- Amaterasu
- Clone Great Explosion
- Crow Clone Technique
- Demonic Illusion: Burning Paper Body
- Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change
- Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes
- Dusk Crow Genjutsu
- Ephemeral
- Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
- Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique (Anime only)
- Shadow Clone Technique
- Susanoo
- Transcription Seal: Amaterasu
- Tsukuyomi
- Water Clone Technique (Anime only)
- Water Release: Water Fang BulletItachi Uchiha (うちはイタチ, Uchiha Itachi) was Sasuke Uchiha's older brother, an S-class missing-nin from Konohagakure and a prominent member of Akatsuki who was partnered with Kisame Hoshigaki.
edit Background Itachi was born into the Uchiha clan and was praised by all as the best of his generation - a genius above all others. Even by the standards of the battle-adept Uchiha clan, Itachi's prowess far outshone them. However, not even his family, friends, or teachers could understand him. When he was only 4, Itachi had already witnessed countless lives lost due to the Third Great Shinobi World War, which emotionally traumatized him and turned him into a pacifist. At age 7, he graduated from the Ninja Academy at the top of his class after only one year, mastered the Sharingan at age eight, passed the Chūnin Exams at age 10, and became an ANBU Captain at age 13.
He was praised highly by his father, who saw the family's future in Itachi, hence neglecting his youngest son, Sasuke. However, during this time Itachi showed great affection towards his little brother and even encouraged his father to come to the Academy enrollment ceremony for Sasuke, something their father had otherwise forgotten, by saying that he would not go to an important mission that would establish Itachi a place in the ANBU ranks, otherwise.
When the Uchiha began planning to overthrow Konoha, Itachi, as an ANBU, was tasked with spying on the village. Knowing that a coup d’état would only lead to another Ninja War; Itachi began spying on the Uchiha instead, passing on information to the Third Hokage and the other Konoha elders. During this time he began to act strangely, not attending the clan meetings, speaking out against the clan, and becoming the prime suspect for the murder of his best friend, Shisui Uchiha. Due to this the clan lost hope in Itachi and his father began shifting his focus to Sasuke instead. Meanwhile, the Third's attempts to negotiate a bloodless end to hostilities between the two parties were proving ineffective so, against the Third's wishes, Danzō Shimura and the Konoha Council ordered Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha.
Before the fateful night arrived, Itachi discovered the existence of Madara Uchiha, who was attempting to rekindle the flames of war in Konoha. In return for not attacking Konoha, Itachi offered to help Madara claim vengeance against the Uchiha for turning their backs on him decades earlier; Madara agreed. Itachi slaughtered his entire clan overnight, sparing only Sasuke as Sasuke's life was worth more than the village to Itachi, and he could not follow through with the orders to kill him as well. Instead, he made himself out as a villain, who had killed their innocent family only to test his abilities. By doing so, he wanted Sasuke to take vengeance on him and become a hero to Konoha, thus redeeming the Uchiha name. He tortured Sasuke with his Mangekyō Sharingan and encouraged him to become strong enough to kill him and avenge their family. Hoping that his beloved little brother would someday be powerful enough to kill him, Itachi left the village as a traitor. According to Madara Uchiha, Itachi also had a lover, whom he killed during the Uchiha clan massacre.[4]
Knowing that Konoha would still want to eliminate Sasuke, Itachi pleaded with the Third Hokage to keep Sasuke safe. He also threatened Danzō to not harm Sasuke or risk him revealing everything he knew about Konoha's secrets to enemy countries. Sasuke's safety was therefore secured and Itachi returned to his original plan of becoming infamous for his slaughter of the Uchiha clan.
Itachi joined Akatsuki in order to keep an eye on the organization, along with Madara Uchiha, in case either ever acted against Konoha, all the while planning for his death at Sasuke's hands. While a member of Akatsuki, Itachi was approached by Orochimaru, who tried to steal his body to gain the Sharingan. Itachi trapped him in a genjutsu and severed his left hand as punishment, forcing Orochimaru to flee the organization. Sometime after joining Akatsuki and forcing Orochimaru to flee, Itachi helped recruit Deidara, by beating him in battle, to which Deidara swore vengeance against Itachi.
At some time, Itachi contracted a fatal illness, to which he kept himself alive through the intake of various medicines, in the hopes of living long enough to die by Sasuke's hands.
edit Personality Ever since his first appearance, Itachi had always been mysterious, and had acted as though he was hiding his true self. While flashbacks to his past showed that he was a compassionate brother and person, his later acts and claims made it seem that this was mostly just an act. But, surprisingly, he genuinely was the compassionate brother he had once claimed to be, although he hid this from the rest of the Akatsuki to protect Sasuke.
As a member of Akatsuki, he possessed incredible self-control of his emotions. He constantly displayed an emotionless personality. He only showed surprise when opponents proved more powerful or skilled than he had expected, and even then he didn't lose his composure. He did not possess any arrogance, and fully justified any statements he made about his power, even complimenting his opponents at times on their abilities.
In addition to being an extremely powerful ninja, Itachi had equally impressive intelligence, and was shown to be very wise. He was exceedingly sharp and observant to any situation at hand, as he was rarely surprised or caught off guard. He also displayed great intuition, as he was almost never deceived and even then almost instantly realized the truth. Despite his status as a wanted criminal, and having wiped out his clan, Itachi took no enjoyment in violence or combat, instead preferring to avoid battle or, if this was not possible, end it as quickly as he could.
Itachi's only initial interest was in Akatsuki's goals, and his only loyalties appeared to be to the organization and its members, seeming to put the organization's success and secrecy before everything else.[5] As such, Itachi got along with his partner, Kisame, much better than most other Akatsuki members did with their own partners. Kisame appeared to have a deep loyalty to Itachi, immediately doing as he instructed and constantly looking out for his well-being. Itachi treated all of his fellow Akatsuki members to this same, more respectful personality, although his courtesy was rarely returned by the other members.
However, when he was in a genjutsu duel during his fight with Sasuke, he cruelly claimed he had only let Sasuke live so that he could take Sasuke's eyes and obtain his own Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, after which he then claimed the Uchiha clan had been nothing but tainted and evil, since many members would kill their friends to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan, and would take another Uchiha's eyes to make its power permanent. Once the genjutsu was released, he called it his true self, implying his calm, emotionless personality was also a facade. This persona was later revealed to be only an act to ensure that he would die by Sasuke' s hands, his love for his younger brother being the fundamental aspect of his personality.
In the end, Itachi put all of his faith in Naruto, who he notes as the person most determined to save and protect Sasuke. After hearing Naruto's answer to keep protecting Sasuke and everyone in Konoha, Itachi gave him some of his power. He was very grateful towards Naruto's determination to save Sasuke, and was smiling after hearing Naruto's response. Itachi even trusted him enough to bring Sasuke back to the light.
edit Appearance Despite his status as an infamous shinobi, his appearance was not the most intimidating, apart from the intensity of his eyes. While living in Konoha, he would regularly have a gentle and caring look in his eyes, especially directed towards his younger brother. After joining Akatsuki, he would regularly have a stern look to them.
He, like all members of his clan, possessed dark gray eyes, black hair that hung near his cheeks to frame his face and a long ponytail in the back of his hair; later obscured by his Akatsuki cloak after joining the organization. Being brothers, Itachi and Sasuke had a similar appearance, but with subtle differences. Itachi's hair color appeared slightly duller and with a softer flow to it; his skin was also slightly darker. Itachi's most distinguishing characteristics were the long pronounced tear troughs under his eyes.
When he lived in Konoha, his casual clothes would consist of a black shirt with a large Uchiha clan symbol on the back, and black pants with a weapons pouch strapped to them. When on duty, he would wear the traditional ANBU uniform, although he was never shown wearing a mask. As a member of Akatsuki he wore the traditional Akatsuki cloak and usually kept the center of it buttoned down. After his cloak was incinerated by Sasuke's Kirin during their fight in Part II, it was revealed that he still wore his casual clothes underneath it. Like almost all members of Akatsuki, he wore the headband of his home village with a horizontal line gouged through it to symbolize his broken ties with the village. On his right ring finger was his Akatsuki ring, which bears the kanji for Vermilion (朱, shu).
edit Abilities Even at a young age, Itachi's intellect and talent showed their brilliance in everything he did, as even his teachers said his progress hardly required any help. In the few battles he had been seen in since the start of the series, Itachi was shown to be an incredibly powerful ninja, as demonstrated by his ability to easily defeat the likes of Deidara, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake and Orochimaru. Despite his pride in his abilities, Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi's partner in Akatsuki, acknowledged Itachi as the stronger of the two. Even Madara said that Itachi never ceased to amaze him.
Being a pacifist due to his traumatic experiences from the Third Great Shinobi World War, Itachi did not actively take part in battle, typically only acting in self-defense and trying to incapacitate his enemies instead of killing them if possible. It can also be said that in every one of his battles, Itachi's true strength is never displayed, either because of his nonviolent nature or the terminal illness that plagued him.
The usage of crows in Itachi's techniques
Itachi was also noted to be very fast, particularly with his hand movements. This extended to weaving hand seals and throwing weapons, as he was able to reveal a set of shuriken with one hand and then suddenly attack the opponent with a form of ninjutsu. In terms of mobility, he is able to close considerable distances fast enough to appear like teleportation. His speed was such that neither Sasuke nor Kakashi, who are both very adept at using the Sharingan, could follow his movements in either case. Itachi's techniques also often involved usage of crows, both in ninjutsu and genjutsu. This is seen amongst others with his creation of a clone that dissolves into crows and using crows to hide shuriken in them.
As traditional to the Uchiha clan, Itachi could use Fire Release techniques. He was also shown to use Water Release techniques.
Despite his extensive use of genjutsu, Itachi appeared to be quite skilled in taijutsu as well, as demonstrated when he easily dispatched three fellow Uchiha and when he stopped Sasuke's Chidori with one hand and brutally beat the latter during their reunion in the Land of Fire despite Sasuke's extensive taijutsu training for the Chūnin Exam. He was also very proficient wielding a sword, in the same way as throwing shuriken and kunai.
[edit] Sharingan Being of the Uchiha Clan, and as noted by Kakashi, Itachi was a true successor of the Sharingan Eye.[6] From a stationary position, he would study an opponent's movements with his Sharingan and respond accordingly, often with a genjutsu. He could cast a genjutsu by merely pointing at or looking at someone, and could similarly turn an opponent's genjutsu against them with Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change.[7] Itachi had trained so much with his eyes that he had reached the stage where he could have his Sharingan activated all the time, with minimal drain on his chakra levels.
[edit] Mangekyō Sharingan 
Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan
Despite his mastery of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi suffered greatly from its side effects. Each of the techniques bestowed by the Mangekyō Sharingan required vast amounts of chakra to perform, and they left Itachi fatigued afterward, to the point of requiring him to deactivating his Sharingan altogether, something that he did not usually need. The other side effect was that his eyesight would worsen as time passed since the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the degradation would only increase after every time he used it, which would lead him to eventually go blind from its power, with his Sharingan forever sealed away.[10] By the time Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan during his final fight with Sasuke, Itachi's eyesight is so badly damaged, that Sasuke appeared to be only a messy blur. Itachi was so close to blindness that by the time he activated Susanoo in his final fight, both Sharingan had lost the Mangekyō design in them, with only the red iris remaining.[11] Despite the stress his body was under that was slowly killing him he was still able, in his last moments, to perform his own Fūinjutsu.
[edit] Search for Tsunade arc 
Itachi and Kisame's debut.
When the two revealed their identities, Itachi and Kisame were quick to battle Asuma and Kurenai after they refused to leave. Despite their high ranks of Jōnin, Asuma and Kurenai stood little chance against the two Akatsuki members. However, the arrival of Kakashi managed to keep Asuma and Kurenai from receiving any major injuries. After a short skirmish with Kakashi, Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and used Tsukuyomi to attack Kakashi's mind and spirit, which afterwards left the latter confined to bed for several days. After Kakashi revealed he had knowledge of Akatsuki, Itachi ordered Kisame to kidnap Kakashi and to kill Asuma and Kurenai. However, Might Guy then showed up, revealing that he had already told the ANBU about the two Akatsuki members' presence. Itachi and Kisame retreated, saying that they didn't want to start a war.
Itachi and Kisame tracked Naruto to a hotel where he was staying with Jiraiya at the time. Uninterested in provoking a Sannin, Itachi used a genjutsu on a pretty woman to draw Jiraiya away from Naruto. Taking the chance, Itachi and Kisame confronted Naruto, although, at the very same moment, Sasuke arrived to seek vengeance on his brother. Itachi handled his brother with ease while Kisame and Naruto watched, although Jiraiya arrived in time to save the two boys, having not fallen for the hypnotized woman's charm as he knew that pretty women did not usually show interest in him.
Jiraiya immediately asked Itachi and Kisame if their real goal was kidnapping Naruto. They confirmed this and Itachi understood that Jiraiya was the one who had told Kakashi about Akatsuki. Although Jiraiya wished to fight them himself and prevent others from getting hurt, he honored Sasuke's feelings, and allowed him to fight Itachi instead. Itachi, however, only proved Jiraiya wrong in letting Sasuke fight by using his Mangekyō Sharingan on his younger brother, thus reaffirming his need to get stronger. Jiraiya saved Sasuke in time by using the Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind, which transformed the entire hotel hallway into a toad's esophagus to trap Itachi and Kisame. Despite Jiraiya's claim that no-one had escaped this technique before, the two Akatsuki partners managed to evade capture and death using Itachi's Amaterasu, which left him exhausted.
Although he was actually supposed to capture Naruto, Itachi's only reason for returning to Konoha after the death of the Third Hokage was to remind Danzō and the other two village elders that he was still alive and not to harm his younger brother.
[edit] Rescue Gaara arc While Akatsuki was sealing the One-Tailed Shukaku, they discovered that Team 7 and Chiyo were en-route to their location. Itachi volunteered to distract them, so Pain used the Shapeshifting Technique on Yūra to create a body-double for Itachi. The lookalike, under Itachi's control, engaged the Konoha ninja. He was impressed by Naruto and Kakashi's improvements in strength but, because the clone had only a portion of his ordinary strength, it was killed by Naruto's Great Ball Rasengan. Nevertheless, he had bought enough time.
[edit] Hunt for Itachi arc As Sasuke was defeating Orochimaru, Itachi sensed something odd. Kisame asked him what was wrong, to which Itachi replied, "No, it's nothing." Following Kisame's capture of the Four-Tailed Monkey, Itachi and Kisame met with the rest of Akatsuki. There, they discovered that Sasuke, after being trained by Orochimaru for two and a half years, had killed his teacher. Sometime after the Four Tails was sealed, Zetsu informed them that Sasuke had been killed by Deidara's C0. Kisame asked Itachi if he was upset that Sasuke's death had left him as the only Uchiha because in the rain he looked as if he were crying. However, Itachi remarked that Sasuke wasn't dead, and alluded to the fact that there was still another Uchiha regardless.
Knowing that his end was near, one of Itachi's shadow clones confronted Naruto, who was looking for Sasuke. Although he claimed he wished only to talk, Itachi was forced to defend himself against Naruto's attacks. After fending off Naruto, Itachi asked why he showed so much interest in Sasuke, a traitor to Konoha. Naruto replied that he was more of a brother to Sasuke than Itachi had ever been, and that he would do whatever it took to bring Sasuke home. This causes Itachi to give a small smile, followed up by asking if he would always feel that way, even if Sasuke attacked Konoha. Naruto replied only that, if that happened, he would stop Sasuke without killing him and protect the village. Content with this answer, Itachi gave some of his power to Naruto, by forcing him to swallow one of his crows, and hoped he would never have to use it.
After his business with Naruto was done, another of Itachi's shadow clones went to meet with Sasuke. Sasuke displayed a dramatic improvement in his abilities during their confrontation, so Itachi agreed to have their final battle at the Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold. He waited there for Sasuke's arrival, instructing Kisame to not let the other members of Sasuke's team, interfere with their battle. Itachi and Sasuke met face-to-face and, while exchanging genjutsu, had a conversation about the Uchiha, Madara, and Itachi's "true" motives of wanting to take Sasuke's eyes. When Sasuke managed to escape Itachi's Tsukuyomi, the genjutsu battle ended and the ninjutsu battle began.
Itachi used Amaterasu, but Sasuke shielded himself by shedding his skin, a technique he was able to use because of Orochimaru being sealed within him. Using the shed skin as a decoy Sasuke went below and fired a Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique at Itachi's direction above although he only managed to burn away one of Itachi's sleeves. Out of chakra, he tells Itachi about his final jutsu that like Amaterasu it is impossible to avoid. Sasuke then used his trump card, on Itachi, who had his Akatsuki cloak burned off as a result.[12]
Itachi faces Orochimaru's Eight Branch Technique.
Itachi's last smile to his little brother, Sasuke.
[edit] Fourth Shinobi World War arc Itachi was summoned by Kabuto Yakushi through the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection, along with Nagato, Kakuzu, Sasori, and Deidara as a demonstration of power to Madara.[13]
Madara collected Sasuke, tended to his wounds, and tried to befriend him when he awoke. When he removed his mask while doing the latter, Sasuke reflexively used Amaterasu on him. After quelling the flames, Madara explained that the Amaterasu had been inserted in Sasuke by Itachi, intended to protect him from Madara and whatever he might say. Sasuke was perplexed, so Madara went onto detail the history of the Uchiha clan, and the truth behind Itachi's life. Towards the end of his story, he explained that Itachi had been dying of disease, but had kept himself going with medicine so that he could die by Sasuke's hands, stating that if Itachi had battled with all his strength they wouldn't be having that conversation. He also stated that Itachi had pushed Sasuke to his limits during their battle to draw out Orochimaru, so that he could remove the latter's influence from his beloved little brother.
Sasuke was unwilling to believe the story. Madara persisted, saying that Itachi had entrusted the Uchiha name to Sasuke, hoping he would rebuild the clan on a new foundation of honor and nobility. For the sake of Konoha, and for Sasuke, he had been willing to die as a traitor and criminal. He had traded honor for disgrace and Sasuke's love for his hatred, and even then he had died smiling. Finally accepting the truth, Sasuke was crushed to find that the brother he had hated had actually been looking out for him all along. Upon realizing the truth, he resolved to take vengeance against Konoha for the massacre of his clan and the fate they placed on his brother, regardless of Itachi's attachment to the village. He also agreed to start working with Madara and, as a result, is classified as an international criminal, something Itachi had tried to prevent.
Sasuke initially refused to transplant Itachi's eyes into his own sockets, due to the two of them having completely different visions of the future. However, after his reckless overuse of his own Mangekyō Sharingan from battling Killer Bee, A, Danzō Shimura and Team 7, Sasuke's eyesight had greatly deteriorated. As such, he decided to abandon his refusal, and take Itachi's eyes to use them to destroy Naruto at full power. The transplant was then commenced by Madara, and Sasuke felt Itachi's power flowing through him.
- Itachi (鼬) can be translated as "weasel".
- According to Pain, Itachi's reason for joining the Akatsuki was "ideology".
- Itachi ranked highly in the Shonen Jump popularity polls for the series, continuously placing in the top ten and reaching sixth place once.[14][15]
- He and Kisame were the first active Akatsuki members to appear.
- Itachi and Kisame made a brief cameo appearance in the Konoha Sports Festival OVA, where they were standing in line to use the bathroom, along with many other random characters.
- According to the Third Naruto Databook:
- Itachi's hobby was visiting traditional Japanese cafes.
- Itachi's favorite foods were cabbage and onigiri with seaweed in it, while his least favorite was steak.
- Itachi had completed 340 official missions in total: 53 D-rank, 152 C-rank, 134 B-rank, 0 A-rank and 1 S-rank.
- Itachi's favorite word was "peace" (平和, heiwa).
- Itachi had always poked his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha, in the forehead when they were younger, saying "Forgive me Sasuke... Again, next time" (「許せサスケ…また今度だ」, "Yuruse Sasuke... Mata kondo da"). This is referred to very poignantly with Itachi's last words, as he pokes his brother's forehead again and says, "Forgive me Sasuke... ...It ends with this" (「許せサスケ……これで最後だ」, "Yuruse Sasuke... ...Kore de saigo da")
| KISAME HOSHIGAKI |
|---|
|
(干柿鬼鮫, Hoshigaki Kisame)
- Monster of the Hidden Mist (霧隠れの怪人, Kirigakure no Kaijin)
- Tailed Beast without a Tail (尾を持たない尾獣, O o Motanai Bijū)
|
| Debut (Manga) | |
| Debut (Anime) | |
| Debut (video game) | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 |
| Appears in | Anime, Manga and Game |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | |
| Seiyū (Japanese) | |
| Voice actor(s) (Spanish) | |
| Personal |
| Birthdate |  March 18 |
| Gender |  Male |
| Age | |
| Height | 195 cm1.95 m
6.398 ft
76.772 in |
| Weight | 83.1 kg183.204 lb |
| Blood type | AB |
| Classification | S-Class, Missing-nin |
| Affiliation | |
| Team | |
| Partner | |
| Rank |
| Academy Grad. Age | 10 |
| Ring | 南 (South) |
| Ring Position | Left ring finger |
|
|
| Weapons |
- Samehada
-
- Kisame Hoshigaki (干柿鬼鮫, Hoshigaki Kisame), the Monster of the Hidden Mist (霧隠れの怪人, Kirigakure no Kaijin), is a missing-nin from Kirigakure, a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and was partnered with Itachi Uchiha within Akatsuki.
edit Background Kisame is a former member of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, an ever-changing group of ninja that wield particularly large weapons in battle.[3] While in Kiri, Kisame is given the title of "Monster of the Hidden Mist". He is also known to have formed a connection to Suigetsu Hōzuki and Mangetsu Hōzuki. His former country, the Land of Water, sought him out, for plotting to overthrow its government and being involved in numerous assassinations, including that of a daimyo of an unknown country.[4] Kisame later joined Akatsuki, and was partnered with Itachi Uchiha. Pain stated that his reason for joining Akatsuki was "spite".
edit Appearance Kisame is a very tall and strong shinobi, with a distinctive shark-like appearance, complete with pale blue skin, small white eyes, gill-like facial structures, and sharp triangular teeth. When he removed his cloak he was shown to have gills on his shoulders. Even his name, Kisame (鬼鮫), means "Demon Shark". Kisame also wears a dark purple nail color, like Itachi. Underneath his Akatsuki cloak, Kisame wears an outfit similar to the one that his colleague, Zabuza Momochi, wore during his first appearance. On his left ring finger is his Akatsuki ring, which bears the kanji for South (南, nan).
edit Personality Kisame loves to fight. However, he was usually unable to finish his battles, being paired with Itachi who only fights when necessary. When this happens, he has been known to inform his opponent(s) that they "don't know how lucky they are." Like other characters who have trained to be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Kisame will not hesitate to mutilate his opponents, as seen when he suggested cutting off Naruto's legs to make him easier to carry, and to prevent the latter from escaping on foot.[5] Despite his aggressive nature, Kisame is very perceptive in battle. He is seemingly aware of any potential danger to his person and can immediately react to it. He is also shown to be analytical, able to quickly deduce the basics behind an opponent's technique.
Kisame is one of the few members of Akatsuki that got along well with his partner. He was very loyal to Itachi, willing to take any commands he was given without question, and constantly looked out for his well-being. Although Kisame does have his pride, he acknowledged Itachi as the stronger of the duo. Madara has noted that, out of all of Akatsuki, Kisame was the closest to Itachi, implying that they were indeed good friends. Kisame also has a deep loathing for Might Guy since their first encounter, and Guy seemed to continue to agitate him by not remembering who Kisame was when they met again.[6]
edit Abilities Kisame is said to be the strongest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. At one point, Guy battled a clone of Kisame's with 30% chakra-supply, and Guy was forced to open his Sixth Chakra Gate in order to survive. Kisame also proved powerful enough to successfully capture the Four-Tailed Monkey's jinchūriki, Rōshi, all by himself, despite noting his target's exceptional powers. Though a difficult task, by his own admission, Kisame merely complained that he was "a bit tired".[7] Madara has great confidence in sending Kisame to capture Killer Bee, the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tailed Giant Ox, all by himself once again. Chōjūrō noted that Kisame is a special case, whose immense chakra supply and unique abilities put him at the same level as a jinchūriki, and that he must not be taken lightly.
[edit] Samehada 
Samehada without bandages.
Kisame can heal and replenish his chakra by momentarily fusing with Samehada. He can also fuse all the way to further increase his power along with adding to his shark-like appearance. When fused with Samehada, he gains the ability to breathe underwater using gills. While using his Water Prison Shark Dance Technique, he can take full advantage of that ability by drowning his opponents. In this form he can sense other peoples' chakra, and absorb it just by touching the foe with any part of his body. He can also hide within Samehada.
Only Kisame is able to wield Samehada; if anyone besides him tries to pick it up, spikes protrude from its handle, and it returns to Kisame's side. Samehada's loyalty seems to be only because it likes Kisame's chakra. If it finds a ninja with better chakra, it may turn to that ninja's side, demonstrated when Samehada protected Killer Bee from Kisame's attempt to slash off his legs.[8]
It was stated by Suigetsu that, if he killed Kisame, he would be able to wield the Samehada. Chōjūrō describes the Samehada as the most terrifying sword of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.[9]
[edit] Physical Prowess and Chakra Unlike his partner Itachi, Kisame prefers direct physical combat, with which he has repeatedly been shown to be very proficient and dangerous. Generally while fighting, he combines strong taijutsu strikes with powerful slashes from Samehada. He has been seen displaying astonishing raw speed and immense physical strength, making it highly difficult for his opponents to directly overpower him, as shown from overpowering Might Guy, a powerful taijutsu master, during their battle. He also managed to overpower another skilled melee-weapon user, Asuma Sarutobi, by using only the tip of Samehada (wielded with one hand), against Asuma's two blades, which he held overhead using his body as extra support.[10]
Kisame has an unusually large amount of chakra, even by Akatsuki standards.[11] Karin, upon sensing Kisame, stated she had never seen so much chakra in one place.[12] Even when he fought at 30% power in one instance,[13] Neji compared his chakra supply to that of Naruto.[14] Chōjūrō claims that Kisame was a "Tailed Beast without a Tail (尾を持たない尾獣, O o Motanai Bijū)" due to his inhuman chakra level and combination with Samehada.[15]
[edit] Water and Earth Release Kisame's shark-like attributes carry over into his battles, for he even shapes his Water Release attacks into sharks. He is also able to alter the entire battlefield by using his Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave, to create a lake's worth of water to give him the field advantage, and to use for attacks [16] Against stronger opponents, he increases his field advantage even further by creating a giant dome of water around himself, forcing his opponents to battle him underwater. Using Earth element, Kisame can use Earth Release: Underground Submarine Voyage to travel under the earth, with the tip of his sword, Samehada, jutting out making him look like a shark swimming towards his prey.
[edit] Return of Itachi arc
Itachi and Kisame's debut.
Itachi and Kisame then continued to hunt Naruto, finding him under the protection of Jiraiya. After Itachi hypnotized a woman to distract Jiraiya and leave Naruto alone, Kisame and Itachi confronted Naruto in a hotel hallway. Kisame considered cutting off Naruto's legs so he could not run away, though Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother, showed up and drew their attention from Naruto. When Naruto attempted to fight, Kisame used Samehada to absorb all of Naruto's chakra. Kisame then attempted to cut off Naruto's arms so he wouldn't put up a fight. Before he could do this, however, Jiraiya arrived, and defended Naruto. Following the encounter, Kisame and Itachi were driven off by Jiraiya, failing in capturing Naruto.
[edit] Rescue Gaara arc 
Kisame attacking Team Guy.
[edit] Hunt for Itachi arc Kisame successfully managed to capture the Four-Tailed Monkey, his assigned tailed beast, without a scratch. During the following Akatsuki meeting to seal the Four-Tails, Kisame and Itachi were informed of Hebi's formation, with Sasuke as its leader. Kisame was later told by Itachi to stand guard outside the Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold and to let only Sasuke through. After Sasuke left the rest of Hebi, Suigetsu (who was a former candidate for The Seven Swordsman of the Mist) started a fight with Kisame, wanting to claim Samehada as his own. It was later revealed that Zetsu had stopped the fight.
[edit] Hunt for the Eight-Tails arc Following Itachi's death, Kisame is confronted by Tobi, who revealed his identity as Madara Uchiha. Recognizing him as a former Mizukage, Kisame commented that he felt a lot better knowing it was Madara who was pulling the strings. Kisame later assisted with the sealing of the Eight-Tails captured by Sasuke. When this turns out to be a fake, Kisame notes that the Eight-Tails' host, Killer Bee, fooled Sasuke.
[edit] Five Kage Summit arc After Zetsu reported Pain's death, Madara ordered Kisame to capture the Eight-Tails by himself. Kisame used Samehada to find Killer Bee, being drawn to Bee's immense chakra. When he arrived at the residence of Sabu, Kisame was immediately attacked by Ponta, who he quickly defeated. Bee and Sabu then join forces, Bee even entering a four-tailed form. Kisame fended them both off and absorbed Bee's chakra cloak. He then removed the bandages from Samehada, noting that it liked the "taste" of Bee's chakra.
Killer Bee entered a version 2 form and used his Lariat to destroy Kisame's entire midsection. Kisame fused with Samehada to heal his injuries, becoming a monstrous shark-like creature. After trapping Killer Bee, Sabu, and Ponta inside a giant, movable dome of water, he continued his assault on Killer Bee. Bee was forced to throw Sabu and Ponta from the dome to save them from drowning, allowing Kisame to overpower him. He dissipated the dome and moved in to finish the job, but was stopped by Samehada, who protected Bee and gave him some chakra. He kicked Samehada away and prepared to try again with one of Bee's own swords.
" Kisame" being decapitated.
[edit] Fourth Shinobi World War arcIt was later revealed that the decapitated body was a clone of Zetsu and that the real Kisame had been hiding inside Samehada in order to infiltrate Kumogakure. The sword itself was taken by Killer Bee, who planned to use it as his new weapon. Kisame was later seen spying on a Kumogakure war meeting, considering Killer Bee to be a blithering idiot.
- It is shown in the anime's omake specials that Kisame is insecure of his blue skin. This is portrayed when Deidara commented on how handsome his partner was, and how that must make him popular. Kisame sulked, and replied with, "After all, I'm strangely colored."
- At 195 centimeters, Kisame is the tallest member of Akatsuki.
- "Kisame" means demon shark, while "Hoshigaki" may mean dried persimmon.
- Kishimoto first intended to make Akatsuki's members monsters with almost no human traits. Zetsu and Kisame are prime examples of this.
- Kisame's birth date, March 18th, makes his Western astrological sign Pisces, or fish.
- According to the Third Databook:
- Kisame's hobby is taking care of his sword, Samehada.
- Kisame's favorite foods are shrimp and crab, while his least favorite, predictably, is shark fin soup.
- Kisame has completed 332 official missions in total: 3 D-rank, 68 C-rank, 154 B-rank, 78 A-rank, 29 S-rank.
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June 9 
