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Sharingan
Sharingan Triple
Name
Kanji 写輪眼
Rōmaji Sharingan
Literal English Copy Wheel Eye
Other Heaven's Eye (天眼, Tengan)
Viz manga Mirror Wheel Eye
Debut
Manga Naruto Chapter #12
Anime Naruto Episode #5
Movie Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
Game Naruto: Clash of Ninja
OVA Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!
Appears in Anime, Manga, Game, Movie
Data
Clan
Known Wielders
Jutsu

The Sharingan (写輪眼, literally meaning: Copy Wheel Eye, meaning (Viz): Mirror Wheel Eye) is a dōjutsu kekkei genkai, which appears in some members of the Uchiha clan. It is one of the Three Great Dōjutsu (三大瞳術, San Daidōjutsu, literally meaning: Three Great Eye Techniques), along with the Byakugan and the Rinnegan. The Sharingan is also called "Heaven's Eye" (天眼, Tengan), because of the many abilities it grants the user.[1]

Abilities

The Sharingan's abilities consist of two parts: the "Eye of Insight" (洞察眼, Dōsatsugan) and the "Eye of Hypnotism" (催眠眼, Saimingan).[2] The first of the Sharingan's powers is being able to see the flow of chakra. The Sharingan itself gives colour to chakra, allowing the wielder to differentiate them.[3] They are also able to tell if a person is under a genjutsu because the person's chakra flow would be irregular. The Sharingan's second-most prominent ability grants the user an incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to easily recognise genjutsu and different forms of chakra, though not to the same extent as the Byakugan. This also allows the user to pick up on subtle details, enabling them to read lip movements[4] or mimic something like pencil movements.[5] As the Sharingan evolves, gaining more tomoe seals, this ability extends to being able to track fast-moving objects before finally giving some amount of predictive capabilities to the user, allowing them to see the image of an attacker’s next move from the slightest muscle tension in their body and counterattack or dodge without any wasted movement.[6] However, even though the user may be able to see an attack or know it is coming, their body may not always have time to react.

The Sharingan's third and most well-known ability is that it grants the user the ability to copy almost any technique that he or she witnesses, apart from other kekkei genkai techniques. The user can memorise ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu with near perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as their own, or even modify them to create their own new techniques, much like Sasuke Uchiha's Lion Combo. In order to reproduce a copied technique, however, one must have the necessary skill or ability to perform them. A prime example is Rock Lee's brand of taijutsu. While Sasuke was able to copy some of Lee's moves, they put a much more significant strain on him since he hadn't trained nearly as much as Lee had. In addition to physical skill and kekkei genkai techniques, the Sharingan cannot reproduce techniques dependent on other factors, such as summons that the user has not signed a contract with.

The Sharingan's final commonly-used ability is capable of inducing a unique brand of hypnosis that involves suggesting actions and thoughts to the opponent through genjutsu cast by simple eye contact between both parties.[7] More advanced Sharingan users can take the hypnosis ability even further to the point where a powerful summon like Manda[8] or even a tailed beast may be controlled.[9] When this was used against Manda and the Nine-Tails, their eyes took on the tomoe pattern of the users' Sharingan while under hypnotic influence—with the user's eyes normally glowing bright red.

The hypnotic ability coupled with the other aspects of the Sharingan can make the user appear as if they can "see the future". First, the user must perfectly mimic every move their opponent makes and possibly their thoughts and words through careful observation. Then, they suggest an action to the opponent such as hand seals for a technique that the opponent and Sharingan user already know and copy that. With these things done, the user can complete the action even before the opponent does, possibly using the Sharingan's genjutsu to confuse or delay them. As with other genjutsu, genjutsu cast by the Sharingan are capable of putting an opponent to sleep, inducing paralysis, replaying memories to someone else,[10] or creating various illusions to deceive someone. The potency of the Sharingan's illusion is dependent on the user's knowledge and skill with implementing genjutsu. Two Sharingan users are also able to free each other from other forms of genjutsu by first using genjutsu on each other, allowing them to enter their comrades mind and free each other from the genjutsu.[11]

In addition, more rarely used by the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan can allow the user to perform two very powerful and unique genjutsu: Izanagi and Izanami, which alters or decide one's destiny, respectively. Using Izanagi, the user can warp reality for a short amount of time, changing reality into illusion and illusion into reality, thus escaping death and rewriting destiny; although to make use of this technique to its full extent, the user must have the DNA of both the Uchiha and Senju.[12][13] Izanami, on the other hand, is a genjutsu that traps the victim in an infinite loop disregarding their five senses;[14] this technique was specifically created to counter anyone who would abuse Izanagi's ability to alter their destiny, by forcing the victims to relive the situation over and over until they accept it and cease using Izanagi. Both techniques have been labelled kinjutsu, because use of either causes the eye that performed Izanagi or Izanami to close forever.

Although the Sharingan consumes the user's chakra while active, the chakra levels that the user must exert is so insignificant that they can keep it active constantly. In fact, Itachi Uchiha was so masterful with the Sharingan that he was able to keep it active for most of the time, only once deactivating it after using Tsukuyomi on Sasuke and Kakashi, as well as Amaterasu to escape Jiraiya, due to exhaustion. However, when a Sharingan is transplanted to a non-Uchiha, the chakra drain is significant, leading them to cover it up when not in use. This seems to be circumvented by acquiring Senju cells in order to boost their vitality.[15]

As mentioned above, the Sharingan, and particularly its evolved form, the Mangekyō Sharingan, can be used to subjugate the Nine-Tails. It has been stated in Uchiha lore and by Madara's declaration that the tailed beasts were destined to be controlled by the Sharingan. Strong users of the Sharingan can also use their abilities to enter the subconscious location within a jinchūriki to directly suppress their tailed beast's chakra, as Sasuke Uchiha demonstrated when he entered Naruto Uzumaki's subconscious and suppressed the Nine-Tails' chakra.[16]

Stages

File:Sasuke's 2-1 Sharingan.png

Sasuke with both the initial (right) and secondary (left) stages of the Sharingan.

The Sharingan is not automatically activated in the user by birth. It is only first unlocked under some stressful or emotional condition after which the Sharingan may be used freely. When the Sharingan is first activated by a user, it has a different number of tomoe () around the central pupil, varying between users.[17][18]

File:Sasuke3.jpg

A fully matured Sharingan.

The wielder of the Sharingan, through continued use and training, changes its form further, which involves gaining more tomoe up to a maximum of three per eye. As the Sharingan develops, the user gains heightened abilities through the heightened ocular sense. For example, they can at least copy hand movements with one tomoe, predict a person's movement and copy techniques with two and completely use the Sharingan's abilities when it is fully matured.

Receiving the Sharingan

As already mentioned, the Sharingan needs to be activated by the user when they are faced with a difficult circumstance[19] or placed under emotional stress.[20] After its first appearance, the user can use the Sharingan any time he or she pleases.

It is also possible to transplant Sharingan from one person to another as noted the case of both Kakashi Hatake and Tobi who both receive their respective left and right Sharingan from the former's dying comrade, Obito Uchiha.[21] In Kakashi's case, his Sharingan cannot be deactivated and requires him to use more charka than an Uchiha would, covering the eye with his headband to conserve chakra while resting for long periods after extensive use in battle. But because both obtained their Sharingan from the same person, Kakashi's Kamui and Tobi's Space–Time Migration share the same other dimension.[22]

In a similar way, Danzō Shimura had a Sharingan instead of his normal right eye, that he gained from Shisui Uchiha, which he kept hidden under his bandages.[23] Danzō also possessed ten Sharingan in his right arm, which were kept sealed until he needed them.[24] It is also possible to transplant it to animals, as Itachi did with Shisui's Sharingan with one of his crows.[25]

Mangekyō Sharingan

File:ItachiMangekyōSharingan.jpg

Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.

Main article: Mangekyō Sharingan The Mangekyō Sharingan (万華鏡写輪眼, literally meaning: Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye) is an advanced form of the Sharingan that has only been activated by a handful of Uchiha when enduring a traumatic enough experience.[26] They are noted to be the "heavenly eyes that see the truth of all of creation without obstruction" (天壌の理を掌握せし瞳, tenjō no kotowari o shōakuseshi hitomi).[27]

The Mangekyō Sharingan gives the user access to several powerful techniques, including the powerful fire technique Amaterasu, the use of Susanoo and the almost unbreakable genjutsu Tsukuyomi. Also, in the case of Obito Uchiha's Sharingan, allows the user to use Space-Time Ninjustu such as the dimension-shifting technique Kamui. The Mangekyō Sharingan however erodes the eyesight of its users, eventually causing blindness, which can be prevented by obtaining another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan from a sibling. The new Sharingan is dubbed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan (永遠の万華鏡写輪眼, Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan).

Beyond Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan

Main article: Rinnegan The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan has been shown to be able to progress to the Rinnegan through unknown means. This was displayed by Madara Uchiha who noted that he was able to awaken this dōjutsu shortly before his death, which contrary to popular belief, did not occur at the battle at the Valley of the End. This fact was written on the Stone Monument of the Uchiha located in the Naka Shrine.[28]

Trivia

  • Some characters believe that the Sharingan was somehow derived from the Hyūga clan's Byakugan.[29]
  • The Sharingan and its derived forms have shown the ability to spin,[30] true to its name of "Copy Wheel Eye".
  • In the anime, two of Sasori's hundred puppets are seen with what appears to be Sharingan.[31]
  • No female has been observed wielding the Sharingan.
  • In Naruto 6: Road to Ninja, Menma, Naruto's counter-part, temporarily received the Sharingan in his right eye, while under Tobi's possession.

References

  1. First Databook, page 193
  2. Naruto chapter 26, page 13
  3. Naruto chapter 361, page 17
  4. Naruto chapter 246, page 19
  5. Naruto chapter 41, pages 16-17
  6. Naruto chapter 230, pages 8-10
  7. Naruto chapter 26, pages 14-16
  8. Naruto chapter 363, page 11
  9. Naruto chapter 501, page 8
  10. Naruto chapter 386, pages 4-11
  11. Naruto chapter 585, page 13
  12. Naruto chapter 497, page 9
  13. Naruto chapter 510, page 10
  14. Naruto chapter 581, page 16-17
  15. Naruto chapter 478, pages 11-12
  16. Naruto chapter 309, page 2
  17. Naruto chapter 242, page 18
  18. Naruto chapter 403, page 11
  19. Naruto chapter 242, pages 16-18
  20. Naruto chapter 403, pages 10-11
  21. Naruto chapter 243, pages 16-18
  22. Naruto chapter 597, page 13
  23. Naruto chapter 459, page 15
  24. Naruto chapter 475, page 17
  25. Naruto chapter 550, page 3
  26. Naruto chapter 224, pages 7-8
  27. Third Databook, pages 274-275
  28. Naruto chapter 560, pages 16-18
  29. Naruto chapter 78, page 13
  30. Naruto chapter 456, page 8
  31. Naruto Shippūden episode 26

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