5. Tsunade - A lot of her policies are influenced by Naruto's dogma - the stay of execution for Sasuke that has persisted for all this time despite his ever increasing list of injustices, Naruto's exceptional licence, her uncompromising faith to believe that Naruto will succeed... She's very bold, and very outspoken about her faith to the point that she's locking horns with her council at nearly every juncture. Determination in her convictions is a good thing, but it has caused her to argue with the other leaders of this recent alliance on one occasion in which they had to remind her that she did not have complete authority in the decision making. Ironically, it was her strategy that ended up saving the Alliance.
Tsunade has probably made the most headway in establishing permanent relations with other countries - especially Sunagakure, who is now a close ally of Konoha. Granted, the social and political atmosphere during her era is different compared to earlier Kages', but she's done a great job by building upon what her predecessors started and ensuring that some measure of peace can be upheld.
I didn't know whether to include Danzo or not. He was only filling-in for Tsunade so it's not like he was the "actual" Hokage.
For me, I do appreciate how Tsunade has managed to look past old animosities and extend a hand of friendship to Sunagakure. And even though her devotion to Naruto has yet to be proven wrong, I don't agree with putting all your eggs in one basket. I do have to acknowledge the time where she was confronted with this issue by her council, though. She admitted that responsibility would fall upon her to do what's necessary to protect the village if Naruto failed.
Both Hiruzen and Minato had certain ideals that I agree with. It's the consequences for the former's lack of action and the latter's untimely death that make them seem inadequate. Hashirama and Tobirama grew up in an era of constant bloodshed but they helped to revolutionise the Naruto universe. Their only faults, if you can call it that, is putting the safety of the village before a man who was endangering the lives of everyone who lived there.
It's a really tough decision. There are points that I agree with and disagree with for each Hokage. Tsunade might be the best Hokage since her policies have had the greatest impact in achieving peace. People will argue that she failed to protect Konoha when Pain attacked. To that, I ask how they expect any of the older Hokages could have averted that situation. With Hashirama as the sole exception, no one else would have had the power necessary to defeat Pain. Even if they did, how much of the village would be destroyed in the crossfire? How many civilians would there be left since there's no one to restore their injuries and protect them besides an overextended medical corp? Tsunade might not be the strongest of the 5 Hokage, but she's certainly the most effective at protecting her people.
I skimmed through the thread and actually stopped and read your reply first. I appreciate your thought out response and agree with a lot you have to say, especially regarding the different times the Kages lived in being a point to keep in mind.
I'm gonna have to disagree with you on the point of Tsunade making the most headway for bridging the nations and even with the impact that she has had on her village. Many of her accomplishments are due in part to Naruto's successes, and while her views on other countries are probably more liberal than the first three Kages, her establishing a relationship with Sunagakure would never have even been a thing had Naruto not established the bond with Gaara. Can you elaborate on her idea saving the alliance? It'd be great to get the chapter(s) in which she did this. There are too many to go back through.
Tsunade has been the hokage for quite some time in our minds because other than Sarutobi whom we met towards the end of his time as hokage, she has been the only hokage we've really known, and because of this we forget that she's still new to being a hokage. That being said, I feel she hasn't accomplished much on her own in establishing anything for her village, that wasn't already set in place by her predecessors.
If this is a popularity contest, my vote is Minato.
If this is who is the strongest, I'd say Hashirama.
If this is who was the most skilled, I believe, they said Sarutobi new the most techniques of the first three Kages, and I'd argue that Minato and Tsunade, while maybe stronger, did not top this feat. I'm not sure if this was just in the anime though.
Edited by chouzu_tao, 15 September 2014 - 03:55 AM.
