In the Naruto universe, shinobi use jutsu to fight each other, help each other, and even heal each other. Genjutsu is a form of jutsu which is subtle and requires a unique understanding of the human mind. It is used to trap one's enemy within an illusion created inside their own head, where the victim loses sense of their actual surroundings, and the caster can easily defeat their opponent.
The Uchiha are well known for their Sharingan genjutsu, which had various forms unique to each of them. They terrorized the enemies of the Leaf with their genjutsu abilities and were complete masters of this technique.
10 Itachi Trapped Deidara Into A Genjutsu Before Their Fight Even Started
When Deidara was approached by the Akatsuki, he initially refused their invitation. Itachi then challenged him to a fight on the condition that if Itachi won, Deidara would join the Akatsuki. Deidara used his Explosion Jutsu to trap Itachi, only to realize that he was the one who was trapped.
Itachi had actually cast a genjutsu on him before the battle had even begun, which meant Deidara was just fighting an illusion. He acknowledged his defeat and joined the Akatsuki, vowing to defeat Itachi one day. By using genjutsu, Itachi won this battle before it even started.
9 Itachi Blocked Orochimaru’s Attempt To Take Over His Body With Genjutsu
Orochimaru wanted to know all the jutsu that were available in the world. He also wanted to possess an Uchiha so that he could use their body to copy all the jutsu, so when Itachi and Orochimaru became partners in the Akatsuki, the latter attempted to possess Itachi’s body.
Unbeknownst to him, Itachi had already cast a genjutsu on him from the moment their eyes met. As he tried to escape, Itachi cut his hand off so that he couldn’t cast any jutsu. That was how the Uchiha used Genjutsu to even save own their lives.
8 Sasuke Turned The Tables On Orochimaru & Defeated Him
Orochimaru trained Sasuke and prepared him to become a vessel for his soul. However, Sasuke never intended to become a vessel and was simply using Orochimaru to grow stronger. The former Sannin created an illusionary dimension where the soul transfer was to take place.
During the process, Sasuke used his Sharingan to disrupt the jutsu cast on him and took over the illusion with his own will. Sasuke reversed the process, and instead absorbed Orochimaru, taking his strength for his own. If he had not had this genjutsu ability, he would have died serving as a vessel.
7 The Fated Duel Of the Uchiha Brothers Showed How They Could Fight Entire Battles Without Moving
When Sasuke finally confronted Itachi, they fought a long-drawn battle where Itachi managed to take out Sasuke’s eyeball. However, it was simply a genjutsu that he had put his little brother under. Further into the battle, they both tried to outdo each other’s illusions with their own to get the upper hand.
Sasuke finally managed to break through the illusion completely with his own eyes. It was interesting that the Uchiha could fight without even lifting a finger, yet their genjutsu damage was as draining on their opponent as it would be in a normal battle.
6 Shisui Uchiha Sometimes Used Genjutsu To Avoid Killing People
Genjutsu was used not just to kill but also to save people. Shisui Uchiha was a close friend of Itachi and entrusted him with his Mangekyo Sharingan before he took his own life.
He was capable enough to cast genjutsu on his enemies from a long distance, yet he was one of the very few Uchiha who used his abilities to disable his opponents instead of killing them when he could. He used genjutsu to scare away Ao and his men instead of killing them, and he even spared Danzo, who tried to steal his eye, by putting him under a genjutsu.
5 Kotoamatsukami Was Strong Enough To Break The Reanimation Jutsu’s Control
Itachi had anticipated that he would be reincarnated in the future, which is why he snuck Shisui’s Sharingan inside Naruto via a genjutsu. The reanimated Itachi was able to use Kotoamatsukami from the Sharingan to break free from Kabuto’s control.
Kotoamatsukami was the ultimate genjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan, wherein it created a strong but subtle hold on the mind of the person it was cast on. It allowed the Uchiha to enter the mind of a person and manipulate their memories. This ability was why Itachi was the only shinobi, apart from Madara, who was able to free himself from the Reanimation jutsu.
4 Izanagi Was The Genjutsu That Manipulated Reality & Could Change It
Izanagi was an ability of the Uchiha that allowed them to put a genjutsu on reality itself for a short period of time, allowing them to rewrite anything that occurred within that time frame. Uchiha used Izanagi to escape from death and serious injuries that happened during battles.
Most ninja would let their guard down, assuming that their enemy had died, and would not expect their opponent to reverse their death. The drawback of the ability was that it couldn’t be used for a long time and, once used, the Sharingan eye that cast the jutsu would become blind. Even so, an eye in exchange for their life was not a big price to pay if one were to look at the bigger picture.
3 Izanami Was Used To Help A Comrade Who Had Lost Their Way
Izanami was an ability that was created for the Uchiha who abused the Izanagi, by trapping them in an infinite loop of genjutsu. The person who was trapped in the illusion experienced the same moments over and over, no matter what they did.
The only way to break out of the illusion was to acknowledge the consequences of their actions and accept their fates. Itachi used Izanami on Kabuto and trapped him in an infinite loop, forcing him to look at his choices and finally realize where he had gone wrong. While Kabuto was trapped, Itachi disabled the Reanimation jutsu that he had used and thus helped win the war.
2 Tsukuyomi Was A Genjutsu That Literally Affected Time & Space
Tsukuyomi was one of the most feared abilities of Itachi Uchiha’s Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi was able to trap anyone who looked into his eyes in a genjutsu of his design. He had full control of the world inside the illusion, where Time and Space worked differently from the real world.
Itachi once trapped Kakashi in Tsukuyomi and subjected him to torture for 72 hours, while only a few seconds had passed in the real world. With this ability, Itachi became so powerful that he could put his opponent through a world of pain in a few seconds and win the battle without having to actually fight.
1 Infinite Tsukuyomi Was The Genjutsu That Trapped The Whole World
Infinite Tsukuyomi was one of the most powerful jutsu in the anime, and casting it was Madara Uchiha’s ultimate goal. He cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi by reflecting his Rinne-Sharingan off the moon, which trapped everyone who was exposed to the moonlight under a genjutsu.
These people were caught in a dream-like state where all their wishes and desires were fulfilled. This was a god-level jutsu, and the mere existence of it in the show displayed just how far an Uchiha could go if they tried.