How Did Sasuke Get the Mangekyo Sharingan?

Uchiha Sasuke is well-known for his formidable Dojutsu (Eye techniques), one of which is the Mangekyo Sharingan.

The Mangekyo Sharingan is a powerful Dojutsu possessed by select members of the Uchiha clan.

The awakening of this eye is usually brought on by significant emotional trauma. So how does Sasuke acquire the Mangekyo Sharingan?

Sasuke got the Mangekyo Sharingan after the death of his older brother, Itachi.

This event was covered in episode #141 of Naruto Shippuden after Sasuke realizes the truth behind Itachi’s action of murdering their clan.

Sasuke didn’t kill Itachi; instead, he died of an illness, and Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan did not activate until several weeks after Itachi’s death.”

Read on to learn more about the significance of Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan.

What Are the Abilities of Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan?

Sasuke’s Mangekyo Abilities include Amaterasu, a never-ending black flame; Kagutsuchi, the ability to shape and manipulate the Amaterasu; and then Susanoo, a gigantic, humanoid avatar made of the user’s chakra.

While the Mangekyo is superior to the Regular Sharingan, it does have one major setback: eyesight deterioration.

The frequent use of the Mangekyo Sharingan causes eyesight deterioration, reducing the eye’s capacity to absorb light. Over time, the eyes start to bleed, which impairs the user’s combat abilities, distorting their vision to the point where aiming becomes impossible, eventually rendering the user blind.

To prevent this, the Mangekyo Sharingan must be upgraded to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Also read: Does Sasuke Die in Boruto?

What is the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?

The Eternal Mangekyo is an upgrade that fixes the defects of the Regular Mangekyo Sharingan. It grants the user unlimited access to the Mangekyo abilities without endangering their sight.

The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan enhances the ordinary Mangekyo’s skills while reducing chakra usage and allowing the user to unlock the perfect Susanoo.

By transplanting another blood-related Mangekyo Sharingan (brothers, a family member), the normal Mangekyo will be upgraded into the Eternal (EMS), removing all the drawbacks listed above. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan can restore eyes that have even deteriorated to blindness (like Madara’s).

Upon getting the EMS, The designs/patterns of both the original user and the one who had their eyes taken are combined and merged to form a distinctly new one.

How Did Sasuke Get Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?

Sasuke got the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan when Obito transplanted Itachi’s eyes into him. This occurs during episode #216 of Naruto Shippuden after Sasuke’s battle with Danzo and continued in episode #220 after the transplant was completed while he was recuperating.

Why Is Sasuke Losing His Eyesight?

Sasuke began losing his eyesight due to the excess use of the Mangekyo Sharingan’s abilities. The battle with Danzo played a significant role in Sasuke losing his eyesight, as he went all out to defeat Danzo even while still bleeding.

After the battle, Obito transplanted Itachi’s eyes into Sasuke, curing his deteriorating sight while unlocking the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Why Does Sasuke Have Two Different Mangekyo Sharingan?

Sasuke doesn’t have two different Mangekyo Sharingan; Instead, he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and eventually evolved it into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan by transplanting Itachi’s eyes. Sasuke is one of the two Uchiha to acquire the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the first being Madara.

Why Didn’t Sasuke Get the Mangekyo Sharingan When His Parents Died?

Sasuke first awakened the Regular Sharingan when he watched his parents killed. As he began to process the actions committed, he immediately blacked out. There is a high chance his Sharingan would have continued to evolve if he had remained conscious and processed his loss.

Let’s not forget that the Sharingan has stages of evolution. Before you can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, you must first awaken the 1 through 3 Tomoe, which takes time. One can’t cross from One Tomoe to Mangekyo Sharingan; it doesn’t work that way.

How Did Sasuke Get Amaterasu?

Using the heavenly transcription seal jutsu, Itachi implanted a one-time Amaterasu use within Sasuke with the poke just before he died. At that point, Itachi transferred his visual abilities to Sasuke and set up the Amaterasu trap to automatically unseal at the sight of Obito’s Sharingan.

The Heavenly Transcription Seal Jutsu is a technique that seals jutsus within the Sharingan of another person. After being sealed within the person, it is involuntarily activated (taking the form of the sealer’s Mangekyo Sharingan) when certain requirements, which the user predetermines, are met.

Itachi must have done something to you before he died. At the very end… He transferred his ocular powers to you.

The Amaterasu, which Itachi seems to have implanted in you. Leave it to Itachi to set a post-mortem trap. I can’t believe how well he plans ahead. In order to kill me, Itachi placed a jutsu on you… Or at least to keep me away from you.

Obito to Sasuke | Chapter #397

Itachi only temporarily transferred the Amaterasu for a single-use to protect Sasuke from Obito. This is why we see Sasuke’s Sharingan morph into Itachi’s Mangekyo pattern when Obito reveals his face to Sasuke (because that is Itachi’s Amaterasu). Sasuke awakened his version of Amaterasu during his battle with Killer Bee.

Why Does Sasuke and Itachi Both Have Amaterasu?

Sasuke and Itachi both possess Amaterasu because they are close relatives (brothers) and can have similar abilities in one eye. Itachi possesses Tsukuyomi in his other eye, whereas Sasuke has Kagetsuchi. If Itachi did give Sasuke Amaterasu, then he would have also received Tsukuyomi, not a new ability.

Sasuke possesses Amaterasu in his left Mangekyo, allowing him to ignite whatever with the never-ending black flames. Kagutsuchi in the right Mangekyo allows him to shape and manipulate the flames.

This duo makes sense as they complement one other, making them unique to Sasuke alone. Fun Fact; Itachi’s Amaterasu is in his right eye, while Sasuke’s is in his left.

So, yes, they both share similar but different Mangekyo Abilities, which is why Sasuke can’t wield the Tsukuyomi.

Was Itachi Almost Blind When He Fought Sasuke?

Itachi had blurry vision due to his excessive use of the Mangekyo abilities during his fight with Sasuke. As we all know, the eyes’ major setback is the deterioration of eyesight, and Itachi doesn’t have the Eternal Mangekyo to ace the effect.

Plus, he was ill from a long-known disease and was eventually going to die. Itachi was able to use the eyes for more than eight years before losing his sight. Sasuke, on the other hand, only used it for less than a month before experiencing the effects.

Read more: Does Sasuke Kill Itachi?

Is Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan The Strongest Sharingan?

The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan isn’t the strongest Sharingan, the Rinne-Sharingan is.

The Rinne-Sharingan is the predecessor to the Rinnegan and Sharingan, possessing practically all of the Rinnegan’s abilities as well as the ability to cast tremendous Genjutsu known as Infinite Tsukuyomi.

This eye has some highly unique space-time ninjutsu abilities that, if employed properly, can be lethal. Only a few characters, notably Kaguya, Madara, and Sasuke, have been able to use this god-like dojutsu.

See more: Strongest Characters in Naruto Ranked