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While Naruto has plenty of beloved friendships that add depth to the series and serve as motivational forces in the brutal world of ninjas, there is one overlooked friendship that especially stands out. If you’ve watched Naruto Shippudenyou might have noticed Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki’s unique relationship. They spent years together, never betrayed one another, fought side by side, and completed mission after mission for the Akatsuki. But if you look carefully, you’ll see they weren’t really friends in the traditional sense. They weren’t even that close.
But that’s exactly what made them work so well together. In a show full of strong emotions, friendships, and dramatic rivalries, Itachi and Kisame stood out not because of what they shared, but because of what they didn’t. Even if they had enough similarities to bond as true friends in different circumstances, they knew friendships full of emotion were tricky grounds for ninjas. Their relationship wasn’t about loyalty or feelings, it was about respect and getting the job done. And in the morally gray world of the Akatsuki, that was enough.
Their Early Encounters
We’re first introduced to Itachi and Kisame in Episode 80 of the Naruto anime. The Hidden Leaf is still mourning the death of the Third Hokage. But outside the village, two figures quietly observe. Kisame, ever the talker, casually asks Itachi if he feels bad for his old home. Without hesitation, Itachi answers, “No”. Even from this brief interaction, their dynamic is clear. Kisame is chatty, brash, and powerful, while Itachi is the opposite. But when Itachi shuts him down, Kisame listens without question.
We soon learn their backgrounds, too. Itachi is the prodigy who massacred his entire clan and spared only his little brother. Kisame, formerly of the Hidden Mist’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen, is known for killing his own comrades to preserve secrecy. Both are incredibly dangerous killers. But their paths to that point were very different. In Episode 251, we get a flashback to the day Itachi joins the Akatsuki. Kisame is sent to meet him, and the shark-like ninja immediately claims they’re alike because they both killed those they once served. But Itachi doesn’t agree. Instead, he calls Kisame pathetic, lost, and weak for not knowing what he’s truly fighting for.
Annoyed by Itachi’s harsh words, Kisame draws his sword. But Itachi stays calm and the conversation takes a turn when the Uchiha quietly declares, “You don’t truly know who you are until the moment before your death.” That line lands so hard that Itachi immediately earns Kisame’s respect, letting the two work as a near-perfect team despite the rocky start of their dynamic.
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A Friendship of Respect
What’s particularly interesting about Itachi and Kisame’s relationship is that either could betray the other at any time, but doesn’t choose to. Even in their first conversation, Kisame hints at not being the type to hesitate to kill comrades if they get in his way or their deaths benefit him and Itachi makes it clear that he would do the same. Itachi also has good reason to betray Kisame, since as viewers later learn, he was spying on the Akatsuki for the Hidden Leaf Village all along.
But despite being technically enemies, Itachi treats Kisame with the respect deserving of a comrade. He doesn’t open up emotionally, as he knows he might have to betray the other some day, but they do have a tentative friendship built of mutual respect. Although he’s older, larger, and more physically intimidating, Kisame defers to Itachi. He calls him “Itachi-san” and follows his lead without complaint. The two of them attack together, retreat together, and don’t undermine one another.
Aside from this clear respect, Kisame is also shown to care about Itachi’s well-being. In Chapter 364 of the manga, Kisame sees Itachi heading out in the rain, and he points out that Itachi will ruin his health. Even during Itachi’s fight with Sasuke at the Uchiha hideout, Kisame lingers outside the place. He understands that this fight is personal to Itachi and respects that decision by not interfering. But he also seems to care about the outcome. When informed about his partner’s death, Kisame says he’ll spread his wings and see where fate takes him. Some fans interpret this as an admission that he wasn’t particularly dedicated to the Akatsuki’s goals, but stayed there so long because of Itachi.
When Kisame’s own end comes later in Episode 251, he remembers Itachi’s words about not really knowing who you are before the moment of your death, many episodes and years after he first uttered them. While Kisame chose a twisted path, he was still willing to be loyal to his comrades, taking his own life by letting his sharks devour him rather than risk being interrogated and compromising the Akatsuki’s goals. And thanks to Itachi, Kisame dies realizing that he wasn’t really as selfish or “worthless” of a ninja as he had thought.
