The Three-Tails' Appearance (三尾出現, Sanbi Shutsugen) is an arc of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. It covers episodes 89 to 112. It deals with the efforts of Akatsuki, Konoha, and Team Guren to capture the Three-Tails. This arc is preceded by the Akatsuki Suppression Mission and followed by the Itachi Pursuit Mission.
Summary[]
Orochimaru instructed Kabuto Yakushi along with Team Guren to take a young boy named Yūkimaru to a lake. After they arrived, Kabuto forced Yūkimaru to release all of his chakra, which caused the Three-Tails to begin to surface from the lake. With Guren's help, the beast was completely revealed, and they attempted to capture it. Their attempts proved insufficient, however, and the beast created a large tidal wave to wash its attackers away. Tsunade finds the location of Orochimaru's hideout and sends Kakashi as temporary leader of Team 8 to locate it. They engage battle with Guren and Shino sends back one of his crystallised bugs. Then Tsunade sends Yamato, Sai, and Sakura to help them along with Naruto who meets them along the way. Team Kakashi and Kurenai follow Guren and discover that the thing they were after was the Three-Tails. Shizune, Ino, Tenten and Lee are assembled to help with the hunt for the Three-Tails. They all meet up and split into three groups to seal the tailed beast in its own dimension and get Yūkimaru. The sealing group consists of Shizune, Hinata, Sakura, and Ino, the guarding group is Yamato, Tenten, Kiba, and Lee, while the fighting group is Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, and Shino.
Team Three tried to use Four-Corner Sealing Barrier to permanently trap the beast in its own dimension. Just as the sealing began to work, the Konoha ninja were interrupted by Guren, which prompted the beast to attack them all. Yūkimaru was able to calm the beast down temporarily, but, after he became tired, the Three-Tails turned its attention to him. Guren and Naruto came to his defence, but were swallowed in the process. With the help of their allies on the outside, they were able to escape, and the Konoha ninja tried once more to seal the beast.
Just when the sealing was almost complete, Yūkimaru, angered by the apparent death of Guren, empowered the beast to break free of its restraints. The Three-Tails went on a rampage, attacking everyone nearby and crushing Nurari, Kigiri, and Kihō. Its attempts to attack Yūkimaru, however, had no effect. It was only through the use of the Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet that the beast was driven away. The sealing attempt was left to Anbu members, and the remaining Konoha ninja returned home. Deidara and Tobi of Akatsuki soon found these Anbu members and disposed of them.
The beast's capture took place much earlier in the manga (at the start of the Akatsuki Suppression Mission), but played out in much the same way as in the anime. Tobi and Deidara confronted the beast, to which it responded by beginning to chase Tobi. With the Three-Tails distracted, Deidara moulded an explosive clay fish in an attempt to devour it. It was unclear if this marked the end of the battle, as the remainder of the battle went unseen. As the two towed the Three-Tails to the Akatsuki's lair after the battle, Tobi gloated at bringing the Three-Tails down with his special jutsu, but Deidara thought otherwise. It was later sealed in the sealing statue.
Episodes[]
# | Episode Title | Japanese Airdate | English Airdate |
---|---|---|---|
89 | "The Price of Power" | 18 December 2008 | 30 July 2011 |
90 | "A Shinobi's Determination" | 25 December 2008 | 6 August 2011 |
91 | "Orochimaru's Hideout Discovered" | 8 January 2009 | 20 August 2011 |
92 | "Encounter" | 15 January 2009 | 27 August 2011 |
93 | "Connecting Hearts" | 22 January 2009 | 3 September 2011 |
94 | "A Night of Rain" | 29 January 2009 | 10 September 2011 |
95 | "The Two Charms" | 5 February 2009 | 17 September 2011 |
96 | "The Unseeing Enemy" | 12 February 2009 | 1 October 2011 |
97 | "The Labyrinth of Distorted Reflection" | 19 February 2009 | 8 October 2011 |
98 | "The Target Appears" | 26 February 2009 | 5 November 2011 |
99 | "Raging Tailed Beast" | 5 March 2009 | 11 October 2011 |
100 | "Inside the Mist" | 12 March 2009 | 11 October 2011 |
101 | "Everyone's Feelings" | 26 March 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
102 | "Regroup!" | 26 March 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
103 | "The Four-Corner Sealing Barrier " | 9 April 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
104 | "Breaking the Crystal Release" | 9 April 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
105 | "The Battle Over the Barrier" | 16 April 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
106 | "Red Camellia" | 23 April 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
107 | "Strange Bedfellows" | 30 April 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
108 | "Guidepost of the Camellia" | 7 May 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
109 | "Cursed Seal Counterattack" | 14 May 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
110 | "Memory of Guilt" | 21 May 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
111 | "Shattered Promise" | 28 May 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
112 | "A Place to Return To" | 4 June 2009 | 24 January 2012 |
Trivia[]
- To date, this arc is the longest anime-only arc in the series.
- In the Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax arc, Isobu recalls meeting Naruto during the events of this arc, when he confronts him again during the Fourth Shinobi World War alongside the other jinchūriki and tailed beasts.