Naruto: Sasuke’s Kirin, Explained

In Naruto, almost every character has unique techniques. However, in addition to being combat abilities, they are also tools for better revealing characters. For example, one of Sasuke’s strongest attacks can tell us about a character’s true nature before the main plot does.

This article will delve into how Sasuke’s Kirin works and the meaning behind it. Sasuke uses Kirin only twice in the entire Naruto manga and anime series. However, this does not diminish its lethality, making it one of the strongest jutsu.

Difficulties of Using Sasuke’s Kirin

Sasuke Just Took Control Of The Lightning

Sasuke is undoubtedly one of the strongest shinobi in Naruto. As a Genin, he showed outstanding skills and talent for learning techniques, even without using the Sharingan. Nevertheless, Sasuke craves any power to take revenge on his brother, resulting in the creation of his strongest technique – Kirin.

Sasuke first uses Kirin in Naruto during the battle with Itachi. He has to create conditions for its activation in advance, although he never gets the desired victory over his brother. And this battle shows not only the monstrous power of this jutsu but also its shortcomings. The second time, he uses it in the final battle with Naruto.

First of all, it is worth noting what distinguishes Kirin from other lightning techniques. Instead of using only his chakra to attack, Sasuke uses the power of natural lightning, which is certainly many times more powerful. In addition, Uchiha only needs to spend a little chakra to shape the lightning into a Kirin that resembles a dragon and direct it from the clouds down to the target.

Furthermore, besides the enormous damage capable of destroying a small mountain, this attack has a speed faster than sound. According to Zetsu, Kirin reaches the ground in 1/1000th of a second. This powerful technique could have become Sasuke’s main weapon, if not for its crucial drawback, namely the need for a thunderstorm.

Since Sasuke uses the power of nature, he needs to have thunderclouds above his head to use the Kirin technique. In the battle against Itachi, he creates the necessary conditions using fire techniques and the heat of Amaterasu. But this attack is one-time since the clouds dissipate after use, which makes it a last resort.

Related

Naruto: What Makes Itachi Different from the Other Uchihas

Although he is one of the best ninjas from Uchiha, Itachi couldn’t be more different from his brethren. Here are the reasons why.

Kirin’s Hidden Meaning

The Deer-Like Dragon Brings Peace and Tranquility

The name Kirin comes from the mythological sacred East Asian creature. It has the body of a deer, scales like a dragon, and even whiskers like a carp. Kirin is a symbol of peace, as this creature does not eat the flesh of living beings and does not even harm insects. At the same time, the original Chinese version of this creature called Qilin is also a defender of justice. It fiercely attacks evil and does not touch the innocent.

In the case of Sasuke, both times he used Kirin, his attack could not destroy the enemy. Of course, Itachi and Naruto received damage, but it can be said that the attack using natural forces spared them. Although at the time of the battle with Itachi Sasuke may seem cruel, he administers justice by avenging the destruction of his clan. And perhaps, when creating Kirin, he was motivated by the desire to destroy evil. So, it is hardly a coincidence that Itachi, who turned out to be not an antagonist at all, survived the strike of the lightning dragon.

In addition, in the final battle with Naruto, Sasuke again uses Kirin, which also does not cause serious damage. Perhaps at that moment, Uchiha accepted the fact that Naruto was worthy of becoming the head of the leaf village. And let’s not forget that Kirin as a creature is a symbol of peace and prosperity that came to the land of fire with Naruto as Hokage.

Naruto

Release Date

October 2, 2002