Is Gengetsu Hozuki the same character as Suigetsu or Mangetsu?

No. All three belong to the Hozuki clan, but Gengetsu is the Second Mizukage (a user of genjutsu and oil techniques), while Mangetsu and Suigetsu are swordsmen: Mangetsu is the only one to have gathered the 7 swords of the Mist, and Suigetsu belongs to Taka. No direct family relationship between them is established in canon.

How does he come back during the Fourth Great Ninja War?

He is resurrected by Kabuto's Edo Tensei, along with other deceased Kage (Mu the Second Tsuchikage, the Third Raikage, and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa). He keeps his consciousness and his memory, but his body is controlled by Kabuto and forced to fight the Allied Shinobi Forces.

What exactly is his giant clam genjutsu?

He summons a giant clam with an extremely tough shell, whose smoke serves both as thick mist and as a vector for genjutsu. This smoke traps enemies in a realistic mirage: it projects fake doubles of himself and of the clam to hide the real ones. The illusion only ends by destroying the real clam.

Who faces him and how is he defeated?

He faces the division led by Gaara, backed by Onoki. Since his body mixes water and oil, Gaara's sand struggles to seal him and his explosive puppet constantly interrupts the operation. Gaara slows him down by mixing into his sand the gold dust of his father Rasa — which, once heated, acts as a restraint — then imprisons him.

Does the Fourth Kazekage fight alongside the Allied Shinobi Forces against Gengetsu?

No, this is a common confusion. The Fourth Kazekage (Rasa) is also one of Kabuto's reanimations: he is therefore on the same side as Gengetsu, under compulsion, and faces Gaara, his son. Gaara contains and seals Rasa first, before the Allied Shinobi Forces turn to Mu and then to Gengetsu.

Gengetsu Hozuki: The Second Mizukage

July 17, 2026

1605 words | Reading time: 9 min

UniverseGengetsuKirigakure

Too strong, and embarrassed about it: here is a Kage who stands apart. Gengetsu Hozuki, Second Mizukage of Kirigakure, hides behind his humor one of the greatest genjutsu users without a Sharingan in the series. On the menu: his body of water and oil, his giant clam genjutsu that produces smoke and fake doubles, his endless explosion, and his deadly rivalry with Mu. This profile also sorts out the three Hozuki everyone confuses, before his duel against Gaara.

A joking Kage, embarrassed to be too strong: Gengetsu Hozuki stands apart among village leaders. Behind his humor hides one of the greatest genjutsu users without a Sharingan in the entire series.

The Second Mizukage
Three Hozuki not to be confused
A body of water and oil
The giant clam genjutsu
The endless explosion
The rivalry with Mu
Edo Tensei: facing Gaara
Summary Table
FAQ

The Second Mizukage

Gengetsu Hozuki is the Second Mizukage of Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village. As a Kage, he was in his time the most powerful shinobi in his village.

His personality goes against the grain: casual, jovial, and joking, to the point of saying he was embarrassed to be "too strong" when he was not even really trying to win.

Close-up of the Second Mizukage's face, eyes closed and a broad smile baring his teeth, freckles on his cheeks — A Kage who jokes: the casual attitude he shows takes nothing away from his rank as the most powerful shinobi of Kirigakure.

Three Hozuki not to be confused

The Hozuki clan, known for its ability to liquefy the body, has three figures who often get mixed up. Gengetsu is a user of genjutsu and oil techniques.

Not to be confused with Mangetsu, the only one to have mastered the seven swords of the Mist, and his younger brother Suigetsu, a member of Taka (Hawk). Important point: no family relationship directly linking Gengetsu and the two brothers is established in canon.

A body of water and oil

Where the other Hozuki have a purely watery body, Gengetsu's mixes water and oil. This trait sets him apart and seriously complicates sealing him with sand.

It is also the fuel for his most formidable techniques, where heated oil turns the water into scalding steam.

The Mizukage's head emerges from the sand with a smirk; just below, a red sealing talisman stamped with the kanji for — A body that turns liquid complicates the sealing: the talisman is in place, and the Mizukage is still smiling.

The giant clam genjutsu

His most baffling technique summons a giant clam with an extremely tough shell. Its smoke serves two purposes: thick mist and a vector for genjutsu.

Trapped in this utterly realistic mirage, the opponent sees fake doubles of Gengetsu and of the clam masking the real ones. The illusion only breaks by destroying the real clam — assuming you can find it.

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A giant clam with its shell closed, sitting in a clearing drowned in greenish mist — The summon whose smoke does all the work: it thickens the mist and serves as the vector for the genjutsu.

The endless explosion

His other secret weapon is a ninjutsu of endless explosion. He creates a steam puppet made of water coated in a thin layer of oil: the oil heats up, the water turns to vapor, the puppet swells under the pressure, then explodes.

As it cools, the vapor falls back as hail that regenerates the puppet — hence explosions that are repeated, seemingly without end. A nightmare for anyone trying to pin him down.

A small pale figure in a light robe, with black pupil-less eyes, standing in the middle of a greenish vapor — The steam puppet: water under a film of oil, which swells until it explodes and then reforms.

The rivalry with Mu

In his lifetime, Gengetsu harbored a mutual enmity with the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, the master of Onoki. The two men recognized each other as worthy rivals.

Their story ends in the most radical way: they kill each other in their final duel, each taking the other down with him.

Edo Tensei: facing Gaara

He is brought back to life through the Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu) of Kabuto, alongside Mu, the Third Raikage , and the Fourth Kazekage. He keeps his consciousness, but his body is controlled.

He then faces the division led by Gaara and Onoki. One common confusion to clear up: the Fourth Kazekage Rasa is also a reanimated shinobi on the same side, sealed first by his son. Gengetsu, for his part, ends up captured in the sand — after saluting Gaara as the "golden egg" of the five current Kage.

Four reanimated figures among rocky spires under a blue sky: a dark-skinned colossus with a white beard, a blond man in a light striped high-collared kimono, a red-haired man in dark clothing, and in the foreground, seen from behind, a figure entirely wrapped in bandages. — Brought back by Kabuto's Edo Tensei, he fights alongside the Third Raikage and the Fourth Kazekage: consciousness intact, body piloted.

Summary Table

Aspect	Details
Identity	Gengetsu Hozuki, Second Mizukage of Kirigakure, Hozuki clan. Not to be confused with Mangetsu (master of the 7 swords) and Suigetsu (Taka): same clan, but swordsmen, with no established family ties.
Techniques	Giant clam genjutsu (mirage through the smoke, fake doubles); water + oil body; endless explosion ninjutsu (a water-and-oil puppet that swells, explodes, falls back as hail, and regenerates).
Rivalry / death	Mutual enmity with the Second Tsuchikage Mu (Onoki's master); in their lifetime, the two men kill each other in their final duel, recognizing each other as worthy rivals.
Fourth Great Ninja War	Reanimated by Kabuto's Edo Tensei (with Mu, the Third Raikage, and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa); body controlled; faces the division of Gaara and Onoki. Rasa, a reanimated ally, is sealed first; Gengetsu next.
Personality	Casual, jovial, joking; embarrassed to be "too strong" without trying to win; calls Gaara the "golden egg" of the five Kage before being sealed.

FAQ

Is Gengetsu Hozuki the same character as Suigetsu or Mangetsu?
No. All three belong to the Hozuki clan, but Gengetsu is the Second Mizukage (a user of genjutsu and oil techniques), while Mangetsu and Suigetsu are swordsmen: Mangetsu is the only one to have gathered the 7 swords of the Mist, and Suigetsu belongs to Taka. No direct family relationship between them is established in canon.
How does he come back during the Fourth Great Ninja War?
He is resurrected by Kabuto's Edo Tensei, along with other deceased Kage (Mu the Second Tsuchikage, the Third Raikage, and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa). He keeps his consciousness and his memory, but his body is controlled by Kabuto and forced to fight the Allied Shinobi Forces.
What exactly is his giant clam genjutsu?
He summons a giant clam with an extremely tough shell, whose smoke serves both as thick mist and as a vector for genjutsu. This smoke traps enemies in a realistic mirage: it projects fake doubles of himself and of the clam to hide the real ones. The illusion only ends by destroying the real clam.
Who faces him and how is he defeated?
He faces the division led by Gaara, backed by Onoki. Since his body mixes water and oil, Gaara's sand struggles to seal him and his explosive puppet constantly interrupts the operation. Gaara slows him down by mixing into his sand the gold dust of his father Rasa — which, once heated, acts as a restraint — then imprisons him.
Does the Fourth Kazekage fight alongside the Allied Shinobi Forces against Gengetsu?
No, this is a common confusion. The Fourth Kazekage (Rasa) is also one of Kabuto's reanimations: he is therefore on the same side as Gengetsu, under compulsion, and faces Gaara, his son. Gaara contains and seals Rasa first, before the Allied Shinobi Forces turn to Mu and then to Gengetsu.

In summary

Gengetsu Hozuki is one of the most atypical Kage in the series: a prankster with devastating power, able to trap an army in an illusion and bury it under endless explosions. An opponent who, even in defeat, leaves the stage with a smile.