Hiashi Hyūga

is a shinobi from Konohagakure, as well as the current head of the Hyūga clan.

Background
Hiashi was born only seconds before his twin brother Hizashi, making Hiashi the head of the Hyūga clan and Hizashi a member of the branch house, whose only purpose in life would be to protect members of the main house. Years later, when Neji was born, Hizashi became bitter that his son would never be able to reach his full potential like a member of the main house, causing him to be openly resentful of Hiashi and his daughter. Hiashi was also responsible for branding the family's curse seal on Neji's forehead, further straining the relationship between the two brothers. One day during Hinata's training, overwhelmed with resentment and anger, Hizashi gave Hinata a murderous glare, Hiashi sensed the killing intent and activated the curse seal on his younger brother, causing him intense pain. He told Hizashi to leave as he would no longer tolerate incidents like this, telling him to never forget his duties.

During a visit to Konoha by a Head Ninja of Kumogakure, who had come to the village to sign a peace treaty, a young Hinata was kidnapped. Hiashi however saved her, quickly killing her would-be kidnapper, only to discover that it was the Kumogakure ambassador. Kumogakure demanded Hiashi's head in return for the life he had taken, or risk resuming open warfare between the two villages. Konoha, wishing to avoid another conflict, was compelled to comply, but was not willing to fulfil Kumogakure's desire of getting to study the Byakugan. Their father suggested that Hizashi be used as a body double, since his cursed seal would seal off his Byakugan upon his death. Although Hiashi tried to find an alternative to this, Hizashi insisted, saying that he would finally get to choose his own fate (to make up for his wrongdoings against Hiashi), and save his brother's life. Before going to his death, he asked Hiashi to someday tell Neji about why he had made his decision.

Originally, Hiashi had trained Hinata to become the successor of the Hyūga clan. However, Hinata's lack of confidence ultimately led him to decide she was not worthy. He instead turned his attention to his younger daughter, Hanabi.

Personality
Hiashi's general personality is very stern and strict, as he assigned both his daughters arduous training, and rarely compliments their performance. Hiashi was willing to use the cursed seal to punish his brother and nephew for showing aggression towards the main house. This stern nature is especially true with Hinata; when she was assigned to Kurenai, he told her that he was unconcerned about the possibility that she would die, saying that the Hyūga clan had no use for a weak successor. However, he truly cares for them as part of the family as seen in his hesitation to allow his brother to die to protect the secrets of the Byakugan or when he asked Kakashi not to destroy the moon, as he thought Hinata and Hanabi were on it. Similarly, he did not view Hinata's talent or potential weak, but her drive to succeed as the successor of the Hyūga clan. In the anime, Hiashi believed she was worthy of being successor, repeatedly trying to motivate her, but ultimately was convinced by his father to focus on the well-being of the entire clan, reluctantly disinheriting Hinata of her status. In the anime, when Hinata began truly pushing herself to improve, Hiashi openly applauded her. Hiashi was also very proud to hear of how hard Hinata fought against Pain.

While a proud man who openly believes the Hyūga is the strongest clan of Konoha, Hiashi is also very honest, as he believed Hizashi should have been the clan's successor after seeing Neji's pure talent and potential far surpassing both his daughters'. Also having great humility, Hiashi began to have doubts of the clan's caste system after the noble sacrifice his brother made. Knowing of Neji's animosity towards the main house for its treatment towards the branch house, soon after Naruto Uzumaki made Neji question his choices in life, as the one who instilled Neji with such anger, Hiashi decided to make amends with his nephew by telling the full story of Hizashi's sacrifice, even going as far as to bow and apologise to his nephew. He also later decides to train Neji in the Hyūga clan's entire fighting style which was not the norm to pass down secret techniques to the branch house — this showed Hiashi to have become much more lenient and not as strictly devoted to traditions thus starting to unify the clan once more.

In later years, Hiashi is shown to become much more light-hearted and cheerful, doting over his grandchildren Boruto and Himawari. As noted by Kurenai Yūhi, this in fact had always been Hiashi's true nature, but was previously suppressed by the loss of his brother and disillusioned by it into believing strength is everything to survive. Boruto himself stated he had a hard time believing Hiashi was so strict when his mother and father were teenagers. Hiashi admitted that it was seeing Naruto change Neji's outlook in life that ultimately helped Hiashi regain his former self. Even more, he became close with Naruto as his son-in-law addresses him as "Father". When he and Naruto are alone, he even encourages Naruto to cut all formalities as he knows Naruto is not a naturally formal person. His overall outlook has grown to see violence as pointless and wishes to avoid it whenever possible, valuing life and the prosperity of his clan more than ever. He has also grown more humble as he believes his past actions would make him a hypocrite for lecturing Boruto for getting into unnecessary fights. At the same time, Hiashi has developed a sense of humour where he told Naruto that Boruto being his son is precisely why he's "worried" about Boruto, referencing Naruto's mischiefs when he was younger.

Appearance
Being an identical twin, Hiashi is a mirror image of his brother Hizashi with the exception of an unmarked forehead. He has long, black hair (sometimes depicted as brown in the anime), and featureless white eyes like all members of his clan. He normally wears very traditional, loose fitting robes with a long-sleeved, brown haori. As part of the Allied Shinobi Forces, he donned the standard uniform of the Konoha shinobi, along with a black forehead protector (bandanna-style in the anime) of the Alliance.

Years later, Hiashi began showing noticeable signs of ageing: his hair has started greying, especially around his temples. He is also somewhat thinner, and has visible wrinkles especially around the corners of his mouth, around the eyes, and a prominent crease across his forehead.

Abilities
As the leader of the Hyūga clan, Hiashi is undoubtedly a powerful shinobi. He is well-versed in all of his clan's secret techniques and fighting style. He is said to have more knowledge and understanding of his clan and their abilities than anyone. His prowess proved crucial during the Konoha Crush, where he took on and defeated several Sunagakure and Otogakure shinobi at the same time. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Hiashi could also help battle the Ten-Tails itself, being able to deflect some of its tails while fighting alongside his allies. As the head of the clan and a main branch member, he is proficient with the clan's special juinjutsu that is used to brand branch house members of the Hyūga clan. With it, Hiashi can at a moment's notice activate the cursed seal to subdue his target.

In his older age, his health has naturally diminished somewhat, as Hanabi was against Hiashi even engaging in a sparring match for fear of his back giving out. Despite this, he is still well-regarded as the strongest member of his clan, including Hanabi who is being groomed as his successor. Indeed, his prowess was still shown able to effortlessly subdue two shinobi at once.

Byakugan
As a member of the Hyūga clan, Hiashi possesses the Byakugan: a dōjutsu kekkei genkai which grants him an almost 360° field of vision (with the exception of a small blind spot at the upper thoracic vertebrae), x-ray vision and the ability to see the chakra pathway system. He was able to use the dōjutsu's extensive visual range to watch as a far off village was destroyed in an instant by the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball. In the anime, his prowess was also shown great enough to perceive the thoughts and feelings of those he looks at, as he quickly knew what Boruto was thinking.

Taijutsu
Hiashi is a true master of the Hyūga clan's secret taijutsu style; the Gentle Fist. Hiashi's prowess was first glimpsed at when he killed the Head Ninja of Kumogakure with a single strike to the chakra pathway system around his heart, leaving the fight himself unharmed. During Orochimaru's invasion, Hiashi demonstrated tremendous skill with the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven technique, able to expand its range great enough to swiftly repel several Oto and Suna ninja simultaneously. When using this technique alongside Neji's, they were able to combine the force of their Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven technique to deflect the Ten-Tails' tail without giving any ground. He can even use the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to hit targets out of its normal range. He can also use the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm with such force using his both hands, that he could buffet one of the Ten-Tails' tails away by himself.

Chūnin Exams
Hiashi made his first début in Kurenai's flashback, when she was watching Hinata's and Neji's match in the preliminary matches of the Chūnin Exams. Hiashi debuted for the first time (in person) with Hanabi, watching Neji's match during the final rounds. He was amazed that Neji had been able to learn the main house's secret techniques by himself, but was disappointed by Neji's resentment of the main house, and his strong belief in fate. After Neji lost to Naruto Uzumaki, and seemed to have found himself at a crossroads in his life from Naruto's words, Hiashi decided to tell him about the circumstances surrounding Hizashi's death. Although Neji did not initially believe him, Hiashi's bowing to him for forgiveness showed him that it was true. In the anime, he also gives Neji a letter written by Hizashi, explaining the circumstances surrounding his death.

Konoha Crush
When the invasion that was devised by the Otogakure and the once allied Sunagakure ninja began, Hiashi assisted the other Konoha shinobi in driving the renegade forces out of the village. Surrounded by shinobi, one of whom confidently commented that there was only one opponent and several of them. With his Byakugan activated, Hiashi used the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven to defeat them all in one fell swoop. He then told them that the Hyūga were the strongest in Konoha; a fact they would do well to remember.

In the anime, a pair of Kumogakure ninja tried to steal the Byakugan, kidnapping Hinata once again. After hearing about what happened from his father, he and Kō Hyūga set out to rescue Hinata. He arrives just as Neji is about to be struck fatally after trying to save Hinata. Hiashi blocks the attack using the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven. Upon realising who he was, the ninja attempts to flee, but Hiashi uses the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to stop him. When Neji questions him on why he'd leave the battlefield to come after them, Hiashi tells Neji that Hinata is his precious daughter, and his nephew, a precious memento of his late brother.

Search for Tsunade
Hiashi was seen at Tsunade's inauguration ceremony as the Fifth Hokage, alongside Neji and Hanabi.

Sasuke Recovery Mission
Towards the end of the arc, after the Sasuke Recovery Team returned to the village and Neji was resuscitated by the medics at the hospital, Hiashi began taking a more active role in Neji's training. They were seen at the Hyūga estate sparring until Hinata brought them tea and Hiashi declared that they should take a break. During this time, the three casually chatted until Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, and Shino Aburame arrived on the compound to get Hinata. In the anime, this was moved to the beginning of the Mizuki Tracking Mission.

Pain's Assault
Hiashi was noted to be away with Hanabi during Pain's attack on Konoha. He left Hinata's protection to Kō Hyūga during his absence. In the anime, while he and Hanabi were dealing with political matters between the Hyūga and allied clans such as the Taketori clan, they received word about the attack. Upon returning to the village, they were horrified at the level of destruction following the attack, and even more surprised to hear that no one died. What truly amazed Hiashi was that it was Naruto who saved everyone, after he was protected and inspired by Hinata who risked her life to help Naruto. Later, having been inspired by her sister's actions, Hanabi cheerfully asked her father to train her more, to which Hiashi proudly agreed.

Paradise Life on a Boat
In the anime, Hiashi holds a clan meeting to discuss the upcoming Fourth Shinobi World War. Despite some shock, Hiashi decides that Neji would be the best choice to lead the Hyūga Clan's forces. After the meeting Kō contests Hiashi's decision, reminding him of how much Hinata had grown and that she was from the main house. Hiashi, however, tells Kō that it wasn't because he lacked faith in Hinata but because she still lacked enough self-confidence to lead the shinobi during war.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation
When Hiashi returned to Konohagakure, he was assigned to the First Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces under Darui's command. While his division was taking up their post and Akatsuki's army was starting to advance, Hiashi used his Byakugan and saw not only the White Zetsu Army clones, but many revived shinobi mixed in with them as well, including, much to his shock, his brother, as well as Dan and Asuma amongst the reincarnated shinobi.

Hiashi confronted Hizashi who cursed that though the branch family was supposed to protect the main house, he stood before him as an enemy and lamented that this must be his fate for defying the main house while he was alive. Remembering his brother's last words to him before his death, Hiashi stated that there was no such fate and that Neji and Hinata were on the battlefield fighting alongside one another to prove that, not as branch house and main house members, but as two comrades protecting one another. With this, the two brothers began battling. As the battle at the coast concluded, Hiashi stood on Chōji's colossal fist as the latter restrained his brother in his fist.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
Hiashi along with the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces later relocated to the battlefield where the jinchūriki were. Announcing their arrival, Hiashi apologised to his fellow jōnin that they had kept them waiting so long, and commended Ino for diverting the Ten-Tails' attack. After the beast transformed and fired another Tailed Beast Ball, Hiashi saw it destroy a entire town and watched on as another one aimed at the Alliances' Headquarters. Later Hiashi and Neji repelled the Ten-Tails attack, and went on to tell Naruto that in war there was always the possibility that people might die, but they had to fight on to ensure that everyone didn't and that he, Neji and Hinata were going to protect him. As the beast attacked the alliance, Hiashi deflected the beast's tail and later watched on as Neji sacrificed himself to save Naruto and Hinata from a pinpoint attack. After his nephew succumbed to his injuries, he apologised to his brother for not being able to protect Neji and later, received some of the Nine-Tails' chakra from Naruto.

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki
Hiashi later watched on as the events unfolded on the battlefield. When the Ten-Tails' body disappeared from the battlefield, and an Akimichi beside him questioned whether or not the beast had been defeated, Hiashi told him that was not the case.

The Last: Naruto the Movie
Two years after the war in the depths of Autumn, Hiashi and his two bodyguards were confronted by Toneri Ōtsutsuki outside Konoha. After turning down his request, he is attacked and left defeated by Toneri's puppets. Heavily injured, Hiashi attempts to make his way back to Konoha, but collapses en route where he is rescued by Sasuke Uchiha. Later, Sasuke returns Hiashi to Konoha to be treated.

After the five Kage decided to destroy the moon, Hiashi pleads to Kakashi to reconsider as his daughters were on the moon. Hiashi later witnesses the Moon cut in half by Toneri's attack. With Toneri's defeat, Hiashi hears the worldwide announcement about the Moon crisis being averted alongside Kakashi's party.

Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding
Hiashi attended Hinata and Naruto's wedding with Hanabi.

Academy Entrance Arc
In the anime, as Boruto begins insisting that he has manifested the Byakugan, Naruto decides to bring him to Hiashi for answers. After doting on his grandchildren — much to Boruto's embarrassment and Himawari's delight — Naruto and Boruto explain the situation. Upon hearing this, Hiashi educates his grandson on the history of the Byakugan and then decides to test Boruto with a sparring match to see whether he has truly awakened the dōjutsu; Hanabi however decides she will do it instead as Hiashi would end up going all out on Boruto (and possibly throw out his back).

Boruto does his best, but ultimately the heiress easily defeated her nephew, leading everyone to conclude that Boruto had in indeed not manifested his Byakugan. Afterwards, it was decided that since it was quite late, Naruto and his kids would spend the night in the Hyūga house. After dinner, Hiashi shared tea with Naruto and began discussing his grandkids. Naruto noted that he was happy to see that Boruto's false declarations about the Byakugan were not a mere attempt for attention, believing that Boruto did indeed obtain something special. He also admitted his relief that after all of Boruto's easy accomplishments thanks to his raw talent, it would be good for him to finally learn what it is like to struggle. He also confided to Hiashi that Himawari has seemingly been unable to access her Byakugan since her first usage, which Hiashi insisted to keep him informed on. He also asks Naruto to bring her again if anything else happens to her; Naruto agrees.

Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day
While out shopping, Hiashi bought a large pile of presents to give to Boruto and Himawari. Although he realised he's bought too many gifts for them, he reasoned that he wouldn't want them to fight over the gifts by giving them too few. When he carried these presents home, he strained his back, forcing him to rest in bed. Hanabi sent news of his injury to Hinata, but Hiashi prevented her from being too detailed, as he was embarrassed by what happened. The message ended up being worded in such a away that Hinata believed Hiashi was near death, for which reason she left Boruto and Himawari at home. When Hinata came to visit him, Hiashi was disappointed to see she came alone.

While Hiashi silently got over his disappointment, Hinata and Hanabi quietly discussed him: Hiashi dotted on his grandchildren, a stark departure from the harsh disciplinarian that raised Hinata and Hanabi. Hanabi hypothesised that Hiashi's change of attitude and physical condition were because Hinata insisted on referring to him as "grandfather" whenever Himawari and Boruto were around, making Hiashi feel obligated to become an old man. Once Hiashi finally composed himself, he apologised to Hinata for the misunderstanding and asked about Naruto, the current Hokage. When she reported that he's so busy that he's rarely home, Hiashi appeared ready to comment on this, but changed his mind and instead asked about Himawari and Boruto. Hinata shared that Boruto, with the money he's made from missions, recently bought some bright pink pants for himself.

Hiashi was delighted to learn that Boruto seems to like the colour pink and asked Hanabi if any of the presents he's bought were pink. After checking with her Byakugan, Hanabi reported that all of the gifts were grey and brown. Hinata, fearful that her home will soon be filled with pinks objects, told Hiashi that Boruto's preference for pink probably only applies to pants. Hiashi became sad again. Since Hiashi meant well, Hinata told him that Boruto has recently started collecting Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls. Hiashi was unfamiliar with them, and Hinata didn't know much about them either, but Hanabi turned out to be quite knowledgeable; she showed him the binder she kept her extensive collection in.

Hiashi liked the idea of giving Boruto some packs of cards, but since each packs' contents are random, Hinata warned him that Boruto might be disappointed if he gets only cards he doesn't want; in truth, she feared these unwanted cards would litter her floors. Hiashi deemed this a fair point and decided to give Boruto a specific card: his own. When Hanabi showed him his card, he was devastated to discover that it was only a rare card, and not a super rare or extremely super rare card as he expected. Hiashi questioned what the purpose of his long shinobi career has been if his trading card can't be a worthy gift for his grandson. Hinata and Hanabi were unable to console him, as he was determined to somehow raise his card's status to extremely super rare.

Hanabi pointed out that the rarest cards are former Hokage or Sannin, so he'd need to do something of their calibre. Hiashi agreed and set out for the Hokage's office so that he can be assigned a dangerous mission; Hinata and Hanabi reluctantly followed. At the office, however, Hiashi could only secure a meeting with Shikamaru because of how busy Naruto was. Shikamaru tried to convince Hiashi to return home, but Hiashi, old though he may be, had too much clout in Konoha to be ignored. Shikamaru told them about a mission that had just come in: in the Konoha Hot Springs district, a thief had stolen some explosives used for excavation and was hiding in the thick mists. Because the explosives could easily be used for terrorist acts, it was urgent that the thief be captured, and the Byakugan was the best way to find the thief quickly. Hiashi accepted the mission, intending to carry it out alone, but Hanabi volunteered herself and Hinata too.

Hinata, Hiashi, and Hanabi hurried to the area of the hot springs district where the thief was last seen. As was reported, the mists were incredibly thick, and without the Byakugan it would be impossible for them to see where they were going. For this reason, the thief's decision to hide there didn't make sense to them, as there wasn't much harm he could do in the area and he was likely to end up becoming lost. As Hinata and Hanabi discussed this, Hiashi located the suspected thief and immediately attacked with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Despite the pain in his back, Hiashi successfully knocked out his target. Except that the man he attacked turned out to be the client; as was reported to the Hokage office after they'd already set out on the mission, the missing explosives were due to a miscount and the believed thief was only a case of mistaken identity.

Hiashi was humiliated by what happened, as he could have known that the man he attacked was innocent by simply taking a moment to notice what the man was wearing: a uniform that clearly labelled him as employed by the hot springs district. Because of how late it had gotten, Hinata and Hanabi decided they should spend the night at one of the hot springs, and Hiashi followed after them at an extreme distance. When they headed back home the next morning, Hiashi remained disappointed that he couldn't come up with a gift fitting Boruto and Himawari's tastes. Hanabi suggested that he do exactly that: give them their favourite foods; they'd enjoy eating the food at the time, and Hinata wouldn't need to worry about finding room for the food afterwards. Hiashi, who'd been hanging his head and walking slowly, picked up his pace with head held high, as he so liked the idea that he wanted to immediately begin looking for the ideal foods.

While Parent and Child Day was going on, Hiashi visited the various candy stores around Konoha, looking for something suitable for Boruto and Himawari. In one store, he noticed them selling packs of Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls. He discovered that he can use his Byakugan to peer inside the packs of cards and tell if they contain a rare card. He therefore decided to buy every such pack that he found, to give to Boruto. When Shino Aburame noticed Hiashi, he tried to strike up a conversation with him on the grounds that both of them are superior to most of the store's other shoppers. But when he realised what Hiashi is doing, Shino became disappointed that Hiashi would do something so petty. Hiashi felt no shame and happily bought all the packs he's picked out.

The day after Parent and Child Day, Hiashi was part of a crowd of people who gathered outside the Hokage's office. Because he was not able to see Boruto or Himawari at all during the holiday, he requested a "Grandparent and Grandchild Day" so that he'd get to spend time with them. Despite the vehemence with which he advocated, Hiashi tried (unsuccessfully) to go unseen by Naruto by hiding behind fellow-grandparent Chōza Akimichi. Naruto ultimately approved their request.

Versus Momoshiki Arc
In the anime, Hiashi watched Naruto face Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki's Tailed Beast Ball from the Hyūga residence.

Time Slip Arc
In the anime, some time after the defeat of Urashiki Ōtsutsuki, Hiashi had grown depressed from Boruto's apparent desire to avoid him. With his birthday fast approaching, his family decided to throw a party for him. He declined a challenge by Gatai of Kumogakure, and later intervened when Boruto fought him over his disrespecting of Hiashi, causing Gatai to retreat. While grateful for Himawari's present of a scarf in hope of his continued good health, he was especially moved by Boruto gift of a family photo, insisting that they should do one each year. Knowing how much Boruto didn't like such mushy sentiments, he was overjoyed to see how much his grandson truly loved him.

Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison
During Naruto's flashback to the members of the village when he was gathering natural energy to enter Sage Mode, Hiashi can been seen amongst the villagers.

Video Games
Hiashi makes a cameo appearance in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3, Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 4, Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 5, and Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4.

Trivia

 * stands for "daytime" or "position of the sun", while "火脚" means "spreading of a fire".
 * According to the databook(s):
 * His favourite food is devotion frying (tempura). His least favourite foods are cheese and egg cuisine.
 * His favourite phrase is.
 * His hobbies are playing Go and shoga which is a field of art that combines calligraphy and painting. It is considered a very important skill for a classic literati.
 * In Finally a clash! Jōnin vs. Genin!! Indiscriminate Grand Melee Tournament Meeting!!, Hiashi stands behind his youngest daughter Hanabi Hyūga before the start of the event.

Quotes

 * (To the invading Suna and Oto shinobi) "The Hyūga clan is the strongest in Konoha. Remember it well."
 * (To Neji) "Hinata is my precious daughter. And you are the precious memento of my late brother."
 * (To Hizashi) "There is no such fate! Your son and my daughter are out there fighting to prove it! This isn't about the branch house protecting the main house, it's about two comrades protecting each other!"