|
|
The Rasengan is a technique that takes the form a spinning form of chakra.
Overview
The Rasengan is an application of shape transformation, where chakra emitted from the palm is rotated in multiple directions simultaneously to contain it within a sphere. No hand seals are involved, in theory making it easy to learn and use, nor does it require additional chakra to maintain once it's properly formed. The Rasengan grinds into whatever it comes into contact with, doing extensive damage until the spinning chakra dissipates; Jiraiya describes it as more powerful than the Chidori,[1] an assessment that Sasuke Uchiha agrees with after comparing the two. If users thrust the Rasengan into targets, they can be propelled away from the user until they eventually collide with some obstacle. The Rasengan's various attributes have earned it recognition as the pinnacle of shape transformation.[2]
The Rasengan is in principle a simple application of shape transformation, but manipulating the motion of chakra in so many directions at once makes it extremely difficult to learn in practice. Additionally, as the technique is simply a mass of chakra, the technique is primarily suited for users with very high reserves of chakra. For this reason, Jiraiya breaks up the process into three steps when he teaches it to Naruto Uzumaki.
- Rotation: The user learns to spin their chakra in multiple directions at the same time. Users may be given a water balloon while they practice, to help them mark their progress by the churning water. The step is completed when users are able to burst the water balloon with their chakra.In theory this should be done with one hand, but Naruto initially uses chakra from both of his hands to increase the agitation, thus saving time. It can be useful to know in which direction one's chakra naturally spins, in order to avoid impeding oneself.
- Power: The user increases the volume and density of chakra they output. To help in this regard, users may be given a rubber ball: there is no water inside to help them burst the exterior and the rubber shell is thicker than a balloon's. It's important that users are able to actually destroy the rubber ball, not merely rupture it, as only by destroying the ball will users know that their chakra is sufficiently concentrated. This step can be painful for users, as they may not be accustomed to emitting so much chakra from their hands at once, and in fact they may end up injuring themselves in the process of destroying the ball.
- Containment: The user must combine the first two steps into a contained sphere. To help in this regard, users may be given a balloon to help them visualise the intended shape; if the balloon is popped or otherwise moves, mastery is not yet achieved. This is by far the most difficult of the three steps because of how refined the user's chakra control must be. Some users may require the assistance of shadow clones as a shortcut, using the clones additional attention and hands to help contain and shape the chakra.
Improvements
Because of how useful the Rasengan is once it's been learned, many users end up inventing variants or additional applications based upon it. Creating larger versions of the Rasengan is one of the more straightforward methods, as seen with its Big, Ultra-Big, and Super-Ultra-Big versions. Another option is to increase the number of Rasengan that the user creates: most users are limited to two (one in each hand), but a user can also cooperate with their shadow clones to perform their own Rasengan, allowing them to launch a collaborative attack of potentially dozens of Rasengan simultaneously. It is also possible to compress the Rasengan, thus increasing its penetrative strength.
The Rasengan, being a simple though extremely advanced application of shape transformation, lends itself to being combined with nature transformations. This task, however, is a very difficult one as even highly skilled ninja like Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake were unable to accomplish this feat. Naruto encounters similar struggles to combine the Rasengan with his wind-nature, which he describes as needing to look left and right at the same time. He is eventually able to overcome this obstacle by using a second shadow clone to provide the nature transformation while he and another shadow clone to form the Rasengan. This ultimately leads to the creation of the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, which is most notable for its ability to be thrown.[3] Years later, Boruto unknowingly adds his own lightning-nature to his Rasengan, which causes it to turn invisible if thrown, potentially lowering an opponent's guard before it strikes them.[4]
Senjutsu Influence
The Sage Technique: Rasengan.
When in Sage Mode, the user can use a senjutsu-enhanced version known as Sage Technique: Rasengan (仙術・螺旋丸, Senjutsu: Rasengan, English TV: Sage Art: Rasengan, Literally meaning: Sage Technique: Spiralling Sphere).[5] It is fundamentally the same as the normal version, but the addition of natural energy into the mix the users chakra makes it notably stronger. For Naruto, it is while using Sage Mode that he is first able to throw the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, which previously would sporadically lose its shape if he didn't hold on to it.
Tailed Beast Influence
Naruto using the Nine-Tails' chakra to create Rasengan.
When a Nine-Tails jinchūriki goes into their one-tailed transformation, they are able to make a Rasengan using their hand to spin and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's chakra shield to create the shell. Because it is mixed with the tailed beast's chakra, the Rasengan had a purplish glow, and was also equal in power to Sasuke's senjutsu-enhanced Chidori.
After learning to use the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode in Part II, Naruto uses chakra arms in place of a shadow clone to help him create the Rasengan. Because he can manifest multiple chakra arms at once, this in turn means he can use multiple Rasengan simultaneously, such as for the Spiralling Strife Spheres.
Trivia
- The colouring of the standard Rasengan varies throughout the manga. For example, it's yellow on the cover of volume 52, blue on the cover of volume 67, and orange on the cover of Weekly Shōnen Jump #35 (2005).
- The anime is more consistent about depicting the Rasengan as blue, with the exception of The Last: Naruto the Movie, which depicts it as orange.