Summary
- Minato was a top student and excelled in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu from an early age.
- Minato could conduct covert missions with strategic patience, a skill Naruto lacks.
- Minato created the easily replicable and iconic Rasengan jutsu.
Even before he became the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki was already one of the most powerful shinobi in the world. After all, he successfully mastered the elusive Sage Mode, harnessed the power of the nine-tailed beast, and earned the staggering power of the Sage of the Six Paths.
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That being said, even the powerful Naruto is not perfect. There are things that his predecessors could do that he can’t. In fact, forget the legendary First Hokage and the genius Second Hokage, some things come naturally to his father—the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—that are hard for Naruto to do. So with that in mind, here are seven things that Minato could do that Naruto can’t.
7 Being The Top Student in His Class
A Ninja Prodigy
- Episode: Episode 246
- Episode Title: The Orange Spark
Minato was famous as a prodigy during his ninja academy years. He was the top student in his class and excelled in everything from ninjutsu to genjutsu and taijutsu. He may not have come from a prestigious family, but his skills and intelligence were second to none.
Meanwhile, Naruto is not only at the bottom of his class, but he is actually one of the worst students in his year. He is a capable taijutsu user, but his ninjutsu and genjutsu are terrible. In fact, Naruto failed the academy's final exam because he couldn’t execute a simple shadow clone jutsu.
6 Being A Teacher
The Chance To Teach And Develop Young Ninjas
- Episode: Episode 119
- Episode Title: Kakashi Chronicles ~ Boys' Life on the Battlefield ~ Part 1
After he graduated from the academy, spent a few years doing all sorts of missions for the village, and became a Jonin, Minato was officially appointed as a teacher and team leader. He was responsible for Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara. They were known as Team Minato.
Meanwhile, Naruto spends most of the series as a Genin. There’s no time for him to attain a higher rank because he has to deal with all sorts of powerful villains. After the 4th Great Ninja War, Naruto finally manages to rank up, and after a few years, he is officially appointed as the Seventh Hokage. Unfortunately, Naruto doesn't get the chance to teach and develop young ninjas like his father and the other previous Hokages.
5 Conducting A Covert Mission
A Personality Built For The Silent Kill
- Episode: Episode 246
- Episode Title: The Orange Spark
Ever since he was young, Minato has participated in numerous covert missions. From single-handedly saving Kushina Uzumaki from her kidnappers to the secret mission to destroy a critical bridge in Kusagakure to disrupt enemy movements, Minato was a master at covert missions.
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One of the things that made Minato so great at covert missions was his personality. He was a calm and reserved person who could patiently wait for the right time to make a move. Naruto, on the other hand, is a hothead who will attack first and think later. Naruto has all the right tools and skills, but his personality is simply not suitable for a covert mission.
4 Instant Combat Analysis
Finding The Enemy’s Weakness And Preparing Counterattacks In Minutes
- Episode: Episode 248
- Episode Title: The Fourth Hokage's Death Match
Minato was one of the most intelligent ninjas in the history of Konoha. He could analyze the enemy and determine the appropriate counterattack in a matter of minutes. The best example of his tactical mind in action was when Minato fought Obito for the first time. It only took him a couple of minutes to uncover Obito’s unique ability and deliver a devastating counterattack that nearly killed his former student.
Naruto, on the other hand, works differently from his father. He prefers to throw a barrage of attacks at the enemy and see which one is the most effective. That’s precisely what he does when he fights Obito during the 4th Great Ninja War. Out of all the attacks thrown at the newly born Ten-Tailed Jinchuriki, the only one he bothers to defend against is a Senjutsu-based attack. So Naruto enters his Sage mode and delivers a crushing senjutsu rasengan that makes Obito bleed. Naruto may not have Minato’s instant combat analysis ability, but he more than makes up for it with his relentlessness.
3 Using Various Sealing Jutsu
Mastering, Improving, And Customizing Various Sealing Jutsu
- Episode: Episode 249
- Episode Title: Thank You
When Minato found out about Kushina’s fate as the Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tailed Beast, he dedicated much of his time to learning about sealing jutsu. Not only that, once he mastered various sealing jutsu, he improved and customized them as needed. That’s why Minato could seal half of the Nine-Tailed beast to his newly born son while also placing some of his and Kushina’s chakra into the seal so that they could help Naruto in the future.
Naruto, on the other hand, doesn’t know any sealing jutsu. It is just not the type of jutsu that he is interested in. That’s why he doesn’t bother to learn anything about it. The only sealing jutsu that he can use is when he borrows the chakra from the one-tailed beast, which is known for its sealing capability. Once Naruto infuses that chakra into his attacks, it instantly seals the enemy upon contact.
2 Creating An Original And Replicable Jutsu
A Powerful Jutsu, Made For All To Use
- Oneshot Title: Naruto Gaiden: Whirlwind in the Vortex
- First Published: July 31, 2023
After experiencing the might of Tailed-Beasts’ devastating Bijuu bomb, Minato racked his brain to find a way to execute a similar kind of attack. After three years of experimenting and developing, he finally created a unique jutsu called the Rasengan. Many people, including Jiraiya and Kakashi, consider Rasengan as the pinnacle of the Shape Transformation technique.
Lots of ninjas over the years have created original jutsu. What makes Rasengan so special, however, is the fact that it is easily replicable. It doesn’t require any hand seals, and once the concept behind it is understood, anybody can use Rasengan. The same thing cannot be said of many original jutsu, like Kakashi’s Raikiri or Naruto’s Rasenshuriken. In a way, Rasengan is like a gun. A means of attack that can be easily learned and used by the masses.
1 Use The Iconic Flying Thunder God Jutsu
Konoha’s Yellow Flash
- Episode: Episode 119
- Episode Title: Kakashi Chronicles ~ Boys' Life on the Battlefield ~ Part 1
The number 1 entry on this list is also the most obvious one. After all, when it comes to something that Minato could do that Naruto can’t, the answer is obviously the iconic Flying Thunder God Jutsu. This technique allows Minato to teleport between marked targets instantly. This jutsu was the reason why Minato was admired and feared as Konoha’s Yellow Flash.
Make no mistake, Naruto can move incredibly fast, especially when he envelops his body with the Nine-Tailed chakra. Even then, he is still no match for his father’s blinding speed. After all, it doesn’t really matter how fast someone can jump or run when the other party can teleport to the other side of the world in the blink of an eye. That’s why the Flying Thunder God Jutsu is the biggest thing that Minato could do that Naruto can’t.
- Release Date
- October 2, 2002
- Network
- Adult Swim
- Seasons
- 5
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Number of Episodes
- 220
