The Akatsuki from Naruto: Shippuden is easily one of anime's most recognizable villain groups. Though they all don their signature red cloud patterned robes, their various abilities ensure that they all stand out. Each of them is capable of causing large-scale destruction...except one: Hidan. But, even with no flashy jutsu of his own, Hidan still deserves his spot on the infamous villain group.

Hidan's taijutsu skills are simply no joke. He's incredibly agile and regularly makes use of his environment and weapons to create leverage for himself during battle. Against the jonin-level ninja Asuma, he was easily able to parry all of his attacks while avoiding Shikamaru's Shadow Sewing jutsu at the same time. Even more impressive, he was able to go toe to toe with a Sharingan wielding Kakashi. Even with the ability to predict his moves, the Copy Ninja couldn't handle him alone.

RELATED: How Naruto Changed Sai Without Even Trying

Hidan uses two unorthodox weapons during battle; a three-pronged scythe attached to an extendable rope and a short spear. Both of these weapons are instrumental in his death ritual. He waves his scythe around apparently indiscriminately but its every swing is measured as it's used for offense, counters and even to create footholds in precarious situations. Hidan doesn't even need to land a fatal strike with it. As soon as his scythe draws blood, the battle is mostly over.

Hidan's strange jutsu begins as soon as he ingests his opponent's blood. Once that's done and he stands within his ritual circle, any damage he sustains is reflected onto his opponent. This stops any attacks headed his way in their tracks and allows Hidan to inflict injuries on his opponent by harming himself. His immortality means he heals from any injuries in seconds but the damage his opponents sustain remains.

Hidan's immortality has an added advantage in battle. Should one manage to break through his impressive defense, whatever damage dealt would be almost immediately undone. Pain doesn't matter to Hidan as he fights through even the most gruesome of injuries and shrugs off fatal wounds as if they were nothing. As long as he's capable of movement, Hidan never stops attacking. The psychological element of fighting a man who should be dead gives him an additional upper hand in battle when it is revealed.

RELATED: Boruto: Code Reveals the Karma's True Essence

hidan in naruto

The only explanation for Hidan's strange abilities is that they are blessings from his god, Jashin. Hidan devoutly follows the way of Jashin and that contributes to making him an even more dangerous fighter. His religion prescribes indiscriminate mass murder, so he never pulls his punches or toys with his opponents. Every fight against him is one to the death -- for his opponent of course, since he's literally incapable of dying.

Since Hidan's jutsu is one that basically assures victory upon activation, he keeps it a closely guarded secret. His undoing was ultimately because he let Shikamaru live after the genius had figured it out. Plunging into battle with Hidan with no prior knowledge of his abilities inevitably leads to defeat. No one fears getting a small scratch on the heat of battle but in Hidan's case, that's all he needs for victory.

keep reading: How One Akatsuki Member Reinforces Naruto's Core Themes