The Hokage (火影; Literally meaning "Fire Shadow") are the leaders of Konohagakure. They are generally the strongest in the village, although ideology and renown plays a large part in their being chosen for the position. Four shinobi and one kunoichi have gained this title so far, with another shinobi gaining the title of Candidate Hokage.

Generally, the new Hokage is selected by the current Hokage upon their retirement, but if the old Hokage dies or is incapacitated before being able to do so, the Fire Daimyō will appoint a Hokage Candidate upon the recommendation of the Konoha council and the Fire Daimyō council. Afterwards, the candidate will need to be approved by the jōnin of the village to become officially Hokage.

After being approved, they move into the Hokage Residence to live in and have their faces carved out in the monument behind it. If the former Hokage is still alive, they will generally keep helping out, making the transition easier and more stable. The Hokage carry their title for life, even after retiring from active duty. The Hokage's office is located in the administrative section of the Academy.

Contents 1 List of Hokage 1.1 First Hokage 1.2 Second Hokage 1.3 Third Hokage 1.4 Fourth Hokage 1.5 Fifth Hokage 1.6 Sixth Hokage Candidate 2 Trivia 3 References

List of Hokage Edit

First Hokage Edit

Main article: Hashirama Senju Hashirama Senju (千手柱間, Senju Hashirama) was a legendary ninja who became the First Hokage (初代火影, Shodai Hokage; Literally meaning "First or Founding Fire Shadow") of Konohagakure. He hails from the Senju clan who together with the Uchiha clan established Konohagakure.

Second Hokage Edit

Main article: Tobirama Senju Tobirama Senju (千手扉間, Senju Tobirama) was the Second Hokage (二代目火影, Nidaime Hokage; Literally meaning "Second Fire Shadow").^[1] He hails from the Senju clan, who along with the Uchiha clan, founded Konohagakure.

Third Hokage Edit

Main article: Hiruzen Sarutobi Hiruzen Sarutobi (猿飛ヒルゼン, Sarutobi Hiruzen) revered as the God of Shinobi (忍の神, Shinobi no Kami), was the Third Hokage (三代目火影, Sandaime Hokage; Literally meaning "Third Fire Shadow") who hailed from Konohagakure's Sarutobi clan. He was part of Team Tobirama together with Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane under the leadership of the Second Hokage. He was also trained by the First Hokage and would later become the teacher of the Legendary Sannin: Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.

Fourth Hokage Edit

Main article: Minato Namikaze Minato Namikaze (波風ミナト, Namikaze Minato), also known as Konoha's Yellow Flash (木ノ葉の黄色い閃光, Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō; English "Yellow Flash of the Leaf"), was a legendary ninja who became the Fourth Hokage (四代目火影, Yondaime Hokage; Literally meaning "Fourth Fire Shadow").

Fifth Hokage Edit

Main article: Tsunade Tsunade (綱手, Tsunade) is the Fifth Hokage (五代目火影, Godaime Hokage; Literally meaning "Fifth Fire Shadow") who hails from the Senju clan of Konohagakure and is also a descendant of the Uzumaki clan through her grandmother Mito. She succeeded the position after the death of her teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi. She, along with Orochimaru and Jiraiya, are recognised as "The Legendary Sannin of Konoha".

Sixth Hokage Candidate Edit

Main article: Danzō Shimura Danzō Shimura (志村ダンゾウ, Shimura Danzō) was an elder of Konohagakure and leader of the disbanded ANBU faction: "Root". He was later appointed as the official Sixth Hokage Candidate (六代目火影候補, Rokudaime Hokage Kōho) after Pain's invasion.

Trivia Edit

• All of the former Hokage have been sealed away in the stomach of the Death God summoning; the Fourth was sealed when he sealed the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within Naruto, while the First and Second were sealed away by the Third. As for the Third, he was sealed when he gave his life to seal Orochimaru's arms. As such, Kabuto Yakushi notes that none of them can be reincarnated via Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation.
• All Hokage have had some connection to each other: the First and Second were brothers, the Third was the student of the Second and First, the Fourth was the student of Jiraiya, who was a student of the Third, and the Fifth is the granddaughter of the First, the grandniece of the Second, and the student of the Third. Jiraiya, a fellow Sannin and student of the Third, was also nominated for the title of the Fifth, but turned it down. When Kakashi was considered for the position of the Sixth, his connections as the Fourth Hokage's student almost cemented his selection. The former acting Hokage, Danzō, was once a rival for the position as Third Hokage, and disagreed with the peaceful ideologies of the five Hokage although he was once Hiruzen's close friend and fought under the Second Hokage during the First Shinobi World War.
• At least three of the Hokage are known descendants of the Senju clan.
• At least four of the Hokage had their official office photographs taken while wearing a ceremonial necklace of sorts.^[2]
• In Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3, Naruto became the Hokage for one whole week.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was said to be the strongest Hokage in the village's history, as well as strongest of the Five Kage of his era.^[3]
• Kakashi Hatake has been considered a prime candidate for the position as Hokage by several characters. He would have been officially appointed as the Sixth Hokage if Tsunade hadn't woken up moments before hand.
• According to Asuma Sarutobi, his student Shikamaru Nara has the ability to become Hokage, but won't due to him being too lazy to want to.
• Orochimaru was once a prime candidate to be the Fourth Hokage, but due to his lust for power and lack of love for the village, the Third passed him over.
• After Orochimaru was passed over for this position, Hiruzen intended to choose Jiraiya to be the Fourth Hokage, but Jiraiya refused due to his journeys as an author and his quest to chase down the renegade Orochimaru. After Hiruzen and Minato died, Jiraiya was once again offered the position as the Fifth, but he once again rejected it. When Tsunade went into a coma, the Fire Daimyō commented how he would have liked Jiraiya to be the Sixth, but by which time Jiraiya had already died.

References Edit

1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named d3
2. ↑ Naruto chapter 94, page 7
3. ↑ First Databook, pages 117 and 265