His surname was never revealed, but Jiraiya had many titles in the Naruto franchise. Known as the Toad Sage, one of the Legendary Sannin, and both godfather and sensei to Naruto Uzumaki, Jiraiya left quite a mark on the storyline.
When he lost his life in the Naruto Shippuden era of the franchise, fans were heartbroken. It became a theme in the franchise that trusted teachers had to meet their end for the new generation of heroes to emerge. When the Third Hokage lost his life, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the other teachers stepped up. As Jiraiya and Asuma Sarutobi lost theirs, Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara did the same, starting a new cycle of leadership. Thanks to the time skip arc in the Boruto series, however, Jiraiya wasn’t completely lost to fans, and we’ve got answers to some questions they might have.
How Did Jiraiya Become The Toad Sage
In the manga, it’s unclear just when Jiraiya began his training with the toads and undertook a summoning contract with them. The anime, however, provided some filler episodes to give a little more backstory to Jiraiya’s journey.
When Jiraiya tried to summon an animal without a contract binding him to them, he was transported to Mount Myoboku. He didn’t leave right away, but instead, lived amongst the toads and trained with them. Living with them caused him to gain respect for them, and in turn, many toads trusted him enough to go into battle with him. He was able to summon several different toads to help him instead of relying on his contract with just one.
What Inspired Him To Become A Writer
Though most of Jiraiya’s stories were inspired by his pursuit of Lady Tsunade and his romantic escapades, that’s not what initially got him writing. Instead, Jiraiya was inspired by one of his students.
Jiraiya’s first novel, The Tale Of The Gutsy Shinobi, was inspired by Nagato. Nagato wanted to make the world a better place, just like Jiraiya did, and just like the main character of his book. He named the character Naruto instead of Nagato, and the name ended up being passed on to his godson, even if the book wasn’t a best seller.
How Did Jiraiya Get The Title Of Legendary Sannin
The title of Legendary Sannin is one that inspires respect and awe in the Naruto universe. Jiraiya was one of the “three legendary warriors,” though he didn’t exactly advertise it.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade earned the title when they worked together one last time during the Second Shinobi World War. The three of them led a platoon against Hanzo outside of the village of Amegakure. They were the only ones to survive the attack, earning Hanzo’s respect, and the title. Following the confrontation, however, they ended up going their separate ways as they each had very different goals.
What Is His Blood Type
Naruto’s data books contain a lot of useful information about the characters for fans who want a complete picture. One piece of information included is blood type. Japanese pop-culture includes the idea that personality can be influenced by blood type, leading to a lot of content creators revealing blood types for their fictional characters.
Jiraiya is Type B. That particular blood type is associated with charm and a creative personality. It’s also associated with carelessness and stubbornness, which all seem to fit Jiraiya pretty well. Interestingly, he shares that blood type with some of the most powerful people he knows: Tsunade, Orochimaru, Naruto, and Nagato.
At What Age Did Jiraiya Graduate From The Academy
In the Naruto series, fans saw most of the new generation of shinobi graduate from the Academy between the ages of 11 and 13. Jiraiya, however, was something of a prodigy and made it through the Academy in half the time - and at a much younger age.
Jiraiya graduated from the Academy when he was only six years old, but he didn’t do it alone. His classmates Orochimaru and Tsunade also graduated with him at the same age. They became a three-man-squad under Hiruzen Sarutobi.
What Is His Star Sign
Born on November 11, Jiraiya would be a Scorpio according to Western Astrology. Though Western Astrology isn’t used in the Naruto universe, Jiraiya was probably one character who would find it interesting. He did, after all, put faith in prophecy.
Scorpios tend to be passionate, curious, and loyal. That would all explain Jiraiya’s attachment to Konohagakure and his quest to always do the right thing. Of course, Scorpios can also be vengeful and obsessive, which would also explain Jiraiya keeping tabs on Orochimaru for decades.
How Many Missions Has Jiraiya Completed
As the Naruto data books released throughout the franchise’s timeline, they revealed information about the characters, like their favorite foods and their mission stats. Those mission stats told Naruto fans just how many difficult missions shinobi completed. Jiraiya’s mission stats were impressive.
In fact, Jiraiya participated in the most official missions of any character in the franchise. According to his stats, he had 1,839 missions under his belt before his death. Of those, only 58 were of the easiest D-rank level. Jiraiya also completed 138 of the most difficult S-rank missions.
Why Didn’t He Accept The Position Of Hokage
Jiraiya was repeatedly offered the position of Hokage in the Naruto franchise. Every time, he turned the position down.
Initially, he turned the position down because he didn’t believe himself worthy of it. Jiraiya knew which of his habits would be frowned upon as the Hokage. He also knew that he wouldn’t be able to live his life how he wanted in the role. When he left Konohagakure to spy for the village, his absence meant that he wouldn’t be able to take the position on again even if he changed his mind. He preferred to be able to hide amongst the people instead of standing out as the village leader.
What’s The One Reason He Threatened Tsunade
Jiraiya always had a crush on his teammate. Tsunade was a frequent target of his spying during their teen years, and she made sure he suffered the consequences. Despite the two of them arguing and hurting one another on a regular basis, they cared for one another. Jiraiya’s feelings for her inspired some of his romance novels as an adult.
The one time Jiraiya actually threatened Tsunade with violence was when he tracked her down to offer her the position of Hokage. His loyalty to the village superseded his feelings for Tsunade. He threatened to end her life if she did anything to put the village in danger as its new leader.
What Inspired Jiraiya’s Character
Jiraiya, like his teammates Orochimaru and Tsunade, was inspired by a Japanese folktale. Called “The Tale Of The Gallant Jiraiya,” it followed the title character as his former pupil (Orochimaru) became his enemy.
In the story, Jiraiya and Tsunade fell in love and worked together to defeat Orochimaru. While Jiraiya had abilities associated with toads, Tsunade had power from slugs, and Orochimaru used snakes. Naruto’s Legendary Sannin all had personality traits, power, and relationships inspired by the folktale.
