What Episode Does Itachi Die ^new^ -
The real turning point comes when Nagato uses the Six Paths Technique, a powerful dojutsu (eye technique) that allows him to control and manipulate the bodies of others. He takes control of Itachi's body, momentarily gaining the upper hand.
As the dust settles, Itachi approaches a terrified and depleted Sasuke. In his final moments, Itachi pokes Sasuke on the forehead—a gesture of affection repeated from their childhood—and smiles before collapsing to the floor. The official cause of death is attributed to a combination of chakra exhaustion and a terminal illness that had been plaguing Itachi for years, which he had been medicating to survive long enough to die by Sasuke’s hand.
The pain and complexity of Itachi's story deeply affect Sasuke, altering his path and influencing the rest of the series. Sasuke comes to see his brother not as an enemy, but as a protector and a symbol of familial love.
The stage is set for a poignant confrontation. Itachi Uchiha, once a highly skilled ninja from the Uchiha clan, now a fugitive with a clouded past, faces off against his brother Sasuke. Their complicated history, marked by both love and hatred, is about to reach a climax. what episode does itachi die
While Episode 138 depicts the biological death of the character, the narrative death is not fully realized until the subsequent episode.
So, to answer the question definitively: Yet, the emotional and narrative death of his character arc spans from Episode 135 to Episode 142, where the truth transforms his final moment from a villain’s demise into a martyr’s sacrifice. Itachi’s death is a masterclass in delayed storytelling—a twist that forces the viewer to rewatch his every previous appearance with new eyes. In the end, the episode number is just a marker; the real question is not when he died, but why he lived the way he did. And that answer, much like his final forehead poke, lingers long after the credits roll.
While Itachi physically dies in Episode 138, his true death—the death of his villainous reputation—occurs in the episodes that follow. In ( “Truth” ), Sasuke is recruited into Tobi’s (Obito Uchiha’s) hideout, where he learns the devastating truth: Itachi was a secret pacifist, a double agent who slaughtered his clan under orders from Konoha’s elders to prevent a coup d’état. His only condition was to spare Sasuke. The torment he inflicted on Sasuke—the Tsukuyomi nightmares, the obsession with revenge—was a cruel but calculated design to make Sasuke strong enough to survive and be hailed as the hero who avenged the Uchiha. The real turning point comes when Nagato uses
The bond between the Uchiha brothers transcends their lifetimes, a poignant reminder that love and sacrifice can conquer even the darkest of pasts.
This episode adapts chapters 393 and 394 of the original manga by Masashi Kishimoto. It depicts the final moments of the prolonged battle between Sasuke and Itachi, which took place within the Uchiha hideout.
The fight between Sasuke and Itachi is the culmination of years of buildup, beginning in the original Naruto series. The battle officially spans from ("The Longest Moment") to Episode 138 . In his final moments, Itachi pokes Sasuke on
The screen fades to black as Sasuke, now overcome with emotion, weeps for the brother he had sought to kill. The complexity of their bond and the sacrifices Itachi made for Sasuke's sake are finally understood.
The power of Episode 138 lies not in spectacle, but in silence. After an explosive three-episode fight, “The End” slows down to a near halt. The sound design—rain falling, footsteps crunching, the soft thud of Itachi’s body—creates an intimate, mournful atmosphere. The final shot of Sasuke standing over Itachi’s corpse, his Sharingan fading as he loses consciousness, mirrors the end of their first battle in Naruto Episode 85 ( “The End of Tears” ), but now the roles are reversed.
By the time Episode 138 begins, the brothers have exhausted their chakra reserves. Sasuke has successfully countered Itachi’s genjutsu and pushed him to his limits, forcing Itachi to rely on his ultimate techniques. The climax of the battle sees Itachi using Susanoo to defend against Sasuke’s final lightning-based attack, Kirin. Following this, the antagonist Orochimaru manifests through Sasuke’s curse mark, only to be sealed away by Itachi’s Susanoo.