Contents
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Kaguya Clan |
| Original Name | 竹取一族 |
| Affiliation | Formerly Kirigakure; surviving member Kimimaro serves Hoshigakure in the Land of Stars 93 375. |
| Occupation/Role | Shinobi clan regarded as Kirigakure’s strongest combat clan before its destruction 93. |
| Ancestry | Descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura; distant relatives of the Hyuga Clan and the moon’s Ōtsutsuki Clan 105. |
| Kekkei Genkai | Shikotsumyaku, a bone-manipulation bloodline 34 95. |
| Leadership | An unnamed clan head, assisted by elders during the rebellion 93. |
| Status | Destroyed in Kirigakure; Kimimaro is later identified as its sole survivor and seeks to rebuild it 375 536. |
| First Appearance | Mentioned in the discussion of inherited bloodline abilities 34; directly depicted during preparations for rebellion 93. |
Background / History
Ancestry and Standing in Kirigakure
The Kaguya Clan descends from Ōtsutsuki Hamura, sharing its ancestral line with the Hyuga Clan and the Ōtsutsuki family on the moon. Its records concerning Hamura are fragmentary. Shikotsumyaku is described as a weakened inheritance of one of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya’s abilities 34 105 112.
Before the Fourth Mizukage’s rule, the clan occupied grounds in central Kirigakure and held seats among the village’s high-level advisers. Its combat strength was renowned throughout the shinobi world: Kaguya shinobi were among the few capable of challenging Uchiha shinobi in single combat 93 113.
Suppression under the Fourth Mizukage
After Karatachi Yagura became Fourth Mizukage, his Bloody Mist policies targeted the village’s ninja clans. The Kaguya Clan’s frequent clashes with other clans and civilian shinobi made it an early target. Following several bloody confrontations, Yagura stripped away its political powers and advisory seats, then forcibly relocated its grounds to a barren village outskirts 93.
The clan was also placed under Anbu surveillance. Yagura’s actions were directed by Uchiha Obito, who controlled him through genjutsu 101. Yagura later publicly acknowledged that this control had brought disaster upon Kirigakure 292.
Rebellion and Destruction
At a secret meeting in the clan shrine, the clansmen cited the Yuki Clan’s extermination as evidence that they might be next. They demanded Yagura’s overthrow and supported installing their own clan head as Fifth Mizukage. The head initially wished to wait for Kimimaro to mature, but ultimately agreed to an immediate coup 93.
Under the head and elders, the clan launched a direct mass charge toward the Mizukage Building. Its members assumed that the other oppressed clans would refuse to help Yagura. Menma judged the attack tactically reckless, while Orochimaru expected the attackers to die and the remaining dependents to be killed afterward 93.
Instead of withholding support, other ninja clans and civilian shinobi joined the suppression. The Kaguya fighters were surrounded and overwhelmed despite their ability to fight multiple opponents at once 95.
| Documented Kirigakure losses | Number |
|---|---|
| Jōnin killed | Five 96. |
| Chūnin and genin killed | More than sixty 96. |
| Wounded | Approximately three to four hundred 96. |
The rebellion failed, but its suppression inflicted losses comparable to a major Shinobi World War battle. Subsequent reports described the clan as eradicated, and Kisame found no living people remaining on its grounds 96 100 101.
Survival and Reconstruction Efforts
During the rebellion, Menma and Orochimaru entered the clan’s underground prison, where Kimimaro had been confined. Menma took the boy away; the two also abducted clan children and stole secret techniques amid the chaos. A later Kirigakure account records that many children disappeared before the planned extermination of the remaining clan members 93 94 474.
Later accounts consistently identify Kimimaro as the clan’s sole surviving orphan. In the Land of Stars, he received treatment, trained under Uzumaki Fuka, and became a Hoshigakure shinobi. He eventually fought beside Uchiha survivors during their escape from Konoha—alongside a clan the Kaguya had previously fought during the Third Shinobi World War 171 249 375.
By the time he was a jōnin, Kimimaro wanted to rebuild the Kaguya Clan. He consulted Shikamaru about clan organization and proposed a dojo-like structure. At that point, the Kaguya were not among the Land of Stars’ four clans possessing substantial, established clan grounds 536.
Culture and Temperament
The clan was notorious for its hot temper, enthusiasm for battle, and confrontations with other shinobi. Orochimaru remembered fighting its members during earlier wars with lingering fear, while Shisui recalled repeatedly being endangered by Kaguya opponents despite possessing a Three-Tomoe Sharingan 93 113.
Its rebellion reflected this temperament: once the decision was made, the clan attacked without delay or secured allies. The narration emphasizes its refusal to retreat from a fight and its willingness to resist to the death 93 96.
Its treatment of Kimimaro combined fear with military ambition. The clansmen confined him because his bloodline was exceptionally powerful and raised him as a weapon. The head hoped he could eventually become an elite jōnin or even a Kage-level combatant, although his illness repeatedly prevented him from fighting or living normally 93.
Abilities & Skills
Shikotsumyaku
The clan’s signature Kekkei Genkai allows its users to turn their bones into weapons and defenses. Its sudden changes in reach make close combat particularly dangerous 95 216.
- Body weapons: Bone spikes and blades emerge from joints, limbs, and other parts of the body 95 151.
- Extending attacks: Spikes can lengthen unexpectedly, catching opponents outside the apparent attack range 95.
- Ranged attacks: Kimimaro fires finger bones as high-speed projectiles 181 182.
- Ground attacks: Kimimaro raises bone spikes beneath opponents 216 249.
- Defense: Bone structures serve as shields as well as offensive weapons 216.
Taijutsu
Shikotsumyaku gives Kaguya fighters an advantage in taijutsu by turning their bodies into armed combat platforms. The clan head used joint-mounted spikes to attack surrounding enemies, and the clan’s fighters were capable of engaging multiple opponents individually 95.
Kimimaro later demonstrates the bloodline’s compatibility with transplanted Byakugan, combining bone attacks with precise perception. This enhancement belongs to his post-rescue development, rather than the original clan’s standard abilities 135 249.
Documented Techniques
| Technique | Documented user | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Dance of the Willow | Clan head | Uses spikes emerging from every joint for sweeping attacks against surrounding shinobi 95. |
| Dance of the Camellia | Kimimaro | Employs bone blades in rapid close combat; also cuts apart incoming fireballs 151 249. |
| Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets | Kimimaro | Launches finger bones as precise, high-speed projectiles 181 236. |
| Bone Iron Cannon | Kimimaro | Reconfigures a spiral bone sword to counter Sasori’s iron-sand projectiles 469. |
| Dance of the Larch | Kimimaro | Covers his body in joint-mounted spikes and spins into an opponent; tears through Choji’s Human Bullet Tank 487. |
Bloodline Illness
- Universal among awakened users: Anyone in the clan who awakened Shikotsumyaku suffered from Kekkei Genkai Disease 101.
- Shortened lifespan: Almost none of these users lived beyond thirty, contributing to the clan’s comparatively small population 101.
- Power–severity relationship: A stronger bloodline produced a more severe illness. Kimimaro’s unusually pure bloodline caused debilitating attacks even in childhood 93 101.
- Chakra imbalance: Menma’s researchers linked Kimimaro’s condition to excessive, unstable Yang Release chakra 105 148.
- Initial treatment: Transplanted Byakugan supplied Yin Release power that temporarily restrained the imbalance, alleviated symptoms, and helped Kimimaro control his bloodline 135 156.
- Later outcome: Kimimaro is subsequently described as having cured his Kekkei Genkai Disease; no clan-wide cure is documented 375.
Relationships
- Hyuga Clan — Distant relatives through Hamura. This connection influenced Menma’s choice of Byakugan for Kimimaro’s treatment 105.
- Moon’s Ōtsutsuki Clan — Shares Hamura ancestry with the Kaguya and Hyuga clans 105 112.
- Uchiha Clan — Former wartime opponents and a comparable elite combat clan. Surviving Uchiha later coordinated with Kimimaro, recognizing his fighting style from earlier battles against the Kaguya 113 249.
- Uzumaki Menma / Asura — Took Kimimaro from the clan prison, oversaw his treatment, and became the lord he pledged to follow 93 135 148.
- Orochimaru — Feared the clan’s wartime ferocity but coveted Kimimaro’s bloodline; participated in taking children and secret techniques during the rebellion 93 94.
- Karatachi Yagura — Fourth Mizukage whose suppression prompted the clan’s coup attempt 93.
- Uchiha Obito — Controlled Yagura and directed the persecution that culminated in the clan’s destruction 101.