Gentle Fist

Gentle Fistedit
柔拳­ (Jūken)
Name
Alternative names	Gentle Fist Art (柔拳法, Jūkenpō)
Debut
Manga	Volume #9, Naruto Chapter #79
Anime	Naruto Episode #46
Movie	Naruto Shippūden the Movie
Game	Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
OVA	Naruto x UT
Appears in	Anime, Manga, Game, Movie
Data
Classification	Kekkei Genkai, Taijutsu, Fighting Style
Class	Offensive, Supplementary
Range	Short range (0-5m)
Derived jutsu
Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm Gentle Fist Art One Blow Body Gentle Fist: Tenketsu Needle Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists Eight Trigrams Twin Lions Crumbling Attack Palm Bottom Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms Water Needle
Users
Hanabi Hyūga Hiashi Hyūga Hinata Hyūga Hizashi Hyūga Neji Hyūga Boruto Uzumaki (Movie only)

The Gentle Fist (柔拳, Jūken) or Gentle Fist Art (柔拳法, Jūkenpō) is a form of hand-to-hand combat used by members of the Hyūga clan. It inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's Chakra Pathway System, subsequently injuring organs which are closely intertwined with the area of the network which has been struck. To do this, the user surgically injects a certain amount of their own chakra into the opponent's chakra pathway system, causing damage to surrounding organs due to their proximity to the chakra circulatory system. Even the slightest tap can cause severe internal damage, hence the name "gentle" fist.

Targeting the tenketsu can enhance the havoc and control a Gentle Fist practitioner can impose upon an opponent's chakra network. These special nodes, 361 in total, are key gatekeeping interceptions in the chakra circulatory network, thus forcibly opening or sealing them in whatever manner the Gentle Fist user sees fit is a powerful tactical option to have. The user's chakra can either increase chakra flow in the opponent's body, or disrupt it completely, preventing them from using techniques as seen in Neji's fight with Hinata during the Chūnin Exams.

Neji Hyūga remarked that any chakra-based substance can be destroyed by this technique. As seen in his fight with Kidōmaru, it is done by leaking chakra from the chakra openings in one's hands and moulding it into a needle-like shape to slice through the chakra. However it is unknown if this technique can be done by any Gentle Fist user or just those who can see the tenketsu. In contrast, Kidōmaru managed to devise a method that prevented the chakra from being injected into the body, thus negating the main impact of the Gentle Fist.

Because the chakra pathway system is invisible to the naked eye, the Byakugan is required for this style to be used effectively. Since the Byakugan is unique to the Hyūga clan, it has become their signature style of combat.

The ability to inflict severe internal trauma with minimal external force, combined with chakra network manipulation, makes the Gentle Fist the most reputable and fearsome taijutsu style known in all of Konohagakure. In contrast to this, the technique can also be used for supplementary purposes such as helping comrades on the battlefield. This was displayed by Hinata during the Fourth Shinobi World War when she used the technique to fix Naruto Uzumaki's dislocated shoulder joint.

Trivia

• This fighting style is based off the real-life Chinese martial art Baguazhang, a fighting style usually made up of circular movements, allowing the practitioner a wider range of motion and full use of momentum, without giving his or her opponent much of a chance for a direct strike. In Japan, it is known as Hakkeshō.
• Techniques from this line have also been called "gentle step" (柔歩, jūho).

See Also

• Chakra Scalpel