Highlights
- Uzumaki clan, known for seals and vast chakra reserves, had their own village and powerful techniques.
- Uzumaki's downfall came after becoming too powerful, targeted by rival clans - only a few members survived.
- Surviving Uzumaki clan members like Naruto inherited potent abilities, influencing the shinobi world today.
The Uzumaki clan is one of the most powerful ninja clans in Naruto, yet it isn't mentioned nearly as much as the famous Uchiha and Hyūga clans. While the Uzumaki clan only has a few surviving members, its special abilities make it unique.
With its prominent members being Naruto Uzumaki and his family, it's hardly surprising that they are mentioned less often in Naruto. Before they were eradicated, the Uzumaki clan was one of the most powerful clans and even had their own village. The Uzumaki were known for game-changing abilities like seals and deep chakra reserves, making them a target for powerful enemies.
The Uzumaki Clan's Origins
The Uzumaki clan members are direct descendants of Asura Ōtsutsuki. This means they share distant relations with the famous Senju clan. This mutual bond led to a good relationship with the Senju clan throughout the history of the Uzumaki clan.
The Uzumaki's Downfall
Following the warring states period, the Uzumaki allied with Konoha and the Senju clan. This was mainly due to Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki's marriage. Their bonds remained vital for many years, with each clan providing whatever was necessary to each other. Konoha even marked the alliance by adding the swirl Uzumaki emblem to their jackets.
The Uzumaki clan continued to rise in power, with their infamous sealing techniques becoming increasingly powerful and their population experiencing continuous growth. Eventually, at an unknown point before Kushina Uzumaki moved to Konoha, rival clans targeted and wiped out the clan. The general belief in the show is that they were targeted because of their ever-increasing power.
After the destruction of the Uzumaki village and clan, its surviving members made homes for themselves in other villages. Nagato, for example, resided in Amegakure during his lifetime, and Kushina and Mito resided in Konoha.
Members of the Uzumaki Clan Have Special Powers
Other rival clans targeted the Uzumaki clan because they were exceedingly powerful ninjas. They were known as seal specialists and had frighteningly large chakra reserves.
Sealing Abilities
The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques are the stuff of legend. While they created and mastered many kinds of seals, their most famous works are the Reaper Death Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal. Minato Namikaze uses both seals to deal with the rampaging Nine-Tailed Fox.
The Reaper Death Seal summons a shinigami to bind the summoner's and the target's souls to the shinigami. Minato used this seal to lock the Yin side of the Nine-tails in himself right before he died. The Eight Trigrams Seal is a seal used to ensnare a large or evil enemy and seal it within something or someone. This is the seal Minato used to seal the Nine-Tails, the bits of Kushina's chakra, and his own chakra inside baby Naruto. The Eight Trigrams seal is not as strong as the Reaper Death seal, so Minato left behind a key to strengthen the seal and passed it down to Jiraiya, who then passed it to Naruto.
Deep Chakra Reserves
The Uzumaki clan is known for its potent chakra reserves, which are directly linked to powerful life sources. These reserves bestow the clan with unique abilities. The best example of an extended life span would be Mito Uzumaki, who, despite being married to the ancient Hashirama Senju, survived well into the Third Hokage's reign.
Other unique abilities would be Kushina and Karin's unique chakra properties. Kushina turned her chakra into a potent adamantine sealing chain barrier. Karin can use her chakra to heal others at the cost of wounding herself. While her healing ability is already strong, Karin can also hide her chakra to hide her presence. Naruto possesses immense chakra reserves outside the Nine-Tail chakra, allowing him to subdue the Nine-Tails and eventually use its powers.
Overall, the Uzumaki clan is undeniably powerful. Despite their potent abilities, they still couldn't survive the wrath of those who targeted them. Still, the few who managed to survive still influence the shinobi world. Naruto is the best example of that influence, with him being the Hokage and the most powerful shinobi of his generation. However, those who came before him were no slouches either. His ancestors created the most potent sealing techniques in the shinobi world and were so feared that they were ultimately killed.
Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
