Highlights
- The Sound Four, Orochimaru’s bodyguards, are the strongest shinobi in the Hidden Sound Village, with their collective strength making them an unbeatable force.
- Each member of the Sound Four has unique abilities and powers, such as Kidomaru’s spider-themed attacks and intelligence, Sakon and Ukon’s powerful Kekkei Genkai, Tayuya’s cunning auditory genjutsu, and Jirobo’s immense strength and defensive techniques.
- Although Jirobo is considered the weakest member, he possesses formidable taijutsu skills, large-scale Earth Style techniques, and draining defensive techniques, making him a fierce opponent. His defeat came only because of Choji’s power boost.
Orochimaru’s disciples and experiments have been the source of much of the Naruto series’ villainy, and the Sound Four was one such antagonistic group running amuck. Serving as Orochimaru’s bodyguards, the Sound Four were considered to be the strongest shinobi within the Hidden Sound Village, and Shikamaru has estimated their skill level to be close to Jonin shinobi.
Consisting of Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, Tayuya, and Jirobo, the Sound Four is arguably one of the strongest antagonistic groups in Part 1 of Naruto. With several powers under their belt, most notably Orochimaru’s Cursed Seal, the Sound Four is a truly menacing group to go up against. Their feats in battle deem them extremely powerful opponents, and their fights against the Sasuke retrieval squad showcase this very inexplicable strength.
The Collective Strength of the Sound Four
The Sound Four were initially Orochimaru’s prisoners, and after surviving countless battle royales, each one of the four proved themselves to be the strongest of all. After proving their worth, Orochimaru deemed the four his personal bodyguards, a fact that already stands as a testament to the group’s collective strength. The series has stated that the group is stronger as a whole, as each member is able to mask the other’s weakness, turning into an unbeatable powerhouse.
The group has a few feats under its belt, such as forming the Four Violets Flames Formation, an impenetrable barrier that incinerates anyone foolish enough to pass through it. The Sound Four was also able to take on Raido and Genma, two of the Hokage Guard Platoon’s strongest members. The group was later reincarnated via the Edo Tensei during the Fourth Great Ninja War, meaning the Sound Four was considered strong enough by Kabuto to be brought back.
Kidomaru of the East Gate
Kidomaru is a versatile shinobi, boasting both short-range taijutsu and long-range piercing attacks. His powers revolve around a spider theme, granting him extra appendages and a power to secrete a sticky honey-like substance and fine silk-like webs. His Cursed Seal further amplifies these powers, granting him endurance and more potent techniques.
However, Kidomaru’s true strength lies in his keen intellect. In his fight against Neji Hyuga, Kidomaru was able to quickly decipher the workings of the Byakugan, even coming up with a quick strategy to negate the all-seeing Dojutsu’s power. He was also able to find the Byakugan’s blind spot, a feat that no other shinobi could claim. Despite his eventual defeat, Kidomaru proved his unmatched prowess and high intelligence. While his performance wasn’t near to Jonin-level as the series states, his strength could easily be compared to other powerful Chunin.
Sakon and Ukon of the West Gate
Sakon and Ukon constitute a single unit, yet their strength is far beyond the other members of the Sound Four. Orochimaru deemed these twins leaders of the Sound Four, and their position within the group is largely due to their extremely powerful Kekkei Genkai and unrivaled strength. Normally, Ukon remains attached to Sakon’s body like a conjoined parasitic twin, yet he possesses the power to separate at will, turning the conjoined twins into two separate individuals.
Their fight against Kiba proved exactly why the two boasted the de facto position in the Sound Four’s leadership. Their true power lies in the second stage of their Cursed Seal, granting the twins the power to merge with their opponents and harming them from within. This ability essentially makes Sakon and Ukon invulnerable, as witnessed in their fight against Kiba. If it weren’t for Kankuro’s intervention, Kiba and Akamaru would surely have met their demise.
Tayuya of the North Gate
Tayuya may not be the physically strongest, yet she’s certainly the most cunning out of the bunch. Her main technique is an auditory genjutsu produced by her special flute, and those unfortunate enough to fall victim to her siren song are restrained in place. The databooks put Tayuya’s genjutsu skill level somewhere alongside Kurenai and Itachi, two of the most powerful genjutsu users in the entire Naruto series.
Unlike regular genjutsu, Tayuya’s ability is quite ingenious, and those caught in its trap cannot escape through regular methods of dissipating a genjutsu. Even the likes of a genius such as Shikamaru failed to find a counter to Tayuya’s power, and if Temari’s intervention had been delayed, Shikamaru would likely have fallen victim to Tayuya’s might.
Jirobo of the South Gate
Jirobo is often considered the weakest of the Sound Four, and this belief is rooted in his lack of complex techniques compared to his comrades. However, this narrative isn’t quite accurate as Jirobo possesses colossal strength, enough to form large-scale Earth Style techniques. Moreover, Jirobo’s true strength lies in his defensive techniques, such as the Earth Dome Prison, capable of draining the victims’ chakra and killing them off eventually.
Jirobo showcased his extraordinary taijutsu skill against Choji during the Sasuke retrieval arc, and the fight clearly presented Jirobo as an unbeatable beast. His defeat only came at the hands of Choji’s Three Colored Pills, a power boost that raises Choji’s power levels by almost one hundred times. This last-second cheat is the only reason Jirobo was defeated, and even then, Choji was left in a dying state after barely winning the battle.
Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video.
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