| Jutsu - one of the words that you will hear in each and | | | | genins. If they pass the chuunin exam, they will |
| every Naruto episode. You'll hear it just about as often | | | | become chuunins. Then Jounins and maybe, |
| as you hear Naruto say 'Dattebayo'. But what does it | | | | specialized jounins, ANBU, even kages. |
| mean? Jutsu is a Japanese word that means 'skill' or | | | | The last two ranks are kinjutsu and secret techniques. |
| 'ability'. In the Naruto Universe, it is used to describe the | | | | Kinjutsu are otherwise known as 'forbidden jutsu'. |
| various techniques used by ninjas during battle. | | | | These jutsu are forbidden because they are either |
| Jutsus are often done by manipulating the 'chakra' of | | | | 'dark or evil in nature' or they cause harm to the user. |
| the ninja. The more stamina a ninja has, the more | | | | Examples of kinjutsu are Naruto's Kage Bunshin and |
| chakra he can use since chakra is simply stamina | | | | the Juin Jutsu or the Cursed Seal technique used by |
| converted into energy. These jutsus are performed by | | | | Sasuke. Secret techniques are jutsu passed down |
| doing hand-seals. There are 12 hand seals in all namely: | | | | from generation to generation of a ninja clan. Nobody |
| 1. Bird | | | | outside of the clan can know how to perform the |
| 2. Boar | | | | jutsu. Included in this rank are the kekkei genkais or the |
| 3. Dog | | | | abilities or skill passed down through the genes like the |
| 4. Dragon | | | | Uchiha clan's Sharingan and the Hyuga clan's |
| 5. Hare | | | | Byakugan. |
| 6. Horse | | | | Jutsus can be further classified into three categories |
| 7. Monkey | | | | depending on their type. These are: |
| 8. Ox | | | | 1. Taijutsu - taijutsu refers to any technique that uses |
| 9. Ram | | | | the ninja's stamina directly rather than converting the |
| 10. Rat | | | | stamina into chakra. Simply put, taijutsu refers to all |
| 11. Serpent | | | | hand-to-hand combat techniques. Examples are Lee's |
| 12. Tiger | | | | Lotus and Sasuke's Shi Shi Rendan. |
| The jutsu that will be performed depends on the | | | | 2. Ninjutsu - ninjutsu refers to any technique that uses |
| hand-seals that were used. For example, a fire jutsu | | | | chakra for various purposes, depending on the user. |
| typically ends with the seal of the tiger, as in the case | | | | Elemental techniques are classified into this. Examples |
| of the Uchiha clan's Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu. | | | | include Naruto's rasengan and Sasuke's chidori. |
| Jutsus are ranked according to their power and level | | | | Kawarimi no jutsu, a basic jutsu, is also classified into |
| of difficulty. But a jutsu's rank doesn't mean that it will | | | | this. |
| be effective. It still depends on the user's skill and his | | | | 3. Genjutsu - genjutsu refers to any technique that |
| usage of the jutsu. There are six ranks in all namely: | | | | involves using the victim's chakra against himself to |
| 1. E rank - academy student-level jutsu | | | | affect the person's nervous system. Genjutsus often |
| 2. D rank - genin-level jutsu | | | | rely on the ninja's intelligence. The more intelligent a |
| 3. C rank - chuunin level jutsu | | | | person is, the more he can perform genjutsu and the |
| 4. B rank - jounin level jutsu | | | | more he can dispel it. |
| 5. A rank - Kinjutsu | | | | So there you have it, this should give you some ideas |
| 6. S rank - Secret Techniques | | | | of what Jutsus mean in Naruto whenever a character |
| As you may have noticed, the first four ranks depend | | | | uses it. It's actually not all made up and there are |
| on the ninja's level. You see, ninjas start out as | | | | actually some depth to each Jutsus individually! |
| academy students. If they pass, they will become | | | | |