Kiba (swords)

Kiba ( 牙 , literally meaning: Fangs) is one of the mystical swords of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist , that has been passed down from generation to generation amongst the group's members since the First Mizukage 's era.

## History [ ]

The swords' earliest known wielder was Ameyuri Ringo , and were at some point also utilised by Mangetsu Hōzuki in his act of mastering all the Seven Swordsmen's blades. Kirigakure lost possession of the swords after Raiga Kurosuki became a Missing-nin , and following his death, the swords remained at the bottom of a ravine in the Land of Rivers . Upon Kiba being collected by Kabuto Yakushi , he had the swords stored within a scroll along with four of the seven Mist swords, which a reincarnated Mangetsu possessed. When Kabuto had him summoned alongside the reincarnated Seven Swordsmen of the Mist during the Fourth Shinobi World War , Mangetsu unsealed all the swords, leading to Kiba returning to Ameyuri's possession.

In the anime, after being trapped in a bottomless marsh, Ameyuri gives the blades to Omoi as a thank-you gift from their exciting battle. After the war, the blades were returned to Kirigakure and stored into a vault along with the rest of Seven Ninja Swordsmen swords with the goal of training a new generation. Fifteen years later, a rebellious group proclaiming themselves the New Seven Ninja Swordsmen stole the seven blades to start a revolution against the modernisation and peaceful era of Kirigakure, with Raiga's daughter, Buntan Kurosuki , taking Kiba. Soon after, she and her team was defeated, allowing the village to reclaim the swords. Later, as part of a work-release program, Buntan was allowed to wield the blades again on a mission to reduce her sentencing.

## Appearance [ ]

Kiba is a pair of Taiji swords. Both have long, slim, and straight, double-edged blades. The blades also have an upward-curved bladed prong near the tip of one side of the blade and another one near the base of the blade's other side. At their bases are smooth brown hilts with a round, grey tsuba. When not in use, they are often kept wrapped in bandages.

## Abilities [ ]

The swords, when charged with lightning , are granted enhanced cutting power in a manner similar to the high-frequency vibrations of lightning-based chakra flow , greatly increasing its penetrating power. It is this capability that has resulted in these " thunderswords " ( 雷刀 , raitō ) being claimed as the sharpest swords in existence, pairing well with Lightning Release users, and also allowing for usage of special Lightning Release that cannot be copied by a Sharingan . Even without lightning, they are very dangerous in battle, able to be used in combination with agile spinning movements, sweeping through the targets while the user also rotates. This, combined with the jagged nature of the blades, allows for more damaging wounds inflicted.

In the anime, the user can transform and manipulate lightning freely, able to use their Lightning Release techniques without hand seals. They also boost the user's attack power to the highest limit, which allows them to perform high-level Lightning Release techniques, and likewise requires only the smallest amount of chakra, thereby letting the wielder remained unhindered from repeated usage of Lightning Release. The blades can channel the user's own respective lightning techniques or can conduct natural lightning, able to launch it from the sky to strike anywhere within a large area. Likewise, as long as there is natural lightning to access, the user can battle continuously without tiring.

While meant to be used as a pair, the user can perform similarly with only a single blade. They can also be connected at the hilts to form a larger, jo staff-like and double-bladed weapon, increasing its range and versatility as a weapon. They are able to perform various powerful techniques, such as to manipulate the blades from afar, leaving their hands free while attacking the opponent at different directions simultaneously. Even from afar, the user can channel chakra into the blades, amplifying them.

## Utilised Techniques [ ]

- Thunderswords Technique: Remote Control
- Thunderswords Technique: Thunderbolt

## Trivia [ ]

- The Kiba are the first anime-only weapons to be adapted into the manga; later, their début wielder, Raiga Kurosuki, was also adapted into the manga. However, during its original appearance in the anime with Raiga, the swords were depicted as two ninjatō . The blades were medium-length and singled-edged while having no tsuba . Its later depictions in the anime, since wielded by Ameyuri, were redesigned to remain consistent with the manga's design.
- Studio Pierrot's Settei sheets of Kiba wielded by Buntan Kurosuki show that the blades are 90 cm long.
- In the anime, although Omoi receives the swords from Ameyuri, he was never seen wielding or even carrying them afterwards.
- Kiba's name and appearance is most likely based off of an old and rare style of Chinese sword of the same appearance and name.

## See Also [ ]

- Sword of the Thunder God
- Weaknessless Soaring Shortswords

## References [ ]