What Does Minato's Kunai Say?

From the earliest days of Naruto, it was no small secret that the Hidden Leaf Village’s Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was beloved by the people even long after his death. Considered one of the most powerful shinobi in the world, Minato’s list of accomplishments is nothing short of breathtaking. In fact, the impression he left on his enemies riddled them with fear when they began to realize that Naruto Uzumaki was his son. Recognizable by his bright yellow hair and the signature kunai he carried, Minato was known to move so quickly that it’s a wonder anyone was ever able to translate the inscription on his special blades to begin with.

Known far and wide as “Konoha’s Yellow Flash,” Minato’s mastery over Tobirama Senju’s Flying Thunder God space-time ninjutsu technique made it nearly impossible for enemies to anticipate his arrival behind enemy lines or on the battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War. This created the illusion of him being in many places at once, while simultaneously allowing him to wipe out entire enemy squads before they even knew he was there. In fact, Minato was so feared, enemy forces were given orders to flee on sight if the Yellow Flash joined the fray because it was all but guaranteed they wouldn’t make it out alive. Minato’s special kunai played a major role in his technique, as they were each marked with the Flying Thunder God seal, and once they were scattered across the battlefield, there was no telling where he might appear.

What Is a Kunai?

The kunai blade originated in Japan and was used for tasks like carpentry, masonry and stone carving. Kunai were also used as cutting knives, shovels and digging trowels, making them a must-have for gardeners. With a leaf-shaped blade and a loop on the hilt to attach a rope, kunai could also be used for climbing, much like pitons. Their simple production made them very popular in Japan, and every tradesman had one in their arsenal, but as time went on they discovered that in the right hands, these practical tools became lethal weapons.

The fact that kunai were cheap to make and easy to come by meant that wherever a ninja went, there would always be an available weapon at their disposal. Much like shuriken, kunai could be thrown, either by the hilt or by spinning the loop. Many ninja found them to be practical in close combat situations because they were easy to grip, allowing them to stab at their enemies quickly.

What’s Special About Minato’s Flying Thunder God Kunai?

Minato’s kunai were different that other kunai because they had three blades, with two prongs flanking the standard single blade. The handles were also thicker than normal, allowing room for them to be inscribed with his Flying Thunder God formula. This formula allowed him to teleport to the marker on the hilt, no matter where the blade was. This was a useful trick that even allowed him to teleport to and protect his students after he gifted one to Kakashi Hatake for achieving jonin status. Strategic placement behind enemy lines gave him an edge no one ever saw coming because he seemed to appear out of nowhere. He was even able to teleport out of life-threatening situations by returning to the kunai he kept in his safe houses.

The added blades and thicker hilt made Minato’s kunai heavier than standard kunai. The full weight allowed him more precision with his aim when throwing them at targets. He was also quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat, with the two extra blades dealing an incredible amount of damage while up close and personal with his enemies.

What Is the Flying Thunder God Technique?

70zll0v” title=”origin”>Originally created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the Flying Thunder God Technique is a space-time manipulation ninjutsu. Beforehand, the practitioner marks one or more targets with their technique formula by touch. Once applied, the mark cannot be removed, making it particularly useful for targeting enemies on the battlefield for surprise attacks. When performing the Flying Thunder God, the user slips through a dimensional portal and emerges in place where one of their marked targets awaits.

Despite it being Tobirama’s creation, Minato’s use of the Flying Thunder God Technique far surpassed the Second Hokage’s during his lifetime. Whereas Tobirama could only transport to objects he was in contact range with, Minato extended this to include the range of his chakra. However, when both former Hokages were resurrected during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Tobirama discovered he was able to transport to objects marked with Minato’s formula. For the first time ever they were able to combine their techniques into an evolved version: The Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique. By marking each other with their unique seals, they could teleport and swap places on the battlefield to set up powerful joint maneuvers.

What Does Minato’s Kunai Say (in Japanese & English)?

As mentioned above, the inscription on the thickened hilt was what allowed Minato to teleport to his kunai during the Flying Thunder God technique that made him a force to be reckoned with. But many fans wonder what the inscription actually says? 70zll0v” title=”origin”>Originally written in Kanji, the characters read as 忍愛之剣. Broken down individually, the characters are:

kanji	reading	meaning
忍	nin; shinobi	ninja
愛	ai; ren	love
之	no	possessive particle
剣	ken; tsurugi	blade

For English-speaking Naruto fans, the translation isn’t nearly as easy to tie down. It has been translated as shinobi ai no ken, which loosely translates to “Sword of Shinobi’s Love” in English. Since there’s no one-to-one translation, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the words mean, but it can be assumed it had something to do with Minato’s unique fighting style, or perhaps his love for the people he fought to protect from the Nine Tails when all was said and done.