Board Thread:Theories and Speculation/@comment-32617252-20171101024222/@comment-734582-20171102090643

LegionZero wrote: Sage Mode is the best. It is the only one that wont kill you, shorten your lifespan, or risk you free will. There's risk of death and/or permanent mutilation when obtaining it. Byakugo has no such weakness. Aside from Choji's mode (which is quite strong but nowhere near Byakugo), Byakugo is probably the safest of them all. It also doesn't scale quite as well nor gives quite as much raw power as the rest.

UltimaDude wrote: Modes aren't techniques..... They are.

Lorenzo.r.2nd wrote: ps, what if we made two cases: one case in which all modes are in their most perfect state, with no drawbacks, while the other case in basically the opposite? The drawbacks of each state are essential, however. What mode is strong depends on what kind of ninja you are, and if you took out all the downsides, there's no point in choosing anything but the strongest (or for that matter, all of them at the same time).

After all, what mode you could want (and what mode is strongest) would depend on what you already have as a ninja, and that can do a lot for your mode.

If you already have some innate power, then Eight Gates may not be worth it, as you may want more reliable techniques with lower risks. It also doesn't synergize well with anything. On the other hand if you're someone like Lee or Guy and have no special abilities, you can obtain immense power with no special requirement other than total dedication.

If you have a strong body or powerful genes (say, you're the Raikage or a Senju), then the risks of Sage mode and Jinchuriki are already lower.

If you have certain special ninjutsu, then straight power multipliers like Sage Mode are quite useless. E.g. Shino would get nothing out of Sage Mode, since he can't use it for his insects. Sakura's healing may also be dangerous if used in Sage Mode, since we've seen what nature energy does to those who can't control it.

On the other hand, people like Sakura have special ninjutsu that need a lot of chakra to be maintained, in which case Byakugo is a powerful multiplier for jutsu she already has. Butterfly mode requires calorie control and i'm sure she already has enough to worry about other than her food intake. Sage Mode poses risks with Nature energy, and anything but a Perfect Jinchuriki is far too risky as a healer. Perfect Jinchuriki would make for some of the best supporting ninja though, but the path to such a person is fraught with risk and danger.

And again, while Juubi Jinchuriki is without a doubt the strongest, it also comes with a ton of special requirements. Without risks, this would be the strongest mode of them all.