Hōkaku

Biodata

Background / History

Hōkaku was a rare ninja prodigy who became an Uchiha elder, the clan’s third-in-command, and a capable subordinate of Madara Uchiha. During the Warring States Period, he repeatedly fought Senju Tōka with the intention of killing her, although their hostility coexisted with mutual admiration and concern 1.

The Senju–Uchiha alliance ended their obligation to fight. After Konoha’s founding, an alcohol-assisted encounter resulted in Tōka’s pregnancy. She initially concealed it, but the fetus’s relentless chakra consumption forced her to seek Hōkaku’s help. Supplying chakra nearly exhausted him as well, leaving both parents dependent on Madara’s assistance 1.

Despite fearing Madara’s reaction to his relationship with a Senju, Hōkaku approached him for Tōka and their child’s sake. Madara sheltered Tōka and suppressed news of the pregnancy. After the birth, he knocked both parents unconscious, named their daughter Uchiha Shingetsu, and claimed her as his disciple 1.

Hōkaku’s unmarried fatherhood drew criticism within the Uchiha Clan despite his position as an elder. That criticism gave way to praise after Shingetsu awakened her Sharingan at five; Hōkaku responded by boasting about her throughout the clan 10.

Appearance

Hōkaku has thick black hair and is shown wearing both everyday clothing and the Uchiha’s black clan attire 1 13 46.

• Sharingan: His activated eyes are blood-red; their tomoe count is not specified 42.
• Expressions: Anger over threats to Shingetsu can twist his face into a demonic-looking glare 1 42.
• Later appearance: During Shingetsu’s recovery, he returns from fighting Senju clan members with large bloodstains on his black robe 46.

Personality

Hōkaku is an exceptionally indulgent father. He cannot bring himself to strike Shingetsu, readily yields to her pleading, and gives her his own portion of fish after removing its bones. His attempts at parental discipline usually concern her refusal to eat natto, which he considers nutritious and too valuable to waste 2 8 23.

His affection becomes fierce protectiveness when he perceives danger. He confronts Tobirama over Shingetsu’s treatment, withdraws the Uchiha children from the Academy despite expecting Madara’s punishment, and later defends both Shingetsu and Tōka against the Senju elders 14 18 42.

Hōkaku retains deep resentment toward the Senju, especially Tobirama, whom he hates for killing Izuna. Nevertheless, he remembers Tōka’s preferences years after her pregnancy and resumes caring for her when she moves into his home 14 46.

He is conscious of Uchiha dignity but recognizes his own limitations in political maneuvering. Concerned about the clan’s future without Izuna, he takes Shingetsu’s strategic advice seriously rather than dismissing it because of her age 8 11 32.

Abilities & Skills

Sharingan

• Activates his Sharingan while confronting the Senju elders over his family 42.
• Recognizes Shingetsu’s awakening immediately upon entering her room; the sight shocks him enough to drop his kunai 9.

Fire Release

• Uses a fire technique involving dragons against the Senju elders who condemn Tōka. Its heat waves knock them down and ignite their clothing, hair, and beards 42.
• The technique’s name and rank are not provided 42.

Taijutsu and Combat Experience

• An elite shinobi who survived numerous battles, Hōkaku can evade Madara’s initial kicks alongside Tōka, though Madara’s follow-up punches send both into the Naka River 2.
• Restrains Hiruzen with both arms to force a simultaneous release after Tobirama seizes Shingetsu 18.
• His attempts to intervene earlier in the match are stopped when Tobirama exploits an opening and holds him in place 15.

Teaching

• Serves as the Ninja Academy’s taijutsu instructor, opening with the fundamentals of kunai and shuriken throwing 13.
• Combines classroom theory with practical target exercises and explicitly forbids slacking or cutting corners 13.
• Uses the Academy’s blunted wooden kunai for beginner practice 13.

Clan Administration

• Manages the Uchiha Clan’s accounts, a responsibility he took over after Izuna’s death 33.
• Calculates that the farming plan’s harvest can feed the clan for nearly half a year and remove its largest expense, freeing resources for other needs 33.

Equipment / Items

• Kunai: Carries one when rushing to investigate the disturbance caused by Shingetsu’s Sharingan awakening 9.
• Supplies for Shingetsu: After the Academy duel, he and Madara repeatedly add items to her schoolbag and ninja tool pouch. By the orphanage attack, she has steel wire, smoke bombs, explosive tags, soldier pills, and blood-enhancing pills among her supplies 38.

Relationships

• Uchiha Shingetsu — His daughter and the focus of his protective instincts. He cares for her at home, supports her ideas, and refuses to leave her in an Academy he considers unsafe 2 8 18.
• Senju Tōka — Former battlefield enemy, partner, and Shingetsu’s mother. Their frequent arguments initially center on who should keep their daughter; he later publicly shields Tōka from her clan’s hostility. She moves into his home during Shingetsu’s unconsciousness and remains after the girl awakens 1 42 46.
• Madara Uchiha — Clan leader and superior. Hōkaku fears his strength and obeys his orders, but Madara’s intervention saves Tōka’s pregnancy and brings him into the family’s daily life 1 8 9.
• Uchiha Izuna — A deeply mourned clan leader whose administrative responsibilities Hōkaku inherits. Hōkaku regards his death as the loss of the Uchiha’s political guiding mind 8 33.
• Tobirama Senju — Former battlefield opponent and hostile Academy colleague. Their conflict intensifies when Tobirama pushes Shingetsu into revealing her Sharingan during a spar 14 15 18.
• Kazuko — Contact in the clan’s farming operation. She reports the harvest to him and accompanies the Uchiha to inspect the fields 32.
• Uchiha Academy students — Children under his instruction and protection. He leads them out of the Academy together after Shingetsu’s dangerous match 13 18.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Dispute Over Shingetsu

• Pursues Tōka along the Naka River after she takes Shingetsu, arguing that she does not know how to look after the girl 1.
• He and Tōka are knocked into the river when Madara intervenes 2.
• Later, both secretly watch Madara and Shingetsu on Hokage Rock. When Hashirama discovers them, Hōkaku nervously identifies Shingetsu as Madara’s disciple without revealing her parentage 6.

Ninja Academy

• Initially opposes Uchiha participation unless the clan can control the school. Shingetsu’s argument for securing influence persuades Madara, who orders Hōkaku to teach there 8 9.
• Objects when Tobirama interrupts his throwing lesson to arrange a match between Shingetsu and Hiruzen. Before it begins, he silently warns Shingetsu not to use her Sharingan 13 14.
• Takes Hiruzen hostage when Tobirama restrains Shingetsu. Once both children are released, Hōkaku carries her home, takes the other Uchiha students with him, and resolves to quit teaching 18.
• The withdrawal prompts other clans to submit withdrawal requests, threatening the Academy’s survival 19.
• Following Tobirama’s apology, the Uchiha return three days later. Hōkaku and Kagami ensure Shingetsu reaches class on time 24.

Uchiha Farming Plan

• Responds to the farmers’ grain delivery, disperses clansmen gathered around sweet rice cakes, and organizes a visit to inspect the fields 32.
• Recognizes the continuing harvest as a solution to the clan’s food expenses, rather than merely a one-time windfall 33.

Orphanage Attack and Public Parentage

• Leads Uchiha shinobi in the search that converges on the attacked orphanage 40.
• Organizes the Uchiha into a protective human wall when Senju elders challenge the clan over Shingetsu’s awakened Wood Release 41.
• Publicly declares himself Shingetsu’s father, attacks elders who condemn Tōka, and grabs an elder by the throat after the man demands a price for the child 42.
• Continues fighting people he believes threaten his family during Shingetsu’s nearly month-long unconsciousness 46.

Notable Quotes

“Uchiha Hōkaku. I'll be teaching you Taijutsu.” 13

“Shingetsu is my child too! If you want to lay a hand on her, you'll have to get through me!” 42

Trivia

• Hōkaku only began learning to cook after becoming a father. Shingetsu considers his food barely edible, but acknowledges the effort behind it 27.
• Before Shingetsu’s birth, he had never shared a private meal with Madara 8.