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Among the numerous powerful clans inNaruto, the Hyuga Clan is severely underrated. We never see their full potential unravel, but throughout the story, there are hints of the Hyuga Clan’s true strength. Upon being asked about the strongest member of the clan, any fan of the series would name Neji without a second thought.
However, they might be wrong as there was a character who was supposedly stronger than Neji. Mukai Kohinata, a Byakugan user, had nearly beaten both Itachi and Shisui at the same time. But to most fans, the existence of Mukai is unknown.
Mukai Kohinata and The Immense Potential of the Hyuga Clan
During the Chunin Exam, we discovered that theHyuga familywas divided into the Main house and the Branch house. Both were significantly strong, and the Main house had the power to control the Branch house. It was revealed inItachi Shindenthat there was a character called Mukai Kohinata. Mukai was a descendant of the clan with Hyuga blood in his vein, but his family had separated from the clan generations before he was born.
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As a result of that, Mukai only had one Byakugan. However, that didn’t hinder his growth as he grew stronger to become a Jonin and eventually joined the Anbu. His association with the Anbu was a secret. His hard work and potential gained him the trust of the Third Hokage, but it didn’t last long as Mukai began spying on Konoha for money. It needs to be mentioned that it wasn’t greed that was driving him, but the ill health of his son.
Mukai was extremely powerful, so much so that once he had beaten around twenty Sand Shinobi all by himself. Although, the greatest demonstration of his strength was his fight against Itachi and Shisui.
Mukai Kohinata vs. Itachi and Shisui
EveryNarutofan is aware of Itachi and Shisui’s genius. Itachi was among the top members of the Uchiha and Shisui was even stronger than him. Both of them were way beyond their age in terms of strength and battle quotient. When Danzo discovered the truth behind Mukai’s betrayal, he sent both Itachi and Shisui to confront him. For the majority of the fight, Mukai deflected all of their attacks.
With his Byakugan, he attacked Shisui’s chakra points and prevented him from using the fire element. He was able to defend himself against the Sharingan as well. What got him in the end was Shisui’s Mangekyou Sharingan, which was a secret to everyone except for the Uchiha. Without any knowledge of what he was up against, he got caught up in Shisui’s genjutsu. He was aware that because of the gravity of his crime, he wouldn’t be treated with mercy.
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So, to free himself from the genjutsu and protect his family from the consequences, he cut his own stomach and accepted his crime. His wound was too severe and led him to his death. Being able to overpower both Itachi and Shisui in a battle is an admirable feat. Considering how Mukai only had the Byakugan in one of his eyes, it makes his accomplishments even more fascinating. It’s a shame that we never got to see him in action during the main storyline, but his strength is awe-inspiring nonetheless.
Narutois available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :925
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
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itachi uchihaMasashi KishimotoNaruto
