OP in the sense that it's contemporary, The Byakugan, pales in comparison (no pun intended) to the abilities of the Sharingan. The Rinnegan, Sharingan, and Byakugan are supposed to be the 3 great Dojutsu but there is some major skewing between the abilities of each.
Now I understand why the Rinnegan is super powerful, it's supposed to be directly descendent from The Sage of Six Paths and everything and that the Sharingan and Byakugan are mutations of the Rinnegan so shouldn't they be somewhat on par?
This is what I believed during the first story arc in Naruto. Neji and Sasuke were both considered geniuses of their respective clans so I guess they were on equal footing with each other right? But then the story progresses and there is a major power gap between the two now.
Now let's see the abilities of each
The Byakugan
But notice a complete lack of genjutsu. Now we also have not been shown that Byakugan has any evolutions or any way to get stronger like the Sharingan. I mean I guess this could be in due to the part that every member of the Hyuga clan has this at birth and doesn't need to be unlocked but still. Its power pales in comparison to the Sharingan.
Sharingan base abilities:
Now arguably these two Dojutsu are evenly matched right? I feel like if Neji and Sasuke fought during the first story arc it would have been a tie or something.
However, the Sharingan can evolve into something greater... The Mangekyō Sharingan, with this comes even more abilities which we have all seen spammed this shit out of such as
Now comparing this to the Byakugan, Sharingan seems a bit OP. Now arguably, the transition from Sharingan to EMS is a lengthy road filled with a bunch of unpleasant things but Sasuke managed to do it rather easily, well, when compared to Itachi at least. But I feel like the Byakugan should at least be on par with the Sharingan, considering they both most likely were mutations of the same dojutsu.
Now am I crazy for feeling like this or should there be a tad bit more balance?
Now I understand why the Rinnegan is super powerful, it's supposed to be directly descendent from The Sage of Six Paths and everything and that the Sharingan and Byakugan are mutations of the Rinnegan so shouldn't they be somewhat on par?
This is what I believed during the first story arc in Naruto. Neji and Sasuke were both considered geniuses of their respective clans so I guess they were on equal footing with each other right? But then the story progresses and there is a major power gap between the two now.
Now let's see the abilities of each
The Byakugan
- The first ability of the Byakugan gives the user a near 360º field of vision, except for one blind spot
- The second ability is being able to see through solid objects, and can use a degree of telescopic sight.
- The third and one of the greatest uses of the Byakugan is the ability to see chakra, chakra flow as well as the chakra circulation system inside the body with great detail. It is from this particular ability that they are able to employ their ultimate attack style: Gentle Fist.
But notice a complete lack of genjutsu. Now we also have not been shown that Byakugan has any evolutions or any way to get stronger like the Sharingan. I mean I guess this could be in due to the part that every member of the Hyuga clan has this at birth and doesn't need to be unlocked but still. Its power pales in comparison to the Sharingan.
Sharingan base abilities:
- The first of the Sharingan's powers is being able to see the flow of chakra.
- The Sharingan's second-most prominent ability grants the user an incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to easily recognise genjutsu and different forms of chakra, though not to the same extent as the Byakugan.As the Sharingan evolves, gaining more tomoe seals, this ability extends to being able to track fast-moving objects before finally giving some amount of predictive capabilities to the user, allowing them to see the image of an attacker’s next move from the slightest muscle tension in their body and counterattack or dodge without any wasted movement
- The Sharingan's third and most well-known ability is that it grants the user the ability to memorise almost any technique that he or she witnesses, apart from other kekkei genkai techniques. The user can memorise ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu with near perfect accuracy
Now arguably these two Dojutsu are evenly matched right? I feel like if Neji and Sasuke fought during the first story arc it would have been a tie or something.
However, the Sharingan can evolve into something greater... The Mangekyō Sharingan, with this comes even more abilities which we have all seen spammed this shit out of such as
- Shooting flames that can't be put out ( Amaterasu)
- Put someone under the ultimate illusion (Kotoamatsukami)
- Torture someone in a vision simply by looking at them ( Tsukuyomi)
- Summon a giant set of ghost armor that shoots arrows (Susanoo)
- Suck someone into another dimension (Kamui)
- Oh yeah and it can control the Nine Tails Demon (although only two people have been shown to do this)
Now comparing this to the Byakugan, Sharingan seems a bit OP. Now arguably, the transition from Sharingan to EMS is a lengthy road filled with a bunch of unpleasant things but Sasuke managed to do it rather easily, well, when compared to Itachi at least. But I feel like the Byakugan should at least be on par with the Sharingan, considering they both most likely were mutations of the same dojutsu.
Now am I crazy for feeling like this or should there be a tad bit more balance?
