Naruto Officially Unveils The King Of All Genjutsu

The power system of the Naruto world relies primarily on three main arts: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. While ninjutsu involves the manipulation of the five basic natural elements, taijutsu is the art of hand-to-hand combat. Genjutsu, which is quite easily the most underrated of the three, focuses on illusionary techniques.

Genjutsu was initially introduced to us in Naruto chapter 6 on November 8, 1999, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #48. Since then, genjutsu have played a significant role in the story, even becoming the ultimate threat for the entire world of ninja at the end. Throughout the run of the Naruto series, there have been multiple powerful genjutsu users, but among the humans, none managed to reach the same enigmatic status as Itachi Uchiha, who was eventually surpassed by his brother by adulthood in Boruto.

Itachi Is The Undisputed King Of Genjutsu In The Naruto Era

Itachi Uchiha was a legendary user of genjutsu, and his control over these tremendously powerful arts was shown to us quite early in the story when he faced Kakashi Hatake in Chapter 142. When the two clashed, Itachi used Tsukuyomi, which allows him to create an illusionary world where he controls space and time. In the real world, Itachi had cast his genjutsu only for a mere second, but in the world of Tsukuyomi, Kakashi stated that an eternity had passed and that he had been tortured for quite a long time, breaking him completely mentally. Had Might Guy not saved Kakashi, things would have been even rougher for him. In fact, without the help of Tsunade, Kakashi would have been bedridden for a significant portion of his life, showcasing Itachi's immense capabilities when it comes to using genjutsu. Furthermore, Itachi's superiority when it comes to genjutsu usage was shown once again when he took on Orochimaru in a flashback. Without even looking at him, Itachi was able to completely incapacitate him in combat with a paralysis genjutsu.

“This is a special eye Jutsu. Genjutsu ‘Tsukuyomi’. Only another Sharingan user of the same bloodline as mentioned stands a chance to resist this.” — Itachi explains Tsukuyomi, Naruto Chapter #142

Even though there are multiple strong genjutsu that we have seen in the series, no ninja has had access to one as impressive as Tsukuyomi. Shisui Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami certainly comes close, but Itachi remains the only one capable of killing the target. What makes things even more interesting is the fact that Itachi himself had access to Kotoamatsukami through Shisui's remaining eye, which he had implanted in his crow for use. Itachi ended up using this ability in the 4th Great Ninja War, but had he been forced into combat, he could have also used this powerful skill, which further solidifies his status as the ultimate genjutsu user in the series. It goes without saying that, in the entirety of Naruto, there is hardly any character who can stand up to Itachi when it comes to genjutsu usage, even though many others went on to surpass him in terms of overall strength as ninjas.

“Calm down, I'm not being controlled by Genjutsu anymore. I layered a new Genjutsu on top of the enemy Jutsu to break free of the Edo Tensei, which has been cancelled.” — Itachi breaks Edo Tensei with Kotoamatsukami, Fourth Great Ninja War

Why Sasuke Surpasses Itachi In Genjutsu As An Adult

Tsukuyomi made Itachi the god of Genjutsu in the first part of the series, but by the end, Sasuke Uchiha managed to surpass him in terms of the usage of illusionary arts. While Sasuke never gained a genjutsu as powerful as Tsukuyomi, he did have access to a Rinnegan Genjutsu, which was incredibly powerful. This was showcased to us following the awakening of Sasuke's Rinnegan in Chapter 673 on May 5, 2014. Given that the Rinnegan is a godly ability that is far stronger than the standard Sharingan, and both the Mangekyo and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, it is no surprise to know that Sasuke's Rinnegan Genjutsu was on a completely different level.

Sasuke used his Rinnegan extensively in the battle against Madara and Kaguya, and the genjutsu ability that he gained was shown in Naruto Chapter 692. Using his genjutsu, he was able to paralyze and control all nine Tailed Beasts at once, which is a massive feat of strength. For context, the Mangekyo Sharingan only held the power to control the Nine Tails. With his Rinnegan, Sasuke was able to control all the Tailed Beasts at once and use their chakra, which was an immense feat.

“He put the Tailed Beasts under his control! But it was only a single glance! Naruto, you're the only one I can leave things to now. My time here is coming to an end.” — Sage of Six Paths explains Sasuke's Rinnegan Genjutsu, Naruto Chapter #692

Furthermore, Sasuke was able to cast a powerful Genjutsu on Sakura as well and show her a vision of her own death. This is quite impressive, as Sakura is someone who is extremely resistant to standard genjutsu. For Sasuke to be able to beat her with just a single glance goes to show that his control over illusionary techniques had reached a completely new level. That said, Sasuke still doesn't have any Genjutsu feat on the level of Tsukuyomi, but just because he has not shown it doesn't mean that he doesn't have it. His Rinnegan genjutsu is incredibly dangerous, and had he held on to his Rinnegan in Boruto, perhaps we would have seen a glimpse of it.

Kaguya Otsutsuki Was The Former Wielder Of The Strongest Genjutsu

Alongside Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke, there is also the case of Kaguya and Madara to consider. Kaguya certainly did not have any skill in genjutsu on her own, but she did end up awakening the Rinne-Sharingan after consuming the chakra fruit long ago. This gave her the ability to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi on the entire planet, including those born with little chakra. This Genjutsu put everyone in a world of dreams where they lived their lives as they wished, but slowly turned them into White Zetsu in the real world.

In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara Uchiha cast Infinite Tsukuyomi in Chapters 676 and 677. Given that this is the most dangerous Genjutsu, it makes Kaguya and Madara among the Gods of this technique as well. That said, individually in battle, Itachi remains to be the best genjutsu user, which is why he is the King of this technique in the entirety of the Naruto franchise. The Boruto series, which is currently continuing with Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, hasn't given any special attention to Genjutsu at all. Sarada Uchiha, who is the next-generation Uchiha Clan protagonist, only has access to an offensive Mangekyo ability known as Ohirume. Perhaps her second Mangekyou ability will be a genjutsu-based power, but for now, no character is even remotely close to Itachi in terms of Genjutsu.

Mikio Ikemoto and Masashi Kishimoto's Boruto series is available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.