Naruto Uzumaki has a big heart, and even some brains on the right day. In addition to his innate cardinal direction and humor, he’s also an excellent fighter.
As we binge-watch all 720 episodes of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, we see Naruto’s evolution as a warrior. He battles some of the most unique characters known to anime, surprising even himself with his abilities.
Perhaps one of the most under-discussed and assumedly underdeveloped assets of Naruto’s combat repertoire is his taijutsu. Let’s highlight this combat form in greater detail to see if and to what extent Naruto developed this Jutsu.
There Are 3 Main Jutsus In The Narutoverse
In the Naruto canon, there are three main Jutsu categories: Taijutsu (bodily techniques), Ninjutsu (ninja techniques), and Genjutsu (illusory techniques). There are permutations of these Jutsus, such as Nintaijutsu. There are other types of jutsu’s, such as kenjutsu, which Sasuke uses with his sword, but these are the three main ones. Let’s break down the three main types.
Taijutsu
Taijutsu are essentially martial arts, albeit taken to the extreme. It relies on physical and mental energy and usually doesn’t require chakra, though chakra can be used to supercharge Taijutsu.
Taijutsu doesn’t usually rely on hand seals and is quicker to use than the other two main Jutsus. It’s rare for a ninja to rely solely on Taijutsu, but Rock Lee and Might Guy are notable exceptions.
Ninjutsu
Ninjutsu refers to any technique that utilizes chakra to perform an ability that would otherwise be impossible for normal humans. It often involves hand seals, which summon chakra, but some ninjas grow so advanced that their Jutsu becomes second nature.
Many Ninjutsu are elemental, meaning they rely on certain elements, such as water, to perform a Jutsu. Others involve transforming techniques, which Naruto often uses to play pranks.
Genjutsu
Genjutsu is an art of deception, used to control a target’s brain, affecting their five senses to produce sensory illusions. Genjutsu doesn’t produce combat damage but often tricks a target into believing they are seeing an image or experiencing pain.
Even though Genjutsu is powerful, it’s rarely used by ninjas because it’s not as fulfilling as the other Jutsus. Some experts of Genjutsu include Kurenai Yūhi and some members of the Uchiha clan.
Taijutsu Highlights In Naruto Anime Series’
Taijutsu Used in Part One (Naruto)
Naruto variably used Taijutsu throughout part one, often unsuccessfully; to overcompensate, he diligently, though not always intentionally, improved his Ninjutsu. However, he eventually learned to combine both – let’s look at some events that lead us to this revelatory moment.
The Prologue – Land of Waves
In the beginning, the only Ninjutsu that Naruto could perform was the Sexy Technique, whereby he transformed into a “sexy” woman. This didn’t do anything except shock and sometimes distract people, notably the Third Hokage.
But Naruto quickly learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Ninjutsu, earning him graduation and thrusting him into the Team 7 evaluation. Here, Kakashi taunted Naruto into using his weak Taijutsu in battle and sent Uzamaki flying.
Our hero returned with his beloved clones – a strategy that also failed but was nevertheless more developed. Afterward, they visited the Land of the Waves, where Naruto channeled his Nine-Tailed Fox chakra, demonstrating unmastered yet staggering abilities.
When he summoned this chakra, he visibly transformed, emanating visible chakra, which was described by friends and foes as evil. Notice that he didn’t use Ninjutsu during this battle, but instead used Taijutsu, unorganized yet deeply empowered by the transformation.
Naruto’s Use of Taijutsu in the Chūnin exams
But perhaps Naruto’s Jutsu imbalance was most apparent during the Chūnin exams. During the preliminaries, we saw an epic fight between Rock Lee and Gara, in which Lee unleashed his advanced Taijutsu.
Although Lee lost, the moment he released the weights on his legs represents a legendary moment in the anime. Rock Lee’s Taijutsu, when compared to Naruto’s, is superior – which is perhaps why it’s hard to imagine Naruto employing Taijutsu.
However, during Naruto’s preliminary match, our hero broke through his limitations in a match against Kiba. At first, Naruto was outmatched and outnumbered, as Kiba’s dog, Akamaru, transformed into Kiba using the Beast Human Clone technique.
Naruto made a comeback by transforming into clones of both Akamaru and Kiba, forcing his opponent to attack his partner. Kiba attacked nonstop until Naruto farted, which stunned Kiba, leaving him vulnerable to Naruto’s new technique, the Naruto Uzumaki Combo.
The Naruto Uzumaki Combo represents a breakthrough for Naruto: Nintaijutsu, a permutation of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. He summons four clones who pummel the opponent into the air so that Naruto can perform a spinning heel drop.
These highlights demonstrate Naruto appreciates Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, but usually the former is utilized more effectively than the latter. However, when combined, Naruto unlocks an unexpected source of greatness; and when summoning his inner beast, his Taijutsu greatly improves.
Taijutsu Used in Part Two (Naruto Shippuden)
During Part Two, Naruto received more extensive taijutsu training than ever before. This took place in preparation for the epic Fourth Shinobi World War when Naruto received instruction from toad sage Fukasaku.
Fourth Shinobi World War and Naruto’s Taijutsu Use
Fukasaku taught Naruto Sage Mode through mixing Senjutsu, or infinite natural energy, with chakra, the finite energy of a ninja. By learning Sage Mode, Naruto could utilize frog kata, a Taijutsu style taught by the sage toads on Mount Myoboku.
Sage Mode enables ninja to leap great distances, lift enormous weights, and shatter large rocks with bare hands. Additionally, Sage Mode improves a ninja’s Jutsu abilities across the board, meaning even Naruto’s Ninjutsu abilities greatly improved.
After the War, Naruto’s Taijutsu improved once again: he became able to combat dozens of targets without Ninjutsu or chakra. This, in addition to the mastery of his Nine-Tailed Fox transformation and improved chakra, completely improved Naruto’s fighting abilities.
The World War highlights an unforeseen focus on Naruto’s Taijutsu. Whereas Naruto used to throw physical moves at the wall to see what stuck, he now employed Taijutsu with skill.
Believe It! Naruto Does Taijutsu
Naruto Uzumaki may not have begun his journey into ninja-hood as a well-rounded fighter, but he certainly evolved into one. In Part One, he was pigeonholed as incompetent with Taijutsu, but in Part Two, he trained his Taijutsu with purpose.
The result? Naruto emerged from the Chūnin exams and Fourth Shinobi World War an awesome ninja one day destined to be Hokage.