Minato Namikaze is one of the strongest Shinobiin the world ofNaruto, as was expected of a ninja who acquired legendary fame during his short life. While Minato’s legend was ever present in the originalNarutoseries, fans got to see a very small portion of it. This is because of the fact that he was dead in the story and what little fans found out about him was only through tales told by other people, until he returned in the 4th Great Ninja War for a brief period of time.
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With the Minato one shot, Kishimoto got the chance to illustrate a fantastic story about Minato in his youth and, for the very first time, fans got to see this legendary ninja leading his own story. Needless to say, Kishimoto delivered and all the fans ofNarutoare absolutely in love with what they were treated to. Not only did this one shot deliver a fantastic reasoning for the creation of the Rasengan, but it also added to the legend of the Fourth Hokage, all thewhile giving more focus to Kushina Uzumaki, who was desperately in need of more characterization.
Minato’s Legend In The Original Story
In the original story, Minato was painted to be a legendary shinobistrong enough to rival the Nine-Tails and eventually seal it awaywithinNaruto. Minato is actually one of the very first characters that fans see in the original story since it opens with the retelling of the day that Kurama attacked Konoha. However, after that, fans see very little of him. There are legends of Minato thrown in here and there. The likes of the Third Hokage was one of the biggest sources of information on Minato and he believed that the Fourth Hokage was a legendary ninja the likes of which only came once in a generation.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who was the teacher of the Fourth Hokage, mentioned that Minato was the greatest shinobi of all time. Through Kakashi, fans saw even more of the 4th Hokage in his flashback during the Third Great Ninja War. By this point in time, Minato was already at a level where he could become the Hokage and reached a level where he was strong enough to fight against even Kage-level Shinobi with ease. It goes without saying that the status of the 4th Hokage was exalted in the original story and when he returned in the 4th Great Ninja War, he put all that into effect, showing everyone why he was as great as he was.
Minato In The One Shot
In the Minato one shot, fans got to see how this legendary shinobi came to be in quite a clear manner. At the beginning of the chapter, Minato was portrayed to be far from his peak as he was still in a ninja cell led by Jiraiya, fighting against two Jinchuriki who appeared to be strong enough to manipulate their own beasts to a certain degree. Minato was seen being able to save his team, including his sensei, even when he was not at the peak of his powers.He also went on to create the Rasenganafter observing the Tailed Beast Ball just once.
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The training for his Rasengan was immensely grueling, however, this technique was nearly impossible for anyone to master, yet Minato found a way to do it in a way that even surprised Jiraiya. According to the latter, a Shinobi as bright as Minato only comes once in a generation and he was certainly proving that every single day. What’s more, later on in the story, Minato went on to show his prowess with Sealing Jutsu, which he learned from Kushina and eventually even fought against the Nine-Tails, thanks to help from his partner. Minato was able to match a Tailed Beast Ball with his Rasengan, which is nothing short of staggering. The one-shot made it quite clear to see that he was on the path to greatness and would eventually become the Hokage due to the level of skill that he possessed, however, if that wasn’t clear to the fans, Kishimoto himself went on to confirm his power level when he clashed against Kurama.
Minato Compared To The First Hokage
When Minato was training for his Rasengan and Kushina approached him, having stepped out of the barrier that kept her seal in check, the beast immediately started taking over her body and this led to Minato being injured severely. While Kurama was attempting to break the seal, it was Minato who reinforced the seal with his own despite not being a member of the Uzumaki Clan. This surprised even Kurama, who clearly went on to say that this is out of the ordinary. He then went on to say that Minato is a Shinobi of the same level as the First Hokage, which puts into perspective how strong he really is.
The First Hokage is believed to be the God of Shinobi in the Naruto world, a title that he shares with the Third Hokage. Minato is considered to be a Shinobi in the same league as the First Hokage, which, once again, fortifies his status as one of the strongest Hokage of all time, surpassed only by a handful, such as his very own son.A comparison to Hashiramajust goes to show that he is incredible enough to be put in the same league as the likes of legends of the world. What’s more, this comparison came long before Minato even reached his peak as a Shinobi.
Minato’s Peak
Minato Namikaze died long before his prime. He was still 24 when he died, which just goes to show that he still had a lot of room to grow. Minato was still in the process of making his Rasengan stronger when he ended up dying and even by that time, he was powerful enough to take on both Obito and Kurama at the same time. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Minato leveled up in power even further when he became the Jinchuriki of the Yin half of Kurama. What’s more, he even managed to tame the beast within a matter of seconds, something that took Naruto years upon years to accomplish.
Taming this beast and making use of his powers efficiently within a matter of seconds once again goes on to show that his genius was unsurpassed. What’s even more surprising is that Minato even mastered Sage Mode, despite not using it in battle, perfectly. In every way, Minato was one of the strongest Shinobi to ever live. He is a Shinobi worthy of being compared to Hashirama Senju and perhaps matching him equally in battle. The only Hokage to have surpassed Minato quite clearly is Naruto Uzumaki, whose strength is on an entirely different plane. When it comes to Minato, however, Kishimoto did a fantastic job to define him as one of the strongest and most talented ninjas to ever live in his one shot, which, once again, served as a reminder to the fans about the impact that the Fourth Hokage had on the world of ninja.
