Nine Masked Beasts

The Nine Masked Beasts are entities created by Menma through the use of the Black Nine-Tails' chakra. Five of these beasts are described as, while the other four are referred to as.

Menma summons them by forming a tiger seal, declaring and chanting the kuji-in, which conjures a massive mandala featuring each kanji of the kuji-in encircled by nine rings, arrayed in the same cross pattern he wears on his cloak. Each of the masked beasts emerges from a specific ring.


 * , a dragon that resembles a seahorse. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , a lean and slender tiger. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , a bird with elegant and dramatic plumage. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , a tortoise with a shell made of overlapping plates. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , a massive serpent with golden scales. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , an angelic priestess with flowing robes. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , a priest that resembles a skeleton and carries a scythe. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , a priest with a fox staff. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.
 * , the matching counterpart of Hokuto Sennin. Emerges from the ring bearing the kanji.

When defeated, they revert to their true forms, which are nine masked that each possess a single tail. They can also convert back into chakra that will arc through the air from their present location back to Menma. Once they collide with Menma, they reform into the Black Nine-Tails.

Trivia

 * While summoning the Nine Masked Beasts, Menma refers to, a Buddhist term roughly meaning "calling" which is used in mantras. He also chants the kuji-in, which are featured as kanji on nine of the rings worn by the Akatsuki members.
 * Among the Nine Masked Beasts, four of the divine beasts are based on the Four Symbols, a set of Chinese constellations, and two of the divine priests are based on the heavenly messengers and death god of Japanese folklore. Kinja, which somewhat resembles Huang Long, and Hokuto Sennin and Nanto Sennin, which are named after the Northern and Southern Dippers, are original concepts designed to round out the group. The nine kanji from the portals that the nine beasts emerge corresponds to the ones on the rings Akatsuki members wore.
 * Menma uses the Nine Masked Beasts to overwhelm his opponents with numbers, similar to Naruto's use of the Shadow Clone Technique or Nagato's use of the Six Paths of Pain.