There are a ton of jutsu introduced throughout the Naruto franchise. Some are more powerful than others, but all are capable of great feats. However, not all jutsu are created equal. There are great gaps in both their power and the efficacy of their design, and there are some that don’t even make sense.
Some jutsu have incredible visual effects or have subtle but powerful abilities; others have great power or terrifying drawbacks for the user. Even more are just basic tactics that, when used by the right shinobi, really pack a punch.
10 Chidori Was One Of The First Cool Attacks In The Franchise
When Kakashi Hatake taught Sasuke Uchiha the Chidori jutsu just before the Chunin Exams, fans were hyped to see Sasuke use it against Gaara and his formidable Sand Shield. The worldbuilding established by the Chidori’s backstory was interesting. First, it was called the Chidori because it sounded like the chirping of a thousand birds, something the audio team did well.
Furthermore, the stipulations of the Sharingan being necessary to use it as the Chidori was volatile, the fact that it was an imperfect nature changed Rasengan, and the drawback of it taking up a lot of Chakra made the stakes high. Not to mention, the lightning emanating from it was visually dynamic.
9 Orochimaru’s Ability To Shed Skin & Climb Out Of Snakes Was Bone-Chilling
When Orochimaru showed up during the Chunin Exams and showed off his snake-like body in a battle for the first time, viewers were creeped out in the best way possible. As the show progressed, fans got to watch Orochimaru, covered in snake slime, crawl out of snakes’ mouths, harkening to snakes’ abilities to eat large objects and molt their skin.
No other character does creepy quite like Orochimaru, and that is what made him such a cool villain. His jutsu visually bolstered the notion he was a villain with shuddering effects. His half-snake forms still live as cursed images within many fans’ minds.
8 The Reaper Death Seal Was Terrifying & Held Huge Stakes
The Reaper Death Seal was one of the Uzumaki-made fuinjutsu that reached legendary status. It killed the Fourth and Third Hokage, and its image was terrifying. A Shinigami holds the soul of the user in its grasp and threatens to take it and the user’s enemy to its belly for eternity.
Not only was the visual design of the Reaper Death Seal compelling, but its drawbacks also created high stakes that left viewers on the edge of their seats. When the Third Hokage had to settle for Orochimaru’s hands instead of his soul, fans were furious, but those are the chops.
7 When One Of The Eight Gates Opened, Someone Was Going Down
Taijutsu users only have one real ace up their sleeve, and that is the Eight Gates. Each Gate carries with it a different level of power surge, but also a different level of drawback. All of this led up to the Eighth Gate, which would kill its user but afford them seemingly limitless power and speed, as was seen in Might Guy’s fight with Madara at the end of the series.
Because the Eight Gates is so risky to use, when a ninja opens a Gate, fans can be sure something amazing will happen. Even the First Gate led to some cool battles, like the iconic one between Rock Lee and Gaara during the Chunin Exams.
6 Rasen-Shuriken Threw Back To The Fight With Zabuza
The Rasen-Shuriken was Naruto Uzumaki’s variation on his father’s original jutsu. It took the form of the Rasengan, a simple sphere, and created a giant wind and chakra-powered shuriken. Not only was this cool for its showcasing of Naruto’s ability (he had a reputation for being bad at learning things) and it harkened back to Sasuke’s shuriken which he used in Naruto‘s pilot episodes.
The Rasen-Shuriken truly packed a punch, and it was one of Naruto’s premier moves. Other characters would put their spin on it later.
5 Mitotic Generation Finally Gave Sakura & Tsunade An Edge
A medical ninja can never fall. This is a cardinal rule for medical shinobi. They have to be up when others are down so that people do not die. There is one jutsu that can ensure a ninja will not die, and that is Legendary Sanin, Tsunade’s, own Mitotic Regeneration (Creation Rebirth).
The point of the jutsu was to store Chakra in the forehead mark and when in a real bind, use it to become virtually unkillable (for a time). This technique is often considered the greatest feat to come out of medical ninjutsu.
4 Tsukuyomi Caused Issues For A Lot Of People
The Tsukuyomi is an extremely powerful genjutsu named after the Shinto god of the moon, and it was only usable by those with an advanced Sharingan. Itachi Uchiha introduced this jutsu to the series when he used it on Kakashi while visiting the Hidden Leaf Village secretly. In the Tsukuyomi’s realm, Kakashi was tortured for three days, but in the real world, only seconds had passed.
The illusion possibilities for the Tsukuyomi were nearly limitless, and the scenes the show included to illustrate its power were dark and well crafted.
3 The Summoning Jutsu Added Flair
The Toad Sage, Jiraiya, would have been nothing without the Summoning Jutsu. When Jiraiya taught Naruto Uzumaki how to summon Gamabunta, and Naruto was able to summon him in his fight with Gaara, fans were hyped. Later, the relationship between Orochimaru and Manda also provided an interesting bit of worldbuilding.
The relationship between the Legendary Sanin and Team 7 was so well done in part thanks to the Summoning Jutsu. It offered style and flair as well as a look at the connections between shinobi lineages. Other notable summonses were Kakashi’s ninja hounds and the Third Hokage’s King Enma.
2 Shadow Possession Jutsu Made Tactical Minds Shine
The Shadow Possession Jutsu does not have any flashy visuals, loud explosions, or gaudy flair. It is simply the manipulation of shadow and has a limited distance that shadow can travel. However, when used by characters like Shikamaru Nara, this jutsu is one of the most fun to watch.
To use the Shadow Possession Jutsu, one has to be smart. The manipulation of shadows can be tricky when considering all the limitations involved. On top of that, the user must make the same movements he wants the other ninja to make. Watching Shikamaru use his tactical prowess to make the most of this technique was always a highlight of the anime.
1 The Reanimation Jutsu Allowed Fans To Meet The Legends
If one were to say the Reanimation Jutsu was overpowered, they would likely be right, but this jutsu brought so much to the series. It brought back the Hokage, one of which (the Third Hokage) fans had seen fight before but were stoked to see fight again. The other three lived as legends within the anime, and getting to see them in action was amazing.
Furthermore, the Reanimation Jutsu added to the plot. Naruto got to meet his father, and when Orochimaru first tried to use this jutsu against the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage’s coffin not opening (since he was in the Reaper’s belly) was a great but subtle foreshadowing moment.
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