Ghost in the Shell
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Kurotsuchi (黒ツチ) - Kitsuchi (黄ツチ)
In this thread, I will be giving a detailed analysis of two of the more talented and skilled Earth Release users in the manga, Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi. Now everyone should know that Kitsuchi is a given considering his amazing feats against the Gedo Mazo and the Juubi. However, his daughter Kurotsuchi is also a skilled Earth Release user and a skilled shinobi overall in her own right despite her lack of on panel feats (which has always been the case for jounin level shinobi in this manga, unfortunately). Please keep in mind that a lack of certain on panel feats does not always translate to not having access to those feats at all. There are more ways to judge a character's worth than just looking at what has happened in the scans. With that said, I'll start with Kurotsuchi given the fact that most people think that she was one of the weakest kage bodyguards, though I disagree with that notion.
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In this thread, I will be giving a detailed analysis of two of the more talented and skilled Earth Release users in the manga, Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi. Now everyone should know that Kitsuchi is a given considering his amazing feats against the Gedo Mazo and the Juubi. However, his daughter Kurotsuchi is also a skilled Earth Release user and a skilled shinobi overall in her own right despite her lack of on panel feats (which has always been the case for jounin level shinobi in this manga, unfortunately). Please keep in mind that a lack of certain on panel feats does not always translate to not having access to those feats at all. There are more ways to judge a character's worth than just looking at what has happened in the scans. With that said, I'll start with Kurotsuchi given the fact that most people think that she was one of the weakest kage bodyguards, though I disagree with that notion.
Databook 4 Entry
Portrayal
Kurotsuchi is more skilled and talented than most other regular Iwa shinobi given her lineage, her placement as the Tsuchikage's bodyguard, and was even portrayed to be stronger than Akatsuchi through feats and portrayal during the war. She was placed in the close ranged combat division which hypes her reflexes, reaction timing, and CQC capabilities though she doesn't have feats in this department. She was sent to Turtle Island along with Akatsuchi and Onoki as backup for Gai, Yamato, Aoba, and Motoi and to intercept the enemy, who ended up being Kabuto and Edo Deidara. Thirdly, she was seen fighting several times alongside her father who is, by feats, hype, and portrayal, the best Earth Release user in the manga [
Water Release
Kurotsuchi's only suiton jutsu is the Water Horn technique. It can be used for offensive, defensive, and supplementary purposes as Water Release techniques are usually very versatile. She can
Earth Release
Earth Bunker
This thick earth dome withstood the fall and weight of a lot of concrete and stone chunks that fell from both the ceiling and the pillars of the kage summit site [
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall
This wasn't a technique that Kurotsuchi showed on panel, but this is one of the most basic doton techniques that regular Iwa shinobi [
Earth Release: Moving Earth Core
This is another implicative feat that Kurotsuchi gains access to by hype, portrayal, and by feats given the fact that she was already shown to be capable of manipulating and elevating part of the earth's terrain along with Kitsuchi. Keep in mind that a chuunin like Ittan and other Iwa fodder (alongside Kitsuchi to sink the Juubi) were capable of using this technique; the reasoning I used above also applies here. This just goes to show how common the jutsu is in Iwagakure. Despite its abundancy in that village, this technique is actually one of the most versatile and useful Earth Release jutsus as it allows the user to control the battlefield and terrain to his/her liking which is an important advantage. The user can use it to sink or raise the enemy to interrupt their movements or disrupt the timing/aiming/preparation of an attack [
Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation
This technique effectively counters any underground tactics and unearths anything or anyone that is hidden underground, as seen in the manga. It can also be used as a means of trapping an enemy or forcing an enemy to jump to dodge it (unless they can sense or see what goes on beforehand) where they are vulnerable and unable to dodge the following attack. Either user can use this technique by themselves, but Kurotsuchi could most likely only replicate half of the mountain if we assume that two people collaborating to use a technique matched each other in terms of chakra output.Though half of
Lava Release
Kurotsuchi's Lava Release comes in the form of quicklime, or a chemical compound used to produce cement in real life. As we saw in the manga, she combines quicklime with water to harden it into solid concrete and create effective traps. She can either spit out
Name: Kurotsuchi
Village: Iwagakure
Rank: Jōnin
Ninja Registry Number: WI-09011
Date of birth: September 6th (Age 18, Virgo)
Height: 163.6 cm
Weight: 47.5 kg
Blood Type: O
User of the Youton Kekkei Genkai, Ohnoki's granddaughter. For the Five Kage Meeting she was an escort and companion, trusted by Ohnoki and Akatsuchi. Self-confident and ambitious, a kunoichi of Hidden Rock that drives and motivates the young shinobi.
Village: Iwagakure
Rank: Jōnin
Ninja Registry Number: WI-09011
Date of birth: September 6th (Age 18, Virgo)
Height: 163.6 cm
Weight: 47.5 kg
Blood Type: O
User of the Youton Kekkei Genkai, Ohnoki's granddaughter. For the Five Kage Meeting she was an escort and companion, trusted by Ohnoki and Akatsuchi. Self-confident and ambitious, a kunoichi of Hidden Rock that drives and motivates the young shinobi.
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Kurotsuchi is more skilled and talented than most other regular Iwa shinobi given her lineage, her placement as the Tsuchikage's bodyguard, and was even portrayed to be stronger than Akatsuchi through feats and portrayal during the war. She was placed in the close ranged combat division which hypes her reflexes, reaction timing, and CQC capabilities though she doesn't have feats in this department. She was sent to Turtle Island along with Akatsuchi and Onoki as backup for Gai, Yamato, Aoba, and Motoi and to intercept the enemy, who ended up being Kabuto and Edo Deidara. Thirdly, she was seen fighting several times alongside her father who is, by feats, hype, and portrayal, the best Earth Release user in the manga [
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]-[
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]. She even collaborated with him to create a large scale doton technique which I will outline below. Moreover, she is highly self confident, and the databook made a note of her charisma, giving her potential leadership qualities that her father has in spades. She is very brash and stubborn like Onoki. Lastly, she also likes to mock the opposition; she was talking shit to Kabuto and made an indirect jab to Orochimaru during their scuffle at turtle island [
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].Water Release
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Kurotsuchi's only suiton jutsu is the Water Horn technique. It can be used for offensive, defensive, and supplementary purposes as Water Release techniques are usually very versatile. She can
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, shoot it at the ground to propel herself [
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], counter/overwhelm fire techniques, and combine it with her quicklime technique to make concrete which I'll delve into further below.Earth Release
Earth Bunker
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This thick earth dome withstood the fall and weight of a lot of concrete and stone chunks that fell from both the ceiling and the pillars of the kage summit site [
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], leaving Kurotsuchi unscathed and undamaged. This bunker can be made instantly just by touching the ground, and can be manipulated into a complete dome [
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]-[
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] (note that Kurotsuchi's is thicker than the one used by Ittan), or be manipulated to resemble an actual bunker with a small look out window like Kitsuchi did, which will be shown in one of the pictures below. As seen where Ittan used the technique, the user of this technique can seemingly create any kind of opening or hole of varying sizes. Multiple bunkers can be made to confuse the enemy and conceal the user's position. If close enough, the user can trap the enemy inside of a full dome [
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] or the can simply keep their distance by spitting mud close to the enemy and using it to create said dome. Kurotsuchi can create a very effective prison by dousing her opponents with quicklime, hardening it into concrete, and then traping them inside of the dome. If necessary, she can create another layer of concrete outside of the dome. To squeeze the enemy in or add more layers, she can trap the enemy inside of a small like the one used by Ittan, then use a larger, thicker version on top of the existing dome, and so on and so forth.Earth Release: Earth Style Wall
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This wasn't a technique that Kurotsuchi showed on panel, but this is one of the most basic doton techniques that regular Iwa shinobi [
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] and shinobi outside of Iwagakure [
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] are able to replicate. Obviously she gets access to this technique, both the ones used by the Iwa fodder as well as the fodder version used to slow the juubidama's momentum down since she is more skilled than just regular Iwa nin, and the technique is practically ubiquitous in Iwagakure. She can either spit mud or manipulate the existing earth to form it. She can also manipulate its thickness and size. As per the databook, the earth barrier is very effective against Water and Fire Release attacks, and seemingly effective against Wind Release techniques, though this is all dependant on the strength of the barrier, and the strength of the opposing attack. Can also be used as a means to block line of sight, conceal the user's movements, and to trap/box the enemy in under special circumstances. Earth Release: Moving Earth Core
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This is another implicative feat that Kurotsuchi gains access to by hype, portrayal, and by feats given the fact that she was already shown to be capable of manipulating and elevating part of the earth's terrain along with Kitsuchi. Keep in mind that a chuunin like Ittan and other Iwa fodder (alongside Kitsuchi to sink the Juubi) were capable of using this technique; the reasoning I used above also applies here. This just goes to show how common the jutsu is in Iwagakure. Despite its abundancy in that village, this technique is actually one of the most versatile and useful Earth Release jutsus as it allows the user to control the battlefield and terrain to his/her liking which is an important advantage. The user can use it to sink or raise the enemy to interrupt their movements or disrupt the timing/aiming/preparation of an attack [
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]-[
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]. It can be used to create a large trench or
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. The length and width of the block of land is up to the user (to a point) as well as how deep or high the user wishes to bring it and it actually has a decent speed feat; Ittan managed to sink a large block of land hundreds of feet below the ground before they could get harmed by Deidara's clay explosion [
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][
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]. Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation
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This technique effectively counters any underground tactics and unearths anything or anyone that is hidden underground, as seen in the manga. It can also be used as a means of trapping an enemy or forcing an enemy to jump to dodge it (unless they can sense or see what goes on beforehand) where they are vulnerable and unable to dodge the following attack. Either user can use this technique by themselves, but Kurotsuchi could most likely only replicate half of the mountain if we assume that two people collaborating to use a technique matched each other in terms of chakra output.Though half of
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would still be a good feat in terms of scale. In Kurotsuchi's case, this technique pairs up very well with her Youton; she could trap an opponent into the volcano, sink the volcano, and finally she can seal the opening with quicklime. Lava Release
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Kurotsuchi's Lava Release comes in the form of quicklime, or a chemical compound used to produce cement in real life. As we saw in the manga, she combines quicklime with water to harden it into solid concrete and create effective traps. She can either spit out
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, or shoot
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in swift succession. Quicklime in real life can badly harm wet or moist skin, especially around the face and eyes. According to the databook, this technique is capable of inflicting corrosive damage, so Kurotsuchi can actually burn an opponent badly by dousing them with her Water Horn before dousing them with quicklime, further inhibiting the enemy's ability to break out of the cement since they'd be experiencing severe burns. Construction workers, miners, and other blue collar workers have to wear protective masks and goggles when handling or carrying cement powder, so quicklime is also harmful if inhaled; it could potentially inflict burns inside someone's nasal cavity or lungs. As for its feats in the manga, quicklime spreads very quickly when doused with water [
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]-[
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] and only a
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of the material is necessary to create a
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. Furthermore, the material stays very sticky even after it's been hardened [
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]. It's not anywhere near Mei or Roushi's Lava Release in terms of lethality or utility, but it's still quite useful complements Kurotsuchi's techniques and fighting style nicely. Moreover,
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(she was wiping off the quicklime from her mouth) so she may not have to worry about getting stuck or sustaining damage.Databook 4 Entry
Portrayal and Speed Feats
Kitsuchi was chosen to be the general of the CQC division which hypes up his prowess in that area, as well as his reflexes and reactions. The databook states that his Earth Release is mountain level, which is fully backed up by the manga, and even goes further to say that his Earth Release Prowess was well known throughout the world even before the war started. His exploits during the war only made his fame rise higher. Furthermore, he displayed exemplary leadership skills and battle intelligence, essentially taking command of Darui and his division when arrived at the site where the latter was fighting with the Gold and Silver Brothers. He was also put on the same rank as Gaara, Darui, Mifune, and Kakashi, two of whom were already the leaders of their respective lands, and two who became kages later on. He showed great physical strength when he pushed V2 Kinkaku back with his rock fist, and is obviously an imposing man who could use his great size and bulk to his advantage in CQC. In terms of speed, he managed to cover
Earth Release
I won't spend too much time on the techniques I listed for Kurotsuchi as Kitsuchi can perform all of them with more strength and on a higher scale due to his usage of turning people into human pancakes no jutsu. I'll just list all of them and say anything Kitsuchi can do differently with it to give people a clearer picture of Kitsuchi's capabilities as this man takes doton to a completely different level.
Earth Bunker
Kitsuchi can make his Earth Bunkers thicker, stronger, and larger than Kurotsuchi can along with retaining all of the benifits that I listed for this technique above. He can also create more earth bunkers/earth domes at a time due to having a higher capacity for moulding and releasing chakra as well as larger chakra reserves. His earth bunkers also have more range so he doesn't have to get as close to an enemy to trap them inside of a dome.
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall
Along with everything that is originally listed for this technique above, Kitsuchi can make large, tall, and thick earth walls, and can create multiple of them if necessary to provide reinforced protection against strong techniques that a regular earth wall can't block.
Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation
Everything stated for this technique above also applies here alongside the fact that Kitsuchi can arguably create this entire mountain on his own though it'd take more chakra and more concentration for him to do so given the fact that Kurotsuchi helped him unearth such a large amount of Zetsus at once when the two performed the technique on panel.
Earth Release: Moving Earth Core/Earth Release: Great Moving Earth Core
Keep in mind that Kitsuchi's doton manipulation is far above that of regular Iwa nin so the limit of the size of the block of land that he can raise and sink at a time is larger than what regular Iwa shinobi have shown, essentially making it a Great Moving Earth Core on a smaller scale than the one used to sink the Juubi.
Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique
This technique covers the hand and other parts of the body with a thick layer of rock that boosts the power and strength of Kitsuchi's blows, and simultaneously softens the impact of physical attacks. Layering the other parts of his body with rock is no different than what he would do to encase his own fist, so it is highly likely that he can do so. However, this is only good for a sturdier defense since being covered in rock would hinder his mobility. Note that he can manipulate how thick the layer of the rock is on his fist; Onoki's hands are smaller than Kitsuchi's, yet he was capable of encasing his arm with
Earth Release: Golem Technique
Kitsuchi never showed the ability to use rock golems on panel, but we can safely deduce that he can use them given all the hype and feats he attained in the manga and databook, the fact that a far inferior doton user in Akatsuchi was capable of spitting out a small one. Moreover, it seems that the golem technique is a step above other techniques that most Iwa nin seem to know where as Kitsuchi can manipulate earth on an even higher level. Obiously he can use golems on the scale of Onoki given his mountain level doton manipulation. These golems can be created and spat out nigh instantly [
Earth Release: Mountain Smash
This technique is Kitsuchi's strongest, and one of the most lethal in the manga excluding god level jutsus, though the feat Kitsuchi showed against the juubi is arguably above high kage level. However, for him to be able to form this technique on such a titanic scale, he needed to knead chakra for several pages [
Village: Kitsuchi
Aldea: Iwagakure
Rank: Jōnin
Ninja registry number: IW-O6112
Date of Birth: March 22nd (Age 44, Aries)
Height: 217.0 cm
Weight: 120.5 kg
Blood Type: O
His strong arm and earth manipulation that he uses to slaughter the enemy is famous throughout the entire world!
Mountains are split by the release of his earth Jutsu, to start rock is gathered into his fist and than is used to strike the enemy sending them flying! His strength comes from the blood of the Tsuchikage, during the 4th Ninja war his fame rose even further. He lead 10,000 Shinobi, his true strength was made apparent all over the world, the strength to make the spirits of his fellow countrymen rise (basically to rally them).
Despite the Bijuu chakra coiling around that person, he (Kitscuhi) pushed his fist in deeply delivering a sturdy blow! His power, is the ability to deliver a heavy weight class blow.
Aldea: Iwagakure
Rank: Jōnin
Ninja registry number: IW-O6112
Date of Birth: March 22nd (Age 44, Aries)
Height: 217.0 cm
Weight: 120.5 kg
Blood Type: O
His strong arm and earth manipulation that he uses to slaughter the enemy is famous throughout the entire world!
Mountains are split by the release of his earth Jutsu, to start rock is gathered into his fist and than is used to strike the enemy sending them flying! His strength comes from the blood of the Tsuchikage, during the 4th Ninja war his fame rose even further. He lead 10,000 Shinobi, his true strength was made apparent all over the world, the strength to make the spirits of his fellow countrymen rise (basically to rally them).
Despite the Bijuu chakra coiling around that person, he (Kitscuhi) pushed his fist in deeply delivering a sturdy blow! His power, is the ability to deliver a heavy weight class blow.
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Kitsuchi was chosen to be the general of the CQC division which hypes up his prowess in that area, as well as his reflexes and reactions. The databook states that his Earth Release is mountain level, which is fully backed up by the manga, and even goes further to say that his Earth Release Prowess was well known throughout the world even before the war started. His exploits during the war only made his fame rise higher. Furthermore, he displayed exemplary leadership skills and battle intelligence, essentially taking command of Darui and his division when arrived at the site where the latter was fighting with the Gold and Silver Brothers. He was also put on the same rank as Gaara, Darui, Mifune, and Kakashi, two of whom were already the leaders of their respective lands, and two who became kages later on. He showed great physical strength when he pushed V2 Kinkaku back with his rock fist, and is obviously an imposing man who could use his great size and bulk to his advantage in CQC. In terms of speed, he managed to cover
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to intercept Kinkaku with a punch [
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] before the latter could reach Darui with a chakra tail, and saved Darui again from being squashed by the Gedo Mazo in the nick of time [
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]-[
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] despite being on top of the rocky island whereas Darui was on the shore [
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]. Earth Release
I won't spend too much time on the techniques I listed for Kurotsuchi as Kitsuchi can perform all of them with more strength and on a higher scale due to his usage of turning people into human pancakes no jutsu. I'll just list all of them and say anything Kitsuchi can do differently with it to give people a clearer picture of Kitsuchi's capabilities as this man takes doton to a completely different level.
Earth Bunker
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Kitsuchi can make his Earth Bunkers thicker, stronger, and larger than Kurotsuchi can along with retaining all of the benifits that I listed for this technique above. He can also create more earth bunkers/earth domes at a time due to having a higher capacity for moulding and releasing chakra as well as larger chakra reserves. His earth bunkers also have more range so he doesn't have to get as close to an enemy to trap them inside of a dome.
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall
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Along with everything that is originally listed for this technique above, Kitsuchi can make large, tall, and thick earth walls, and can create multiple of them if necessary to provide reinforced protection against strong techniques that a regular earth wall can't block.
Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation
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Everything stated for this technique above also applies here alongside the fact that Kitsuchi can arguably create this entire mountain on his own though it'd take more chakra and more concentration for him to do so given the fact that Kurotsuchi helped him unearth such a large amount of Zetsus at once when the two performed the technique on panel.
Earth Release: Moving Earth Core/Earth Release: Great Moving Earth Core
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Keep in mind that Kitsuchi's doton manipulation is far above that of regular Iwa nin so the limit of the size of the block of land that he can raise and sink at a time is larger than what regular Iwa shinobi have shown, essentially making it a Great Moving Earth Core on a smaller scale than the one used to sink the Juubi.
Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique
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This technique covers the hand and other parts of the body with a thick layer of rock that boosts the power and strength of Kitsuchi's blows, and simultaneously softens the impact of physical attacks. Layering the other parts of his body with rock is no different than what he would do to encase his own fist, so it is highly likely that he can do so. However, this is only good for a sturdier defense since being covered in rock would hinder his mobility. Note that he can manipulate how thick the layer of the rock is on his fist; Onoki's hands are smaller than Kitsuchi's, yet he was capable of encasing his arm with
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while the layer Kitsuchi used to cover his own hand was smaller relative to how much Onoki covered his own hand. In CQC, this boosts Kitsuchi's capabilities greatly as he can land tougher blows whilst having the capacity to tank tough blows himself on top of having a strong body. Earth Release: Golem Technique
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Kitsuchi never showed the ability to use rock golems on panel, but we can safely deduce that he can use them given all the hype and feats he attained in the manga and databook, the fact that a far inferior doton user in Akatsuchi was capable of spitting out a small one. Moreover, it seems that the golem technique is a step above other techniques that most Iwa nin seem to know where as Kitsuchi can manipulate earth on an even higher level. Obiously he can use golems on the scale of Onoki given his mountain level doton manipulation. These golems can be created and spat out nigh instantly [
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]-[
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] and move according to how the user wills them to. They are very sturdy [
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]-[
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] and helpful in combat. Kitsuchi can also form a golem hand from the ground and transport himself or others underground [
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]-[
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]. This tactic can also be employed to grab a shinobi and restrain them or perhaps even crush them to death. The combinations Kitsuchi can perform with golems along with other techniques are plentiful in number; he can sink someone deep underground, form a golem or parts of a golem from the surrounding earth walls, and crush them. He can restrain someone with a golem hand and subsequently crush them with Mountain Smash or trap them inside of a large earth structure. Suffice it to say that this technique can be used for different purposes whether Kitsuchi wants an instant shield or a partner to help counter summons. Earth Release: Mountain Smash
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This technique is Kitsuchi's strongest, and one of the most lethal in the manga excluding god level jutsus, though the feat Kitsuchi showed against the juubi is arguably above high kage level. However, for him to be able to form this technique on such a titanic scale, he needed to knead chakra for several pages [
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]-[
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] before he could mash and restrain the juubi's entire body. This is complete overkill though and he doesn't need to form such a large mountain sandwich to crush an enemy. There are also several combinations to be had with this jutsu and Kitsuchi's other techniques; he can trap someone inside of a large earth structure and subsequently smash them to bits, causing the mountain to collapse entirely. He can elevate or sink the terrain to get himself out of the range of the mountains so that he doesn't end up crushing himself. Keep in mind that he is also in full control of the motions of the two earth structures on either side [
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], so he can use it
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if he wanted to.How strong is Kurotsuchi?
- low jounin
- mid-low jounin
- mid jounin
- mid-high jounin
- high jounin
- high jounin-low kage
How strong is Kitsuchi?
- high jounin-low kage
- low kage
- mid-low kage
- mid kage
- mid-high kage
- high kage
Thanks for reading. I'd appreciate comments on Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi's strength.
As a final note, I know how controversial it is for characters to be given feats that they never showed on panel. For that reason, I won’t discuss Kurotsuchi in a versus fight unless she’s given the two techniques that I outlined (unless she doesn’t need them to win the fight). I also won’t be incorporating rock golems into discussions about Kitsuchi unless he’s given the ability to use them.
- low jounin
- mid-low jounin
- mid jounin
- mid-high jounin
- high jounin
- high jounin-low kage
How strong is Kitsuchi?
- high jounin-low kage
- low kage
- mid-low kage
- mid kage
- mid-high kage
- high kage
Thanks for reading. I'd appreciate comments on Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi's strength.
As a final note, I know how controversial it is for characters to be given feats that they never showed on panel. For that reason, I won’t discuss Kurotsuchi in a versus fight unless she’s given the two techniques that I outlined (unless she doesn’t need them to win the fight). I also won’t be incorporating rock golems into discussions about Kitsuchi unless he’s given the ability to use them.
