Are Kinkaku and Ginkaku true jinchuriki of Kurama?

No. They are quasi-jinchuriki: members of a Kumogakure team sent to capture the Nine-Tailed Fox, they were swallowed by him and survived roughly two weeks by devouring his flesh, taking in part of his chakra. Their chakra becomes nearly indistinguishable from Kurama's and they can don a chakra cloak — but no beast is sealed inside them, so they are not true jinchuriki.

Who defeated them during the Fourth Great Ninja War, and how?

Reanimated by Kabuto's Edo Tensei, they face Darui's division. He turns the Treasured Tools against them: Ginkaku is sealed in the gourd, then Kinkaku — shifted into a six-tailed pseudo-fox form — is sealed in the jar, with Ino's help.

By what word was Ginkaku trapped?

By "Kinkaku": the word he had spoken most in his life was his own brother's name. Darui himself nearly went the same way, but he apologized so many times that "sorry" overtook his verbal tic in real time as his most-spoken word, which stopped the pull.

Kinkaku et Ginkaku : les frères Or et Argent

Kinkaku and Ginkaku: The Gold and Silver Brothers

July 18, 2026

1663 words | Reading time: 9 min

UniverseGinkakuKinkaku

Two weeks in a demon's belly, and they came out alive. Kinkaku and Ginkaku, the Gold and Silver Brothers, devoured Kurama's flesh until they were steeped in his chakra: these are the most notorious criminals of Kumogakure. On the agenda: the five Treasured Tools of the Sage of the Six Paths, the trap of the most-spoken word, the coup against their own Raikage, the death of Tobirama, and the final defeat against Darui, caught out by their own gourd.

Two brothers who survived two weeks inside a demon's belly: Kinkaku and Ginkaku are the most notorious criminals of Kumogakure. Steeped in the chakra of Kurama and armed with the Sage's Treasured Tools, they are opponents in a league of their own.

Gold and Silver, Not to Be Mixed Up
Swallowed by Kurama
The Treasured Tools of the Sage of the Six Paths
The Trap of the Most-Spoken Word
The Coup and the Death of Tobirama
Defeat at the Hands of Darui
Summary Table
FAQ

Gold and Silver, Not to Be Mixed Up

Kinkaku (金角) is the Gold brother, with golden hair; Ginkaku (銀角) is the Silver brother, with silver hair. The classic mistake is to mix the two up.

Together, "the Gold and Silver Brothers" went down in history as the most feared criminals of their village.

Two men side by side against a sky background: one has long blond hair, the other long silver-gray hair; both wear two dark horns and a forehead protector, and a kanji is tattooed on their bare arm — — The kanji tattooed on the arm settles it: Kinkaku is the blond one, Ginkaku the silver-haired one.

Swallowed by Kurama

Members of a Kumogakure team sent to capture Kurama, the two brothers were swallowed by the Nine-Tailed Fox. They survived roughly two weeks in his stomach by devouring his flesh, forcing the demon to regurgitate them.

By consuming that chakra, they became so steeped in it that their own chakra grew nearly indistinguishable from it; they could even don a chakra cloak. They are therefore quasi-jinchuriki — but not true jinchuriki, since no beast is sealed inside them.

A gigantic maw bristling with white fangs opens onto two tiny silhouettes in dark outfits, one brandishing a wide white blade, the other a red and white fan. — The fox swallows them: the two brothers will last roughly two weeks in his stomach before being regurgitated.

The Treasured Tools of the Sage of the Six Paths

Their legendary arsenal comprises five Treasured Tools of the Sage of the Six Paths, handed down to Kumogakure since ancient times: the Benihisago gourd, the Kokinjo rope, the Shichiseiken sword, the Kohaku no Johei jar, and the Bashosen fan.

They are neither their creators nor their collectors: they inherit them. According to the databooks, their status as distant descendants of the Sage gives them a colossal chakra reserve, without which wielding these Treasured Tools would kill them.

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A man with long blond hair and two dark horns, standing on a stretch of water, holds a large red and white fan in one hand and a glowing yellow rope coiled in the other. — Two of the five Treasured Tools in hand: the Bashosen fan and the Kokinjo rope, which the brothers inherited rather than forged.

The Trap of the Most-Spoken Word

The mechanism behind the Treasured Tools is diabolical. The Kokinjo rope extracts the target's "word soul"; the Shichiseiken sword severs it and inscribes on its blade the word the victim has spoken most in their life.

From then on, anyone who says that pet word — or even stays silent too long — is sucked into the Benihisago gourd. A sealing that depends on nothing but the opponent's speech habits.

A wide white blade with curled ends, mounted on a long shaft, stands out against a blue sky; black characters are written on the flat of the blade. — It is on this blade that the word the victim has spoken most is inscribed — the one that will trigger the sealing.

The Coup and the Death of Tobirama

During a peace treaty bringing together the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju and the Second Raikage, the brothers attempted a coup against their own Raikage, also bringing Tobirama to the brink of death.

Not to be confused with Tobirama's actual death: it comes later, during the First Great Ninja War, against the "Kinkaku Force." Tobirama sacrifices himself there as a decoy to save his escort, after naming Hiruzen Third Hokage.

In a dark clearing, a shinobi with spiky white hair, red markings on his face and dark armor with a fur collar, is crouched and leaning forward amid several young ninja also crouching or kneeling — Tobirama and his escort during the First Great Ninja War: this is where he dies, and not during the coup.

Defeat at the Hands of Darui

Reanimated by the Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu) during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the brothers face the division led by Darui. He turns the Treasured Tools against them: Ginkaku is sucked into the gourd by speaking the word he has said most — his brother's name, "Kinkaku."

Mad with rage, Kinkaku transforms into a six-tailed pseudo-fox form before being sealed in the jar, thanks in particular to Ino , who takes control of his body. One delicious detail: Darui himself nearly got trapped, but his repeated apologies made "sorry" his new most-spoken word.

Seen from above: a dark-skinned shinobi with white hair rests his hand on the wooden lid of a large orange jar girded with a white rope; behind him stands a pale gourd with a red band. — Darui turns the Treasured Tools against their owners: the gourd and the jar are used to seal the two brothers.

Summary Table

Aspect	Details
Identity and village	Brothers from Kumogakure; Kinkaku = "Gold" (golden hair), Ginkaku = "Silver" (silver hair); the village's most notorious criminals.
Origin of their power	Kumogakure team swallowed by Kurama, ~2 weeks devouring his flesh → steeped in the fox's chakra; quasi-jinchuriki (chakra cloak) but WITHOUT a sealed beast; said to be descendants of the Sage of the Six Paths.
Sage's Treasured Tools (5)	Benihisago (gourd), Kokinjo (rope), Shichiseiken (sword), Kohaku no Johei (jar), Bashosen (fan) — handed down to Kumogakure, not created by them; sealing through the target's "most-spoken word."
Past (the coup)	Coup against their own Second Raikage during a peace treaty, also bringing Tobirama to the brink of death; Tobirama's actual death = "Kinkaku Force," First Great Ninja War (decoy to save Hiruzen's escort).
End (Fourth Great Ninja War)	Reanimated by the Edo Tensei; defeated by Darui (helped by Ino): Ginkaku sucked into the gourd (the word "Kinkaku"), Kinkaku (six-tailed form) sealed in the jar.

FAQ

Are Kinkaku and Ginkaku true jinchuriki of Kurama?
No. They are quasi-jinchuriki: members of a Kumogakure team sent to capture the Nine-Tailed Fox, they were swallowed by him and survived roughly two weeks by devouring his flesh, taking in part of his chakra. Their chakra becomes nearly indistinguishable from Kurama's and they can don a chakra cloak — but no beast is sealed inside them, so they are not true jinchuriki.
How does the Benihisago gourd work?
In a chain with two other Treasured Tools: the rope extracts the target's "word soul," the sword severs it and inscribes on its blade the word the victim has spoken most in their life. From then on, if the person says that pet word — or even stays silent too long — they are sucked into the gourd.
Which Raikage did they nearly kill?
The Second Raikage: during a peace treaty with Konoha, they attacked him in an attempted coup, in the process bringing the Second Hokage Tobirama to the brink of death. Not to be confused with Tobirama's actual death, attributed to the "Kinkaku Force" during the First Great Ninja War, where he sacrificed himself as a decoy to save his escort.
Who defeated them during the Fourth Great Ninja War, and how?
Reanimated by Kabuto's Edo Tensei, they face Darui's division. He turns the Treasured Tools against them: Ginkaku is sealed in the gourd, then Kinkaku — shifted into a six-tailed pseudo-fox form — is sealed in the jar, with Ino's help.
By what word was Ginkaku trapped?
By "Kinkaku": the word he had spoken most in his life was his own brother's name. Darui himself nearly went the same way, but he apologized so many times that "sorry" overtook his verbal tic in real time as his most-spoken word, which stopped the pull.

In summary

Kinkaku and Ginkaku are a fascinating anomaly: neither true jinchuriki nor ordinary ninja, but two men shaped by a demon's belly and the relics of a god. And their downfall comes from a terribly human detail — the word you say without even thinking about it.