There are few characters in the Naruto Universe as mysterious as Shisui Uchiha. As one of the few Uchiha in the story to awaken a Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui’s power level has long been discussed by fans of the series.
Shisui, his relationship to comrade Itachi Uchiha, the eventual removal and use of his eye have profound effects on the story and influence a lot of important events that happen later.
But here is the big question that is often debated – just how strong is Shisui Uchiha? As an Uchiha, he is obviously in the higher rankings – but with so little information about him, how can we be sure that we are comparing him in the right way?
If you find yourself locked in disagreement with another anime fan, or trying to puzzle it out yourself, this is the article for you!
We’re going to give you an extensive profile of Shisui Uchiha, exploring his history, powers, and evidence of his prowess in battle. With this information, hopefully, we can work out if he is one of the strongest ninjas in Naruto.
Before we can start ranking Shisui in relation to other characters in the series, first we need to understand a little about who he is, and what his relationship to others in the story of Naruto was.
Much of what we know about Shisui comes in the form of flashbacks, and small pieces of information from those who knew him when he was alive, such as Itachi Uchiha who was one of his best friends.
Shisui Uchiha, also known as ‘Shisui of the Body Flicker’ was a young member of the Uchiha Clan from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. His name is a combination of the Japanese words for Death (shi) and Water (Sui).
This is a reference to how he eventually dies in the story. He had the same dark hair and features as almost all Uchiha, and a bright, calm demeanor.
He was an extremely impressive student when he was at the Ninja Academy, and graduated without issue. His time as a Genin began with much difficulty, as he watched one of his best friends die on a mission.
Although sad – this was also an event that brought him much power. The Mangekyo Sharingan can only awaken in an Uchiha when they are put through intense emotional stress. In watching his teammate die, Shisui was able to awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan.
It is also around this time that he meats a very young Itachi Uchiha, and becomes friends with him, acting in an older brother kind of role.
This is a friendship that will be of vital importance to the future story of Naruto, regarding how the characters of the story will eventually deal with Obito and Madara Uchiha in the final battle.
Soon enough Shisui was promoted to the rank of Jonin, using his powerful Body Flicker Technique to make a great name for himself.
As he grew older and the Uchiha clan began to plan an uprising, Shisui was faced with a difficult decision.
At this time Villain Danzo Shimura was attempting to get ahold of Shisui’s eyes, desiring their power and wanting to add more Sharingan to his collection. After Danzo got ahold of one of them, Shisui saw that his death was inevitable.
Shisui entrusted his other eye to Itachi Uchiha, to aid him in the future, and then accepted his own death by falling off a cliff and into a river – this fulfills the meaning of his name.
Shisui’s eye would eventually be used by Itachi Uchiha to aid Naruto in his battle against those who wanted to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village.
What Powers Did Shisui Uchiha Have?
The most important thing to explore when it comes to Shisui is his use of the Mangkeyo Sharingan. The Sharingan in its basic form only comes to members of the Uchiha clan who are particularly powerful members, but the Mangekyo is practically a miracle.
Shisui not only had the Mangkeyo but had a mastery over it that is as impressive as many other Uchiha on the show.
The Mangkeyo gives access to seeing all forms of chakra, seeing opponents’ physical movements before they make them, and being extremely strong in Genjutsu illusions.
It could be that Shisui has some of the most impressive Genjutsu in all of Naruto – for example, he was easily able to trap multiple opponents within Genjutsu from great distances.
But more than that, the Mangekyo gives unique powers, and Shisui was able to use it to enhance his Genjutsu capabilities. Shisui was also able to manifest the Susanoo – which is possibly the most powerful Uchiha Jutsu in the entire series.
The Susanoo is a magical suit of armor that can attack and defend. It is practically impenetrable aside from specific attacks by extremely powerful ninja.
It is worth noting that we only see Shisui’s Susanoo for a brief moment before his death. He was unable to practice with it and make it as powerful as, for example, Sasuke or Madara Uchiha.
It is also worth noting that Shisui had great prowess with the Body Flicker Technique – so much so that he became renowned for it. This ability is a teleportation Jutsu that allows a Ninja to move at extremely fast speeds and vanish without a trace.
This ability made Shisui formidable in battle, able of covering great distances and confusing his opponents.
Why Is It Hard To Know How Powerful Shisui Is?
When comparing Shisui to other powerful ninjas in the show, we find ourselves with some difficulty. We don’t have as much information on Shisui as we do on his peers.
For example – we get to see Sasuke through the majority of his life. We see him grow slowly as he gains more power and develops them. Shisui is more of a mystery.
As well as this, Shisui died at a young age before he was able to cultivate his powers further. His death is important to the story, as well as the overall character growth of Itachi Uchiha, but it means that it is impossible to know how Shisui would stand up in battles versus other ninjas.
How Powerful Is Shisui Uchiha Compared To Other Characters In Naruto?
One thing that we can be sure of is that Shisui at the height of his power was one of the strongest characters in the story – certainly in the top 20.
Just the existence of powers such as the Mangkeyo Sharingan and the Susanoo is enough for us to be sure that he is more powerful than a lot of other characters. These are powers that are often used to devastating effect and are very difficult for other ninjas to deal with.
Compared to other members of the Uchiha clan, it can be said that SHisui is probably not as powerful as Obito or Madara – but they are probably fairly close.
It also depends on the time in which we compare them – for example, both Obito, Madara, and Sasuke all acquire the Rinnegan, which is something that Shisui never has.
Final Thoughts
We can comfortably say that Shisui Uchiha is among one of the most powerful ninjas in all of Naruto. Ranking him in a neat way is difficult because of how little we know about his powers – as well as how little we see him in combat.
The best we can do as fans of the series is predict how he may have fared against other Ninja, and make predictions based on the powers that he shares with other, better-known ninja.
The fact that we don’t know all that much about Shisui is part of his appeal. Since the first mention of his name, fans have been fascinated by him and the potential that he has as a master of the ‘body flicker’ technique.
If we knew much more, his character would likely lose some of his awesome mystique and unique nature.
We hope that this article has shed some light on the power level of Shisui, and hope that you now have a better understanding of who he was and the powers that he possessed! Happy reading/watching Naruto!
