Do we like them?

Do we like Itachi Uchiha?

A character from Naruto (2002–2007 (manga 199)

Our score: 6 out of 10. Yes, though not for his methods. He is brilliant and self-sacrificing, and the story shows his worst acts weren't what they seemed. We'd back him, with a heavy heart.

Itachi is introduced as a prodigy of Konoha's Uchiha clan. He became a ninja very young and was admired by everyone. By the time we meet him in Naruto, he is a cold, feared missing-nin in the Akatsuki, and he is the person his younger brother Sasuke has sworn to defeat.

He is calm, gentle in private and unusually thoughtful. He hates needless fighting, and he is very patient with children, especially Sasuke. That gives us a lot to like about him, even while he looks like the villain. The score reflects a person whose care for others shows far more than his bad reputation.

Later the story reveals that Itachi wiped out his clan on secret orders, to stop a coup that would have started a war. He took on the blame alone, left Sasuke alive and spent years steering him from afar, all while hiding an illness. His methods were brutal and he left his brother in pain, which is why this is an 8 and not a 10.