Why is Sasuke's Rinnegan always active?

Key things

  • Sasuke's Rinnegan is unique with six tomoe, making it better than others in Naruto.
  • His Rinnegan is always active because it is a borrowed power from the Sage of Six Paths.
  • Unlike other implanted dojutsu, Sasuke's Rinnegan does not drain chakra, allowing him to keep it visible.



The Naruto The complex energy system of the franchise led to all kinds of complexities, but the most peculiar of them involves dojutsu. As the pinnacle of all power in NarutoDojutsu or eye techniques are a complex aspect of the series, with each dojutsu carrying a unique function. Sasuke's Rinnegan is a prime example of this phenomenon, as his Dojutsu works on some fairly new principles.

Probably the most interesting darkness of Sasuke's Rinnegan is its permanently active state. While most Dojutsu users can activate or deactivate their eye techniques at will, Sasuke's Rinnegan remains permanently active. Also, Sasuke's dojutsu isn't technically a transplanted eye, which is usually the case with those who are unable to turn off their dojutsu. However, several plausible explanations may demystify the reason for Sasuke's permanently active Rinnegan.


Related

Naruto: The Evolution of Sasuke's Chidori Techniques Over Time Explained

The Chidori reflected Sasuke's complex journey—starting as a tool of defense, then evolving into a tool of both destruction and redemption.

How did Sasuke get his Rinnegan?

Sasuke's Rinnegan is the result of Hagoromo's chakra

Sage of Six Paths with Naruto and Sasuke

Episode

Naruto Shippuden Episode 424 “To Rise Up”

Broadcast date

August 13, 2015

Achieving the Rinnegan was considered the pinnacle of power within Naruto series. However, there are several paths to reaching this peak, some more unorthodox than others. The primary method of awakening the Rinnegan is to obtain the chakra of Asura and Indra, which can only be achieved when the chakra of both their reincarnations is mixed. Only two characters were able to awaken the Rinnegan with this method Naruto; Madara and Sasuke.


However, even these two characters gained the Rinnegan through completely different means. Madara gained his Dojutsu by forcibly implanting Hashirama's cells into his body, resulting in the Asura and Indra chakras becoming one. Sasuke, on the other hand, gained his Rinnegan after the Sage of the Six Paths granted him his chakra. Since the combination of Asura's and Indra's chakra lead to Hagoromo's chakra, Sasuke bypassed the process Madara had to go through.

Why is Sasuke's Rinnegan different?

Sasuke's Rinnegan is the most unique dojutsu in Naruto

Because Sasuke received the Rinnegan directly from Hagoromo, his dojutsu is completely unique. Unlike other Rinnegan users witnessed during Naruto, Sasuke's Rinnegan is the only one that contains six tomoe printed on the basic Rinnegan design. Since the number of tomoe is a direct indicator of dojutsu strength, Sasuke's six tomoe Rinnegan is clearly superior to his counterparts.


However, Tomoe on the Rinnegan is not the only peculiarity of Sasuke's Dojutsu, as it hides another peculiarity. Unlike Madara's Rinnegan, which can be deactivated, Sasuke's Rinnegan remains permanently active. This becomes even more bizarre given that he can deactivate his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan at will, yet his Rinnegan remains active at all times. This darkness of his Rinnegan is one of them To Naruto many mysteries, although a few speculations can be made to explain the matter.

Sasuke's Rinnegan is a borrowed power

The Rinnegan cannot be deactivated due to its status as a borrowed power

Naruto and Sasuke Vs. Madara - Theme of power and choice


Every character in Naruto that is unable to turn off their dojutsu is due to the technique being a borrowed power, be it Nagato and Obito's Rinnegan or Ao's stolen Byakugan. Similarly, Sasuke's Rinnegan is also a borrowed power in a way, as he received it as a power boost directly from the Sage of Six Paths. Instead of awakening the dojutsu itself like Madara did, Sasuke immediately got the Rinnegan in his left eye.

Related

Naruto: Hashirama and Madara's Relationship: A Tragic Story of Brotherhood

Hashirama and Madara's friendship began with dreams of peace, but ended in a tragic conflict that defined the fate of the ninja world.

Madara's Rinnegan awakened over the years as his body took the time to fuse Hashirama's cells with his own DNA. This lengthy process resulted in Madara awakening his Rinnegan in a somewhat more natural process, allowing him to deactivate the Rinnegan at will. On the other hand, Sasuke's Rinnegan awakened more violently because it was given to him by the Sage of the Six Paths himself. These events clearly mark his Rinnegan as a borrowed power, meaning that Sasuke can never deactivate his Rinnegan.


Why doesn't Sasuke cover up his ever-active Rinnegan?

Sasuke's Rinnegan with one eye

This explanation begs the question of why Sasuke is not forced to cover up his ever-active Rinnegan, since the implanted dojutsu is the source of the constant chakra drain. Kakashi is a prime example, a character who was plagued by his borrowed Sharingan's constant chakra draining. To combat these effects, Kakashi was forced to cover his ever-active Sharingan with his mask. Fans often consider Sasuke's Rinnegan to be truly his, as he can keep his dojutsu active without draining his chakra.


However, any character with the Rinnegan, whether implanted or awakened, was able to maintain the Rinnegan without losing much chakra. This suggests that the Rinnegan itself does not drain much chakra from its base form, meaning that Sasuke can maintain his base Rinnegan at all times without covering it. Some speculate that Sasuke may have deliberately kept his Rinnegan active at all times. However, this notion is spoiled by the fact that Sasuke witnessed the deactivation of his Eternal Mangeko Sharingan in Boruto several times, yet his Rinnegan remains constantly active.

Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video.

Naruto_Shippuden

Naruto Shippuden

Studio
Pierrot

Based on
Manga

Creator
Masashi Kishimoto

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