Who is Utakata and which tailed beast does he carry?

Utakata is presented as a rogue ninja from Kirigakure and the jinchuriki of the Rokubi, the Six-Tails, whose proper name is Saiken — a huge two-legged slug, white with bluish highlights, with a water affinity and a rather gentle temperament. His status as a deceased jinchuriki is confirmed by the manga, where he reappears through Edo Tensei.

Why does he fight with bubbles?

His specialty is a soap bubble ninjutsu classified under Water Release, which he blows through a pipe. These bubbles explode at the slightest contact. Note that this arsenal is shown almost exclusively in the anime, since Utakata barely fights in the manga.

Is the arc with Hotaru and the Tsuchigumo clan canon?

No: it is a filler arc in Naruto Shippuden, with no basis in the manga. Utakata's entire backstory — his master Harusame, the failed extraction of the tailed beast, his desertion — also comes from the anime, not from Kishimoto's manga.

How does Utakata die?

He is captured by the Akatsuki, who extract Saiken from him: losing his tailed beast kills him. The manga simply records his death, without showing or dating the capture. In the anime, it is Pain who fights and captures him at the close of the filler arc devoted to Hotaru.

What becomes of him during the Fourth Great Ninja War?

He is reanimated by the Edo Tensei cast by Kabuto, then transformed by Obito into one of his "Paths". He fights Naruto and Killer Bee and is forced to transform into the Six-Tails, before Obito re-extracts the tailed beasts to resurrect the Ten-Tails. This part comes from the manga.

Utakata : le ninja aux bulles de Kirigakure

Utakata: The Bubble Ninja of Kirigakure

July 17, 2026

1462 words | Reading time: 8 min

UniverseJinchurikiUtakata

Soap bubbles blown through a pipe, used as a weapon. Utakata, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure and host of the Six-Tails (Rokubi), turns them into explosive projectiles — the most poetic image in the bestiary of the nine hosts. Saiken, the white and bluish two-legged slug with six tails, is presented in detail, before sorting out what belongs to canon — his death, his return through the Edo Tensei — and what the anime added: his master Harusame, the failed extraction, the desertion and the filler arc with Hotaru.

A wandering ninja who fights with soap bubbles: behind this poetic image hides the host of one of the nine tailed beasts. This is Utakata, the jinchuriki of the Six-Tails.

The Jinchuriki of the Six-Tails
Saiken, the Benevolent Slug
The Bubble Ninjutsu
A Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure
The Filler Arc with Hotaru
Death and Edo Tensei
Summary Table
FAQ

The Jinchuriki of the Six-Tails

Utakata is the host of the Rokubi, the Six-Tails, whose proper name is Saiken. He is presented as a nukenin — a rogue ninja — from Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village.

Important fact: in the manga, he only truly appears once dead, reanimated during the war. His status as a deceased jinchuriki is confirmed there, but the bulk of his life is told elsewhere.

A figure in a light kimono in front of a brick and stone structure overlooking the water, wrapped in a red-orange chakra cloak that boils around them — The red chakra cloak is the visible manifestation of the tailed beast sealed inside him.

Saiken, the Benevolent Slug

Saiken is a huge two-legged slug , white with bluish highlights, with six long tails. He spits a sticky substance and a corrosive gas, and he is credited with an affinity for water.

His temperament stands out among the tailed beasts: rather gentle and benevolent, he let Utakata draw on his full power without fighting for control — unlike many other beasts.

A massive white creature with two antennae and long pale tails, spitting a pinkish jet that forms a thick cloud at ground level, two tiny figures on the right — The corrosive gas is part of the arsenal credited to the Six-Tails.

The Bubble Ninjutsu

His signature arsenal is a ninjutsu of soap bubbles classified under Water Release, which he blows using a pipe. These bubbles explode at the slightest contact with an opponent.

One detail to keep in mind: this arsenal is staged almost exclusively in the anime. Utakata barely fights in the manga, where he is really only seen as a reanimated soldier.

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A man in a light kimono, in dark undergrowth, holding a pipe in his mouth while dozens of soap bubbles float around him — The pipe serves as a combat tool: it is through it that the bubbles are blown.

A Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure

His backstory is an invention of the anime. His master, Harusame, seeing the tailed beast as a burden, is said to have tried to extract the Six-Tails; the operation went wrong.

Forced to transform, Utakata killed his master, which explains his disillusionment and his desertion. None of this appears in Kishimoto's manga — never to be presented as written canon.

A middle-aged man with glasses, in a purple kimono, places his hand on the head of a young ninja in a gray vest, among rocks — The bond between the master and his student opens an origin story that exists only in the anime.

The Filler Arc with Hotaru

The arc centered on him — protecting young Hotaru and the Tsuchigumo clan's kinjutsu — is a filler arc in Naruto Shippuden ("The Six-Tails Unleashed").

In the end, Utakata survives, agrees to take Hotaru as his student, then leaves again. In the anime, it is Pain who fights and captures him at the close of this arc.

A blonde young girl bound with ropes, held by a masked ninja pointing a blade at her neck; three other masked ninja pull on the bindings around her, on a grassy bank by the water — Protecting this young girl, here in the hands of enemy ninja, is the thread of the filler arc.

Death and Edo Tensei

Utakata dies after his capture by the Akatsuki and the extraction of Saiken. The manga only records his death, without showing the circumstances.

During the Fourth Great Ninja War, he is reanimated by the Edo Tensei of Kabuto, then converted by Obito into one of his "Paths". He then fights Naruto and Killer Bee, forced to transform into the Six-Tails.

Close-up of the face of a man with long black hair, a pallid complexion and a dark mark running beneath his eye — It is in this reanimated form that the manga really shows him, brought back to battle by the Edo Tensei.

Summary Table

Aspect	Details
Identity & village	Utakata, presented as a rogue ninja from Kirigakure. His status as the deceased jinchuriki of the Six-Tails, originally from Kirigakure, is confirmed by the manga (reappearance through Edo Tensei).
Tailed Beast	Host of the Rokubi (Six-Tails) = Saiken: a white and bluish two-legged slug with 6 tails, spits acid and a sticky substance, water affinity, gentle temperament.
Fighting style	Soap bubble ninjutsu (water type) blown through a pipe; bubbles explode on contact. Arsenal shown mainly in the anime.
Backstory & filler arc	Master Harusame, failed extraction, desertion, protecting Hotaru and the Tsuchigumo clan = anime filler ("The Six-Tails Unleashed"); his capture by Pain as well.
Death & reanimation	Captured by the Akatsuki, Saiken extracted (death); reanimated through Edo Tensei by Kabuto during the 4th War, converted into an Obito "Path" — manga canon.

FAQ

Who is Utakata and which tailed beast does he carry?
Utakata is presented as a rogue ninja from Kirigakure and the jinchuriki of the Rokubi, the Six-Tails, whose proper name is Saiken — a huge two-legged slug, white with bluish highlights, with a water affinity and a rather gentle temperament. His status as a deceased jinchuriki is confirmed by the manga, where he reappears through Edo Tensei.
Why does he fight with bubbles?
His specialty is a soap bubble ninjutsu classified under Water Release, which he blows through a pipe. These bubbles explode at the slightest contact. Note that this arsenal is shown almost exclusively in the anime, since Utakata barely fights in the manga.
Is the arc with Hotaru and the Tsuchigumo clan canon?
No: it is a filler arc in Naruto Shippuden, with no basis in the manga. Utakata's entire backstory — his master Harusame, the failed extraction of the tailed beast, his desertion — also comes from the anime, not from Kishimoto's manga.
How does Utakata die?
He is captured by the Akatsuki, who extract Saiken from him: losing his tailed beast kills him. The manga simply records his death, without showing or dating the capture. In the anime, it is Pain who fights and captures him at the close of the filler arc devoted to Hotaru.
What becomes of him during the Fourth Great Ninja War?
He is reanimated by the Edo Tensei cast by Kabuto, then transformed by Obito into one of his "Paths". He fights Naruto and Killer Bee and is forced to transform into the Six-Tails, before Obito re-extracts the tailed beasts to resurrect the Ten-Tails. This part comes from the manga.

In summary

Utakata is a textbook case for telling manga and anime apart: a few panels for a reanimated soldier on one side, a whole arc of a melancholy wanderer on the other. What remains is a striking image — that of a jinchuriki who turns fragile bubbles into deadly weapons.