The combat system in the Naruto franchise didn’t take long to introduce the concept of kekkei genkai, or inherited techniques that can be practiced but not learned. Kekkei genkai rank among the most “special” jutsu and traits in all of Naruto, setting them apart from hiden jutsu and regular jutsu, and unsurprisingly, many of the strongest shinobi all use kekkei genkai. Near the end of Naruto Shippuden, it almost felt like the major fighters were supposed to have a kekkei genkai.
Fortunately, the Naruto anime never completely abandoned the characters who lacked kekkei genkai. Many of them were still incredible powerhouses thanks to their advanced jutsu, sharp intellect, and bone-crushing taijutsu to rival any kekkei genkai user. Many of them are either Kage, a member of the Sannin group, or even members of the Akatsuki group.
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10
Konan Wielded the Power of Origami in Battle
Debut Episode: “Disappearance”
Konan ranks last among the strongest Naruto characters with no kekkei genkai since she didn’t win any major battles in the anime, though she was still a formidable kunoichi with her unique fighting style. Konan could overwhelm most enemies with countless paper, almost like origami, and she could take flight with two angel-like wings of paper to boost her mobility.
Notably, Konan’s paper was unaffected by obvious elemental weaknesses, since fire jutsu would barely damage her paper formations and rainwater would not dampen them. On top of all that, Konan was quite smart, able to figure out how many jutsu systems worked, including Obito’s space-time technique, and she tried figuring out ways to deal with it in a future battle.
9
Hiruzen Was the Third Hokage and a Professor of Jutsu
Debut Episode: “Enter: Naruto Uzumaki!”
It wasn’t until the Operation Konoha Crush story arc when Naruto fans finally got to see the elderly Third Hokage in battle, and of all people, he battled his former student, Orochimaru. Right away, Hiruzen proved why he was considered the “professor” of jutsu, both using and understanding an impressive variety of jutsu. That spoke to Hiruzen’s vast experience in battle and his studies as a well-informed Kage.
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Hiruzen could also take the fight to his enemies with devastating taijutsu, using a rod modeled after Sun Wukong’s own to attack Orochimaru up close. However, that wasn’t enough to stop Orochimaru, so Hiruzen showed his ace in the hole, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal jutsu to destroy the soul in Orochimaru’s arms and rid him of jutsu from that point on.
8
Tsunade Pioneered the Use of Medical Jutsu and Eventually Became a Hokage
Debut Episode: “Jiraiya: Naruto’s Potential Disaster!”
Through the use of his experiments and forbidden jutsu, Orochimaru became the only member of the Sannin group to use kekkei genkai in some form, while the other two are legendary ninjas without the benefit of kekkei genkai, which is actually more impressive. Tsunade the slug princess, for example, became the top kunoichi of her generation thanks to her blend of taijutsu, summoning jutsu, and her medical expertise.
In battle, Tsunade can overwhelm most foes with the giant slug Katsuyu, which can spray acidic slime to corrode Tsunade’s enemies, or split itself into many smaller slugs to gather intel in the area. Meanwhile, Tsunade can fight her own battles up close with chakra-infused taijutsu strikes, with her kicks alone being a serious threat to the likes of Orochimaru. Most of all, Tsunade can stay on the battlefield longer or heal an ally with medical jutsu, including the emergency usage of Creation Rebirth.
7
Jiraiya Showed the Power of Sage Mode in Battle Against Pain
Debut Episode: “Ebisu Returns: Naruto’s Toughest Training Yet!”
Jiraiya is another member of the Sannin group who does not rely on kekkei genkai to fight, though he makes up for it with the use of ultra-advanced techniques like Sage Mode, which isn’t something any ordinary ninja could do. Though not quite 100% complete and perfect, Jiraiya’s Sage Mode is enough to battle Pain and almost win, especially with the Ma and Pa toads aiding him.
Aside from Sage Mode, Jiraiya has been known to use the summoning jutsu to call upon massive amphibian allies like Gamabunta to crush his foes, with Gamabunta being roughly equal to the likes of the one-tailed Shukaku. Finally, Jiraiya can employ cool jutsu like Needle Jizo and the powerful Rasengan, a technique his own student Minato invented.
6
Kisame and his Sword, Samehada, Could Rival Tailed Beasts
Debut Episode: “The Third Hokage, Forever…”
Plenty of Akatsuki members use a kekkei genkai to fight, such as Itachi’s Sharingan or Deidara’s use of explosive jutsu, but the shark-themed Kisame Hoshigaki needs no kekkei genkai to keep pace with those powerhouses. For one thing, Kisame has enormous physical strength and stamina, and he becomes even stronger and deadlier when fusing with Samehada.
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Kisame can also use Samehada as a sword in battle, swiping it through the air to instantly devour the enemy’s chakra, at once denying the enemy usage of jutsu while powering up the Samehada. To round things out, Kisame may shred the enemy with Samehada’s shark scales or use water release jutsu like the Water Shark Bullet Technique.
5
The Fourth Raikage Blended Lightning Chakra With Taijutsu
Debut Episode: “Somber News”
Many of the Kage in Naruto Shippuden had a kekkei genkai, such as the Mizukage’s combination of Lava and Boil release, along with Onoki’s Dust Release. However, the Fourth Raikage A needed no kekkei genkai to stand up to threats like the Akatsuki, relying instead on strength, lightning chakra, and overwhelming speed to fight like a human thunderbolt.
The Fourth Raikage’s overwheming taijutsu helped rank him in the middle among all non-kekkei genkai users, most of all when he executed combo strikes with his younger brother Killer B. Together, they could take on even the most elite Akatsuki members with surprising ease, forcing foes like Kisame to use the most desperate emergency techniques to escape death at the last second.
4
Killer B Mastered the Eight-Tails Beast, Gyuki, Becoming a Perfect Jinchuriki
Debut Episode: “Battle of Valley of Clouds and Lightning”
The jinchuriki all have the benefit of devastating half-other powers to rival or even surpass many kekkei genkai, though some jinchuriki get along with their tailed beasts more than others. The Cloud ninja known as Killer B is an example of a jinchuriki in perfect sync with his tailed beast, with him and the eight-tailed ox Gyuki being a perfect tag team in battle.
With the benefit of Gyuki’s titanic chakra and biju cloak, Killer B can overwhelm almost anyone in battle as a living weapon, which also made him an ideal coach for Naruto Uzumaki. With or without Gyuki’s power, Killer B is deadly in battle with his many swords, holding them with his arms and leg to whirl around, slashing the enemy from many angles at once, which Sasuke Uchiha saw for himself.
3
Minato Became the Famous Yellow Flash and Invented the Rasengan
Debut Episode: “Enter: Naruto Uzumaki!”
Naruto’s father, the late Minato Namikaze, was a remarkable Hokage and an exemplary fighter, never needing kekkei genkai of any kind to get the job done. Minato’s peerless speed was one of his greatest assets, teleporting to the location of his special kunai to take the enemy by surprise. That was how Minato could either avoid enemy attacks at the last second or position himself to ambusht the enemy.
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Minato could follow up on that superior positioning with the use of his own signature jutsu, the powerful Rasengan. Minato was seen using it when fighting Obito on the night of Kurama’s attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, delivering an impressive blow to prove his worth as Hokage. Tragically, however, none of that was enough to defeat Kurama, forcing Minato to give his life for the sake of his village and newborn son.
2
Tobirama Didn’t Need a Kekkei Genkai Like His Brother
Debut Episode: “Village in Distress: A New A-Ranked Mission!”
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, made use of the Wood Release kekkei genkai while his brother, Tobirama, had no kekkei genkai. Despite that, Tobirama was nearly as powerful as his historic brother, and he went a long way in expanding the Hidden Leaf Village. In battle, Tobirama was a true menace with his extreme speed and space-time technique.
With such mobility, Tobirama could plant explosive tags all over the enemy, but that wasn’t all. Tobirama could also fight with great skill with a sword in hand, and as for elemental jutsu, he was known to summon huge quantities of water to use water release jutsu on command. All that was aided by Tobirama’s abilities as a sensor, able to locate and analyze someone’s chakra from a distance.
1
Might Guy Only Used Taijutsu When Fighting the Strongest Villains
Debut Episode: “Identify Yourself: Powerful New Rivals”
Might Guy is the most powerful Naruto character without kekkei genkai because of his focus on taijutsu, a fighting style that may seem limiting but is actually an asset. Like his student Rock Lee, Might Guy made the most of taijutsu and never felt like he was “missing” anything else because of it. Ordinary taijutsu was usually enough to win, and if not, Might Guy could release one or more of the inner Gates.
Might Guy could open all of the Gates to become a true monster in battle, able to release world-shaking techniques like the Morning Peacock and Daytime Tiger, though doing so comes at a cost, especially when the Night Guy technique is used. After using such devastating moves against Madara Uchiha, Might Guy suffered permanent damage to his body. Still, going so far with taijutsu alone against someone like Madara is the stuff legends are made of.
Naruto
- Created by
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Masashi Kishimoto
- Latest Film
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Boruto: Naruto the Movie
