Naruto: 10 jutsus similar to nen from Hunter X Hunter

Naruto is a series with a lot of interesting concepts when it comes to worldbuilding and the battle system might be one of the most interesting. The ability to use a wide variety of jutsus can give each character a very distinctive personality and range, which is something that author Masashi Kishimoto put to good use during most parts of the stories, mainly in the beginning.

However, there is no denying that Hunter X Hunter, another very popular shonen series, also has a very unique system with Nen and Naruto took a lot from the former. Therefore, it's not surprising to see that Naruto is a series with some jutsus that are similar to Nen from Hunter X Hunter.

Here are, in no particular order, 10 jutsus in Naruto that are quite similar to Nen from Hunter X Hunter.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Naruto and Hunter X Hunter.

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Shadow Clones and 9 Naruto jutsus that are similar to Nen abilities in Hunter X Hunter

1) Shadow Clones

Shadow Clones is one of Naruto's signature techniques and one that he has borderline perfected during the original series. While it was created by the second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, Naruto was the one that popularized it and got the most out of it.

The ability to create clones was used in Hunter X Hunter by Kastro, a fighter from the Heavens Arena arc that faced off against Hisoka. He had the ability to create a double, and while it is true that this isn't exactly the same as Naruto's cloning technique, the idea is pretty much the same.

Kastro didn't fare too well against Hisoka in that battle, but his ability was definitely similar to Naruto's and vice versa.

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2) Kirin

Sasuke unveiled this move against Itachi during their climactic battle, which was a chakra and lightning-based dragon that came out from the skies to attack his older brother. While the younger Uchiha never used that jutsu again, it stuck in the minds of Naruto fans everywhere while also holding a lot of resemblance to Zeno Zoldyck's Dragon Dive technique.

Killua's grandfather uses this Nen technique to invade Meruem's stronghold during the Chimera Ants arc, which led to one of the coolest moments in the series with his and Netero's arrival.

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3) Super Strength

Sakura might not be the first to concentrate her chakra to increase her physical strength in Naruto, but she became one of the most prominent at that, being able to destroy entire buildings because of it. This is not dissimilar to the protagonist of Hunter X Hunter, Gon Freecs, using his Nen to use the Janken technique, which is a special punch of his, whose strength is increased by his Enhancer qualities.

Gon's Nen abilities might be a bit too simple within the world of Hunter X Hunter, but he has his Naruto counterpart in Sakura.

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4) Kamui

Kamui is a jutsu that belonged to Obito Uchiha due to his Mangekyou Sharingan and allowed him to teleport himself to another dimension. Obito made great use of this ability during his time as Tobi in Akatsuki and also had a counterpart in that regard in Knov from Hunter X Hunter.

Knov first shows up in the Chimera Ants arc and he serves as one of the top-class Hunters of the series, helping Gon, Killua, Netero, and the others in his quest of defeating Meruem. His Nen ability allows him to create a pocket dimension where he can leave people trapped.

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5) Raikage Lightning Chakra Mode

While Sasuke attacking the Raikage with lightning is at the same level as Kurenai trying a Genjutsu on Itachi, it has to be said that the Lightning Chakra Mode was one of the coolest abilities in the Naruto series. It made the user a lot more resistant and faster.

In this regard, it holds a lot of similarities to the Godspeed technique by Killua Zoldyck in Hunter X Hunter.

Killua often manipulated lightning because of his Transmuter abilities. However, Godspeed in the Chimera Ants arc took this to the next level as he was able to increase his speed and agility to absurd levels, going as far as running entire miles in mere seconds. That holds a lot of similarities to the Lightning Chakra Mode in Naruto.

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6) Susanoo

Itachi's Susanoo is very similar to a Nen ability in Hunter X Hunter (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Itachi Uchiha has a lot of great abilities in Naruto but Susanoo could take the crown as the most impressive in his arsenal. This jutsu made its first appearance near the end of his battle with Sasuke and it is a spirit made of Itachi's chakra that can cause a lot of damage.

This is very similar to the ability that Hunter X Hunter's Isaac Netero has.

Susanoo is very similar to Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva (Image via Madhouse)

During Netero's now-legendary battle with Meruem in the Chimera Ants arc, he makes use of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, which is a powerful Nen ability that summons a spirit that allows him to do 100 attacks in under a minute. It is the final result of decades of hard training, cementing the man's legacy as the strongest Nen user that ever lived.

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7) Controlling insects

Shino Aburame might be one of the most wasted characters in Naruto, with his jutsu that allows him to control insects being a very interesting ability that never got the development it deserved. While Shino didn't have a lot of battles to work with, his appearance in the Chunin Exams impacted the audience, and Hunter X Hunter already had someone similar during their exams.

While is true that Ponzu was a very minor character during the Hunter Exams and Chimera Ants arcs, it is also worth pointing out that she had the capacity to control bees and it was never shown how far her abilities could go in that regard. However, Shino's abilities hold a lot of similarities to hers.

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8) Sharingan copying abilities

Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto gave a lot of abilities to the Sharingan in its many different forms, but the special Uchiha eyes were originally known for being to copy any jutsu they could see, thus becoming very dangerous tools on the battlefield. Kakashi Hatake, the teacher of Team 7, built a reputation for copying abilities thanks to the Sharingan eye he inherited from his friend, Obito Uchiha.

In that regard, Ging Freecs has a very similar ability in Hunter X Hunter. He is not only one of the worst fathers but is also one of the most capable and talented hunters in the series. He is able to copy any punching Nen ability he sees out of sheer natural capacities, which is saying a lot.

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9) Eight Gates

The Eight Gates were always regarded as a powerful ability that could release all the physical potential of the user's body but it would come at the great cost of dying. Might Guy decided to push that button against Madara Uchiha near the end of the Naruto series and this became one of the greatest moments in the franchise’s history. Hunter X Hunter also has a very similar story.

When Gon Freecs fought Pitou during the Chimera Ants arc, he gave up all of his life's potential to become strong enough in that particular moment to destroy her. This was done in retaliation for her murdering Kite, Gon's mentor, resulting in the protagonist having a mental breakdown and making such a hasty decision.

This is a very similar concept to Guy's Eight Gates, even if the motivations were different.

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10) Sekizo

Might Guy's Sekizo has a very similar counterpart in Hunter X Hunter (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Might Guy was up to absolute madness against Madara Uchiha near the end of the series, opening the Eight Gates and overall dominating a man that, at that point, was the strongest individual in all of Naruto. His Sekizo, an air pressure cannon, was one of the deadliest blows he dealt to the Uchiha ancestor during their battle.

At the beginning of their fight against Chrollo in the Yorknew arc of Hunter X Hunter, Zeno Zoldyck uses the Aura Blast, a very similar technique in concept to Guy's Sekizo, albeit a much weaker version in comparison.

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Final thoughts

Naruto has a lot of interesting jutsus that have become the backbone of the series' battle system. Some of them can be quite similar to what has been shown in Hunter X Hunter. However, both titles have managed to develop and cultivate their own identities, becoming two fundamental pillars of shonen manga.