Third Raikage

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	A 278 395
Alias(es)	Third Raikage (三代目雷影) 203
Gender	Male 278
Affiliation	Kumogakure; Allied Shinobi Forces 203 773
Occupation/Role	Third Raikage; wartime commander; leader of a six-man squad against the Six Paths of Pain 497 773 784
Family	Father of A, whom Hiko calls “Xiao Ai” to distinguish him from his father 278
Status	Alive but badly wounded in his latest documented appearance. An earlier account describes his death in the Land of Earth, despite his subsequent appearances 703 829.
First Appearance	Chapter 203 in the supplied material

Background / History

The Third Raikage repeatedly suppressed the Eight-Tails whenever it rampaged in Kumogakure, gaining extensive experience fighting Tailed Beasts. His body, tempered beneath Lightning Release Armor, allowed him to confront the Eight-Tails in hand-to-hand combat 203 503.

During one such battle, his own attack wounded him and left a lightning-shaped scar on his chest. He concealed the scar’s true origin from everyone, including his son 203.

Appearance

• Physique: Exceptionally muscular, with the greatest muscles among the contemporary Kage 277.
• Facial hair: Heavily bearded 277.
• Hair: Long-haired before the destruction of Amegakure; the impact of Shinra Tensei strips away almost all of it 794.
• Distinguishing mark: A lightning-shaped chest scar caused by his own attack during a battle with the Eight-Tails 203.

Personality

The Third Raikage has an explosive temper, but his imposing physique does not reflect a lack of intelligence. He recognizes the diplomatic risks of mistreating visiting Konoha shinobi and chooses surveillance over open hostility. Later, during the allied supply dispute, he restrains his anger and urges Ōnoki to investigate before reacting 277 282 759.

He is decisive and willing to take substantial risks for Kumogakure’s benefit. His attempt to capture the Nine-Tails proceeds despite the ongoing war with Iwagakure, but he accepts responsibility when the operation fails 496 510.

He values restraint in his son more than wounded pride. After Xiao Ai’s humiliation by Hiko, he is pleased that his son avoids escalating the incident into war. He subsequently tests Xiao Ai’s command judgment and praises his steady handling of the battlefield 281 511.

His concern for subordinates is practical as well as protective: during the Nine-Tails battle, he intercepts attacks and deliberately draws the beast’s anger away from his support team. His village-first priorities also make him reluctant to disclose Killer B’s mastery of the Eight-Tails to allies 504 505 773.

Abilities & Skills

Lightning Release Armor

Lightning Release Armor surrounds his body with blue electricity and greatly increases his movement speed 503.

• Escapes the area covered by the Nine-Tails’ moving tails and strikes its shoulder from the side 503.
• Outpaces Hiko’s Body Flicker Technique at that point in the story 503 504.
• Converts high-speed charges into powerful impacts; Hiko and Tsunade nevertheless surpass him in raw strength 503.
• Cannot match Minato’s Flying Thunder God Technique, which allows Minato to reach the Naraka Path before he can complete his approach 787.
• Does not prevent experienced opponents from predicting his attack routes 504.

Physical Durability — “Strongest Shield”

His exceptionally tough body withstands attacks that would be lethal to ordinary elite shinobi 504 782.

• Takes the Nine-Tails’ steel-like fur needles without injury while shielding only his eyes 504.
• Sustains mostly scrapes during his prolonged close-range battle with the Nine-Tails 507.
• Remains vulnerable to internal injuries from powerful impacts and abrupt rebounds, including Shinra Tensei 507 763.
• Cannot confidently withstand a large Nine-Tails Tailed Beast Ball through bodily toughness alone 824.
• Is badly wounded by Uchiha Madara, who dismisses his reputed spear and shield 829.

Hell Stab — “Strongest Spear”

His signature attack concentrates chakra at his fingertips to produce exceptional penetrating power. It is identified as his strongest move 508.

• Breaks through an earlier Nine-Tails attack and causes the beast considerable pain 508.
• Is prepared as a counter to another Tailed Beast Ball, but the Nine-Tails is summoned away before the exchange concludes 508.
• Can be redirected with precise timing; Hiko identifies this as a way to make the Raikage strike himself 509.
• Depends on reaching the target: the Deva Path’s repulsion prevents him from landing it 763.

Combat Experience and Command

• Uses experience from suppressing the Eight-Tails to organize the Nine-Tails operation, assigning elite shinobi to restraint rather than direct combat 503.
• Recognizes that killing the Dividing Dogs worsens their multiplication and has Rasa immobilize them with Gold Dust instead 763.
• Accepts Minato’s recommendation to prioritize the Naraka Path because it can restore the other Paths 784.
• Orders a retreat when the Deva Path’s behavior signals an impending major attack 791.
• Creates an underground refuge by punching a large pit into the ground when escape from Amegakure becomes impossible 792.

Endurance Limits

• Heavy stamina and chakra expenditure reduce his speed and strength during the Nine-Tails battle 507.
• His combat power does not eliminate the danger of prolonged attrition or human-wave tactics 703 704.

Relationships

• Xiao Ai / A — Son and intended successor. The Third Raikage entrusts him with the Land of Earth front, encourages him after comparisons with Hiko, and evaluates his leadership 278 497 511.
• Uchiha Hiko — A rival whose growth increasingly alarms him. He initially fears another Madara, then recognizes the danger of Hiko deploying and recalling Tailed Beasts during retaliatory attacks 203 510.
• Eight-Tails — A recurring opponent during Kumogakure’s rampages and the source of much of his Tailed Beast combat experience 203 503.
• Nine-Tails / Kurama — Target of his unsuccessful capture operation. Their battle ends through Hiko’s summoning rather than a decisive victory 503 508.
• Killer B — Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails jinchūriki. He conceals B on Turtle Island and rejects transferring him to Konoha, partly to keep B’s mastery of Tailed Beast power secret 773.
• Ōnoki — Wartime enemy who later becomes an ally against Akatsuki. Kumogakure’s surprise invasion and the Raikage’s relentless pressure fuel Ōnoki’s hostility 469 510 747.
• Third Mizukage — Fellow advocate of a joint response to Akatsuki; together they help bring the great villages into cooperation 747.
• Rasa — Allied Kage whose Gold Dust supplies restraint and protection that the Raikage’s direct attacks cannot provide 763 784 794.
• Minato Namikaze and Hatake Sakumo — Teammates in the strike against Pain. Minato’s judgment and teleportation speed impress him, while all three cooperate against the Naraka Path 784 786 787.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hiko’s Visit to Kumogakure

• Orders close surveillance of Hiko’s Sixth Squad, suspecting intelligence gathering 277.
• Approves of Xiao Ai’s decision not to turn his defeat into an international confrontation 281.
• Regrets letting Hiko leave but recognizes that attacking a visiting Konoha official would destroy Kumogakure’s reputation and risk war 282.

War with Iwagakure and the Nine-Tails Operation

• Exploits Iwagakure’s distraction and losses against Konoha through a surprise invasion of the Land of Earth 469.
• Secretly leaves the front under Xiao Ai’s command to pursue the Nine-Tails. The detailed passage describes a ten-person force including the Raikage, with the others supporting him through restraint 497.
• Battles the Nine-Tails directly while protecting his team, but fails to capture it when Hiko summons it away 503 504 505 508.
• Returns to the front, admits his miscalculation, and resumes pressure intended to force Iwagakure’s defeat 510 511.

Campaign Against Akatsuki

• Responds furiously to Yugito Nii’s abduction and helps initiate cooperation between the great villages 726 747.
• Participates in the invasion of Amegakure and joins the other Kage in apologizing to Hiko after discovering that their forces’ insults caused the supply dispute 753 759.
• Struggles against Pain’s multiplying summons and the Deva Path’s repulsion 763.
• Commands an allied legion and later leads the six-man squad tasked with dismantling the Six Paths of Pain 773 784.
• Crushes the Naraka Path’s body after Minato’s attack, both to vent his anger and prevent it from rising again 787.
• Survives Amegakure’s destruction underground with Rasa, the Third Mizukage, and Mifune, emerging exhausted and nearly bald 792 794.
• His precautions for Killer B fail to account for B escaping confinement on his own 796.
• Is subsequently badly wounded while resisting the revived Madara 829.

Notable Quotes

“Konoha... The Uchiha Family producing someone like this is not a good sign. I only hope he does not become a second Uchiha Madara.” 203

“Everyone, be careful. You only need to restrain it. Leave the Nine-Tails to me.” 503

“We failed. It was my mistake.” 510

Trivia

• Both father and son are named A. Hiko adds “Xiao” to the son’s name for convenience 278.
• Continuity discrepancy: Chapter 703 describes him as exhausted to death in the Land of Earth, while Chapter 704 treats that outcome as uncertain. He remains active throughout the later Akatsuki campaign; no resurrection or explanation for the discrepancy is supplied 703 704 726 829.