List of Kekkei Genkai

This is a list of the known Kekkei Genkai in Naurto and a short explanation of each.

Byakugan
The Byakugan is a genetic trait that is shared amongst the members of the proud Hyuga Clan. Those that inherit the blood of this clan have almost featureless white eyes, which are the focus for many of their dojutsu. Although it is not stated directly in the manga, it is presumed that all members of the Hyuga family possess the Byakugan, unlike the members of the Uchiha, who are not all born with the Sharingan. It is a common belief that the Sharingan is a genetic offshoot of the Byakugan.

The Byakugan, as stated above, is the primary focus of the Hyuga's special arts. After awakening the Byakugan, which is denoted by veins along the user's temples surfacing to just under the skin, the Byakugan allows for the user to see with near 360º vision, meaning that they can literally see everything around them, save for one blind spot, which differs from user to user. They also have the ability to see through solid objects, and can use a degree of telescopic sight to see things from a great distance.

However, one of the greatest uses of the Byakugan is the ability to see the chakra circulation system inside of another's body. It is from this paticular ability that they are able to employ their ultimate attack style: Gentle Fist. Much in contrast with typical Taijutsu styles, which is focused on being insanely fast and strong, the Gentle Fist style focuses on being quick, but precise, not focusing on damage. Each strike, when placed correctly, shuts down one of the Tenketsu, or chakra points, along the victim's body, stopping the chakra flow to those areas. Most ninja cannot perform this because the Tenketsu are too small to see. However, the Byakugan allows the Hyuga descendant to be able to see them, and strike with pinpoint accuracy. When performed in quick succession, this shutdown of tenketsu usually leaves the victim unable to use any of their chakra, which is devastating for any ninja that relies on it for their jutsus, or even just that extra burst of speed or strength. Able to strike without force, and yet do more damage to a ninja than some of the most powerful Ninjutsu, the Gentle Fist is one of the greatest Taijutsu styles known within all of Konoha.

Hyoton
Haku's kekkei genkai, Hyoton (氷遁) allowed him to combine wind and water-based chakra to create ice, which he could manipulate through willpower alone, 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 by freezing water. The ice Haku created was largely immune to fire-based attacks, only melting slightly when coming into contact with flames. Using his special ability, Haku developed the Demonic Ice Mirrors (魔鏡氷晶), which allowed him to create any number of mirrors made of ice to use as a shield or trap an opponent. Haku could enter these 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.

Kurama clan's kekkei genkai
Every few generations a member of the Kurama clan will be born with an incredible talent for genjutsu. The clan member's talent in that field is such that their genjutsu is completely irresistible, so much so that only knocking a person out cold 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's a danger to everyone around them.

Mokuton
The Mokuton (木遁) jutsu are techniques that combine earth and water-based chakra to create wood. 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 Wood Release Secret Technique: Birth of Dense Woodland (木遁秘術・樹界降誕) 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), 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) to create a half-dome used either to block attacks or capture others. The Four Pillars Technique (四柱牢の術) 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) 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). 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.

Ranmaru's kekkei genkai
Ranmaru has a kekkei genkai ability similar to the Byakugan and Zetsu's spying technique. Its powers allow him to see through solid objects, night vision, create illusions with chakra circulatory systems, and partially predict upcoming attacks. It also allows him to interfere with the workings of the Byakugan, and has other vaguely defined powers regarding vision. When activated, Ranmaru's eyes momentarily glow red. Not much else is known about his kekkei genkai.

Sharingan
The Sharingan is a genetic trait that is shared by members of the Uchiha Clan. Believed to have descended from the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, the Sharingan is a dojutsu that instead of seeing within the victim, mirrors the victim, much in contrast with its 'brother.' Users of the Sharingan know it to have several 'levels,' each one progressively becoming stronger. The levels are noted by the number of tomoe (comma/tadpole shapes that appear when the Sharingan is active).

The first level is denoted by one tomoe in one eye and two tomoe in the other. This stage is awoken by extreme emotional stress on the individual, unlocking the Kekkei Genkai. From then on, it can be used at will. At this stage, the user can have the Sharingan perceive attacks via brain impulses, allowing them to react to their opponents with unnatural speed and accuracy. It also allows them to see through illusions, which renders most Genjutsu harmless.

The second level is denoted by two tomoe in each eye, and achieved by continuous training. It possesses all of the same traits as its previous level, however, it now memorizes everything that it sees and allows the user to 'mirror' those actions. This allows the user to copy any jutsu that their opponents use without having to train for their use, as well as a slew of other uses that require the user act just like the opponent.

The third level is denoted by three tomoe in each eye, and like its predecessor, is achieved by continuous training. This was thought to be the highest level that any Uchiha could achieve. The triple tomoe Sharingan allows the user all of the previous abilities, but now they have access to several Genjutsu that can be released simply by looking at their intended victims, no hand seals required. Further, they perceive time at a different speed, allowing them to see events moments before they occur, and gives them enough time to act accordingly. However, this future sight is unable to see pure chakra, as proven by One-Tail Naruto as his Kyubi Chakra lashes out and attacks Sasuke on its own accord, which the Sharingan was unable to predict although it was still predicting Naruto's actions.

The last known level of the Sharingan is its 'Mangekyou' or 'Kaleidoscope' form, which takes two different forms, unique to their users. The effects of this form differ greatly, from advanced traumatic illusions to time/space distortions, but a known requirement is that the user must take the life of their closest friend.

This paticular bloodline is the first to be seen as 'surgically implanted' into another individual. It raises the question of the ability for such genetic traits to be passed on without the blood of the clan.

Mangekyo Sharingan
The Mangekyo Sharingan (万華鏡写輪眼) 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, it may have a different appearance between the 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 obtain it&mdash;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.

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. While the jutsu has only been performed offscreen, it is shown to be capable of burning through the strongest of materials by creating a jet-black flame said to be as hot as the sun and capable of burning for seven days and seven nights. Both of these justu, however, use up massive amounts of chakra, Itachi himself become exhausted if using them both consecutively.

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).

The appearance of the pupil and tomoe in Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan differ from that of Itachi's; Kakashi's looks more like a pinwheel. Before this was shown, it was thought that one had to kill their best friend to acquire the Mangekyo Sharingan. Given that Kakashi is unlikely to do this, due in part to his own admittance that everyone close to him is already dead, the means behind its development and the actual meaning of the "requirement" are currently unknown.

Shikotsumyaku
Shikotsumyaku (屍骨脈)2 is the kekkei genkai of the extinct Kaguya clan, which gave them the ability to manipulate their own skeletal structure. They had free control over the cells responsible for bone growth and replacement, allowing them to manipulate their bones at will. They could protrude their bones out through their skin, change their bone density, and could even completely regenerate a lost bone. An example of this is seen with the Finger Bullet Drill (十指穿弾), which fires the user's fingertip bones like bullets. All this makes their bodies virtually indestructible, and any point of contact on the body could become as sharp as a spear tip, giving them a nearly perfect defense. The ability seems to be rare amongst the clan members, as Kimimaro Kaguya was the only one to exhibit it out of his entire clan.

Most of the Shikotsumyaku abilities came 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), which uses the humerus of either arm as a sword. The Dance of the Willow (柳の舞) 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 Larch (唐松の舞) 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) is an attack with two parts, the first being Vine (蔓) and the second being Flower (花). With Vine, the user rips out their spinal cord and use it to trap the opponent. Once immobile, the user uses Flower to form the body's strongest bones into a giant drill on the user's arm to crush the stationary opponent. The final dance, Dance of the Seedling Fern (早蕨の舞), creates a giant forest of bone spikes that emerge from the ground and impale the opponent.

Soma no Ko
Soma no Ko (双魔の攻) 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) and Multiple Connecting Kicks (多連脚), 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). 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.