Well, not necessarily.

While Kishimoto did state he had changed his mind about Itachi before he was "rolled out", Itachi technically had two debuts in the series. Since Itachi's appearance in Chapter #49 and after were mere flashbacks, however, only Chapter #139 is considered to be Itachi's "official debut" in the Naruto manga. So, assuming that "rolling out" referred to Chapter #139, that would mean Chapter #49 (among others) was indeed retconned.

But that's the problem. We have to assume. Since we cannot know for sure whether Kishimoto meant Itachi's "official debut" or "any appearance at all", let's try to reconstruct the mangaka's thought process.

Proto-Itachi

While I personally don't think that Kishimoto was planning to turn Itachi into a "good guy" at any point prior to the Chunin Exams, it's still an era of the development process worth exploring.

Let's start with Sasuke's backstory because, in a way, Itachi is the personification of Sasuke's backstory. It is implied pretty early on that something horrible has happened in the boy's past. Interestingly, however, the story does not yet delve into the specifics, and neither does it name the perpetrator. Nevertheless, in the Kobayashi interview, it sounds like Kishimoto had already intended to make Itachi the object of Sasuke's revenge at this point in time. He simply hadn't revealed/canonized that piece of information yet.

Kobayashi: "What about the part about Sasuke’s past, where Sasuke said there was someone he wanted to kill?" Kishimoto: "He had a brother, but I was thinking his brother did something bad."

But there's also something else.

First of all, a page from the Fourth Databook reveals that Itachi was originally conceived as the leader of Konoha's "Itachi Squad", a team operating under ANBU (note: "ANBU" stands for "Special Assassination and Tactical Squad"). Coincidentally, this Proto-Itachi was also conceptualized as an enemy to Naruto and his friends, meaning that Konoha was meant to be morally dubious pretty early on in development.

Of course, maybe this particular "Itachi" person wasn't meant to be "Sasuke's brother" yet, but considering his intended antagonist function in the plot, he would fit the bill at the very least.

Second, in the Land of Waves Arc, Haku insinuates that Sasuke and his clan were likely persecuted for their Kekkei Genkai. This could've been early foreshadowing that, much like the Yuki Clan, the Uchiha were exterminated by their own village. Coincidentally, Proto-Itachi was meant to be a state actor and, once again, fits the bill.

Not that coincidence didn't/couldn't play a role, but today, those tidbits of information go surprisingly well together and complement the current canon. Fans have long since theorized that Kishimoto changed the narrative of "Naruto" from being "anti-state" to "pro-state" post-Chunin Exam Arc, paralleling a right-wing shift in Japanese politics. These published concepts surrounding an evil yet commended, state-sponsored clan killer could easily be the remnants of an abandoned anti-state storyline. If not, this particular collection of once disconnected ideas could've instead served as inspiration for later plot developments.

Speaking of inspiration, it is easy to spot the influences of Proto-Itachi in Danzo, both in terms of physical appearance and character concept. The scar on his chin is, of course, the most tell-tale sign. From the looks of it, once Kishimoto decided that Itachi would be a "good guy", he split off the institutional cruelty that Itachi had once represented and gave it the name of "Danzo".

It should be noted that, regardless of how those plot details shifted in meaning while in development, none of them constitute a "retcon", as none of them had yet been properly introduced into the story. Characters or events that have not yet appeared cannot be retconned.

Proto-Itachi Summary: • Sasuke's (potentially unnamed) older brother was already meant to be the object of his revenge. • The Uchiha Massacre had not yet been established, but government-sponsored persecution against Kekkei Genkai was. • A concept for a Konoha-sponsored enemy named "Itachi" was already sitting in Kishimoto's drafts.

Between Two Debuts

Now, this is a pretty juicy stage in Itachi's conceptual development.

Starting with Chapter #49, we finally learn that the object of Sasuke's revenge is his older brother. Soon after, in Chapter #55, it is also revealed that not only is Sasuke an orphan, but also, he is his clan's lone survivor. So far, the information revealed plays perfectly into what we have just established about Proto-Itachi, building upon the concept without changing the plot's direction.

Although there are certain design inconsistencies (more on that later), the new Canon-Itachi still noticeably resembles Proto-Itachi (which becomes even more apparent in Chapter #127). They both have Itachi's signature "face lines" and wear what appears to be a beanie for a Konoha headband. So, without a doubt, this new character was the successor of Proto-Itachi from the very moment he appeared in the story.

Then Rin no Sho releases, covering Chapters #1 to #119 of the manga. Surprisingly, it's this supplementary guidebook that takes a first step in fleshing out Itachi's character. When commenting on the Uchiha Massacre, the databook states that the reasons behind it were made "taboo" and are hence only known to a select few. In other words, it is implied that yet another party conspired against the Uchiha Clan and, to save face, kept its involvement (or perhaps even the full involvement of Itachi) under wraps.

Not only that, but when we look at Itachi's mission record, we notice that, while he had completed several lower-ranking missions, Itachi had never participated in any A-Rank missions, giving him the mission record of a Chunin. Except, for some inexplicable reason, Itachi managed to qualify for an S-Rank once and never again. Clearly, it was not for his skill, but either out of negligence or necessity. Otherwise, Itachi's track record would match. Many fans have speculated in the past that this mysterious S-Rank might represent or once represented the Uchiha Massacre.

Feel free to disagree, but given how "Itachi" had always been intended as a tool for Konoha's dirty work, it's easy to assume that Kishimoto had already decided (or at least considered) to make Konoha complicit in the Uchiha Massacre at this point in time. It's simply the most logical way to proceed with the original concept of Proto-Itachi, and the Databook entry already hits certain, albeit subtle notes about government involvement (the singular S-Rank mission) and cover-up ("taboo" talk).

I'd argue that, from this point onward, the story takes particular care to characterize Itachi as a paradoxical figure. Before his official debut, we see Itachi one more time in Chapter #127, where we are already introduced to the idea that Itachi is seeking punishment for his crimes, and that he spared Sasuke for him to become his executioner.

If I had to guess, any potential "good guy Itachi" retcon would've had to have been decided on before Chapter #119.

Between Debut Summary: • Proto-Itachi and "Sasuke's older brother" merged into one character by Chapter #49 at the latest. • Certain plot-beats about government involvement and a suicidal Itachi had already been set up ahead of Chapter #139. • It is entirely possible that Itachi's "loyalty" to Konoha was never retconned.

Itachi's Debut Mission

Now, unless we want to accuse Kishimoto of lying or misremembering, the mangaka had already changed the purpose of Itachi's character by Chapter #139. Nevertheless, the mini-arc is frequently mischaracterized as taking place ahead of the supposed "retcon", which is why I find it worth looking into.

While it is absolutely true that this arc depicted Itachi at his most violent (at least as far as on-screen goes), that might've just been the result of Kishimoto not yet having a solid vision for his character. And, although their findings may have been influenced by confirmation bias, Itachi's fans have noted multiple instances of foreshadowing in those few chapters.

During his first in-person appearance, the first thing we see Itachi doing is mocking Konoha. Kisame finds his partner's comment curious, because he knows Itachi to be more restrained than this, meaning that the latter must still have feelings of attachment to his former home. But Kisame not only insinuates that Itachi has feelings, he alleges that Itachi uses snide to process or cover them up.

This is consistent with Itachi's behavior from later chapters, as he is not one to insult his opponents. Even when the other ninja is clearly outmatched, Itachi sticks to neutral observations and occasional praise, never taunts. The only two exceptions? Konoha and, most importantly, Sasuke. All of a sudden, Itachi struggles to keep his nonchalant, unbothered act together.

As a rule of thumb, Itachi's violence increases in parallel to the level of familiarity he has with an individual. Potentially, he could either be panicking or making calculated moves to erase any last inkling of doubt regarding his depravity.

Similarly, in Chapter #142, Itachi reprimands his partner for his recklessness, acting all rational, only for Kisame to later point out several times over that Itachi isn't taking his own advice because, once again, Itachi is uncharacteristically impulsive that day.

And not only is Itachi's decision-making reckless, but it's usually to the benefit of his opponent, keeping Kakashi alive when killing him would've been so much smarter, and later forcing the two Akatsuki to abandon their mission to capture Naruto altogether. Sasuke is the only outlier, but he, too, is incapacitated rather than killed or permanently maimed.

Of course, in the case of Kakashi, you could argue that Itachi was planning to capture the Jonin and interrogate him, except that would serve no tactical purpose, considering the two Akatsuki members had already spotted Naruto with Jiraiya while running from Asuma and Kurenai. Additionally, Asuma notes that finding Naruto in the village is quite a simple task, meaning Itachi had no need for intel - and yet he was fooling around for no discernible reason.

Same thing with Itachi's intention to spare Kurenai and Asuma. You could argue that Itachi simply doesn't want to waste his time fighting random Jonin, but then why are he and Kisame walking around in their terrorist uniforms in broad daylight and stopping for some tea, of all things? To get caught and dragged into a fight?

What obviously doesn't help is that the rest of the cast plays Itachi up as some sort of genius. And not just any genius, but a former ANBU squad captain who rose to the rank at 13 and absolutely should have known better.

Debut Mission Summary: • Itachi spends ten chapters being a walking paradox. He's a genius, yet incompetent (to the benefit of his opponents). He is murderous, yet restrained (to the benefit of his opponents). He is sensible, yet reckless (to the benefit of his opponents). • Itachi's puzzling behavior is probably either the result of internal panic or over-commitment, both serving the purpose of hiding his true self.

Confirmed Retcons

After Itachi's debut arc, I find that the story makes it increasingly difficult to miss the foreshadowing of Itachi's plot twist. I won't go further into them in this essay, but feel free to reblog and add your thoughts! What I am more interested in right now, however, are scenes regarding Itachi that got definitively retconned.

The most famous one, perhaps, is Sasuke's suppressed memory that he only unlocks after learning the truth about his brother. In that scene from Chapter #403, we see Itachi with his headband tied sideways, looking back over his shoulder, and shedding a tear over his own actions.

What makes that scene so special is the fact that it references panels from hundreds of chapters prior, starting with Sasuke's mumbling about a certain crying person in Chapter #7.

In the official English version, Sasuke is seen saying "he made me... cry..." which, at first glance, doesn't exactly make the Chapter #403 scene look like a reference.

However, bilingual fans noted that Viz messed up the translation of this panel. In the original Japanese version, both lines are perfect copies of one another, mentioning "crying" but without naming a subject (ie. the person who was crying). That allowed the line to be used ambiguously.

Original Japanese: 「あの時・・・泣いてた」 Google Translate: "At that time... crying."

Still, based on Kishimoto's own comments, he likely had not yet accounted for Itachi's plot twist at this point in writing the story. So, while it is true that the line was much vaguer in the original, its reusability was probably more of a lucky coincidence rather than the result of meticulous planning.

Similarly, fans like to point out that Itachi had already been depicted glancing back with the sideways headband hundreds of chapters prior, sans tears (see the panel from Chapter #49 and #127). They believe that those earlier panels were meant to foreshadow Sasuke's repressed memory before it was revealed. After all, Itachi was only wearing his headband sideways because Sasuke had knocked it off with a kunai earlier, and that scene hadn't been shown until the truth reveal.

However, if you pay close attention throughout each massacre flashback, you will notice that Itachi had never been depicted wearing his headband the normal way all the way until his debut. That includes one front view, which would never be referenced in Sasuke's repressed memory from Chapter #403. Afterwards, and until the truth reveal, Itachi is never again seen wearing his headband sideways.

It is more likely that Kishimoto had not yet finalized Itachi's design. For similar reasons, Sasuke is shown wearing a Gakuran as a child in chapters as late as #55, even though he canonically never wore a school uniform.

This becomes all the more obvious when we look at Itachi's headband itself. While the standard-issue Konoha headband is roughly based on a bandana that can be worn to cover not only the forehead but the entire scalp as well, it looks nothing like Itachi's torn headband.

If you compare, then the headband that Itachi is wearing in early flashbacks more closely resembles Proto-Itachi's beanie than an actual bandana. It is much thicker, and it has a little spike at the top, both of which are design details present in Proto-Itachi's beanie, but not the way Kishimoto would draw a headband.

So, after he changed his mind about Itachi's design, Kishimoto was probably looking for an organic explanation for the design inconsistencies, and opted for adding in a repressed memory. Ironically, this character design inconsistency likely also inspired a background design inconsistency in Sasuke's flashbacks.

In Chapter #127, we see Itachi standing amidst dead bodies and destroyed buildings. This is also the background in front of which he instructs Sasuke to hate and kill him in a later chapter.

Then, by the time Kishimoto had figured out that he wanted to assign Sasuke a lengthy repressed memory, he drew a different background altogether for that quote and scene, completely devoid of damage or dead bodies.

This served the purpose of adding a chase scene into the night of the massacre, during which Sasuke would knock off Itachi's headband, so that the scene of Chapter #127 could be recreated. Only after the chase do we see that background with the destroyed buildings and dead bodies again, and Itachi once again ties his headband sideways.

Retcon Summary:

• Kishimoto most likely retconned Sasuke's suppressed memory, as indicated by several design inconsistencies as well as official statements. This retcon was related to Itachi's design, however, not his story. • Yes, many Itachi fans view those scenes as foreshadowing anyway.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, Itachi's plot twist had been in the works at least since Chapter #139. Based on some curious details from the First Databook, however, we can make a pretty decent case that this change was implemented by Chapter #119 already. Depending on how exactly we interpret Kishimoto's statement from the Kobayashi interview, however, it could've been as early as Chapter #49. Still, that's a harder case to make. If Itachi's plot twist has truly been implemented at any point past Chapter #49, then Itachi has indeed been verifiably retconned.

Regardless of when or if Itachi's character was retconned, Konoha's involvement in his crimes possibly was not. Itachi, in concepts from before the Uchiha Massacre had even turned into a plot point, had already been depicted as Konoha's hengeman. There are no indications within the canon of Naruto that Kishimoto had ever changed his mind on that detail. Not that he couldn't have, but the chance is there.

Individual details about Itachi were most certainly retconned, such as his character design and Sasuke's repressed memory.

#itachi #itachi uchiha #pro itachi #naruto #naruto discussion #itachiweek2025 #naruto analysis #naruto meta #itachi retcon #prompt: traitor & hero #cuz technically we are discussing the point where kishi decided to rewrite him from villain to good guy

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