In Naruto, the Jinchuriki are individuals who have one of the nine Tailed Beasts sealed inside them. Though the Tailed Beasts are locked inside their hosts, they are still separate living beings that maintain their autonomy — for the most part. Jinchuriki rarely choose their fate and are forced to carry this heavy burden, typically for life. Jinchuriki not only have to consistently deal with a powerful entity that wants to control their body, but they are also ostracized from society.

No one has faced this harsh reality more than Naruto Uzumaki. However, through determination, disciplined training, and perseverance, Naruto became a Perfect Jinchuriki – an individual who forms a strong bond of friendship with their Tailed Beast and, consequently, masters that entity's power. This journey wasn't easy, and Naruto took on many Jinchuriki forms along the way.

Updated on April 12th, 2024 by Sage Ashford: Naruto's time as a Jinchuriki has granted him some incredible additional forms that allow him to fight evenly with enemies who would otherwise have had more power or skill than he did. Nonetheless, winning those key battles in his various Jinchuriki Forms didn't come without cost--on several occasions, drawing on the power of the Nine-Tailed Beast caused damage to his body, and even cost him part of his life force. This list has been updated to reflect changes in CBR formatting.

11 Naruto's Initial Jinchuriki Form Helped Defend Team 7 From Haku

An Emotionally-Charged Power-Up, Naruto's First Jinchuriki Form Was Unpredictable

The first of Naruto's transformations in the series is the Initial Jinchuriki Form, which first appeared near the beginning of the series during the Land of Waves arc. A mission that was meant to be a simple C-Rank mission turned deadly when Team 7 encountered Zabuza and Haku. With Kakashi busy battling Zabuza, Naruto and Sasuke were left to protect themselves against Haku, a genius ninja. Despite getting extra training from Kakashi though, Haku's powerful kekkai genkai was overwhelming to defend against.

Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' chakra due to his exhaustion from fending off Haku's Crystal Ice Mirrors Jutsu. Fueled by rage after witnessing Sasuke's apparent death, Naruto instinctively activated the Nine-Tails chakra inside himself to get revenge. This form sees Naruto receive enhanced strength, speed, and healing while being surrounded by a misty layer of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Naruto also becomes more bestial in this form, replete with claw-like nails and fangs. Additionally, Naruto's fighting style changes as he becomes wild and violent, relying on brute strength over speed.

10 The Demon Fox Cloak Grants Naruto Power At A Cost

Naruto's Jinchuriki Form Version 1 Almost Helped Him Save Sasukue

Introduced during the climactic battle between Naruto and Sasuke at the end of the Sasuke Recovery Mission arc, The Demon Fox Cloak Mode shrouds Naruto in the Nine-Tails' chakra. The boiling chakra resembles a humanoid fox and the Initial Form's characteristics become more pronounced. In this form, Naruto can control the Nine-Tails' Chakra as an arm and tail-like appendage that can claw at opponents or extend themselves.

Also known as Version 1 by fans, the Demon Fox Cloak usually happens in states of distress. With the Jinchuriki not entirely in control, the chakra cloak itself is harmful to both the user and to others. The longer it stays active, the more damage the user does to their own body, as the chakra itself is corrosive. That said, because Naruto isn't entirely in control in Version 1, the chakra can sometimes automatically react to threats he doesn't even notice.

9 Four Tails Version 2 Trades Naruto's Life Energy For Power

Without Learning to Control This Power, Naruto Could Actually Burn Himself Out Completely

Naruto's Four Tails Version 2 Form might be the most conceptually disturbing of Naruto's Jinchuriki forms. The form barely looks human, and Naruto has zero control over himself once it's activated. The Four Tail variation appears during the Long-Awaited Reunion arc, where Naruto allows the Nine-Tails to take control of his body while trying to defeat Orochimaru. Naruto begins to physically resemble the Nine-Tails Fox and his body is covered by dark red chakra.

In the Version 2 form, Naruto has access to a version of the Tailed Beast Ball, a jutsu he wouldn't be able to use on his own without far more training. This comes at a cost, however, as the Nine-Tails' chakra burns Naruto's skin. While the Nine-Tails' chakra heals Naruto enough to keep him alive, it shortens his life span if used too many times. The chakra in this form is so dense that Orochimaru doubted Naruto would even be able to move, as the goal is gradually reconstructing the Tailed Beast's body entirely out of chakra itself. Nonetheless, that didn't stop him from destroying everything around him with a single energy blast.

8 Six Tails Version 2 Came From Naruto Giving In To His Rage

Unable to Control His Emotions, Six-Tailed Naruto Was Almost As Devastating as Pain

The Six Tails Version 2 mode was unleashed when Pain devastated Konoha. Naruto snaps after Pain severely wounds Hinata and this form allows him to go toe-to-toe with one of the most powerful Akatsuki members. This form is similar to the Four-Tails version, except for a couple of key differences. The Nine-Tails' chakra manifests the skeleton of a fox over Naruto's body, greatly increasing his physical strength. Once again, as Naruto continued to lose control of himself, the Nine-Tails began trying to construct itself in the real world once again.

In this form, the Nine Tails also controls more of Naruto's mind, allowing him to rampage once again. Interestingly, Naruto has never been able to utilize Six Tails Version 2 consciously in the manga — in other words, he can only access it by temporarily yielding his consciousness. Powerful as this form is though, it becomes no longer necessary once he gains access to some of the others. It's for the best too, as constantly using it eats away at Naruto's skin because the very chakra itself is harmful to the human body.

7 Eight-Tails' Partial Transformation Form Almost Allowed Kurama To Go Free Once More

Fortunately, Minato Put a Protection Measure In Place When he Created the Seal Holding Kurama In Check

To escape from Pain's Planetary Devastation Jutsu, Naruto broke the Nine-Tails' seal. Once again, the Nine-Tails continued to form more of its physical body in the real world again. However, this partial form still lacks Kurama's trademark fur; only the Nine-Tails' musculature takes shape around Naruto's body. Eight-Tails Partial Transformation only manifests for a brief time, but it seems to possess the Nine-Tails' total corpus of power as it's able to shatter the small planetoid imprisoning him.

Naruto gave into this transformation after feeling like he was no longer able to adequately respond to all of Pain's accusations about the ninja world. It represents him nearly giving in to Kurama's desire to roam free, as he was just one more tail away from appearing in the world completely. The only thing that stopped Naruto from embracing this form and breaking the seal completely was the presence of the Fourth Hokage, who was able to help Naruto calm back down. Minato restored the seal in this battle against Pain, giving Naruto more time to learn how to master his powers against Kurama.

6 Nine-Tails Chakra Mode Grants Naruto The Nine-Tails Chakra At The Cost Of His Own

Lacking a Proper Bond With Kurama, Naruto Was More Powerful Than Ever, but at Great Cost

Before the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto trains with fellow Jinchuriki Killer B to gain control of the Nine-Tails. After his training, Naruto becomes a Perfect Jinchuriki, finally gaining the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. True to its name, this mode lets Naruto use the Nine-Tails' chakra while still remaining himself. There's no hint of the bestial attributes that the other forms have, and the usual corrosive red chakra is instead a flaming bright yellow. This new form drastically increases Naruto's strength and speed, even making him fast enough to dodge the Raikage's attacks.

This is still just a basic understanding of the Nine-Tails' power, but it makes Naruto one of the most powerful ninja around. He also gains the power to create arms made of chakra to help him form his Rasengan. Even this form has some pretty important limitations, however. It isn't a perfect union with Kurama, and instead means Naruto is drawing entirely on Kurama's chakra and has stored his away instead. If Naruto stays in this form for too long, there's the chance that Kurama can take his chakra, killing him and unleashing the Nine-Tails.

5 Kurama Mode Proves Naruto's Friendship With Kurama

It Took a Long Time for Naruto to Finally Earn Kurama's Trust, and More Importantly, His Friendship

After befriending the Nine-Tails Fox and learning his real name, Naruto gains access to a more powerful version of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Kurama Mode. While it might look similar to Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Kurama Mode has different markings and allows him to craft a coat of pure chakra as well. This is the next step in Naruto's mastery of Kurama's power, representing the complete synchronization of Naruto and Kurama. Here, Naruto not only has access to Kurama's chakra, but his own as well, taking away the major drawback of the earlier form.

Naruto is capable of miracles in this form, gaining access to the powerful Tailed Beast Balls as his most powerful attack. However, he can also transfer his chakra to allies, covering them in energy that resembles his earlier Version 1 forms. While this power seemingly comes from Kurama alone, other ninja have noted that the energy feels like Naruto's. Where ever it comes from, the boost his allies gain from this make them several times more powerful than normal.

4 Incomplete Tailed Beast Mode Has The Size Of The Tailed Beast Form Without The Power

Naruto Can Battle Bigger Enemies, But the Power Isn't Complete

While most of Naruto's anime-exclusive Jinchuriki Forms are variants of previous forms, the Incomplete Tailed Beast Form is unique to the anime. This form manifests during the filler Powers arc when he's overwhelmed by Ama no Hoko's power. After Naruto falls unconscious, Kurama offers to help, but Naruto is unable to fully transform into the Nine-Tails. In the Incomplete Tailed Beast Mode, the chakra takes on a blobby texture and consistency.

Though it does give Naruto the power to grapple with larger foes, it isn't nearly as powerful as the complete Tailed Beast Form. Naruto only takes this form out of desperation to defeat a clone of his that had access to a power similar to the Nine-Tails. However, this power isn't enough to get the job done, and Naruto eventually has to regain control over his mental state to transform into the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode instead. While the clone was powerful, Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was enough to destroy him for good, stopping Ama no Hoko for good.

3 Sage Of The Six Paths Reveals Naruto's Mastery Of Sage Mode

Mastering Sage Mode Allowed Naruto to Borrow Chakra from All the Tailed Beasts

Hagoromo Otsutsuki grants Naruto the Six Paths' power. Though Sasuke also receives power from Hagoromo, Naruto's form is different. In this mode, Naruto is surrounded by yellow chakra and his pupils are horizontal lines — as seen in Sage Mode — with tiny vertical slits creating a plus sign. He is also surrounded by six black orbs and wields two long black rods. Naruto's speed, chakra, strength, and senses increase immensely in Sage of Six Paths Mode. Naruto notably makes a pact with all the Tailed Beasts in this form and is able to borrow their chakra upon request during the Fourth Shinobi War.

This form basically represents the Nine-Tails Chakra mixed with a perfected version of Sage Mode. In this form, Naruto's control over chakra is nearly unmatched thanks to his connection to nature. His awareness is such that he can even sense invisible shadows, and he's even capable of flight with it. Very little is impossible for Naruto in this form, as it represents the peak of everything he's learned up to this point.

2 Tailed Beast Mode Represents Naruto And Kurama Working Together

Once Naruto & Kurama Became Partners, There Was No Stopping Them

In Tailed Beast Mode, Naruto is surrounded by a giant bright yellow chakra version of Kurama. Naruto can use all of his jutsu in this form, making it extremely versatile. The form also grants Naruto all of Kurama's power and works better against giant opponents. Naruto takes this form during the second Valley of the End battle right after the Fourth Shinobi War. Naruto needed every bit of additional power he could get from this form, all to help him stop Sasuke's rampaging.

While dueling Sasuke, Naruto gives the Tailed Beast Form a power-up, gaining six arms and three faces. This power comes from the Six Paths Senjutsu Naruto learned, an adaptation of Naruto's ancestor, Asura Otsutsuki. Known as the Asura Kurama mode, it was able to create a giant version of the Rasenshuriken to match Sasuke's Indra's Arrow attack. It can also merge with two Shadow Clones and can combine the Rasenshuriken and the Tailed Beast Ball into one powerful attack.

1 Baryon Mode Grants Incredible Power at a Terrible Price

Baryon Mode Helped Naruto Defeat Isshiki Otsutsuki, but at the Cost of Kurama's Life

Introduced in the sequel series Boruto: The Next Generations, Baryon Mode is the strongest of all Naruto forms. When Isshiki Otsutsuki attacks Konoha in order to collect Kawaki, Naruto confronts the destructive villain and the two immediately engage in battle. Though Naruto and Sasuke put up a good fight, they're no match for the overpowered Otsutsuki. With Naruto on the brink of death, Kurama appears. He offers Naruto a "final secret weapon," but warns him that it will cost him his life.

Without hesitation, Naruto accepts and reenters the battle in Baryon Mode. This superior form grants Naruto some cool powers, including inconceivable strength, speed, and a growth in chakra that even Sasuke was surprised by. However, chakra is consumed at an absurd rate in this form, so much so that Naruto couldn't make any excess movements or even have any unnecessary thoughts--anything else would cause the form to run out too quickly. While the time limit didn't benefit Naruto, being in Baryon Mode also drains the life span of any enemy he fights as well. While Naruto was able to defeat Isshiki with this power, the battle unfortunately took too long, leading to Kurama losing his life as well. With Kurama gone, Naruto lost access not just to Baryon Mode, but all the previous forms as well.