Why Does Itachi Have Lines Under His Eyes?

As far as Naruto characters are concerned, Itachi Uchiha is one of the best and most interesting characters from the whole series. Not only is Itachi’s story one of the best ones, but his importance for the story’s development and Sasuke’s character development is pivotal. Now, Itachi was involved in a fair share of controversial and puzzling moments, and we have already written about many of them here on the site. But this one is going to be different. To take a break from analyzing Itachi’s complex moral and psychological role in the story, we will focus on his physical appearance, as you will find out why he has lines under his eyes in the Naruto series.

The lines under Itachi’s eyes seem like regular wrinkles and are probably just an aesthetical thing related to the amount of stress he was subjected to in life and the disease he had. All of that definitely exhausted him and his body, which is probably why these wrinkles (lines) appeared, as there doesn’t seem to be any other, deeper explanation. It could also be a genetic trait that cannot be proven, as we have too little information.

The remainder of this article will give you a detailed overview of Itachi Uchiha’s appearance in the series and how the two lines on his face relate to his story. You already know what happened and how it happened, so we will just bring you the details so you know the whole context. Be careful, though, as the article will contain many spoilers, so if you don’t know all the details, be careful how you approach the text.

Itachi Uchiha had wrinkles, probably due to stress and his disease

Except for the intensity in his gaze, he did not look menacing despite being a notorious shinobi. He frequently had beautiful eyes when residing in Konoha, especially when it came to his younger brother Sasuke.

His gaze, when he joined Akatsuki’s, became icy and serene. Like all other members of the Uchiha clan, he had black hair that fell down to his cheeks to frame his face and wore a ponytail at the back that, after he joined the organization, was hidden by the Akatsuki cloak. He also shared the same dark gray eyes and black hair that framed his face.

Itachi and Sasuke shared a similar appearance as siblings, with a few minor variations: Itachi’s skin tone was somewhat darker than Sasuke’s, and Itachi was depicted as having dark circles under his eyes. Like Sasuke, he was thought to be incredibly attractive by women.

He wore a black t-shirt with the Uchiha Clan insignia on the back and black pants with a bag of weapons attached to them while he was still living in Konohagakure. He would don the customary ANBU garb while serving. He donned the customary Akatsuki cloak and typically kept the center buttoned as a member of the Akatsuki.

Occasionally, he would remove the top button of his cloak and reach inside with his left hand. When Sasuke’s Kirin destroyed his cloak during their battle in Part II, it became clear that he was wearing clothing that was similar to the rest of the Akatsuki. He was wearing a blue shirt (when the majority of the other Akatsuki members were wearing a sleeveless shirt) and blue pants with mesh underneath the shirt, as well as a white band around the waist on the outside of the shirt that looked somewhat like a tunic.

He wore the sash of his hometown with a horizontal slash in it, like nearly all Akatsuki members, to represent his severed ties to it. He was sporting his Akatsuki ring, which features the kanji 朱 (shu), which stands for “vermilion” or “scarlet,” on his right arm. In addition, he wore a necklace made of three metal rings or circles.

He undergoes a dramatic shift in looks during the Fourth War. He wears a garnet-red cape with a beige lining and a hood, but not the traditional Konoha band or the blue shirt he was wearing inside. Instead, he wears pants, sandals, and the customary Akatsuki stockings.

He also wears a necklace with three metal circles. Due to Edo Tensei, his eyes have undergone a noticeable change in hue, with the sclera turning black.

Another notable trait of his are the two lines that appear under his eyes later on in the story. He did not have them as a child, and it doesn’t seem like it is a genetic trait of his. This is why fans wonder why Itachi has these two lines and what they represent in the series and for him as a character.

We have to say that Kishimoto has not provided us with an official explanation, but based on pure observation, we can deduce the reasons with relative certainty.

From what it seems, the two lines under Itachi’s eyes seem to be wrinkles. Two large, visible wrinkles. This is usually present on old people’s faces, but we knew that Itachi never reached that certain age, so fans were so surprised to see them at one point in the story. Kishimoto simply added them without ever explaining why they were there and when Itachi got them, but knowing his life and his story, it becomes quite obvious why he received them.

First of all, there’s the stress. Itachi Uchiha has been subjected to so much stress in his life that it is surprising that his hair did not turn completely white. Namely, he had to kill his whole Clan (almost), he had to live as a traitor and an enemy of his home, and he had to leave his brother while, at the same time, knowing that Sasuke hated him.

On top of that, he was aware that he had a fatal illness that would, sooner or later, kill him. Imagine going through all of that on a daily basis, along with all the other struggles he had to face! Of course, he would get wrinkles from all of that.

Secondly, you have to consider the illness we’ve just mentioned. Namely, Itachi was suffering from a mysterious yet fatal lung disease we’ve already talked about in our earlier texts, and the fact that he had to strain his body to keep himself alive to do what he wanted to do says enough.

It is quite obvious that Itachi’s body suffered a lot and that he exhausted himself, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he had two wrinkles on his face. With such wear and tear, he was lucky it was just the two.

And there you have it. As we’ve said, this is not an official fact confirmed by Kishimoto, but some things are obvious to everyone who has ever experienced anything.

The effect of stress and disease on the human body is known, and once we pair that with Itachi’s story, it becomes obvious how these two lines developed and that they are a sign of the gravity of his story.