How Many of the Eight Gates Can Kakashi Open?
Although not one of the principal protagonists, Kakashi Hatake was nevertheless one of the best and most beloved characters from Masahi Kishimoto’s Naruto franchise. The guy had a very specific approach to life. Because of his great relationship with the protagonist trio, Kakashi has become a fan-favorite character, and that is the principal reason why fans are always asking questions about him. In this article, we are going to tell you how many of the Eight Gates Kakashi Hatake can open in Naruto.
The manga initially implies, and the anime officially confirms that Kakashi Hatake is able to open the Gate of Opening (開門, Kaimon), the first of the Eight Gates. Opening the Gates is a very complex task, so it’s not strange that even Kakashi can open just the first one. He actually opened it during a Cliff Climbing Practice.
The rest of this article is going to focus on Kakashi Hatake and his powers and abilities, focusing on the Eight Gates and how many he can open. You’ll find out how exactly he opened the first gate and how many gates he can open. Kakashi Hatake’s importance for the series is difficult to overstate, which is why he definitely deserves a solo article.
What are the Eight Gates in Naruto?
The Eight Gates are a set of release points controlling a person’s chakra flow in the circulatory system. The three individuals who are known to have used the Eight Heavenly Gates Opening Method are Guy Maito, Dai Maito, and Rock Lee. Kakashi Hatake can also open one of them at least, as he proved when using just one hand to scale a cliff.
The Eight Gates Released Formation refers to the condition where all eight gates are open. Each ninja who enters this stage loses their life while also temporarily gaining power greater than the five Kage. As the gates open, the user experiences significant changes as a result of the enormous amount of chakra pouring through their body. The most frequent alterations include a darkening skin tone, enlarged temple veins, and obliteration of the irises and pupils.
The user’s bright halo can easily be mistaken for chakra, as Kisame thought during his most recent battle with Guy. The latter clarified his error by stating that the green aura he was surrounded by was actually sweat vapor due to his body’s rapid increase in temperature.
The eight heavenly gates are:
- The Gate of Opening (開門 Kaimon): The brain contains the first gate. Thanks to this gate, all of the body’s muscles are no longer under the direction of the brain. Because of brain regulation, one can use only 20% of her muscle potential during normal periods, whereas these can be used to 100% of their ability. Beyond that, the muscles may rip or even break down. The ninja can perform the Lotus Recto after unlocking this door, but it exhausts him and causes bruises all over his body.
- The Gate of Healing (休門 Kyūmon): Somewhere in the brain is a second gate. It reduces the negative effects of entering the first gate and Recto Lotus, boosts physical prowess, and momentarily recharges the body.
- The Gate of Life (生門 Seimon): The third gate is located on the spinal cord. It allows the person to accomplish the Hidden Face of the Lotus, also known as Lotus Verso, by beginning the mobilization of immense physical energy. The user’s skin becomes reddened, and their eyes go fully white due to the increased blood flow (notably on Rock Lee and Guy).
- The Gate of Pain (傷門 Shōmon): There is a fourth gate on the spinal cord. It enhances the user’s swiftness and offensive skills. Lee opens an additional door to improve the functionality of his Lotus. Muscle tissue tears may result from opening this door.
- The Gate of Limit (杜門 Tomon): The fifth gate is located somewhere in the abdomen. It increases physical energy yet already shreds muscles in the user. Lee unlocks this additional door to increase the lethality of his Lotus.
- The Gate of View (景門 Keimon): In the abdomen is the sixth gate. It increases the physical stamina of the user and the low velocity. Guy is the only ninja known to have unlocked the Morning Peacock (Asa Kujaku) technique for unlocking this door. The user creates strong chakra currents that swirl around them. In the manga’s second chapter, Lee can only advance to this level.
- The Gate of Wonder (驚門 Kyōmon): The seventh door is under the stomach. Increases the user’s physical energy even more. He can obliterate a Susanoo at this stage. Guy can use the Tiger of the South (Hirudora) long-range attack by opening this door. His entire body starts to glow with a green aura as soon as he opens the penultimate door; this aura is sweat vapor produced from biological energy. The cost of opening the seventh gate is excruciating: the user loses all physical stamina, their muscle fibers are torn, and it is impossible to touch them without inflicting excruciating pain.
- The Gate of Death (死門 Shimon): The eighth and final gate is situated at the heart level. The user must press their thumb into their chest to activate their heart muscle and combine with one of the eight gates in order to open it. He is able to focus all of his physical energy as a result. Yet, as using it will result in the user’s death, doing so can be seen as a sacrifice. The user emanates a red aura during the Eight Gates Formation that is made of blood vapor coming from their body. Only Guy and his father, Duy are able to unlock the ninth gate, which grants access to the Evening Elephant (Sekizô) and the Yaga, two incredibly potent techniques.
How Many of the Eight Gates Can Kakashi Open?
As we have elaborated, opening the gates is a truly complex process, and only a handful of characters have been able to do it. Might Duy and his son, Might Guy, were initially the only people able to open all the Eight Gates. This changed when Rock Lee, Guy’s student, became able to open the Eight Gates in adulthood. Another character who was able to open the Gates was Metal Lee, Rock Lee’s son, who was seen subconsciously opening the first gate. But, what about Kakashi Hatake?
Kakashi Hatake is absolutely a character that is skilled enough and powerful enough to unlock the Eight Gates, but was he able to do it? It is a very complex task that requires a lot of effort and dedication, which is why many never manage to do it. As far as Kakashi Hatake is concerned, we know that he is able to open the First Gate for sure; the manga implied it, and the anime definitely confirmed it completely. This happened during a Cliff Climbing Practice. Now, it is possible that Kakashi can open other gates as well, but that is a fact that we do not know. Opening the lower-numbered gates is not that difficult, but since we haven’t seen Kakashi activate them, we cannot confirm anything.