mental power
Illusion Casting
Also called Illusions, Genjutsu, Glamour
Illusion casting creates false perception. Its power level depends on one thing: whether the illusion is projected into the world, where a camera would catch it, or written directly into a mind, where nothing external can contradict it.
How it works
Projected illusions are external — holograms, mirages, staging. Mysterio's work is largely this, which is why it is defeated by sensors and by anyone who thinks to check.
Perceptual illusions edit the target's senses directly. There is no external evidence to catch, so the counter has to come from inside: disrupting one's own chakra, recognising an inconsistency, or a mind that does not work the expected way.
Total illusion replaces reality wholesale and is close to indistinguishable from reality warping from the victim's side. Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu is the definitive case — it takes the sense of sight itself, so 'do not look' is not a defence once you have seen it once.
The recurring rule: an illusion that harms only through belief stops working the moment the target stops believing.
How it scales
- Projected
External and detectable by instruments.
- Perceptual
Edited senses — no external evidence.
- Sensory total
Takes a whole sense; consent is irrelevant.
- Reality-indistinguishable
The victim cannot tell at all.
Who has illusion casting
Across 3 universes. This list crosses publishers — something no single wiki can do, because every franchise keeps its own separate database.
| Character | Universe | Franchise | Feats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loki | Marvel | Marvel Comics | 4 |
| Mysterio | Marvel | Marvel Comics | 6 |
| John Constantine | DC | DC Comics | 3 |
| Mister Mxyzptlk | DC | DC Comics | 2 |
| Scarecrow | DC | DC Comics | 4 |
| Zatanna | DC | DC Comics | 2 |
| Hiei | Anime & Manga | Yu Yu Hakusho | 2 |
| Itachi Uchiha | Anime & Manga | Naruto | 4 |
| Kakashi Hatake | Anime & Manga | Naruto | 2 |
| Madara Uchiha | Anime & Manga | Naruto | 3 |
| Sasuke Uchiha | Anime & Manga | Naruto | 2 |
| Sosuke Aizen | Anime & Manga | Bleach | 4 |
The feat ledger
Every entry cites the work it comes from. Feat means it was shown in the work; Statement means a character or narrator said it. Nothing here is a fan estimate unless it is tagged Calc.
Mysterio — Illusions are projected and technological, which is why sensors and simple scepticism defeat them
Itachi Uchiha — Tsukuyomi compresses days of subjective experience into an instant of real time
Sosuke Aizen — Kyoka Suigetsu takes complete control of the sense of sight from the moment its release is witnessed — knowing about it is no defence
Scarecrow — Produces hallucination chemically rather than psychically, so psychic shielding does not help
Madara Uchiha — Infinite Tsukuyomi places the entire world into a single shared dream
Loki — Illusion and shapeshifting are his defining abilities across every continuity, more consistently than any weapon or spell
Loki — Projects illusions solid enough to be fought
Loki — Projects a duplicate of himself to a different location entirely
Loki — Conceals his presence from Asgardian detection
Kakashi Hatake — Sharingan genjutsu traps a target in a constructed perception
Kakashi Hatake — The Sharingan is a borrowed eye, so the power is not natively his
Sosuke Aizen — Kyoka Suigetsu places anyone who sees its release under complete hypnosis
Sosuke Aizen — The hypnosis affects all five senses, so it cannot be reasoned around
Sosuke Aizen — Anyone who has seen the release once remains affected afterwards
Itachi Uchiha — Tsukuyomi compresses days of experience into an instant
Itachi Uchiha — Casts genjutsu through eye contact alone, including via reflections
Itachi Uchiha — Susanoo is a defence rather than his technique of choice, which is deliberate characterisation
Madara Uchiha — Fights the five Kage simultaneously and wins
Madara Uchiha — Infinite Tsukuyomi requires the moon as a projection surface, its stated precondition
Mister Mxyzptlk — Constructs elaborate false scenarios Superman cannot distinguish from real
Mister Mxyzptlk — Rewrites Superman's memory of events as part of a joke
Mysterio — Illusions built from projectors, holograms and practical effects
Mysterio — Fools Spider-Man's spider-sense by attacking the perception rather than the person
Mysterio — A special-effects technician by trade, which is the whole basis of the character
Mysterio — Convinces a target they are somewhere else entirely
Mysterio — He has no powers, so exposing the equipment defeats him outright
Scarecrow — Fear toxin induces hallucinations of the victim's worst fear
Scarecrow — The effect is chemical, so a gas mask or antidote defeats him entirely
Scarecrow — A psychologist by training, which is how he selects what to induce
Sasuke Uchiha — Casts genjutsu through eye contact alone
Sasuke Uchiha — Susanoo forms a construct around him for defence and attack
Hiei — The implanted Jagan eye grants hypnosis and remote sight
Hiei — The third eye was surgically implanted, not born with
Zatanna — Creates illusions convincing enough to fool trained observers
Zatanna — Edits memory directly, which the League treats as a serious breach
John Constantine — Uses illusion and misdirection far more than direct spellcasting
John Constantine — Binds and banishes entities through negotiated terms rather than force
John Constantine — The people around him reliably pay for his victories, the character's actual theme
Limits
- Projected illusions fail against sensors and non-visual detection.
- Most perceptual illusions break on a recognised inconsistency.
- Illusions that harm through belief end when belief does.
- Non-standard minds — hive, mechanical, fractured — are often immune.
Counters
- Sensors, recordings and any non-visual sense.
- Self-inflicted pain or chakra disruption in systems that allow it.
- Minds that do not perceive normally.
Questions
What makes Aizen's illusion different from ordinary genjutsu?
Kyoka Suigetsu takes complete control of the sense of sight from the moment a person has seen its release. Ordinary illusions ask the target to believe something; this one removes the ability to see the difference, which is why knowing about it does not help.
Last updated 2026-09-06 · machine-readable version
