Who is stronger between Shishui or Itachi: Naruto: Who is stronger between Shishui and Itachi Uchiha? Explained

The Naruto series is home to a lot of exceptionally powerful shinobi, who have left their mark on the series over the years as the turning tide of pivotal battles. Among them, the shinobi of the Uchiha clan are revered as some of the strongest fighters in the entire series.

Itachi Uchiha, who gained the title of 'Clan Killer' after ruthlessly massacring his own clan one night, serves as one of the strongest characters introduced in the Naruto series. He has gone up against and defeated several powerful characters, including Kakashi Hatake, Deidara, and Nagato Uzumaki, to name a few.

However, there is one character who fans often bring up as a perfect rival to Itachi's unmatched power: Shisui Uchiha, who was considered to be the most skilled Uchiha of his generation.

Shisui Uchiha's abilities in Naruto, explained

Shisui Uchiha as seen in Naruto (image via Studio Pierrot)

Shisui Uchiha was one of the Uchiha clan's most powerful and exceptionally skilled shinobi. Due to his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, he was also renowned as "Shisui of the Body Flicker." The technique allowed him to completely fade out of sight, leaving behind no trace of his presence.

It should be noted that Shisui was also one of the few people who was able to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. According to him, it amplified his ability to cast a genjutsu and was able to trap multiple people inside it from a great distance. Furthermore, it also gave him access to the Konoamatsukami, a unique genjutsu that allowed him to enter the mind of any individual in front of him and manipulate their thoughts and actions.

Lastly, Shisui also possessed unmatched mobility and speed, which allowed him to move undetected by the sensor ninja and even leave behind after-images that could actually strike down his opponents. Furthermore, his mastery over Taijutsu and Ninjutsu made him one of the most talented individuals in his renowned clan.

Itachi Uchiha's abilities in Naruto, explained

Itachi Uchiha as seen in the Naruto anime (image via Pierrot)

Itachi Uchiha, the man who singlehandedly brought down his entire clan on one fateful night, was revered as a shinobi with genius talent in his earlier days, even by the standards of the Uchiha clan.

He became one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha at a young age, surpassing the likes of Orochimaru and Kakashi. Alongside his mastery over Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu, he was also able to pick up new techniques from simple observation. Similar to Shisui, Itachi was also an adept user of the Body Flicker Technique.

Shisui and Itachi as seen in the Naruto anime (image via Pierrot)

Itachi had awakened the Sharingan when he was only 8 years old and was able to fully master it in a short amount of time. He was also renowned for his usage of Genjutsu, which allowed him to trap and psychologically disable his opponents, thereby putting an end to any fight in an instant.

Itachi was able to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan after witnessing Shisui's suicide, which allowed him to use Amaterasu, igniting anything he looked at with black flames. Lastly, he was also able to trap and severely damage his opponents' minds with Tsukuyomi, which he used to create an illusory world where he could alter his opponents' perception of quite literally everything.

Itachi's words on who is stronger, explained

Itachi claimed that Shisui was always slightly stronger than him in the Naruto series (image via Pierrot)

Itachi first came across Shisui when he was 5 years old. The two befriended each other pretty quick and formed a brother-like bond. On several occasions, Shisui sparred with Itachi and trained him to become a better shinobi. Unfortunately, their friendship came to a heartbreaking end when Shisui died by suicide and entrusted his left eye to Itachi, thereby helping the latter awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Shisui has always been someone whom Itachi had a great deal of respect for, as he once admitted that the former was always slightly stronger than him. Thereby, it can be concluded that, until the point of his death, Shisui was stronger than Itachi.

However, it can also be argued that Itachi surpassed Shisui's power level after the latter's death, especially since he awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan after witnessing his childhood friend take his own life. While a hypothetical matchup between the two is certainly interesting to imagine, it would be safe to assume that the victory might go to Itachi if his crippling disease is taken out of the equation.