In the shinobi world of Naruto, forbidden techniques, “Kinjutsu,” are considered so dangerous, taboo, or cruel that their very use is outlawed. Some consume the caster’s life, others desecrate the dead, and a few even bend reality itself. Unlike common ninjutsu, forbidden arts often ignore the natural order of life and death, pushing shinobi into godlike yet devastatingly costly territory.
These techniques are more than flashy powers; they reflect their user’s will, ambition, and recklessness. From the sacrificial Shiki Fūjin to the necromantic Edo Tensei, each stand as a reminder of how far ninja are willing to go to achieve their goals. So, let’s get into the 10 strongest forbidden jutsu in Naruto, ranked by sheer power, danger, and their legacy in the shinobi world. **May Contain Spoilers**
Echoes of Forbidden Jutsu – Honorable Mentions
Not every forbidden technique makes it into the top 10. However, these honorable mentions remain infamous in their own right. These kinjutsu shaped battles, scarred villages, and carried devastating consequences for their users. Here are several of the most noteworthy that echo through the shinobi world:
- Human Puppetry (Hitokugutsu) – Sasori of the Red Sand perfected this chilling art, transforming living humans into eternal puppets while preserving their abilities. By harvesting their bodies, he created a collection of human puppets, one even including the Third Kazekage which event retained kekkei genkai and powerful jutsu. While terrifying in strength, its true horror lies in the utter violation of humanity.
- The Cursed Seal of Heaven – Among Orochimaru’s many creations, the Cursed Seal of Heaven is one of his most infamous. Placed upon Sasuke Uchiha, it granted overwhelming boosts in chakra and physical ability, rivaling Naruto’s Tailed Beast Cloak in their first clash at the Valley of the End. However, it corroded the user’s body and mind, leaving them dependent on Orochimaru’s influence. Its forbidden nature comes not only from its power, but from its manipulation of free will.
The Other 3 Honorable Mentions
- Earth Grudge Fear (Jiongu) – Kakuzu stole this kinjutsu from Takigakure and turned it into his personal key to immortality. His body was filled with black tendrils that could sew together wounds instantly and steal the hearts of others. With up to five hearts active, Kakuzu could wield all five elemental chakra natures, making him a one-man army. The price of this forbidden technique was a body that resembled a stitched-together monster, devoid of humanity.
- Rasenshuriken – Naruto’s Wind Release Rasenshuriken was the natural evolution of his Rasengan, creating billions of microscopic chakra blades that severed opponents at the cellular level. In its earliest form, it was forbidden by Tsunade because the recoil tore apart Naruto’s chakra pathways as badly as it harmed his target. Only after Naruto learned to hurl the jutsu at range during his Sage Mode training did it become safe to use.
- Twin Snake Sacrifice Jutsu (Sōjasōsai no Jutsu) – One of Anko Mitarashi’s most dangerous techniques, the Twin Snake Sacrifice Jutsu ensures mutual destruction. By binding herself to her target with a snake contract, both combatants are killed instantly. It is a jutsu of last resort—designed for assassination, not survival. Its forbidden label comes from its suicidal nature, guaranteeing no victor in its use.
10. Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags
Kicking off the list we have one created by a man you created many, Tobirama, the Second Hokage. He was infamous for creating some of the deadliest kinjutsu. Among them was the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags technique, a horrifying trap that summons a single explosive tag which infinitely replicates and detonates. This creates an endless chain of explosions with no chance of escape.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Tobirama demonstrated the sheer destructiveness of this technique by binding an Edo Tensei shinobi with it. Because the victim regenerates from Edo Tensei only to be blown apart again, the jutsu effectively becomes an infinite cycle of death and rebirth through explosions. The technique’s cruelty and devastation perfectly embody why it was forbidden: it leaves no room for survival or mercy.
9. Iwagakure’s Forbidden Technique (Deidara’s Explosive Clay)
Next up we have Deidara’s signature clay bombs. These weren’t merely for artistic expression; they stemmed from a forbidden technique stolen from Iwagakure. By kneading chakra into malleable clay with mouths on his palms, Deidara could create living bombs ranging from microscopic “C4” explosives to massive detonations that could wipe out landscapes. His ultimate self-destruction technique, C0, turned his entire body into one colossal bomb, creating an explosion with a radius spanning kilometers. This wasn’t simply suicide, it was designed as a “final masterpiece,” erasing both Deidara and everything around him. The jutsu’s destructive radius and inevitability of the caster’s death is why it is firmly categorized as forbidden.
8. Granny Chiyo’s Reanimation Technique
Number 8 we have one we see performed by Granny Chiyo. Unlike Edo Tensei, Chiyo’s Life-Transfer Reanimation Technique does not enslave the dead but instead restores life at the ultimate cost, the user’s own. By transferring their life energy to another person, the caster can bring back the dead or heal injuries that would otherwise be fatal. Chiyo used this kinjutsu on Gaara after the extraction of Shukaku killed him. In return, sacrificing herself to restore him fully. Its forbidden nature is self-explanatory: the caster must exchange their own existence to grant another a second chance. Among all forbidden jutsu, this is one of the most noble yet tragic.
7. The Byakugō Seal & Creation Rebirth
The Byakugō Seal is the peak of medical ninjutsu, developed by Tsunade and later mastered by Sakura Haruno. By storing chakra for years in a diamond-shaped mark on the forehead, the user gains access to enormous reserves that can instantly activate Creation Rebirth. This ability heals injuries, even life-threatening ones, at a cellular level, making the user functionally immortal during battle. While not outwardly destructive, its forbidden status comes from the horrifying biological cost: every regeneration shortens the user’s natural lifespan by forcing their body to divide cells far faster than nature intended. Tsunade herself admitted that the jutsu was essentially playing with one’s mortality, trading away years of life for temporary invincibility.
6. The Reaper Death Seal (Shiki Fūjin)
Number six on the list we have the Shiki Fūjin, or Reaper Death Seal. The Reaper Death Seal is a sealing technique that summons the Shinigami to devour both the target’s soul and the casters. The trapped souls remain locked forever in the belly of the death god. Hiruzen Sarutobi used this during his battle with Orochimaru, sealing away his student’s arms and crippling him. Minato Namikaze also used it against the Nine-Tails, splitting Kurama’s chakra between himself, Kushina, and Naruto. The jutsu is foolproof, but the caster’s death is the price. This absolute exchange of life for victory makes Shiki Fūjin one of the most dreaded kinjutsu in history.
5. Eight Gates Released Formation (Hachimon Tonkō no Jin)
One that I believe is underrated and one of my favorites is The Eight Inner Gates technique. The Eight Inner Gates are chakra limiters within the human body. By forcibly opening them, a shinobi gains godlike speed and strength but risks immense strain. Opening all eight unleashes the Eight Gates Released Formation, turning the user into a blazing force of destruction. Might Guy’s final technique, Night Guy, was so fast and powerful it warped space itself and nearly destroyed Madara Uchiha in his Ten-Tails Jinchūriki form. Yet the drawback is inevitable death as the body burns itself from within. This forbidden jutsu symbolizes ultimate sacrifice: burning one’s life away to protect others.
4. Izanami
The next forbidden jutsu was actually designed as a counterpart to Izanagi. Izanami places the target into an endless time loop, forcing them to relive a sequence of events until they accept their fate. It was intended by the Uchiha clan to punish those who abused Izanagi’s reality-bending powers. Itachi Uchiha famously used Izanami on Kabuto during the Fourth Great Ninja War, trapping him until he acknowledged his misguided path. The jutsu comes at the cost of permanent blindness in the eye that casts it. While not flashy in destruction, Izanami’s ability to permanently neutralize an opponent without physical combat secures its place among the most feared kinjutsu.
3. Izanagi
While Izanami forces reflection, Izanagi rewrites reality itself. When active, any injury or even death suffered by the user is dismissed as an illusion, while only favorable outcomes remain real. Essentially, it grants godlike control over one’s fate. Danzō Shimura used Izanagi against Sasuke, surviving fatal wounds by cycling through multiple Sharingan embedded in his arm. Madara also revealed that Izanagi had allowed him to fake his death at the Valley of the End. The cost is blindness in the eye used, but in the hands of someone with multiple Sharingan, it becomes devastatingly unbalanced.
2. Outer Path – Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique (Rinne Tensei)
Number two on my list some people might have listed as one on theirs. With the Rinnegan comes access to the King of Hell and ultimately Rinne Tensei. Rinne Tensei is a jutsu that can restore life itself. Unlike Chiyo’s technique, this does not require the user to sacrifice another life, it actually consumes their own vitality directly. Nagato used this forbidden jutsu to revive the people of Konoha after his battle with Naruto, undoing the devastation he caused. The cost was his own life, leaving his body completely drained. This technique’s ability to overturn death on a massive scale solidifies it as one of the most awe-inspiring and dangerous forbidden jutsu in existence.
1. Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation)
At the top of the list stands Edo Tensei. Edo Tensei is the most infamous forbidden jutsu in shinobi history. Developed by Tobirama and perfected by Orochimaru and Kabuto, it summons the souls of the dead and binds them to living sacrifices. These resurrected shinobi possess their original personalities and abilities, but their immortality makes them almost unstoppable. Kabuto’s mastery allowed him to summon legendary figures like the former Hokage, the Akatsuki, and even Madara Uchiha, tipping the scale of the Fourth Great Ninja War. The sheer scope and versatility of Edo Tensei, combined with its moral corruption in enslaving the dead, secures its position as the strongest forbidden jutsu of all time.
The Final Price of Power
Every forbidden jutsu in Naruto carries a price. Some consume life immediately, like Shiki Fūjin or the Eighth Gate. Others corrupt the natural order of life and death, like Edo Tensei or Rinne Tensei. And some demand a moral cost, like Izanami’s theft of free will or Sasori’s puppetry. Kishimoto’s world of shinobi makes one truth clear: the greatest powers come with the heaviest consequences. Forbidden jutsu aren’t merely tools of power. They are reflections of their wielder’s choices. Whether used for noble sacrifice or selfish ambition, they remind us that even in a world of ninjutsu, some prices are simply too great. Let me know what you guys think!
Sources & References
Databooks
- Naruto Official Databook 1–4 (Kishimoto Masashi) – detailed entries on Edo Tensei, Shiki Fūjin, Rasenshuriken, Eight Gates, Izanagi, Izanami, etc.
Manga
- Naruto Chapter 122–123: Orochimaru’s use of Edo Tensei vs. Hiruzen.
- Naruto Chapter 242: Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear.
- Naruto Chapter 425–449: Nagato’s Rinne Tensei revival.
- Naruto Chapter 507–510: Itachi activates Izanami on Kabuto.
- Naruto Chapter 657–678: Guy uses the Eighth Gate against Madara.
- Naruto Chapter 646–653: Tobirama’s Explosive Tag technique.
Anime
- Naruto Shippuden Episode 72–73: Hiruzen uses Shiki Fūjin.
- Naruto Shippuden Episode 163–175: Nagato revives Konoha villagers.
- Naruto Shippuden Episode 421: Guy’s Night Guy.
- Naruto Shippuden Episode 335: Danzō’s Izanagi vs. Sasuke.
- Naruto Shippuden Episode 338: Itachi’s Izanami against Kabuto.
