Shin Zangetsu
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Evolution of a Jutsu: Rasengan
For a long time now many people have complained about the fact that Naruto abuses the Rasengan and how he only seems to be creating variants and therefore hasn’t learnt anything new before SM and this new fox chakra mode came along. I agree that he had only learnt Rasengan but there’s a damn good reason for it. Jutsus are not just something to collect and put on the shelf as a collector’s item especially when you’re creating one, which is a whole different ball game from learning one that is taught. One has to find the jutsu that fits them specifically as every jutsu has some sort of prerequisite that must be met. It has strengths, flaws and reasons that a particular character uses it and if it works, don’t change it…improve it yeah but don’t change it.
Rasengan was just Kishi's way of showing us how a powerful jutsu is created over time.
I’m going to attempt to break down the Rasengan’s evolution in order to justify every version Naruto has used in order to reach its final version.
The Initial Rasengan
The initial rasengan was created by Minato. We know all about how it works but he (and Jiraiya) took many years to actually get it to the point that he did and still intended to go further. Enter Naruto, who after being shown the specific methods and stages that go into rasengan undergoes an arduous week or so of trial and error in order to come to the solution that using a shadow clone could help him perform a complex mental function by dividing the labour between…himselves. This is a great example of the student surpassing the master and taking less time to learn skills due to the master having to figure out the most difficult concepts of a jutsu alone through nothing but speculation, trial and error and general luck while the student gets taught the general method that works immediately and has more time to improve the jutsu. It’s also why Konohamaru can already use the rasengan so early as Naruto has figured out one of the most difficult aspects by himself and therefore when he teaches it to his protégé, he can cut straight to the core techniques required. He has already been told the important bits and as a result gets to skip the trial and error involved in discovery.
The rasengan is an absolutely devastating jutsu at this point but it does have its disadvantages.
Prerequisites
The flaw caused by the need for a direct hit in the initial rasengan made it possible for higher level opponents to evade it in Naruto’s case. Since his speed wasn’t noteworthy at the time, it was virtually telegraphed unless he could find some way to trick or distract the opponent enough for him to get within range. He even resorted to dangerous methods like he did with Kabuto when he allowed himself to be stabbed in order to grapple him. Jiraiya noticed this detrimental flaw in the jutsu and advised Naruto to improve the skill. As a result the Oodama Rasengan was born after difficult training. The main improvement was to get rid of the need for a direct hit by infusing the rasengan with a tonne of extra chakra and as a result the force would increase to the point where the rasengan could generate a devastating AoE. The idea was to prevent any opponent from escaping unscathed even if they did try to evade it. An element of surprise was still required but the AoE significantly reduced the need for a direct hit making the accuracy of the jutsu and the speed of the character executing it less of a factor.
Prerequisites
The flaw in the Oodama’s was that it wasn’t complete. It had all the force in the world, but no function whatsoever. It had no effect like the piercing of Raiton or burning from Katon. Kakashi, Asuma and Yamato then taught Naruto about elemental nature manipulation and the effects certain elements could generate. Naruto discovered his affinity lay in wind and went for yet another round of training in which he would learn to manipulate his chakra to take on some properties of wind. He then learnt further shape manipulation and combined all the; shape manipulation, nature manipulation and chakra infusion to generate his most powerful jutsu, Fuuton: Rasenshuriken. This jutsu was the point where the rasengan now had force and function and turned out to be one of the worst attacks seen in the manga to date. The wind element chakra generated microscopic wind blades that caused damage at the cellular level. This devastated muscle tissue and even attacked the chakra circulatory system. In all likelihood, any character hit by this and miraculously didn’t die would not be able to recover even if they could regenerate using medical chakra, or use any other jutsu for that matter.
Prerequisites
Senpou: Fuuton: Rasenshuriken
The dangerous flaw in the Rasenshuriken forced Naruto to look into his own resourceful nature during his training as a sage and he eventually created a version that could be thrown by using sage chakra to either cloak or control it. At this point is where Naruto had created his very own ultimate justu.
Prerequisites
Kishimoto used Rasengan to show us an example of this. He did right with this one at least.
For a long time now many people have complained about the fact that Naruto abuses the Rasengan and how he only seems to be creating variants and therefore hasn’t learnt anything new before SM and this new fox chakra mode came along. I agree that he had only learnt Rasengan but there’s a damn good reason for it. Jutsus are not just something to collect and put on the shelf as a collector’s item especially when you’re creating one, which is a whole different ball game from learning one that is taught. One has to find the jutsu that fits them specifically as every jutsu has some sort of prerequisite that must be met. It has strengths, flaws and reasons that a particular character uses it and if it works, don’t change it…improve it yeah but don’t change it.
Rasengan was just Kishi's way of showing us how a powerful jutsu is created over time.
I’m going to attempt to break down the Rasengan’s evolution in order to justify every version Naruto has used in order to reach its final version.
The Initial Rasengan
The initial rasengan was created by Minato. We know all about how it works but he (and Jiraiya) took many years to actually get it to the point that he did and still intended to go further. Enter Naruto, who after being shown the specific methods and stages that go into rasengan undergoes an arduous week or so of trial and error in order to come to the solution that using a shadow clone could help him perform a complex mental function by dividing the labour between…himselves. This is a great example of the student surpassing the master and taking less time to learn skills due to the master having to figure out the most difficult concepts of a jutsu alone through nothing but speculation, trial and error and general luck while the student gets taught the general method that works immediately and has more time to improve the jutsu. It’s also why Konohamaru can already use the rasengan so early as Naruto has figured out one of the most difficult aspects by himself and therefore when he teaches it to his protégé, he can cut straight to the core techniques required. He has already been told the important bits and as a result gets to skip the trial and error involved in discovery.
The rasengan is an absolutely devastating jutsu at this point but it does have its disadvantages.
Prerequisites
- Higher than average chakra capacity. Don’t let the way Naruto uses it fool you, the rasengan requires a mass of highly compressed chakra, so much so that the normally invisible chakra can actually be seen. There’s a very good reason Kakashi knows it but doesn’t use it.
- Extremely high chakra control. This is something that Killer Bee said nobody could execute normally and that took a seals master and outstanding shinobi like the Fourth and Jiraiya years to master. Naruto cheats this system by dividing the amount of chakra output and control of that chakra’s shape and rotation between him and a clone and can therefore emulate high chakra control which he doesn’t actually have.
- Very powerful jutsu and truth be told, no-one save a regenerating Kabuto has actually survived a direct hit undefended. Even to this day, kage class characters would struggle to recover if they received a direct hit to vital points.
- It is a melee attack that requires a direct hit and all melee attacks although powerful carry certain risk or can be evaded with enough notice. This is a flaw that can be supressed to a limited extent by certain methods but that doesn’t just make it disappear:
Cunning techniques can fool and distract opponents into not being aware that the jutsu is inbound (Naruto).
Speed or similar techniques can allow one to surprise their opponents before they can react (Minato). - While it is a powerful, forceful justu. It does nothing but physical damage which can be recovered from by anyone or anything that can regenerate if it wasn’t sufficiently wounded. In this case, Kabuto has done this with medical jutsu.
The flaw caused by the need for a direct hit in the initial rasengan made it possible for higher level opponents to evade it in Naruto’s case. Since his speed wasn’t noteworthy at the time, it was virtually telegraphed unless he could find some way to trick or distract the opponent enough for him to get within range. He even resorted to dangerous methods like he did with Kabuto when he allowed himself to be stabbed in order to grapple him. Jiraiya noticed this detrimental flaw in the jutsu and advised Naruto to improve the skill. As a result the Oodama Rasengan was born after difficult training. The main improvement was to get rid of the need for a direct hit by infusing the rasengan with a tonne of extra chakra and as a result the force would increase to the point where the rasengan could generate a devastating AoE. The idea was to prevent any opponent from escaping unscathed even if they did try to evade it. An element of surprise was still required but the AoE significantly reduced the need for a direct hit making the accuracy of the jutsu and the speed of the character executing it less of a factor.
Prerequisites
- Very high chakra capacity. This jutsu don’t play games, it wants that juice. This was even one of the points that Jiraiya stressed to Naruto saying that he should make use of his large reserves.
- Even higher chakra control than required for the already difficult rasengan. Even Jiraiya was not shown as able to use this outside of hermit mode. Naruto had to keep the clone that helped generate the jutsu in order to assist in stabilizing the giant ball.
- Again very physically powerful jutsu, the force is astounding.
- Area of Effect lowers the potential for evasion drastically.
- The infusion of so much chakra into the technique makes it very difficult to control and as a result it is an imperfect, unstable skill. Naruto’s extra clone has to assist him in keeping it stable.
- Despite its power, it like the original rasengan has no real…direction or function rather than indiscriminate destructive force. Because of that, there may be an opponent strong enough to tank the blow and regenerate the damage without any real resistance as Kabuto displayed with the original rasengan.
The flaw in the Oodama’s was that it wasn’t complete. It had all the force in the world, but no function whatsoever. It had no effect like the piercing of Raiton or burning from Katon. Kakashi, Asuma and Yamato then taught Naruto about elemental nature manipulation and the effects certain elements could generate. Naruto discovered his affinity lay in wind and went for yet another round of training in which he would learn to manipulate his chakra to take on some properties of wind. He then learnt further shape manipulation and combined all the; shape manipulation, nature manipulation and chakra infusion to generate his most powerful jutsu, Fuuton: Rasenshuriken. This jutsu was the point where the rasengan now had force and function and turned out to be one of the worst attacks seen in the manga to date. The wind element chakra generated microscopic wind blades that caused damage at the cellular level. This devastated muscle tissue and even attacked the chakra circulatory system. In all likelihood, any character hit by this and miraculously didn’t die would not be able to recover even if they could regenerate using medical chakra, or use any other jutsu for that matter.
Prerequisites
- Very high chakra capacity as usual.
- Training in at least one elemental affinity. For Naruto it’s wind.
- Beyond extremely high chakra control. Learning to combine chakra shaping, infusion and manipulation would take many long years of training. The even greater control required means Naruto has to divide many aspects of the jutsu between him and two separate clones.
- Pwns all without discrimination. Wind chakra can cut through almost anything.
- Damages at the cellular level and even the chakra systems are susceptible.
- Has an AoE.
- Exactly like its predecessors, it is still a melee attack. While some level of either speed or cunning would still be required, that is no longer the major problem. Due to the elemental nature, where he would originally have suffered nothing but maybe a little recoil, Naruto now suffers the effects of wind chakra at the cellular level. Prolonged use of this even with his healing could end up with him losing use of his arm.
Senpou: Fuuton: Rasenshuriken
The dangerous flaw in the Rasenshuriken forced Naruto to look into his own resourceful nature during his training as a sage and he eventually created a version that could be thrown by using sage chakra to either cloak or control it. At this point is where Naruto had created his very own ultimate justu.
Prerequisites
- All the same from the Rasenshuriken.
- Sage Mode.
- Same strengths as before.
- Has evolved into a swift travelling, ranged attack that causes no damage to Naruto himself.
- Utilizes a high amount of senjutsu chakra to maintain the jutsu when it leaves Naruto and therefore he can only fire two before losing Sage Mode. This is a very acceptable flaw as it can be countered with Naruto’s clone method or by fusing with Pa and Ma.
Kishimoto used Rasengan to show us an example of this. He did right with this one at least.
