The Sharingan is one of the Three Great Dojutsu in the Naruto universe, along with the Byakugan and Rinnegan. Wielded by the members of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan is known for its powerful visual abilities that give the user an edge in combat.
The standard Sharingan normally has a red iris with 1-3 tomoe seals. However, some fans have speculated about the existence of a “White Sharingan” due to certain events in the story. Here are some quick answers about the White Sharingan:
Does a White Sharingan exist in Naruto canon?
No, there is no canon confirmation of a White Sharingan existing in the Naruto universe. It is purely a fan concept.
Where did the idea of a White Sharingan come from?
The notion of a White Sharingan seems to have originated from Kakashi Hatake’s Mangekyo Sharingan, which had a white design instead of the typical red iris.
What abilities would a White Sharingan have?
As a hypothetical concept, fans have speculated a White Sharingan could grant powerful light-based abilities or temporal abilities like time manipulation.
Could a White Sharingan rival the Rinnegan?
Some fans theorize a White Sharingan could be an evolution of the standard Sharingan and potentially rival the Rinnegan in power. However, this is pure speculation.
Does Kakashi’s Mangekyo Sharingan count as a White Sharingan?
No, Kakashi’s Mangekyo Sharingan just has a unique white design and is functionally the same as a standard Mangekyo Sharingan.
Origins of the Sharingan
To properly discuss the possibility of a White Sharingan, it is important to first understand the origins and baseline abilities of the standard Sharingan.
The Sharingan is the kekkei genkai (inherited ability) of the Uchiha clan. It typically first awakens in members of the Uchiha bloodline in times of intense emotional stress or trauma. The emotion causes the brain to release a special chakra that affects the optic nerves and transforms the eyes into Sharingan.
Some of the signature abilities granted by the Sharingan are:
- The ability to see chakra flow and perceive genjutsu
- Powerful hypnotic genjutsu casting through eye contact
- Increased perception, awareness, and reaction speed
- The ability to copy almost any jutsu (with some exceptions)
- Predicting opponent’s movements and attacks
The Sharingan can evolve further into the Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan by means currently not fully understood. But first, let’s examine the evidence around a hypothetical White Sharingan.
Kakashi’s White Mangekyo Sharingan
The main inspiration for the notion of a White Sharingan comes from Kakashi Hatake’s Mangekyo Sharingan, attained when he witnessed the death of his friend Rin Nohara:
Unlike the red/black pinwheel pattern typically seen in Mangekyo Sharingan, Kakashi’s appears white and grey. The white coloration is unique to him.
However, functionally Kakashi’s Mangekyo provides the same type of powers as others, namely the ability to use the Kamui teleportation jutsu. The white color does not indicate it as a separate White Sharingan doujutsu.
Obito’s Mangekyo Sharingan
Obito Uchiha’s Mangekyo Sharingan after witnessing Rin’s death has a normal red/black design and also grants him access to Kamui:
This further indicates the white color is simply an aesthetic difference in Kakashi’s case, not a new doujutsu.
Evidence Against a Canonical White Sharingan
There are several key reasons why a White Sharingan is unlikely to exist as a canonical doujutsu in the Naruto universe:
- No mention in the manga, databooks, anime, or by the creators about such a doujutsu.
- Kakashi’s white Mangekyo is shown to be no different than a standard colored Mangekyo.
- No wielders of such an ability shown or mentioned in the canon story.
- The powerscaling matches established doujutsu without needing a White Sharingan.
- The Sharingan’s evolutions and origins are already well explained in canon.
While a White Sharingan is a fun hypothetical concept for fans to theorize about, there are no solid indications it is meant to exist within the defined Naruto canon.
How a White Sharingan Could Work in Theory
If one wanted to theorize about a White Sharingan’s potential powers, here are some possibilities:
Light-Based Abilities
A white iris could grant abilities related to light and vision. Some fan ideas include:
- Emitting blinding flashes of light
- Casting unbreakable genjutsu by manipulating light rays
- Dispelling visual genjutsu
- Seeing through objects and illusions by bending light
- Shooting searing laser-like beams
Enhanced Copying Abilities
Perhaps a White Sharingan could copy jutsu and abilities beyond what the normal Sharingan can handle, such as kekkei genkai, sage techniques, or even dojutsu like the Rinnegan or Byakugan.
Time Manipulation
With its association with light, some believe a White Sharingan could grant time-related techniques similar to the Rinnegan’s time-space ninjutsu, such as:
- Slowing or speeding up the user’s perception of time
- Rewinding or looping segments of time
- Trapping enemies in endless time distortions
- Temporal teleportation through time-space barriers
Nullifying Chakra
Perhaps it could neutralize or negate the chakra of enemies, acting as a counter to all ninjutsu abilities.
Evolution of the Sharingan
Rather than a distinct doujutsu, some believe the White Sharingan could simply be a further evolution of the Uchiha clan’s powers, beyond the Mangekyo Sharingan and with abilities rivaling the Rinnegan.
Who Could Awaken a Theoretical White Sharingan?
Again, this is purely hypothetical speculation, but here are some potential candidates if one were to appear:
- Sarada Uchiha – As Sasuke’s daughter, she has incredibly strong Uchiha blood and has already awakened her Sharingan at a young age.
- Sasuke Uchiha – His Rinnegan is lost, perhaps his Sharingan could evolve again to compensate.
- Orochimaru – With his extensive experiments on dojutsu, he could discover a means to create one.
- Kawaki – Contains traces of Otsutsuki DNA, perhaps he could awaken his own version.
- Himawari Uzumaki – She has the Byakugan but perhaps could awaken a White Sharingan in the other eye.
However, again, there is nothing indicating any character awakens anything beyond the standard Sharingan stages depicted in canon.
A White Sharingan in Fan Fiction
While not canon, many Naruto fans have had fun imagining and exploring the idea of a White Sharingan through fan fiction. A White Sharingan can be an interesting plot device in these unofficial stories.
For example, authors could have certain characters awaken the new doujutsu through mutations, experiments, or new unknown methods. They then depict exciting new powers a White Sharingan could harness, such as manipulating time and light. Authors have liberty to get creative with abilities.
It also allows exploring character growth by having someone master new White Sharingan abilities over time. Or face down enemies wielding the powerful fan-fiction dojutsu.
So while not real in the official lore, a speculative White Sharingan remains a compelling idea for fans to utilize in their own Naruto-inspired adventures and stories.
Conclusion
In summary:
- There is no canonical proof of a White Sharingan existing in Naruto.
- Kakashi’s Mangekyo design seems to be just a visual anomaly.
- But the concept allows for fun theoretical abilities and creative fan fiction ideas.
While an intriguing hypothetical, the White Sharingan remains confined to fan speculation and non-canon stories. Within the established Naruto lore, the Uchiha’s Sharingan possesses fantastical powers enough without venturing into the possibilities of a mythical white variant.
