Puppets (傀儡, Kugutsu) are used as weapons by puppeteers. They are most often humanoid-looking creations, but depending on the creator, they can resemble anything. They are fashioned in a manner that uses every part as a weapon, giving the puppeteer a myriad of ways to manipulate it. Puppets are long-ranged type weapons that can be used offensively, defensively or for supplementary reasons, and are controlled via Chakra Threads. Because of their design, the weak point of any puppet is its joints: if these are blocked by any material, such as Iron Sand, the puppet is rendered incapable of movement, and the joints themselves are more frail than a puppet's otherwise sturdiness.

There are two types of puppets: ones made from material such as wood, and Human Puppets. Famed puppeteer Sasori of the Red Sand was the inventor of human puppets and also created a puppet which he wore like armour, bypassing the usual disadvantage that puppeteers had of being weak in close-ranged combat. Puppets are often sealed within scrolls using fūinjutsu for ease of transport.

Known Puppets

Karasu

Main article: Karasu Karasu (烏, Karasu, literally meaning: Crow) is a puppet, originally created by Sasori, but later inherited by Kankurō. It resembles a three-eyed, four-armed humanoid with jagged teeth and a spiky brown hairstyle protruding from the top of its head and framing the sides. In Part I, Kankurō typically keeps Karasu wrapped in bandages on his back, and he is able to switch places with it at will using the Body Replacement Technique.

Kuroari

Main article: Kuroari Kuroari (黒蟻, literally meaning: Black Ant) is a puppet, originally created by Sasori, but passed onto Kankurō. It has a much longer head than Karasu with a bucket-shaped face sporting two sharp red horns and six arms; its facial features include three eyes similar to Karasu, with a dark, disheveled hairstyle. Its overall body-frame somewhat resembles a large barrel.

Sanshōuo

Main article: Sanshōuo Sanshōuo (山椒魚, Sanshōuo, literally meaning: Salamander) is a puppet, originally created by Sasori and passed onto Kankurō. Unlike Kankurō's other puppets, Sanshōuo stays true to its name and somewhat resembles an actual salamander. Sanshōuo is a puppet that has high defensive power.

Hiruko

Main article: Hiruko Hiruko (ヒルコ, Hiruko) was a puppet used by the Akatsuki shinobi, Sasori. Serving as a "puppet armour", it allowed Sasori to hide inside of it. Sasori also adorned Hiruko with the Akatsuki's robes and hid inside it so often that others came to recognise him only when he was wearing it. In the anime, Hiruko is a human puppet made from the corpse of a renowned shinobi.^[1] According to Chiyo, Hiruko was Sasori's favourite puppet.^[2]

Third Kazekage

Main article: Third Kazekage (puppet) This is the human puppet created by Sasori from the body of Sunagakure's Third Kazekage. The efforts that Sasori went through to acquire the puppet made it his favourite.^[3][4]

Mother and Father

Main article: Mother and Father Mother (母, Haha) and Father (父, Chichi) were the first two puppets Sasori ever created, modelled after his real mother and father, who were killed by Sakumo Hatake during a war.

Sasori

Main article: Sasori (puppet) This is the puppet created by Sasori made to look like his original body. When he inhabited it, it contained his "core of living flesh" (生身の核, namami no kaku) in the left compartment in its chest.

The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets

See also: Chikamatsu Collection The Chikamatsu Collection was created by the first puppet master, Monzaemon Chikamatsu. They later came into Chiyo's possession. They were designed to work together for devastating capabilities, and to be much stronger than normal puppets. They are capable of taking down an entire castle when used by the right puppeteer.

Hundred Puppet Army

See also: Hundred Puppet Army The One Hundred Puppets used by Sasori are said to be able to take down an entire country. Due to Sasori converting himself into a puppet, he has a special mechanism that allows him to control one hundred puppets. Though they lack teamwork, they use sheer attrition to wear down the opposition.

Autonomous Puppets

Main article: Autonomous Puppet Autonomous puppets, or automatons, are puppets capable of operating independent of constant control by a puppeteer. The earliest puppets were developed by the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Humanity later built their own through scientific ninja tools, which can be outfitted with Scroll Cartridges to use techniques. These are used by Kara and Kirigakure.

Other puppets and uses

• In the first OVA, a group of automatic puppets appeared in Akagahara.
• In the Mizuki Tracking Mission, Mizuki used a simple puppet in his likeness equipped with a sword.^[5]
• The three Ryūdōin brothers used a type of wooden doll training posts as puppets. While most were controlled by a tag on the back of their head, some were controlled by the Puppet Technique. Puppets almost identical to these appeared in a Shippūden filler episode being used as a defence measure for Iō's weapon lab.^[6]
• Young Sunagakure puppeteers use simple toy snake puppets for amusement. The mechanics behind the toy was likened to the Garian Sword by Kankurō.^[7]
• Sasori claims his collection contains 298 puppets.
• During their battle with Sasori, Chiyo used Sakura as a puppet by connecting chakra threads to her and controlling her like a puppet.
• Puppet parts can be used to convert or replace human limbs. In the anime, it was revealed that Sasori was the one who developed this method, having installed a new right puppet arm into his friend Komushi.^[8] Chiyo later converted her right arm into that of a puppet's, which also includes a Mechanical Light Shield Block. Sasori eventually took this to another level by converting his entire body, minus his core of living flesh, into a puppet.
• The Asura Path was a puppeteer in life, according to the anime, using an infant-like puppet which had 4 to 6 arms and the ability to spin rapidly, as well as emit deceptive, infant-like noises.^[9]
• Fū Yamanaka uses a simple straw puppet in his Mind Puppet Switch Cursed Seal Technique.
• During the fight of the two surprise divisions, Sasori used Muta Aburame, Shin, Tokuma Hyūga and Ranka as puppets.
• In the Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown, an allied ninja uses five puppets dressed up as daimyō to deceive potential enemies and capture them with nets fired from the back.^[10]
• In the anime, Sasori's childhood friend Komushi was turned into a human puppet after his death.^[11]
• In the Paradise Life on a Boat, Kokuyō used large Mecha-like puppets as distractions for his Hundred Puppet Soul Binding technique. Of the two seen, the first had an open cockpit which he sat in and controlled it from, while the second was a massive purple machine which he hid underground and used to grab Shizuka.^[12]
• In the Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha, Korobi and Yaoki use a pair of small puppets with rounded heads that sprayed water.
• During the joint Chūnin Exam, Saya uses a small child-like puppet, wearing a red-and-pink kimono held together by a blue sash. The puppet is mainly used for acquiring hair for the Puppet Imitation Technique, but can also be used more offensively, with kunai emerging from the sleeves.^[13]
• In the first Naruto: Shippūden movie, Setsuna made use of a puppet to take his place so that the Konoha ninja didn't realise he had left.
• In the fourth Naruto Shippūden movie, Mukade in human form made use of different special puppets with owl heads, some having the Ryūmyaku chakra:
  • Speed Puppet: A puppet with rotating and extendible arms and piercing eyes, and hiding nine swords in its belly. Once destroyed, explosive tags attached inside of its body explodes to cause damage.
  • Golem Puppet: A puppet using the Ryūmyaku chakra, allowing it to fly, shoot a mini beam of Ryūmyaku chakra through its mouth and throw kunai from its belt and connected with Ryūmyaku chakra threads. There are three different variants:
    • One having three large, rotating claws on each arm.
    • Another having a Ryūmyaku chakra cannon in its right arm (could shoot a great beam or balls of Ryūmyaku chakra).
    • The last having a double mass in its right arm.
  • Guardian Puppet: A puppet which can shoot several kunai from its chest, having a hidden blade in its right arm and a slow speed but a considerable force. Once the target is surrounded by several of them, the puppeteer can lock his target by merging several Guardian Puppets to create a prison and a giant version.
  • Giant Guardian Puppet: A giant puppet created by merging several Guardian Puppets. If a target is trapped inside the puppet, the puppet absorbs his chakra.
  • Many basic puppets with no weapons or defensive means, meant to mimic and replace the citizens of Rōran and Queen Sāra.
  • Mukade also converted his own body into a spider-like puppet, convert his frontal forelegs into scythes, launch a segmented tongue with a drill tip, and can merge with the pieces of the Guardian Puppets to increase his size. He can also absorb all of them to create a gigantic puppet of a centipede, with many retractable blades within the segments, being able to both devour and expel chakra via his mouth, and his own body hidden within the left side of its chest.
• Tenten uses puppets that are twice the size of a normal person and are equipped with Handheld Kunai Launchers.^[14]
• Shinki uses what appears to be a puppet shaped like a skeleton, with a matching dark cloak, two horns and yellow eyes. Additionally, half of its body is white and the other is black.
• In chapter 19 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, "'Autonomous' Puppets" (「自律型」の傀儡, "Jiritsu-gata" no Kugutsu) appear. They make use of scientific ninja weapons to attack using elemental ninjutsu.^[15]
• In the anime, Araya uses a puppet in the image of himself and controls it from afar during the battles, so the puppet can act as his stand-in unnoticed.^[16]
• In the game Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2, the Shirogane clan is a puppet-using shinobi clan. Different puppets can be encountered in the game:
  • Puppet Walker: A simple B-Rank puppet with razor-like claws. It has the "cut" (斬) kanji in its chest, and "self" (自) in its neck.
  • Kamikaze Puppet: A suicidal A-rank puppet that can self destruct. It has a 自 on its neck.
  • Mecha Puppet: A-rank puppet that fires small electric orbs from its arms. It has the "shoot" (射) kanji in its chest, and 自 on its nose.
  • Insect Queen Bee Drone Puppet: An A-rank Bee-like puppet that can use electrical attacks. It can also produce smaller "drones" from within its carapace. It has the "thunder" (雷) kanji on both of its wings.
  • Elemental Puppets: Two A-rank puppets that use elemental attacks. The Red Elemental Puppet uses fire attacks, and has a "flame" (炎) kanji on its chest, and the Blue Elemental Puppet uses water attacks, with a "water" (水) kanji on its left arm.
  • Lizard Puppet: An S-rank puppet. It is similar to Sanshōuo as it is based on a lizard. It can breathe fire, stick to vertical surfaces, and spin itself rapidly in midair for a strong rolling tackle. Its use was supposedly exclusive only for the top-ranking members of the Shirogane.
  • Master Puppet: The S-rank most powerful puppet from the Shirogane clan. It is a six-armed, four-faced puppet seemingly inspired by the Asura. It has many fearsome abilities, such as elemental attacks and regeneration.
  • Barrier Puppets: The four B-rank puppets that protect Menō and Gandō with a light purplish gas-tagged barrier.
• In the game Naruto Shippūden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, a puppet known as the Vampire Puppet is encountered in a B-Rank and later in an A-Rank mission. Like the Master Puppet of the Shirogane clan, this puppet seems to have a will of its own and attacks and feasts on the blood of women. It later sets its sights on tomato juice, stealing it from peddlers. After its second defeat it is sent to work at a place called "Tomato Land" where tomato juice is produced. It became happy there, earning tomato juice instead of money.

References