What kind of powers and abilities does Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu give the manga and anime’s titular protagonist? Naruto Uzumaki has mastered many Jutsu in his journey from underdog and outcast to becoming the most formidable shinobi of his generation. Whether it’s summoning the toads of Mount Myōboku to fight alongside him in battle or manipulating elements like wind and water to gain an advantage over opponents, Naruto has a vast arsenal of Jutsu at his disposal.
Naruto may have mastered many moves, but it’s safe to say he has two signature Jutsu – one of which is Rasengan. It’s a ninjutsu-level skill known to only a select few shinobi that involves creating a spinning ball of chakra in the palm of a user’s hand which is capable of causing a great deal of destruction. Naruto mastered the technique during the Search For Tsunade Arc and has used Rasengan (and several more powerful variations of it) to defeat major villains like Nagato Uzumaki or Kaubto Yakushi.
Naruto’s other signature technique is Shadow Clone which was originally created by former Konoha Hokage Tobirama Senju. Shadow Clone was the first Jutsu Naruto mastered and while it’s not as exclusive a technique as Rasengan, it’s still incredibly useful. It allows users to create one or more corporeal clones to use as decoys, to overwhelm opponents, or for intelligence gathering purposes. Because a Shadow Clone user’s chakra is divided between their replicas, the technique rapidly depletes their energy reserves and can only be used safely by jōnin-level ninja.
However, Naruto has advantages over the average user when it comes to wielding the Shadow Clone Jutsu because he’s able to access the massive chakra reserves of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. This means Naruto can safely practice a largely forbidden version known as the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique which allows a user to create hundreds or thousands of clones. Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu (and its multiple variations) has become a cornerstone of his fighting style over the course of the franchise and is a technique he’s deployed to not only overwhelm his foes but also to accelerate his training and learn other techniques more quickly.
Shadow Clone Jutsu might be one of Naruto Uzumaki’s signature moves, but interestingly enough it’s a technique Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto regretted introducing so soon according to Comic Book. Kishimoto believes that mastering the Shadow Clone Jutsu made Naruto too strong too quickly. It also made creating artwork for the Naruto manga more difficult as it involved drawing many different clones. Nevertheless, Shadow Clone Jutsu remains one of Naruto's signature techniques and for good reason considering the abilities it grants him.