Highlights
- Chidori is one of the most iconic ninjutsu techniques in Naruto, utilized by Kakashi and Sasuke with creativity and intelligence in various battles.
- Chidori has evolved into different variations that enhance its destructive abilities and have been crucial in settling important fights in the series.
- Kakashi's Raikiri is a variation of Chidori that can be used for offense, defense, and even absorption, while Sasuke has developed multiple derived jutsu that manipulate lightning chakra for different attacks.
Easily one of the most iconic ninjutsu techniques in Naruto, Chidori is an extremely potent application of Lightning Release, used by both Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha as one of their trademark jutsu. The two shinobi are renowned for the intelligence and creativity with which they utilize their arsenal of ninjutsu techniques through various battles in the series, and this is perhaps best reflected in how they employ Chidori in different scenarios.
In fact, Sasuke and Kakashi's inventiveness, along with their refined control over their chakra has yielded a plethora of techniques which go beyond Chidori's original use and take it to entirely new levels. These successive incarnations of Chidori have been pivotal in settling some of the most important fights in Naruto, most notably, in the final clashes between Naruto and Sasuke at the Valley of the End. For a jutsu that is so central to the identity of the series, Chidori has evolved though a number of variations that amplify its destructive capabilities in unique ways.
What Is Chidori?
First developed by Kakashi Hatake when he was just a teenager, Chidori is a technique that was born from his failure to imbue his lightning natured chakra to the Rasengan — created by his mentor Minato Namikaze. Manifesting as a formless mass of electricity when properly executed, the jutsu's first stage entails collecting concentrated lightning chakra around a user's hand. This process releases a high-pitched sound resembling the chirping of a flock of birds. Essentially, this is also the source of the technique's name as Chidori can be literally translated as "One Thousand Birds."
After gathering chakra in their hand, the user charges towards their opponent and pierces them. The speed at which the technique is performed, as well as its ability to take out targets with a single strike, made it ideal for assassinations during Kakashi's stint in Konohagakure's Anbu. However, this is also one of the technique's greatest weaknesses, as a user will enter a state of tunnel vision while rushing towards their opponent, leaving them vulnerable to surprise attacks. The only way to bypass this is through dojutsu that heighten the user's perception of their environment such as the Sharingan.
More often than not, this means that most shinobi cannot perform Chidori safely, making it a technique that can only be safely utilized by members of the Uchiha clan or non-Uchiha in possession of a Sharingan such as Kakashi. At first, there was also a considerable degree of strain involved in utilizing Chidori, as Kakashi was only able to perform it a maximum of four times in a single day during Part I of Naruto, due to how much it drained his chakra. This changed by the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War where he was able to use it multiple times in a single day without much sign of exhaustion, indicating that there are ways to bypass this limit with consistent training.
Kakashi's Chidori Variants
As the inventor of this jutsu, Kakashi's Chidori had a special name, which originated from an incident where he used it to split a bolt of lightning. Serving as a tribute to his accuracy and incredible control over the jutsu, his version of Chidori was dubbed the Raikiri or "Lightning Cutter." The two techniques are more or less identical, as they are performed in the same manner and cannot be utilized safely without the Sharingan. Hence, both names have been used interchangeably throughout the series.
Over the course of the series, Kakashi developed variations on the original technique to expand its scope in practical usage, going beyond that of an instrument for quickly eliminating enemies or cutting through durable targets. Kakashi has occasionally coated his kunai with the lightning natured chakra produced by the technique, to boost the piercing strength of his attacks both in short range melee combat and when hurled as projectiles. He even found a defensive application for the jutsu when he used it to absorb the force of powerful Lightning Release jutsu directed at him.
In other situations, Kakashi has linked his Raikiri with that of a shadow clone to create a beam of electricity between them, through a technique known as Lightning Transmission, which could then be used to slice through larger targets or higher volumes of opponents. There is also a variant of Raikiri dubbed Lightning Release: Lighting Beast Tracking Fang, which takes form as a mass of lightning chakra shaped like a hound. A cord of lightning chakra attached to the hound's back allows Kakashi to control its range and movements, which can be very fast and unpredictable.
During Team 7's battle against Kaguya Otsutsuki, Kakashi was briefly possessed by the spirit of Obito Uchiha, which gave him access to Six Paths Powers. After infusing this into his Raikiri, he developed an even more powerful variant of the jutsu that combined it with Kamui — the Mangekyo Sharingan ability wielded by him and Obito — and is now known as the Kamui Raikiri. This jutsu instantly warps anything it cuts into Kamui's dimension. When used in tandem with Kamui's power to grant intangibility, Kakashi became virtually invulnerable to attacks, even from a being as powerful as Kaguya, making it the strongest version of his Raikiri by a considerable margin.
Sasuke's Chidori Variants
Having first learned it from Kakashi in preparation for his match against Gaara during the Finals of the Chunin Exams, Sasuke's application of the Chidori began to evolve once he received the Cursed Seal of Heaven from Orochimaru. During the timeskip, he applied high level shape transformations to the technique, taking it leaps beyond its original form, to a point where Kakashi could not even fathom how his former student had succeeded where he had failed with shape transformations at the start of Part II.
With the Cursed Seal of Heaven, Sasuke's Chidori produced a sound that evoked flapping wings rather than chirping birds, taking on a much darker color. When used by Sasuke against Naruto's Rasengan at the Valley of the End — while the latter was in his Version 1 Jinchuriki form — the two techniques clashed almost evenly, with Sasuke having a slight edge at the end of the battle. This was his most powerful version of Chidori at the end of Part I.
Later, on training with Orochimaru, Sasuke devised a host of derived jutsu which manipulated the form of the lightning chakra for short and mid-range attacks. He could infuse the lightning chakra into his sword with Sword of Kusanagi: Chidori Katana, or into a fuma shuriken with Lightning Flash, to enhance their cutting power. With Chidori Senbon, Sasuke was able to unleash a flurry of small blades of lightning shaped like needles, spreading them out over a large area to take down multiple opponents. Chidori Current on the other hand, allowed him to release streams of lightning chakra in all directions to double as both offense and defense.
Chidori Sharp Spear is another version which shapes the lightning chakra into a long blade emanating from his arm, capable of piercing through a target at a distance of about five meters. Furthermore, Sasuke can shape the shaft of the blade into multiple projections that rush out from its main length to hit a target's vital points and immobilize them. Even Kirin, one of his most powerful jutsu, has its roots in Sasuke's ability to manipulate lightning chakra with Chidori.
On acquiring his Mangekyo Sharingan and later his Rinnegan, giving him access to Susanoo, Sasuke was able to use larger variants of the technique, channeled through the arm of his Complete Body - Susanoo with Susanoo: Chidori. The increase in power and scale is so vast that Sasuke used it against Naruto's Kurama avatar at the Valley of the End. In effect, it also served as the foundation for what would undoubtedly be Sasuke's most powerful offensive technique, known as Indra's Arrow. After amassing and infusing the chakra of the tailed beasts into his Complete Body - Susanoo, Sasuke created an arrow drawn from a longbow of lightning chakra. A testament to this attack's power lies in how it was even able to match Naruto's Six Paths: Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken.
Next, Sasuke has also displayed a Six Paths Power enhanced version of Chidori which takes on an even darker color than his Cursed Seal variant. It was used to damage the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki, as normal ninjutsu was ineffective against them. Lastly, Sasuke's most powerful Chidori variant outside his Susanoo versions emerged when he combined it with Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi, in his final clash with Naruto at the Valley of the End in Part II. The explosion produced when it struck Naruto's Rasengan, decimated the Valley of the End and destroyed both Naruto and Sasuke's dominant arms, ending their conflict forever.
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