Summary
- Sasuke's Rinnegan is unique with six tomoe, making it superior to others in Naruto.
- His Rinnegan is always active due to being a borrowed power from the Sage of Six Paths.
- Unlike other implanted dojutsu, Sasuke's Rinnegan does not drain chakra, allowing him to keep it visible.
The Naruto franchise’s complex power system has led to all manner of intricacies, yet the most peculiar of these pertains to dojutsu. As the pinnacle of all power in Naruto, Dojutsu or ocular techniques are a complex aspect of the series, with each Dojutsu bearing unique workings. Sasuke’s Rinnegan is a prime example of this phenomenon, as his Dojutsu works on some rather novel principles.
Arguably the most intriguing obscurity of Sasuke’s Rinnegan is its perpetually active state. While most Dojutsu users can voluntarily activate or inactivate their eye techniques, Sasuke’s Rinnegan remains permanently active. Sasuke’s dojutsu isn’t technically a transplanted eye either, which is usually the case for those that are unable to turn off their dojutsu. Nevertheless, a few plausible explanations can demystify the reason behind Sasuke’s permanently active Rinnegan.
Naruto: The Evolution of Sasuke’s Chidori Techniques Over Time, Explained
Chidori reflected Sasuke’s complex journey—starting as a tool of defense, then evolving into an instrument of both destruction and redemption.
How Did Sasuke Acquire His Rinnegan?
Sasuke’s Rinnegan Is a Result of Hagoromo’s Chakra
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Episode |
Naruto Shippuden, Episode 424 "To Rise Up" |
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Air Date |
August 13, 2015 |
Attaining the Rinnegan has been deemed the pinnacle of power within the Naruto series. However, reaching this apex has multiple routes, with some being more unorthodox than others. The primary method of awakening the Rinnegan is by acquiring Asura and Indra's chakra, which can only be achieved when the chakra of both their reincarnations is intermixed. Only two characters have been able to awaken the Rinnegan through this method in Naruto; Madara and Sasuke.
However, even these two characters obtained the Rinnegan through entirely different means. Madara acquired his Dojutsu through forcefully implanting Hashirama's cells into his body, resulting in Asura and Indra's chakras becoming one. Sasuke, on the other hand, gained his Rinnegan after the Sage of Six Paths bestowed his chakra upon him. Since a mix of Asura and Indra's chakra results in Hagoromo's chakra, Sasuke bypassed the process that Madara had to undertake.
Why Sasuke's Rinnegan Is Different
Sasuke’s Rinnegan Is the Most Unique Dojutsu in Naruto
With Sasuke gaining the Rinnegan directly from Hagoromo, his dojutsu is quite unique. Unlike the rest of the Rinnegan users witnessed throughout Naruto, Sasuke's Rinnegan is the only one that features six tomoe imprinted upon the base Rinnegan design. Since the number of tomoe is a direct indicator of a dojutsu's strength, Sasuke's six tomoe Rinnegan is clearly superior to its counterparts.
However, the tomoe on the Rinnegan isn't the only peculiarity of Sasuke's Dojutsu, as it bears another oddity. Unlike Madara's Rinnegan, which can be deactivated, Sasuke's Rinnegan remains perpetually active. This becomes even more bizarre considering he can deactivate his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan at will, yet his Rinnegan remains active throughout. This obscurity of his Rinnegan is one of Naruto's many mysteries, though a few speculations can be made that explain this matter.
Sasuke's Rinnegan Is a Borrowed Power
The Rinnegan Cannot Be Deactivated Due to Its Status as a Borrowed Power
Every character in Naruto who is unable to turn off their dojutsu is due to the technique being a borrowed power, whether it’s Nagato and Obito’s Rinnegan or Ao’s stolen Byakugan. Similarly, Sasuke’s Rinnegan is also a borrowed power of sorts, since he received it as a power-boost directly from the Sage of Six Paths. Instead of awakening the dojutsu himself, such as Madara, Sasuke immediately received the Rinnegan in his left eye.
Naruto: Hashirama and Madara’s Relationship: A Tragic Tale of Brotherhood
Hashirama and Madara’s friendship started with dreams of peace but ended in tragic conflict, defining the fate of the ninja world.
Madara’s Rinnegan awakened over the course of years, as his body took its time to merge the Hashirama cells with his own DNA. This long-hauled process resulted in Madara awakening his Rinnegan in a somewhat more natural process, in turn allowing him to deactivate the Rinnegan at will. Sasuke’s Rinnegan, on the other hand, awakened in a more abrupt manner, as it was gifted to him by the Sage of Six Paths himself. These events clearly mark his Rinnegan as a borrowed power, which means that Sasuke can never deactivate his Rinnegan.
Why Doesn’t Sasuke Cover His Perpetually Active Rinnegan?
This explanation begs the question as to why Sasuke isn’t forced to cover his perpetually active Rinnegan, since implanted dojutsu are a source of continuous chakra drainage. Kakashi is a prime example, a character who has been plagued by his borrowed Sharingan’s incessant chakra drainage. To combat these effects, Kakashi was forced to cover up his perpetually active Sharingan with his mask. Fans often deem Sasuke’s Rinnegan to be truly his due to the fact that he can keep his dojutsu active without chakra drainage.
However, every character with the Rinnegan, whether implanted or awakened, has been able to maintain the Rinnegan without losing much chakra. This indicates that the Rinnegan itself doesn’t drain much chakra from its base form, meaning Sasuke can maintain his base Rinnegan at all times without covering it. Some speculate that Sasuke could be purposely keeping his Rinnegan active at all times. However, this notion is debased by the fact that Sasuke has been witnessed deactivating his Eternal Mangeko Sharingan in Boruto several times, yet his Rinnegan remains forcefully active at all times.
Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video.
Naruto: Shippuden
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2007 - 2017-00-00
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
