Practiced by members of Konohagakure’s Hyuga clan, the Gentle Fist is a hand-to-hand combat system InNarutothat makes use ofthe clan’s unique dojutsuabilities to target an opponent’s chakra pathway system. On observing thisstyle of taijutsu used in combat, it may initially seem as if the user is applying minimal force with each of their blows. In reality, the attacks themselves can cause catastrophic damage to important pressure points in an adversary’s chakra pathways, rendering them unable to counter, or in extreme cases, make them completely immobile. This is made possible by surgical injections of chakra made to an enemy’s pressure points, which cause intense damage to the internal organs surrounding the point of contact. Hence, the apparent force behind each blow may conceal the actual effectiveness of the technique, giving it the appearance of being “gentle.”
Neji, Hiashi, Hinata, and Hanabi Hyuga are among the most prominently featured users of this fighting style inNaruto, displaying a diverse range of techniques that expand its scope and scale to take on extremely strong combatants and counter broad-ranging attacks over the course of the series. Asthe Byakugan is essentialto execute any of the techniques associated with this style, it has become a signature of the Hyuga clan, developed to make full use of their unique dojutsu which is coveted by hidden villages from all over the shinobi world. It is also the most revered style of taijutsu in Konohagakure, due to its ability to inflict severe damage through the use of minimal force, despite the drawback of its relatively short range. Gentle Fist also has some roots in real world martial arts, with certain maneuvers derived from formalized Chinese martial arts.
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Origins And Influences
The origins of Gentle Fist may lie in the Chinese martial art of Baguazhang, which literally translated as “Eight Trigrams Palm.” Defined by circular movements, this style is part of the Wudang school of martial arts which also includes Tai chi. In fact, many of the more advanced Gentle Fist techniques have the phrase “Eight Trigrams” as a prefix to their actual name — such as the Eight Trigrams Plams Revolving Heaven or the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms — explicitly signifying the inspiration Masashi Kishimoto took from Baguazhang whiledeveloping the Hyuga’s signaturefighting style. Some aspects of Gentle Fist may also be grounded in the concept of death point striking, an approach to Chinese martial arts that is said to have targeted specific pressure points across the body to deliver lethal blows without using much force.
Many of the stances and ranges of motion used in Gentle Fist are also derived from Baguazhang and related martial arts, making use of fluid rotatory movements. This allows users a wide range of motions and strikes, expanding the range of their attacks and the evasive maneuvers they can employ to avoid any used against them. When targeting an opponent’s chakra pathways, there are said to be 361 nodes or “tenketsu,” which when struck, can disrupt or halt the flow of chakra to certain sections of the body. These nodes essentially act as circuit breakers, and they are alsoequipped with Eight Gatesto limit the overall chakra flow and prevent an individual from exceeding the limits of their body and causing irreparable damage. Opening all the gates grants unimaginable power through the Eight Gates Released Formation, but will almost inevitably result in death. To see these nodes and make use of the Gentle Fist, users must possess the Byakugan, whose abilities are pivotal to this fighting style.
Rooted In The Byakugan
Granting users a near 360-degree field of vision, focus their vision on things at far distances, and the ability to see through most materials such as walls, under the ground, or even through an opponent’s body to study their chakra pathway system. Byakugan users can also see chakra toa greater extent than the Sharinganand distinguish between certain types of clone jutsu to identify an individual’s chakra signature. The Byakugan is essential for the targeted attacks used in Gentle Fist, which focus on the various pressure points scattered throughout the body. Each strike made using this style releases chakra through openings near the tenketsu in the user’s hands, which have been molded into needle-like shapes to allow them to efficiently pierce an opponent’s body at critical spots. Although Gentle Fist is a form of taijutsu which makes use of the hands and feet primarily, users can emit chakra from all the tenketsu located throughout their body, making any form of chakra-based binding ineffective against practitioners.
On account of possessing the Byakugan,the Otsutsuki clan also makes useof a variant of this fighting style. However, their approach to exploiting the benefits of the dojutsu is far less restrained and takes on a more aggressive appearance. Their speed and strength also somewhat negates the issue of range, where they can cover long distances in almost no time, and force battles to become close quarters matches. Alternatively, the Byakugan also allows users to employ aspects of Gentle Fist for purposes other than combat, as see when Hinata used it to mend Naruto’s dislocated shoulder in the midst of the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Gentle Fist’s Devastating Applications
Even though its roots lie in short range taijutsu, Gentle Fist also takes on a more aggressive appearance when used by practitioners of higher skill levels. At first, this could be seen in Neji’s use of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms technique and its subtypes which deliver decisive strikes in extremely quick succession over a series of stages, each one featuring a number of hits that escalate by a power of two. The most advanced version of this the Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, with the final strikes being reinforced by monstrous amounts of chakra,enough to send opponents flying backwards. It can either be used to seal off the tenketsu of an opponent, rendering them unable to move, deal with multiple enemies at once, or even deflect large numbers of projectiles hurtling towards them.
Another more offensive application of Gentle Fist is observed in Hinata’s Twin Lion Fists, which molds chakra released from the tenketsu around the hands into blue guradian lions, which greatly increases range and destructive force, while also draining the chakra of anything they come into contact with. Techniques such as the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm or its advanced version, the Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher, send powerful waves of compressed chakra to force opponents back for more defensive applications. On this topic, perhaps, the Hyuga clan’s most powerful defensive technique is the Eight Trigrams Revolving Heaven, said to be even more impenetrable thanGaara’s Shield Of Sand, even if the duration of application for this technique is far more limited. To make use of this technique, the user emits chakra from all their tenketsu and spins rapidly, allowing them to deflect any atack directed against them or push opponents back with the sheer force they are generating. Such versatility in Gentle Fist’s applications is testament to its reputation among all the taijutsu styles in the world of Naruto, highlighting why the Byakugan is such a sought-after ocular power.
