This post contains spoilers for Naruto.
Summary
By the end of theNarutomanga, Naruto Uzumaki had become the strongest ninja in the entire world. He was the hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War, in which he took down multiple opponents.
However, things were always like this for Naruto. At the beginning, he was considered a failure who couldn’t utilize the basic techniques. Most people believed that he would end up as a useless person who was a nuisance to the Hidden Leaf.But Naruto’s teachers had faith in him,and they helped him improve. One of the teachers who had a significant impact on Naruto’s life was Jiraiya.
Why Jiraiya Was A Horrible Teacher
Most Naruto fans love Jiraiya because of the way he took care of his pupil.Since meeting Naruto, Jiraiya triedhis best to be there for him. While Jiraiya was an excellent person, he was in no way a good teacher. In fact, it could be argued that he was the worst teacher who took Naruto under his wing, and there’s a lot of evidence that backs up the claim.
Following Sasuke’s departure from the Hidden Leaf, Naruto went on a journey with Jiraiya for more than two years. Considering Naruto traveled with a member of the Legendary Sannin, fans were expecting him to learn techniques. However, that wasn’t the case. In the time that Naruto was away, Jiraiya only taught him to make the Rasengan bigger.
This could be considered a form of improvement if the training only lasted for a few weeks. The fact that Naruto cameback to the Hidden Leaf after two and a half yearswhile having just learned one skill was a major disappointment.
Tsunade And Orochimaru Managed Their Students Better
In comparison, Orochimaru increased Sasuke’s strength significantly. Orochimaru tutored him on how to use a sword, and by the beginning of Part 2, the Uchiha had become a master swordsman. Sasuke also learned to use the Curse Seal, which gave him an additional edge in fights. Furthermore, Sasuke developed powerful techniques like Kirin, Chidori Nagashi, etc.
Some may argue that teaching Sasuke is easier, but the point is that Orochimaru still guided him. Even Sakura learned more with Tsunade than Naruto did under Jiraiya. Sakura understood how to control her chakra better, and she also became a splendid medical ninja. Sakura’s physical strength also improved significantly.
Naruto Learned Most Things On His Own
All of Naruto’s power-ups in Part 2 came from other sources. For starters, Naruto came up with theRasenshuriken while training with Kakashiand Yamato. The most intriguing thing is that Jiraiya didn’t even teach Naruto about the Sage Mode. Two years was more than enough time for Naruto to learn the Sage Mode, so it makes no sense why Jiraiya didn’t do it. Ultimately, Naruto had to ask Fukasaku to help him. It is worth mentioning that Jiraiya did try to teach Naruto how to control the Nine-Tails, but he wasn’t successful. Naruto eventually learned it with the help of Killer B.
Fans might argue that Jiraiya trained Nagato, Minato, and Konan, all three of whom went on to become excellent ninjas. It is worth mentioning that Jiraiya only taught Nagato and Konan the basics, after which he left them. Minato was a genius who shattered all kinds of records at the Hidden Leaf Academy.
Jiraiya Taught Naruto The Most Important Quality Of A Ninja
While Jiraiya failed tomake Naruto physically stronger, he did help the hero become mentally strong. Jiraiya taught Naruto what it meant to be a ninja, which heavily influenced the latter’s way of thinking. Jiraiya also helped Naruto get over his loneliness.
For everyone knows, a student inherits his ninja way from his teacher. Isn’t that so, Naruto? Never give up… That was the true choice I was supposed to make. —Jiraiya
The latter received parental love from him, and that’s why he was heartbroken when Jiraiya died. Jiraiya’s legacy lives on through his student, and to this day, Naruto is thankful that he met him.
