A guide to understanding Hitboxes [WIP]

Hitboxes are a core mechanic in ANY game, and your understanding of them could mean the difference between landing an easy ultimate, or getting dropped by an attack you thought you were safe from.

Note that this guide is not targeted for new players. This is aimed at semi-experienced players looking to improve their playstyle.

1. What are Hitboxes?

Hitboxes are the pieces of your character that dictate whether or not you come in contact with someone or something.



Everything in the game has a hitbox. Each hitbox has different sizes, properties, and most importantly, priorities.

When two hitboxes collide, the hitbox with the higher priority will win.

The reason why you can hit someone with a fireball is because your fireball's hitbox connected with your opponent's hitbox and had a higher priority. Inversely, the reason that Naruto just plowed through your Larch Dance and pegged you with a Nine-tailed Rasengan is due to his hitbox having priority.
Understanding priority is a vital part of any match. Fortunately, I will list every type of hitbox and priority order for you.

2. Basic priorities

The key to taking advantage of hitboxes is to know what hitboxes have a priority over other ones.



Below is the general "pecking order" of hitboxes, with the lowest priority at the top, and the highest at the bottom:

• Generic hitbox (the hitbox for your character.)
  
  
• Typical Combo hitboxes (most non-chakra attacks and air dashes)
  
  
• Team Co-ordination attack
  
  
• Grabs
  
  
• Shuriken (This includes ranged combos from characters such as Deidara, Tenten, etc)
  
  
• Items (Such as kunai bags, explosive tags)
  
  
• Chakra shuriken
  
  
• Chakra dashes
  
  
• Nagato's Back Dashes (which for some reason have higher priority than other normal chakra dashes)
  
  
• Awakening normal dashes
  
  
• Awakening Chakra dashes
  
  
• Physical jutsu (Such as a Rasengan)
  
  
• Physical Ultimate jutsu (Such as the Nine-tailed Rasengan)
  
  
• Team Ultimate Jutsu
  
  
• All Projectile jutsu (Each projectile has its own hitbox that will cancel out other projectiles one for one so jutsu with more projectiles will have more hitboxes and thus more priority than each other. For example, Sasori's ground jutsu has five projectiles whereas his air one has two. So if they both collided Sasori's ground jutsu would have higher priority but will only have 3 projectiles left.)
  
  
• Sasuke's Inferno Style: Flame Control
  
  
• Taka Sasuke's awakened Amaterasu
  
  
• Itachi's Amaterasu
  
  
• Shield Jutsu (Such as Almighty Push or Rotation)
  
  
• "Precision" Ultimate jutsu, such as Kirin or Kamui.

3. Physical Jutsu

A Physical jutsu is pretty simple; it's a jutsu where the person using it has to touch the other person in some way to connect.



As we have learned, a character's body is made up of hitboxes. When this character uses a Physical jutsu such as a Chidori, these hitboxes will change from a "Generic" hitbox to that of a physical jutsu. This is why you can get hit by a jutsu even if you dash into someone from behind; their entire body is the hitbox for the attack, even their back.
Another way to think about it is that the Physical jutsu hitbox acts as a sort of armor that goes over the normal hitbox, deflecting away things like grabs and dashes so they do no harm, But doesn't protect from anything of a higher priority.
A Physical Ultimate jutsu is the same as a physical jutsu, except slightly higher priority. Same goes for a Team Ultimate, though it's again slightly higher than a Physical Ultimate.

When two physical jutsu or two physical ultimate jutsu connect, they cancel each other out. Both users will slide backwards and despite being unable to do any actions such as dashing or charging chakra, both players can still guard.

4. Projectile Hitboxes

Projectile hitboxes work a little differently than Physical ones. Instead of changing the user's hitboxes, it creates a new hitbox that is detached from the character.



Also different to physical jutsu is that there are different types of priority within the projectile group; For example, Sasuke's Inferno Style will ignore even a million fireballs, but Itachi's Amaterasu will go straight through.

We'll refer to these as Quality Priority and Quanitity Priority for this guide. This way you can use the old saying "Quality over Quantity" when referring to projectiles.

Most projectiles will fall under "Quantity", and thus will have the lowest Quality. All Quantity projectiles will essentially subtract from each other. Meaning that if both Itachi and Sasuke used Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu at the same time, both of them have a Quality value of 0, and a Quantity of 1 (As there is only one fireball). This means that both fireballs will simply collide in midair and neither will hit their target, as they have the same number of fireballs.
However, if we had the same scenario but instead we had Itachi's fireball vs War Tobi's awakening action (double Fireball Jutsu). Since War Tobi's jutsu has one more fireball than Itachi's, equalling two, we'll say it has a Quantity of 2. Since obviously 2 - 1 = 1, that means that one of Tobi's Fireballs will cancel out Itachi's fireball, and the second one will hit Itachi.

Different jutsu have different Quantities, like TenTen's have five, Deidara's has two. It's also important to note that since some jutsu dont travel in a straight line, they may not cancel each other out if they do not connect. For example, if Deidara used his clay birds as Itachi uses his fireball, it's possible that the clay birds will curve around the fireball, meaning both Deidara and Itachi will get hit fully by each other. Higher amounts of Quantity mean it can hit more targets, and thus are good at taking out multiple targets.

The other type of priority is Quality priority. This is a projectile that has only one "Quantity", but has a higher "Quality" meaning all jutsu with a lower "Quality" will be stopped by it, and it will still continue going forward.

Sasuke's Inferno Style: Flame Control has a quality of one. That means that anything with a Quality of 0 will be neutralized, no matter how many of them there are. However, if it were to hit a jutsu with the same Quality, they will cancel each other out as normal. If it connects with a jutsu with a higher priority or a higher Quality, it will simply disappear with no effect.

5. "Precision" hitboxes

A precision hitbox is a rare type of hitbox which, like a projectile jutsu, creates a new hitbox separate from the user's body.



However, the hitbox itself does not move. It appears directly where the opponent is standing. It has the ability to pierce all other types of hitboxes that stand inbetween it and the target. This means there is no tracking involved, it simply appears where the opponent is.

As these jutsu have effectively infinite tracking they are very useful, however there are very few "Precision" attacks and in the game, and only 3 characters have a "Precision" ultimate, those being Sasuke (who has two), Yamato and Kakashi.

6. The Hitbox Triangle

Due to the unique behavior of each type of hitbox, each one counters and is countered by one of the other two.



- Projectile Jutsu counter Physical Jutsu.
Projectile jutsu have a higher priority, and Physical jutsu typically force the user to run towards you. This means they'll be heading straight into your Projectile.

- Precision Jutsu counter Projectile Jutsu.
Projectile jutsu rely on both distance and priority to be effective, and Precision Jutsu eliminate both of those by being both very fast and intangible. Most Projectile attacks force the user to stand still, meaning they're a sitting duck. Since your Precision Jutsu is also near-instant, it will connect before your opponent's projectile.

- Physical Jutsu counter Precision Jutsu.
A Physical Jutsu will typically cause you to always be in motion, which means that it's nearly impossible to be hit by a Precision jutsu during it since it's always going to be slightly behind you.

7. "Shield" Jutsu

Shield jutsu are a unique type of jutsu that combine elements of all three types of hitboxes.



A shield jutsu differs from any other form of jutsu in the sense that it has traits from physical jutsu, projectile jutsu and precision jutsu.
The outer shell of the jutsu is considered a projectile, with a priority (or "Quality, if you'd like to refer back to the projectile hitbox section) higher than any other projectile in the game. This also means that any physical jutsu that comes in contact with it are automatically nullified.
However, if an opponent somehow landed a Rasengan from within this outer shell before getting hit away, their attack would simply cancel out your jutsu instead of directly hitting you. This is due to the fact that, like physical jutsu, the shield jutsu essentially layers your hitboxes with that of a physical jutsu. As stated before, when two physical jutsu hitboxes of the same priority collide, they cancel each other out.
Finally, the jutsu is always centered directly around the user. No tracking, minimal delay. These are properties of a precision jutsu.

8. List of all jutsu (Physical)

Bold = Ultimate Jutsu

Highlight = Awakening Action

Team Ultimate Jutsu (All characters)
Rasengan (Naruto/Minato/Jiraiya)
Vermillion Rasengan (Naruto)
Wind Style: RasenShuriken (Naruto)
Nine-tailed Rasengan (Naruto)
Tailed Beast Bomb (Naruto)
Sage Art: Massive Rasengan Barrage
Rasengan Barrage (Sage Naruto)
Tailed Beast Flash Bullet (KCM Naruto)
Planetary Rasengan (KCM Naruto)
Cherry Blosson Clash (Sakura)
Full Blossom: Cherry Blossom Clash (Sakura)
The Great Sakura (Sakura)

Sakura Banner (Sakura)

Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll: Armor Collection (Sai)
Eight Trigrams: Rotation (Neji)
Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms (Neji)
Leaf Hurricane (Lee)

Leaf Hurricane (Lee)

Leaf's Combo attack (Lee)

Hidden Lotus(Lee)

Leaf Hot Wind (Lee)
Shadow Stitching Jutsu (Shikamaru)
Shadow Pinning Jutsu (Shikamaru)
Shadow Pull Jutsu (Shikamaru)
Spiky Human Boulder (Choji)
Butterfly Bullet (Choji)
Super Slap (Choji)
Dancing Petals Flower Garden (Ino)
Shattered Heaven (Madara)
Summoning: Gedo Statue (War Tobi)
Heaven and Earth Burial Explosion (Masked Man)
Summoning: Nine Tails (Masked Man)
Living Wall Fist: Style One (Jugo)
Living Wall Fist: Style Zero (Jugo)
Severe Stinging Slap (Karin)
Torrent: Water Transformation Jutsu (Suigetsu)
Flame Control Sword (Sasuke)
Chidori (Sasuke/Kakashi)
Black Chidori (Sasuke)
Chidori Lament (Sasuke)
Chidori True Spear (Sasuke)
Chidori (Sasuke)
Fang over Fang (Kiba)
Absolute: Fang over Fang (Kiba)
Dashing Double Palm (Hinata)
Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fist (Hinata)
Eight trigrams: 64 Palms Guard (Hinata)
Lightning Blade (Kakashi)
Lightning Blade: Twin Lightning Shiver (Kakashi)
Dynamic Entry (Guy)
Hirudora (Guy)
Asakijaku (Guy)
Chakra Blade: Straight Line (Asuma)
Giant Layered Sand Burial (Gaara)
Sand Prison: Spear Attack (Gaara)
Sand Prison (Gaara)
Giant Sand Burial
Secret Black Move: Flame Control Scorpion Show (Kankuro)
Secret Black Move: Three Great Tragedies (Kankuro)
Three Treasures Suction Crush (Chiyo)
Minefield Great Plain Jutsu (Tobi)
Earth Grudge: Final Shot (Kakuzu)
Soul Hunt (Hidan)
Curse Jutsu: Death Possession Blood (Hidan)
C3 (Deidara)
Totsuka Blade (Itachi)
Tsukuyomi (Itachi)
Yasaka Magatama (Itachi)
Shikigami Dance: Punishment (Konan)
The Yellow Flash (Minato)
Flying Raijin: Sequence Stage (Minato)
Heaven Kick of Pain (Tsunade)
Paradise Pure Land (Tsunade)
Gallant Rasengan (Jiraiya)
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu (Obito)
Dancing Blade Hazard (Mifune)
Resident Decapitation (Mifune)
Scale Powder Blast (Fuu)
Eruption Kick (Han)
Horn Buster (Han)
Five-Mountain Jump (Han)
Great Blazing Eruption (Roushi)
Shell Spear (Yagura)
Rough Sea Plume (Yagura)
Veil of Cat-fire (Yugito)
Cat Fire Bowl (Yugito)
Hidden Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors (Haku)
Silent Killing (Zabuza)
Snake Bearer Jutsu (Kaubot/Orochimaru)
Chakra Dissection Blade (Kabuto)
White Snake Bearer Jutsu (Orochimaru)
Giant Snake Bearer Jutsu (Orochimaru)
Lariat (Raikage)
Liger Bomb (Raikage)
Lightning Straight (Raikage)
Lariat (Killer Bee)
Rising Bomber (Killer Bee)
Larch Dance (Kimimaro)
Clematis Dance: Vine and Flower (Kimimaro)
Bracken Dance (Kimimaro)

9. List of all Jutsu (Projectiles)

Chakra Gun Volley (Naruto/Sage Naruto)
Demon Wind Bomb (Naruto)
Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll (Sai)
Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll: Raging Lion (Sai)
Ninja Tool: Blasting Sphere (Tenten)

Bashosen Water Scroll (Tenten)
Bashosen Wind Scroll (Tenten)

Weapon Control: Gigantic Iron Ball (Tenten)
Flower Bomb (Ino)
Shura Attack: Distance (Nagato)
Catastrophic Planetary Devastation (Nagato)
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation (Madara)
Yasaka Magatama (Madara/Sasuke)
Great Fanned Fire (War Tobi)

Fire Style: Double Fireball Jutsu (War Tobi)

Summoning: Gedo Statue (War Tobi)
Perfume Spray (Karin)
Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu (Suigetsu/Zabuza/Kakashi)

(Mizukage also uses Water Dragon as her awakening actions)

Inferno Style: Flame Control (Sasuke)
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu (Sasuke)

Tunneling Fang (Kiba)

Hidden Jutsu: Insect Bog (Shino)

Parasitic Insects: Feed (Shino)

Hidden Jutsu: Beetle Sphere (Shino)

Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists (Hinata)

Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu (Kakashi)
Lightning Beast Transformation Jutsu (Kakashi)

Lightning Transmission (Kakashi)

Wood Style: Wooden Mallet (Yamato)

Wood Style: Forest Destruction (Yamato)

Fire Style: Burning Ash (Asuma)
Sand Tsunami (Gaara)
Sand Burial (Gaara)
Sand Shower (Gaara)

Sand Spear (Gaara)

Puppet May Rain (Kankuro)
Secret Black Move Spinning Flames Arson (Kankuro)

[in progress]

10. List of all Jutsu (Precision/Shield)

[In progress]

[The Abstract Mango]

nice

[nia]

Thanks

[Shippu]

In a way, yes. See Section 6. The Hitbox Triangle for an example of how it works like that.

[nia]

Like ,,Stone, Paper Scissors'' ?

[Shippu]

Okay, imagine that everything in this game is built up of blocks, kind of like legos. Those are hitboxes. When you hit someone with an attack, it is when two blocks, or hitboxes, touch each other.

Priority must means what is stronger than what. When two blocks/hitboxes touch each other, one of them has to "win" for the attack to go through. The way they "win" is by having a higher priority. If neither one wins, they both do nothing.

[nia]

What are Hitboxes and Basic priorities. I dont understand this parts

[Shippu]

Tell me what part of it you don't understand and I will explain it to you.

[nia]

I DONT UNDERSTAND! WTF

[Shippu]

Well, that's annoying. I'll be sure to make a note of it, next revision.

[Natzcommander]

@ Rage VG - Oh it isn't :D They only patchet the i-frames after his ultimate, he still slips through U3 and any non ultimate projectile(save for amatersu) just tried it on X360 and a friends pc.