Naruto: Is the Izanami jutsu stronger than Izanagi? Explained

In the Naruto universe, the Uchiha clan is renowned for their unique dojutsu, the Sharingan, which the fans hold in high regard. This transformation of the eyes into the Sharingan occurs when a Uchiha clan member experiences powerful emotions, particularly ones that are of a tragic or traumatic nature. As a result, they obtain the ability to perform exceptional genjutsu, such as Izanagi and Izanami.

Izanagi and Izanami, like other Sharingan techniques such as Susanoo, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi, are both inspired by Japanese deities. According to the Japanese creation story, these two deities were responsible for creating the other deities as well as the islands of Japan.

The question now is if either Izanagi or Izanami is more powerful than the other. The answer is yes; Izanami appears to be superior.

Disclaimer: The opinions presented in this article are the author's personal views.

---

Why is Izanami more powerful than Izanagi in Naruto?

Izanagi and Izanami are considered counterparts because one was created to control the other. Izanagi, the technique that came first chronologically in Naruto, is based on the Creation of All Things Technique, used by the Sage of Six Paths to turn imagination into reality.

The Sharingan user can use Izanagi to create an illusion of reality, giving the user control over what is and is not real for as long as Izanagi is active. Users generally do this to defend themselves, thus negating any damage done to their bodies or even canceling their deaths. When this happens, the user's injury becomes an illusion, leaving them with a completely unharmed body.

Naka Uchiha using Izanagi in Naruto (Image via Studio Pierrot)

In spite of its immense potential, Izanagi has its limitations. The Uchihas, who are the primary users of this technique, do not possess the entirety of the Sage of Six Paths’ chakra. As a result, they can only use Izanagi for a limited time.

Despite this limitation, the technique was often misused, which led to the creation of Izanami as a countermeasure. It stopped Uchihas from trying to escape reality by rewriting it.

In Naruto, Izanami is a genjutsu used to create physical sensations shared between the user and the target. The user first selects a moment and uses their Sharingan to capture both their own and their opponent's bodily feelings.

Naori using Izanagi in Naruto (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Following that, the user recreates the same feeling and uses their Sharingan to remember it. Izanami tricks the opponent's consciousness by connecting these two similar sensations and the time between them, resulting in an infinite cycle of events.

The user of Izanami can use their Sharingan to remember multiple sensations to create more layers. The more sensations they make use of, the more likely they are to initiate Izanami on a person effectively, and the more sensations the victim will feel each time they repeat a cycle. The cycle can be stopped only by accepting defeat, which means accepting the real nature of reality.

But, like its counterpart, Izanami also blinds the Sharingan user, which is why both are regarded as kinjutsu, or forbidden techniques. Nonetheless, it is more powerful than Izanagi because it determines destiny, unlike Izanagi, which changes destiny. Learning about Izanami, Sasuke himself had stated that it is the superior genjutsu.