Shuriken

Shuriken, like kunai, are one of the more basic weapons seen in Naruto series. They are sharpened,four-pronged metal stars, useful for throwing. Although small, they can be used to distract, pin down enemy shinobi, or if accurate enough, can be deadly. They have an open circle in the centre, used for grabbing with a finger, to avoid cutting oneself, or to put thread through. The circle is also beneficial to the weapons overall aerodynamics, ensuring more accurate trajectories.

Types of Shuriken

 * In addition to the basic shuriken, larger, arm-length shuriken have been seen in the series. They are usually carried on the back or stored in scrolls.
 * The Fūma Shuriken is of a similar size, but is more lethal and can be folded together for easier storage.
 * The Demon Brothers wear a metal gauntlet each that houses a retractable shuriken chain.
 * During the Chūnin Exams, one of the weapons Tenten threw at Temari was a fairly large shuriken that resembled a swastika ('卍') of sorts.
 * The shuriken of the Land of Birds are a little bit different. It has three-pronged metal stars instead of four.
 * There have also been seen shuriken with bent points.
 * In the anime it was mentioned that there were cat shuriken.
 * Toroi of Kumogakure employs the use of slightly angular, square-shaped shuriken of varying sizes, ranging from those similar to the typically observed variant to ones nearly as large as his own person.
 * One of the weapons created by Iō was a useless shuriken that had so many points that it was impossible to grab.

Shuriken Launching Weapons

 * An unnamed Konoha shinobi used an unusual semi-circular launcher against Pain's Deva Path, containing a considerable quantity of shuriken, which could be launched simultaneously. This was achieved by holding onto a handle located at the crescents centre, while pulling out an attached length of chain that caused the shuriken to rotate, before firing the entirety in a single direction.
 * Toroi used a simple length of cord to thread numerous shuriken together, in such a manner that the entirety could be released and thrown consecutively with just a single motion.
 * In Naruto Shippūden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire, when Sunagakure was about to attack Konohagakure, who were suspected declaring war against the rest of the world, Sunagakure were seen preparing giant catapults with six giant shuriken loaded into each one.

Trivia

 * The shuriken used in the series are of the hira-shuriken variety; four-point star-shaped disks, rather than the bo-shuriken variety; which are straight, iron or steel throwing-spikes.