Sasuke Abilities

Sasuke Abilities

Sasuke in cursed seal level two form using the Chidori.

          Sasuke has always been able to grasp most ninja abilities with ease. When Naruto begins Sasuke is highly proficient with the Uchiha clan's signature fire-breathing and weapon-based techniques, talents he continues to hone throughout the series. Of the abilities gained through his Uchiha lineage, Sasuke most commonly uses the Sharingan, an ability manifested through the eyes and allows the user to see
through most jutsu. Sasuke's Sharingan develops for the duration of Part I, first only allowing him to track fast-moving objects and steal jutsu, culminating with his ability to predict the movements of others. In Part II he starts to use his Sharingan to cast illusions, allowing him to manipulate and confuse others. Sasuke's Sharingan reaches its peak after Itachi's death; through the death of the person closest to him, Sasuke awakens his own Mangekyo Sharingan, gaining all of Itachi's Mangekyo techniques. However, he quickly pushes his Mangekyo Sharingan to its limits and, almost completely blind, has Madara transplant Itachi's eyes, giving him the perfected Mangekyo Sharingan.

Orochimaru's influence is also a recurring element of Sasuke's abilities. During their first encounter in Part I, Sasuke is branded with a cursed seal, which grants him a brief surge in strength and speed when active. Sasuke's various uses of the seal cause him to crave more of its power as he enters to a second level amplifying the effect and drastically changing his appearance. When Sasuke begins to train under Orochimaru, his physical abilities are greatly enhanced and he learns how to summon snakes and then hawks to help him in battle. In addition to the techniques taught to him, Sasuke gains access to some of Orochimaru's more common abilities during the period he absorbs him into his body; Sasuke is able to recover from injuries in short periods of time and can regurgitate new bodies for himself. Itachi removes Orochimaru and the cursed seal from Sasuke's body during their final battle.

Prior to Sasuke's defection, his teacher, Kakashi Hatake teaches him how to use the Chidori, a collection of lightning-based chakra in his hand that serves as a rapid thrusting attack that severely damages any target. While Sasuke is able to use the Chidori twice per day during Part I, his usage of the attack in Part II is unknown. Instead, Sasuke employs variants of the technique, using the fundamentals behind the Chidori to create a number of new abilities. Sasuke's first display of such an ability involves emitting electricity from his body as a shield and then sending it along the blade of his chokutō to increase its cutting potential. He later proves able to mold electricity into more solid forms such as extendable swords, and invents a jutsu where he does not use any of his chakra store, using actual lightning in an attack named Kirin (麒麟, Qilin) that strikes his opponent.

 

Plot overview

For the first half of Part I, Sasuke accompanies Team 7 in its various endeavors and training sessions. After his encounter with Orochimaru, who begins to manipulate Sasuke into his custody, Sasuke starts to act independently of Naruto and Sakura, pursuing his own opponents and being the only one to train with Kakashi. After Itachi's brief return to Konoha and his simultaneous defeat by him, Sasuke becomes dissatisfied with what he has learned as a member of Team 7. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill Itachi, Sasuke goes to him, severing his ties with Konoha in the process. Naruto follows him in an effort to stop him, and the two do battle. Though he tries to kill Naruto, Sasuke ultimately cannot bring himself to do so, and instead continues on to Orochimaru's hideout, ready to gain strength at any cost.

          After two-and-a-half years Sasuke, convinced that he has learned all he can from his new master, turns against a weakened Orochimaru before the latter can steal his body. Though Orochimaru attempts to force a body switch, Sasuke is able to reverse the process, absorbing Orochimaru and allowing him to put his plans of finding Itachi into motion. Sasuke forms "Hebi", a team of individuals assembled to aid him in finding Itachi. Once they are able to track Itachi down, Sasuke leaves his team behind and goes to kill his brother. When Itachi dies after a prolonged battle, Sasuke is collected by Madara Uchiha. Madara tells Sasuke that Itachi killed the Uchiha under the orders of Konoha and spared Sasuke out of love, and subsequently allowed himself to be killed. Saddened with the revelation that his long-hated brother did everything for him, Sasuke reunites with the members of Hebi, renaming them "Taka"(also known as Hawk) with the intention of getting revenge on Konoha. In the meantime, Sasuke agrees to have Taka work with the Akatsuki by capturing the eight-tailed beast's host, Killer Bee, who later manages to escape from them. Taka then sets out to kill Danzo Shimura, one of the figures behind the Uchiha clan's demise and the acting Sixth Hokage, during a meeting of the current Kage. Ending up fighting the various Kage, Sasuke is unable to continue as he is rescued by Madara, who takes him to fight Danzo. As Sasuke is able to kill Danzo, he is found by Team 7. After a brief clash with them, he and Naruto both agree to have one final showdown after receiving more training. After this he is retrieved by Madara, and demands that he transplant Itachi's eyes.

Appearances in other media

Sasuke (right) in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2

Sasuke has made several appearances outside of the Naruto anime and manga. He appears in all three of the original video animations produced for the series, helping Naruto and Konohamaru Sarutobi to find a four leaf clover in the first original video animation, joining his team in escorting a ninja named Shibuki to his village and helping him fight the missing-nin that stole the village's "Hero's Water" in the second, and participating in a tournament in the third. Sasuke also makes an appearance in the first two Naruto featured films, although he is only briefly present in a memory segment in the second. He also makes his first Part II appearance in a film in the second Naruto: Shippūden movie.

Sasuke is a common playable character in Naruto video games, including the Clash of Ninja series and the Ultimate Ninja series. In some games, it is possible to unlock and play as a version of him with the cursed seal active. Due to his lack of appearances in early Naruto Shippūden chapters and episodes, he does not appear in any games based on Naruto Shippūden until Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 2.

The character Kuchilla Saske in the Spanish webcomic Raruto is a parody of Sasuke.