What is the Tenseigan in ‘Naruto?’

Naruto has its fair share of devastating weapons, but few can match the awesome destructive power of the Tenseigan – a Dojutsu so strong it can tear planets apart.

Dojutsu literally means “eye technique.” In the world of Naruto, owning a Dojutsu can grant the user a whole host of special abilities, including unlocking interdimensional plains, teleportation, manipulating human physiology, and generally causing absolute mayhem for one’s enemies.

The Tenseigan is a notably powerful Dojutsu owned by Hamura Otsutsuki and his descendants, all of whom live on the moon. Translated to mean “Reincarnation Eye,” the Tenseigan is intimately connected with the Otsutsuki chakra, and has the ability to spawn giant boulders and wrap the bearer in a state of near-impermeable armor. Most terrifyingly, its otherworldly origins allow it to move the entire moon into the Earth, creating a world-ending cataclysm.

First introduced in The Last: Naruto the Movie, the Tenseigan is an acknowledged god-tier technique. When worn, it is a blue pupil surrounded by a flowering iris. The only one capable of wielding its terrible powers so far has been Toneri Otsutsuki, a blood descendant of Hamura. His unhinged plan to destroy the planet and rebuild it to his own liking was eventually put to an end.

While the Tensiegan is frightening, it is perhaps only matched in power by the Rinnegan, a Dojustsu that can rip apart space-time to create interdimensional folds, mold gravity, and telepathically control the bodies of unfortunate victims. It remains to be seen if the Tenseigan will show up again, and if it does, what fresh horrors it will unleash.