Kisame Hoshigaki

Kisame Hoshigaki (干柿鬼鮫 Hoshigaki Kisame), known as the Monster of the Hidden Mist (霧隠れの怪人, Kirigakure no Kaijin), was a missing-nin ninja of Kirigakure, a former member of the Seven Mist Ninja Swordsmen and formerly Itachi Uchiha’s partner in Akatsuki. He wore the South ring (南, Nan), on his left ring finger. Kisame died in Episode 251 “The Man Named Kisame” (鬼鮫という男, Kisame Toiu Otoko) of the Naruto: Shippūden anime, killing himself with his own shark summoning jutsu.

History

Background

Before becoming known as a member of the Seven Mist Ninja Swordsmen, Kisame was appointed as a bodyguard of the Kirigakure intelligence squad, being the subordinate of the former swordsman. Caught by Ibiki Morino’s platoon, during a mission, he chose to kill his teammates in order to prevent any information from leaking out. Later, he killed his master when he realized he was selling the information, thus taking control of Samehada for himself and also replacing him as one of the seven swordsmen

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, congratulated him for his act of loyalty to Kirigakure, Kisame reprimanded him and revealed his disappointment. He said that he no longer knew what his role within the village was, that he was loyal to the people but was forced to kill his fellow villagers, Tobi, revealed himself controlling Yagura from the shadows, hinting to Kisame his Moon-Eye Plan. Kisame, at first, skeptical of Tobi’s identity and thought his plan was crazy, but Kisame realized that he wanted to experience this “world of truth”, paving the way to become one of Akatsuki’s first and most loyal.

While in Kirigakure, Kisame gained a reputation for being terrible, earning the title of the “Monster of the Hidden Mist” (霧隠れの怪人, Kirigakure no Kaijin), a reputation that would spread around the ninja world. He is also known to have formed a connection with Suigetsu Hōzuki and Mangetsu Hōzuki during his time in the village. Water Country, sought him out for conspiring to overthrow their government and involvement in numerous assassinations, including that of a Daimyō from an unknown country. As a member of Akatsuki, he teamed up with Itachi Uchiha. Although they initially greeted each other with hostility, they became good companions who shared a common bond of having betrayed those closest to them.

Part1

Search for Tsunade

As far as is known, Kisame and Itachi have been partners in Akatsuki. His first appearance takes place in the first season, when he goes with Itachi Uchiha in search of the Kyubi sealed inside Naruto. In this first attempt to kidnap Naruto to obtain the Bijuu, they were forced to retreat, because the fight with Asuma Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yūhi and Might Guy threatened to turn into a war against the entire village of Konoha, the place the encounter took place. In this struggle, Kisame discharged his sword against Asuma, making his peculiarity known.

In a second appearance, they attempt to capture Naruto while he was traveling with Jiraiya. The sannin arrived in time and summoned the stomach of a mountain toad to trap the two Akatsuki members. Itachi however used for the first time in the anime the Amaterasu, a black fire-based technique that was able to open a hole in the walls, (despite the fact that mountain toads breathe fire) and allow them to escape.

Part2

Kazekage Rescue Mission

When the extraction of the Shukaku was being performed on Gaara, he lent a third of his chakra so that the leader could recreate his appearance in one of his henchmen (a Sunagakure ninja), so that he could delay Might Guy and his team. Through this shapeshifting technique, the spy was able to adopt Kisame’s appearance and abilities, but was controlled by him, and since he only had a portion of his strength, he was eventually defeated.

Master’s Prophecy and Vengeance

Kisame manages to capture the Yonbi, without a scratch. During the next Akatsuki meeting to seal the four-tailed, Kisame and Itachi were informed of the formation of Hebi, with Sasuke as their leader. Later Itachi gave him the order to stand guard outside the Uchiha Abandoned Fortress and let only Sasuke pass. After Sasuke left the rest of Hebi, Suigetsu (who was a former candidate for the Seven Mist Ninja Swordsmen) started a fight with Kisame, eager to claim Samehada as his own. It was later revealed that Zetsu stopped the fight.

Two Saviors

After Itachi’s death, Kisame talks to Tobi, who revealed his identity as Madara Uchiha. Recognizing Madara as the former Mizukage, Kisame commented that he felt much better knowing that it was Madara who was pulling the strings. Madara apologizes for leaving Kisame as the last Akatsuki member to know his identity, Kisame later assisted in sealing the Hachibi captured by Sasuke. When this turns out to be a fake.

The Gathering of the Five Kage

After Pain’s defeat, Zetsu informed Tobi and Tobi ordered Kisame to capture the Hachibi. Kisame used Samehada to find Killer B. When he arrived at Sabu’s residence, Kisame was immediately attacked by Ponta, whom he quickly defeated. B pulled out four tails. Kisame fought back and absorbed the chakra mantle of B. He then removed Samehada’s bandages and remarked that he liked the “taste” of B’s chakra.

Killer B entered his second version of Bijuu and uses his Lariat to destroy much of Kisame’s body. Kisame fuses with Samehada to heal his wounds, becoming a monstrous creature. After trapping Killer B, Sabu, and Ponta inside a giant moving dome of water, he continued to attack Killer B. B was forced to throw Sabu and Ponta out of the dome to save them from drowning, allowing Kisame to overpower him. He left the dome to finish the job, but was stopped by Samehada, who was protecting B and gave him little chakra. Kisame kicked Samehada and prepared to try again to finish off Killer B but this time with a sword of B’s.

Using the chakra he got from Samehada, B attacked Kisame with a chakra pencil. Kisame barely evaded the attack and tried to cut off his legs, but was stopped by the arrival of B’s brother: the Fourth Raikage, and his two bodyguards. The Raikage and B joined forces against Kisame as he attempted to perform a Jutsu. Before he could finish the jutsu he was decapitated by his double Lariat. With his last breath, he claimed with a smile that his speed is lightning fast and it was simply too fast for him. His head flew and landed at a distance in front of Sabu.

Nine-tailed Fox Taming and Karmic Encounters

It was later revealed that the decapitated body was a clone of Zetsu and that Kisame had been hiding inside Samehada in order to infiltrate Kumogakure. Samehada was taken over by Killer B, who planned to use it as his new weapon. Kisame later appears spying on the Kumogakure war meeting, saying that Killer B was an idiot. During the first Shinobi Alliance meeting, the Kages decide to send the remaining jinchūrikis to an island located in the Lightning Country and because of that Killer B goes there along with his Samehada, causing Kisame to manage to infiltrate.

While Naruto shows Killer B and Yamato the power of his new seal, he detects the presence of Kisame who was inside Samehada, forcing him to reveal himself. Finding himself outnumbered, instead of facing two jinchūriki and a Wood Element user, he attempts to flee, but first comments on Naruto’s ability to discern his hidden presence (said by Kisame is something even the most skilled sensory shinobi is unable to do) and takes note of this as a result of having gained control over the Kyūbi’s chakra, only for Naruto to use pure speed to strike him. Regardless of being injured and bleeding from the mouth, he continues on and flees, marveling at Naruto’s velocity. Later, as Might Guy tries to use the Falls to confront his true self, Kisame breaks loose from the waterfall. Guy responds by slamming Kisame into the waterfall.

Through strategy and to overcome his opponents, Kisame steals the chakra of Killer B and Aoba – the former after taking advantage of Samehada’s affection for Hachibi’s chakra to get to B and the latter after Aoba used his Technique: stone needles in an attempt to paralyze him. Then he fled to the outside of the island, Guy with all his strength, who had entered the Sixth Gate went after him.

He pulled a scroll out of his mouth, after calling his sharks, Guy arrived and the two faced each other. To hide the scroll, Kisame used Water Element: A Thousand Hungry Sharks. Guy responded with Morning Peacock, then he used the Seventh Gate. The two clashed, Guy used Morning Tiger and Kisame with Water Element: Giant Shark Bullet Jutsu. The two techniques clashed, Kisame was surprised that the Morning Tiger won and subdued him. Restrained by the Konoha shinobi, Aoba Yamashiro tried to read his mind for information. Kisame bit his own tongue in order to force himself back into consciousness and prevent him from obtaining any information. In a fit of rage, he created a dome of water around himself, and then summoned three sharks into it.

In his weakened state, Kisame recalled his first encounter with Itachi, and considering his words about what kind of person he might be and how people’s personalities are revealed in the face of their own death, he had the sharks eat him, leaving nothing but a bloody splatter. Seeing the extent to which Kisame was willing to go for his companions, he gained the respect of his adversary, Guy vowed to always remember him. He and the others tried to read the scroll Kisame tried to send, but found it to be a water prison trap. Another shark took the scroll and swam away with it to finally meet Zetsu on his way.

Personality

Kisame loved to fight. However, he usually couldn’t finish his battles, with Itachi being his partner, who only fought when necessary. Kisame did not hesitate to maim his opponents, as seen when he suggested cutting off Naruto and Killer B’s legs to make their captures easier and to prevent them from escaping. Despite his aggressive nature, Kisame was very perceptive in battle, seemingly always aware of any danger to his person and immediately able to react to it. He was also noted for being analytical, able to quickly deduce the basics behind an opponent’s technique.

Kisame was one of the few Akatsuki members who got along well with his partner, despite the fact that they had opposite personalities. The only commonality between the two ninja was that they betrayed those close to them. Kisame was perfectly aware of his weaknesses and shortcomings and that Itachi was perfectly capable of making up for it. He was very loyal to Itachi, willing to take any order when it was given, without hesitation, and they were constantly concerned for his well being. Although Kisame had his pride, he recognized Itachi as the stronger and smarter of the duo. Tobi said, that out of all the Akatsuki members, Kisame was the closest to Itachi, implying that they were really good friends. Kisame also had a deep rivalry with Might Guy since their first meeting, it seems that Guy doesn’t remember Kisame when they met again.

Throughout his entire life, Kisame believed that everything was a lie. While his mission in the intelligence team was to protect his colleagues, Kisame believed that protecting information was far more important than protecting lives. This prevented him from forming a friendship with his fellow ninja, which was better for him when he was forced to slaughter in order to protect the codes of his people. This became his philosophy, and he lived by it strictly speaking. When Aoba Yamashiro was reading his mind, Kisame forced himself to bite his own tongue to prevent the extraction of any important information, and then, knowing it was impossible to escape, he called his sharks and they devoured him, committing suicide. Kisame’s deepest wish was for a “world without lies”.

Appearance 

Its most characteristic feature is that it looks very much like a shark. Kisame, in fact, means “demon shark”. His skin is pale blue, he has small white eyes, and on his cheeks he has marks that look like gills. His hair is frizzy blue, and he is quite tall. Like all his fellow swordsmen, Kisame has sharp teeth.

He carries a huge sword, usually wrapped in bandages, called Samehada (鮫肌, Sharkskin), made of shark scales. Its function is not to cut, but to tear that which it touches (note that shark skin is so rough, it was once used as sandpaper). In addition, it steals the chakra of its opponents and has a will of its own, since it only allows Kisame to use it, Samehada is able to return to Kisame’s hand of its own free will.

Abilities

Kisame was a powerful Akatsuki member who successfully captured the Yonbi’s Jinchūriki, Roshi, by himself, despite pointing out his opponent’s exceptional powers. It was a difficult fight, by his own admission. Kisame only complained that he was “a little tired.” He was also able to kill his former master, despite his superior having Samehada at the time. Nagato also noted that he had the most chakra of anyone in all of Akatsuki, being compared to a Beast with a Tail. He fought B, a powerful jinchuriki, and during their battle, Kisame was practically the one who dominated. Even with only 30% of his power he managed to put Team Guy in trouble.

Chakra

Kisame possesses a large amount of chakra, being the largest amount in Akatsuki. Karin, upon spotting Kisame, stated that she had never seen so much chakra in one place. Even when he fought on 30% of his energy and chakra, Neji compared his chakra to Naruto’s. Chōjūrō claims that Kisame is a “Tailless Bijuu” due to his inhuman chakra level and his combination with Samehada. Even without Samehada, Kisame has been shown to absorb chakra while he is in a water source. Aoba Yamashiro discovered this and used his technique: Stone Needles, in an attempt to paralyze Kisame, but his chakra went through the threads. He can even steal chakra from Samehada by simply clinging to her or touching her.

Taijutsu

Unlike his partner Itachi, Kisame prefers physical combat, with which he has proven to be very skilled and dangerous. In general, while fighting, he combines strong taijutsu attacks with the Samehada. He has been shown to have amazing speed and immense physical strength, making it very difficult for his opponents to directly overpower him, as shown in his fight with Might Guy, a powerful Taijutsu master, during their battle. He also managed to overpower another expert melee weapon user, such as Asuma Sarutobi, using only the tip of Samehada (wielded with one hand). In addition, he has shown enough strength to destroy some chakra-reinforced chains despite being weak and injured during the fight with Guy.

Ninjutsu

Kisame was known to be an expert in jutsu that use Water type nature, thus allowing him to create sharks made of pure water and, in addition, thanks to his large amount of chakra, he is able to create an immense amount of water coming from his mouth in a few seconds. In a battle he almost always uses his jutsu “Water Element: Water Explosion Wave Collision”, thanks to this technique, he creates a lake of water which allows him to easily make his water clones and he can also combine his ability to manipulate water and his skill with the sword to attack his opponent.

His water skills are so great that he is even able to create a giant dome of water around him, forcing his enemies to fight underwater. He has shown that despite not having Samehada, his use of water is tremendous because he formed a tsunami made of water sharks to confuse Might Guy. Like other powerful shinobi, Kisame can use a second chakra nature, being able to use Doton-type jutsus. One of his techniques is the “Earth Element: Underwater Underground Travel” where he travels under the earth with the tip of his sword, Samehada, protruding which makes him look like a shark swimming towards its prey, but on land.

Summoning Technique

This ninja was able to use the technique of summoning, allowing him to summon a shark that he uses to this day to bring information to other people. This one, generally, to hide the animal from other people, creates a large number of sharks to confuse his enemy and some can distract them, making it very difficult to find the shark with the information.

Kenjutsu

Kisame is a powerful swordsman. Kisame’s weapon is called Samehada, a sentient being, it is a sword, which tears flesh instead of cutting it. Samehada is also able to detect and absorb chakra, When Samehada absorbs chakra, its scales grow and slowly begins to unravel.

Kisame can heal and replenish his chakra when merged with Samehada, taking the chakra that the sword has accumulated, he can also further increase his power and takes the appearance of a shark-man, even gaining the ability to breathe underwater using the gills. During the use of his jutsu Jutsu: Water Prison: Shark Dance, he can take full advantage of this ability by drowning his opponents. In this form, he can detect other people’s chakra, and absorb chakra by simply touching the enemy with any part of his body. He can also hide inside Samehada to go unnoticed.

Only Kisame is able to handle Samehada; if anyone besides him tries to use it, spikes protrude from its handle and it returns to Kisame’s side. Samehada’s loyalty seems to be only because he likes Kisame’s chakra. If he finds a ninja with better chakra, he may turn to that ninja side, he shows this when Samehada protected Killer B because of his chakra. It was said by Suigetsu that if he killed Kisame, he would be able to handle Samehada. Chōjūrō describes Samehada as the most terrifying sword of the Seven Mist Ninja Swordsmen, in addition to his sword being one of the strongest.