Maki's Zenin Clan massacre in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 is not the same as Itachi's in Naruto, and for good reason

After the release of what can only be described as one of the most brutal episodes in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, fans started comparing Itachi’s Uchiha massacre in Naruto and Maki’s annihilation of the Zenin clan. Yes, they look the same at first glance. In a single night, two characters destroy their whole families. However, the parallels literally stop there.

In every significant manner, these killings differ greatly from one another. To be honest, if you regard both as the same thing, you're losing the whole purpose of both tales.

The reasons couldn't be more dissimilar

The "why" behind everything is the primary distinction between the Uchiha massacre in Naruto and the Zenin massacre in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3. Let's start with Naruto.

The Uchiha were planning a coup that would start a civil war and might even spark another global conflict. The leadership of Konoha (Danzo and co.) put Itachi in a difficult situation, thus he killed his clan. Itachi chose what he believed to be the "lesser evil" in order to stop far more deaths. For whatever reason, he gave up his family for the "greater good". It was deliberate, political, and intended to save lives in the future.

In Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, Maki's entire situation is very personal. Her father actually attempted to kill her and her twin sister, Mai. When Mai passed away in that awful spirit abyss, she asked Maki to "destroy everything." This wasn't about saving the world or putting an end to a conflict. This was just pure retaliation. Since Maki did not possess any cursed energy, she was treated like trash by the Zenin family for her entire life.

They mistreated her, prevented her from getting better, and then tried to kill her. In Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, Maki was fighting back to defend herself from people attempting to kill her. Meanwhile, Itachi in Naruto was breaking into people’s houses and killing innocent people. That included his own parents, who did nothing but watch.

It matters a lot who died

This is a common misconception regarding Jujutsu Kaisen season 3. Not every Zenin was killed by Maki. She slew the Hei and Kukuru units, which were essentially the clan's army soldiers that were ordered to put her to death. This is actually quite evident in the anime. The clan dispatched fighters to pursue Maki after she killed her father in self-defense. As they continued to arrive, she slaughtered them. Yes, she also located the fighters who weren't present on that particular day. However, these weren't just any citizens; they were armed soldiers.

Itachi killed everyone in Naruto with the help of Obito (Tobi). Women, children, elderly people, and casual onlookers who did not participate in the coup. Tobi took out the military part, and Itachi took the civilian part. He eliminated every Uchiha save Sasuke. Some of the kids in the clan probably didn't know what a coup was. Danzo's bargain was all or nothing, so Itachi killed them nevertheless.

In fact, Naruto displays the bodies of entire families and children. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 deliberately avoids showing Maki killing non-fighters because she didn't target them. Because her mother actually assisted in setting the trap that murdered Mai, Maki's mother was the sole civilian she killed.

Naruto wants you to feel sorry for Itachi

Itachi is a sad hero who made an unimaginable sacrifice, and Naruto really wants you to see that. The narrative makes every effort to defend his actions. He was defending the village and maintaining the peace while protecting Sasuke. Itachi comes across as someone who suffered for doing the "right thing". Even after everyone finds out what the truth is.

Except for all the horror of it, the show more or less makes you feel sorry for him. And it worked. The story portrays Itachi's act of genocide as a terrible but necessary sacrifice, and he is one of Naruto's most popular characters. If anything, the truth made him more popular with fans.

Maki doesn’t get that in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3. The episode doesn't sugarcoat anything and is tough. Maki isn't portrayed as a hero, making the right decision. She is driven by anguish and unadulterated anger because she was pushed too far.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 does not attempt to portray her as virtuous. It illustrates what happens when corrupt systems mistreat the people in those systems until someone finally snaps and burns it all down. In Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, Gege doesn’t paint Maki as a hero. He is describing the aftermath of institutional abuse.

The Terrible System in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3

The Uchiha clan in Naruto was perceived as a threat to society, but they weren’t actually bad. They were reacting to years of Konoha’s leadership putting them down. They were essentially pushed to the brink by Tobirama's policies. The Uchiha had legitimate grievances. Itachi killed them in order to maintain an already flawed structure that had initially failed his clan.

In Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, the Zenin clan was truly wicked. Like, really awful. They treated individuals like filth according to an arbitrary power system, were incredibly sexist, and mistreated anyone who did not have cursed techniques. To get away from them, Toji literally departed and changed his entire name. Maki left to spite them. Mai was compelled to live a life she had never desired. The Zenin stood for all the flaws in jujutsu culture. Unlike Itachi in Naruto, Maki did not defend a flawed system. She set it on fire.

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Conclusion

Therefore, these massacres are not at all the same. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 told us a tale of retaliation in which a victim destroys those who mistreated her. A political tragedy about a child coerced into committing genocide was presented to us by Naruto. They both hit hard differently and are dark. However, it would be a disservice to each story's true message to act as though they are essentially the same.

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