Summary
- Naruto surpassed his legendary father, Minato, in power due to his Jinchuriki status and training.
- Minato, known as “The Yellow Flash,” achieved great feats but was limited by his short life span.
- Naruto’s strong morals and leadership as Hokage outshine Minato, continuing his legacy in Konoha.
Naruto is home to some of the strongest characters in shonen anime. As soon as Naruto was born, he was burdened with the role of being a Jinchuriki. But it also meant he had immense power at his disposal. He went on to become one of the strongest characters in the series. Did his power allow him to surpass one of the most reputed ninjas and his father, Minato?
Naruto never met his father, who died protecting him. But he had always heard of the legendary feats of the Fourth Hokage and aspired to become a worthy Hokage like him. When Minato was alive, he was considered the great ninja of his time, and was even referred to as a generational ninja by the likes of the Third Hokage. After finally becoming the Hokage, has Naruto been able to live up to a similar reputation or has he even surpassed it?
How Strong was Minato?
A Generational Prodigy
Despite his short life, Minato submitted his name as one of the most iconic characters in Naruto. He was considered a prodigy, which is evident from him scoring the highest scores in the history of Konoha Academy. Jiraiya also took him as an apprentice after Minato joined his genin unit. During his early teenage years, he managed to single-handedly save Kushina, who was kidnapped by Kumogakure ninjas.
Minato’s Incredible Feats
Minato was responsible for creating powerful jutsu like Rasengan, and his mastery over the Flying Thunder God Technique gave him the name “The Yellow Flash”. He had great influence during the Third Great Ninja War, where he was feared by the opposing ninjas. Out of fear, Iwagakure even put a “flee on sight” order upon seeing Minato. Minato’s presence even forced Onoki to sign a peace treaty which ended the Third Great Ninja War.
However, with the pride on our line, we sent 1,000 of our shinobi.
And I heard that it took just one of them, the Yellow Flash, to stop the invasion.
And that’s the reality of it.
The Fourth Hokage’s Legacy
His incredible contribution to the Third Great Ninja War awarded him the position of the Fourth Hokage. When Kuruma attacked Konoha, Minato acted swiftly to save the village. He divided Kurama’s chakra into two halves and sealed it into him and an infant Naruto. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, he was reanimated by Orochimaru and, along with Naruto, defeated Obito.
Did Naruto Surpass Minato?
Minato is without a doubt one of the strongest characters in Naruto. But it is not surprising at all that Naruto did indeed surpass Minato. Naruto, having been a Jinchuriki since birth, had the potential of becoming one of the strongest characters in the series. He was trained and looked after by strong characters like Kakashi and Jiraiya. By the end of Shippuden, he had access to immensely strong abilities like:
- Sage Mode: an empowered state caused by the blending of natural energy and chakra.
- Baryon Mode: a tailed-beast transformation that permanently exhausts chakra.
- Six Paths Sage Mode: a divine transformation gifted to him by Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
Naruto’s Morals Make Him Even Stronger
Throughout the anime, he helped characters like Sasuke and Gaara to leave behind their dark pasts and become strong allies. He also reformed villains like Obito and Konan and changed them to believe in his vision of peace. Ultimately, he also achieved his long-awaited goal of becoming a Hokage. As the Seventh Hokage, he led Konoha and saved it multiple times.
Minato’s Biggest Limitation
The biggest reason Minato was outshined by Naruto is because he never lived that long to begin with. In just his short life, Minato achieved a lot. He became tremendously strong and would’ve continued to get much stronger if he had lived. Often, at times of crisis, the villagers believed if Minato had been alive this crisis would’ve been averted easily.
Related
Naruto: 5 Most Iconic Minato Namikaze Scenes
Here are the best scenes featuring the legendary Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure.
Despite his short life, Minato was definitely an exceptional shinobi. His son walked in similar footsteps and went on to become even stronger. While they differ in power, their morals and contribution to Konoha are parallel.
Naruto is available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
