The Ten-Tailed Beast commonly known as Ten-Tails, is a major antagonist in the Naruto anime/manga series. It is a titanic, nightmarish, demonic deity of unfathomable power who laid ruin over the world in the beginning of time. Long ago it was originally the God-Tree (in Japanese: 神樹 Sinju, in English: Divine Tree), but Kaguya Ōtsutsuki possessed it and made it what it is.
In Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, it is revealed by Amado that there are multiple Ten-Tails. They are used as seeds to grow a God Tree on planets and harvest Chakra Fruits for an Ōtsutsuki to obtain powerful chakra for themselves. Isshiki Ōtsutsuki has a juvenile Ten-Tails in his own possession.
Appearance[]
The Ten-Tailed Beast's appearance is fairly nebulous for the majority of the story. When Tobi first mentions its existence, the Ten-Tails is seen in flashbacks as a humanoid silhouette with spikes erupting from its back and ten fox-like tails. Kurama's description of the Ten-Tails shows the creature as looking slightly more bestial than what Tobi described, with a more jagged outline and an upper body that looks like a mountain with spiky protrusions. The only constants in all of the Ten-Tailed Beast's appearances is that it has a single eye that resembles both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan, as well as dwarfing the other nine Tailed Beasts in size.
The Gedo Statue (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path), initially introduced as Akatsuki's prison for the nine Tailed Beasts, it is revealed to be alive, and usable as a summon by wielders of the Rinnegan, then to be in fact the Ten- Tails' husk. It looks like a tower-tall, withered humanoid, with shackled hands and feet, a metallic gag, and countless horn-like protrusions on its back. Its ten closed eyes open one by one when a Tailed Beast is sealed within it. When all nine Tailed Beasts are sealed within the statue, its eyes start weeping blood before undergoing its metamorphosis.
Its larval stage looks like a mountain-dwarfing animalistic abomination covered with either veins or skin cracks all over, with an enormous, spiky, bulb-like protrusion on its back, long and thin clawed arms, and a large, gaping mouth filled with many rows of long, sharp fangs.
But its evolution is even huger and more human-like, with a frail body, skeletal limbs and the left arm a stump, and tentacle-like arms instead of tails. Its short head is covered with horns, with its eye and a human-like mouth on each sides. Its third stage becomes bipedal, much larger and more muscular, with two arms and longer horns. Judging from varying details in its aspect between the flashbacks and the story itself, it is hinted that its aspect is constantly changing.
In its third stage, the Ten-Tailed Beast gains a second arm, along with muscles and longer horns. It also possesses the ability to stretch its mouth open the length of its body and regurgitate a large flower that can shoot energy waves. Had it been allowed to mature further, it would become bloated and grow spikes on the rest of its body, resembling the form it took when the Sage of Six Paths last encountered it. As it was being sealed away by Naruto and Sasuke, the Ten-Tailed Beast reverted to this form once more. Its tails also bore the heads of the nine Tailed Beasts, plus a tenth beast that resembled a rabbit.
After Obito becomes its Jinchuriki, he's able to turn the Ten-Tailed Beast into its Shinju form. As Shinju, the Ten-Tailed Beast transforms into a gigantic flower taller than any mountain with roots that resemble dragons. According to Madara, in the center of the flower is the beast's eye.
Kaguya can transform into a completely different Ten-Tails; looking like a floating, demonic white rabbit sporting white eyes, jagged fangs, a Rinne-Sharingan eye, clawed front paws, and a gigantic, moon-like sphere on its back, from which protrude the Tailed Beasts' heads. It has no tail but can sprout ten hand-like tentacles (or even more).
Personality[]
According to Kurama, Ten Tails is emotionless and has no free will of its own of murdering many lives. Contrary to the Tailed Beasts born from it, it is not talkative and first appears feral and mindless, given that it was born from a tree. Though it is later revealed to have Kaguya’s personality, albeit tampered down and unable to properly express herself.
It is clearly sentient and can think, but it acts erratically, without focus lashing out at what Kaguya hates and rushing at what she wants. When Tobi became its host, it first overwhelmed and nearly shattered his mind to gain control, but it later let itself be assimilated by Madara, whom Kaguya likely deemed a more suitable host.
Biography[]
Past[]
The God-Tree[]
In the beginning, humanity was constantly at war with each other. There was no ninjutsu and therefore no ninja, due to the fact that all the mystical energy in the world resided in a Divine Tree that fell into the world from a meteor. Once every thousand years, the tree would bear fruit. A woman named Kaguya Ōtsutsuki consumed this fruit, gaining the powers of a goddess and putting an end to the conflict, albeit through forceful methods. Kaguya later gave birth to a pair of sons who inherited all of her powers. One of these sons would grow up to become the Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Jealous that her sons had inherited powers similar to herself, Kaguya became one with the God-Tree and her body and mind formed the Ten-Tailed Beast.
The Sage of the Six Paths[]
The legend of the Sage of the Six Paths, the man who became the foundation to the fundamentals of ninjutsu, played a vital role in the series storyline. The Sage's mother finally lost control of her powers and mutated into the Ten-Tailed Beast, wreaking havoc in an attempt to reclaim the power of Kaguya's sons.
The combined might of the Sage and his brother was enough to counter the threat of the beast, successfully overpowering it. When the Ten Tails was defeated by the Sage, he sealed the monster within his body. However, as the seal he placed would fade upon his death, the Sage used his power to prevent the Beast's return by dividing its immense chakra into the nine Tailed Beasts with the monster's semi-lifeless body sealed away within the moon where it rotted over time.
Though separate with names of their own, the Tailed Beasts were all linked to each other. But in time, the Tailed Beasts parted ways and became legends in their own right. It was only by the actions of Hashirama Senju, a descendant of the Sage of the Six Paths, that the Tailed Beasts were all placed with captivity of various Ninja villages: Kurama the Nine Tails ended up with the Hidden Leaf Village, Matatabi the Two Tails and Gyuki the Eight Tails with the Kumogakure, Isobu the Three Tails and Saiken the Six Tails with the Village Hidden in Mist before the former escaped into the wild, Son Goku the Four-Tails and Kokuō the Five Tails with Iwakagure, Chomei the Seven Tails in Takigakure, and Shukaku the One-Tail in the Village Hidden in Sand.
Madara's Plot[]
But Hashirama's rival Madara Uchiha, another descendant of the Sage, took his rival's blood and used it to become a near-genetic match to the Sage. By the time he gained the Rinnegan as an old man, Madara summoned the Ten-Tails's body, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path back into world to enact his Eye of the Moon Plan to reform the Ten Tails and become its new host to alter reality itself to suit his ends. But as he is near death, Madara conditioned Tobi as his successor to carry out his will through the Akatsuki to capture the Tailed Beasts and then revive Madara through Nagato.
Plot[]
Revival[]
Though the actions of Naruto Uzumaki hampered much of the original plan, Madara was revived through Kabuto Yakushi during the Fourth Great Ninja War while Obito used the trace chakra of Gyuki and Kurama to begin the Gedo Statue's painful regeneration into an incomplete Ten Tails despite Naruto and Killer B's attempt to destroy it. Obito and Madara then jump onto the Ten-Tails and interface with the monster as they have it overwhelm the two Jinchuriki and Kakashi. Just as the Ten Tails is about to destroy them, the remainder of the Shinobi Alliance appears to help fight Madara and Obito. Naruto announces that their combined powers will end this war once and for all.
The various ninja all use their signature-jutsu to encase the Ten Tails, while Naruto and several others blind the monster before directing their assault on Obito and Madara. At that moment, the Ten Tails begins to transform into an even more bizarre form. Revealed to be its adult stage, the Ten-Tails begins firing Tailed Beast Balls from its mouth with a recoil from not adjusting to its form, destroying far-away villages and the allied ninja forces' base of operations. By that time, the Ten Tails begins to resist its masters' control before their ties are severed.
Now acting on its own will, the Ten Tails terraformed the area with various storms and earthquakes before gathering strength upon seeing images of the Tailed Beasts and the Sage of Six Paths around Naruto. When the revived Hokage appear and imprison the beast, Naruto, along with Sasuke, Sakura and the remainder of the Ninja Alliance, launch an assault on the Ten Tails. The Ten Tails is able to hold them back by spawning an army of monsters, but Naruto and Sasuke manage to get through and cause it some damage. Just when it seems like the Ten Tails' defeat might be imminent, Obito appears on its head and manages to seal it inside himself, becoming its host.
Obito's Ascent[]
Despite outclassing every ninja who faces him, Obito is backed into a corner by the combined efforts of Naruto along with the Second and Fourth Hokages. Obito then unleashes the Ten-Tails, which undergoes one more metamorphosis, this time becoming the God-Tree. The God-Tree then sucks dry the chakra of several ninja as it grows to its full size. According to Madara, once the flower on the God-Tree blooms, humanity will be cast into a world of illusion with no end.
After a combining their efforts, Naruto, Sasuke, Kurama and their allies are able to strike Obito, which causes the Ten-Tails to split back into the seven tailed beasts. Naruto and his allies then extract the beasts from Obito's soul. The God-Tree remains.
Madara's Victory[]
After Obito's defeat, Madara forces him to resurrect himself. Now fully alive, Madara extracts the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path from Obito and uses it to ensnare all nine Tailed Beasts. They're all dragged in and used to once again bring back the Ten-Tailed Beast. Madara then seals the beast inside himself and becomes the most powerful being on Earth.
When Naruto and Sasuke gain the powers of the Sage of Six Paths, they're able to overpower Madara. The God-Tree telepathically tells Madara to absorb it. After this, Madara eventually cornered reunited Team 7, the only opponent left after he affected everybody with Infinite Tsukuyomi. However, Black Zetsu stabbed him, much to everyone's shock. Madara was shocked, because Black Zetsu reveals that he is not actually created by Madara's will, but rather Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's, whom eventually manifests inside him. Madara is eventually consumed by Black Zetsu who manifests as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Defeat[]
Eventually, Naruto and Sasuke are able to corner Kaguya and initiate the sealing jutsu that would trap her once again for all time. Her son Hagoromo used his abilities to separate the nine Tailed Beasts from her so that she would revert back to the Ten Tails and the Demonic Statue, unwittingly bringing back Madara. Naruto throws Zetsu into the prison as well to ensure that neither Kaguya nor the Ten-Tailed Beast can ever be brought back.
Powers and Abilities[]
The Ten-Tails is terrifyingly powerful, but with Kaguya's aura being described as even more intense than its own (already beyond measure), it probably is relatively inferior, somewhat weaker but much more destructive.
Tobi describes it as every Tailed Beast in one, implying that it has Shukaku the One-Tailed Racoon's control over sand; Matatabi the Two-Tailed Cat's control over blue fire; Isobu the Three-Tailed Turtle's control over coral and illusory mist; Son Goku the Four-Tailed Gorilla's control over magma; Kokuō the Five-Tailed Horse's control over heat and acid mist; Saiken the Six-Tailed Slug's control over slime, poison, and venomous mist; Chomei the Seven-Tailed Beetle's control over silky threads and cocoons; Gyuki the Eight-Tailed Ox's control over ink; and Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox's control over chakra. It never displays any, but is stated to master wind, fire, water, earth and lightning.
Like the others, it can use the Tailed Beast Bomb: a giant purple chakra sphere able to nuke a town. It can be fired as a smaller but faster orb, a barrage of smaller ones, or a gigantic and devastating one, or. The Ten-Tails' Bombs are red significantly mightier. Its first form fires gigantic, continuous beams. Its second form fires smaller, pointed ones nuking cities everywhere, and fires many in quick succession. It can turn its head into a Rafflesia-like shape to concentrate a ginormous and unbelievably destructive one. The anime also depicts it firing a long-reaching red beam.
The Ten-Tails' movement cause waves of destructive power, levelling even mountains for miles around with a mere tail swipe. Kurama states that it could split the land, carry mountains, swallow oceans, and shape countries. While it never does, it displays unbelievable strength, speed and reflexes, being able to sucker punch the mightiest Tailed Beasts before they can even blink, and to swat away their Tailed beast Bomb with a mere flick of its fingers.
Its overwhelming chakra is too much to grasp. Neither the Ninja Alliance's most destructive, nor even its own Tailed Beast Bomb sent right back into its mouth, could phase it. It can alter its shape, bloat its body like a sunfish, expand its limbs or sprout additional ones anywhere, sending its tails underground and having them sprout from and joint to form a cage- around its foes. It is even able to tear away from wounded body parts to regrow new ones.
The Ten-Tails can spawn hundreds of smaller clones of itself of variable shape and size, each bearing some likeness to it, bearing sharp teeth and bodies covered in spikes. Some of them are of human shape and size, others have animal shape, and others are ogre-like giant humanoids ranging from very tall to humongous. They are all immensely fast, strong and powerful, some having weapon-shaped appendages, other fighting with fists, tails or lesser versions of the titan's powers.
The Ten-Tails masters the natural energy that flows in all creation, something Kaguya herself could not. Ironically, this is also the only thing that can harm it and its hosts. It is able to cause untold disasters, (similar to Kaguya causing thunderstorms). It was seen unleashing immense hurricanes, thunderbolts, earthquakes and floods all around itself, before a cataclysmic explosion potent enough to form a mushroom cloud.
Kaguya's Rabbit Demon form attacks with its extremely fast tails, absorbing all they grab. In the video game Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, it infuses its claws with red chakra; its roars causes waves of pressure; it breathes Tailed Beast Bombs and a giant golden beam; fires five, huge homing spikes from its tails, or long lasting purple beams or eight homing golden beams from the Tailed Beasts’ heads. It also uses Yomotsu Hirasaka to warp its tails through rifts and attack from all sides.
Even at its weakest, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path can conjure chains of ethereal energy, and can create Chakra Rods that infuse anything they strike with chakra. Madara survived beyond his time by continuously infusing himself with its chakra, and can bind people to it to drain their powers. It can also conjure many dragon-like spirits that rip out the soul of anyone they touch and absorb it, killing the victim. At its most powerful, the Statue can unleash devastating, blasting shockwaves or huge bolts of energy that rain down on its targets.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- 'Shinju' (神樹) literally means 'god tree', and its size and nature have connections to both the world tree and the tree of life, motifs that are present in several real-life religions and mythologies throughout the world.
- In addition, the story of the Shinju bearing the fruit that was deemed forbidden to consume is very similar to the story of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (commonly known as the Tree of Knowledge or Tree of Conception) in Abrahamic religions, in which Adam and Eve, the first humans, ate the forbidden fruit despite being told otherwise. Ultimately, while becoming wiser, it lead to their downfall by incurring the wrath of God. For disobeying Him, He forever cursed the two and their descendants. Adam's eldest son, Cain, would later murder his younger brother, Abel, in anger and jealousy following God's rejection of his offering while accepting Abel's, similar to the struggle between the two sons of the Sage of the Six Paths.
- The wooden dragon-like entities at the base of the Shinju may be a reference to Nidhogg, a dragon or serpent who eternally chews the roots of Yggdrasil in Norse mythology. Likewise with the appearance of the Shinju, it is said that should Nidhogg finally be free of its entrapment underneath Yggdrasil, its appearance into the world beyond its roots are said to herald the coming of Ragnarök, the end of the world and ultimate battle of the gods.
- When the Ten-Tails was recreated into a tree by Obito Uchiha in the Fourth Shinobi World War, it was initially referred to as the Shinju by Gyūki, but it was later confirmed to be a form of the Ten-Tails. Likewise, the Ten-Tails' tree form was referred to as the Shinju as well in the fourth databook, but it also showed the recreated tree to be another form of the Ten-Tails.
- When Kaguya was defeated by Naruto and Sasuke, the Shinju, being one with her, was sealed by the Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei within Kaguya's core dimension.