CollectiblesMay 18, 2026

All 9 Tailed Beasts (Bijuu) in Naruto Explained

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In the Naruto universe, the Tailed Beasts — Bijuu in Japanese — are nine living masses of concentrated chakra. They’re the most powerful entities in the shinobi world, each capable of leveling entire landscapes. Most conflicts in Naruto exist, directly or indirectly, because of them. Full origin documentation at the Naruto Fandom — Tailed Beast wiki.

Their creation goes back to Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths. After defeating Kaguya and becoming the Ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki, he used his Creation of All Things technique to split the beast’s chakra into nine separate beings. He gave each one a name, a form, and a piece of his will — hoping they would eventually find peaceful coexistence with humanity.

That hope never materialized during his lifetime. After his death, the Tailed Beasts were treated as weapons. Hashirama Senju distributed them across the five great nations as a deterrent system — a kind of living nuclear arms race. Browse the Naruto Toys lineup for officially licensed kits of key Naruto characters.

All 9 Tailed Beasts at a Glance

#	Name	Animal form	Chakra nature	Known Jinchuriki
1	Shukaku	Tanuki	Sand / Wind / Magnet Release	Bunpuku, Gaara
2	Matatabi	Bakeneko (fire cat)	Fire Release	Yugito Nii
3	Isobu	Armored turtle	Water Release	Rin Nohara, Yagura Karatachi
4	Son Goku	Great ape (Sun Wukong)	Lava Release (Fire + Earth)	Roshi
5	Kokuo	Horse-dolphin hybrid	Boil Release (Water + Fire)	Han
6	Saiken	Giant slug	Water / corrosive	Utakata
7	Chomei	Rhinoceros beetle	Wind Release / flight	Fū
8	Gyuki	Ox-octopus (Ushi-oni)	Ink / physical force	Blue B, Killer Bee
9	Kurama	Nine-tailed kitsune	Wind + largest chakra reserves	Mito Uzumaki, Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki

Origins of the Tailed Beasts

The Sage of Six Paths and the Ten-Tails

Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki used the Creation of All Things technique to split the Ten-Tails’ chakra into nine separate beings. He named each beast and raised them, hoping they would one day achieve understanding with humanity.

The Ten-Tails itself was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki merged with the God Tree — the most powerful entity in the series. Its resurrection was the central goal of both Madara and Obito in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

The geopolitical distribution

After Hagoromo’s death, Hashirama Senju captured the wandering Bijuu and distributed them as a deterrent system. Each village received beasts with a combined tail count intended to maintain rough parity.

Village	Bijuu assigned	Context
Hidden Sand (Suna)	Shukaku — 1 tail	Smallest militarily. Shukaku gave Sand a deterrent.
Hidden Cloud (Kumo)	Matatabi (2) + Gyuki (8)	Combined 10 tails. Cloud became a military superpower.
Hidden Mist (Kiri)	Isobu (3) + Saiken (6)	Combined 9 tails. Water-type Bijuu for naval power.
Hidden Rock (Iwa)	Son Goku (4) + Kokuo (5)	Combined 9 tails. Lava and steam Bijuu for offense.
Hidden Waterfall (Taki)	Chomei — 7 tails	Smaller village with flight-capable Bijuu for scouting.
Hidden Leaf (Konoha)	None — Kurama was wild	Kurama was too powerful to be distributed. It roamed free until Madara weaponized it.

The 9 Tailed Beasts: Full Breakdown

#1 Shukaku (Tanuki)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Sand manipulation, Wind Release, Magnet Release (sealing jutsu)
Known Jinchuriki	Bunpuku (first Jinchuriki, a priest), Gaara (Fifth Kazekage)
Signature abilities	Tailed Beast Ball. Sand armor absolute defense. Sealing jutsu via unique Shukaku-possessed seals. Long-range sand manipulation.

Shukaku is the proudest of all Bijuu, constantly compensating for being single-tailed by picking fights with other beasts. Its presence in Gaara caused chronic insomnia — if Gaara fell asleep, Shukaku would take over.

After Gaara treated Shukaku as an equal rather than a weapon, their abilities aligned. Shukaku’s unique sealing techniques later proved critical during the Kaguya confrontation in the war arc.

#2 Matatabi (Bakeneko — mythological fire cat)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Fire Release, exceptional movement speed
Known Jinchuriki	Yugito Nii (Hidden Cloud Village jonin who mastered her Bijuu early)
Signature abilities	Body composed of blue-white flames that incinerate on contact. High-speed movement. Fire techniques generating extreme heat. Tailed Beast Ball.

Matatabi is the most well-spoken and polite of the nine Bijuu. Her body is made entirely of blue-black flames despite her elegant, cat-like form.

Yugito Nii achieved full Bijuu synchronization much earlier than most Jinchuriki and became a jonin with complete access to Matatabi’s power. The Akatsuki’s Hidan and Kakuzu killed her during their assigned capture mission.

#3 Isobu (Giant armored turtle)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Water Release, Space-Time ninjutsu, hallucinogenic mist
Known Jinchuriki	Rin Nohara (sealed as a weapon against Konoha), Yagura Karatachi (Fourth Mizukage)
Signature abilities	Water jutsu including tidal waves and barriers. Hallucinogenic mist that disorients opponents. Space-Time ninjutsu (rare for a Bijuu). Armored rolling attack.

Isobu is the most timid Bijuu. It spent time roaming wild after Rin Nohara’s self-sacrifice — she killed herself upon realizing Obito had sealed Isobu in her as a living weapon intended for Konoha.

The Space-Time ninjutsu Isobu possesses is unusual for a Tailed Beast and provides unpredictable tactical options beyond its water-based techniques.

#4 Son Goku (Great Sage Equaling Heaven — inspired by Sun Wukong / Journey to the West)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Lava Release (Fire + Earth kekkei genkai)
Known Jinchuriki	Roshi (Hidden Rock shinobi, traveled the world mastering lava techniques alongside Son Goku)
Signature abilities	Lava Release: Flower-Fruit Mountain. Monkey Flame Arson. Best taijutsu practitioner among all nine Bijuu. Incredible agility in close combat.

Son Goku values its name intensely and despises being called “the Four-Tails.” Addressing it by name was Naruto’s first move to earn its trust during the war.

Son Goku’s lava chakra contributed to the Sage Art: Lava Release Rasenshuriken — a technique powerful enough to wound a corrupted Madara Uchiha and severely damage the Divine Tree.

#5 Kokuo (Horse-dolphin hybrid)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Boil Release (Water + Fire kekkei genkai — steam-based)
Known Jinchuriki	Han (Hidden Rock Village, used steam-powered armor in combat)
Signature abilities	Horn Breaking technique: charges with enormous force. Boil Release heats chakra to boiling point, boosting physical strength dramatically. Nearly defeated Obito before recapture.

Kokuo is the most reserved and solitary of the Bijuu. It prefers the forest and values peace above all.

After the war, Kokuo — alongside Matatabi and Chomei — chose to distance itself entirely from human settlements. Given centuries of forced servitude, the choice is entirely understandable.

#6 Saiken (Giant slug)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Water Release, corrosive acid, alkaline secretions
Known Jinchuriki	Utakata (missing-nin from Hidden Mist Village)
Signature abilities	Water Release: Starch Syrup Capture Field. Soap Bubble Ninjutsu: explosive or trapping bubbles. Corrosive substances on contact. Exceptional resilience against attacks.

Saiken is one of the more unusual-looking Bijuu but maintains a gentle disposition that contrasts sharply with its corrosive abilities.

Utakata’s Jinchuriki arc was one of the better-developed character stories in the series. He was killed by Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain during the Akatsuki’s systematic capture campaign.

#7 Chomei (Rhinoceros beetle — Kabutomushi)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Wind Release, flight
Known Jinchuriki	Fū (Hidden Waterfall Village, female ninja sold alongside the Bijuu by Hashirama)
Signature abilities	Flight using six insect wings. Scale Powder — disrupts vision and chakra sensing. Protective Cocoon penetrable only by a chakra-infused blade. Horn attack. Tailed Beast Ball.

Chomei calls itself “Lucky Seven” — reflecting an unusually cheerful personality for a Bijuu. It’s the only beast with a documented larval developmental stage.

As a young Bijuu with Hagoromo, Chomei appeared as a larva rather than an adult beetle. This visual continuity across different life stages is unique among the nine Tailed Beasts.

#8 Gyuki (Ushi-oni — ox head, eight octopus-tentacle tails)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Ink-based jutsu, massive physical output, enormous chakra
Known Jinchuriki	Blue B (killed when Gyuki lost control), Killer Bee (current Jinchuriki, Hidden Cloud)
Signature abilities	Ink Creation: generates ink for clones, distraction, trapping. Tailed Beast Eight Twists: tentacles form a tornado. Enormous chakra reserves. Second strongest Bijuu overall.

Gyuki’s relationship with Killer Bee is the gold standard for Jinchuriki bonds. They fight in perfect sync and Gyuki voluntarily sacrificed a tentacle to help Bee fake his own capture by the Akatsuki.

Even after forcible extraction during the war, Gyuki chose to return to Killer Bee voluntarily — their bond survived complete physical separation.

#9 Kurama (Kitsune — nine-tailed fox)

Attribute	Detail
Chakra nature	Wind Release, negative emotion sensing, largest chakra reserves of any Bijuu
Known Jinchuriki	Mito Uzumaki → Kushina Uzumaki → Minato Namikaze (Yin half) → Naruto Uzumaki
Signature abilities	Tailed Beast Ball. Great Roar. Chakra cloak sharing with allies. Baryon Mode. Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Six Paths Sage Mode. Negative emotion sensing across distances.

Kurama is the most powerful Bijuu. Full ability detail at the Naruto Fandom — Kurama. The Sage of Six Paths gave it the largest portion of the Ten-Tails’ chakra, enough to simultaneously fight multiple other Tailed Beasts.

Initially hostile toward all humans, Kurama’s view changed entirely through Naruto. The bond they formed — described by Kurama as the first genuine friendship it had ever known — became the emotional core of the entire series.

Kurama died permanently during Baryon Mode in the Boruto series, sacrificing its own life force to defeat Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. Baryon Mode burns chakra as fuel, not reserves — leaving no residual energy to reform. The Kurama species is now extinct.

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Role in the Naruto Storyline

How the Bijuu shaped major events

The Tailed Beasts drove nearly every major conflict in Naruto. Full narrative breakdown at Screen Rant — Tailed Beasts Explained.

Event	Bijuu involvement
Attack on Hidden Leaf	Obito manipulated Kurama into attacking the village on the night Naruto was born. Minato sealed Kurama’s Yin half into himself and the Yang half into newborn Naruto.
Chunin Exams arc	Shukaku’s influence drove the Sand Village’s invasion of Konoha. Gaara’s unstable access to Shukaku was the direct threat.
Akatsuki capture campaign	All nine Bijuu were systematically hunted. Shukaku was the first extracted (from Gaara). Gyuki was only partially extracted from Killer Bee.
Fourth Great Ninja War	The war was fought entirely to prevent the Ten-Tails’ resurrection. The Bijuu chakra in Naruto gave him the power to fight Madara, Obito, and ultimately Kaguya.
Boruto era	Kurama’s death during Baryon Mode permanently reduced Naruto’s power. The remaining eight Bijuu live free across the world.

The Jinchuriki relationship dynamic

The Jinchuriki dynamic is one of the series’ central themes. Most hosts were isolated by their own villages, feared for the power inside them, and given no support in managing it.

Naruto’s friendship with Kurama proved the connection was possible without coercion. That proof changed the other Beasts’ view of humanity — each shared chakra with Naruto voluntarily during the war.

What Happened to the Tailed Beasts After the War?

After Kaguya was sealed, the Tailed Beasts were freed from the Gedo Statue where Obito had imprisoned them. The Five Kage agreed to allow the Bijuu to choose their own paths.

Bijuu	Post-war fate
Kurama	Stayed with Naruto. Died permanently during Baryon Mode in Boruto, sacrificing its life to defeat Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.
Gyuki	Returned voluntarily to Killer Bee. Their bond remained intact after forcible extraction.
Shukaku	Freed from Gaara post-war. Maintained loose connection and assisted Gaara during Boruto’s early missions.
Son Goku	Returned to its volcanic mountain home. Distanced from humans but remains part of Naruto’s chakra network.
Matatabi, Kokuo, Chomei	Distanced themselves from human settlements entirely. Chose remote natural environments after centuries of forced servitude.
Isobu, Saiken	Returned to aquatic environments. Both maintain low-profile existence in the post-war world.

Tailed Beast Power Comparison

The Sage of Six Paths assigned chakra in unequal portions. Tail count directly correlates with chakra volume. However, kekkei genkai abilities and combat intelligence also factor into battle effectiveness.

#	Name	Chakra volume	Combat ceiling	Key edge
9	Kurama	S-tier	S-tier	Baryon Mode · largest reserves · emotion sensing
8	Gyuki	A-tier	A-tier	2nd strongest · ink jutsu · synced with Killer Bee
4	Son Goku	B-tier	A (combat)	Best taijutsu · lava release kekkei genkai
5	Kokuo	B-tier	B-tier	Boil Release massively boosts physical strength
7	Chomei	B-tier	B-tier	Flight + Scale Powder disrupts sensing
6	Saiken	B-tier	B-tier	Exceptional resilience · corrosive acid
3	Isobu	C-tier	C-tier	Armored shell + hallucinogenic mist
2	Matatabi	C-tier	C-tier	Speed + blue flames · naturally polite
1	Shukaku	C-tier	C-tier	Sand + sealing jutsu · unique Magnet Release

Officially Licensed Naruto Kits

Blokees produces officially licensed collector kits for key Naruto characters. All kits below are verified from official Blokees product pages.

Product	Price	Pieces	Artic.	Key highlights
Naruto Shippuden Legend Edition Kurama (Nine Tails)	$49.99	263	31 pts	9 independent tails · magnetic light-up · Naruto Uzumaki statue included · ages 14+
Naruto Champion Class Naruto Uzumaki	$19.99	103	22 pts	Rasenshuriken · Rasengan · Kunai · interchangeable faces + hands · display stand · ABS/POM/PVC · ages 14+
Naruto Champion Class Minato Namikaze (Reanimation)	$19.99	97	-	Interchangeable face sculpts + hands · complete accessories · officially licensed · ages 14+
Naruto Champion Class Sasuke Uchiha	$19.99	80	-	interchangeable face sculpts + hand parts · anime-accurate · ages 14+

Conclusion

The nine Tailed Beasts are the structural foundation of the Naruto world. Every major war, every geopolitical shift, and the central emotional arc of the series all trace back to Hagoromo splitting the Ten-Tails.

Their journey from weaponized prisoners to free beings is the series’ most complete argument for its themes. Naruto and Kurama’s friendship isn’t just a power-up — it’s proof that the cycle of hatred can end.

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FAQs

Who are the 9 Tailed Beasts in Naruto?

The nine Bijuu created by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki are:

1. Shukaku — tanuki, sand powers (Jinchuriki: Gaara)
2. Matatabi — fire cat, blue flames (Jinchuriki: Yugito Nii)
3. Isobu — armored turtle, water (Jinchuriki: Yagura)
4. Son Goku — great ape, lava release (Jinchuriki: Roshi)
5. Kokuo — horse-dolphin, boil release (Jinchuriki: Han)
6. Saiken — slug, corrosive acid (Jinchuriki: Utakata)
7. Chomei — beetle, flight (Jinchuriki: Fū)
8. Gyuki — ox-octopus, ink jutsu (Jinchuriki: Killer Bee)
9. Kurama — nine-tailed kitsune, strongest Bijuu (Jinchuriki: Naruto Uzumaki)

Each has its own personality, chakra nature, and history with its human hosts.

Who has the 9 Tailed Beast in Naruto?

Naruto Uzumaki hosts Kurama’s Yang half, sealed inside him at birth. Minato Namikaze held the Yin half temporarily. The previous Kurama Jinchuriki were Kushina Uzumaki (Naruto’s mother) and before her, Mito Uzumaki — wife of Hashirama Senju.

After the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto also carries portions of chakra from all eight other Bijuu, making him a spiritual meeting point for the group. The other eight Bijuu each had their own Jinchuriki across history: Gaara held Shukaku, Yugito held Matatabi, Yagura held Isobu, Roshi held Son Goku, Han held Kokuo, Utakata held Saiken, Fū held Chomei, and Killer Bee holds Gyuki.

What is the strongest 9 Tailed Beast?

Kurama is the strongest Bijuu by a clear margin. The Sage of Six Paths gave it the largest share of the Ten-Tails’ chakra — more than any other single beast. It can simultaneously fight multiple other Tailed Beasts.

At its peak with Naruto, Kurama’s power reached Baryon Mode: both Naruto’s and Kurama’s chakra burned as fuel for exponentially increased output. The drawback is that this mode consumes Kurama’s life. Kurama ultimately died activating this mode to defeat Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, choosing to keep the cost secret from Naruto until after the battle ended.

Is Naruto the first 9 Tails Jinchuriki?

No. Naruto is the third Jinchuriki of Kurama’s Yang half. The Kurama Jinchuriki lineage:

Mito Uzumaki — first Jinchuriki of Kurama. Wife of First Hokage Hashirama Senju.
Kushina Uzumaki — Naruto’s mother. Held Kurama for most of her adult life until Obito forced the extraction.
Naruto Uzumaki — received the Yang half the night of his birth.
Minato Namikaze — sealed the Yin half into himself to reduce Naruto’s burden.

The Uzumaki bloodline’s strong life force and chakra chains made Uzumaki members uniquely suited to containing Kurama without the seal breaking.

Who is the friendliest Tailed Beast?

Matatabi is the most naturally polite and measured Bijuu — it speaks formally and shows no hostility in standard interactions. Chomei is uniquely cheerful and laid-back, referring to itself as “Lucky Seven.”

Kurama becomes the most loyal and selfless Bijuu by the end of the series, but its starting point is extreme hostility toward all humans. The arc from Kurama threatening Naruto’s life to voluntarily dying for him — while hiding the cost to spare his feelings — is one of the series’ most complete character journeys. Gyuki and Killer Bee represent the most balanced and mutually respectful Jinchuriki-Bijuu partnership in the entire series.

Can a Jinchuriki have kids?

Yes. Being a Jinchuriki doesn’t prevent having children. Naruto and Hinata have two — Boruto and Himawari. Kushina Uzumaki gave birth to Naruto while still hosting Kurama.

The main risk during childbirth is that physical and emotional stress weakens the seal. When Kushina gave birth to Naruto, the strain allowed Obito to forcibly extract Kurama. Minato and Kushina both died that night preventing a larger catastrophe. Naruto and Hinata’s children weren’t born under the same emergency conditions. Himawari’s accidental awakening of the Byakugan at age three suggests significant dormant power from the Hyuga bloodline.

Who made all the Tailed Beasts?

Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, created all nine Bijuu. He split the Ten-Tails’ chakra using his Creation of All Things technique after defeating Kaguya alongside his brother Hamura.

Hagoromo named each beast individually and raised them, intending them to find coexistence with humanity as part of his broader Ninshu philosophy.

What happened to the Tailed Beasts after the war?

After the war ended, Naruto freed all nine from the Gedo Statue. The Five Kage allowed them to choose their own paths:

Kurama — stayed with Naruto. Died permanently in Boruto during Baryon Mode.
Gyuki — returned to Killer Bee by choice. Their bond survived extraction.
Shukaku — assisted during Boruto’s early missions. Loosely connected to Gaara.
Matatabi, Kokuo, Chomei — distanced themselves from humans. Living in remote areas.
Son Goku, Isobu, Saiken — returned to natural environments.

The era of weaponized Bijuu ended. Each beast now chooses how, or whether, to engage with the human world.

What is Kurama's view on humans?

Kurama started the series hating humans. Centuries of being feared, weaponized, and sealed into unwilling hosts had convinced it that humans were only capable of exploitation. It rejected Naruto repeatedly, offering power only when Naruto’s life was already in danger.

Naruto’s refusal to treat Kurama as a weapon and his insistence on recognizing it as a living being worthy of respect gradually shifted this. By the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kurama was fighting alongside Naruto by genuine choice. In Boruto, Kurama chose to sacrifice its life for Naruto without telling him the cost — the final proof that its view of humans had completely changed.

Is Sora still a Jinchuriki?

Sora was a pseudo-Jinchuriki, not a true one. He carried residual chakra from Kurama — not a fully sealed Bijuu. This happened because Sora was exposed to Kurama’s chakra under unusual circumstances during his childhood.

After the events of his story arc in the anime, the residual Kurama chakra was drawn out of Sora’s body. He is no longer a Jinchuriki of any kind and returned to life as a normal human. His arc is anime-only and considered non-canonical to the manga. A true Jinchuriki has a complete Bijuu sealed inside them through a formal sealing jutsu — Sora never had that.

Sources

Naruto Fandom — Tailed Beast — Primary wiki: origins, abilities, and history of all nine Bijuu. Ongoing updates.
Naruto Fandom — Kurama — Full documentation of Kurama’s abilities, Jinchuriki history, and Baryon Mode.
Screen Rant — Every Tailed Beast & Jinchuriki — Narrative overview of each beast’s role in the franchise.
Naruto Fandom — Tailed Beast History — Historical origins and Hagoromo’s creation process.
Naruto Fandom — Tailed Beast List — Complete Jinchuriki list and ability reference.
Naruto Toys — Blokees — Official Blokees Naruto IP main collection page.
Naruto Shippuden Legend Edition Kurama Nine Tails — Official product. ages 14+.
Naruto Champion Class Naruto Uzumaki — Official product. · ages 14+.
Naruto Champion Class Minato Namikaze — Official product· ages 14+.