Would Itachi have made a good Hokage? Letâs have a quick think about it.
(Disclaimer that I wrote this a year ago and itâs been sat in my drafts ever since so apologies itâs not my best work lmao).
My short answer to this question? Yes and No.
Iâve seen plenty of people claim that Itachi would have been a great Hokage, often using how Hiruzen believed itachi thought like a hokage as an example. But donât we all agree that Hiruzen was a terrible hokage?? This is the same Hokage that allowed the Uchiha massacre, Danzoâs continued crimes, Narutoâs neglect and abuse from the village, and several other atrocities. So⌠yeah I donât think heâs the best judge for who would make a great hokage when his reign was filled with horror. So why do we suddenly agree with this man when it suits one mindset and belief that Itachi was this great guy who would have led the village well?
I will say that he would have made a âgood Hokageâ based on Konohaâs reality. Konoha was established to end child soldiers after endless years of warfare between clans, right? It was meant to bring peace. But instead it upheld this system and killed anyone who stepped a toe out of line whilst pretending it was any better than the warring states. The propaganda worked. Konoha failed but pretended it was on the moral high ground and won through waging war and killing anyone, even civilians, who would dare not support it. It refused to reform and budge. Even Naruto doesnât reform it. Heâs married to a woman who supports the slavery of her clan. Itâs devastating to think this is what Neiji died for, I.e., his abusers. No effort was made to show the Uchiha were innocent and victims, nor effort to liberate the Hyuuga, or help other villages and actually work in harmony because that would create unrest. That would prove the village has failed more than anyone could imagine. So itâs better to lie and pretend all is well with only the elite few knowing. And even they will convince themselves that itâs all for the better. Kakashi didnât think twice to try stop sasuke from getting his revenge when he discovered the truth about the Uchiha. Not an ounce of justice was served. Because that would prove the âenemiesâ of Konoha and the fundamentals of the Shinobi system right. So yes, I suppose Itachi would have made a great Hokage in that regard if we want to see the continuation of brainwashed soldiers. Child soldiers. Because at the end of the day, Itachi and the majority of the characters are products of this system and believe in upholding it. He would have been great in upholding this false peace. Heâd even brainwash his own brother and kill his own clan. THAT is what the real Konoha wants.
So no, Itachi would not have fixed the villageâs problems and made it what it should have been from the start. If you want to see genuine, good, reform in Konoha, Itachi would realistically not be the Hokage to do that. He would not have made a good Hokage in that sense. But he would make a good Hokage to ensure its nasty regime continued.
(I feel like everything Iâve said should be very self-explanatory and shouldnât need stating. But for some reason a lot of this fandom love to hype up characters that really shouldnât be adored in the way they are).
