Kakashi

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Kakashi is the son of Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha. Sakumo was powerful enough that enemy ninja could abandon missions upon encountering him without being punished, yet he ultimately died by suicide following rumors. Obito and Rin later helped Kakashi emerge from the shadow of his father’s death 15 18 31.

Their apparent deaths left Kakashi isolated again. After killing Rin with his own Chidori, he survived a battlefield where Mist ninja had surrounded him. When he regained consciousness, the enemy ninja were dead for reasons he could not explain. He returned to Konoha carrying Rin’s belongings and buried them beside Obito’s memorial belongings 15 18 42.

Kakashi considered suicide and sought missions to fill the absence of his comrades. He asked the Third Hokage to let him join ANBU. The Third agreed, while asking Minato to help stabilize his surviving student’s state of mind 18 19.

Appearance

Kakashi is recognizable by his white hair, cloth face mask, and vacant, “dead-fish” eyes during his period of mourning 15.

• Fox-shaped ANBU mask: His hair, build, and sword make him recognizable even while masked 26.
• Cloth mask beneath the ANBU mask: Removing his operational mask still leaves half his face covered 31.
• Thin physique: Zou notices his slight build; Kakashi later attributes his worsening condition to the Sharingan’s continuous chakra consumption 35 39.
• Short sword at his waist: The weapon previously belonged to the White Fang 15.

Personality

Kakashi is reserved, aloof, and strongly duty-bound. He interprets even the Third Hokage’s invitation to observe an assessment as an order. During combat, he remains wary regardless of his opponent’s apparent strength 27 28 34.

His attachment to comrades coexists with a dangerous lack of concern for his own survival. When Zou asks him to cover the squad’s retreat against overwhelming enemies, Kakashi considers that dying on a mission might give his life meaning. Nevertheless, he openly places protecting comrades above merely completing assignments 35 41.

His new teammates gradually draw reactions out of him. Zou’s blunt survival advice earns his contempt but breaks his expressionless demeanor, while Oto reminds him of both Rin and Obito. Minato later notices that the squad’s mission has improved Kakashi’s spirits 29 35 43.

Kakashi finds warmth with Minato and Kushina, but hesitates to accept it because he fears losing them too 49.

Abilities & Skills

Lightning Release and Chidori

Kakashi specializes in offensive Lightning Release and created Chidori, an A-rank technique accompanied by a piercing birdsong 28 33 39.

• Uses concentrated lightning to deliver a high-speed piercing attack; he drives it into Suikazan Fuguki after Zou restricts Fuguki’s chakra flow 39.
• Relies on the Sharingan to follow Chidori’s speed, and even then can only barely track it 39.
• Can reduce its chakra output for an assessment; his attack against Zou uses less than half his usual chakra and avoids a vital point 28.
• Estimates that his above-average reserves should support five or six uses, but prolonged fighting and the Sharingan’s constant drain leave him heavily fatigued 39.

Sharingan and Genjutsu

Obito’s transplanted eye gives Kakashi dōjutsu-based perception and genjutsu capabilities 28 33.

• Tracks Zou and Oto during their close-range attacks 28.
• Uses Sharingan genjutsu to obtain information about the Mist ninja’s island defenses from a captured chūnin 36.
• Casts genjutsu during sparring with Might Guy. Repeated exposure teaches Guy to fight without meeting his eyes 48.
• Cannot deactivate the transplanted eye, which continuously consumes chakra 35 39.

Earth Release

Kakashi uses Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall for cover and defense 28 40.

• Raises a wall during the chūnin assessment while preparing Chidori 28.
• Creates a wall aboard the squad’s boat to withstand the opening volley of water arrows 40.
• The boat-mounted wall offers limited protection at sea, prompting the squad to move onto the water’s surface 40.

Shadow Clones

Kakashi creates two Shadow Clones when Zou and Oto surround him 28.

• Sends the clones against separate opponents to ease his positional disadvantage 28.
• Knows they cannot conceal his identity from Zou’s Byakugan 28.

Taijutsu and Swordsmanship

Kakashi describes himself as proficient in taijutsu. Although swordsmanship is not his specialty, he defeats Oto in their assessment after she deliberately exposes an opening 28 33.

• Spars with Guy at speeds beyond ordinary chūnin, combining physical combat with genjutsu 48.
• Efficiently kills Mist genin and chūnin in the island’s forest using blades and the squad’s traps 36.
• Struggles against Fuguki when Samehada’s chakra absorption restricts his ninjutsu options and deprives his attacks of Chidori’s lethal edge 38.

Movement and Field Leadership

Kakashi uses the Body Flicker Technique and serves as the squad’s only jōnin 31 34.

• Handles mission briefings, local intelligence gathering, and combat decisions 34 35.
• Advises fighting when victory is feasible and retreating when it is not 34.
• Recognizes Fuguki and initially signals Zou to flee upon identifying the threat 36.
• Accepts Zou’s proposed division of opponents when escape across the sea becomes impractical 37.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• White Fang’s short sword — Sakumo’s former weapon, carried at Kakashi’s waist and drawn for the chūnin assessment 15 27.
• Fox-shaped ANBU mask — Worn during official duties and team formation 26 31.
• Cloth face mask — Remains in place beneath his ANBU mask 31.
• Kunai — Used during the fighting against Mist ninja in the forest 36.

Relationships

• Hatake Sakumo — Father and the White Fang of Konoha. His suicide deeply affected Kakashi 15 18 31.
• Minato Namikaze — Teacher and later Fourth Hokage. Minato worries about Kakashi’s grief and considers assigning further missions with Zou and Oto to support his recovery 19 43.
• Kushina Uzumaki — His teacher’s wife and a source of emotional warmth. She is relieved that he has made new friends 49 50.
• Obito Uchiha — Former teammate and donor of his Sharingan. Kakashi believes him dead, unaware that the masked Obito watches his camp 33 42.
• Rin Nohara — Former teammate whose death by Kakashi’s Chidori leaves him consumed by guilt and recurring nightmares 18 42.
• Might Guy — Rival, sparring partner, and one of the few people who tries to comfort him. Kakashi finds Guy’s enthusiasm exhausting and his consolation ineffective 18 48 49.
• Zou Hyuga — Subordinate whose survival-first outlook challenges Kakashi’s behavior. Despite finding him shameless, Kakashi considers him trustworthy as a teammate and helps him approach Minato’s household 35 48 49.
• Oto Uchiha — Subordinate who reminds him of Rin and Obito. Her poisoned weapons and battlefield tactics raise his opinion of her combat ability 29 38.
• Asuma Sarutobi — Subordinate who increasingly sides with Kakashi during the squad’s internal disagreements and checks on him after a nightmare 31 35 42.
• Third Hokage — Approves his ANBU admission and deliberately places cheerful teammates under his command to help him recover 19 31.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Chūnin Assessment and Team Formation

The Third assigns Kakashi to assess Zou and Oto while falsely introducing him as an ANBU chūnin of their age. Both candidates recognize him and deliberately lose, hoping to be demoted to genin. Kakashi finds Zou’s quick collapse suspicious but completes the test as ordered 27 28.

After a further assessment by Kosuke, the Third preserves their teaching posts while making them ANBU reserves under Kakashi. He then adds Asuma to the team, partly hoping that the new squad will draw Kakashi out of his grief. Danzo requests Kakashi’s transfer to Root, but the Third refuses on the grounds that he is Minato’s student 30 31.

Coastal Town and the Mist Island

Kakashi leads an A-rank mission against Kirigakure forces raiding the Land of Fire’s coast. The squad gathers intelligence, disguises itself as fishermen, attacks enemy vessels, and infiltrates an offshore island 33 35 36.

The mission escalates when Fuguki and Kisame appear. Kakashi, Asuma, and Oto fight Fuguki while Zou handles Kisame. Zou later rejoins them, helping create the opening for Kakashi’s Chidori before Oto severs Fuguki’s sword arm and Zou decapitates him 37 38 39.

Although Kakashi and Asuma receive public credit for Fuguki’s death, Kakashi’s written report truthfully records Zou’s contribution. Minato also learns from the report that Kakashi’s emotional condition has improved 39 43.

Connections to the Fourth Hokage

The Hyuga Main Family asks Zou to use his connection with Kakashi to arrange a private approach to Minato. After sparring with Guy, Kakashi agrees to take Zou to his teacher’s home, where Zou leaves a gift and Hiashi’s letter with Kushina 48 49.

Minato subsequently selects Kakashi’s team to accompany him and Jiraiya on a trip to sign a peace treaty with Iwagakure. Kushina interprets the team’s inclusion as part of Minato’s effort to challenge the Third Hokage and elder advisors’ hold on power 50.

Notable Quotes

“Ninja who can't complete their missions are trash. But ninja who can't even protect their comrades are worse than trash...” 41

Trivia

• Zou remembers Kakashi as Konoha’s Copy Ninja and the Sixth Hokage, but explicitly notes that he holds neither title at this point in the story 15.
• Zou uses Kakashi as an informal unit of chakra measurement, describing the young Kisame as having “two Kakashis’ worth of chakra.” Kakashi himself does not fully understand the comparison 37.
• Before the island battle, Kakashi stops Zou and Oto from taking excessive ANBU supplies. During the fight with Fuguki, he regrets not bringing more weapons and explosive tags himself 33 38.