Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-26005711-20150512133037/@comment-26518343-20150721140046

Yalocalsupahero wrote: I don't think the Databooks should be disregarded, they're canon material provided by the original author afterall. I do think we should treat them as if they are from the point of view of non-omniscient characters though and might be flawed as a result.

I would like to point out that Hiruzen was valid in all his fights as a handicapped old man. We never saw him fight at age 30 or 40. Characters who knew him then called him "Miserable" in his old age. One of these was Enma who likely was around to see Tobirama as well. He's the one character with enough perspective to trust, having lived it and not being central to the conflict. And he wasn't scared of the First or Second or Orochimaru, because he knew they could take them all, or at least what he and Hiruzen could do at their best.

Databooks are useful for the characters who are around long enough to make it into multiple databooks. You can see which characters continue to get "better" and which characters essentially remain stagnant and stop developing (i.e. Iruka Umino).

Agreed about Hiruzen. Given his age at the time and the fact he likely had NOT been in ANY combat for many years, how can the Orochimaru fight be the sole deciding factor in how he would fare against other ninja?

The guy made it to a more advanced age than ANY other Hokage and likely saw as much combat as any of the others during his prime. Probably saw combat past his prime and still lived to tell about it until Orochimaru's invasion, which he still thwarted.