Naruto's universe is full of shinobi with powerful and unique jutsu, but some of the most notable abilities are those reflected in a shinobi's eyes. These unique eyes often transform into stronger forms, evolving alongside the wielder's abilities; the most powerful of which are the "Three Great Dōjutsu" -- the Byakugan, Sharingan and Rinnegan -- which provide unparalleled visual prowess.
Many unique eyes originate from the Ōtsutsuki clan, but some can be obtained by powerful shinobi or jinchūrikis. Below are the most significant eyes among the Naruto cast and all you need to know about their origin and powers.
Naruto's Sage Mode
Naruto learns how to access his Sage Mode while training with the toads on Mount Myōboku, following in Jiraiya's footsteps after making a summoning contract with the toads. One must be completely still in order to become one with nature and activate Sage Mode, which Naruto finds difficult at first. If a shinobi doesn't properly balance their chakra and natural energy, they can slowly transform into their sage animal, like Jiraiya resembling a toad/human combination. Only shinobi who already possess unusually large amounts of chakra can attempt and use senjutsu, drawing upon natural energy and using it as their own.
Sage Mode gives the wielder unique capabilities, like sensing an opponent's chakra and attacks happening all around them without needing their eyes to see the enemy. It also enhances the existing abilities of the shinobi, increasing their stamina, strength, speed, and reflexes. This allows the wielder to improve any and all of their Jutsu by manipulating the natural energy around them. Since entering and maintaining Sage Mode requires the user to be perfectly still, Naruto implements shadow clones to sit and amass natural energy while he's in combat, giving him a seemingly unlimited supply of natural energy.
Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode
When Naruto first enters Tailed Beast Mode, he has no control over the Nine Tails' chakra and allows it to consume him. In this state, his eyes become a deep red with a vertical slit as pupils. Jinchūrikis who successfully cooperate with their Tailed Beasts can access and use the immense chakra and abilities of the beast inside them when entering Tailed Beast Mode. As Naruto and Kurama agree to work together and he learns Sage Mode, Naruto's finally able to access one of his ultimate forms that combine his Sage Mode and Tailed Beast Mode: Six Paths Sage Mode.
In Six Paths Sage Mode, Naruto's eyes resemble an addition sign, combining the horizontal pupils of Sage Mode and the vertical pupils of Tailed Beast Mode. The Sixth Paths Sage Mode uses the sage power gifted to him by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki and his own Nine-Tails chakra to achieve an understanding of all things and see through the invisible world of Limbo. Naruto's natural energy from Sage Mode and immense chakra of Tailed Beast Mode are both enhanced in this combined form, making it nearly impossible for anyone to oppose him. This mode is so powerful that it rivals the Ōtsutsuki clan, whose Jutsu and abilities are nearly god-like.
The Otsutsuki Clan's Byakugan
The Hyuga clan members are descendants of the Ōtsutsuki clan, who originally wield the Byakugan and move between their settlements on the moon and the earth. The Byakugan is present at birth, appearing as wide all-white eyes without visible pupils. However, a shinobi must train extensively before accessing the Byakugan's unique abilities and they must limit its use due to the amount of chakra it requires.
The Byakugan gives the wielder unrivaled visual prowess, allowing them to see through any object and providing them with a nearly 360-degree field of vision. They can focus their vision on a single target and survey large areas at once, making these shinobi ideal for reconnaissance missions. The Byakugan is powerful enough to see an individual's unique chakra signals, allowing them to find a specific person based on their chakra network and distinguish between clones. Since they can see a person's entire chakra network, they can take advantage by targeting their chakra points to open or seal their pathways using the Gentle Fist technique.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan
The Sharingan is a powerful Kekkei Genkai exclusive to the Uchiha clan that creates unique ninjutsu and genjutsu. It was first awakened by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, also known as the Sage of Sixth Paths, after the trauma he endured from killing his brother. The Sharingan is usually awakened in an Uchiha clan member when experiencing a significant emotional event, causing the eyes to reflect the shinobi's heart and make them susceptible to hatred. A non-Uchiha can have the Sharingan implanted in them but it consumes a large amount of chakra, so they're forced to cover the eye when it's not in use, as seen in Kakashi Hatake.
It's believed that both eyes are required to use the Sharingan's full power. The Sharingan allows the user to copy and modify any Jutsu they see except for unique Kekkei Genkais, making it incredibly difficult for opponents to outmaneuver them. The eyes also give the user an array of genjutsu capabilities that allow them to manipulate their opponents through hallucinations and mind control.
The Sharingan can even control Tailed Beasts and enter their jinchūriki's subconscious, as Sasuke did with Naruto. Certain Uchiha can evolve their Sharingan into a Mangekyō Sharingan when suffering extreme trauma or loss, and each eye's new design and capabilities are unique to the wielder. The most powerful ability of those who awaken Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes is the Susanoo.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki's (and Later Sasuke's) Rinnegan
The Rinnegan is commonly regarded as the most powerful eye in the Naruto universe, seen as having god-like abilities. Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki was the first person to have the Rinnegan as well as the Sharingan, awakening both at the same time. A shinobi can only awaken the Rinnegan by either receiving it from Hagoromo directly or by combining the chakra of his two sons, Indra and Asura. Sasuke was able to awaken the Rinnegan in one eye after receiving chakra from Hagoromo directly to aid his and Naruto's fight against Madara and Kaguya. Like the Sharingan, the Rinnegan can be transplanted into another person, which is how Nagato receives the eyes from Madara before his death.
Though it possesses many abilities only for those who wield the pair of eyes, the Rinnegan's full potential can only be achieved by the eyes' original owner. It is the only set of eyes capable of deciphering the stone tablet left by the Sage of Sixth Paths and is the only way to control the Ten-Tails or become its jinchūriki, allowing the wielder to perform the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Rinnegan wielders in Naruto can use the entire Six Paths Technique, which gives them abilities ranging from extracting souls to reviving the dead. Most notably, the Rinnegan can allow the wielder to shift through spaces and travel between dimensions, which Sasuke and Obito use to bring down Kaguya.
