Kisame Hoshigaki

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Kisame Hoshigaki
Original Name	干柿鬼鲛
Alias(es)	Hero of Kirigakure; Fifth Mizukage
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Kirigakure; formerly allied with Iwagakure
Occupation / Role	Fifth Mizukage; commander of Kirigakure's First Division
Status	Active 618
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 80; appears in person in Chapter 368

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Quasi-Kage	369	Achieved a transformation after contemplating the essence of Chakra and pursuing a personal understanding of Water Release. His immense Chakra reserves made the breakthrough especially substantial. 369
Kage-level combatant	583	Fought Yichen as a Kage-level ninja. After later losing Samehada, he concentrated on Water Release alone and pushed it to the upper limit attainable by a Kage-level fighter. 583 612

Background / History

Recruitment by Yichen

Yichen forged an intelligence report in Kisame's name claiming that Kisame sought Samehada and intended to defect, using it to destabilize Kirigakure's factions. During the resulting conflict, Kisame killed Lord Suigetsukage, survived the pursuing forces, and was left severely injured. 368

Yichen tracked Kisame to his hiding place with Mind's Eye. Kisame attempted to deceive him by turning his body into water while using a transformed tree as a decoy, but Yichen saw through the maneuver. Recognizing Yichen as the Fourth Tsuchikage and realizing the extent of the plan around him, Kisame accepted Yichen's offer to speak rather than make a futile final stand. 368

Yichen urged Kisame to seek the essence of Chakra through Water Release rather than follow Yichen's own path through Sage Chakra and Kekkei Genkai. While reflecting on what Chakra and Water Release truly were, Kisame gained an insight that elevated him to Quasi-Kage. He agreed to return to Kirigakure with Yichen, but refused to become Yichen's puppet. 369

Rise to Mizukage

Kisame's affiliation with Yichen's faction rapidly attracted more than a hundred Civilian Ninja, including Jonin. Though uncomfortable with the sudden attention, he accepted that public support and Kirigakure's resources were necessary for him to continue growing. 370

When the Bloodline Ninja Clans attacked the Mizukage Building, Kisame prioritized civilians over the struggle for succession. He created an enormous circular Water Release Wall around the battlefield, using overwhelming Chakra to elevate a C-rank defensive technique to nearly S-rank scale and isolate the fighting from the surrounding village. 370

Kisame also used Great Raging Waves to mitigate Karatachi Yagura's self-destructive Tailed Beast Bomb. After Yagura's death and the revelation that the Fourth Mizukage had been controlled by Sharingan genjutsu, Genji nominated Kisame as Fifth Mizukage; the villagers unanimously supported him as the hero who had protected them. 370 371

Under Kisame's leadership, Kirigakure formed a far-reaching alliance with Iwagakure. The agreement declared that the two villages would advance and retreat together in major ninja-world affairs and treat one another's enemies as their own. 371

Later Leadership and Wars

Kisame proposed that Kirigakure host the Joint Chunin Exams, seeking to reintegrate the Mist ninja into the wider ninja world and demonstrate the village's changes. Kirigakure later rejected Konoha's participation, maintaining hostility toward it. 399 417

During the conflict with Kumogakure, Kisame fought the Fourth Raikage in a Chakra-saturated Water World. His vast water techniques constrained the Raikage's speed and turned the battle into a contest of endurance, while Mist ninja stationed outside the water barrier prevented the Raikage from escaping. 421

When Kirigakure faced Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure on three fronts, Kisame divided the village's army into three divisions. He personally led the First Division of 2,500 Mist ninja against Kumogakure, while Mei Terumi and Hozuki Mangetsu commanded the other two divisions. 465

Kisame later cooperated with Yichen and Hozuki Mangetsu to stop Obito Uchiha from abducting children. His large-scale Water Release scattered villagers and captives without seriously harming them, allowing the Mist ninja to compete with Obito for the children rather than fight him directly. 491 492

Loss of Samehada

During the Konoha conflict, Kakashi asked Kisame to hold off Yichen before abruptly leaving him alone against the Tsuchikage. Kisame's large-scale Water Release forced Yichen to answer with multiple Light Release attacks, but Yichen's Porcelain Release repeatedly disrupted Kisame's movement and hand seals. 579 582

Yichen eventually interrupted Kisame's hand seals with Banshō Ten'in, used genjutsu and outside interference to create an opening, and severed the arm holding Samehada. Yichen then seized and sealed Samehada, leaving Kisame unable to continue the battle and forcing him to retreat. 583 584

Kisame did not surrender to the setback. He encouraged Hozuki Mangetsu to abandon an overreliance on clan techniques and adapt after defeat, while choosing to develop Water Release to its ultimate limit rather than pursue weak Wood Release potential. 587 612

Personality

Kisame is independent and refuses to accept power at the cost of becoming another person's tool. Even after Yichen guided his breakthrough and supported his rise to Mizukage, Kisame explicitly established that he would not be controlled. 369

He is resilient in the face of defeat. Losing Samehada and an arm severely diminished his combat options, yet he immediately adjusted his mindset and focused on improving Water Release rather than despairing. This composure contrasts with Hozuki Mangetsu's self-doubt after the same campaign. 587

As Mizukage, Kisame places civilians and the village's broader survival above factional competition. His first major public act during the succession crisis was to evacuate and shield Kirigakure's residents instead of pursuing political advantage. 370

Abilities & Skills

Exceptional Chakra Reserves

Kisame possesses Chakra reserves compared to those of a Tailed Beast, giving his large-scale Water Release unusual endurance and destructive scale. 368 417

• He transformed a C-rank Water Release Wall into a barrier approaching S-rank power through sheer Chakra output. 370
• His reserves enabled prolonged attrition against the Fourth Raikage within the Water World. 421
• His enormous Chakra partly compensates for the gap between Quasi-Kage and Kage-level combatants. 417

Water Release Mastery

Kisame's combat style centers on crude, heavy, wide-range Water Release that reshapes the battlefield and denies opponents room to maneuver. 421

• Water Release Wall — Created a village-scale water barrier to seal off the Mizukage Building's battlefield and protect civilians. 370
• Great Raging Waves — Used as a large-scale defensive technique to reduce the force of Yagura's Tailed Beast Bomb. 370
• Water World — Saturated the battlefield with Chakra-infused water, restricting the Fourth Raikage's speed and preventing escape. 421
• Super Long Water Dragon Bullet — Combined with Hozuki Mangetsu's Water Release to counter Obito's Kamui during the rescue operation. 492
• Water Release: Raging Waves — Used to demolish structures and scatter civilians and abducted children while deliberately limiting casualties. 491
• After losing Samehada, he refined Water Release until it could destroy Madara Uchiha's Limbo Clones with Hinata's assistance. 612 618

Samehada Synchronization

Before its loss, Kisame wielded Samehada, whose Chakra absorption made conventional ninjutsu ineffective against him. 368

• Samehada could expel Water Release to create recoil, allowing Kisame to alter his body position and evade an otherwise unavoidable Light Release attack. 582
• Its refusal to directly confront Light Release limited Kisame's ability to force close combat against Yichen. 582
• Yichen severed Kisame's weapon-bearing arm, pulled Samehada away with Banshō Ten'in, and sealed it with Porcelain Release. 583 584

Close-Combat Capability

Kisame is a taijutsu-oriented ninja capable of fighting at close range, though his duel with Yichen was hindered when Samehada could not safely engage Light Release. 582

Wood Release Potential

Kisame can sense Wood Release and believes he may eventually be able to use it, but he considers its prospective power inferior to that of established Wood Release users. He instead chose to prioritize Water Release cultivation. 587 612

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Samehada — Former living sword capable of absorbing Chakra; seized and sealed by Yichen after Kisame lost the arm wielding it. 368 584

Relationships

• Yichen — Recruiter, ideological guide, former ally, and eventual opponent. Yichen engineered Kisame's rise, helped him reach Quasi-Kage, and supported his installation as Mizukage; Kisame later fought him and lost Samehada. 369 371 583 584
• Genji — Senior Kirigakure adviser who announced Kisame's appointment as Fifth Mizukage and counseled him to distinguish the burdens of command from the focus required in battle. 371 465
• Hozuki Mangetsu — Fellow Kirigakure leader and battlefield ally. Kisame fought beside him against Obito and later encouraged him to develop beyond the Hozuki Clan's existing techniques. 492 587
• Karatachi Yagura — Fourth Mizukage whose death created the power vacuum that led to Kisame's succession. Kisame defended Kirigakure from Yagura's final Tailed Beast Bomb. 370 371
• Fourth Raikage — Major opponent whom Kisame contained in the Water World during the conflict around Kirigakure. 421 428
• Raiga Kurosuki — Mist ninja dispatched by Kisame to investigate Obito Uchiha. Kisame later led the operation to rescue the children targeted by Obito. 490 491
• Obito Uchiha — Enemy whose child-abduction operations Kisame opposed alongside Yichen and Hozuki Mangetsu. 491 492

Notable Quotes

“But I will not become a puppet according to your demands. If you want to kill me, you had better do it now, while I am still weak.” 369

Trivia

• Kisame's reputation rose so abruptly that other ninja villages were confused when the previously obscure ninja became Fifth Mizukage. 371
• He was widely recognized as the Hero of Kirigakure after protecting civilians during the battle for the Mizukage Building. 370 371
• His success in holding off the Fourth Raikage was a major reason Kirigakure regained recognition as a serious power in the ninja world. 428