Hatake Ziyan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hatake Ziyan (旗木子言)
Alias(es)	Sword God; Blood-Colored Swordsman; Grandpa Ziyan 4 5
Species/Race	Human; a transmigrator with memories of a previous life 5 71 74
Gender	Male
Age	Almost sixty during his visit to the Daimyo’s Mansion 49
Affiliation	Hatake Clan of the Land of Iron; co-founder of Konoha, though he repeatedly identifies himself as an outsider 5 6 18 191
Occupation/Role	Swordsman; leader of the Land of Iron’s Hatake Clan; former Hatake clan head recognized in Konoha; teacher of both generations of the Konoha 12 4 77 121 191
Status	Alive at the finale; opens an interworld passage to leave with Kaguya 283
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “The Sword God returned to the village” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Choice System awakening	5	The system appeared when he was six, beginning his rapid growth in strength.
Sword God template acquired	8	A childhood choice concerning his gravely injured father awarded the Dungeon Fighter Online Sword God template, enabling him to contend with Hashirama and Madara.
Early Six Paths; Sword God template level 101	5	First displayed status panel; already possesses advanced sword skills, the Yin Seal, Strength of a Hundred Technique, and Eight Gates Formation.
Simplified cultivation methods begun	23	Begins the Pangu Visualization Diagram and simplified Nine Turns Mysterious Technique. His existing strength only barely meets their minimum requirements.
Four years of physical and spiritual cultivation	24 25	Reaches the third visualization image, approaching the fourth. Physical defense rises sharply, while sensory range expands from roughly five kilometers to at least thirty–forty kilometers.
Nine Turns Mysterious Technique: one minor-realm increase	38	A choice reward forcibly advances the technique by one minor realm; the resulting stage is not specified.
Intermediate Six Paths; Sword God template perfected	62	Panel records late fifth turn in the simplified Nine Turns Mysterious Technique and early fifth image in Pangu Visualization. Wood Release and senjutsu are also listed.
Both simplified methods: seventh level	111	Five years of cultivation and several missions bring the methods to the early and middle stages of the seventh level; the passage does not assign each stage to a particular method.
Both simplified methods: eighth level	111 112	A mission reward advances both methods by one major realm, to early and middle eighth level. His strength becomes ten times greater than at seventh level.
Both simplified methods perfected at ninth stage; beyond Six Paths	217	Retrospectively confirmed as his condition before upgrading the methods. His previous strength is compared to early earth immortal.
Upgraded methods: early third stage; peak Six Paths	217	A month in Ryūchi Cave converts both methods into upgraded forms. His apparent realm falls, but actual combat power increases by at least thirty percent.
Late-stage earth immortal cultivation; early-stage heavenly immortal physique and soul	259	Panel lists Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique at early fourth revolution and Pangu Visualization Method Divine Refinement Technique at early fourth level.
Major soul-power increase; final realm unspecified	283	Completing his system mission releases an enormous surge of soul power during the battle with Ōtsutsuki Yame.

Background / History

Arrival and the Warring States

Ziyan retains memories of a previous life and recognizes people and events from the story he knew. His intervention changes those events, leaving him uncertain whether developments such as Obito’s corruption will still occur 25 71 74.

During the Warring States period, the Hatake Clan split rather than submit to the Uchiha. One group joined the Senju, while Ziyan led the other to refuge in the Land of Iron. His father remained behind to cover the retreat and was gravely wounded by the Uchiha Grand Elder 4 126.

After three years of training in the Land of Iron, Ziyan returned to the Land of Fire to take revenge. Over several months, he killed thousands from the Uchiha and their affiliated clans, earning the name Blood-Colored Swordsman. He eventually became one of the Three Great Heroes of the Warring States, alongside Hashirama and Madara 4 249.

Founding Konoha and Withdrawal

Ziyan fought Hashirama and subsequently helped mediate the Senju–Uchiha alliance that founded Konoha. He also proposed securing construction funds from the daimyo in exchange for protecting the Land of Fire. Hashirama later accepted conditions from the daimyo, including approval of future Hokage appointments 5 49.

A few years after Konoha’s founding, Ziyan returned to the Land of Iron for his clansmen. The deaths of old companions and the absence of worthy rivals left him despondent; during a twenty-year disappearance, he rarely ventured out and lost interest in training 5 84.

Appearance

• Youthful face: His appearance has not changed since Sakumo’s childhood. Kakashi initially finds it difficult to believe that someone younger-looking than his father could be a former clan leader 4.
• Yin Seal: Ziyan attributes his unchanged appearance to practicing the Yin Seal 4.
• Samurai-style clothing: Haku’s mother questions his claim to be a Konoha ninja because he dresses as a samurai and wears no Konoha forehead protector 73.
• Black clothing and waist-mounted sword: These features help Hanzō recognize him despite his youthful appearance 100.
• Intimidating aura: His clothes can stir without wind, accompanied by a faint dark-red glow and pressure likened to the gaze of a primordial beast 2.

Personality

Ziyan fiercely protects his family and students, rejecting self-sacrifice when he believes strength can deter an enemy. He berates Sakumo for considering suicide and argues that staying alive is the best protection for Kakashi and the clan. That protectiveness can become indiscriminate vengeance: after the Fuma Clan killed a young Hatake, he slaughtered every member who practiced ninjutsu, including children 1 3 234.

He is arrogant, theatrical, and fond of teasing. He provokes Kakashi, boasts about his strength, and becomes frustrated when Kimimaro refuses to ask questions that would let him show off. Hanzō’s question about his youth prompts him to claim that time refuses to mark his naturally beautiful face 3 35 71 101.

His teaching combines individualized guidance with severe discipline. He selects techniques suited to each student, demands battlefield experience, and uses sparring and killing intent to expose weaknesses. He can also recognize when students are not responsible for an outcome and reassure them instead of scolding them 77 80 87 91 121 122.

Beneath his confidence, Ziyan struggles with bereavement and loneliness. He withdraws after Mito’s death because he dislikes sorrowful gatherings, while the loss of Hashirama and other contemporaries leaves him without companionship or competition 10 84.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

His Sword God template supplies a broad sword-skill set, supplemented by Hatake Swordsmanship and techniques he develops himself 5 80 259.

• Draw-slash techniques: Uses Draw Slash/Iaido Slash, Void-Splitting or Air-Splitting variants, and Instant Slash 5 59 62.
• Sword Aura control: Guides individual slashes with spiritual power, silently cutting vegetation around Hayate and cushioning falling debris 112.
• Sage-enhanced sword attacks: Channels natural energy into Sage Art: Air-Splitting Iaido Slash; he describes his mountain demonstration as using ten percent of his strength 76.
• Advanced sword arts: His later panel lists the full Sword God skill set, Peerless Blade and Sword techniques, and Heavenly Heart Sword Technique 259.
• Physical-attack limitation: Sword Aura and Instant Slash initially pass harmlessly through Uchiha Hehong’s Mangekyō ability 59.

Physical Cultivation and Defense

The Nine Turns Mysterious Technique and its upgraded Eight-Nine form strengthen his body and defenses 25 217 271.

• After four years of training, attacks below A-rank ninjutsu cannot hurt him; completely breaching his physical defenses requires S-rank single-target ninjutsu 25.
• His early conditioning is dangerous: a full-force, chakra-enhanced iron-rod strike nearly kills him and requires a week of recovery 24.
• At the fourth level of Eight-Nine, Isshiki’s black rods fail to penetrate him. He crushes one into a ball and throws it faster than sound 271.
• His later body withstands spatial turbulence without injury and breaks Momoshiki’s conjured blade against his palm 275 276.

Soul and Mental Power

Pangu Visualization develops his spiritual strength, later allowing him to manifest a Soul Body and attack souls directly 25 183 260.

• Mental suppression: Knocks an armed crowd of villagers unconscious without allowing Kimimaro to attack them 71.
• Genjutsu: Places Haku in an illusion using an image of Haku’s mother to encourage obedience and training 75.
• Soul destruction: Annihilates the being possessing Danzo and destroys Black Zetsu through a soul sword 183 257.
• Shinigami confrontation: Manifests a larger soul body, repels the Shinigami’s hand, and orders it to release Minato’s soul 208.
• Heaven-Soul Sword Slash: Adapts Heavenly Heart Sword Technique into a soul attack against Kaguya, enduring severe pain while using it 260.
• Soul control: Immobilizes Momoshiki and conceals soul power in an attack intended to control Huangquan 276 281.

Sensory Perception

His Mind’s Eye of the Kagura improves alongside his soul cultivation 25.

• Initially senses enemies within approximately five kilometers 25.
• After four years, senses at least thirty–forty kilometers away and can reproduce precise conditions within one kilometer in his mind 25.
• Following the eighth-level upgrade, can track everyone’s movements throughout Konoha, making Hayate’s invisibility ineffective 112.

Spatial Movement and Wind Queen’s Strange Gate

Ziyan uses Flying Thunder God and later crosses dimensional boundaries directly 85 112 275.

• Flying Thunder God: Travels to hidden bases and training locations 85 112.
• Dimensional travel: Tears open space, crosses spatial turbulence, and enters Kaguya’s alternate dimension. He attributes this to heavenly-immortal power and the world’s weak spatial laws 275.
• Wind Queen’s Strange Gate: Controls time and space within his formation and teaches the technique to Shikamaru 145.
• Limits: Learning Strange Gate can cause insanity; successful users remain constrained by chakra reserves and their opponent’s strength 145.

Sealing and Tailed-Beast Manipulation

• Restores Kushina’s seal after her abduction and attempted release of the Nine-Tails 60.
• Uses his soul form to split Kurama into two halves, sealing one inside Kushina and the other inside Naruto. Kushina loses consciousness after the procedure 128.
• Forces open the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, extracts its tailed beasts, and reseals them in vessels and jinchūriki prepared by their villages 208.

Ninjutsu and Instruction

• His panels list Yin Seal, Strength of a Hundred Technique, Eight Gates Formation, senjutsu, and Wood Release 5 62.
• Uses Amaterasu while attempting to melt the Three-Star Stone 227.
• Teaches the ninja-adapted Muscle-Tendon Transformation Classic/Yijin Jing, which improves students’ physical development and can strengthen or help awaken inherited abilities 77 80.
• Tailors instruction to individual needs, including Lightning Release Armor for Kakashi, assassination-oriented sword techniques for Hayate, and Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred for Shizune 80.
• Offers the Hyuga Clan a Tai Chi teaching scroll in exchange for assistance monitoring Konoha 149.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Taiji Heavenly Emperor Sword — Listed in his early and intermediate Six Paths status panels 5 62.
• God-Slaying Sword — His later forged sword, initially described as an Immortal Sword. It penetrates Truth-Seeking Orb shields and extends when supplied with origin force 230 255 259.
• Chaos Immortal Stone — Supplies cultivation energy, but can run out before converting a new supply 227.
• System Space — Stores items, including materials brought to the Hatake forge 227.
• Forging materials — Collects the Kubikiribōchō, Orochimaru’s Kusanagi Sword, and Three-Star Stone. The stone resists six hours of earth’s core fire and yields only a tiny droplet after two hours of Amaterasu 227.
• World-Crossing Talisman — Opens the interworld passage used at the finale 283.

Relationships

• Hatake Sakumo — Nephew and former pupil. Ziyan prevents his death, challenges his hesitation, and supports his return to the battlefield 1 3 25 26.
• Hatake Kakashi — Younger relative who calls him Grandpa Ziyan. Ziyan teaches him swordsmanship and defensive Lightning Release; Kakashi later credits him with nearly everything he knows 4 80 234.
• Hashirama Senju — Contemporary, rival, and fellow Konoha founder. Hashirama also intervened to stop Ziyan’s prolonged retaliation against Madara 4 5 249.
• Madara Uchiha — Fellow Warring States hero and recurring rival. Their apparent partnership is insincere on both sides; Ziyan later defeats him and reveals that the Uchiha tablet was altered 39 40 256.
• Mito Uzumaki — Trusted old friend who entrusts Kushina to him and urges him to marry. Her death leaves him grieving 6 7 10.
• Kushina Uzumaki — Student and protected charge. He rescues her, repairs her seal, and later divides Kurama between her and Naruto 13 60 128.
• Minato Namikaze — Receives occasional guidance from Ziyan but later opposes him, using the Reaper Death Seal during their confrontation 19 208.
• Orochimaru — Associate involved in testing his students, research, and later cultivation. Ziyan initially refuses to support his bid for Fourth Hokage 7 15 217.
• Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato — Students who spend four years training alongside him. He later rescues Konan and confronts Hanzō over the attack on Akatsuki 23 24 96 102.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo — Political adversaries whom he repeatedly threatens over interference with his family and students. He eventually intercepts the possessed Danzo and buries his body after the fight 17 20 183.
• Yan / Hyuga Yūwa — Hidden-organization operative whom Ziyan investigates, exposes, and temporarily houses. Yan later participates in framing him 156 159 161 194.
• Tsunade — Harbors feelings for him for decades and asks to marry him; Ziyan rejects her 267.
• Kaguya Ōtsutsuki — Initially an enemy, later his subordinate, addressing him as “Master.” She accompanies his campaign against Kara and agrees to leave the world with him 260 267 276 283.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return to Konoha

• Confronts the leadership over Sakumo’s treatment and persuades him that survival and strength—not suicide—protect his family 1 2 3.
• Accepts responsibility for Mito’s seal-related concerns and begins teaching Kakashi, Kushina, and Nawaki 7 13 14.
• His intervention preserves Sakumo’s life and prevents Madara from taking Obito; Kakashi develops as a swordsman rather than receiving Obito’s Sharingan 25 62.

Training Two Generations

Group	Documented members	Training approach
Original Konoha 12	Kakashi, Guy, Shisui, Obito, Itachi, Nawaki, Shizune, Yamato, Hayate, Kimimaro, Haku, and Jugo 62 77	Individualized techniques, Yijin Jing, practical sparring, and later battlefield experience 77 80 87.
Successor Konoha 12	Documented students include Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Neji 117 121 145 177	Physical conditioning, killing-intent exercises, and an exam requiring each student to earn a predecessor’s recognition and permission to inherit the title 117 121 122 131.

• Recruits Kimimaro, helps Haku awaken Ice Release, and brings Jugo back to Konoha 65 72 76.
• Stops Hinata and Neji’s matching Divine Sky Strikes during the Chunin Exams and disqualifies both for endangering spectators 177.

Hidden Organization and the Framing

• Investigates a powerful faction absent from the plot he remembers and discovers that it has more than a dozen agents inside Konoha 84 96.
• Recruits Hyuga surveillance assistance and exposes Yan’s identity through captives and interrogation statements 149 156.
• Is falsely presented as the leader of an attack on the Stone Ninja Village. An edited broadcast also makes him appear to confess to destroying Takigakure; he kills Yao and rejects the accusations 194.
• Faces opposition from the shinobi leadership, retrieves the captured tailed beasts, and overpowers the Shinigami summoned against him 204 208.

Immortal Cultivation and Madara’s Defeat

• Upgrades his cultivation methods in Ryūchi Cave, seeks a weapon suited to Immortal Realm Qi, and spends three years cultivating in the Land of Iron after forging his new sword 217 223 230.
• The Allied Shinobi Forces seek his help against Madara; Tsunade argues that the Kage must sincerely apologize for opposing him 249.
• Fails to prevent Infinite Tsukuyomi’s initial activation despite launching his sword skyward, then defeats Madara and explains Black Zetsu’s manipulation 255 256.
• Reveals that the Five Great Shinobi Villages have joined the Land of Iron under his command and destroys Black Zetsu 256 257.

Kara, the Ōtsutsuki, and Departure

• Spends three years consolidating the shinobi world while investigating Kara and Naruto’s Kāma. He and Kaguya enter Kara’s Amegakure hideout, where he kills Delta with one slash 267.
• Demonstrates overwhelming physical and soul power against later Ōtsutsuki opponents, restraining Momoshiki so Kaguya can devour him and pursuing Urashiki through spatial turbulence 271 276 277.
• Battles Ōtsutsuki Yame and gains a mission-driven surge of soul power. When Yame attempts to possess his body, the system detects the intrusion and erases Yame’s soul 283.
• With no remaining threats in the world, asks Kaguya to accompany him and opens an interworld passage 283.

Notable Quotes

“Your strength is what gives you leverage! As long as you’re alive, who would dare touch your clansmen or your family?” 3

“If you truly want to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, you need an unwavering swordsman’s heart.” 26

“Hiding my strength? No, no, no! No one has ever been able to make me use my full power, that’s all!” 277

Trivia

• Konoha’s academy textbooks credit Hashirama with ending the Warring States era and founding the village while omitting Ziyan and Madara’s contributions, a discrepancy Kakashi notices 4 5.
• Although others call him a ninja, Ziyan explicitly tells Ichiraku’s owner, “I’m not a ninja!” 19.
• He observes that interacting with known story characters triggers more system choices, giving him another reason to remain in Konoha 40.