All shinobi can use "chakra", which is a combination of physical and spiritual energy. Pure chakra is a non-element that's usually colored white (neutral, weak), blue (calm), red (angry), green (mystical), purple (evil) or golden (super), but it's also the fuel source that makes the secret magical arts of the shinobi possible.
Simply drawing out chakra has limited use. However, by combining "form manipulation" with chakra the potential becomes almost limitless! This means controlling the chakra's physical shape to perform a specific task. For instance, the ninjutsu Bunshin (Clone) can create a duplicate of the shinobi, or Henge (Transformation) can change the visual appearance of the shinobi. By using Hand Seals and Hand Seal combinations, the chakra can be more easily produced and manipulated into shapes. Most ninjutsu are meant to be quick and only use the minimal amount of chakra. But form manipulation is only half of the puzzle of ninjutsu, while the other half is "nature manipulation".
Nature manipulation describes the act of changing chakra into an elemental force. Each shinobi has one type of chakra nature that is easiest for their chakra to change into, which is called their "affinity", which allows them to learn and perform those types of ninjutsu easier. Some shinobi may be able to use more than one type of nature manipulation. Each type has its own uses, detailed below, and by combining nature manipulation and form manipulation a shinobi can produce effective ninjutsu!
When shinobi fight head-to-head with ninjutsu it's called a Jutsu Exchange, and during these battles a higher rank jutsu gains an advantage in power (at the cost of higher stamina consumption). The ranks are from lowest to highest: E, D, C, B, and A. The size of the technique is irrelevant to its rank, although the same technique can be made larger by fueling it with more chakra. However, a single powerful attack can be overpowered by multiple weaker attacks in an Exchange, but since each shinobi can only use one ninjutsu at a time this would apply to combat with three or more participants. Whats more, certain "natured" elements have a natural advantage over others (noted below) which increases the power (rank) of the appropriate technique relative to the opposing technique in a Jutsu Exchange.
Primary Elements: the basic elements found in nature which form the basis for NATURE MANIPULATION. Many Ninjutsu are based on the basic chakra natures of fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning. The Great Five Country's national emblems are also based on the five Primary Elements.
Fire-type - The most dangerous Primary Element mastered by the Uchiwa clan of Fire Country's Hidden Leaf. Fire burns matter over periods of time, can explode, and it moves at a relatively fast speed, with different techniques varying only in shape and intensity. Affinity for Fire-type ninjutsu will add the effect of increasing the power of the jutsu's burn damage. Fire only has a natural Advantage against the rare Wind-type which lets it grow stronger by consuming Wind chakra from the opposing jutsu of equal or lesser strength. It will explode in a hail of shrapnel on contact with Earth and other Fire Ninjutsu of equal power, while it has a practical advantage over the typically short-range Lightning Ninjutsu. Fire chakra has a Disadvantage against Water chakra.
Water-type - This is the most versatile Primary Element. Most Water-type specialist cannot perform their art without a water source. Water can break apart and be reformed with ease, reused almost endlessly, and moves with fast speed but is relatively very weak. Affinity for Water-type Ninjutsu will give the shinobi the ability to produce water from pure chakra which consumes additional stamina, allowing them to use water jutsu without a natural water source. Water can dissolve Fire jutsu of equal strength (the Fire chakra does not burn). It can also safely block other Water and Wind Ninjutsu of equal strength. Like Fire, it has a practical advantage over Lightning. Possesses a Disadvantage against Earth chakra.
Earth-type - Physically strongest among the Primary Elements. Earth has many defensive uses such as raising protective rock walls, materializing hard body armor, causing localized earthquakes and landslides, even opening holes in the ground, but earthen projectiles are relatively slow. Affinity for Earth-type Ninjutsu allows shinobi to produce extra-strong earth out of pure chakra. Earth has an Advantage against Water-type jutsu. It's able to safely block other Earth and Wind jutsu of equal strength, but when matched against Fire-types collisions will cause an explosion of flames and debris. It also has a Disadvantage against Lightning-type jutsu.
Lightning-type - The most powerful Primary Element, deals the most direct damage in the shortest amount of time. Since most Lightning-type Ninjutsu are merely dense high-energy chakra the density alters the strength of the effect: weak Lightning Ninjutsu may stun an enemy, moderately powerful Ninjutsu can paralyze and cause lethal damage, but high-density chakra can punch a hole through the toughest defense and still deliver a fatal blow in a single attack. However, using a density beyond one's ability to control can cause damage to the shinobi's own body. Affinity for the Lightning-type arts allows the shinobi to produce lightning-natured chakra in a flash. Lightning chakra has a natural Advantage against Earth chakra, allowing it to break through Earth's tough defense. Lightning can safely deflect other Lightning Ninjutsu of equal or lesser strength. Fire, Water, and Wind-types are dangerous in a head-on Jutsu Exchange; the Lightning-type may be at a disadvantage since the other jutsu types are mostly mid-range and most Lightning jutsu are close-range. Lastly, it has a Disadvantage against Wind chakra.
Wind-type - The rarest Primary Element. Using Wind natured chakra as a weapon takes great skill since it needs at least two seperate chakra orbs to grind together so that the space between the two turns into a razor-sharp edge that rips apart whatever is put between them. Affinity for the Wind-type arts enables shinobi to make powerful and numerous wind shards that no other shinobi can match. Handling this type of chakra can be especially dangerous! Wind has a natural Advantage over Lightning, as the super-sharp edge made by Wind chakra is the only thing that can cut through the dense energy of Lightning Ninjutsu. Wind can block Water and other Wind-types of the same strength, but it's mostly ineffective against Earth's defense. Wind has a Disadvantage against Fire.
Other less-common types of nature manipulation exist, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Fusion Elements: fusions combine two or more elemental chakra natures to produce completely different types of elements. Typically, the ability to use fusion are an extremely rare bloodline limit.
Ice-type - Required Primary Elements: Water and Wind. This sub-element has certain properties that Water alone cannot duplicate, such as the solid state and increased reflective properties.
Wood-type - Required Primary Elements: Earth and Water. Between the two Primary Elements of Earth and Water, the manipulation of plant-life can be acheived.
Non-Elements: non-elements use pure chakra to perform special tasks without any type of nature manipulation. This allows the shinobi to focus more energy on form manipulation without any limitations inherent to elemental natures.
Medical-type - A medical technique, this turns the user's chakra into a magical substance that can heal wounds, cure and remove poisons, and even restore life.
Ink-type - A strange but not uncommon ninja art. By using special ink infused with chakra, the images that are drawn can be called into existance for periods of time.
Puppet-type - By attatching special chakra strings to puppets, a ninja can control them with skill beyond that of any ordinary puppeteer.
Simply drawing out chakra has limited use. However, by combining "form manipulation" with chakra the potential becomes almost limitless! This means controlling the chakra's physical shape to perform a specific task. For instance, the ninjutsu Bunshin (Clone) can create a duplicate of the shinobi, or Henge (Transformation) can change the visual appearance of the shinobi. By using Hand Seals and Hand Seal combinations, the chakra can be more easily produced and manipulated into shapes. Most ninjutsu are meant to be quick and only use the minimal amount of chakra. But form manipulation is only half of the puzzle of ninjutsu, while the other half is "nature manipulation".
Nature manipulation describes the act of changing chakra into an elemental force. Each shinobi has one type of chakra nature that is easiest for their chakra to change into, which is called their "affinity", which allows them to learn and perform those types of ninjutsu easier. Some shinobi may be able to use more than one type of nature manipulation. Each type has its own uses, detailed below, and by combining nature manipulation and form manipulation a shinobi can produce effective ninjutsu!
When shinobi fight head-to-head with ninjutsu it's called a Jutsu Exchange, and during these battles a higher rank jutsu gains an advantage in power (at the cost of higher stamina consumption). The ranks are from lowest to highest: E, D, C, B, and A. The size of the technique is irrelevant to its rank, although the same technique can be made larger by fueling it with more chakra. However, a single powerful attack can be overpowered by multiple weaker attacks in an Exchange, but since each shinobi can only use one ninjutsu at a time this would apply to combat with three or more participants. Whats more, certain "natured" elements have a natural advantage over others (noted below) which increases the power (rank) of the appropriate technique relative to the opposing technique in a Jutsu Exchange.
Primary Elements: the basic elements found in nature which form the basis for NATURE MANIPULATION. Many Ninjutsu are based on the basic chakra natures of fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning. The Great Five Country's national emblems are also based on the five Primary Elements.
Fire-type - The most dangerous Primary Element mastered by the Uchiwa clan of Fire Country's Hidden Leaf. Fire burns matter over periods of time, can explode, and it moves at a relatively fast speed, with different techniques varying only in shape and intensity. Affinity for Fire-type ninjutsu will add the effect of increasing the power of the jutsu's burn damage. Fire only has a natural Advantage against the rare Wind-type which lets it grow stronger by consuming Wind chakra from the opposing jutsu of equal or lesser strength. It will explode in a hail of shrapnel on contact with Earth and other Fire Ninjutsu of equal power, while it has a practical advantage over the typically short-range Lightning Ninjutsu. Fire chakra has a Disadvantage against Water chakra.
Water-type - This is the most versatile Primary Element. Most Water-type specialist cannot perform their art without a water source. Water can break apart and be reformed with ease, reused almost endlessly, and moves with fast speed but is relatively very weak. Affinity for Water-type Ninjutsu will give the shinobi the ability to produce water from pure chakra which consumes additional stamina, allowing them to use water jutsu without a natural water source. Water can dissolve Fire jutsu of equal strength (the Fire chakra does not burn). It can also safely block other Water and Wind Ninjutsu of equal strength. Like Fire, it has a practical advantage over Lightning. Possesses a Disadvantage against Earth chakra.
Earth-type - Physically strongest among the Primary Elements. Earth has many defensive uses such as raising protective rock walls, materializing hard body armor, causing localized earthquakes and landslides, even opening holes in the ground, but earthen projectiles are relatively slow. Affinity for Earth-type Ninjutsu allows shinobi to produce extra-strong earth out of pure chakra. Earth has an Advantage against Water-type jutsu. It's able to safely block other Earth and Wind jutsu of equal strength, but when matched against Fire-types collisions will cause an explosion of flames and debris. It also has a Disadvantage against Lightning-type jutsu.
Lightning-type - The most powerful Primary Element, deals the most direct damage in the shortest amount of time. Since most Lightning-type Ninjutsu are merely dense high-energy chakra the density alters the strength of the effect: weak Lightning Ninjutsu may stun an enemy, moderately powerful Ninjutsu can paralyze and cause lethal damage, but high-density chakra can punch a hole through the toughest defense and still deliver a fatal blow in a single attack. However, using a density beyond one's ability to control can cause damage to the shinobi's own body. Affinity for the Lightning-type arts allows the shinobi to produce lightning-natured chakra in a flash. Lightning chakra has a natural Advantage against Earth chakra, allowing it to break through Earth's tough defense. Lightning can safely deflect other Lightning Ninjutsu of equal or lesser strength. Fire, Water, and Wind-types are dangerous in a head-on Jutsu Exchange; the Lightning-type may be at a disadvantage since the other jutsu types are mostly mid-range and most Lightning jutsu are close-range. Lastly, it has a Disadvantage against Wind chakra.
Wind-type - The rarest Primary Element. Using Wind natured chakra as a weapon takes great skill since it needs at least two seperate chakra orbs to grind together so that the space between the two turns into a razor-sharp edge that rips apart whatever is put between them. Affinity for the Wind-type arts enables shinobi to make powerful and numerous wind shards that no other shinobi can match. Handling this type of chakra can be especially dangerous! Wind has a natural Advantage over Lightning, as the super-sharp edge made by Wind chakra is the only thing that can cut through the dense energy of Lightning Ninjutsu. Wind can block Water and other Wind-types of the same strength, but it's mostly ineffective against Earth's defense. Wind has a Disadvantage against Fire.
Other less-common types of nature manipulation exist, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Fusion Elements: fusions combine two or more elemental chakra natures to produce completely different types of elements. Typically, the ability to use fusion are an extremely rare bloodline limit.
Ice-type - Required Primary Elements: Water and Wind. This sub-element has certain properties that Water alone cannot duplicate, such as the solid state and increased reflective properties.
Wood-type - Required Primary Elements: Earth and Water. Between the two Primary Elements of Earth and Water, the manipulation of plant-life can be acheived.
Non-Elements: non-elements use pure chakra to perform special tasks without any type of nature manipulation. This allows the shinobi to focus more energy on form manipulation without any limitations inherent to elemental natures.
Medical-type - A medical technique, this turns the user's chakra into a magical substance that can heal wounds, cure and remove poisons, and even restore life.
Ink-type - A strange but not uncommon ninja art. By using special ink infused with chakra, the images that are drawn can be called into existance for periods of time.
Puppet-type - By attatching special chakra strings to puppets, a ninja can control them with skill beyond that of any ordinary puppeteer.
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