Tobirama Senju is the 2nd Hokage, the younger brother of Hashirama Senju- the 1st Hokage. He was well versed in all kinds of mainstream Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. He created many high-class Jutsu including Shadow Clone Jutsu and Flying Raijin Jutsu. But how did Tobirama die? Was he killed in action (KIA)? That is what we are talking about today in detail.
Tobirama died fighting 20+ S rank Hidden Cloud Jonin ninja in the 1st Great Ninja War. Kinkaku & Ginkaku were also part of that 20 man team. S rank Ninjas are on the same level as a normal Akatsuki member. So, in other words, Tobirama was fighting 20+ Akatsuki level Jonins head-on on the battlefield. This allowed the rest of his team to escape. And eventually, he died in that battle.
This was a necessary sacrifice in order to let the rest of their team survive.
Table of Contents
How Did Tobirama Die?
Tobirama was considered the fastest ninja in his lifetime. He even managed to kill Izuna Uchiha, Madara’s brother. He created many high-level Jutsu which includes some of the forbidden Jutsu as well. When it was on the battlefield, he was as fierce as you can imagine.
Tobirama vs 20 S rank Jonin
In the 211th episode of Naruto Shippuden, we get to see how Tobirama sacrificed himself to lure out the 20 S rank Hidden Cloud Ninjas. So that the other 6 members of his team could escape. If they were to face those 20 S rank ninja head-on, it would certainly mean death to the whole team. It was 7 against 20. 3 vs 1 for each of them.
Tobirama himself could have handled 3 S rank ninjas even though each of them is equal to an Akatsuki member. But the rest of his team wouldn’t be able to. So ultimately they would have been wiped out completely sooner or later.
That is why they planned one of them would lure and distract the enemies. And the rest would escape them. In the last part of the fight between Danzo vs Sasuke, we saw a flashback where Tobirama made Hiruzen the 3rd Hokage in his absence. In that episode, Tobirama made it very clear that he was going to lure all of the enemies and sacrifice himself.
Fighting those 20 Hidden Cloud Jonins, Tobirama died in the 1st Great Ninja War.
Tobirama vs Izuna
Tobirama was the younger brother of Hashirama, and Izuna was the younger brother of Madara. When the Senju clan was fighting the Uchiha Clan for years, both Tobirama and Izuna were fighting each other. And in one of those battles, Tobirama outclassed Izuna in a 1 vs 1 fight.
Izuna used his Sharingan to throw Tobirama off guard and used fire-style Jutsu. Tobirama countered that with water-style Jutsu obviously. As a result, the fire and water vaporized. And in that smoke screen, Tobirama threw a bunch of Kunai. Izuna easily dodged those Kunai knives. However, one of the Kunai had his Flying Raijin Marker on it.
Tobirama quickly teleported to that Kunai and sliced Izuna giving a mortal wound. Madara came to rescue his younger brother and escaped with him.
Who Killed Tobirama?
Tobirama was killed by an elite squad of 20 S rank Hidden Cloud ninja. It was in the 1st Great Ninja war. Kinkaku and Ginkaku was the head of the unit. And they were high-level shinobi. Tobirama drew their attention and distracted them. And later on, he was killed in that suicide mission.
How Old Was Tobirama When He Died?
Tobirama was 50-60 when he died. He became Hokage at somewhere between 30-40 and he kept governing the village for 15-16 years. So, judging from that, we can say, Tobirama died when he was 50-60.
What Episode Does Tobirama Die?
They didn’t show Tobirama’s death actually. However, in the 211th episode, they showed a glimpse of how Tobirama died. So, if you want to see that, go to the 211th episode. It is during Sasuke vs Danzo battle.
Who Died First Hashirama or Tobirama?
Hashirama Senju or also known as the 1st hokage died first. Hashirama died a natural death. Before his death, he made Tobirama the 2nd Hokage. Unlike the 1st Hokage, Tobirama died on the battlefield. And before his death, he made Hiruzen the Third Hokage.
Conclusion
Tobirama created many of the mainstream Jutsu, including Shadow clone, Flying Raijin Jutsu. He even invented the forbidden Reanimation Jutsu. So, how did Tobirama die if he was that kind of genius? Naruto fans often ask this question.
What they don’t understand is although, Tobirama was an extremely skilled and high profile shinobi, fighting against 20+ Skilled S class ninja was too much for him. Consider each of those 20+ Hidden Cloud ninjas as an Akatsuki member. He distracted them so that the other 6 team members could escape.