Rasengan/Futon Rasengan

**Rasengan** (螺旋丸) and **Fūton: Rasenshuriken** (風遁・螺旋手裏剣), or simply called, **Rasenshuriken** is Naruto's Neutral Special move in *Super Smash Bros. Switch*.

## Overview

When performed, Naruto will summon a shadow clone who builds up chakra to create a blue ball of energy, and then thrusts it forwards, creating a projectile that moves forwards and rapidly hits the opponent if the ball hits one, exploding into a larger explosion after a while. The move can be charged to deal more damage, and the more the attack is charged, the bigger the Rasengan will be, sucking in more possible opponents for bigger damage. After the initial hit when Naruto hurls the ball forward, the attack deals a long range of gradual damage to opponents hit; the more it is charged, the more damage it deals. Aside from being fully charged, the attack deals anywhere from 10% to 14% damage to the opponent if all the hits connect, with moderate knockback at the end.

**Fūton: Rasenshuriken** is Naruto's fully charged version of Rasengan Instead of hurling the chakra forward as a ball, Naruto instead throws the projectile in the shape of a large shuriken, dealing multiple hits and strong knockback if it hits an opponent. The projectile has a decent range and flies horizontally. Much like with the standard Rasengan, opponents hit by the move may be trapped for the move's duration and dealt up to 22% damage, assuming all hits connect. Additionally, if an opponent is close enough to Naruto when he activates the move, they will be paralyzed for a moment and take an additional 3% damage, as well as the full force of the projectile when it gets thrown.

## Origin

The Rasengan is Naruto's signature technique in the *Naruto* manga and anime. It is a powerful A-rank technique invented by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, which he created by observing the Tailed Beast Ball. Minato spent three years developing the Rasengan; his plan was to take the shape transformation of one's chakra to the "highest possible point" and then combine it with his chakra's nature affinity, creating a technique that did not need the aid of time-consuming hand seals to control. He died before he could accomplish this, but on shape transformation alone, the Rasengan is still a very useful, powerful, versatile, and difficult technique to learn and master.

The Rasengan does not require any hand seals to use, relying only on the chakra control of the user. In the case of Naruto, he uses a Shadow Clone to help with shaping the chakra into a sphere, similarly to how he does in *SSF2*. Once it is complete, it becomes self-sustaining, which does not give the Rasengan a definite limit. The compacted nature and moving speed of the chakra allows the Rasengan to grind into whatever it comes in contact with to inflict major damage. This tends to launch the target backward after being hit or, if the target is lying on the ground or being launched to the ground, the destructive force is enough to form a crater.

A special technique invented by Naruto called "Wind Release: Rasengan" can also be performed using his Shadow Clones, where a third clone adds the wind nature to create a more powerful variant of Rasengan. After he figured out the move's principles, Naruto invented the Rasenshuriken, a similar technique he often has the help of three Shadow Clones for, though by the time of *The Last: Naruto the Movie*, Naruto is able to create Rasenshuriken without aid. Unlike the Wind Release: Rasengan, additional shape transformation is applied to the Rasenshuriken, creating four large points around the central Rasengan core, giving the appearance of a fūma shuriken.

Rasenshuriken require a great deal of chakra to perform: Naruto has been shown creating as many as three Rasenshuriken on his own before tiring out. If he attacks with the Rasenshuriken similarly to how he'd attack with the Rasengan, his arm suffers severe damage, but if he throws the Rasenshuriken, he takes no damage. After travelling a certain distance or colliding with a target that it can't slice through, the central sphere of the Rasenshuriken detonates, producing a vortex of wind in the immediate area. Within this vortex, countless microscopic wind blades are created, which damage anything within the vortex on a cellular level, attacking the chakra circulatory system to such a degree that no amount of medical ninjutsu can heal it. Tsunade likens the damage to poison, and warns that if the damage is great enough, those affected by it won't be able to use jutsu again.

## Trivia

* If Kirby uses this attack after copying it from Naruto, a clone of him will appear. However, this clone will not be wearing Naruto's hat.
* If this attack hits Sasuke's Chidori special move, it will create a special explosion that deals intense damage. This can only be done if both players press the Up Taunt button at a frame perfect collision. This is a reference to the Naruto series when Naruto and Sasuke's respective moves collided.