Summary
- The second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, is often forgotten due to his controversial domestic policy, even though he was one of the most brilliant and influential ninjas in history.
- Tobirama created powerful ninjutsu, such as Naruto's Shadow Clone Jutsu, and established important institutions that still exist in Konoha today.
- His decision to assign the Konoha Military Police Force to the Uchiha clan backfired, leading to their ostracization and eventually the extermination of the whole clan, tarnishing Tobirama's legacy.
When it comes to past Hokage, most people remember the first Hokage as the most powerful one of the bunch and the fourth Hokage as the savior who sacrificed himself to save the village. There are also quite a lot of people who grew up under the leadership of the wise and kind third Hokage, so they have nothing but fond memories of him.
The second one, however, is a bit different. Not only are his accomplishments rarely mentioned, but most people often remember him due to his controversial domestic policy. Even the series itself only talks about him during the Fourth Ninja World War arc. So let’s use this chance to talk about what makes the second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, such a divisive figure.
Naruto: The Unique Way Naruto Use The Shadow Clone Jutsu
This seemingly ordinary jutsu becomes something special thanks to the unique way Naruto utilizes it.
One of The Most Brilliant Ninja In History
Not many people realize that Tobirama Senju was easily one of the most influential ninjas in the world. He was not only a genius who had created so many jutsu that are still widely used to this day, but he was also an intelligent leader who laid many foundations that led to the prosperity of Konoha.
Tobirama was the person behind some of the most powerful ninjutsu that ever created. Naruto’s Multiple Shadow Clones Jutsu, Minato’s Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and Orochimaru’s Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, just to name a few. Those are some of the most powerful forbidden jutsu that have such a massive influence on the fate of the ninja world, for better or worse. Things would’ve gone so differently had any of those characters couldn’t use those forbidden jutsus.
As if that is not impressive enough, Tobirama was also a highly adept leader who could always think calmly and saw the big picture in order to make decisions that would benefit Konoha as a whole. Some of the important institutions that he created still exist to this day, such as the Konoha Ninja Academy, The Joint Chunin Exams, The Special Squad Anbu, and also Konoha Military Police Force, just to name a few. Even the leaders from other ninja villages recognized the benefits of these institutions and began to implement them in their own domain.
Tobirama’s Controversial Decision As a Hokage
Unlike the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who was a familiar and easy-going person, Tobirama Senju was often viewed as a cold and calculating individual. He was the kind of person who used logic rather than emotion when making a decision, which was the total opposite of his brother. This kind of personality allowed Tobirama to see the big picture and do whatever was necessary to achieve peace and prosperity in the village that his brother fought so hard to create.
Tobirama’s most important policy was to instill a sense of unity among the diverse citizens of Konoha. This meant blurring the lines of individual clans and made everybody put the village first above anything. While most clans agreed to Tobirama’s view and slowly began to blend themselves into the idea of a unified Konoha, such a thing proved to be difficult for a prideful clan like the Uchiha.
Tobirama recognized the seed of danger that exists within the heart of every Uchiha, but he also realized that losing such a powerful clan would be bad for Konoha. So he decided to assign the role of Konoha Military Police Force to the Uchiha. He figured that that was the best way to integrate the Uchiha into Konoha while harnessing their power for the betterment of the village at the same time.
This proved to be a wrong decision. After all, law enforcers were often disliked by the masses. Because of that, it didn’t take a long time for the prideful Uchiha to feel ostracized by the village. This feeling kept on brewing until decades later when it inevitably manifested in the form of a coup d'etat attempt that ended with the extermination of the whole Uchiha clan. Many people who don’t know the full story behind this terrible incident ended up blaming the second Hokage’s decision to entrust the role of the Military Police Force to the Uchiha.
The Conflicting Legacy of Tobirama Senju
As years went by, many people ended up remembering the second Hokage due to his controversial domestic policy, especially regarding the Uchiha, rather than his countless achievements. Everybody seems to have forgotten about the amazing ninjutsu that he created or the highly influential institutions that were built during his time. What they remember instead is his failure to nip the Uchiha’s hatred in the bud. As a result, most people in the village simply know him as a divisive figure, rather than a genius ninja and an insightful leader that he actually was.
That said, thousands of people see him in action during the Fourth Great Ninja War and notice how powerful and intelligent he is. Furthermore, the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, has nothing but praise for him due to his experience of fighting together with the second Hokage during the war. So hopefully, his people will remember Tobirama Senju in a much better light from now on.
Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.