Minato Namikaze

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Minato Namikaze (波風水門)
Alias(es)	Fourth Hokage; Yellow Flash
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure
Occupation/Role	Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure 2 98
Status	Alive; restored to the position of Fourth Hokage after his resurrection 98
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background and History

During the Nine-Tails’ Rampage, Minato summoned a gigantic toad to restrain the Nine-Tails. Unable to secure victory through summoning alone, he used the Reaper Death Seal, sacrificing himself and sealing half of the beast’s soul within the Shinigami. Before dying, he used the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique to place the remaining half inside his newborn son, Naruto. The Nine-Tails’ claws fatally pierced both Minato and Kushina during the sealing. 2

With his final words, Minato told Naruto that dying for Konoha was his duty as Hokage and asked him to protect the village in the future. He and Kushina entrusted Naruto to Hiruzen Sarutobi before they died. 2

Years later, when Naruto lost control of the Nine-Tails’ chakra, Minato’s spirit appeared within Naruto’s mind, revealed their father-son relationship, and attempted to reinforce the Eight Trigrams Seal. Naruto confronted him over the discrimination he had endured from the village Minato had died protecting, then chose to befriend Kurama rather than keep the beast sealed away as an enemy. 76

Sasuke selected Minato as the first person to revive through the combined use of Impure World Reincarnation and the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. Upon returning as an Edo Tensei, Minato immediately attacked the masked Obito, then recognized him through the Flying Thunder God mark left on his former student. 95

Minato admitted that he had failed Obito as a teacher: he had not reached Kannabi Bridge in time, had failed to uncover Rin’s status as the Three-Tails’ jinchūriki, and could not protect his students from tragedy. Obito accepted responsibility for his own crimes and pledged to atone, allowing the two to reconcile. 96

Before his complete resurrection, Minato entrusted the Yin Nine-Tails within him to Sasuke. Nagato then restored Minato to life, removing his Edo Tensei scars and returning warmth to his body. 96 After returning to Konoha and informing Tsunade of his revival, Minato was given back the title of Fourth Hokage when Tsunade stepped down. 98

Personality

Minato views the Hokage’s duty as an obligation to protect Konoha, even at the cost of his own life. His decision to sacrifice himself during the Nine-Tails’ attack was driven by that conviction and by his desire for Naruto to inherit the same resolve. 2

After returning, Minato does not evade responsibility for the damage done to Obito and Rin. He openly calls himself an unqualified teacher and expresses regret over the failures that helped destroy his former team. 96

Abilities & Skills

Flying Thunder God Technique

Minato uses Flying Thunder God marks to teleport instantly.

• A Flying Thunder God mark does not disappear once placed. 95
• He used the technique to teleport above Obito and attack with a Rasengan immediately after his Edo Tensei revival. 95

Rasengan

Minato can form a Rasengan in his hand for close-range attacks.

• He attempted to strike Obito with a Rasengan immediately after recognizing him. 95

Reaper Death Seal

A forbidden sealing technique Minato used against the Nine-Tails during its assault on Konoha.

• Sealed Minato himself and half of the Nine-Tails’ soul inside the Shinigami’s stomach. 2
• Required Minato’s death as its cost. 2

Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique

Minato used the Eight Trigrams Seal to contain the Nine-Tails’ remaining chakra within Naruto.

• Sealed the other half of the Nine-Tails inside newborn Naruto. 2
• Minato’s spirit later reinforced the seal during Naruto’s berserk episode. 76

Summoning Jutsu

Minato can summon a gigantic toad in battle.

• The summoned toad pinned the Nine-Tails down during the rampage, though it was not enough to defeat the beast outright. 2

Relationships

• Uzumaki Naruto — His son. Minato sealed the Nine-Tails into Naruto and entrusted him to Hiruzen before his death; years later, Naruto learned Minato was his father during the Nine-Tails’ rampage. 2 76
• Uzumaki Kushina — His wife and Naruto’s mother. They were fatally wounded together while sealing the Nine-Tails. 2
• Uchiha Obito — Former student. Obito blamed Minato for failing to save him and Rin, but the two began reconciling after Minato admitted his failures and Obito promised to atone. 95 96
• Sarutobi Hiruzen — Third Hokage who promised Minato and Kushina that he would care for Naruto after their deaths. 2
• Uchiha Sasuke — Arranged Minato’s resurrection and received the Yin Nine-Tails from him before Nagato restored Minato to life. 95 96
• Nagato — Used the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive Minato completely. 96
• Tsunade — Fifth Hokage who relinquished the office to Minato after learning he had been revived. 98

Notable Quotes

“Naruto, your father was the Hokage. Dying for the village was my responsibility. I hope that in the future, you can protect the village too.”
— Minato to Naruto 2