Kisame Hoshigaki is certainly neither one of the main or major antagonists and even less of the favorite protagonists. But like many other Naruto characters, he remains an interesting, deep and above all cool character!
Kisame Hoshigaki (干柿鬼鮫 in Japanese) was a ninja from the Hidden Mist Village (Kirigakure) from the Hoshigaki clan. He was a member of the famous 7 ninja swordsmen of the mist before joining the Akatsuki group, thus becoming a deserter ninja.
You will learn if you are not familiar with the Naruto manga or rediscover if you already are:
- The story of Kisame Hoshigaki: it is long because Kisame is one of those rare antagonists to have survived several arcs from Naruto to Naruto Shippuden. 📚
- A description of the character: moral and physical. Kisame is far from being a beauty like, but it is not for the aesthetics of his physical assets that he impresses. On the contrary... 👁🗨
- Some important sequences from the manga and anime where he appears. 🎥
Ready for this young shinobi adventure? Attach your forehead protector, prepare your ninja tools and go! And above all, watch out for the shark...
Story of Kisame Hoshigaki
His debut in Kiri
Kisame's story in the work begins when he is the disciple and under the orders of Fuguki Suikazan. Konoha and Kiri (Kirigakure) are at war.
He is tasked by his mentor with secretly monitoring a division of ninjas in his village of which he himself is a part. During the battle Kisame's division found itself surrounded by a squad led by Ibiki Morino . She was completely decimated... by Kisame himself, to prevent his comrades from providing information under Ibiki's interrogations.
His disillusionment
Kisame further proved his patriotism by later eliminating his mentor, accused of leaking information to Konoha. This act earned him his master's weapon, Samehada, as well as his place among the 7 ninja swordsmen of the mist. ⚔
However, despite Yagura , the fourth Mizukage commending his loyalty, something changed in Kisame after his master's act of betrayal. He realized that his life, the world, was full of falsehoods and lies.
The promise of a world of truth
Taking advantage of this period of disillusionment, Tobi introduced himself to him as Madara Uchiha. The mysterious masked man told Kisame of the Mooneye Plan and his motivations, thus seeking to rally him to his cause. Kisame also discovers that the Mizukage is being manipulated by him. 💥
At first doubtful, Kisame insists that Tobi take off his mask even after seeing his sharingan. But he finally lets himself be seduced by the promise of a “World of Truth”. A world far from lies and uncertainties.
From the 7 of the Mist to the 10 of Akatsuki
Among the swordsmen, Kisame acquired the sinister nickname of the “Mist Monster”. He joined forces with the Hōzuki brothers (Mangetsu and Suigetsu) and the rest of the swordsmen and staged a failed coup attempt to take control of the Land of Water. He also found himself involved in the assassination of a foreign Daimyo. He then becomes a fugitive, a deserter ninja (Nuke-nin) classified as rank S, in the bingo book . 📖
Kisame is then recruited by Pain into the ranks of Akatsuki. An organization composed solely of Nuke-nin like him and Itachi Uchiha. The one who massacred all his war comrades then teams up with the one who almost completely exterminated his entire clan. The two are at first suspicious of each other. Kisame warns Itachi the first time. But they end up forming one of the most effective and complementary duos in Akatsuki. Kisame put blind trust in Itachi's judgment and even worried about his deteriorating state of health. 👨🏻⚕️
In search of the Bijus
Their objective within the organization will be to try to capture Kyubi, Naruto Uzumaki's nine-tailed fox demon. But during their first foray into the village of Konoha, they are spotted and repelled by a group of jōnin composed of Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai. With his partner, he would have succeeded in capturing Naruto in a second attempt if the hermit Jiraiya had not intervened in time. Itachi is even forced to use amateratsu so they can escape his technique.
The tandem, after having retreated a second time, no longer makes Kyubi a priority and turns to another tailed demon: Yonbi. Kisame confronts and defeats his jinchūriki, a shinobi named Rôshi.
Loss of a faithful companion and reunion with another
At Itachi's request, Kisame will ensure that the fight between him and Sasuke is not interrupted. He will hold off Sasuke's group (Hebi) and begin a friendly fight with Suigetsu who covets Samehada. Later when Itachi is defeated by his brother, Kisame will then discover that Tobi is in fact the man who introduced himself to him as Madara Uchiha and who controlled the Mizukage (we recall here that the Mizukage (水影, Mizukage, literally meaning: Water Shadow) is the ruler of the hidden village of Kiri in the Land of Water.)
Death a little fanatic
Kisame is later tasked with capturing the Eight-Tailed Demon (Hachibi) after Sasuke is defeated by Killer Bee. He uses Samehada to track down the demon's host. The two shinobi then engage in single combat. Kisame then pretended to lose the fight by being betrayed by Samehada and beheaded by a joint assault by Bee and the Raikage. He thus manages to infiltrate the village of Kumogakure to gather information and follow Killer Bee to the turtle island where he trains Naruto. 💨
Spotted by the latter, he then tries to escape but meets Gai Maïto whom he must face. After a colorful fight between him and the taijutsu master, he is defeated by one of his opponent's most powerful techniques: the “ Zenith Tiger ”. Kisame kills himself by being devoured by his summons, taking all these secrets with him.
Description of Kisame
Kisame was in many ways an unusual character. Whether by his appearance, by his personality and his skills as a Shinobi. 💥
Physical appearance
Kisame stood out from all the other members of Akatsuki first of all by his athletic body and especially by his size. Then he had quite atypical features which gave him the appearance of a shark in every way: A pale green complexion (blue-gray in the anime); Small, round, white eyes with three small curved lines underneath; Bronchitis-like marks on the shoulders. It also had small, triangular-shaped teeth, a trait also shared by some members of the Mist Swordsmen.
His haircut was reminiscent of a shark fin because of the oblique position of his forehead protector on his head. When he was a member of the 7 Swordsmen, he wore the ninja vest. He ends up swapping it for Akatsuki's long black tunic with red cloud patterns. His nails were painted a dark purple color and like all members of Akatsuki he wore a ring on his left ring finger. A small pattern in Japanese was written there on a yellow background. Samehada was carried slung across her back, in a sheath large enough to hold her. 🔪
Personality
Kisame was a belligerent character. Without being just a pile of muscles on legs. He demonstrated excellent powers of analysis and perception in combat, showing himself capable of deducing the principle of a technique. Cold and merciless, he defined himself as a cannibal . He suggested that Itachi cut off Naruto's feet to prevent him from escaping. 🦶
One of his most salient character traits was an iron will, determination and resilience thanks to which he accomplished the tasks entrusted to him to the end. Whether it's preventing Konoha from getting their hands on information by massacring all of his companions or taking on the responsibility of capturing Hachibi alone.
His devotion to Kiri and later Akatsuki was unwavering. Unlike other members, he has always acted of his own free will to directly serve the interests of the organization. He thus worked towards the advent of a world of truth possible through the resurrection of Juubi thanks to the Moon Eye Plan , the demon with 10 tails. 👺
Kisame disillusioned
Kisame had never really felt in his place or himself. He only mechanically carried out orders without questioning them. Even when it came to acts as vile as slaughtering his own companions to protect sensitive information for the village. He believed he was serving a good cause, that of his village.
But the betrayal of Fuguki from whom he received his orders made him feel guilty and led him to the conclusion that his whole life, the world was based only on lies. Itachi noted that Kisame had difficulty finding his place in this world probably because he had noticed the similarities between them. Kisame believed that their destiny, because of their actions, was to die miserably. 💀
Character humor
Kisame had a great sense of humor. He knew how to laugh at the most serious situations. He liked to taunt his opponents with a smile as he did with Guy and Killer Bee. He nicknamed Hidan and Kakuzu the “Zombie Brothers” because of their longevity. He was the only member of Akatsuki who appreciated Tobi's jokes and idiocies, maintaining that he helped create a good atmosphere. 🤣
Kisame's skills
Kisame was a formidable shinobi. As expected for an Akatsuki member and Ex-Mist Swordsman. Strong enough to defeat Fuguki , his mentor and predecessor within the Kiri Swordsmen and former owner of Samehada . His abilities expanded to the point where he was able to beat the hosts of Yonbi and (practically) Hachibi respectively. And to force Gaï to open the 6th and 7th heavenly doors. 🚪
Tailed demon without tails
Kisame possessed enormous chakra reserves that surpassed those of the other Akatsuki members and probably even Naruto's, already exceptional. Such a quality earned him the nickname “Tailed Demon without a Tail”. In addition to large personal reserves of chakra, Kisame had the ability to absorb that of his opponents further increasing his own reserves as he did with Killer Bee.
Versatility
Kisame combined powerful suiton -type techniques with a wide range of action with melee techniques alternating blows and uses of Samehada. He had the advantage against great taijutsu practitioners like Asuma Sarutobi and Killer Bee and was able to more or less compete with masters of the art like Gaï Maïto.
A tough-skinned shark
His extraordinary resistance allowed him to survive the powerful techniques of his opponents. He was able to continue the fight after being hit head-on by Bee's second version of the lariat. He still possessed enough strength to break Yamato's restrictions and summon sharks after undergoing Guy Maito's Day Tiger technique. 🦈
A master of water
Kisame had a strong affinity to the suiton type of chakra. It also presented some uses of other affinity such as the Doton . His mastery of the Suiton was only surpassed by that of the second hokage. 🌊
He has a long repertoire of techniques of this affinity, including:
- Doton - Underground movement like fish in water (土遁・土中映魚の術, Doton - Dochū eigyo no Jutsu) :
It is an underground movement technique that allows Kisame to approach his enemy at high speed and with stealth. When Kisame uses this technique by letting Samehada emerge from the ground, the attack resembles that of a shark.
- Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (水分身の術, Water Clone) :
This technique was also used by Zabuza . Kisame used this jutsu quite common in the land of fog to form clones made of water. These replicas had a tenth of the user's chakra and could not move beyond a certain distance from the user.
- Suiton - Bakusui Shôha (水遁・爆水衝波, Explosive Wave) :
Kisame makes a large wave spring up and crash over his opponents, at the top of which he finds himself. The ground was completely flooded by the attack. Kisame thus transformed an arid desert terrain into a lake while trying to delay Team Guy.
- Suiton - Dai Bakusui Shôha (水遁・大爆水衝波, Great Explosive Wave) :
This technique is an improved version of the Explosive Wave.
- Suiton - Goshokuzame (水遁・五食鮫, Suiton - Five Hungry Sharks) :
The technique allowed Kisame to summon 5 sharks against a submerged target. They had the power to constantly regenerate, as long as they were in water. Kisame used this technique against Guy Maïto when he sank into the lake created by his explosive wave.
- Suiton - Suikôdan no Jutsu (水遁・水鮫弾の術, Watery Elemental Shark):
By this technique a shark made of water is projected towards a target.
- Suiton - Daikodan no jutsu (水遁・大鮫弾の術, Large Watery Elemental Shark):
He used the technique to try to counter the diurnal tiger. But because this last technique did not contain chakra. The Daikodan no jutsu consisted of Kisame summoning a large watery shark capable of absorbing chakra like him.
- Suiton - Suirô no jutsu (水牢の術, Watery Prison):
Kisame uses the technique to envelop his opponents in a bubble of water. The liquid imbued with his chakra becomes denser than ordinary water. This restricts the movements of individuals caught in the technique and exposes them to the risk of drowning. Kisame will lock Guy's three disciples in watery prisons formed by clones.
- Suirô Sameodori no Jutsu (水牢鮫踊りの術, Shark Dance in the Water Prison):
This last technique was carried out by merging with Samehada after creating a gigantic bubble of water from the “Dai Bakusui Shôha”. Kisame then became half-man, half-shark. He could move very quickly and breathe underwater. He was able to detect any source of chakra present in the bubble through his skin. Kisame could move within the bubble and with it. He could take advantage of this advantage by drowning his opponents.
Kisame's taijutsu
Kisame was strong enough in hand-to-hand combat and in the use of melee weapons to stand up to masters in the field like Asuma Sarutobi with his special brass knuckles and Guy Maïto and his nunchakus. He held out against Bee for quite a long time even though the latter had taken on the chakra coat version 2. Although his ribcage was broken.
Kisame's Kenjutsu
Kisame was one of the 7 Mist Ninja Swordsmen. His mastery of the sword was therefore indisputable. Added to his already great sword-wielding skills is the possession of an exceptional weapon: Samehada, which literally means “Shark Skin”. 🦈
Shark skin
Samehada was a weapon endowed with consciousness and self-will. Covered with scales, it tears off the flesh instead of cutting it. The sword is also capable of detecting and absorbing chakra. This ability, however, seems to require contact between the weapon and the chakra source. It is therefore not capable of feeding on ambient chakra. 🌞
The more chakra she absorbs, the more Samehada's scales gain in proportion. The bands surrounding it come off and reveal a mouth with several rows of shark teeth. She also made little noises of excitement when she liked a particular chakra.
Affinity between Kisame and Samehada
Kisame possessed a great affinity with his weapon. He could temporarily merge with her to heal and replenish his chakra. By completely merging with the sword he improved his abilities taking the appearance of a hybrid shark . Kisame could make himself undetectable by hiding inside Samehada because both have the same type of chakra. 🦈
Conscious and energetic, Samehada only allows herself to be handled by a shinobi whose chakra she appreciates. So no one other than Kisame could use it until Bee whose chakra was to Samehada's taste. But Kisame was still able to control Samehada even though she had passed into Killer Bee's possession.
Story of Kisame in Naruto
Part I - Search for Tsunade
Kisame and his partner, Itachi, set out on the trail of Naruto who left with the Sannin Jiraiya in search of Tsunade. They spot them in a hotel where they stopped and after using a woman under Itachi's influence to distract Jiraiya, they try to capture Naruto , who remains alone. Sasuke then appears on the scene. But despite all his hatred and resentment, he gets beaten and manhandled by his renegade brother.
It takes Jiraiya's return for Itachi and Kisame to retreat when they are very close to accomplishing their mission. Before that, the duo had clashed with Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenaï Yûhi, Kakashi Hatake and Gaï Maïto after infiltrating the village. They dominated the fight against Asuma and Kurenai before Kakashi arrived and temporarily balanced the confrontation. But he finds himself in a bad situation and owes his own salvation to the arrival of Gaï. Kisame seems delighted at the idea of facing the Konoha shinobi. But Itachi believes that this is not part of their priority and asks him to fall back.
Part II - Gaara's Rescue Mission
Akatsuki had captured Gaara and began the extraction of Shukaku , the one-tailed demon. Learning that Team Guy was approaching their lair, Kisame volunteered to hold them back so that they would not interfere with the extraction operation. Above all, he had old scores to settle with Gaï since their first meeting. With the help of Nagato (Pain), he created a clone that he seemed capable of controlling remotely. When they met, he was very surprised, even disappointed, to see that Gaï seemed to have retained no memory of their first meeting.
His clone offered a formidable challenge to the Guy team. 💨
First of all by transforming the terrain, in a single technique (The explosive wave), so as to give yourself the advantage. Then managing to capture three of the four team members, Guy's disciples, in watery prisons. He pushed the latter to his limits, forcing him to successively use the sixth door and the Morning Peacock technique to neutralize him. 🦚
He later complained that the cloning technique Nagato used only limited the amount of the original's chakra allocable to the clone to 30% and no more. He had nevertheless achieved his objective because the Konoha-Suna coalition arrived too late to prevent the extraction of Gaara's Biju.
Last moments with Itachi
After failing to capture Kyubi, Kisame and his companion began to follow the trail of Yonbi , the four-tailed demon. Its host was a shinobi named Rôshi. Kisame defeated him without Itachi's help and declared, at the end of the fight, that he was only "a little tired".
Shortly after this capture of Yonbi, they learned that Sasuke had been killed. Kisame joked about this, telling Itachi that he was finally the last Uchiha. But Itachi told him that Sasuke was not dead. He asked him to stand guard and not prevent Sasuke from entering when he arrived with Team Hebi. Kisame, with a bad feeling, expressed his regret at the idea of parting with his old companion.
When Team Hebi arrives, Kisame steps aside and lets Sasuke pass but blocks the way for the other members of his team. Then he engages in a somewhat “friendly” confrontation with Suigetsu who has his sights set on Samehada. The fight is finally stopped by Zetsu . 🛑
Hachibi Capture Mission
Afterwards, Kisame discovers that Tobi is actually Obito who introduced himself to him long ago as Madara Uchiha. He reveals to him that it is in fact him who pulls the strings of Akatsuki through Nagato. Kisame said he was relieved.
Sasuke and the Hebi team (Renamed Taka) having joined the Akatuski, they are responsible for capturing Hachibi. But they are fooled and realize during the extraction that they have captured a clone. Tobi therefore tasks Kisame with taking over the capture of the 8-tailed demon. He tracks the latter thanks to Samehada who has a nose for large quantities of chakra.
When he found him, Kisame had to face Ponta, whom he easily defeated. Then to Killer Bee and Sabu with the jinchūriki using a demonic form. However, Kisame dominated the fight despite everything. Using Samehada he absorbed Bee's chakra cloak and noted that the weapon enjoyed the taste of his chakra. 🥰
Kumo Infiltration
Killer Bee then used a second form of transformation and hit Kisame severely with a lariat. But he merged with Samehada to repair his wounds, becoming a hybrid creature half-man, half-shark. He used his Water Prison Shark Dance technique to trap Killer Bee and Sabu in a giant dome of water while continuing to lead assaults on Killer Bee. 🌊
The latter, very disadvantaged and running out of chakra, could barely fight back. As Kisame was about to finish the fight, Samehada, visibly seduced by Bee's chakra, intervened between them and gave him chakra. This allowed Bee to put up enough resistance to Kisame until the arrival of his brother A, the Raikage. Together, they defeat Kisame almost too easily, using a combined Double Lariat technique to decapitate him in a single attack and before he has time to react.
Zetsu later revealed that the decapitated body was just one of his replicas. Kisame himself had hidden inside Samehada, which Bee adopted as his new weapon, to infiltrate Kumogakure. The goal is to gather information in preparation for the next great war. 🧾
The Shark Vs The Tiger
In order to protect them from Akatsuki, Naruto and Bee are sent to the turtle island in the territory of the land of lightning. It was also the place for Bee to teach Naruto how to tame Kyubi. When he succeeded, his ability to detect negative waves allowed him to spot Kisame hiding in Samehada. Discovered, and alone facing two jinchūrikis, Kisame flees with Samehada. Naruto tried to stop him with his new powers but he didn't have full control yet. 🦶
Kisame's escape is finally stopped by Guy who once again does not remember Kisame. Samehada abandoned Kisame to join Killer Bee, but before that he had time to absorb Bee's chakra from the weapon and then the technique launched by Aoba Yamashiro to revitalize himself. Then, he continues his escapade trying to leave the island. Arriving on the beach he summons a shark to whom he entrusts a parchment containing all the information he has gathered. 📜
Gaï, having chased him, notices him and then tries to intercept the message. But Kisame summons hundreds of sharks to hide the first one. Guy used his celestial gate technique (The 7th) to block the passage of all the sharks. Kisame then uses the Great Elemental Shark technique against Guy who responds with the powerful Day Tiger technique. The technique becomes increasingly stronger when pitted against a chakra-based technique. But since the Day Tiger consists of a large jet of compressed air, it cannot be absorbed by Kisame's shark. A blow from Guy knocked him unconscious as he refused to admit defeat. 🩸
Suicide: Mission accomplished
Afterward, Aoba attempted to probe Kisame's mind to gather information about Akatsuki. Just as he was close to discovering Tobi's identity, Kisame forced himself to regain consciousness by biting his tongue. He broke the bonds Yamato had imposed on him and locked himself in a watery prison before the shinobi of Kumo and Konoha could do anything to stop him. He then summoned 3 sharks which devoured him. 🦈
In his last moments, his first meeting with Itachi Uchiha came back to his mind. The one where he called himself a cannibal. He realized that he was not as terrible as he had then claimed. Was he not ready to sacrifice himself for others? For a cause, an ideal he believed in? Kisame died with a smile on his face.
His sacrifice earned him the respect of Gaï who promised himself never to forget such an adversary. With the other ninjas he tried to read the contents of the scroll that Kisame had tried so hard to send to Akatsuki . But the scroll turned out to be trapped. They found themselves caught in water prisons with sharks while another took the scroll and later brought it to Zetsu.
Famous Kisame Quotes
“My great sword, Same-Hada, “Shark Skin”, does not cut… It tears!!!! »
“But what is this look…?” Isn't it rather the "Sunday-dressed platypus" of Konoha?? »
"He's going to get agitated, he won't stay still, I can feel it... He's going to cause us a lot of problems... Whereas if I cut off one or two of his legs..."
“I see that in the platypus, memory has nothing to envy of elegance… No importance… I will refresh it for you…”
“Don’t spit on Tobi’s gifts either!” He was able to soften the mood of such a gloomy circle. »
“The stronger my opponent, the more my power grows. I never get tired. No one can overcome me. »
"Itachi...Apparently I wasn't...just some vermin!" »
Anecdotes about Kisame
- Kisame liked to consider himself a cannibal
- He hates Gaï who never remembers him and calls him a platypus in his Sunday best and a brain as hollow as that of a wild beast.
- He appreciated Tobi's company and his talent for setting the mood within a group as sinister as Akatsuki.
- He considered himself invincible, even immortal.
- Kisame's ability to absorb chakra is only possible when chakra is externalized. This is why Guy represented a formidable opponent, since using mainly taijutsu techniques based on melee, he externalized little chakra.
- Kisame's sword, Samehada, is considered by Chôjûrô and Suigetsu Hōzuki to be the best weapon of the 7 possessed by the Mist Swordsmen.
- Kisame regrets the departure of Deidara who sacrificed himself to try to kill Sasuke
- Kisame was not resurrected by Kabuto to take part in the great war.
Join the ranks of Akatsuki and avenge Kisame!
Kisame was a feared member of Akatsuki and a former shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Mist. He is as deserving of his fierce reputation as his monstrous appearance suggests, easily capable of battling Killer Bee, Might Guy, and other ninja legends who are equally difficult to defeat.
However, there are limits to the shark's strength as you saw in its story. We hope that you enjoyed this ultimate guide and that you enjoyed learning more about this character. Tell us in the comments what you liked the most about Kisame Hoshigaki ! ✍🏻
