What are the best Naruto jutsu? In Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, ninja battle using powerful techniques known as ninjutsu, or jutsu for short. By weaving hand seals and molding their chakra in just the right way, ninjas can manipulate the elements, summon powerful creatures, and even trap their opponents in illusions.
All of our favorite Naruto characters (and the evil Akatsuki members) use some form of jutsu, and there are far too many techniques used in the anime series for us ever to list. Still, we’ve been wondering, ‘What are the best Naruto jutsu?’ To answer this, watched all of Naruto in order and made a note of all the jutsu from Amaterasu to Yin Healing Wound Destruction (sorry, we couldn’t find a jutsu beginning with ‘Z’). Also, minor Naruto spoilers are ahead.
15. Izanagi
Izangi is possibly the most broken power in the entirety of Naruto, which allows the user to manipulate reality for a few seconds. Historically the Uchiha have used this ability to save themselves from death, allowing them to keep fighting even after suffering mortal wounds. As powerful as this sounds, though, it comes at a terrible cost.
Whoever uses the power of Izangi is forced to sacrifice the sight in one of their Sharingan to use the jutsu. As a result of this, the Uchiha labeled the technique forbidden and even created a sister technique, the Izanami, which forces those it’s used on to accept their own destiny.
14. Earth Grudge Fear
Earth Grudge Fear is a deadly forbidden technique that transforms Kazuku into a living rag doll full of black cords. While that might not sound super useful, it gave Kazuku several unique abilities, including immortality, stretching his limbs, and, most notably, the power to steal the hearts of his opponents, giving him access to the elemental abilities of his enemies.
This technique made Kazuku into an S-Rank ninja capable of going toe-to-toe with foes as mighty as the First Hokage and gave him the power to crush almost any opponent he faced.
13. Wood Release: Wood Human Technique
Hashirama, aka the First Hokage, was one of the most powerful ninjas ever to wear a forehead protector, so it’s unsurprising that his signature technique is on this list. Wood Human Technique does exactly what it says on the tin: it makes a wooden human… a giant wooden human!
This wooden golem is so powerful it’s capable of battling with the tailed beasts (even Kurama, the most powerful of the beasts) and even Madara’s Susanoo.
12. Chidori
An iconic jutsu Chidori was overshadowed by some of the flashier jutsu introduced later in Naruto’s run, but that doesn’t take away from how cool this technique is. the user basically summons a fist of lightning and jams it into their opponent’s chest, killing them instantly.
What’s not to love? Well, it doesn’t have the greatest success rate when it comes to assassinating people, and you can only really use it if you’ve got the Sharingan, but hell, it looks pretty neat, doesn’t it?
11. Shinra Tensei
Only accessible to those with the Rinnegan, Shinra Tensei may not be the most powerful ability of that particular eye, but it’s arguably the most iconic and Pain’s signature ability. Described as the “pinnacle” of the Rinnegan’s power (Which is silly when you consider that it can bring back the dead), Shinra Tensei allows the user to push anything away from their body.
This gives the user incredible defensive capabilities as they can blow away any attacker who might get too close, but the technique also offers tremendous offensive opportunities as well. Indeed Pain used this ability to singlehandedly wipe out the entirety of Konoha.
10. Rasengan
Listen, if we’re putting together a list of the best Naruto jutsu, we were always going to include Rasengan. The iconic technique is basically Naruto’s version of the Kamehameha, and for that alone, it’s earned its place here, but there’s more to the Rasengan than that.
The Rasengan is one of the most adaptable and versatile techniques in the series, with Naruto using it in countless new and creative ways in every episode. Almost every Naruto villain, at some point, has been hit by this simple attack and learned why you shouldn’t underestimate Konoha’s Number One Kunckle-Headed Ninja.
9. Particle Style
Some ninja value efficiency over spectacle but none more than the Particle Style users. By fusing earth, wind, and fire chakra, this technique allows users to create 3D shapes that they can expand and control.
It doesn’t sound too useful, does it? Well, the thing is that anything within the shape is disintegrated down to the molecular level. Yep, it’s called Particle Style because that’s all that’s left of you if you get hit by it.
8. Limbo
Limbo is Madara’s trump card, and not a lot is known about it other than it being potentially one of the strongest jutsu in the series. The Rinnegan technique allows the user to create invisible clones that exist in the Limbo dimension. These clones are completely indestructible and can interact with the real world.
Unlike other clones, the Limbo duplicates don’t appear to be any weaker than the original user. Their only known weakness is that they have to return to the user after a certain amount of time to recharge. A limbo user can also swap places with their clones allowing them to teleport. Also, we’re pretty sure this isn’t Madara Uchiha’s Mangekyou Sharingan power, but we might be wrong.
7. Kotoamatsukami
There are plenty of powerful genjutsu — the ability to cast illusions — in Naruto, and we considered putting Itachi’s signature move Tsukuyomi on the list. Still, ultimately, Kotoamatsukami is a much more fascinating ability.
Kotoamatsukami allows the user to brainwash their target completely with no known exception. Basically, you can turn your most hated enemy into a friend just by staring them in the eye. To make matters worse for the victims of Kotoamatsukami, they’ll have no memory of being affected by the jutsu.
6. Reaper Death Seal
Naruto doesn’t have a lot of one-hit kill moves, and the Reaper Death Seal’s the only real exception (sort of). This technique allows the user to summon a shinigami (a Japanese death god), who will then rip the soul out of the user’s target.
The only downside? Well, the shinigami also takes the user’s soul at the same time, and if a target is powerful enough, it can resist the technique resulting in them only losing a fragment of their soul. Due to its steep use cost (and the Uzumaki Clan massacre), the Reaper Death Seal’s only used sparingly during the series.
5. The Flying Thunder God
The Flying Thunder God is the second strongest space-time ninjutsu in Naruto, and this technique made the Fourth Hokage a legend. The Flying Thunder God allows its user to teleport at will to specially prepared seals, quite literally allowing them to disappear in a flash.
Using this technique and carefully prepared kunai, Minato was able to wipe out over 1,000 shinobi by himself, and even when Obito turned up with the Kamui (the superior space-time ninjutsu), Minato’s skill with the Flying Thunder God allowed him to defeat his former student easily.
4. Edo Tensei
Edo Tensei’s probably the most dangerous and evil technique in the series. Through the use of human sacrifice, the user can reanimate the dead and make them fight on their behalf. The dead have infinite chakra, no will of their own (if the correct seal is used), and can regenerate from almost any attack.
Basically, Edo Tensei creates super powerful, unstoppable zombies. Kabuto used the technique during Naruto’s final arc, where we learned the real danger of this technique. If they’re powerful enough and know the right seals, the zombies can release themselves from their user’s control, becoming truly unstoppable.
3. The Eight Gates
By opening the Eight Gates, a ninja becomes exponentially more powerful, and as they open more gates, their strength increases. Sounds great, right?
The downside is that the more gates you open, the more damage you do to your body, and if you open the eighth gate, you’re guaranteed to die. Still, the power it grants its users is immense, allowing Might Guy the strength to severely injure Madara even when he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
2. Truth Seeking Balls
One of the most powerful jutsu in the entire series, Truth Seeking Balls are small fist-sized orbs formed by those capable of using Six Paths Senjutsu. These black balls are made of all chakra types and, as such, are incredibly destructive when used as projectiles.
Offense isn’t their only use, however. The balls can also be used defensively (as they negate all other ninjutsu that touches them) and as support items as skilled users are able to manipulate the ball’s shape to form incredibly powerful weapons.
1. Kamui
Kamui is plainly broken both offensively and defensively. The ability, which is derived from Obito’s Mangekyou Sharingan, allows the user to transport themselves to an alternate dimension parallel to our own.
By doing so, the user can teleport, become intangible, and trap people within the dimension at a glance. It’s unblockable, and unless you just so happen to have the ability to use Kamui yourself, you cannot hit an opponent using this technique.
Seriously Kamui was so overpowered that in the end, Naruto’s creator Kishimoto had to say its user couldn’t activate it anymore just to give our heroes a chance of stopping him.
If you love Naruto, check out our lists of the best anime characters and the best anime villains. We’ve also answered whether Kurama is the strongest Tailed Beast and explained what the Infinite Tsukuyomi is.
If that’s not enough, you should read our guides breaking down everything we know about the Demon Slayer season 3 release date, One-Punch Man season 3 release date, and Way of the Househusband season 3 release date.