Jiraiya, formally addressed as Lord Jiraiya, Master Jiraiya, or “Pervy sage”, is a major supporting protagonist of the Naruto and Shippuden manga and anime series. He was a legendary shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village, being one of the famous legendary Sannin, and in modern times was one of the Leaf's most powerful shinobi.
Background[]
Birth and Prophecy
Jiraiya and the other Sannin as children.
Jiraiya was born in the Hidden leaf Village about 38 years before the start of the series, to two unknown parents. He grew up to become a shinobi, being made a student of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with two others, Tsunade Senju and Orochimaru, after graduating the academy at age 6. He was the one whose talent showed the least and he was a slow learner. However, one day he saw his teacher perform the Summoning Jutsu, and went on to do the same thing himself without a contract with any animal species, thus reverse summoning himself to Mount Myoboku, the home of the shinobi and Sage toads. His doing so fulfilled a prophecy by the Great Lord Elder toad of the resisdence, Jiraiya meeting him and training with Fukasaku, one of the Great Sage Toads, in the use of Sage Mode. Repeatedly, Jiraiya returned here for quite a while until he mastered it, albeit incompletely. After he had, the Great Lord Elder dreamed a prophecy for him, which he told Jiraiya involved
Jiraiya training as a Sage.
him eventually meeting a revolutionary who would change the world, either for good or bad, which he would be the one to guide, saying eventually there would come a day when he would have to make a critical choice regarding. After this, as the Elder's dream also entailed him travelling the world and writing books, Jiraiya began to search for this revolutionary, failing to find him but meeting several people along the way he thought might be.
First students and Following Orochimaru
He later returned to the Village during the Second Great Ninja War, fighting alongside his teammates, Tsunade and Orochimaru, on
The Sannin after losing to Hanzo.
many battlefields. One time, they and their platoon ended up in battle against Hanzo of the Salamander, leader of the Hidden Rain Village, who fought them all by himself and killed all of their platoon, eventually managing to defeat them in combat. As they'd manage to present such a challenge to him, however, Hanzo named them the legendary "Sannin" of the Leaf and asked for their names in exchange for their lives. He then left them after asking that they refine their skills to face him again some day. After the battle, as he ans his team rested, they were found by three Hidden Rain orphans, who Jiraiya decided to stay with to until they could fend for themselves, moving in with them in a house. After discovering that one of these three, Nagato Uzumaki, possessed the legendary Rinnegan dojutsu, which he used to
Jiraiya with Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
save Yahiko's life, Jiraiya felt he might be the revolutionary the Great Lord Elder mentioned in his prophecy. And so, he took on Nagato, and his friends, Yahiko and Konan, as his first students, training them for three years in the use of ninjutsu so they would be able to protect themselves. During this time, he wrote his first book, Tales of A Gutsy Ninja, which was inspired by Nagato, but was almost an autobiography of his. After they managed to easily defeat a Shadow Clone of him, Jiraiya returned to the Leaf's side in the war to let Nagato and the others pursue their goals, eventually hearing the saddening news that they had been killed(though this was false as only Yahiko was dead). After the war ended, Jiraiya took on another set of students, with one of them, Minato Namikaze, becoming his first apprentice who
Jiraiya with his first apprentice, Minato.
Jiraiya taught everything he knew to. This apprentice went on to become the Fourth Hokage and was a great fan of Jiraiya's first book, expressing wish to name his first child after the book's main character, thus making Jiraiya his godfather. From Minato, Jiraiya also learned the Rasengan. However, Minato later died along with his wife, kushina Uzumaki, on the day Naruto was born thanks to a plot that involved the use of her Tailed Beast, Kurama. Not long thereafter, Orochimaru defected from the Hidden Leaf after betraying it in search of immortality, with Jiraiya losing to him in attempting to stop him and, out of regret, leaving the village to track his movements and those of the Akatsuki, a criminal organization he later joined, for many years without them knowing, feeling that was more important than following the wishes of his teacher, Hiruzen, to become the next Hokage.
Naruto[]
Returning home, Meeting Naruto, and Defending the Leaf
Jiraiya freeing Naruto's chakra control.
Jiraiya returned to the Hidden Leaf looking to write another book(he had become a successful author by this time), where he soon met his godson, Naruto, who insisted he train him, but Jiraiya refused at first, before finally agreeing and breaking the Five Pronged Seal his former teammate Orochimaru had put on him to unstable his chakra control. Afterwards, he explained how he had two different kinds of chakra in him and began to teach him the Summoning Jutsu. After weeks of him failing, Jiraiya decided to put Naruto's life in danger to help him draw out the chakra of his Tailed Beast, Kurama, knocking him off a cliff, with Naruto then being successful in mastering the jutsu. He later appeared to the defense of the village when Orochimaru tried to destroy, fending off his giant snakes and later being saddened when his teacher, the Hokage, died, though he didn't attend his funeral.
Search for Tsunade and Sannin battle
Jiraiya and Naruto searching for Tsunade.
After the death of the Third Hokage, Jiraiya was approached by the Hidden Leaf elders Koharu and Homura, who told him he had been chosen to be the Fifth Hokage, though he declined and agreed to track down his fellow Sannin Tsunade Senju to fill that position. Wishing to take Naruto along, Jiraiya persuaded him to join him by promising to oversee his training and teach him a new jutsu. They left, him revealing he was the teacher of the Fourth Hokage along the way, and they checked into a hotel a ways from the village, where Itachi Uchiha of the Akatsuki attempted to distract Jiraiya by putting a pretty woman under a genjutsu to lure him away so he and his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki, could take away Naruto. Seeing through the ruse later, Jiraiya arrived to confront them right after Sasuke Uchiha did, but allowed the younger Uchiha to fight his brother, who defeated him, before Jiraiya used his Toad Mouth Trap jutsu to trap the two Akatsuki, who fled and successfully escaped through Itachi's Amaterasu. Might Guy of
Jiraiya confronts Itachi and Kisame.
the Leaf arrived and took back the unconscious Sasuke, and Jiraiya and Naruto continued their search for Tsunade, with Jiraiya also beginning to teach him the Rasengan, a jutsu created by the Fourth Hokage, which he broke down into three parts. While Naruto slowly progressed through all the parts, Jiraiya made him do so on his own to help him mature as a shinobi while he gathered intel on Tsunade. After he'd mastered two steps of the jutsu, Jiraiya led him to Tanzaku Town after learning thats where Tsunade had gone recently, Naruto training on the third along the way. After they'd finally found her and Tsunade's disrespect of the title Hokage prompted Naruto to challenge her to a fight, she made a bet with him about mastering the Rasengan in one week. During that time he talked with her
Jiraiya vs. Orochimaru.
twice over drinks and, knowing she'd met with Orochimaru, made it clear to her he'd kill her if she helped him and betrayed the Leaf. She, however, drugged him to nullify his power. The next day after this, Jiraiya found out the details about the deal offered to Tsunade by Orochimaru to heal his arms from her assistant, Shizune, with him, Naruto, she heading after them, only to find she betrayed and refused the deal. They arrived in time to keep her from being attacked by Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's right hand, who battle Naruto and Shizune, while Jiraiya took on Orochimaru, them both being equally matched since they were impaired.
The Sannin face off.
After Naruto defeated Kabuto with a perfect Rasengan, Jiraiya was overpowered when Orochimaru made a move to kill him, and went on to summon Gamabunta, the Chief Toad of Mount Myoboku, to help him fight against Orochimaru's giant snake, Manda, with Tsunade summoning a giant slug named Katsuyu. Though they were victorious in the end, Orochimaru and Kabuto escaped with their lives, Jiraiya being unable to stop them given his condition. As Tsunade had decided to be Hokage after all, they all returned to the Hidden Leaf Village after Naruto recovered, Jiraiya being pleased to see Tsunade had taken a shine to Naruto.
Depature with Naruto
Jiraiya and Naruto leave for their training.
After they got back to the village and Tsunade brought both Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake out of the comas that itachi had left them in, Sasuke fled the village and joined sides with orochimaru, defeating Naruto ina battle at the Final Valley. Jiraiya visited him at the hospital afterwards, and offered to train him for the next two and a half years away from the village, while also attempting to make him give up hope on Sasuke. Naruto, however, maintained that he would do everything on his own if he had to to bring back Sasuke, Jiraiya still agreeing to train him. Though in the manga they left as soon as he got out, in the anime it was postponed for a while, with Jiraiya first going and gathering a little information about the Akaktsuki. After he returned, he went with kakashi as reinforcements to Naruto and the others of a mission, which was over by the time they arrived. Again visiting Naruto in the hospital, Jiraiya left with him for the training he'd promised, looking to make Naruto into a formidable shinobi by the time they returned.
Returning with Naruto and Akatsuki investigation
Jiraiya visiting with Kakashi in the hospital.
Jiraiya and Naruto returned to the Hidden Leaf after two and a half years and he watched on as Naruto tested his growth along with Sakura by fighting Kakashi, them managing to take his bells. Afterwards, Jiraiya left to do more investigating on the Akatsuki, with much of his further involvement in the series centering on his doing so. When Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village and their jinchuriki of Shukaku, was kidnapped by the Akatsuki, Jiraiya returned to the Leaf and advised Naruto against using his Tailed Beast's power, before giving Kakashi a seal to suppress Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra should it emerge, before taking off again to gather Akatsuki intel. He returned again quickly for a brief time to inform Yamato and Kakashi of Naruto's four-tailed form he had while they were off training, showing them the scare he got on his chest from Naruto in the process of suppressing it. Afterwards he left again and didn't appear again
Jiraiya shows the scar Naruto gave him in his four-tailed form.
for a while. In the anime, Jiraiya again briefly returned after Naruto created the Rasen Shuriken jutsu out of the Rasengan and took him with him to a hot spring to train him on Collaboration Ninjutsu, Naruto making good progress before he had to leave again after receiving information on the Akatsuki. Before doing so, he told Gamakichi and Gamatatsu, Gamabunta's sons, to keep helping Naruto train and sent a message to Tsunade stating his hope that she might trust Naruto one day should he come and ask for it. After Sasuke Uchiha had betrayed and defeated orochimaru, Jiraiya got word his former comrade had been killed(though it was flase), and returned to the village again to meet with Tsunade. Naruto and Sakura quickly arrived, as did Kakashi later, with them all discussing the
Jiraiya an Tsunade share their last meal.
best way to capture Itachi Uchiha. He later shared what turned out to be his final meal with his apprentice, before again leaving to gather Akaktsuki information. He returned later and informed Tsunade and Shizune that he'd located the Akatsuki leader, Pain, him taking Tsunade out to dinner and sake, which also turned out to be their last meal together, where they talked over the Akatsuki leader's location being in the Hidden Rain Village. After talking over Naruto's parents with her, Jiraiya left to investigate Pain alone after telling Tsunade to keep an eye on Danzo Shimura's Foundation organization.
Battle with Pain and Death
Jiraiya arrives in the Hidden Rain Village.
Jiraiya easily infiltrated the Hidden Rain to investigate Pain, maintaining multiple types of cover to gather information. After learning the village's new leader is Pain, and not the previous one Hanzo, Jiraiya easily captured a pair of Rain shinobi whose headbands had scratches on them similar to the Akatsuki, and questioned them regarding their leader. After getting some information about Pain, Jiraiya released Gerotora, a toad who had the key to Naruto's Nine-Tails sealing formula, and taled over his supsicion that the beast's appearance previous to being sealed in Naruto may not have been an accident and instead may have been summoned, stating the one man able to do it was Madara Uchiha. He then used his abilities to possess the shadow of one of the Rain ninja and was later confronted by his old student Konan, who tried to
Jiraiya vs. Konan.
kill him. Jiraiya easily defeated her and restrained her with his hair, before conversing with her before Pain arrived. Recognizing Pain to be his old student Nagato Uzumaki given his Rinnegan, Jiraiya became appauled by how his student had changed and restrained him too, and after learning his intentions through the Akatsuki, began to battle him to the death to stop his twisted ideaology and plans. Summoning a giant toad named Gamaken to buy him time to summon in Fukasaku and Shima, the Great Sage Toads, Jiraiya was seriously pressured by Nagato's summons, but still managed to summon in his partners and enter Sage Mode, with Pain summoning two
Jiraiya kills three of Pain's bodies.
more bodies that also had the Rinnegan to counter him. Shocked and puzzled when his ninjutsu are absorbed and taijutsu are blocked twice without the targeted bodies of Pain needing to see him, Jiraiya was forced to fall back to figure out a method kill the trio, who Fukasaku stated had the ability to share their line of vision with each other through their eyes. The stakes being what they were, Jiraiya outlined a plan to win after Fukasaku mentioned a genjutsu he and Shima could do through song, which worked perfectly and all three of Pain's bodies for paralyzed, with Jiraiya promptly killing them after expressing wish that Nagato would have turned out the right way, instead of becoming a harbinger of destruction.
Jiraiya sinking to his death.
Thinking the fight was over, Jiraiya lowered his guard as he started to leave, with another body of Pain appearing and blasting him through the wall, knocking off his left arm in the process, with Jiraiya and his partners then finding themselves confronted by Nagato's Six Paths of Pain, made of the three already killed and three new ones. Shocked to see 6 Rinnegan bearers, Jiraiya recognized one of them as his old student Yahiko, who Nagato said was dead, but before the conversation went far, all six then attacked them, with Jiraiya quickly being outmatched, but managing to recapture and kill the first body of Pain he encountered. Recognizing it as someone else other than Nagato he once fought after seeing a scare, Jiraiya decided to go back outside his barrier and face Pain again and confirm a theory about him that he had, sending Shima back to the relay what information on Pain they had to the Leaf(though she didn't seem to do it). Outside, Jiraiya recognized all of Pain's bodies as people he had met before and realized the secret behind Pain's identity, only to have his throat crushed by one of them before he could tell Fukasaku. He was then mortally wounded by Pain after the other four pinned him to a rock, but managed to force himself awake after remembering he was the one that named Naruto and that a teacher's ninja way should
Jiraiya's memorial that Naruto built.
be the same as their student. Using chakra to write a message in code for Naruto on Fukasaku's back, Jiraiya was knocked into the water below by Pain, where he died with a smile on his face as he sank to the bottom of the depths, comparing himself to a "frog in a well drifting off into the great ocean", which he found glorious. His code message was later identified as "The real ones not among them" by Naruto, who after defeating Pain built a memorial in honor of his dead master.
Personality[]
Ever since childhood, Jiraiya was a highly perverted person, which he openly bragged about and seemed proud of. He even invented a jutsu specifically used to spy on naked women. Since they first met, Jiraiya began to try and win the affections of his fellow Sannin, Tsunade Senju, who always rejected them, yet they were still close. Despite his love of her, Jiraiya was always immes\nsely loyal to their village, the Hidden Leaf, and made it clear to her he'd kill Tsunade if she betrayed the village. He also thought a lot of his other fellow Sannin, Orochimaru, who he thought of as a friend and tracked for many years out of guilt for not being able to stop him when he betrayed and left the Leaf. Throughout his life, Jiraiya trained several students, who he developed strong bonds with, especially Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, who Jiraiya taught everything he knew to. Minato thought so much of him that he wanted to name his son Naruto after a main character in Jiraiya's first book, which Jiraiya was surprised by. Jiraiya had hogh hopes for Nagato Uzumaki, who was one of his first students, and cared very much for him and his friends, Yahiko and Konan, being heartbroken at having to face them in battle and appauled at how evil Nagato had become. He also grew close to his godson after they met, training him as an apprentice and even entrusting Naruto to find a way for world peace if Jiraiya himself should failed, as he was a huge believer in peace. Despite how goofy he could be at times, Jiraiya was capable of being very serious and ruthless if the situation demanded it.
Powers, Abilities, and Skills[]
Jiraiya easily traps Itachi and Kisame.
As one of the Hidden Leaf's legendary Sannin and a Sage, Jiraiya was an extremely powerful shinobi, easily Kage-level in his own right, and was one of the strongest fighters of his time. He was offered the position of Fifth Hokage twice, but turned it down both times, believing it didn't suit him. His power was such that he could easily defeat S-class Akatsuki members like his student Konan, with others like Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, two extremely powerful shinobi in their own rights, daring not to face Jiraiya in battle, fearing even both of them together would at best guarantee a stalemate, despite Itachi being a master of the Mangekyo Sharingan and Kisame being a former member of the Hidden Mist Village's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. They both openly admitted they'd be no match for him alone, with Itachi adding that even if they had reinforcements the result would be no different. Even his former student, Nagato Uzumaki, who was a Rinnegan user and master of all five chakra natures, nearly lost to Jiraiya, despite his Six Paths of Pain
Jiraiya using his initial Sage Mode.
outnumbering the mighty Sannin, which prompted his younger opponent to marvel at Jiraiya's power after killing him, saying if he'd had prior knowledge of his secret before confronting him, Jiraiya would have won their battle. According to Jiraiya, he was only ever brought to close to death twice in his life(prior to being killed). He was able to single-handedly subdue his apprentice, Naruto Uzumaki's four-tailed form, which he couldn't control, with the bad wound he got happening as a result of him trying to supress the chakra instead of harm Naruto. He was also highly intelligent, as he was able to become a successful author, and was a very adept teacher, able to break down the Rasengan into three different parts to teach it to Naruto, proving quite clever. Jiraiya also had tremendous tracking abilities, able to easily track the Akatsuki and Orochimaru for many years without any of them appearing to know about it, and gather accurate information doing so. Despite having no skill with it himself, Jiraiya was very good at recognizeing and dispelling genjutsu as well.
Elemental powers
Jiraiya and Gamabunta using a colab attack
Jiraiya highly skilled and powerful with elemental attacks, having full mastery of Fire and Earth Style, able to produced a huge swamp instantly and large fire attacks that can be quite hard to dodge. Working together with Gamabunta, he could light oil into a deadly firestorm that even the strongest opponent might find hard to survive. In Sage Mode, his elemental prowess was greatly enhanced.
Sage and Chakra powers
Jiraiya's full Sage Mode.
Jiraiya had enormous chakra levels, having been able to learn to use Sage Mode, though his version was incomplete, and was able to catch two giants snakes with one jutsu, despite having his reserves hindered. He could also summon giant summons with ease. Jiraiya also mastered his student, Minato Namikaze's Rasengan jutsu all on his own. When using Sage Mode, his already impressive physical capabilities and power were greatly increased, his speed, power, and durability becoming so great no ordinary opponent could defeat hiim given Sage Mode's ability to sense danger before it becomes a threat. In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's body would always transform, gaining some toad features, and his jutsu gained enormous power, with his Rasengan becoming the Massive Rasengan jutsu Jiraiya developed. He also had jutsu that he coukld do with his hair, able to use chakra to grow it at will and either use it as a needle-covered armor or to retrain enemies with a roaring mouth shape. In Sage Mode, he could also fire oof a barrage of needles over a wide range that was quite deadly.
Toad Jutsu
Jiraiya summons a toad.
Given his natural affinity with toads, Jiraiya was quite famous for using them for different fighting purposes, and he called himself the "Toad Sage". He could perform the Summoning Jutsu and call on toads of different sizes, even Tailed Beast-sized ones. Many of Jiraiya's jutsu involved dealings with them. For example his Toad Mouth Trap jutsu involved him summoning the stomach of a species of fire-breathing toad that he could use to trap his opponents and that to date, only Itachi Uchiha's Amaterasu has been able to counter. While training with the toads, Jiraiya also gained the ability to spew oil from his mouth that could help with his fire jutsu.