Highlights
- Tengai Shinsei is a Rinnegan ability that calls down colossal meteors, causing massive destruction.
- The technique is complex, requiring three simultaneous hand signs, but can be blocked with great effort.
- The jutsu was only used once in the series, as using it again would ruin its impact and significance.
The Fourth Great Ninja War revealed incomprehensible powers that had never been witnessed in the Naruto series before. From the Ten Tails' introduction to the Infinite Tsukuyomi itself, the scale of destruction in this war was stupendous. Despite such wide-scale destruction already present, the sheer absurdity of one jutsu continues to baffle fans to this day – Tengai Shinsei.
Also known as Heaven Concealed, Tengai Shinsei is a Rinnegan ability capable of planetary destruction, and its usage in the Fourth Great Ninja War proved its otherworldly power. The ability is only used once (twice considering the second incoming meteor) in the entire Naruto series, yet even one instance of this god-like power was enough to leave a lasting impression.
Tengai Shinsei – The Power Of a God
Tengai Shinsei essentially rains down colossal meteors from the sky, crushing everything underneath. The sheer size of the meteor makes it almost impossible to escape the blast radius, forcing anyone caught in its wake to either deter the meteor or die trying. The only instance of its usage revealed that it is entirely possible to block Tengai Shinsei, although it took Gaara and Onoki's entire jutsu arsenal and chakra to pull off such an impressive feat.
While Madara may make the Tengai Shinsei's usage seem like child's play, the technique is actually quite complex, requiring three different hand signs to be cast simultaneously. Madara was able to cast the Tengai Shinsei by using his corporeal Susanoo, with Madara casting one hand sign and his two-sided Susanoo casting the other two. However, Madara didn't perform the same hand signs for the second meteor, implying that these seals need to be cast only once for multiple meteors to rain down on the targets.
Tengai Shinsei is a jutsu unlike any other, and while it's often compared to the likes of Chibaku Tensei, this technique is in a league of its own. Instead of forming a gravitational sphere and attracting debris from the ground, Tengai Shinsei calls down a pre-formed meteor of a colossal size, almost impossible to escape. Gaara deemed this power to be comparable to a god's, as a technique of this caliber to be performed by a human is incomprehensible.
The Tengai Shinsei's Origins
Since Madara is the only shinobi to have ever used the Tengai Shinsei, many viewers question the roots of this technique. Some argue that this is Madara's unique Mangekyo Sharingan ability, since he is the only Mangekyo user to not have one. However, Madara possibly has a unique Mangekyo ability of his own, and the most pressing proof is in the form of an OVA from the video game Naruto Storm Generations, showcasing Madara's unique Mangekyo ability to be time-rewind. While it was never showcased in the anime, it could be assumed that Madara was using time-rewind during his fights, though that would be a bit of a stretch.
Tengai Shinsei is indeed a Rinnegan ability as it uses the dojutsu's attractive forces to bring down a meteor from the skies. The nature of this ability is similar to the rest of the Rinnegan's destructive abilities, and the name of the technique is akin to its less lethal counterparts. Nagato was never able to use this jutsu in his lifetime, though that can be attributed to the technique's immense chakra requirements. Since Madara was in his Edo Tensei form, he had access to unlimited chakra, making it possible for him to even spam infinite meteors.
Why Was the Tengai Shinsei Used Only Once?
Fans often wonder why this god-like jutsu was confined to a mere one-time usage. However, several plausible reasons explain why Madara was never able to rain down meteors in the latter part of the Fourth Great Ninja War. The primary limitation of casting three hand signs at the same time is one reason why Madara failed to perform the jutsu again.
In his Ten-Tails Jinchuriki form, Madara wasn’t able to use his Susanoo, though it was never stated whether it was on purpose or if the Jinchuriki form didn't allow the Susanoo to be used. This meant he could no longer cast Tengai Shinsei in the Jinchuriki form, automatically excluding Tengai Shinsei’s usage in the latter part of the war. Moreover, using the Tengai Shinsei with all five Kage and the Tailed Beasts' present on the battlefield would have been pointless, since these powerful belligerents would have easily countered the meteors.
From a writing perspective, using the Tengai Shinsei again in the narrative would have ruined its initial impact, making it seem like another repetitive jutsu such as the Susanoo. This god-like power served as the perfect entry for Madara Uchiha, making his introduction one of the most iconic scenes in all of anime history. Using the Tengai Shinsei again would merely dampen the technique’s impact on the story, reducing its initial significance.
Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video.
