Tailed Demons

There are several tailed demons in the Naruto world. So far, they have been shown only held in the bodies of humans.

Updated: Episode 78

Nine-Tailed Fox

The nine tailed fox is a giant demon that attacked the leaf village years before the beginning of the series. It was about to destroy the village, but was interrupted by the Fourth Hokage. Using the Reaper Death Seal, the Fourth locked the demon's spirit within Naruto Uzumaki.

Despite a degree by Sarutobi, the villager treated Naruto poorly because of fear of the demon inside of him. This would have disappointed the Fourth because he wanted Naruto to be held as a hero for holding the spirit. The poor treatment caused wounds and pain that only healed once Naruto was accepted by his squad and many sensei.

Throughout the course of the series, the power of the fox has been shown in Naruto. Naruto's stamina and rate of healing are above average because of the fox. Whenever Naruto is out of chakra or under extreme emotional or physical stress, he can use or call out the chakra of the fox. When this happens, he gains animal like features, but only if he did not intentionally summon the power. When using the fox's power, Naruto's speed, agility, power, and chakra are at incomparable levels. He is able to survive deadly encounters and perform Kage level jutsu.

When the power of the fox is being used, the seal on Naruto's stomaches becomes visible. With the addition of an uneven seal by Orochimaru, Naruto's chakra became unstable and nearly unusable. This only lasted until Jiraiya removed Orochimaru's seal. After removing the extra seal, Jiraiya forced Naruto to learn to use the power of the fox by placing him in a life or death situation.

Shukaku

The Shukaku is the spirit of the sand. This one tailed demon has extreme control over its medium. Shukaku causes insomnia in its medium while destroying the medium's psyche. Despite the power the sand spirit has over the medium, its true power is held in check until the medium is asleep.