| “ | A lot of samurai changed jobs to ninja. Samurai schools also changed to teach the ninja arts. The role of the samurai has already ended. Without any convictions towards peace, financed and grown out of money, they use strong ninjutsu. Ninja have taken and changed your role. But if those ninja can be weeded out and were to die, then nothing would be left. Just like me. | „ |
| ~ Hanzō decrying the occupation of the samurai. |
Hanzō (in Japanese: 半蔵, Hanzō) is a supporting antagonist in the Naruto series. He was the leader of the Hidden Rain Village before he was overthrown and murdered by Pain. He was later reanimated by Kabuto Yakushi during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
He was voiced by Ikuya Sawaki in the Japanese version, and Richard Epcar in the English dubbed version.
Biography[]
Background[]
As a child, Hanzō was implanted with the poison sac of a black salamander that died in his village. The surgery was intended to create a ninja able to poison others and that was immune to all forms of toxin, so Hanzō was required him to wear a mask to protect others from his venom-laced breath. In his youth, having defeated Mifune but sparing his life, Hanzō once sought the ideals of "peace" and even attempted to achieve it with the unification of the Five Great Countries. However, after realizing that such a method would only bring about perpetual war and thus, leave only death in its wake, he cast aside this conviction and focused on maintaining his status as the Hidden Rain Village's ruler.
Hanzō later gave the same respect to the team of Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru during the Second Great Ninja War where he christened them the Sannin for enduring his attacks. He also engaged in battle with Chiyo numerous times, allowing her to create an antidote to his salamander's poison. Years later during the Third Great Ninja War, Hanzō feared the budding Akatsuki and its unorthodox means to end conflict as a threat to his regime, requesting the services of Danzō Shimura to eliminate the organization's three top ninja (In an anime filler, it was revealed that Danzō secretly manipulated Hanzō into this alliance by framing the Akatsuki for trying to overthrow him). However, though Yahiko died, Hanzō's scheme only caused Nagato, as Pain, to start a civil war that ended with Hanzō killed by Nagato through Yahiko's body. Pain did not stop at only killing him, also killing his close relatives and ambassadors from other nations, as well as considering his name a taboo in Hidden Rain Village under his reign.
Plot[]
Hanzō was among the ninja reanimated by Kabuto for the Fourth Great Ninja War. After being mobilized, he became part of the group that Chūkichi from the Surprise Attack and Diversion Platoon requested assistance from, along with Chiyo and Kimimaro. Encountering the remnants of the Alliance's Surprise Attack Division with this improvised team, Hanzō chastised Deidara for being caught and remarked that he would have had no intention of freeing him, if it weren't for the accursed technique which governed his actions.
Summoning Ibuse, Hanzō overpowered the allied ninja until Mifune arrived. As they engaged in their rematch is defeated by Mifune, Hanzō learns that he loss of conviction in his ideal for peace dulled his skills. After Hanzō reminisced about his past battle with Mifune, where he divulged the details surrounding his infamy eventually spared the defeated samurai due to his strong devotion towards his allies, he then explained that the weakness he described then still remained despite his immortality. In a tremendous demonstration of will, Hanzō places his faith in Mifune and — overcoming the talisman that governed his actions — stabbed himself to pierce his poison sac and leave him paralyzed for the Fifth Division to quickly seal him for the duration of the war until the Reanimation Jutsu was canceled.
