I think Itachi is an interesting take on the trolly problem (NARUTO)

We know how much this sub loves and hates talking about Itachi so I can hope we can be civil a bit.

For those unaware, the trolley problem is a famous philosophical question that is straightforward yet complex and divisive. It basically asks "would you kill one (few) person to save many?", and I think Itachi is a really good take on this because he actually pulls the level and answers yes.

That isnt the full extent of it though, as just killing few to save many has been done in media many times. What I really love though is as much as he doesn't regret doing it, he still hates himself for it and basically places a death sentence on himself by having himself be killed by his brother, inflitrate a terrorist organization and keep them at bay from attacking his home and do many subtle things to hinder them like convincing Kisame they weren't a match for Jiraiya even when they were, sparing Kakashi when he could've killed him or feeding Jiraiya intel on the location of Pain.

But wait, there's more! Once he was brought back to life temporarily and saw the full extent of his actions on his little brother, he realized how foolish and egotistical he was, and Im quoting him directly. He realizes rather than killing his people to prevent a civil and eventual world war, he should've went to his brother for help and used dialogue to de-escalate the rebellion. This is in line with the theme of the series, that forging bonds and dialogue are the key to bringing about peace.

I do think there are some things wrong with Itachi's writing but overall, I find him a really interesting character that helps readers glean into the politics of Konoha and the Uchiha.

Alright thank you for reading!