Every top-notch anime hero has their ultimate move: Saitama's got his punch in One-Punch Man, Naruto's Naruto wrecks stuff with Rasengans, and Goku from Dragon Ball blasts bad guys using Kamehameha. No matter the character or the show, a signature move made from immense power is essential to the hero's journey toward success.
But some ultimate moves cost more than that power is worth; sometimes their results are more catastrophic for the hero than the target. A wide array of jutsu used in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden fall into this category. No shinobi, whatever their nation, is an exception to this rule.
10 The Izanagi Alters Reality At The Cost Of One's Sharingan
Normal genjutsu caused a target to perceive things that aren't real; the Izanagi allowed the caster to create illusions so powerful that reality itself was no longer real. They gained the power to rewind time, erase their injuries, and undo fatal mistakes that would've otherwise led to their own demise.
Due to its immense strength, the Izanagi had a major penalty for anyone desperate enough to use it. As it was only accessible by those who wielded the Sharingan, casting Izanagi once rendered their Sharingan blind forever. Its high cost forced the Uchiha Clan to declare it forbidden; had they not, some might've utilized this technique to prevent the clan's eventual massacre.
9 The Living Corpse Reincarnation Forces Its User To Switch Bodies Every Three Years
Orochimaru developed the Living Corpse Reanimation Jutsu during his search for immortality. Every three years, it enabled him to transfer his soul into a living host; after possessing their body, he could repeat this cycle indefinitely and essentially live forever.
The faux-immortality jutsu had its fair share of problems: some host bodies proved incompatible, illness rendered perfect candidates, like Kimimoro, completely useless, and Orochimaru's host inevitably rejected him after only three years. Considering the pains Orochimaru had to take to complete this process, the Living Corpse Reanimation seemed like more trouble than it was worth.
8 The Creation Rebirth Technique Significantly Shortens The User's Lifespan
The Creation Rebirth technique was developed by Lady Tsunade to protect a squad's medical ninja from death on the battlefield. After accumulating large amounts of chakra, the user could release it to become completely impervious to damage. So long as the technique remained active, its user wouldn't die, no matter how severe their injuries were; Tsunade once used it to survive being cut in half by Madara Uchiha's swords.
Due to the jutsu's forcible stimulation of cell division, its user's lifespan was shortened significantly whenever Creation Rebirth was used. While healing its user's damage and preventing their death, the technique continued to sap their life force, forcing the user to age more rapidly.
7 Sage Mode Turns Reckless Users Into Animals
Sage Mode allowed shinobi to harvest natural energy and add it to their own chakra for a significant boost in power. It granted them a variety of new techniques while empowering their existing jutsu; Sage Mode was first seen when Jiraiya fought his final battle against Pain.
The method of learning Sage Mode left much to be desired: training consisted of remaining completely still while concentrating on one's own energy. Learning to balance natural, physical, and spiritual energy was essential; taking in too much nature chakra would cause unwary trainees to permanently transform into animals, essentially losing their humanity and willpower.
6 The One's-Own-Life Reincarnation Resurrects The Dead By Killing The User
The One's-Own-Life Reincarnation technique was developed by Lady Chiyo of Sunagakure. It required the user to use chakra to expel life energy into a dead body. While in use, the user's chakra glows bright blue, but it fades as the jutsu reaches completion; the soul of the deceased then returns, restoring them back to life.
This jutsu was considered forbidden due to the repercussions posed to its user. As the technique required forcibly imbuing life energy into a deceased body, the user's own life energy was sapped as a result, leaving them to die in their target's place as a result. Following Chiyo's death after reviving the Fifth Kazekage, knowledge of this technique was lost forever.
5 The Rasenshuriken Damages Its User Down To Their Cells
Naruto developed the Rasenshuriken after learning Wind Release: by utilizing shadow clones, one to contain the chakra and another to add wind, Naruto formed a giant Rasengan with a shuriken shape. It could be thrown and guided toward its target in midair, resulting in a large, explosive vortex on impact.
This vortex was composed of countless microscopic wind blades, capable of piercing enemies at a cellular level. It shredded their cells, completely cutting off their chakra network before killing them. Due to the user's close proximity during the Rasenshuriken's formation, they were hurt by the jutsu as well; due to the wound's inability to be healed using medical ninjutsu, Tsunade declared it forbidden after its first recorded use.
4 Wind Wipes Out Any User Of The Living Smoke Kekkei Genkai
The Iburi Clan's kekkei genkai allowed its members to turn themselves into smoke. While in this form, they became impervious to physical damage; offensively, the Living Smoke Jutsu allowed them to enter opponents and control their actions. This tactic was also used to kill enemies, as the Iburi Clan could oxidize their enemies' cells from the inside.
Despite its raw power and offensive potential, the Living Smoke Jutsu was wildly unstable: its users lacked total control over when it would activate, causing them to transform without meaning to. While in Smoke form, they were vulnerable to death by wind dispersal; due to this, they were forced to live in caves until Orochimaru eventually exterminated the clan.
3 Every User Of The Ninja Art Kujaku Eventually Dies A Painful Death
The Ninja Art Kujaku was a unique technique, developed in Hoshigakure, that required infusing one's chakra in proximity to a fallen star. By doing so, the user forcibly enhanced their own chakra beyond human means; this method allowed users to generate sentient chakra beasts, sprout wings, and enhance their own power by consuming the chakra of others.
Due to the star's high radiation levels, Hoshigakure's shinobi risked intense harm to their body and chakra system by training with it; the afflicted become physically weak, unable to use chakra, and develop glowing, purple sores. After spreading over their entire body and causing their chakra to spike alarmingly, the radiation eventually killed them.
2 The Eight Inner Gates Disintegrates Its User's Body Before Killing Them
The Eight Inner Gates was a technique that allowed its user to bypass chakra limiters within the body to optimize chakra production. Normally able to use only 20% of their chakra, an Eight Inner Gate user gained access to 100% chakra utilization while the technique was active.
By bypassing the body's natural limits, this technique caused great harm to the user ranging from exhaustion and muscle tears to broken bones. Opening the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death, ultimately killed its user due to their inability to handle endless amounts of chakra. Heating up incredibly fast, the user's body would burn from the inside out until they were reduced to nothing but ash.
1 The Reaper Death Seal Casts The User's Soul Into An Eternity Of Torment
The Reaper Death Seal was a technique invented by the Uzumaki Clan to permanently seal their opponents. Using their soul as a medium, the caster summoned a Shinigami to steal their target's soul. Once the Reaper Death Seal was complete, the subject's life and soul were sealed, leaving them unable to escape until the seal is released.
The cost of this jutsu was one of the highest in Naruto; the shinigami killed the user, devouring their soul as well. As punishment, the user and their victim were forced to fight eternally within the Shinigami's realm, never to be granted a moment's rest or a glimmer of hope at being released.