Home Naruto Jutsus Neji Hyuga Byakugan (White Eye)

The Byakugan (白眼, literally "White Eye", Viz "Evil Eye") is a special pupil condition (Dōjutsu 瞳術, "eye technique") that naturally occurs in members of the Hyūga clan (and thus only characters from the Hyūga house - such as Hinata, Neji, Hiashi, Hizashi (deceased), and Hanabi - possess it).

Although it seems the abilities of the Byakugan are inferior to those of the Sharingan (believed to be its genetic relative) because it cannot copy techniques that it sees or hypnotize human targets, in terms of insight the former surpasses the latter, as stated by Kakashi during the Chūnin exams.

A person with the Byakugan can have a nearly 360 degree field of vision, save for a small blind spot behind the first thoracic vertebra (near the back of the neck), which is its only known weakness. Byakugan users can detect anything around them within a 50-meter radius (although later in the manga Hyūga Neji manages to increase the radius to 800 meters), making them close-range combat experts. When the Byakugan is activated, the user can see through most matter over extremely long distances -- how well may depend on the individual user -- and perceive the body's inner chakra coil system, enabling usage of the Jūken (Gentle Fist) to attack said system. The Byakugan's sight cannot be blocked (except in the case by something like Ranmaru's Kekkei genkai eye ability), [unlike the Sharingan, which can even be blocked with a piece of cloth], making it useful for searching, tracking and identifying targets. It is however, possible to impede slightly through the use of certain powerful seals. If sufficiently developed, the Byakugan is able to see individual tenketsu, potentially allowing the user to shut off the opponent's chakra flow completely, such that the opponent cannot perform techniques that require chakra. Seasoned Byakugan users are even capable of easily killing with a single blow.

Protection of the Byakugan ability is very important to the Hyūga clan, and has led to the development of an elaborate family hierarchy. The Hyūga clan is divided into two houses: the main house (宗家, sō-ke) and the branch house (分家, bun-ke). The branch house's main purpose is to protect the main house and the secrets of the Byakugan. Branch house members' abilities and freedom are restricted through the means of a Juin ("Cursed Seal"). The cursed seal is placed on a branch house member's forehead. Through the means of a special technique that only main house members know, the seal can be activated. When the cursed seal is activated, the person's brain cells will be destroyed. Through the use of the cursed seal, the main house makes the branch house subordinate to its wishes. In addition, whenever a branch house member dies, the cursed seal will also seal the byakugan ability so that enemies will not be able to discover the secrets of the bloodline limit if they were to find and dissect the body.

There are several techniques developed specifically for Byakugan users, which complement and make use of the Byakugan's abilities - most notable among which are the defensive barrier technique Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigram Palms Heavenly Spin) and the high-speed precision attack Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms). The anime has also introduced two more jutsu in the same vein - Hakke Hyaku Nijūha Shō (Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms), a variant of Hakke Rokujūyon Shō which Neji uses when driven to a tight corner and is twice as fast as the original; and Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō (Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms), a development of Hinata's that uses fast-moving chakra beams for both offense and defense.

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