What is the difference between a kunai and a shuriken?

Two distinct weapons. The kunai is a knife with a wrapped handle and a ring pommel: designed first for thrusting, it can secondarily be thrown, and it serves as a carrier for the explosive tag. The shuriken is a four-pointed star made for throwing; it can be used in melee, but "not very effectively."

Do Haku's senbon really kill?

Rarely on their own: canon says they have little lethal power. Their strength comes from precision and anatomical knowledge, which allows the vital points to be struck — hence the death-like state inflicted on Sasuke. Haku is not a medical ninja, however: that knowledge comes to him from Zabuza's Anbu training.

Does Sasuke fight with a katana?

No, it is a widespread confusion: he wields a chokuto, a straight single-edged blade, whereas a katana is curved. Despite its name, the "Sword of Kusanagi," it does not have the properties of Orochimaru's: its power comes from the Lightning Release (Raiton) he channels into it. The notable katana wielder is Hayate Gekko.

What is Tenten's real specialty?

Fuinjutsu applied to weapons. She does not summon them: she seals them inside scrolls and unseals them in rapid bursts, adding explosive tags and steel wires to guide their trajectories. It is this combination of sealing plus handling that sets her apart.

How do samurai compete without ninjutsu?

By putting all of their chakra into the blade: this extends its reach, allows its shape to be altered, and projects crescents of chakra. Above all, their iaido lets them strike before the opponent has finished his hand signs — which makes ninjutsu almost useless against them.

Le kenjutsu et les armes ninja de Naruto

Kenjutsu and the Ninja Weapons in Naruto

July 16, 2026

1397 words | Reading time: 7 min

UniverseNinja WeaponsKenjutsu

Behind the spectacular jutsu, there is steel. A kunai designed first for thrusting, a four-pointed shuriken made for throwing, senbon with little lethal power but deadly through precision or poison: this guide puts every weapon back in its place, center hole included. It also covers the folding Fuma Shuriken, explosive tags, the fuinjutsu Tenten applies to weapons, and kenjutsu, from the seven blades of Kirigakure to Sasuke's chokuto.

Behind the spectacular jutsu, there is steel: kunai, shuriken, senbon, and swords are a ninja's daily reality. A short guide to the shinobi arsenal.

Kunai or Shuriken?
Senbon, Haku's Needles
The Fuma Shuriken and Explosive Tags
Tenten, Fuinjutsu Applied to Weapons
Kenjutsu, the Art of the Sword
Summary Table
FAQ

Kunai or Shuriken?

The confusion is constant, yet these really are two distinct weapons. The kunai is a black knife, about the length of a hand, with a wrapped handle and a ring pommel.

Contrary to popular belief, it is designed first for thrusting: throwing is only a secondary use. It is also the preferred carrier for the explosive tag — the resulting weapon is called an "explosive kunai," an official term.

The shuriken, for its part, is a four-pointed star made for throwing. Its center hole is there for finger grip, to avoid cutting yourself, and to thread a wire through — nothing aerodynamic, contrary to what is often written.

A hand holds a kunai by its wrapped handle, triangular blade pointing forward, ring visible at the pommel — Wrapped handle, ring pommel, short blade: the grip is a reminder that the kunai is first of all a thrusting knife.

Senbon, Haku's Needles

Senbon are needles sharpened at both ends. Canon is clear: they have little lethal power on their own.

Their strength comes from precision and anatomical knowledge — they are in fact used to strike acupuncture points. Haku uses them to put Sasuke into a death-like state. Careful: he is not a medical ninja — his knowledge comes from the Anbu training given by Zabuza.

In the mist, a ninja tips backward, three long needles stuck in his shoulder and his kunai slipping from his hand, facing a figure with long black hair — Three needles are enough to put the opponent out of the fight: a senbon is worth the point it reaches, not its power.

The Fuma Shuriken and Explosive Tags

The Fuma Shuriken is the large four-bladed shuriken, the signature weapon of the Fuma clan — though not reserved for it, since Mizuki or Obito wield one too.

The most common models fold up for transport, hence their nickname "Shadow Windmill" — but not every variant folds. As for explosive tags, they detonate on a timer, remotely, or by fire, and work even in pouring rain.

🗡️ A fan of the ninja arsenal? Discover our Naruto weapons.

A bare hand, the forearm covered by a camouflage-pattern cuff fastened at the wrist, grips a large shuriken with four curved blades unfolded by its center ring, against a misty background — Unfolded, the large shuriken shows its four blades; common models fold around the axis for transport.

Tenten, Fuinjutsu Applied to Weapons

Reducing Tenten to "the girl who throws weapons" is a mistake. Her real specialty is fuinjutsu: she seals masses of weapons inside scrolls.

So she does not summon them — she unseals them, with more or less force, grafting on explosive tags and steel wires to guide their trajectories. As an adult, she is the best weapons user in Konoha.

A young woman with her hair in two buns, hands joined in a sign, surrounded by seven scrolls unrolled on the ground covered in characters, loaded with spears, maces, a crossbow, and large shuriken — The weapons are sealed inside the scrolls before the fight: Tenten does not summon them, she unseals them.

Kenjutsu, the Art of the Sword

Kenjutsu is a branch of the weapon arts, and it can be combined with chakra. Its most famous masters are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and their seven blades — from Zabuza's Kubikiribocho (Executioner's Blade) to the Samehada wielded by Kisame, by way of the Hiramekarei carried by Chojuro.

Two clarifications that sting. Sasuke's weapon is not a katana but a chokuto, a straight blade — the real katana wielder is Hayate Gekko And the samurai of the Land of Iron do not use ninjutsu: they channel all of their chakra into the blade.

Seven dark silhouettes lined up against a red background, each brandishing a different weapon: a double axe, a giant cleaver, a long blade, twin swords, a scale-covered weapon — The seven blades of the Hidden Mist together: each swordsman is recognizable by the shape of his weapon.

Summary Table

Weapon	Details
Kunai	Versatile knife: thrusting first, throwing second; carrier for the explosive tag ("explosive kunai")
Shuriken	4-pointed star made for throwing; center hole for grip, to avoid cutting yourself, to thread a wire
Senbon	Needles with little lethal power on their own; deadly through anatomical precision or poison. Haku: death-like state
Fuma Shuriken	Large 4-bladed shuriken, often folding ("Shadow Windmill"); weapon of the Fuma clan, not exclusively
Kenjutsu	The 7 blades of Kirigakure; Sasuke wields a chokuto (not a katana); samurai put their chakra into the sword

FAQ

What is the difference between a kunai and a shuriken?
Two distinct weapons. The kunai is a knife with a wrapped handle and a ring pommel: designed first for thrusting, it can secondarily be thrown, and it serves as a carrier for the explosive tag. The shuriken is a four-pointed star made for throwing; it can be used in melee, but "not very effectively."
Do Haku's senbon really kill?
Rarely on their own: canon says they have little lethal power. Their strength comes from precision and anatomical knowledge, which allows the vital points to be struck — hence the death-like state inflicted on Sasuke. Haku is not a medical ninja, however: that knowledge comes to him from Zabuza's Anbu training.
Does Sasuke fight with a katana?
No, it is a widespread confusion: he wields a chokuto, a straight single-edged blade, whereas a katana is curved. Despite its name, the "Sword of Kusanagi," it does not have the properties of Orochimaru's: its power comes from the Lightning Release (Raiton) he channels into it. The notable katana wielder is Hayate Gekko.
What is Tenten's real specialty?
Fuinjutsu applied to weapons. She does not summon them: she seals them inside scrolls and unseals them in rapid bursts, adding explosive tags and steel wires to guide their trajectories. It is this combination of sealing plus handling that sets her apart.
How do samurai compete without ninjutsu?
By putting all of their chakra into the blade: this extends its reach, allows its shape to be altered, and projects crescents of chakra. Above all, their iaido lets them strike before the opponent has finished his hand signs — which makes ninjutsu almost useless against them.

In summary

Before the Rasengan, there is the kunai. The ninja arsenal is a reminder that Naruto remains, at heart, a story of craftsmen of war — where a simple piece of steel, well thrown, is often worth more than a jutsu.