Introduction
Byakugan is a Kekkei Genkai jutsu that originates from the Ōtsutsuki Clan. After the Ōtsutsuki clan settled on Earth, the associated clan in the Hidden Leaf Village came to be known as the Hyūga Clan. It is one of the three great Dōjutsu along with the Sharingan and Rinnegan.
Origins and Evolution
For the Sharingan to manifest in a user’s eyes, certain conditions need to be met, whereas the Byakugan is present from birth. Individuals with Byakugan are typically identified by their eyes. They have white eyes with no distinguishable pupils. When the user activates it, their pupils become distinct, and the veins around their eyes become prominent due to increased blood flow. Some users have atypical characteristics. Himawari Uzumaki, a descendant of the Hyūga Clan from her mother’s side, has normal blue eyes that turn completely white when she uses the Byakugan.
Several generations ago, the Mukai family’s lineage was erased, making their Byakugan weaker. The Mukai possess the Byakugan only in their left eye, which turns white when activated. Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki’s Byakugan was similar to that of other users, but his eyes turned golden after absorbing Kinshiki.
Urashiki’s Byakugan, also typical, turned golden upon consuming collected chakra. Isshiki Ōtsutsuki had only one Byakugan in his left eye, with another Dōjutsu in his right eye.
Protection and Sealing Methods
The Byakugan’s abilities are highly esteemed. The Hidden Cloud Village has attempted several times to acquire the Byakugan, even leading to the “Hyūga Affair.” Ao of the Mist Village implanted a Byakugan after killing a Hyūga member, sealing it for protection. Despite being transplanted, Ao could activate and deactivate the Byakugan at will. Danzo Shimura attempted to destroy it after discovering Ao’s Byakugan.
To protect the Byakugan from enemies, the Hyūga clan began placing seals on their members. These seals cause the Byakugan to be destroyed upon the member’s death, preventing enemies from using it.
“The Byakugan is the Hyūga clan’s greatest weapon, allowing us to see the chakra flow of our enemies and strike with precision.”
– Neji Hyūga
Training and Usage
In the anime, it is shown that simply possessing the Byakugan doesn’t allow one to use its powers. These powers are inherent from birth, and the individual must undergo intense training to activate the power of the Byakugan, which not everyone can achieve. The anime also shows that the Byakugan can activate in stressful situations without any training. Once the user learns to use the Byakugan, they must avoid excessive use; otherwise, it won’t stay activated for long without proper rest.
Hinata Hyūga: “The Byakugan’s ability to see chakra pathways and Tenketsu points is unmatched. It makes our Gentle Fist style lethal.”
Hiashi Hyūga: “With the Byakugan, we can see through any illusion and detect the slightest disturbances in chakra flow.”
Byakugan’s Abilities and Techniques
The Byakugan provides 360-degree vision but has a blind spot above the vertebrae at the back of the neck. It can see through objects like walls and underground and can examine the human body. Some barriers can block its sight, like smokescreens with mineral dust.
Byakugan users can focus their vision anywhere within its range, allowing them to monitor a vast area and pinpoint locations. The exact range varies but can be improved with training. In Part I, Neji Hyūga’s Byakugan range was 50 meters, extending to 800 meters in Part II. The Byakugan can see chakra to a greater degree than the Sharingan, allowing users to distinguish between clones and the original and identify chakra signatures. The Byakugan ability is so acute that it can see the target’s chakra pathway system with 361 tenketsu (chakra points).
Miscellaneous Qualities and Powers
The Hyūga developed the Gentle Fist combat style to exploit this, attacking an opponent’s chakra points to either seal or forcefully open their chakra.
In the “Book of Dark Night,” Mukai used the Gentle Fist technique to disrupt his opponents’ chakra-based jutsu. By seeing chakra, users can detect if an opponent is performing genjutsu or not.
The Byakugan doesn’t grant genjutsu capabilities like the Sharingan, but it enhances genjutsu effectiveness. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki’s Byakugan allowed her to cast the whole world into a genjutsu, Infinite Tsukuyomi. Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki mentioned that his Byakugan can read others’ fate but cannot read his own fate.
The Byakugan has a variety of miscellaneous qualities shown throughout the anime. It can detect targets through body heat and determine anyone’s chakra development. Kaguya’s Byakugan allows her to see her opponent’s mind, determine their thoughts and feelings, and even see their memories. Kaguya can emit a chakra pulse to subdue the target, allowing the user to analyze the opponent’s tactics as a predictive ability.
“With the Byakugan, I can see the world’s chakra, its flow, and its secrets, making it an eye that transcends mere vision.”
– Kaguya Ōtsutsuki
The Tenseigan Transformation
When a Hyuga’s Byakugan is implanted into an Ōtsutsuki, the combination of these two chakras creates a Tenseigan. This transformation is completed in a few days, and once complete, it grants the user new skills such as the Tenseigan Chakra Mode and Truth-Seeking Orbs. The Tenseigan can lose its power and revert back to the Byakugan when the user becomes weak in battle. In the anime, Urashiki Ōtsutsuki could switch his eyes between the Byakugan and the Rinnegan.
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