Kekkei genkai (血継限界, Lit. "Bloodline Limit") are unique hereditary abilities. Kekkei genkai result from a mutation of the DNA, which is then typically passed down through clans from parent to child, or grandparent to grandchild.
Overview[]
Kekkei genkai typically come in the form of dōjutsu or combined nature transformations. Dōjutsu are abilities concentrated in the eye, and combined nature transformations are ninjutsu that utilize two nature transformations. Ninjutsu that utilize three nature transformations are likewise referred to as kekkei tota.
Compared to dōjutsu which are almost exclusively passed down through clans, nature transformation kekkei genkai seem to appear in individuals with no known relation. Lava Release, a combination of fire and earth-based chakra, has appeared in ninja from Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure.
Since Kekkei Genkai require the genetic prerequisite to form these abilities, they are unable to be copied by others. However, there have been attempts to gain the unique abilities of kekkei genkai through transplantation and genetic experimentation. Dōjutsu can be transplanted into the body of another person, like with Ao and his Byakugan or Kakashi and his Sharingan. As a downside, activating and using a dōjutsu you didn't naturally develop requires much more chakra usage.
Chakra elements can also be passed down to people outside of the clan, such as Yamato being subjected to DNA re-modification by Orochimaru who wanted to acquire Wood Release. However, Yamato's skill in using it is not nearly as powerful as the originator Hashirama Senju, and the risk of such process was that Yamato was the only one of the sixty test subjects to survive.
Dōjutsu[]
Sharingan[]
The Sharingan (写輪眼, Lit. "Copy Wheel Eye"; Viz Print: "Mirror Wheel Eye") is the dōjutsu kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan that appears selectively among its members. It is regarded as one of the "Three Great Dōjutsu", the others being the Byakugan and the Rinnegan.
Mangekyō Sharingan[]
The Mangekyō Sharingan (万華鏡写輪眼, Lit. "Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye") is distinguished from a normal Sharingan by its appearance, which changes the form of the tomoe seal. The exact design differs for each user, though all resemble pinwheels. It is initially awakened by the trauma suffered from witnessing the death of someone close to the user. Uchiha have historically misunderstood this criteria as the user needing to be responsible for the person's death, and for that reason they developed the practice of killing their closest friends in order to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Byakugan[]
The Byakugan (白眼, Lit. "White Eye"; Viz Print: "All Seeing White Eye") is the dōjutsu kekkei genkai of the Hyūga and Ōtsutsuki clans, inherited from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. It is regarded as one of the "Three Great Dōjutsu", the others being the Sharingan and the Rinnegan.
Rinnegan[]
The Rinnegan (輪廻眼, Lit. "Saṃsāra Eye") is reputed as the most exalted eye amongst the "Three Great Dōjutsu", the others being the Sharingan and the Byakugan. It is said that in times of disorder, one who wields the Rinnegan is sent down from the heavens to become either a "God of Creation" who will calm the world or a "God of Destruction" who will reduce everything to nothingness. The Rinnegan is characterised by a ripple pattern that spreads over the eyeball.
Jōgan[]
The Jōgan (淨眼, Lit. "Pure Eye") is a unique dōjutsu that is known only by the Ōtsutsuki Clan, whose members claim it's troublesome and that it's a power strongly inherited from their clan.
In the manga the dōjutsu is featureless in appearance with a barely visible pupil. When depicted in the anime, the dōjutsu is blue in colour with a darkened sclera and visible pupil.
Tenseigan[]
The Tenseigan (転生眼, Lit. "Reincarnation Eye") is a dōjutsu introduced in The Last: Naruto the Movie. The movie's novelisation explains that the Tenseigan can be acquired when an Ōtsutsuki is implanted with the Byakugan of a Hyūga: this combination of the two clans' chakra transforms the Byakugan into Tenseigan.
Ketsuryūgan[]
The Ketsuryugan (血龍眼, Lit. "Blood Dragon Eye") is a dōjutsu hailing from the Chinoike clan. The Ketsuryūgan is recognised by its reddish colour, giving a special appearance for the users of this dōjutsu, characterised as holders of "eyes as red as blood".
Nature Transformations[]
Wood Release[]
Wood Release (木遁, Mokuton) or Wood Style is a nature transformation kekkei genkai, a combination of earth and water. It was famously used by Hashirama Senju, and in fact is not known to have naturally occurred in anyone else. Because of Wood Release's power and versatility, there have been various efforts to reproduce it after Hashirama's death.
Ice Release[]
Ice Release (氷遁, Hyōton) or Ice Style is the combined nature transformation kekkei genkai of the Yuki clan. It allows the user to freely create and manipulate ice by simultaneously combining wind and water-based chakra. When the user releases their chakra, the surrounding vicinity becomes cold enough to cause snow to fall. The ice Haku creates is also extremely resistant to fire-based attacks, only melting slightly when coming into contact with Sasuke's flames.
Steel Release[]
Steel Release (鋼遁, Kōton) or Steel Style is a combined nature transformation kekkei genkai. It is unknown what elements this nature entails.
Magnet Release[]
Magnet Release (磁遁, Jiton) or Magnet Style is a combined nature transformation kekkei genkai suggested to be made up of techniques that mix wind and earth-based chakra to create magnetic forces in different properties and usages. Various shinobi of Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Ishigakure have possessed this kekkei genkai
Mud Release[]
Mud Release (泥遁, Deiton) is a nature transformation kekkei genkai, a combination of water and earth. Because these same natures are used to create Wood Release, and because Wood Release is so famous, few people have ever heard of Mud Release, to the point that Hidan initially believes its very existence is a lie.
Boil Release[]
Boil Release (沸遁, Futton) or Vapour Style is a combined nature transformation kekkei genkai made up of techniques that mix fire and water-based chakra to create gaseous materials in different properties and usages.
Explosion Release[]
Explosion Release (爆遁, Bakuton) or Explosive Style is a combined nature transformation kekkei genkai suggested to be made up of techniques that mix earth and lightning-based chakra to give the wielder the ability to utilise explosive chakra in combat.
Lava Release[]
Lava Release (溶遁; 熔遁, Yōton) also known as Corrosion Style or Lava Style, is a combined nature transformation kekkei genkai made up of techniques that mix fire and earth-based chakra to create volcanic materials such as lava or rubber in different properties and usages.
Storm Release[]
Storm Release (嵐遁, Ranton), also known as Gale Style or Storm Style, is a combined nature transformation kekkei genkai made up of techniques that mix lightning and water-based chakra to create energy beams that can be guided towards the enemy.
Kekkei Tōta[]
Kekkei Tōta (血継淘汰, Lit. "Bloodline Selection") is an advanced form of kekkei genkai, utilizing three nature transformations.
Dust Release[]
Dust Release (塵遁, Jinton) or Particle Style is a nature transformation utilizing earth, wind, and fire. To perform Dust Release, users form a small three-dimensional object (e.g. a cube, a cone, etc.) out of chakra in their hands. The object expands once released by the user and moves astonishingly fast at its target; anything that passes through it (or that is passed through by it) is disintegrated on a molecular level.
Other Types[]
Jūgo's Clan's Kekkei Genkai[]
The kekkei genkai of Jūgo's clan is a passive ability which allows its members to absorb and make use of natural energy without any training in senjutsu. Due to the constant intake of natural energy, they are prone to mental instability, sporadically feeling sudden and uncontrollable urges to kill. The wielder's body can also secrete special fluids which, through means of Senjutsu chakra, allow them to transform parts of their bodies.
Shikotsumyaku[]
Shikotsumyaku (屍骨脈, Lit. "Dead Bone Pulse") is a kekkei genkai which gives its wielder the ability to manipulate their own skeletal structure (their osteoblasts and osteoclasts). By infusing their calcium with chakra, they could manipulate the growth and properties of their bones to their liking. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki manifested a similar, albeit more lethal, ability to weaponise her bone structure from which Shikotsumyaku originates. This kekkei genkai is inherited into a rare few amongst Kaguya's descendants in the Kaguya clan, Kimimaro being the only other known inheritor of this power.
Inspiration[]
The concept of special ninja techniques limited by bloodline inheritance may have been inspired in part by the works of Futaro Yamada, which strongly influenced later depictions of ninja in fiction. In particular, The Kōga Ninja Scrolls (甲賀忍法帖, Kōga Ninpōchō), published in 1959, featured a pair of warring ninja clans that, through selective breeding, had produced ninja with a variety of deformities, mutations, and special abilities, even dōjutsu.
Trivia[]
- Some tailed beasts are also known to possess kekkei genkai and can pass them on to their respective jinchūriki, examples include Shukaku's Magnet Release and Kokuō's Boil Release.
- In Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise, Nowaki displays the kekkei genkai called Typhoon Release (颱遁, Taiton) or Typhoon Style which seems to be a more powerful version of Wind Release.