It’s no secret that the Naruto series is laden with plot holes and incongruous storylines, leading to the author eventually mixing in a few retcons to make the story coherent. Being a long-running shonen series doesn’t help either as the prolonged nature of the show leads to several incongruous elements popping up, some of which are eventually covered up by a few tweaks on the author’s end.
Minato Namikaze’s role in the series underwent a similar treatment, going from a mysterious and all-powerful shinobi to simply becoming a regular Kage-level shinobi. While that is certainly no downgrade, Minato was initially presented as the strongest Hokage of all time. However, the Naruto series later retracted this established fact to make Hashirama and Madara the centerpieces to the story, in-turn negating the entire buildup to the Fourth Hokage’s legacy.
References to Minato Being the Strongest Hokage
Known as the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, Minato Namikaze became a legend that saved the entire Hidden Leaf from annihilation. From the very first mention of the Fourth Hokage, it was implied that he was the savior of the village, and none precede his strength and capabilities. The tale of Minato subduing the Nine-Tailed Fox all on his own cemented his position as the strongest Hokage, and the mystery surrounding his character further added to the appeal of this legend.
However, Minato’s status as an all-powerful shinobi was truly established during the Chunin exams arc. When Orochimaru summoned the reanimated Hokage, Hiruzen desperately tried to bar the third coffin from being summoned, indicating that he feared going against the Fourth Hokage much more than Hashirama or Tobirama. The conclusion of this battle further proved that Minato was intended to be much stronger than Hashirama seeing how Hiruzen was able to seal away both Hokage, all while fighting a third opponent in the form of Orochimaru.
Other subtle hints towards Minato’s strength were laid out during part 1 of the series. Minato’s role in the Third Great Ninja War and his feats were highly glorified, as this was also the war that earned him the title of the fastest shinobi alive. His achievement of taking on thousands of shinobi all at once furthered his place as the strongest. He was also one of the few shinobi to be deemed a ‘run-on-sight’ threat, meaning shinobi are to retreat at all costs if Minato were to be spotted on the battlefield. With such feats under his belt, it’s obvious that Kishimoto’s initial intentions were to make Minato the strongest shinobi in the entire Hidden Leaf.
Why was Minato’s Strength Retracted?
Minato’s role in the series and his overall strength was heavily undermined later on in Shippuden, with the hype and buildup retracted to let Hashirama take center stage in the end-game. Since Kishimoto had decided on revolving the entire plot around Madara and making him the main antagonist, it was only natural for Hashirama to become his equal to fit the narrative better.
The battle at the Valley of the End between Madara and Hashirama was the final nail in the coffin for Minato’s initial superiority as the battle cemented the two belligerents as beings comparable to a god. The sheer scale of their techniques and the absurdity of their strength clearly painted the two as the strongest shinobi to ever walk the lands, and making anyone stronger than that become nigh impossible.
The move became necessary on the author’s part as the story of the Senju and Uchiha was quite profound and tied to the overall plot, something that was not possible with Minato’s character. Moreover, the entire reincarnation theme with Naruto and Sasuke wouldn’t have been plausible in that case, meaning this retcon became necessary for the series to progress further.
Implications of the Minato Retcon
Most would argue that the retcon improved the story overall, allowing Hashirama and Madara to become centerpieces to the plot. While that may certainly be true, the move came with a grave price of reducing Minato’s role to a minor side character in the series. The Fourth Hokage went from being a legend of the Hidden Leaf to simply being another Kage-level shinobi whose strength is nothing compared to the likes of Hashirama and Madara.
The entire buildup to Minato’s appearance and his inexplicable strength was also lost, as his role in the series became nothing more than simply being Naruto’s father. Other than his paternal ties to the main character, Minato barely served any purpose in the series, especially during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Moreover, the retcon negated the initial narrative of the future generations surpassing the previous ones, as it cemented the premise that surpassing the village’s founders is simply impossible.