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Narutois a very creative series when it comes to ninja skills. Although every shinobi can learn all sorts of jutsu through training, some of them are born with advantages. There are techniques that can only be used by those with certain bloodlines, and these DNA-related techniques are calledkekkei genkai(literally, “bloodline limit”) inNaruto’s universe.
Thedoujutsu(or visual jutsu), techniques that use the eyes, are one of the best knownkekkei genkaiin the series. Sharingan is a doujutsu of the Uchiha clan, but there are specific conditions under which an Uchiha will be able to unlock the Sharingan. Throughout the series, Sasuke not only awakens his Sharingan, but is also able to improve and achieve even more powerful “forms” of it.
Unlocking the Sharingan and Regular Powers
Sasuke is able tounlock the Sharingan quite early in the story, during his first C-Rank mission, when he fights Haku. Usually, Sharingan is awakened when the user is under emotional stress, especially when those they hold dear are in danger — for this reason, not all Uchiha members are able to unlock it. Due to the stress, their brains release a special form of chakra that changes the appearance of their eyes and grants them new powers.
Sharingan allows the user to use two abilities:the Eye of Insightandthe Eye of Hypnotism. With the first ability, the user can “read” someone’s chakra flow, mimic their movements and copy their jutsu — so, this ability is mostly related to an enhanced perception. The second ability allows the user to gain control over their opponent, compelling them to act in a certain way or reveal information, just like hypnosis — this is commonly called “Genjutsu Sharingan” in a generic way, and can be performed with simple eye contact.
With both abilities, the user can mimic their opponent’s actions with the Eye of Insight and slightly slow them down with the Eye of Hypnotism, creating an advantage, as if the user could “see the future”.
Mastering the Sharingan Technique
Sharingan is not usually awakened to its full power at once — the wielder must improve this technique in order to make the most of it, and even combine it with other jutsu. According to Madara, Sharingan only unleashes its true full potential if both eyes are activated — which does not mean that single-eyed users won’t be able to unleash massive power.
There are a few techniques that require the Sharingan — and thus are almost exclusive to the Uchiha clan. Two powerful “Sharingan-only” jutsuare Inazagi and Izanami(Sasuke does not use any of them inNaruto):
Unlocking Mangekyou Sharingan
For a Sharingan user to be able to unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan, they need to go through an extremely traumatic experience — usually, the tragic death of someone dear. That’s whyItachi unlocks it after seeing Shisui’s suicide. Meanwhile, Sasuke awakens it shortly after killing his own brother,when he learns the truth about Itachi.
However, for a long time, the Uchiha clan mistakenly believed that they had tokilltheir loved ones to unlock it. It’s not exactly like that, but killing a loved one is certainly an immense trauma and will usually work as a way to unleash it.
If the Sharingan hasn’t fully matured yet, awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan will force it to do so. But, as usual, great powers come with great risks.
The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan
Overusing the Mangekyou Sharingan will eventually lead to blindness, since it requires a lot of chakra to be activated. But there is an exception: if the Mangekyou is transplanted to a close relative, the new user won’t ever go blind due to it — the so-called “Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan”.
Sasukegets the Eternal form when Itachi’s Mangekyou Sharingan is transplanted to him. This is like the ultimate version of the Mangekyou Sharingan, as it is even more powerful, less chakra-consuming and can be activated at any time. With the Mangekyo Sharingan (any form of it), Sasuke isable to use the Susanoo jutsu.
The Ultimate Eye: Unlocking the Rinnegan
Afteracquiring Hagoromo Otsutsuki’s chakra from Hagoromo’s own spirit, Sasuke is finally able to awaken the Rinnegan, but only in his left eye. The Rinnegan is apparently a unique trait of the Sage of Six Paths and likely related to his mother’s Rinne Sharingan. Only a few shinobi have been able to wield the Rinnegan, and Hagoromo’s chakra (or his sons' chakra) is an essential feature in order to achieve it.
Rinnegan grants the user tremendous power and allows themto use the Six Paths Jutsu, which includes reading the opponent’s mind and even controlling life and death (allowing the user to revive someone). In Sasuke’s case, he is alsoable to use Amenotejikarawith the Rinnegan.
NarutoandNaruto Shippudenare available onCrunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu and many other streaming services.
