JIRAIYA

Jiraiya was born and raised in the Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Fire. An energetic and passionate boy, he wasn't above trying to peek in at the local hot spring at the women inside, and he used the ninjutsu skilled he learned at the Ninja Academy to do so. After his graduation to genin, he was assigned to a squad with the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Tsunade; and Orochimaru. Their teacher was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man who would go on to be the Third Hokage. When given the bell test used to test cooperation of a squad, Jiriaya failed. Hiruzen lectured the young Jiraiya and tried to show him the quality of training by using the Summoning Jutsu. So taken by this display of power, Jiraiya threw himself into diligent training to increase his power, and attempted the Summoning Jutsu without making a summoning contract. The jutsu backfired and it was Jiraiya that was summoned away. He appeared in Mount Myoboku, the land of the summoning frogs. Oddly enough, he was expected. His arrival had been predicted by the Great Toad Sage. Jiraiya would return frequently to be trained in the powers of Sage Mode and their taijutsu, After several years, he was brought to see the Great Toad Sage. He was told that one day he would write a book and find a young man to train, and this student would become a great force for either great stability to the world or great catastrophe.

Now inspired, Jiraiya left the Leaf Village to travel across the lands in search of this pupil. After some time, the second Shinobi World War erupted and sent turmoil across the land. He met many people and opponents, but none were this great ninja. He returned to the Leaf Village just as Tsunade's little brother, Nawaki, had died in the war. The war was becoming more tumultuous, and he put his journey on hold while he rejoined his old squad mates to the war. In the land of the Hidden Rain Village they fought and barely survived against the legendary Hanzo. He was so taken by their skill and power, he dubbed them the "Three Sannin", a name that would quickly spread.

Jiraiya lives with Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato

Before Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru could leave the land, they were approached by three war orphans looking for food. He saw the passion in these children to survive. he agreed to stay behind and train them in ninjutsu so they would have a chance to survive. Their names were, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. It was Nagato who possessed an incredible Kekkei Genkai called the Rinnegan Eyes. He was a young and kind child who wanted nothing more than to protect his friends. Inspired by these kids will to survive and their loyalty to each other, Jiraiya wrote the draft for his first novel, "Tales of the Gutsy Ninja". They grew quickly and mastered every jutsu he taught them, but the day came he had to leave. Jiriaya truly believed that Nagato would be the person to bring change to the world,, but news eventually reached him some years later that all three had died. Later, Tsunade's lover also died in the war in her arms. Devastated by another loss to war, she left the village to never return.

Jiriaya would return to the Leaf Village and take on three pupils, one of which was named Minato Namikaze. This boy turned to be one of the most skilled ninja to ever come out of the village. Minato mastered jutsu after jutsu and became known throughout the world as the "Yellow Flash". He became one of the strongest ninja of the world, he married Kushina Uzumaki, and became the Fourth Hokage. His friend Orochimaru was enraged for being passed over for Hokage, and it was exposed that he had been conducting many forbidden experiments on humans and he fled before he could be caught. They were rivals, but Jiriaya still looked to him as a friend. He tracked him down and tried to convince him to stay but he failed. After some time, life was looking up. His novel was published, and he was honored when Minato and Kushina asked him if they could name their unborn child after the main character of his novel, "Naruto". Jairaiya was away from the village when the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox rampaged on the village. Many people died, including both Kushina and Minato. Minato sacrificed his life to save the village by sealing the demon fox within his own new born son.

Once again, a ninja he put his faith in that could change the world had died. Jiraiya would leave the village for nearly twelve years to return to his journey. He would write another series of novels that leaned more toward erotic comedy and based upon some of his own experiences. The first was titled " Make-Out Paradise" and was a best seller, then the day came by that he would return home.

Creation

Naruto Vol. 10 JPN (Dec 2001)

Jiraiya is a major supporting character of the Naruto series that was created by Masashi Kishimoto. It first began serialization Weekly Shonen Jump in November 1999. he was named after the lead character of the Japanese folklore "The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya" (児雷也豪傑物語, Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari). The Jiraiya of Nartuto varied greatly in personality from his name's origin. What they do share is a talent for summoning large toads. Much of the original design of Jairaiya was changed from the what would become the final version. Even the taods he was going to summon were all going to be the size of humans, but this was eventually dropped.

He first appeared in Naruto Volume 10, CH. 90 " What About My Training?!", and his first anime appearance was in Naruto - Episode 52 "Ebisu Returns: Naruto's Toughest Training Yet!". His character in the Japanese series is voiced by Houchu Ohtsuka for the adult voice, and his child voice is performed by Tooru Nara. The U.S. dub produced by VIZ Media is done by David Lodge, and his child voice was done by Brad MacDonald.

Character Evolution

" Let me explain something to you, there is only one thing that matters if you are a shinobi, and it isn't the number of jutsu you possess. All you do need, is the guts to never give up. "

Jiraiya - "Naruto" Vol.

A young Jiraiya loses the Bell Test

Jiriaya grew up as an energetic and wild young man that was very similar to Naruto. Even in the Bell Training, both he and Naruto ended up tied to the post. They both had a taste for the ladies, but Jiraiya's love for naked women bordered on the near extreme, going to far as to use his Invisibility Jutsu to sneak into bath houses and prided himself on having never been caught. Peeping, or "research" as he calls it, is considered his favorite hobby. Though he is a man who did mature and grow, he never really outgrew most of his worst habits. He became a novelist, but his first more mature story didn't sell well. He then went on to write three books that were roughly based on some of his own "mature" experiences. These became the "Make-Out" series of novels, a favorite of Kakashi Hatake.

He saw his fellow team mate Orochimaru as both his greatest rival but also a friend. He was the only one who truly wanted to save his friend from the darkness that had overcome him. His inability to stop Orochimaru was seen as his greatest failure. Jiraiya is essentially Naruto Uzumaki's godfather, but it's never been explained where Jiraiya was while Naruto was forced to grow up alone and hated by much of the village. When Jiraiya returned, his run in to Naruto was by mere chance. He would take Naruto in to both train him and protect him from the Akatsuki until he was able to handle himself better. Jiraiya was offered to be Hokage, after the death of the Third Hokage, but he rejected the position and went in search for Tsunade to take on the role.

Jiraiya after time skip

Affiliation: Hidden Leaf Village

Rank: Sannin

Registered Ninja #: 002301

Date Of Birth: November 11th Age: 54

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Height: 191.2cm

Weight: 87.5kg

Blood Type: B

Completed Assignments:

• D-Rank 58 / C-Rank 345 / B-Rank 684 / A-Rank 614 / S-Rank 138

After the two year time skip, Jiraiya had trained Naruto into a far more honed fighter than he once was. Now back in the village, he left Naruto under the care of Kakashi and left in search for information on the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. This led him to the Hidden Rain Village once again. He was both shocked and happy to see that the students he thought dead were still alive, but he fought them to stop their plans as part of the Akatsuki. Jiraiya would lose his life in this battle, but he never gave up. With his last breath, he passed along a code as his dying message to be used to help defeat his own former student. Jiraiya finally understood that the chosen one that he spent his whole life searching for was Naruto. He died happy that he lived up to his promise and his body sank to the bottom of the great sea and was never recovered.

Major Story Arcs

Chunin Exams Arc

Jiraiya's first appearance was during the break between the second and third portions of the Chunin Exams. Ebisu was attempting to train Naruto in the Water Walking Jutsu at the local hot spring baths when he was noticed peeking in on the girl's baths.

Invasion of Konoha Arc

He took part in the battle during the invasion of the Sand Village and the Sound Village ninja. He crushed one of the giant snakes with his own giant toad that he summoned. Much of his fighting afterward was unseen, but he was present after the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been defeated and lay dead from his battle with Orochimaru. Orochimaru was still alive, but Hiruzen had sealed away the used on his arms. This was the cause of the Sound Ninja's falling back from battle.

Search for Tsunade Arc

After the murder of the Third Hokage at the hands of Orochimaru, the village elders attempted to appoint him as Hokage, but he refused. He knew that only his old friend Tsunade could be the one for the job. Though the elders agreed, no one had been able to find her since she left the village. He proposed he search for her. The elders offered a team of ANBU Black Ops join him, but all he claimed to need was for Naruto the come along. Jiraiya had trouble enticing Naruto to join him. He also left out that they were going to find this special woman to be Hokage. To tempt Naruto, he played on his rivalry with Sasuke, thinking outloud that he would just take Sasuke with him to teach him a new powerful jutsu. Now, it was Naruto who was begging to come along and used his Sexy Jutsu to seal the deal.

By the time they reached the next village, they were unaware that the Akatsuki were hunting for Naruto. It was Itachi Uchiha who distracted Jiraiya away from Naruto by placing a lovely woman under a genjutsu to flirt with him. Though he initially fell for this ploy, he realized the woman was under a spell and returned to the hotel just in time to save both Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha, who had followed to try and both warn Naruto and kill his older brother. He tried to capture Itachi and his partner Kisame with the Toad Mouth Trap jutsu, but Itachi had used a mysterious black flame to burn away the very wall to make an exit. When they went to check on the beaten Sasuke, the Leaf jonin Might Guy appeared and attacked Jiraiya by accident. He left Sasuke to Guy to return to the village and wait for them to return with Tsunade, who had remarkable healing powers.

At the next village, there was a large festival being had. Jiraiya told Naruto to enjoy a day of fun before training and took his money to keep him from spending all his savings. Though, Jiraiya actually used Naruto's money to enjoy a hostess club. When Naruto found out, there was an argument and some grilled squid he was holding him the coat of a a local gangster who had been a chunin from another ninja village. When he tried to muscle Naruto for the incident, Jiraiya demonstrated the Rasengan at partial power on this thug. He bought several varieties of balloons.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc

Jiraiya was present, but hiding from sight, just after the events of Naruto and Sasuke attempting to fight each other on top of the local hospital. Kakashi had stopped the fight before anyone got hurt, and he questioned Jiraiya for teaching Naruto the Rasengan. Jiraiya shot back by telling him the same thing about the Chidori that Sasuke was using. He told Kakashi that he was leaving to search for information on Orochimaru and the Akatsuki, and he was leaving Naruto in his care to watch until his return.

When Jiraiya arrived back to the Leaf Village, word reached him that Sasuke had run off to join Orochimaru. Naruto had chased after but failed to stop him. He was in the hospital and had nearly been killed by his friend. Still, naruto wanted to save him from Orochimaru, who had intended to use the boy for his next vessel. Jiraiya told Naruto how the Akatsuki were after him and that Orochimaru couldn't switch bodies for another two and half years. He agreed to take Naruto with him to train in that time, but under the condition he give up on Sasuke. He wanted him to avoid the same mistake he did with Orochimaru. Naruto refused to abandon his friend. It was part of his ninja way. Taken by his loyalty, Jiraiya agreed to train him. Three months later, they would leave for two years of training. During that time, he taught Naruto how to break powerful genjutsu, and finally witnessed the power of of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Triggered by rage, Naruto was coated in the chakra of the demon fox. By the time the number of tails reached four, he lost all consciousness and became like a mini version of the Tailed Beast. Jiraiya nearly died in the process of stopping him, leaving a giant scar across his own chest.

Kazekage Rescue Arc

Sasuke and Sai Arc

Itachi Pursuit Arc

Powers and Abilities

Jiraiya's Jutsu

Jiraiya is a trained ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village and a pupil of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was also trained in the Senjutsu by Fukasaku. His skill and power earned him, along with his two squad mates, the title of the Sannin.

Jutsu Stats

Ninja's are ranked by their proficiency with the various types of jutsu and other statistics. The score rates as a best out of five and are added up in a total score. (source, Third Naruto Databook)

Ninjutsu	Taijutsu	Genjutsu	Intelligence	Strength	Speed	Stamina	Hand Seals	Total
5	4.5	3	4.5	4.5	4.5	5	4.5	35.5

Sage Mode

Jiraiya in Sage Mode with Fusakasu and Shima

Jiraiya is a practitioner of the ability called Sage Mode (仙人モード, Sennin Mōdo). He was trained to absorb and balance the chakra of nature and mix it with his own. It game him incredible power in combat, but was never able to keep the flow stabilized for long periods of time. For that he required the assistance of his teacher Fukasaku and his wife, Shima. Without their aid he could of transformed into a frog with no way to return.

Other Media

Films

Naruto Shippuden 2: Bonds (2008)

Jiraiya has only a minor role in the Naruto series of anime films that are produced by Studio Pierrot. His first appearance was in the second film of the Naruto Shippuden series, Naruto Shippuden 2: Bonds (2008). His appearance in this film was limited to a more spiritual one. Off camera she gave Naruto a package that was later revealed to be a charm that would reverse his transformation from this 4 Tails form. He finally appeared to save Naruto from imminent death by summoning Gamabunta. Jiriaya has a brief appearance in Naruto Shippuden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire (2009). For this film, he works as an intermediary between the forces of the Sand and Leaf Villages. He has only a cameo in Naruto Shippuden 4: The Lost Tower (2010). He was showing Minato Namikaze that he finally completed the Rasengan. Minato congratulates him then surprisingly leaves.

Jiraiya appears to have an appearance in Naruto Shippuden 5: Blood Prison (2011), but since the continuity of these events appear to fall into the period after his death. This role would be only for inspirational flashbacks of Naruto's life.

Games

Jiraiya has appeared in many of the video games based on the Naruto series. His first appearance was in PS2 fighter Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (2003), which was released in the U.S. on June 6, 2006; but was not a playable character. His role was limited to background animation an during one of Naruto's Ultimate attacks. For the English release, Jiraiya was voiced by Richard Cansino. He would have his first appearance as a playable character Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 (2004). This game was released in the U.S. in July 17, 2007.