Jutsu (Naruto)

In the manga and anime series Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto, a jutsu (術^?, lit. "technique" or "skill") refers to the supernatural abilities possessed by a ninja. The series occurs in a fictional universe in which different countries fight for power using ninja soldiers. The Naruto story-line follows a group of young ninjas from the village Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). In the series, the ninjas use their jutsu by manipulating a form of energy known as the chakra, which is a combination of the physical and mental energies into either of the other two main jutsus.

Series creator Masashi Kishimoto developed the concept of jutsu to explain the supernatural feats that ninjas perform in the series and to provide an illustrative image of ninjas in manga. The incorporation of jutsu into the series has received both praise and criticism from several anime and manga publications. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews asserted that jutsu were the primary focus of Naruto and the source of its "highest accolades," but criticized the overly repetitive use of certain jutsu in fight scenes.Anime News Network agreed with this sentiment, calling the fights "repetitive to a fault," but praised the visual presentation of jutsu in both the anime and manga.

Masashi Kishimoto developed the concept of jutsu in order to explain the superhuman feats that ninja performed in the Naruto series. He intended the design for the ninja in Naruto to dispel preconceived notions about ninja popularized by other manga and to bring an original take to the presentation of ninja in manga. The use of hand seals substitutes for the incantations for magic found in other sources, and was based on the motions of ninja in various role-playing games. The hand seals are based upon the characters of the Chinese zodiac, which is a longstanding tradition in Japan, and Kishimoto used them specifically to draw upon that tradition.

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