Naruto: What is Orochimaru’s Curse Seal? Explained

Orochimaru is one of the most intelligent characters in Naruto, and he proved his expertise in chakra and ninjutsu throughout the series. This got him well-known in the shinobi world as an uncanny enemy to never cross paths with.

Unfortunately, some people who fear weakness and want power, irrespective of its source, tend to search for Orochimaru and fall for his evil schemes. Not many characters have returned with an ordinary mind after Orochimaru grants them power as a cursed mark known as the 'cursed seal.'

Some famous characters from Naruto, including Kimimaro and Anko, formed this cursed contract with Orochimaru and got a cursed mark. Besides these, one of the main protagonists of Naruto also fell for this, and that character was Sasuke Uchiha.

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Naruto: Discovering the cursed seal of Orochimaru

Orochimru's cursed seal, or Juinjutsu, is a transformation-type of seal jutsu that he can apply on anyone using his teeth. The origin of this seal was revealed later after it was used on Sasuke in the early episodes.

The magic behind this seal does not have much to do with Orochimaru but rather with one of his underlings, Juzo (seen in Karin's group later in the series). Juzo's body could absorb nature's energy, which is used during Sage mode by Naruto or any other person capable of using this technique.

Orochimaru combined his energy with Juzo's fluids (which could store energy) and created a seal he used for the rest of the series to lure people in hopes of getting stronger. Juzo's fluids helped Orochimaru control others using his little percent energy in the seal.

Sasuke with his level 2 cursed seal awakened (Image via Studio Pierrot)

When granted this seal, its power doesn't become active immediately as the seal takes its time to replace the person's chakra with Orochimaru. The powers of this seal work in two levels - the first gives physical strength as the seal expands, and the second physically alters the user's body, making them more potent than before.

These cursed seals had different designs as Orochimaru kept developing his technique after various defects in the previous ones. Canonically, four designs of Orochimaru's cursed seal exist in Naruto.

The Sound Four (top) and Kimimaro (bottom) as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The first was 'Prisoners' Cursed Seals,' the prototype he used on some prisoners kept in his research facility. The second was 'Sound Four's Cursed Seals,' used on the famous four sound ninjas that helped Sasuke escape the Hidden Leaf Village.

The last two types were the most developed seals, with the first design being the 'Cursed Seal of Earth' given to Kimimaro. Kimimaro was the last survivor of his clan and used 'Dead Bone Pulse' jutsu, which involved taking his bones out to fight. He is famous for his fight against Rock Lee.

Sasuke (right) and Anko (left) as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The last one is 'Cursed Seal of Heaven,' which was granted to Anko Mitarashi (a proctor during Naruto's Chuunin Exams) and Sasuke, one of the main characters of this series.

These two were also the only ones who were able to remove Orochimaru's seal and survive. The drawbacks of using this seal include reactions from feeling dizzy to, sometimes, completely losing sanity.

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Anko: Someone who refused to use Orochimaru's seal

Anko Mitarashi was a special jonin (the highest rank a ninja can achieve) and was, just like Sasuke, one of the few ninjas who managed to gain the attention of Orochimaru at a very young age. Her fighting style revolves around using snakes, which came from her teacher, Orochimaru.

Orochimaru experimented with his 'Cursed Seal of Heaven' on ten subjects, and Anko was the only one who survived. But she was hesitant to use it, so Orochimaru brainwashed her into believing she couldn't power it (as she was a valuable specimen to him).

She held a deep grudge against Orochimaru after this. Although no reason was revealed behind Anko's refusal to use the cursed seal, fans speculate that she was scared to use it.