Every Forbidden Jutsu in Naruto Explained: Powerful Techniques, Risks, and Lore

Forbidden jutsu, or kinjutsu, are some of the most captivating and deadly techniques in the Naruto universe. These are powerful jutsu banned due to their severe risks to the user, the environment, or the very fabric of life itself. Whether it’s spilling precious life force, risking bodily destruction, or tampering with time and soul, forbidden jutsu carry a heavy price. But despite their dangers, these techniques have shaped many of the pivotal battles and storylines in Naruto’s world.

Some of the most famous forbidden jutsu include explosive clay mastery, body manipulation to extend life, deadly chakra gates, and soul-sealing moves like the Reaper Death Seal. This post goes through a variety of the most notorious techniques, explaining how they work and why their use comes with such great risks.

Chakra Manipulation and Material Jutsu

Iwagakure’s Explosive Clay Jutsu (Deidara’s Technique)

One groundbreaking forbidden jutsu comes from Iwagakure—the Village Hidden in the Stones—and is best known through Deidara’s explosive clay creations. This technique allows the user to mould chakra into clay, shaping and controlling it with deadly precision. The clay can be altered in size, from tiny sculptures to enormous structures, depending on the user's intent.

Deidara, part of the Akatsuki, stole this jutsu and combined it with his Explosion Release chakra nature. What resulted was a signature explosive clay that could be detonated remotely for devastating effect. The technique is especially feared because of Deidara’s unique sealed mouth on his chest, directly linked to his heart. This seal stores and continuously pulls chakra from his heart’s meridians, building up energy until he triggers the explosion.

The process works like this:

1. Chakra is infused into the clay sculpture via the sealed mouth on his chest.
2. The seal pulls continuous chakra flow from his heart to sustain the power buildup.
3. Once at full charge, the chakra spreads through Deidara’s veins compressing into a sphere.
4. The sphere cracks open and detonates, causing an explosion with a blast radius covering up to 10 kilometres.

Deidara wielded this technique with fearsome skill, notably during his last battle against Sasuke, using it as a last resort called the C0 technique, where his body itself became a bomb. A similar technique was seen with “SE,” a being crafted from White Zetsu’s genetic material, who also used the explosive clay combined with nature transformation.

This type of jutsu is forbidden due to the huge risk it poses—not only to the user but potentially to an entire region given its blast range.

Forbidden Body Manipulation and Life Extension Techniques

Earth Grudge Fear – Kakuzu’s Threaded Body

Kakuzu, an Akatsuki member, employed an unusual forbidden technique known as Earth Grudge Fear, stolen from Takigakure (Village Hidden in the Waterfalls). This jutsu traps the user’s body together with thick black threads, allowing remarkable abilities:

• Repairs injuries automatically.
• Enables detaching and remotely controlling body parts.
• Reattaches severed limbs at will.
• Steals organs from targets to extend lifespan.

A key feature is Kakuzu’s ability to store up to four spare hearts within masks on his back. Each heart grants him control over different elemental jutsu, including Fire, Wind, Lightning, and Water. These masks can fight independently, attacking with elemental chakra and protecting Kakuzu even if his main body is destroyed. This means he had to be killed multiple times in a battle to truly fall.

Kakuzu was eventually defeated with the help of Naruto and Kakashi, who managed to destroy all his hearts. The jutsu’s forbidden nature lies in its unnatural body manipulation and theft of life energy to unnaturally prolong existence.

Living Corpse Reincarnation – Orochimaru’s Immortality Technique

Orochimaru’s sinister forbidden jutsu revolves around immortality through the transfer of his soul into another’s body. The process involves:

1. Revealing his true form—a massive white snake composed of smaller snakes.
2. Swallowing the host and transporting them into an elemental plane.
3. Overtaking the host’s mind and body, suppressing their soul.

This transfer can only be done every three years, as the host’s body begins rejecting Orochimaru’s soul over time. He prepared Sasuke and Kimimaru as potential new vessels. Once inside, Orochimaru’s snake-like abilities grant enhanced healing, stretching, and even reattaching severed limbs, making him especially hard to kill.

An exception was when he transferred to a White Zetsu clone, bypassing the usual restrictions.

The jutsu is forbidden because it unnaturally manipulates souls and breaks the natural cycle of life and death.

One’s Own Life Reincarnation – Chiyo’s Life-Giving Technique

This poignant forbidden jutsu allows a user to sacrifice their own life force to revive or heal others. The effects differ based on the recipient’s state:

• Used on the living: Heals fatal injuries but drains the user's energy significantly.
• Used on the dead: Revives the deceased but the user dies in the process.

Chiyo famously used this jutsu to bring Gaara back to life, enlisting Naruto’s chakra to complete the high-cost process. This technique is rare and dangerous, having been lost with Chiyo’s passing.

The emotional weight behind this jutsu makes it unforgettable, embodying sacrifice for the greater good.

Forbidden Chakra and Power Amplification Techniques

Reverse Lotus – Rock Lee’s High-Speed, High-Risk Technique

The Reverse Lotus involves opening at least three of the eight Chakra Gates—internal limiters along the body’s chakra pathway system. Opening these gates releases restrictions, allowing the user to move and attack at incredible speeds and power.

Effects include:

• Blinding speed making movements nearly invisible.
• Multi-directional, high-impact strikes.
• Ability to break tough defences (even Gaara’s sand shield).

Risks involved:

• Extreme exhaustion and physical trauma.
• Potential unconsciousness or inability to move after use.
• The high risk of lasting injury or death if gates are opened beyond limits.

Rock Lee used Reverse Lotus as a desperate last move against Gaara, wrapping him in bandages and delivering a knockout blow. Despite being powerful, the technique leaves the user vulnerable when exhausted.

Understanding the nature of these chakra gates helps appreciate why only the most determined shinobi dare to tap into this forbidden strength.

Strength of a Hundred Seal – Massive Chakra Storage and Healing

This technique allows medical ninja like Tsunade and Sakura to accumulate massive chakra over time into a special seal—usually on the forehead—and release it in moments of crisis.

Key points:

• The seal forms a distinct rhombus shape on the forehead.
• Provides huge chakra boosts and accelerates healing without hand signs (known as Byakugo no Jutsu).
• Enhances physical strength for extended combat.
• Connects to Lady Katsuyu, the giant slug summon, enabling long-distance support.

Mastering this seal takes years of precise chakra control. For example, Sakura reportedly spent three years building her own seal.

This technique blends brutal power with vital healing, making it indispensable in wars and major battles.

Cursed Seals of Heaven and Earth – Orochimaru’s Dangerous Enhancements

Orochimaru’s cursed seals, based on cells from the character Jugo, utilise Natural Energy and grant tremendous chakra and physical boosts.

• Heaven Seal: Grants large chakra increase and senjutsu abilities. Sasuke carried this seal during the Chunin Exams, becoming as powerful as Naruto’s one-tailed form when activated.
• Earth Seal: Enhances physical strength, chakra, and healing. Kimimaru’s use allowed him to merge with his bone blades for surprise attacks.

The seals carry risks of unstable transformation and loss of control, keeping them forbidden.

Shadow and Explosive Jutsu

Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu – Naruto’s Clone Army

This risky upgrade of the regular Shadow Clone Jutsu lets the user create hundreds or thousands of clones simultaneously. Unlike the standard version, it drains an enormous amount of chakra, making it unsafe for many shinobi.

Naruto is one of the few capable of wielding it due to his vast chakra reserves. He uses this technique not only to overwhelm enemies but to speed up training, as each clone learns independently.

Though once forbidden and hidden away in the Scroll of Seals by the Hokage, Naruto’s mastery made it a signature move.

Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags – Endless Detonations

Invented by Tobirama Senju, this technique depends on using special explosive tags attached to reanimated bodies (Edo Tensei). These tags cause continuous chain explosions, as the corpses regenerate and detonate again and again.

Though lethal and nearly unstoppable, this technique is forbidden as it’s usually suicidal for the living users.

Rasenshuriken – Naruto’s Wind Release Weapon

Starting as an evolution of the Rasengan, Naruto incorporated Wind Release chakra to create the Rasenshuriken. Initially, this jutsu caused severe damage to Naruto’s own arm due to its sheer power.

Later, with Sage chakra, he refined the technique, learning to throw it as a projectile to avoid self-harm. He also discovered ways to create multiple Rasenshuriken simultaneously or adjust their size.

This adaptable but dangerous jutsu produces devastating explosions and remains one of Naruto’s deadliest attacks.

Suicide and Life-Draining Jutsu

Twin Snake Mutual Death Jutsu – Anko’s Suicidal Move

This grim jutsu forces the user and target into a mutual death pact by linking their hands with a hand seal. Both parties die simultaneously when activated. Anko Mukurogi learned this from Orochimaru but never successfully used it on him due to a clever clone trick.

The technique is forbidden because of its uncontrollable double-suicide nature.

The Reaper Death Seal – Ultimate Soul-Sealing Technique

The Reaper Death Seal calls forth the Shinigami to seal away the target’s soul at the cost of the caster’s life. Once activated:

1. The summoner performs intricate hand seals.
2. The Shinigami emerges, its hands grabbing the target’s soul.
3. The target’s soul is sealed inside the summoner’s body.
4. The summoner’s soul is gradually consumed, leading to their death.

Minato famously used this to seal half the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, and Hiruzen Sarutobi used it to seal Orochimaru’s arms. Releasing the souls requires wearing the Shinigami mask and cutting open the summoner’s stomach, a dangerous process.

Despite being a last resort, it's among the most powerful and feared forbidden jutsu.

Immortality, Resurrection, and Soul Manipulation

Impure World Reincarnation – Edo Tensei, the Living Dead

A technique originally created by Tobirama Senju and later perfected by Orochimaru and Kabuto, Edo Tensei brings the dead back as immortal soldiers. The user sacrifices a living body as a vessel, smears DNA on a scroll, and calls the soul from the Pure Land.

Reanimated beings have near-limitless regeneration and retain their powers but are controlled like puppets. The jutsu's immortality and control mechanisms make it heavily forbidden.

Exploring forbidden jutsu reveals a world where power often comes with a deadly price. These techniques offer massive strength but risk life, soul, and humanity. To dive deeper into the lore and techniques of Naruto, you might find the detailed kinjutsu information on Narutopedia invaluable. For a ranked view of these forbidden moves, this article on the strongest forbidden jutsu provides great insight.

Understanding these forbidden jutsu deepens our appreciation for the complexity and sacrifice in Naruto’s world. Despite their dangers, these techniques define some of the story’s most intense moments and characters.