The Ōtsutsuki clan (大筒木一族, Ōtsutsuki Ichizoku) is an ancient clan originating from another world, having arrived to the Earth over a thousand years ago. Several members of this clan have heavily influenced both the shinobi and the world at large with their actions having shaped the world into what it is today.[1] Some members of this clan have unusual anatomy such as horns. They also tend to have paler complexions and seem adapted to living in otherwise uninhabitable environments, such as the Moon. They are the progenitors of notable clans such as the Senju, Uzumaki, Uchiha, Hyūga, and Kaguya clans. They are also the originators of puppets.
The clan itself is nearly extinct in name, but it's still extant through Hamura's line, with the sole member, Toneri Ōtsutsuki himself. However, the clan's bloodline status remained extant through Hamura and Hagoromo's descendants on Earth, although they later divided into numerous clans over time.
History
Members of the Ōtsutsuki clan's Branch family.
In distant time, mankind fought countless battles, leaving the earth soaked in blood. The tree would grow from the blood of the deceased, getting attention of the Ōtsutsuki clan, as it bore a fruit of great power. Princess Kaguya, leader of the clan, would later consume the fruit to transcend and bring peace using her unrivalled power. Seen as a deity by humanity, Kaguya settled down amongst them, as she would eventually get pregnant and bear twin sons. However, Kaguya had became despotic, as the power having clouded her judgment, resorting to control mankind by force, something which would change her public image of a benevolent goddess into that of a demon. In a fit of jealousy that her children had inherited her strong chakra, Kaguya merged with the Shinju to turn against her own sons in a form of the monstrous Ten-Tails. After the fierce battle, with Hagoromo and Hamura standing victorious, the tailed beasts were made from her chakra, with her body sealed to form the core of a celestial body that would be known as the Moon. Hamura succeeding leadership of the clan later departed along with the rest of the Ōtsutsuki to the moon in order to guard their late princess (something they weren't aware of, thinking it to be the Shinju), while Hagoromo would stay in order to spread chakra to the humanity and teach them the concept of Ninshū.
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The Ōtsutsuki clan Main Family symbol.
The Ōtsutsuki clan Branch Family symbol.
The clan was separated into two parts, the Main family and the Branch family, the clan inhabited the moon for a thousand years, and the descendants of Hamura sealed their eyes within the Tenseigan, a giant orb accumulating tremendous power. The Branch family misinterprets Hamura's celestial decree, if they determined that mankind were using their chakra for evil after a millennium, they would unleash that power upon them. The clan killed each other in a civil war.
One millennium later, Toneri Ōtsutsuki, a direct descendant of Hamura and sole survivor of the otherwise extinct clan, would return to undo what his ancestors had made, planning to destroy humanity by having the moon collide with the earth, as a punishment for humans abusing chakra for militant purposes, and also specifically targeting Hinata Hyūga.[2]
Survivors
In the aftermath of this war, only the branch family survived. The main family were nearly exterminated, but leaving only one surviving member, forced into hiding and able to lived long enough to meet Naruto and his team.
Years later, the population of this clan extremely declined. It's unknown what happened later after the war, but, beside of civil wars that nearly killed most of its members, another factor that caused the clan nearly extinct is very few female members born and restricted them to mating. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, it revealed that at unspecified time after the civil war, at least the clan only have 19 surviving members of this clan that still alive (1 member from main family and 18 from branch family, including Toneri) and all of them are male. Beside the main's patriarch, Toneri, and his father (mentioned by Toneri during his conversation with Hinata), fate of another members were unknown but most likely all of them were eventually dead.
During The Last: Naruto the Movie event, only two Ōtsutsuki survived: the patriarch, and Toneri. The patriarch seemingly know about Toneri presence, but Toneri doesn't. With the death of the patriarch shortly after met Naruto and his team, ultimately leaves Toneri as the sole survivor of the entire Ōtsutsuki clan. After his attempt to marry Hinata failed by Naruto and his team efforts and his choice to stay on the Moon rather to move to the Earth, completely leaves him alone as the endling of his clan for unspecified time.
Abilities
Kaguya's activated Byakugan and third-eyed Rinne Sharingan.
As one of the original people who have received chakra, the strength of it as extremely strong and in massive quantities compared to most shinobi. The kekkei genkai, most importantly the three great dōjutsu originated in this clan with the Byakugan, Sharingan, and Rinnegan being wielded by members of the clan. Kaguya possesses a predecessor ability of the Shikotsumyaku. Most of the members are born with the Byakugan, which they would seal into the Tenseigan, the clan's ultimate weapon.
As the originators of puppetry, they also have advanced knowledge in mechanical engineering, as they are capable of creating various types of puppets. Interestingly, instead of chakra threads, they directly control their puppets using the power of the energy vessel. The energy vessel allows for the puppets to also work independently in various tasks, making their puppet abilities somehow equivalent with real-life robots.
Although not shown onscreen, the clan apparently possessed an innate affinity for Fire Release nature transformation, as evidenced by a scorched kunai found by Sai and a block of scorched ruins of Ōtsutsuki dwellings found by Sakura at the ancient Ōtsutsuki Ninja City, indicating some fire-based techniques casted here in the past.
The clan were appears very knowledgeable in the art of fūinjutsu, and even they make their own intricated and advanced sealing techniques. As showed by both Hagoromo and Hamura capabilty to seal the Ten-Tails with Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei, a very powerful ancient sealing technique that even Hagoromo or Hamura with their own prowess in youth not so mastered to perform it by himself, unless the split it to two separated parts. Hagoromo eventually mastered it to the point where he can performed it by himself, but not in his mortal plane. Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal also likely created by Hagoromo at unspecified time as the technique description and instruction inscribed on the Hagoromo's tablet which possesed by Uchiha clan. From Hagoromo's line, the clan abilities in fūinjutsu apparently eventually passed to Uzumaki clan. From Hamura's line, the clan also developed some form of sealing method for sealing their own Byakugan to the Tenseigan, although the reason why they did it was unknown. The pinnacle of the clan abilities of fūinjutsu is, by combining they knowledge with they knowledge of juinjutsu, they make an unnamed sealing technique that used for protecting the main content of Tenseigan and according to Hinata, the technique making it untouchable except by those with the "undiluted chakra of Hamura". Toneri even able to temporarily seal the Hinata soul, with an unknown method, in the one of his glass painting.
Not only limited to Hagoromo and Hamura, the chakra of the clan members was also powerful enough to transcend time along with their soul and consciousness, even many years later after their death, make them even more than ghostly apparition but like living form of consciousness. As shown by the last patriarch of main family and the rest of his dead clansmen able to meet with Hinata.
Trivia
- Ōtsutsuki (大筒木) roughly means "big bamboo tree" and is derived from an obscure passage in the second volume of the Kojiki about the genealogies of Emperor Suinin, eleventh emperor of Japan, which states that he had a consort named Kaguyahime no Mikoto (迦具夜比売命), the daughter of a king named Ōtsutsukitarine no Miko (大筒木垂根王); tradition holds that these individuals served as the basis for Princess Kaguya and the old bamboo cutter in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
- In The Last: Naruto the Movie, it has been shown the clan's traditional attire is very unique, as they appear highly inspired by a variety of ancient Asian cultures, particularly Japanese, Chinese, and Middle Eastern. Commonly, they donned ceremonial kimonos (with various decorations from the back) with sash tied over his right shoulder and shinobi sandals. In battle, they donned the clan standard battle attire which resembling ancient Middle-Eastern attire: a turban, a mask over the lower-half of their face, a white vest, purple sash, purple pants and a purple long-sleeve shirt with bandages over their arms and feet, and additionally using a long robes for commander level.
- Additionally, the clan architecture also very unique, as they appear highly inspired by a mix variety of many cultures. Their dwelling architecture at their ninja city appear highly inspired by Roman and Medieval Europe culture. A ruin of temple in the ninja city where a broken statue of Hamura located appear inspired by Buddhas of Bamiyan and a stupa where an ancient oath inscribed appear inspired by Borobudur's stupa. Toneri's castle architecture appear highly inspired by Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan culture with gothic-inspired ornaments decorated its interior.
- During their civil war, the main and branch families used different emblems to set each other apart: the main family used an eight-pointed sun ray, while the branch family used a crescent moon enclosing a sun.
- Hinata is referred to by the entire clan as royalty, being dubbed as the Byakugan Princess (白眼の姫, Byakugan no Hime, literally meaning: White Eye Princess). What this title means and why she is given is currently unknown, but by having this title, Hinata had unique abilities like being the sole individual capable of destroying the Energy Vessel.
