
They are highly effective in this regard, but this tends to create issues for them after the conflict is over: survivors of the battle that witnessed or that lost loved ones to kekkei genkai users come to fear and hate them for their actions. In times of war they are deadly on the battlefield, and are often deployed to turn the tide of the battle. Kekkei genkai make their users far more powerful than the average shinobi. Jūgo's body passively absorbs natural energy, allowing him to use senjutsu without requiring any training. Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku enables him to freely manipulate his bones, such as growing an additional spine for him to wield like a whip. Twin brothers Sakon and Ukon can merge their own or the bodies of unrelated people.

Certain kekkei genkai grant their users unrivalled ways of using their own bodies.While some natures are commonly associated with a particular clan, such as ice with the Yuki clan, others occur within individuals with no known relationship, such as lava being used by natives of Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure. Although it is common to use more than one nature, actually combining them requires a kekkei genkai. Advanced nature transformations combine two basic natures in order to create a new one, such as water and wind to make ice or fire and earth to make lava.Dōjutsu that are consistently inherited within a particular family, such as the Byakugan's Hyūga clan and the Sharingan's Uchiha clan, often become synonymous with the clan. Some dōjutsu, such as the Byakugan, are present from birth, while others, such as the Sharingan, won't awaken until specific conditions are met.

