Concept and development

Masashi Kishimoto developed the concept of jutsu in order to explain the superhuman feats that ninja performed in the Naruto series. He intended the design for the ninja in Naruto to dispel preconceived notions about ninja popularized by other manga and to bring an original take to the presentation of ninja in manga. The use of hand seals substitutes for the incantations for magic found in other sources, and was based on the motions of ninja in various role-playing games.^[1]The hand seals are based upon the characters of the Chinese zodiac, which is a longstanding tradition in Japan, and Kishimoto used them specifically to draw upon that tradition.^[6]

Although the concept of chakra appears in the Indian mythology as well as in Buddhism and in some other belief systems, when asked in an interview, Kishimoto claimed that none of these influences were the basis for his use of the concept in Naruto. He further asserted that it was a term to apply a concrete definition to the ninjas' ability to use jutsu in the series and is comparable to the Force in Star Wars or to magic points in role-playing games.^[1]