Summary
- Shadow Clone Jutsu symbolizes Naruto’s character growth through creative use and iconic status.
- Particle Style dismantles foes at the atomic level, requiring unique counters to avoid.
- Flying Thunder God Technique offers unparalleled teleportation and speed, making it unbeatable in battle.
Naruto is a series famous (or infamous, some would say) for its myriad of powerful jutsu which range from abilities as niche as chakra-eating beetles to overwhelming displays of power in the form of mountain-carving chakra avatars. There are a select few jutsu, however, that stand head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to factors such as power, speed, and versatility.
This list counts down the top ten most powerful jutsu ever to grace the Naruto series, but it will exclude those that made their debut in Boruto, as the sequel operates on a wholly different power system. As always, keep in mind that these entries, while based on the feats shown in the series, are subjective and reflect the author’s preferences.
15 Shadow Clone Jutsu is the Series’ Most Iconic Technique
Most Famous User: Naruto Uzumaki
Though it may not be as flashy as some of the series’ other strongest jutsu, there is a good reason Shadow Clone Jutsu is the most iconic jutsu in Naruto. The technique requires a large amount of chakra, which is partially why Naruto was able to learn and master it at such a young age (and why it was forbidden). Though a ninja making clones of themselves has several obvious benefits, it’s Naruto’s creative use of the technique that gives it such power.
Naruto (and other shadow clone users) are able to use their clones to learn faster and to help them perform other techniques that would be difficult for one individual to pull off. It is only with the help of shadow clones that Naruto’s Rasengan is as devastating as it is. In addition to all that, Shadow Clone Jutsu symbolizes Naruto’s character arc, making them perfect for the titular ninja.
14 Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu
Most Famous User: Ōnoki
It becomes extremely apparent that there was an astronomical level of power creep in Naruto when the least powerful ability on this list is literally dismantling someone at the atomic level. Particle Style, also known as Dust Release, is a mixture of Earth, Wind, and Fire style chakra natures.
The technique creates a small three-dimensional object in the center of one’s palm, typically a cube, cone, or cylinder, and launches the shape at blazing speeds toward its target. Once contact is made, the shape will then consume the target and dismantle its atomic structure, dissipating them entirely. Thus far, the only known counters for this technique are to be able to negate chakra in some manner or avoid it.
13 Tsukuyomi
Most Famous User: Itachi Uchiha
The 9th most powerful jutsu in Naruto traps its victim in a world of illusions, where time passes differently and reality is distorted. Tuskuyomi is a genjutsu tied specifically to Itachi Uchiha‘s Mangekyo Sharingan. This jutsu manipulates the chakra flow in the opponent’s brain, creating a virtual reality that is indistinguishable from the real world. In this world, the victim is at the mercy of the user who can inflict pain, torture, or even death upon them countless times.
This technique is so potent, in fact, that in Itachi’s light novel, he was said to have allowed a girl to live out her entire life in .000000001 seconds before she collapsed and died immediately. Its weakness is that Itachi’s incomplete Mangekyo took a huge toll on his body and chakra and that, just like other genjutsu, it can be dispelled by the victim.
12 The Eight Inner Gates
Most Famous User: Might Guy
The Eight Gates are a series of chakra stoppages located throughout the body that inhibit the flow of chakra where they exist. Ordinarily, a ninja would only be capable of using a fraction of their body’s full potential thanks to these gates, but through intense training, anyone can unlock the Eight Gates and achieve truly monstrous levels of power, at the cost of damaging their body irremediably. A complete failure of a ninja, Might Guy, was able to single-handedly hold off the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist once he opened all Eight Gates. In one of Naruto‘s most epic fights, Guy was able to hold off and almost beat Uchiha Madara, believed to be the strongest ninja ever to walk the face of the Earth just with his taijutsu, empowered by unlocking all Eight Gates. However, he lost the use of his legs forever.
11 Flying Thunder God Technique
Most Famous User: Minato Namikaze
The Flying Thunder God Jutsu is a ridiculously powerful ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage that allows the user to teleport themselves and others to any location they have marked with a seal beforehand. Though it was invented by the Second, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze is rightfully credited with perfecting the jutsu. Minato’s prowess with this technique earned him the moniker “The Yellow Flash,” as that was all his enemies would see before being cut down. This move may very well be one of the most versatile techniques in the series as it offers near-unparalleled positional ability and is even fast enough to intercept Madara’s Truth Seeking Orbs right in front of Might Guy while he was using the Gate of Death.
10 Sage Mode
Most Famous Users: Jiraiya, Naruto, Hashirama Senju
Sage Mode is a technique that allows the user to tap into the power of nature and become one with it. This technique involves gathering natural energy and merging it with their own chakra, allowing the user to gain a massive increase in power, speed, and sensory capabilities. This boost in power is so massive that, once he learned it, catapulted Naruto among the elite of the strongest shinobi in the world. Even an incomplete version used by Jiraya was enough to hold off four of Pain’s Rinnegan-powered bodies. The true strength of Sage Mode is that, rather than a jutsu, it’s an overall powerup that improves all other techniques of the user, and it is also one of the only ways to combat a user of Yin Yang Release, which nullifies all other ninjutsu.
9 The Mangekyō Sharingan’s Ultimate Gift: The Susanoo
Most Famous Users: Sasuke, Itachi, and Madara Uchiha, and Indra Ōtsutsuki
The colossal and intimidating Susanoo is a technique that only a few high-level shinobi (mainly from the Uchiha clan) were eventually able to unlock. It creates a massive physical manifestation of condensed chakra that is incredible for defense and crafting formidable weapons. By the end of the series, the sight of a Susanoo became common, but in almost any other scenario, very few shinobi could stand a chance against it.
Itachi and Sasuke’s final battle ranks as one of Naruto‘s best fights, but it also contains the Susanoo armor’s first showing. Itachi was able to manifest the top half of the overwhelming avatar, but only the legendary warriors, Sasuke, Madara, and their reincarnation, Indra Ōtsutsuki grew strong enough to create a full body Susanoo who stood as tall as mountains.
8 Shinsu Senju, Veritable 1000-Armed Kan’on
Most Famous User: Hashirama Senju
In Naruto, there are several techniques that allow the user to summon a massive avatar made of chakra – or similar energy – to do battle. While the Uchiha’s Susanoo or Naruto’s Tailed Beast mode are both able to completely reshape the landscape with their destructive power, they are surclassed by Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, also translated as Shinsu Senju, Veritable 1000-Armed Kan’on. This is possibly the most powerful technique of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage and strongest ninja in the series. Created by the fusion of Sage Mode and the overpowered Wood Release, the statue summoned is so massive it dwarfs the other avatars, and it was even able to subdue a Susanoo cloaked Nine Tails.
7 Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation
Most Famous Users: Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, Tobirama Senju
This technique is one of the most iconic and powerful in all of Naruto, as the entire last saga of the series was centered around one man’s ability to use it. The Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) is a technique invented by Naruto’s Second Hokage, which was then modified by Orochimaru and learned by his assistant Kabuto. This ability essentially allows the user to bring back the dead and put them under their control, which, in a world full of powerful individuals such as Naruto‘s, is completely ridiculous and could easily be higher up on the list if used efficiently. On top of being resurrected with their full abilities, the revenants are immortal and able to heal from almost any injury. Despite its power when used in droves, the technique is also slightly bottlenecked by its prerequisites- gathering the DNA of whoever needs reviving as well as obtaining human sacrifices.
6 Limbo
Most Famous User: Madara Uchiha
Limbo: Border Jail, is the creation of up to four invisible clones that somehow exist on the physical plane but cannot be interacted with through normal means. With the usage of Limbo, any battle immediately becomes a fight against one to four other invisible enemies who can attack but can’t be touched unless their opponent has either the Rinnegan or possesses Six Paths Sage Mode, two of the rarest abilities in the entire series. Its only weakness, so to speak, is that each clone has to return to Madara after a certain period of time. Luckily, this ability is exclusive to Madara’s Rinnegan, so it’s unlikely to appear again. According to the Jin no Sho databook, each shadow has the same power as Madara’s, which, at that point of the series, perfectly explains the concept of power creep in Naruto.
5 Truth Seeking Balls
Most Famous Users: Obito Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Madara Uchiha
What if a Tailed Beast Bomb was also completely indestructible, negated all other forms of ninjutsu, and could be reshaped any way the user desired? This would be pretty overpowered indeed, but this jutsu goes above and beyond creating ten of those spheres. The moment Obito unveiled the Truth Seeking Orbs, 99% of the Great Shinobi Alliance immediately became utterly useless, as the only way to combat these orbs is through the use of Senjutsu or insanely high-level taijutsu.
The Truth Seeking Balls are exclusive of those who possess Six Paths Senjutsu, and they are orbs of malleable black chakra that contain all five basic natures, and can thus replicate any possible chakra effect, including devastating combinations with Yin-Yang Release and senjutsu.
4 An Attack With Generations Of Hatred Behind It: Indra’s Arrow
Most Famous Users: Sasuke Uchiha and Indra Ōtsutsuki
Once the Fourth Shinobi War was over, Naruto and Sasuke settled their differences in arguably Naruto Shippuden‘s best episodes of all time. The two rivals brilliantly used every technique they’d learned throughout the series, but at its most intense stage, Sasuke pulled out all the stops with his most powerful attack: Indra’s Arrow. After absorbing the chakra from each Tailed Beast and channeling their energy to form his version of Indra’s Susanoo, the young Uchiha held the power of a god.
Sasuke’s ultimate transformation was prepared to end the battle against Naruto with the Indra Arrow attack. By combining an unseen amount of lightning-infused chakra with the energy he’d received from all nine of the Tailed Beasts, the sky glowed with the massive projectile that even Sasuke declared was his strongest technique. When it clashed with two of Naruto’s own Tailed-Beast Bomb infused Rasenshuriken’s, the battlefield’s landscape was forever changed with an attack that could be seen from space.
3 Immortality That Could Survive Any Attack
Most Famous User: Akatsuki’s Hidan
Throughout the Naruto series, there were a few villains who searched for ways to achieve immortality. While some found ways to cheat death, Akatsuki’s Hidan accomplished the impossible and gained a body that could survive any damage, including being beheaded. The bloodthirsty religious zealot gained an unkillable body after having several extreme experiments performed on him by the mysterious Jashinist blood cult, which was known for kidnapping and sacrificing innocent lives.
The disturbing blood rituals and sacrifices eventually granted Hidan immortality, which he implemented into his reckless, close-quarters fighting style. His cruel rampages eventually ended thanks to Shikamaru’s brilliant plan that left Hidan’s severed head buried under hundreds of pounds of rock and dirt. Although he could survive any attack, Hidan could die of malnutrition, which is how he ultimately met his end. Still, it would have been interesting to see how his immortal body would have fared against an attack that could completely obliterate him.
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2 The Sharingan’s Izanagi, Izanami and Kotoamatsukami Rewrite The Rules
Most Famous Users: Itachi, Shisui, and Madara Uchiha, Danzo Shiumura
Many of the most broken techniques in the Naruto series come from Sasuke’s Uchiha clan and their powerful Sharingan eyes. The genjutsu techniques known as the Izanagi, Izanami, and Kotoamatsukami are so effective that author Masashi Kishimoto had to limit their use mainly because each can change reality and even infect someone’s mind with false memories.
The ultimate Uchiha eye techniques can infect enemies’ minds and even the course of events in the user’s favor. The Kotoamatsukami can implant fake experiences, a terrifying tool in manipulation. Izanagi can rewrite reality by shifting the outcome of events; for example, Danzo uses it to change reality to a version of himself that Sasuke’s Susanoo didn’t skewer. In contrast, Izanami was created to punish the arrogant by forcing their minds into a genjutsu prison that repeats scenarios until the victim accepts their faults. Both techniques sacrifice the sight of a Sharingan.
1 Kamui
Most Famous Users: Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake
While it may seem inferior to the world-shaping techniques presented above, Obito Uchiha’s Kamui is one of the most absurdly powerful in all of Naruto for the simple fact that there are zero counters to this ability. Readers of Naruto might instantly recall the epic moment when Obito is nailed with a Rasengan mid-Kamui during his battle with Naruto and Kakashi, but this was only thanks to the fact that his own ability was Kakashi’s eye.
The other weaknesses is that, as long as his intangibility is activated, he cannot use Kamui for teleportation. The brief moment in between can be used to attack Obito, but thus far only the Flying Thunder God has proven to be fast enough. When both aspects of Kamui are combined, this technique is the ultimate offense and defense without any drawback but exhaustion. Kamui can instantly remove an enemy from the battlefield while simultaneously allowing the user to avoid any and all damage. If Obito had not given one of his eyes to Kakashi, he would have likely been unbeatable.
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