User:TheUltimate3/Kekkei Genkai
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In the Naruto anime and manga series, a kekkei genkai (血継限界? literally "blood inheritance limit" or "[an ability] limited to blood inheritance," also called a "bloodline limit," "advanced bloodline," or "bloodline trait") is any property passed down genetically through a specific clan that cannot be imitated or duplicated by any normal method, although it might be possible to copy it using genetic manipulation or organ transplantation. Kekkei genkai are often beneficial, and are employed commonly by shinobi to improve their chances in battle or other challenging situations.
The eagerness with which the rulers of nations have taken advantage of shinobi with kekkei genkai for the purposes of furthering war efforts has taken its toll on their reputation, to such a degree that many in the Naruto world automatically associate kekkei genkai with war and pain. It eventually reached the point of outright fear and hatred, resulting in witch-hunts and systematic murders of families and individuals with kekkei genkai.
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[edit] Byakugan
The Byakugan (白眼? literally "White Eye," English manga "Evil Eye") is an eye technique (瞳術 dōjutsu?) that naturally occurs in members of the Hyuga clan. Byakugan users are characterized by their lavender, pupil-less eyes. When the Byakugan is activated, their pupils somewhat appear and the veins near their temples bulge.
A person with the Byakugan has a nearly 360 degree field of vision, except for a small blind spot behind the first thoracic vertebra (near the back of the neck). Byakugan users can detect anything around them within a 50-meter radius, making them close-range combat experts. Neji Hyuga manages to increase the radius to over 800 meters during the timeskip. The Byakugan also gives the user the ability to see through basically any matter over extremely long distances. This seems to be a combination of x-ray and thermographic vision, as Hinata Hyuga notes in the Bikochu filler arc that objects can be difficult to see if their temperature is the same as the objects around them. A small degree of telescopic vision is also present, as a Byakugan user can focus on a single object at any point within their range of vision. The degree of focus seems to be dependent on the skill of the user. The Byakugan's insight capacity makes it useful for searching, tracking, and identifying targets.
One of the most powerful aspects of the Byakugan is the ability to see the chakra circulatory system, which is the key aspect of using the Gentle Fist style to attack said system. If sufficiently developed, the Byakugan is able to see individual chakra points, potentially allowing the user to shut off the opponent's chakra flow completely, such that the opponent cannot perform techniques that require chakra. Seasoned Byakugan users are even capable of killing with a single blow. There are several techniques developed specifically for Byakugan users that are performed through the Gentle Fist style, which complement and make use of the Byakugan's abilities.
Protection of the Byakugan ability is very important to the Hyuga clan, and has led to the development of an elaborate family hierarchy. The Hyuga clan is divided into two houses: the main house (宗家 sō-ke?) and the branch house (分家 bun-ke?). The branch house's main purpose is to protect the main house and the secrets of the Byakugan. Branch house members' abilities and freedom are restricted through the means of a cursed seal that is placed on every branch house member's forehead. Through the means of a special technique that only main house members know, the seal can be activated, destroying the brain cells of the person branded with the seal. This allows the main house to make the branch family submit to their demands or wishes. In addition, whenever a branch house member dies, the cursed seal will also seal the Byakugan ability so that enemies will not be able to discover its secrets.
[edit] Hyoton
Haku's kekkei genkai, Hyoton (氷遁 Hyōton?, literally "Ice Release," dubbed "Haku's Secret Arts of Water" by Viz) allows him to combine wind and water-based chakra to create ice, which he can manipulate at will, as seen in the anime from a flashback where he was manipulating water in his hands and again when he uses water to create a field of icicles through his house. Haku's ice is reinforced by chakra, making normally effectively methods of melting ice (namely fire), practically useless. Haku's signature attack with this ability is his Demonic Ice Mirrors (魔鏡氷晶 Makyō Hyō Shō?, English TV "Crystal Ice Mirrors"), which creates any number of mirrors made of ice to use as a shield or trap an opponent. In addition, Haku can enter the mirrors and move between them almost instantaneously, allowing him to easily attack others and not worry about being countered.
In the first Naruto movie, several of the Yukigakure ninja also had the ability to use Hyoton techniques. However, this was not the product of a similar kekkei genkai, as demonstrated by Kakashi's ability to replicate one of these jutsu with his Sharingan. In addition, unlike Haku, who could create his own ice, the Hyoton jutsu used in the movie required the users to manipulate already existing ice.
[edit] Kurama clan's kekkei genkai
In the anime, the Kurama clan is introduced. Every few generations, a member of the clan is born with an incredible talent for genjutsu. The clan member's talent in the field is such that their genjutsu is completely irresistible, so much so that only knocking a person unconscious has any chance of awakening them from it. Furthermore, the genjutsu is so powerful that it causes the brain to make anything that happens to the victim within the genjutsu physically real, allowing the clan member to potentially kill their opponents with genjutsu. Such frightening power is not without its drawbacks, however. The user can rarely control the full extent of their abilities, and as such their subconscious will often regulate that power, leading to the creation of a second personality in control of that power. This personality then overwhelms the original, turning the individual into a monster that is a danger to everyone around them.
[edit] Mokuton
The Mokuton (木遁? literally "Wood Release") jutsu are techniques that combine earth and water-based chakra to create plants, specifically trees of varying size and shape. Mokuton techniques can be produced from anywhere, including the user's body, as the user's chakra is literally converted into a source of life. The First Hokage was the originator of this ability, evidenced by the fact that none of his relatives have been shown capable of using Mokuton. The First's ability to use Mokuton was the reason for his being given the title of Hokage, and with his Wood Release Secret Technique: Birth of Dense Woodland (木遁秘術・樹界降誕 Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan?, English TV "Secret Earth Jutsu: Deep Forest Creation") he was able to grow the trees that served as the foundation of Konohagakure.
Orochimaru desired the First's Mokuton abilities, and injected the First's DNA into 60 test subjects in an attempt to replicate the ability. Yamato was the only test subject to survive, and is the only known living user of Mokuton. Yamato has been shown to be quite adept with the ability, and has performed a number of Mokuton abilities since his introduction. With the Wood Clone Technique (木分身の術 Moku Bunshin no Jutsu?), Yamato can create a copy of himself made of wood to carry out tasks he is unable to do at the moment. He can also perform Wood Locking Wall (木錠壁 Moku Jōheki?) to create a half-dome used either to block attacks or capture others. The Four Pillars Technique (四柱牢の術 Shichūrō no Jutsu?) can serve a similar purpose, as it creates a large wooden cage with which to confine the opponent. Yamato has also been shown to use his abilities for creature comforts, such as using Four Pillars House Technique (四柱家の術 Shichūka no Jutsu?) to create a house for him to camp out in.
A possibly unrelated technique, but unique to the First and Yamato, is the Hokage-Style Sixty-year-old Technique: Enclosed Hermitage Return to Society (火影式耳順術・廓庵入鄽垂手 Hokage Shiki Jijun Jutsu: Kakuan Nitten Suishu?). This jutsu produces a seal (座, "seat") on the user's hand that can suppress a tailed beast's influence over its host. This is done by producing wooden dragons from the ground that attach to the host and force the tailed beast's chakra to recede. The First Hokage's crystal necklace aids in this technique's execution, but its exact role is unclear.
[edit] Ranmaru's kekkei genkai
Ranmaru has a kekkei genkai ability similar to the Byakugan. Its powers allow him to see through solid objects and in any visibility, create illusions with chakra circulatory systems, and partially predict upcoming attacks. It also allows him to create illusionary chakra systems within objects, and has other vaguely defined powers regarding vision. When activated, Ranmaru's eyes glow red.
[edit] Rinnegan
The Rinnegan (輪廻眼? literally "Samsara Eye") is the most noble of the three great eye techniques (瞳術 dōjutsu?). The Rinnegan is characterized by a number of concentric circles around the pupil of the user. Its power is said to be enough to save or destroy the world, although what sort of powers and techniques this entails have not been stated in detail. Like the Sharingan, its user seems to be able to pick up on the mechanics and use of jutsu quickly. In addition, the user has access to all six forms of elemental chakra, though the series has only identified five. It was first possessed by the Sage of the Six Paths (六道仙人 Rikudō Sennin?), said to be the founder of the ninja world. The first ninjutsu were derived from his abilities. Pein, the current and only known user of the ability, first activated it during his childhood to save one of his friends.
[edit] Sharingan
The Sharingan (写輪眼? literally "Copy Wheel Eye," English manga "Mirror Wheel Eye") is an eye technique ( 瞳術 dōjutsu?) that naturally occurs in all members of the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan is thought to be descended from the Byakugan, but grants the user different abilities and a different insight. The Sharingan does not automatically appear from birth in a user; instead, it will usually appear when the user is in a life-threatening situation, where the power of the Sharingan could save them. After this first appearance, the user can then call up the Sharingan any time they wish. The power of the Sharingan is judged through the number of tomoe in the eye, with a maximum of three in each. The characters who currently possess the Sharingan include Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Tobi.
The Sharingan's first and most well known ability is to memorize any technique that it witnesses. It can memorize any standard form of jutsu with perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as his own. In order to reproduce copied jutsu, however, one must have the necessary skill or ability to perform them. A prime example is Rock Lee's Strong Fist taijutsu. While Sasuke was able to copy some of Lee's moves, they put a much more significant strain on him since he hasn't had the same training as Lee has. In addition to physical skill, the Sharingan cannot allow the user to reproduce other kekkei genkai since the Sharingan user doesn't possess the same genetic trait.
The Sharingan also grants the user incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to track fast-moving objects with ease and even predict the subsequent movements of those objects. The ability to track and predict movement is largely based on individual skill, as unskilled users have much more trouble tracking fast-moving objects. A fully-evolved Sharingan eye can track all even the quickest opponents, even if the user can't move at the same speed. This perception is also great enough to see through genjutsu and to observe the movement and flow of chakra, but not to the same extent or clarity as the Byakugan. Additionally, the Sharingan grants the user exceptional analytical powers, allowing them to instinctively pick up on various visual clues with little difficulty. For example, Sasuke was able to reproduce answers on another person's test by watching their pencil movements during the Chunin Exam.
The Sharingan is capable of a unique brand of hypnosis that involves suggesting actions and thoughts to the opponent. When used in conjunction with the aforementioned aspects of the Sharingan, this allows the user to perfectly mimic every move their opponent makes, even before they do, making it appear as if the user can see the future. It also allows for other forms of hypnotism, such as putting an opponent to sleep, relaying memories to someone else, or creating various illusions to fool an opponent.
It is possible to transplant Sharingan eyes from one person to another, as occurred with Kakashi and his deceased comrade Obito Uchiha. However, transplanted eyes do not work as well in a non-Uchiha body; Kakashi's eye is always active, causing him great strain when he uses it and forcing him to recuperate for extended periods of time after a battle. Uchiha clan members are not burdened with this weakness; while activation of the Sharingan does consume chakra, the drain is so small as to be almost insignificant. Itachi in particular seems to have no trouble keeping his Sharingan activated near-constantly.
[edit] Mangekyo Sharingan
The Mangekyo Sharingan (万華鏡写輪眼 Mangekyō Sharingan?, literally "Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye") is a heightened form of Sharingan. The Mangekyo Sharingan is distinguished from a normal Sharingan through its appearance, which changes the form of the tomoe seal. However, unlike the Sharingan, its appearance seems to differ between users, as Kakashi's version is significantly different from Itachi's. Those who have the potential to obtain it must make a great sacrifice in order to do so — according to Itachi, they must kill their closest friend. Itachi does in fact do this to obtain his version, but Kakashi has noted that everyone he cared about had died long before the start of the series, so how he developed his own variant is unknown. It has also been implied that use of the Mangekyo Sharingan may deteriorate the user's normal eyesight.
In the long history of the Uchiha clan, only a few have been able to obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan. At present, there are only two people who are known to possess the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi being one and Kakashi being the other. At the time of the Uchiha massacre, Itachi told his younger brother Sasuke that, if he was to obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, there would be three people capable of using it.
[edit] Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan
Itachi Uchiha gained the Mangekyo Sharingan by killing his best friend, Shisui Uchiha. With the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi is able to use the two most powerful jutsu of the Uchiha clan. The first is Tsukuyomi (月読?), named after the Shinto moon god, Tsukuyomi. Upon making eye contact with an opponent, Itachi can use Tsukuyomi to transport them to an illusionary world where days amount to a mere moment in the real world. Because Itachi is in control of this world, he can torture an opponent in any way imaginable, leaving them crippled and in a state of mental collapse. The second jutsu is Amaterasu (天照?), named for the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu. It creates a jet-black flame that is capable of burning through any material. Both of these jutsu, however, use up massive amounts of chakra; Itachi becomes exhausted from using just one, and using them both consecutively forces him to deactivate his Sharingan, a rare occurrence for him.
[edit] Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan
Kakashi Hatake developed his own version of the Mangekyo Sharingan during the timeskip. Kakashi uses his to create a localized interdimensional space-time warp, allowing him to target any object and send it to another dimension. The attack requires considerable effort to aim precisely and appears to leave Kakashi's chakra significantly drained; he collapses after using the technique three times in a single day (compared to his other original move, Lightning Blade, which he can use four times a day).
[edit] Shikotsumyaku
Shikotsumyaku (屍骨脈? literally "Dead Bone Pulse")2 is the kekkei genkai of the Kaguya clan, which gives them the ability to manipulate their own skeletal structure. A Shikotsumyaku user can control bone growth, density, and shape, such that they can regrow lost bones or protrude new bones from their skin like spikes. This also allows them to make their bones harder than steel, or create bone swords of such strength that they can cut through steel. They can even create a super-hard layer of bone under their skin, making their bodies virtually indestructible.
Most of the Shikotsumyaku abilities come in the form of bone-utilizing dances named after flowers. The most basic of these dances is the Dance of the Camellia (椿の舞 Tsubaki no Mai?), which uses the humerus of either arm as a sword. The Dance of the Willow (柳の舞 Yanagi no Mai?) uses extensions of bone from the body to attack the opponent, coupled with large amounts of acrobatics to increase the attacks' effectiveness. The defensive Dance of the Pines (唐松の舞 Karamatsu no Mai?) uses growths of the user's preexisting skeletal structure to ensnare the opponent and stab them as the bones are growing. The Dance of the Clematis (鉄線花の舞 Tessenka no Mai?) is an attack with two parts, the first being Vine (蔓 Tsuru?) and the second being Flower (花 Hana?): Vine uses the user's spinal cord as a whip to constrict opponents, while Flower creates a giant bone drill on the user's arm to attack with. The only known ability that is not a dance is the Finger Bullet Drill (十指穿弾 Teshi Sendan?) allows the user to fire their fingertip bones like bullets for long range attacks. The final dance, (the only one that is a ninjutsu) Dance of the Seedling Fern (早蕨の舞 Sawarabi no Mai?), creates a giant forest of bone spikes that emerge from the ground and impale anyone within a considerable distance.
[edit] Soma no Ko
Soma no Ko (双魔の攻 Sōma no Kō?, literally "Attack of an Evil Spirit Pair") is the unique ability of Sakon and Ukon that allows them to unify some or all of one's body with the other's body. Typically, Ukon is dormant in Sakon's body, with his head protruding from the back of Sakon's neck. When Sakon is in need of assistance, Ukon can bring out some of his body parts to aid Sakon in blocking or attacking. Examples of this are seen in the forms of Multiple Connecting Punches (多連拳 Tarenken?) and Multiple Connecting Kicks (多連脚 Tarenkyaku?), where Ukon's arms and legs emerge from those of Sakon to add force to his physical attacks.
If needed, Ukon can separate from Sakon's body so that the two can attack independently. While this can be an effective way of double teaming an opponent, Ukon is not used to being outside of or leading Sakon's body and is much weaker when he does so. Despite this, the separated brothers are capable of merging with the bodies of others through Parasite Demon Demolition Technique (寄生鬼壊の術 Kisei Kikai no Jutsu?). Once they have done so, Sakon or Ukon can destroy the host's cells from the inside, slowly killing them. While within another's body, however, they are vulnerable to whatever injuries befall upon the host, in theory allowing the host to commit suicide to kill either of the brothers.
[edit] Notes
It should be noted that there have been some techniques shown in the anime and manga that have not been explicitly labeled a kekkei genkai. It should be assumed that unless explicitly stated, these abilities are not kekkei genkai; rather, they are just specialized techniques that a person or clan developed and possibly, in the case of a clan, passes on. A good example is Naruto Uzumaki, who is a container of the demon fox; his rapid healing and secondary chakra supply, as well as the chakra's ability to alter his physiology to a certain degree, are a result of his access to the demon fox's chakra sealed within him. A requirement of a kekkei genkai, on the other hand, is that it is genetically passed on from parent to child within a specific group of individuals or clan. Although certain techniques may be exclusive to a clan because they are a well-kept secret, such as the Aburame clan's ability to control insects or Kidomaru's web abilities, they do not qualify as kekkei genkai because they could be learned by others outside the clan if information on the techniques was made available.
[edit] Sources
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Naruto Portal |
- First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK "Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book"?)
- Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK "Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book"?)
- Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini "Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini"?)
- Naruto manga chapters
