In the world of Naruto, hot takes and endless debates are a constant, but nothing stirs up the fandom quite like old man Hiruzen. While the Third Hokage is a wise man to some fans, to the rest of the fandom, he is a walking, talking disaster (or at least he used to be).
From time to time, some Naruto fans pop up to explain why Hiruzen was justified in what he did, and those fans get debated to hell and back. Of course, it is a ritual to point out every failing of the Third Hokage in times like these.
Hiruzen Apologists and Their Flimsy Excuses Are Getting Old
Hiruzen Sarutobi is still being defended by fans | Credits: Pierrot
There are plenty of Reddit posts that try to explain why Hiruzen should not be hated. Some of them like to excuse Hiruzen’s failure as a guardian to Naruto. According to them, Hiruzen let Naruto be by himself for the protagonist’s own benefit. Apparently, it was better for Naruto to be isolated than to give him more attention.
According to fans and Hiruzen himself, Konoha was too blinded by the trauma caused by the attack of the tailed beasts. Thus, there was nothing that Hiruzen could have done to lift the hatred or to save Naruto from it. The fact that he was a Hokage for a long time serves as an excuse that he was a good leader.
Yet, none of these reasons holds a candle to mere facts. Hiruzen might have been a Hokage till he was old, but that doesn’t make him a good Hokage. He got reappointed as a Hokage after retirement, and instead of choosing a replacement, he decided to stay in power. Of course, true Naruto fans know the disaster that he brought on the village and other clans.
Hiruzen Cannot Be Redeemed, and Here Are the Receipts From Naruto
Hiruzen turned a blind eye to whatever Danzo was doing. Plenty of fans think that the Hokage was too soft-hearted. Yet, is that really an excuse for a leader who was undermined by someone from a lower rank who wreaked havoc? He could not rein in his own adviser.
Of course, one needs to mention how Hiruzen neglected Naruto. He was entrusted with Naruto by Minato and Kushina, who hoped that their only child would be taken care of after their sacrifice. So what did Hiruzen do? He let a child live alone and fend for himself. He did not take a single step to make sure Naruto was not discriminated against. Naruto spent his childhood being neglected and abused by the villagers, just for something that he had no choice in.
The biggest mistake of all was letting the Uchiha massacre take place. Danzo went against Hiruzen’s wish of having peaceful negotiations and suggested a total slaughter of the clan. Despite being the leader of the village, Hiruzen did not make his will clearer to Danzo, almost enabling him to cause the preventable tragedy.
He also allowed Orochimaru to escape despite knowing that he was behind mass kidnappings and slaughtering children. Orochimaru was an ex-student, but does that mean all his grave crimes should be forgiven for the sake of nostalgia and soft-heartedness?
Hiruzen’s list of negligence and downright abuse of his powers goes on and on, but hopefully, this much is enough to convince Hiruzen fans to acknowledge the mistakes of their idol. Which side are you on in this seemingly endless and frustrating debate? Let us know in the comments below.
Naruto anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
