Seals (印, in, English TV: Hand Signs) are used to perform ninjutsu, genjutsu, and other secret arts with the except for taijutsu. Hand seals determines on how much chakra is needed to preform a technique. For every technique, there are different hand seals that require memorisation.
Certain elemental releases often end in the hand seals they are affiliated with. For example, Fire Release often ends with Tiger, Earth and Wood Releases often end with the Snake hand seals.
Basic Hand Seals[]
There are twelve basic seals, each one named after an animal of the Chinese zodiac.
- Bird (酉, Tori)
- Boar (亥, I)
- Dog (戌, Inu)
- Dragon (辰, Tatsu)
- Ox (丑, Ushi)
- Tiger (寅, Tora): This hand seal is commonly affiliated with Fire Release.
- Snake (巳, Mi): This hand seal is commonly affiliated with Earth Release and with Wood Release.
- Rat (子, Ne): This hand seal is commonly affiliated with the special Shadow Techniques of the Nara clan.
- Horse (午, Uma)
- Monkey (申, Saru)
- Hare (卯, U)
- Ram (未, Hitsuji)
Other Hand Seals[]
Other than the twelve basic hand seals, there a few unique hand seals used for certain techniques. These hand seals are rarely seen, and can be considered unique to specific techniques.
Clone Seal[]
This seal is used for the creation of clones most commonly associated with the Shadow Clone Technique, and its derivative, separate from the basic twelve seals, where index and middle fingers from both hands are crossed.
Slam Surface[]
Used in techniques such as the Summoning Technique and several Earth Release techniques, this is also more of an initiation of a technique than a seal. The user presses their hand to the surface that is affected.
Mind Body Switch Technique Seal[]
The Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Switch Technique.
Ino uses a specific seal to activate her Mind Body Switch Technique.
Daytime Tiger Seal[]
This seal is used in Daytime Tiger. It does not release chakra, but rather keeps it inside the body to use as energy and strength. This creates a missile type of technique which is not a body of chakra. This seal is actually based off one of the original Kuji-jin seals, the seal of the Outer Lion. In this case, the hands are meant to resemble a tiger. The index fingers (the "eyes" of the Tiger) glow green with the evaporating green sweat of the user (result of releasing the Gate of Wonder).
Great Shark Bullet Seal[]
Kisame's Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique requires this seal. Possibly a comparison to Guy's Daytime Tiger seal, which resembles a tiger, this hand seal is a thrust, but with both hands touching at the wrist and right hand above the left. The fingers are also folded in a way that vaguely resembles shark's teeth. This overall placement of the hands resembles a shark with an open jaw.