A (Fourth Raikage)

is the of Kumogakure.

Background


A is the son of the Third Raikage. At some point in the past, a group of children were gathered in order to determine who would be A's tag-partner in keeping with a long-standing Kumogakure tradition of the Raikage having a tag-team partner. Only one of the children were able to successfully match A's power and use the Double Lariat on a training dummy.

As a result, the child was given the name "B", and A stated that they would be brothers from that day on. He and B would eventually be teamed together on a mission with Killer B's cousin, the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. While on the mission, he told A that Killer B would need something to fill the void that would be created if he was chosen as the beast's next jinchūriki.

Some time later B's cousin lost control of the beast and it went on a rampage. A was made part of a special team tasked with subduing the rampaging Eight-Tails. When the beast impaled Motoi's father with its horn, A cut it off. After B became the beast's jinchūriki, A, remembering what B's cousin had said to him, tries his best to fill that apparent void.

Sometime during a conflict involving Konoha and Kumo, A would clash with Minato Namikaze for the first time. Before Minato retreated he recognised Killer B as the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails and told A that next time they met it would be to put the title of "Kage" on the line and also offered A the advice of making sure his brother knew who he was before becoming neither human nor jinchūriki. They would clash many more times after that. A was once even told by Jiraiya that he believed Minato was the "Child of Prophecy". When A's father died he inherited the title of Raikage. Afterwards, he forbade B's continued training in the Lariat and ordered him to complete his training in the Tailed Beast Ball at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning and restricted him to the confines of the village. At some point, he forbade B from fully transforming into his tailed beast due to its extreme power.

Appearance
He is a tall dark-skinned man with a large muscular build, with his white hair (blond in the anime) combed back, a small moustache and beard. He has pointed canines and his top lip also has a darker hue than the bottom one and he has a mole over his right eyebrow; traits he inherited from his father. During his fight with Sasuke Uchiha, he amputated his left forearm after it was burned by the flames of Amaterasu.

Unlike other Kage, A seems to wear his Kage cloak and hat on a regular basis without a shirt underneath, further displaying his hulking physique. He has black Fūma Shuriken tattoos on both shoulders. Up until his fight with Sasuke, he had gold bangle bracelets on each wrist which have protrusions that can jut out when he attacks. Though he still wore the bracelet on his right arm after amputating the left arm at the Summit and even when he convened the second meeting of the Kage, since the Fourth Shinobi World War started however, he has stopped wearing it altogether. He also wears a gold belt around his waist with a boar's face engraved in the centre. All of these aspects combined give him the appearance of a professional wrestler.

Personality
A is very caring and protective towards his younger brother, despite Killer B's status as a jinchūriki, and wept at the idea of his younger brother being captured by Akatsuki. However, when Killer B's ploy to use the affair to have a vacation was discovered, A was furious, and swore to punish his little brother for it. He claims, that as the Raikage, he has made peace with the idea of having to kill his brother if the situation ever called for it. He also cared deeply for, and respected his father as seen when he was brought to tears at his father's funeral and, upon assuming the mantle of Raikage, swore to protect the village as he had.

He is also headstrong and somewhat easily aggravated, smashing a desk apart when news of his brother being captured arrived. He also seemingly has very little patience as seen when he burst through the window of his office to attend the Kage Summit, smashed the table at the Summit when the conversation was deviating and smashing through a wall to go after Sasuke. His assistant implied that he has is prone to such actions whenever her was in that mental state.

A also has a very stern and decisive personality, as seen when he was seemingly unaffected by Naruto's pleas for Sasuke's life. In his eyes, respect and strength mean everything in the ninja world, and the weak should and will be crushed. This correlates with his philosophy that a ninja should never compromise or bow down in front of another ninja. A has also been shown to be very suspicious of the other ninja villages, accusing all of them of working with Akatsuki and questioning their loyalties. In battle, A is shown to be physically brutal, as he uses extreme physical force to devastate his opponents, and is willing to sacrifice a limb, rather than lose a chance to defeat his opponent.

When he learned his brother was alive, his attitude had mostly calmed down since his first appearance. He spoke with civility with the other members of the Alliance, and kept his cool during Tsunade's outburst. However, after learning that Akatsuki resurrected his father, A became enraged again. Like his brother, the Raikage is a compassionate person as well, as he reassured Darui about his left arm that he lost and told him not to blame himself.

A also holds strongly to the belief that the jinchūriki is not an individual but instead is a tool of the village they live in and its Kage and as such, has no right to make decisions for themselves.

Abilities
As the Raikage of Kumogakure and Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces, A is undoubtedly an extremely powerful shinobi, as he was seemingly chosen as the Raikage at a young age. His younger brother Killer B also mentioned in his fight with Sasuke that, before him, only A was able to deflect the Eight-Tails. Karin notes that his chakra level is comparable to that of a tailed beast. A's signature fighting style is to combine his taijutsu and ninjutsu to form the powerful nintaijutsu, which was able to break through Sasuke's Amaterasu coated Susanoo bones.

Taijutsu
A uses a 'power' type fighting style. He possesses great physical strength, as he first appeared lifting a large amount of weight with just one hand, and broke his desk with a single punch. His strength is further displayed at the Five Kage summit when he punched through a wall, the floor, and even snapped Suigetsu's sword in two (although the sword already had a partial crack in it from Suigetsu's duel with Killer B). A was also able to punch a hole in Jūgo's arm and chest with ease, despite the latter being armoured with his Level 2 Cursed Seal form. He was also able to cut through one of the four horns of Eight-Tails when it was being subdued thirty years prior with his physical strength and Lightning Release Armour. His skill with taijutsu is very high, as he could counter Naruto Uzumaki's speed in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode for a considerable amount of time, as well as countering B's Lariats, forcing him to use his Tailed Beast Chakra Arms in an attempt to stall him. Even then, A was able to turn that into his advantage, swinging B right into Naruto as he tried to escape. However, he commented that he needed Tsunade's help.

Despite his large physique, the Raikage is noted for being very fast, grabbing Zetsu by the throat before he had a chance to react. A has also claimed that since the Fourth Hokage passed away, there is no shinobi that is faster than he is. Tsunade was very surprised that Naruto was able to keep up with A's speed in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Befitting his appearance, the Raikage seems to prefer taijutsu combat, in which he has shown tremendous prowess. In addition to powerful punches, he is able to use equally impressive throws and take-downs. He prefers using wrestling techniques to more traditional forms of taijutsu. Naruto Uzumaki commented that, while blocking his punch in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, that his punch was immensely powerful and noted that if he wasn't in this mode, he would have lost the match instantly. He has shown immense durability, being able to take two Lariats to the chest from B without getting damaged. And the final Lariat just seemed to knock the wind out of him after he was overpowered. A has shown to have an immense tolerance for pain, as he was able to withstand having his arm set on fire by Amaterasu and cutting it off without flinching.

Nature Transformation
On top of his physical capabilities, A is also skilled in lightning-based jutsu, releasing a continuous surge of electricity from his body, forming the Lightning Release Armour. This electricity complements A's natural physical strength and speed to the point where he claims not even the Sharingan should be able to keep up with his movements. This is due to electricity stimulating his nervous system and speeding up his neural synapses, amplifying his reflexes. Because of this, he is considered a master of nintaijutsu. While using this ability, he is able to dodge Jūgo's multiple chakra blasts and Amaterasu, both at point-blank range. His speed in this state is greatly increased, to the point that it was mentioned by C that the Raikage's nervous system and reaction speed are comparable to that of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

The electricity can also work as a powerful defence. By momentarily increasing the electrical surge, A was able to deflect a strike from Sasuke's Sword of Kusanagi: Chidori Katana from behind and receive only a minor wound on his chest from a direct Chidori strike. While combining his lightning power with the full force of his chakra, just its sheer energy is strong enough to demolish all matter around him.

He has also shown the ability to focus lightning chakra into a point sharp enough to neatly cut through human limbs.

Invasion of Pain Arc
A receives news of Killer B's capture by Akatsuki. Enraged that his own brother has been lost so soon after Yugito Nii, A called for a meeting of the five Kage to discuss Akatsuki. Because B's captor was Sasuke Uchiha, a former Konoha ninja, A has Team Samui take a letter to the Hokage to inform Konoha that he will personally deal with Sasuke.

Five Kage Summit Arc
A departed for the Kage summit with two bodyguards: Darui and C. On their way to the Land of Iron they reunited with Team Samui, who provided them with information on Sasuke acquired in Konoha. C quickly discovered that Team Samui had been followed by Naruto Uzumaki. A kept his men from attacking Naruto and agreed to listen to what he had to say. Naruto pleaded for the Raikage to spare Sasuke, but his request was flatly refused and the Raikage berated him for sticking up for a criminal.

When the Kage Summit began, A quickly showed his disapproval of the other villages by smashing the table in front of him, prompting all of the bodyguards to come to their Kage's aid. After they returned to their position, A voices his suspicions of the other Kage: that Sunagakure used Akatsuki in order to destroy Konoha; that the Third Tsuchikage employed Akatsuki in the past; that the Fifth Mizukage and the rest of her village is the least trustworthy due to suspected ties with Akatsuki. He pointed out that only Kumogakure has never had an Akatsuki representative, nor has it ever employed Akatsuki for a battle. He insinuated that the current Hokage, Danzō Shimura, used Akatsuki to dispose of the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage.

When the idea of a Shinobi Alliance is raised, Danzō was nominated to lead it. A was outraged, but before he could raise much of an objection Zetsu appeared and revealed that Sasuke was nearby. A immediately apprehends Zetsu and demands information on Sasuke's location. Zetsu takes too long to respond so A breaks his neck. He then leaves with C and Darui and they track Sasuke down. A is quick to try and attack Sasuke but he is instead drawn into battle with Sasuke's team. He first snaps Suigetsu's damaged sword and then engages a transformed Jūgo, A overpowering him after a brief fight. With his team out of the way, A is able to attack Sasuke uninhibited.

Sasuke has difficulty breaking through A's Lightning Release Armour, with his Chidori only managing to cause a minor wound to A. A goes on the offensive with his Liger Bomb, but he too has difficulty damaging Sasuke due to the latter's Susanoo. Sasuke tries to hit him with Amaterasu, but A is too fast. Sasuke then coated his Susanoo with Amaterasu's flames to deter additional physical attacks. In his growing rage, A ignored this and attacked through the flames to smash through the defence and hit Sasuke. Although his arm is caught ablaze he continues the assault, only to be stopped by the Fifth Kazekage. The Kazekage asks for a chance to speak with Sasuke. Although irritated, A uses this as an opportunity to deal with his arm; he cuts it off to prevent Amaterasu from spreading to the rest of his body and then has C stop his bleeding.

While A is being healed, Sasuke causes a cave-in to cover his escape. A smashes the falling debris and joins the Kazekage in pursuing him back to the Summit hall. When they arrive they are met by Madara Uchiha, who sends Sasuke to safety before telling them about his Eye of the Moon Plan, in the process revealing that B eluded capture. Madara then requests that B be handed over to him. A and the other Kage refuse, prompting Madara to declare the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War. A Shinobi Alliance is suggested again, this time with A as the proposed leader. The Kage agree to this before returning to their respective villages to prepare for war.

Before going back to Kumo, A and his men track down B. They find him in the middle of a fight with Kisame Hoshigaki. A and B team up to decapitate "Kisame" with a Double Lariat. A angrily scolds B for pretending to be captured on their way back to the village. They are informed that the daimyō have agreed to the Shinobi Alliance's formation when they return. A then convenes a war council to assess the village's military-readiness.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
Three days later, the other Alliance heads meet with A in Kumogakure to discuss the Alliance's organisation. As their first matter of business they discuss what to do with the jinchūriki. Tsunade, the recently-reinstated Hokage, believes B and Naruto Uzumaki should be allowed to fight on the front lines, whereas A and the other leaders believe they should be sent into hiding. Tsunade reluctantly agrees. A selects the Island Turtle as the hiding place and assures them of its security. When Akatsuki later discovers this location, A refuses to have B and Naruto moved. He instead sends the Tsuchikage as extra protection and has him bring the island back to Kumo.

Shinobi World War Arc
A remains at headquarters with Tsunade and the Tsuchikage while the Alliance's armies mobilise. Shikaku Nara provides a great deal of input on how to organise the army and engage Akatsuki's White Zetsu Army, forcing A to acknowledge the caliber of Konoha's ninja. Despite being the leader of the Alliance, A is uncomfortable not being on the front lines; when news reaches headquarters of his father's revival, A wishes to go and confront him, but opts to send the Tsuchikage instead after learning that Mū was also amongst the resurrected.

He has a similar response when the First Division engages the Gold and Silver Brothers. Although he must remain at headquarters, A makes preparations to deal with the brothers should they begin using their Nine-Tails chakra: he has Mabui prepare to send the Kohaku no Jōhei to Darui and calls in reinforcements from other divisions to help out the First Division. His plans pay off and the brothers are sealed.

Upon learning that B and Naruto have escaped from confinement, A and Tsunade decide to personally stop both of them. A leaves Shikaku in charge while they are gone. Upon intercepting them, A tries to impress upon them the importance of keeping them out of Akatsuki's grasp. Naruto tries to flee using his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but A is able to keep up with him and block his escape. Feeling that he won't be able to sway Naruto, A tries to kill him to prevent his capture. B blocks his attack and informs his brother that he must be willing to kill both of them. A claims to have no problem with this but B, unbelieving, bumps fists with him to remind him of all they've been through together. When A still won't listen to words, B attacks and defeats him with a Lariat, proving his strength.

Trivia

 * His name is the Japanese pronunciation of the English letter "A". This is similar to the names of Killer B, C, and J, that are the pronunciations of the letters "B," "C," and "J," respectively.
 * A was left-handed before his self-amputation.
 * A often makes reference to punishing Killer B with his "Iron Claw", this is not an actual technique however but merely A spanning his hand across B's face.

Quotes

 * (To Naruto) "Shinobi ought not lower their heads so easily, action and power are what shinobi respect!"
 * (To Darui) "I have no regrets about my left arm, because I still have both of my right arms. This one, and you."