Gamabunta

, sometimes simply referred to as, is the chief toad of Mount Myōboku.

Background
At some point in time when Gamabunta was younger, Jiraiya, in the hopes of finding the animal he was affiliated to naturally reverse summoned himself to Mount Myōboku where he tossed away a snake that Gamabunta was squaring off against. Later, after the young man began training with the toads, Gamabunta was the one to tell him that the Great Toad Sage was looking for him in order to bestow a prophecy upon him.

Gamabunta was later summoned by Jiraiya, alongside Manda and Katsuyu during the Second Shinobi World War.

During Tobi's invasion of Konohagakure in his bid to acquire the Nine-Tails, Minato summoned Gamabunta using the Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique right on top of the fox who was preparing a Tailed Beast Ball. Minato then asked Gamabunta to hold the Nine-Tails down while he transported it outside of the village using his Flying Thunder God Technique. Though Gamabunta complained that not even he could hold the fox down for very long, he was successful in doing so until Minato teleported it away.

Personality
Gamabunta is a grumpy and highly apathetic toad. He does not like to take orders from anyone, unless the summoner is highly talented and earns his respect. Jiraiya, Minato, and Naruto are three of the few people that he has allowed to ride on top of his head without question. While he is quite confident of his abilities as a fighter, he is well aware of his limitations and perceptive of the power of his enemies, shown in his apprehension when confronting Shukaku head-on.

He speaks in Hiroshima dialect and uses some Japanese words that only a yakuza gangster would use, but he is portrayed as an ultimately powerful and positive force. He is fiercely protective of his kind, where in one instant only decided to fight Shukaku after hearing the opponent attacked his children despite believing it to be suicidal only moments before. He hates to be underestimated by anyone, both of which take precedence over his normal apathy. Often, it is one or a combination of these two factors that entices him to fight.

Overall, despite his grumpy exterior, he shows sympathy to Naruto as if he were a son. He even explained to Jiraiya that he was aware of Naruto's talents and potential. He and Jiraiya seemed to be good friends and, as implied in the series, drinking buddies, despite Jiraiya's admitted lack of control over Gamabunta. However, he would scold him on occasion.

Appearance
Gamabunta is coloured a dull, rusty red, but around his eyes and on his lips and chest are brighter red markings. Over his left eye, he received a scar at some point in the past. His tongue, has a series of stud-like piercings on both the upper and lower side. He often wears a large blue happi vest that has the kanji on the back, and always carries a massive dosu blade at his hip. He also carries a large kiseru pipe which he often smokes.

His size is depicted inconsistently throughout the series. In Part I he towers above forests and was also comparable in size to Shukaku. yet in Part II he varies between his Part I size and being no bigger than a building.

Abilities
In all his battles Gamabunta has proven to be a powerful fighter, regardless of whether or not his summoner is by his side. Gamabunta also exhibits a wise and knowledgeable demeanour, as seen during the fight against Shukaku, where he demonstrated his extensive experience by ordering Naruto to forcibly awaken Gaara.

Ninjutsu
Gamabunta can spew oil from his mouth for use in a synchronised cooperation ninjutsu, called the Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet technique, in cooperation with his summoner. While his summoner prepares a fire technique (or another source of ignition), Gamabunta will prepare a mouthful of oil to fire out of his mouth at high pressure. When Gamabunta is ready, he will shoot the oil out at the target while his summoner, (Jiraiya or Naruto), ignites the oil. The oil, acting as an accelerant, fuels the fire, creating a conflagration of far greater magnitude and force than the original fire ninjutsu had used.

Nature Transformation
Gamabunta is a Water Release user, able to use water-based techniques such as firing blasts of water from his mouth with such power, overall making him a formidable force against Fire Release users.

Physical Prowess
Despite his great size, he possesses surprising agility, as shown when he leapt out of the crevice that Naruto had first summoned him to, reaching a considerable height above the ground before crashing back again into the forest. Gamabunta showed great skill at fighting in mid-air using a number of successive kicks. Gamabunta's arsenal includes a large tantō, which he can wield to inflict colossal damage with due to his immense size and strength. Gamabunta was able to use his huge mass to temporarily pin the Nine-Tails. His durability is very high, able to take a direct Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet from the Shukaku and immediately retaliate.

Kenjutsu
Gamabunta is very skilled when it came to kenjutsu, as shown when he used Toad Sword Beheading to slice off Shukaku's arm.

Chūnin Exams
When Naruto first summoned him while falling to his potential death, Gamabunta didn't believe that a little kid like Naruto could have summoned him. Naruto, angry at the comment, claimed that, as Gamabunta's summoner, he was the toad's master. This made Gamabunta lose his patience with Naruto, and he threatened to kill him. This scared Naruto into submission, but he vowed to become the toad's master. It was not until Gamabunta saw the summoning contract scroll that he believed that Naruto had actually summoned him, although he was not overly surprised by the fact, indicating that he had known that Naruto was indeed the one who had summoned him all along, and that, otherwise, the boy wouldn't have persisted to gain his respect. After Naruto passed out from riding on Gamabunta while trying to make the toad his, the toad boss took Naruto to the hospital, leaving his footprint as a signature.

Konoha Crush
During the attack on Konoha, Naruto summoned Gamabunta to save himself from being crushed by Gaara's Sand Waterfall Funeral. Gaara was in his full Shukaku form, although Gaara's personality was still dominant at the time. Gamabunta being his usual grumpy self, refused to fight. Naruto demanded that he show him the respect he was due as his follower. This only further annoyed him, prompting him to claim that he couldn't take him seriously — remarking that Naruto was "too young to share sake with him". Then Gamakichi, who had been accidentally summoned by Naruto earlier, told his father that Gaara had tried to kill him and that Naruto had saved him. Gamabunta, impressed with Naruto, officially accepted him as his subordinate, declaring "I'll show you plenty of honour-bound duty!" as he drew his tantō.

At first, Gamabunta was able to hold his own, but this quickly changed when Gaara forced sleep upon himself, allowing Shukaku to take over. Due to Gaara not being asleep for very long, Shukaku hadn't reached full power. Despite this, Shukaku proved to be too much for Gamabunta to handle. However, Naruto and Gamabunta used a Combination Transformation to take on the form of a giant fox (in the anime it was in the form of the Nine-Tails), allowing Gamabunta to get Naruto close enough to Gaara to wake him up by punching him. Gamabunta was once again impressed with Naruto, and even lamented that he would not be able to see the end of this battle because he had reached his limit and had to return home.

Search for Tsunade
During the battle between Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, Gamabunta was summoned, along with Katsuyu, to counter Manda. Finally having a chance to face each other as enemies, Gamabunta exchanged death threats with Manda before attacking the snake with his tantō when Katsuyu is in the serpent's coils. Once Katsuyu gets out of Manda's coils, Gamabunta uses Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet along with Jiraiya to incinerate Manda before learning that serpent shed his skin during the attack and ambushes them from underground. Gamabunta held Manda's tail while Tsunade, using Gamabunta's tantō, impaled Manda through his mouth, effectively ending the battle.

Kaima Capture Mission
In the Land of the Sea, Naruto summoned Gamabunta to battle against Umibōzu but failed to realise that toads are freshwater animals. Though unhappy of being in seawater as it gave him a rash, Gamabunta only accepts to aid Naruto on the grounds that he being was underestimated by his opponent. But once he and Naruto defeated the otherwise indestructible water creature via evaporating it, Gamabunta tossed the boy into the air as punishment for summoning him in seawater. However, he noted that he was still happy that Naruto took so much care of his children.

Pain's Assault
Gamabunta made his Part II debut when Naruto was informed of Jiraiya's death. He told his son Gamakichi to be quiet and allow Fukasaku to tell him what had happened to Jiraiya.

Gamabunta, along with Gamakichi, Gamaken, Gamahiro, Fukasaku and Naruto were later summoned to Konoha by Shima to assist in the fight against Pain. They combated the various animals summoned by the Animal Path where Gamabunta silenced the large dog summon after he landed on top of it. After Naruto used his Wind Release: Rasenshuriken technique he began to run low on Sage chakra but still wanted to take out one more Pain before he ran out. Seeing as the three toads were being pinned down by the many summons, Gamabunta swallowed Naruto and the Animal Path, so that Naruto could kill it without the disturbance from the other Pains, while Gamabunta kept off the remaining Pains.

After he spat out Naruto and the Animal Path, the summons disappeared, but Naruto was also out of Sage chakra. Seeing this, the Deva Path saw his chance to attack and even avoided Gamabunta's attack with his tantō, landing right in front of Naruto. As Naruto fought the Deva Path, Gamabunta called for Naruto to get out of the way as Gamabunta himself would attack, only for Naruto to tell him the same as he would go into Sage Mode again and did not want him to be caught by his Rasenshuriken. Although Gamabunta still attacked, the Deva Path avoided the attack once again.

After Naruto killed the Naraka Path the Deva Path finally recovered it's gravitational manipulating abilities and pushed the attacking Naruto away. Gamabunta and the other toads proceeded to attack Pain with their weapons, but he easily avoided them. The three toads then tried to attack Pain again, but he appeared in the middle of the three and used his Shinra Tensei to send them flying out of Konoha's borders.

As he lay sprawled on the forest, he stated that it felt like all of his bones were broken. Gamabunta was later seen seemingly unconscious on the road back to Konoha by Neji with his Byakugan, who referred to Gamabunta as one of Jiraiya's toads. He told Team Guy that Pain had attacked Konoha when they approached him.

He was later seen back on Mount Myōboku. There he had been wrapped up in bandages on his entire upper body and arms and sat together with the Great Toad Sage who used the Telescope Technique to watch the outcome of the battle with Pain and the discussion between Naruto and the real Pain, Nagato who then uses the rest of his powers, in turn sacrificing himself, to revive the people he killed during the invasion. When the Great Toad Sage said that it was over, Gamabunta asks what was going on and the Great Toad Sage tells him what had happened was foretold, though the prophecy child had been both of Jiraiya's students, and saying that maybe it was all meant to be once Jiraiya decided not to give up and that the first book he wrote really was the key to changing the world.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
During the battle against the Ten-Tails, Naruto summons a toad, and is surprised to see that instead of summoning Gamabunta, he summoned Gamakichi, who explains that his father is busy, so he came instead.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds
Gamabunta made a small but comedic appearance at the end of the movie. While Gamabunta was sleeping, Jiraiya summoned him to cushion the fall of Naruto and Amaru that would have otherwise killed them.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Will of Fire
Gamabunta appeared in a non-speaking role as Jiraiya's mount when he shielded the Sunagakure ninja envoy led by Gaara from an avalanche, halting potential conflict between them and Konohagakure.

Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison
When the Box of Ultimate Bliss was opened and released Satori, Naruto felt the only way to fight the monster with "a monster". Gamabunta quickly took exception to that remark. Despite momentarily arguing with Naruto, Gamabunta quickly turned his attention to the Box of Ultimate Bliss, horrified that someone was foolish enough to open it. Gamabunta explained that it has existed since the era of the Sage of the Six Paths. He also explains that the stories of its wish-granting powers were only fabricated by people too desperate to put the effort into their dreams. Gamabunta aids Naruto in combating Satori, but all their attacks easily dodged by the monster, who is able to sense their anger-filled attacks. After Naruto's Sage Mode-limit ran up, Gamabunta shielded the defenceless Naruto from Satori's chakra blast, leaving the Toad Boss greatly injured and forced to retreat.

Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
In the alternate reality, Gamabunta and his gang of toads were tasked with protecting the Red Moon Scroll for Jiraiya after he died. Gamabunta smokes a cigarette instead of a pipe, and seems to have a grudge against Naruto, attacking him and the other Konohagakure shinobi who come to recover the scroll. He and his toads vanish when Minato breaks the seal.

Video Games
Gamabunta is playable in Jiraiya's awakening mode in the Ultimate Ninja series.

Trivia

 * Gamabunta's name comes from the famous Japanese actor Bunta Sugawara, who is best-known for his roles in Yakuza films. He became especially famous through his role as a Yakuza member in the series of films, directed by Kinji Fukasaku of Tora! Tora! Tora! fame, who gave his name to Fukasaku.
 * Gamabunta was first seen in the premier of the series, where he and Minato faced off against the Nine-Tails. He is not given a speaking role until he was first summoned by Naruto.
 * The kanji on the back of Gamabunta's coat,, literally means "shrimp". However, when it's used together with another kanji 蟇, it becomes , which means "toad".
 * Gamabunta's being a toad summon that helps human warriors was probably influenced by the stories and pictures during the Edo period.
 * Gamabunta has a prominent scar over his left eye. In the manga, this scar was not present in flashbacks to Jiraiya's training with the toads. However, the scar does appear in the anime adaptation.
 * Gamabunta makes an appearance at the end of Naruto: Shippūden episode 9 omake by squashing Naruto and Sakura when Naruto summoned him.