Minato Namikaze

"As Hokage, I will protect this village, my family, right now. That's what I need to do." Minato to himself, during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha.

Minato Namikaze, known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha, was a legendary shinobi who became the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure. He died sacrificing his life during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konohagakure to seal half of the demon inside his son, dying heroically in the process.

Personality Jiraiya and Tsunade pointed out that although Naruto physically bears a strong resemblance to Minato, his personality is almost identical to his mother's. Naruto always demonstrated being very boisterous and relatively brash, while Minato was quite calm and highly perceptive. Even during difficult moments, he was still able to maintain his composure, assessing the situation and devising appropriate action plans, a process that involves coldness. He also had a playful side, such as naming techniques with extremely complicated names before quickly dismissing them. He seemed well aware of his reputation, which inspired terror in his enemies, but despite this, he showed respect for those who lived alongside him. He also disliked freely discussing the past of others and was said to be a very laid-back and pleasant person. When questioning Orochimaru about how he was able to reincarnate him along with the previous Hokages, Minato referred to him as "Orochimaru-san," a polite way of addressing someone. He deeply cared for his beloved wife and son, becoming very nervous and protective of them. He demonstrated this during Kushina's childbirth, becoming quite worried and nervous about his wife's labor pains, and also cried when he saw Naruto for the first time. Minato also cared deeply for the village and its inhabitants, saying that they were all one big family. He also enjoyed reading a lot, and had a particular fondness for Jiraiya's works. Despite never having met before, the dynamic between Minato and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, is unique. Both men seem to have a great deal of respect for each other, especially as they operate similarly on the battlefield in terms of thinking.

The fact that both were users of the Flying Thunder God Technique also seemed to contribute to this, each praising the other in terms of speed and quick thinking. As mentioned above, Minato had a particular quirk: creating ridiculous names for techniques he used or observed. For example, upon seeing Naruto and Sasuke's Rasenshuriken combination, Minato decided to call it "Heat Style: Jet Arrow Wind Halo Style Zero," a long name that he himself understood didn't sound good. On one occasion, Minato declared that he would use his Super Flash Spiral of the Howling Dance Wheel of the Participating Formula Style Three. Hearing this, Tobirama stated that if they weren't in such an intense battle, he would probably laugh at such a ridiculous name. Later, when Minato tries to reiterate the name of Naruto and Sasuke's technique, Tobirama ends up rejecting the naming, telling Minato not to stop the attack.

Jiraiya commented that Minato was a shrewd person, not a man who acted without thinking or reason. He was very well prepared for the ninja world, concluding that only Madara Uchiha would have the power or ability to control the Nine-Tailed Fox during the attack on Konoha in his fight with the Masked Man. Minato was known for his incredible determination and unbeatable unity, qualities he passed on to his son. His devotion to the village and his love for his friends inspired all those around him, and as a result, he became very beloved by the villagers for generations. Minato also demonstrated great tolerance, as seen when he discovered that the masked man, responsible for his death and that of his wife Kushina, as well as the partial destruction of Konoha, was none other than his pupil Obito Uchiha. He showed no anger towards his former pupil; instead, he displayed great sadness at seeing what Obito had become, and expressed a strong desire to save him.

After being reincarnated by Orochimaru, answering Sasuke's questions about the Uchiha Clan Massacre and commenting on the meaning of being a shinobi, Minato confessed to being disappointed that he hadn't met the Third Hokage's expectations of him, due to his short reign as Hokage because of his sacrifice during the Nine-Tails' attack. He also believed that the Uchiha clan's situation would be different if he were alive.

After becoming Hokage, Minato began to take more pride in himself, referring to himself as "ore," which is an arrogant way of saying "I" or "me," instead of using "watashi," a more formal way of referring to oneself. Still, this didn't make him arrogant; he still addressed others with the appropriate honorifics.

Appearance Minato was a fairly tall, fair-skinned man who, on more than one occasion, was compared to Naruto in terms of physical appearance; both have medium blue eyes and spiky blond hair. Minato had his jawline covered by medium-length bangs, framing each side of his face. According to Jiraiya, Minato was considered very handsome.

His normal attire consisted of a standard Konoha uniform, with two stripes on each of the two sleeves, a green vest, a blue forehead protector, and blue sandals. After becoming Hokage, he began wearing a long white cloak-coat with short sleeves over his normal attire. The cloak-coat was decorated with red flames on the edges of the cloak's feet, and on the back, it was written "Fourth Hokage"; literally meaning: "Fourth Fire Shadow". The front was fastened by a thin orange cord. When revived, his eyes gained sclera and his skin developed small scratches, although he retained the outfit he wore before dying. When in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Minato's body and clothes glow with yellow chakra with orange, flame-like edges, and some black symbols and lines extending from his hands and legs stand out against this chakra cloak.

During his time at the Academy, he wore a simple white coat with green trim and a hood. After becoming a full-fledged shinobi, he wore a tracksuit with three stripes on the sleeves, a steel vest, and a pair of black pants with high-top sandals. During the events of Naruto Gaiden: The Whirlwind in the Whirlpool, he wore a white coat with red sleeves and trim, pants that went down to his ankles, and flat sandals.