Picture this: It’s 3 am, and you’re sitting on the couch eating an obscene amount of ramen in your underwear, when, suddenly, you are transported into a field of battle in the Naruto universe. Your opponent? The Akatsuki. All of them. At once. You don’t have a gun and Naruto isn’t there to give you one. The silver lining? You get to pick one kekki genkai from the Naruto universe to use to help you. No pressure, you can pick whichever one you want, but you better pick fast. Here are our top five in case you need ideas.
We, at The Mary Sue, simply want you to be prepared.
Scorch Release
When in doubt, kill it with fire. The Scorch Release is arguably one of the most powerful Releases in the canon (with the exception of the Wood Release of course). It is a combination of the Wind and Fire Releases, and so far only one ninja has been shown to master it (now two, lucky you). The Scorch Release is able to superheat the body of its target, causing them to desiccate almost instantly. Yikes. Basically, you can just vaporize your opponent while they’re still doing hand signs. You might not be able to kill all of the Akatsuki this way, but you’re sure to take some of them down with you.
Mangekyou Sharingan
Alright, now we’re bringing out the big guns. The Mangekyou Sharingan is an ability only available to a handful of Uchihas, and the abilities of which vary depending on the user. The good news is they’re all pretty badass. First off, the Mangekyou Sharingan grants the wielder the ability to use Susanoo, which is a massive humanoid avatar made of chakra that forms around the user. The ability grants the user a destructive power on par with that of the Tailed Beasts, and is capable of leveling mountains. But this isn’t the only thing the Mangekyou Sharingan has to offer. Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan allows him to cast Amaterasu, the highest level of Fire Release. Amaterasu allows the user to cast an inferno of black flames at the user’s focal point. Meaning you would be able to light people on fire by looking at them. But STILL, THERE’S MORE. The Mangekyou Sharingan also allows for a series of mind control techniques, including Tsukuyomi, which is arguably the most powerful genjutsu in existence. By making eye contact with someone, you can trap them in a mental hellscape that distorts the perception of time, allowing you to subject your victim to days of gruesome mental torture in a matter of seconds. It’s seriously messed up and might be my top pick.
Wood Release
The Wood Release is the most powerful Release in all of the Naruto universe, bar none. A combination of the Earth and Water Release, the Wood Release allows the user to make… wood. It doesn’t sound impressive, but you can make A LOT of wood. How much? So much wood that you can make a miles-long wooden statue of yourself powerful enough to restrain multiple Tailed Beasts at once. The Wood Release also allows the user to create wood clones that are indistinguishable from the user themself. I know you’re not quite convinced yet (the Mangekyou Sharingan still seems more badass) but the First Hokage, Harashima Senju, was able to use the Wood Release to defeat Madara Uchiha’s Mangekyo Sharingan in battle. Madara has arguably the most powerful Mangekyou Sharingan abilities in the universe, and Harashima was able to beat his ass with some trees. That’s embarrassing. The Wood Release also grants the user with regeneration powers that allow them to shrug off even the most devastating blows. This kekki genkai is nigh unstoppable because allows the user the ability to literally create and manipulate life itself. Our strategy? Distract the Akatsuki with a wood clone, throw them in wood jail, put them to sleep with some pollen, run away, build a little cabin, regenerate your wounds, and then continue eating ramen to your heart’s content.
Tenseigan
What do you get when you combine the already badass Byakugan kekki genkai with the bloodline of the Otsutsuki clan? Total annihilation, that’s what. The Tenseigan is an ability that grants the user an array of god-like powers. What powers, you ask? Well, Toneri Otsutsuki used the Tenseigan to summon a giant golden sword that cut the fucking moon in half. He then planned to use the Tenseigan to crash the moon into the Earth, wipe out the entire human population, and then revive the planet anew. Yes, you read that correctly, this kekki genkai has the ability to destroy and restore entire planets. The Tenseigan also gives one the ability to enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode, which allows the user to fly. The downside? The user is actually quite fragile when using the abilities of the Tenseigan, and Naruto Uzumaki was able to dispel Toneri’s Tenseigan Chakra Mode by punching him in the face. That’s it. Our strategy, crash the moon onto the Akatsuki, and don’t get hit while you do it.
Rinnegan
The kekki genkai to end all kekki genkai, the Rinnegan is arguably the most powerful ability in existence in the Naruto universe. The Rinnegan allows the user to master all five of the basic nature releases instantaneously, along with any other jutsu in existence. The Rinnegan also allows the bearer to use six separate abilities collectively known at the Six Paths. These paths allow users to control the attractive and repulsive forces of the universe, mechanically alter their physical body with armor and weapons, capture human souls, summon giant animals, absorb all different kinds of chakra, and call upon the literal King of Hell who presides over life and death. And that’s not all. The Rinnegan also grants the wielder the power of the Outer Path, which allows them to revive the dead. It also allows them to create “black receivers,” which are rods that allow the user to transmit chakra across enormous distances, allowing them to remotely control the Six Paths of Pain. What are the Six Paths of Pain? Oh nothing, they’re just reanimated corpses that each possesses a copy of the Rinnegan the wielder of the original Rinnegan can control at will. And the craziest part? Anything that has a copy of the Rinnegan shares visual information with the original Rinnegan user, allowing the original user to see out of multiple different bodies at the same time. And the scariest part? We’ve only scratched the surface of the Rinnegan’s powers. It has countless other abilities, some of which allow the user to travel through time. The Rinnegan is a game-breaker. It’s cheating. It’s just not fair. Our strategy for beating the Akatsuki? Just wink at them with your Rinnegan eye and watch them run in terror.
(featured image: Pierrot)
