Hashirama Senju

renowned as the was a legendary ninja who hailed from the Senju clan that together with the Uchiha clan, established the first shinobi village: Konohagakure. He would later go on to become the village's.

Background
During the Era of the Warring States, Hashirama met Madara Uchiha at a river where the young Uchiha was skipping stones. Telling his new acquaintance that he needed to put more feeling into his attempts, Hashirama introduced himself to the young man as his rival in skipping stones and noted that at this point in time, he was leading. Though their clans have been in a bloody feud for ages, hired by opposing factions to counterbalance the other, both Hashirama and Madara knew the only way for either to survive, was to become friends rather than enemies. Soon after, while attending the burial of their fallen kinsmen alongside his younger brothers Tobirama and Itama, Hashirama got into an altercation with their father over what he considered to be the pointless death of Kawarama. That moment convinced Hashirama, with Tobirama's support, that there must be peace amongst ninja. He would later discuss this concept with Madara when he met him on the riverbank once again after the death of Itama.

As he and Madara grew older, Hashirama's friendship, and rivalry with him became increasingly intense as they eventually became the leaders of the Senju and Uchiha clans respectively. Using his position to eventually convince his kin to end the constant fighting, Hashirama and his clan approached the Uchiha and offered a truce with them. This led to the founding of Konohagakure. When deciding who should become the leader of Konoha, the villagers selected Hashirama over Madara for the title of First Hokage.

Fearing that Hashirama would oppress the Uchiha, Madara left the village, and later acquired the Nine-Tails, with the intent to challenge Hashirama. Attempting to absorb the Nine-Tails' chakra, Madara had it fire a Tailed Beast Ball, which Hashirama caught and sent back. Protecting himself from the explosion of the Tailed Beast Ball, Hashirama recovered to see that Madara had also survived the blast by equipping his Susanoo directly onto the beast. During the battle Hashirama attempted to reason with Madara to stop fighting and come to his senses, but realising that Madara would not back down, Hashirama entered Sage Mode to end the battle. In the aftermath of intense battle, Hashirama defeated Madara, who faked his death and went into hiding, while Hashirama's wife, Mito Uzumaki, became the Nine-Tails' first jinchūriki by sealing the beast within herself. Much of the area the fight occurred in the terrain formed it into come to be known as the "Valley of the End".

During his time as Hokage, Hashirama came into possession of a scroll filled with, among other skills, various kinjutsu, which he sealed away in order to keep the techniques within it a secret. He also defeated Kakuzu, who had been sent to assassinate him by Takigakure. At some point, Hashirama gained control of several tailed beasts. He spread these beasts to other, newly-formed villages in an attempt to maintain peace and equalise the powers between the nations. Thinking about the future of Konoha, he also trained the young Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of his brother's team members. He lived long enough to meet his first grandchild, Tsunade, and noted that he had spoiled her a great deal, even going as far as to teach her how to gamble. Hashirama died some time after the founding of Konoha in one of the many wars that were raging during this revolutionary era, but not before passing on the title of Hokage to Tobirama.

Personality
Hashirama was shown to be a kind and caring person with a deep sense of loyalty, great charisma, and skill in negotiation. He saw the people of Konoha as a part of his own family, and his legacy took a firm root in the village. He was also shown to be a very wise and insightful man, as he passed on great teachings to Hiruzen. It was he who first believed that all Konoha shinobi should show true loyalty to each other, and that a Kage must be willing to put his life on the line for his village to set an example for all others. This belief of his is known as the "Will of Fire". Hashirama also seemed to have a sense of honour regarding his opponents and, despite their rivalry, possessed great respect for Madara Uchiha, and even considered him a friend.

Hashirama was an idealist by nature and always gave people the benefit of the doubt. This was witnessed through the fact that he considered the Uchiha allies after they had formed an alliance and helped found the village. Even when Madara attacked the village, Hashirama did not allow this to colour his view of the other Uchiha in the village. This put him in odds with his brother, who was more of a brash realist who was still wary of the Uchiha, seeing them as a threat to Konoha despite the fact that Hashirama told his brother to not discriminate against the Uchiha countless times. Hashirama is modest, and is by no means above praising other shinobi. Hashirama praised Itachi Uchiha when told of his feats by Sasuke, and claimed Itachi to be a better shinobi than himself, despite the considerable title he possesses, "The God of Shinobi".

Contrasting somewhat with the expectations people had built up for the man known as the most powerful shinobi to ever live, Hashirama is shown to be a jovial and exuberant person with an interest in gambling. This was displayed after he was reincarnated a second time with his persona left intact as he was barely able to contain his excitement upon learning that there was a Fourth Hokage, taking it as a sign of his village's longevity. He was later shocked, as well as worried when he learned that Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage due to the fact he spoiled her as a child, even having taught her how to gamble. The dynamics between him and his brother are also quite intense and inverted as Hashirama sometimes succumbed to his more authoritative younger brother's orders, although he can be fearsome enough to subdue Tobirama when the situation requires it. Hashirama is also shown to be very considerate as he chose to delay his departure to the battlefield to tell Sasuke the truth he requested, noting that their actions on the battlefield would mean nothing if another Madara would just appear in the world.

Appearance
Hashirama was a tall man with tanned skin, dark eyes and waist-length black hair typically styled in a centre-parted fringe that framed his face, although sometimes he wore it combed-back with two single locks framing his face instead. In most cases, his attire took the form of the standard shinobi dress of his era, consisting of dark red traditional armour — similar to that of samurai — worn over a simple black suit. This armour was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, shoulders, thighs and forearms. Each collar of his shoulder guards bore the Senju symbol emblazoned on them. This clothing was accompanied by sandals and his village's forehead protector, after its formation. He often time also carried either a single large scroll strapped to his back or several large ones into battle.

While in the village, Hashirama tended to wear the traditional Kage attire consisting of the customary hat and haori over a full-length gown, along with a simple red headband. Otherwise, he wore a light-brown, short-sleeved, kimono shirt with mesh armour underneath, held closed by a red sash, and navy blue pants. As a child, Hashirama's hair was shoulder-length and was more bowl-cut in style, hanging around his face. He wore a light-coloured attire with a short jacket, a light scarf around his neck, and a dark-coloured sash around his waist.

Abilities
Hashirama is reputed as the most powerful shinobi of his era, his might being so vast that it earned him the title of "God of Shinobi", and having been called the strongest shinobi even by his enemy Madara Uchiha. His strength was so greatly respected by the shinobi world that Madara himself claimed Hashirama was the one person whom he most admired and detested, as well as was the only person capable of stopping him. Madara mentioned that fighting all five current Kage was trivial compared to his battle with Hashirama, and that with only one of them alive, the landscape would not change as drastically — a reference to the battle between the two that created an entire valley.

Kabuto Yakushi claimed that Hashirama's might was so vast, that there aren't any living shinobi in the current era that could match his level of power. It was such that many considered his prowess to be a mere fairy tale much like the existence of the Sage of the Six Paths. The most common example was his ability to not only fight on equal footing with Madara despite the latter possessing an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and having control of the Nine-Tails, but also survive the battle and ultimately defeat his long-time rival.

Stamina and Life Force
As a Senju, Hashirama inherited an extraordinary life force, as well as physical energy. Likewise, his chakra was also shown to be remarkably strong; a testament to its fortitude was witnessed through Hashirama's use of his chakra alone to deter his brother from attacking, which almost caused the Naka Shrine to collapse. He was also able to resist the control of Orochimaru's Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation with relative ease, which greatly worried the Sannin. His chakra levels also made him suitable to learn senjutsu and enter Sage Mode.

Medical Ninjutsu
According to Madara, Hashirama was also able to use medical ninjutsu. His skill with which were such that he could heal himself without forming seals, and from the medical ninjutsu that his descendant Tsunade — who is considered to be the greatest medical-nin in the world as it is — had displayed at that point in time, Madara surmised that his medical techniques were also on an entirely different level.

Nature Transformation
He was arguably most famous for his unique Wood Release techniques, a kekkei genkai formed through simultaneous use of earth and water-natured chakra. By converting chakra into the source of life, he was able to create wood and plants from the ground of or his very being, causing them to grow to great sizes and manipulate them to diverse shapes and battle uses at will and in an instant, he could shape the entire battlefield for his own uses. This ability appeared to be exclusively his, as no other known member of his clan has ever displayed its use thus far. Even those who obtained this power through unorthodox means, such as Yamato, have stated that their use of Wood Release was much weaker in terms of raw power.

He could create massive forests, gigantic flowering trees whose pollen can render a foe unconscious. He could also make wood clones of himself. Madara later stated that he was the only one who could tell the difference between Hashirama and his wood clones with his ocular powers. Hashirama could create a giant wooden dragon capable of restraining the Nine-Tails by using its immense serpentine body to constrict and absorb its chakra. His Wood Release: Wood Human Technique can catch a Tailed Beast Ball. He could create protective structures that are able to withstand the destructive force of a Tailed Beast Ball, and could even create several giant wood hands that could block the sword of Madara's Susanoo.

Along with his kekkei genkai, Hashirama also possessed a unique ability to control tailed beasts. Of all his considerable talents, it was this ability in particular that made Hashirama unparalleled in the shinobi world, so much so that he is regarded as one of the few people capable of completely controlling a tailed beast. At one time, he had many of the beasts in his possession. This ability was greatly amplified by his crystal necklace, which Yamato suggested that he required to control even Naruto's partial lapses into tailed forms.

Bukijutsu
Hashirama was also extremely skilled in weapons use, especially in kenjutsu and wielded a myriad of swords, one such had a broad, cleaver-like blade. He also could wield giant shuriken. Hashirama possessed several large scrolls that were roughly his height, presumably to store his weapons. His skill in weapons use was such that he could clash against Madara Uchiha, another highly-skilled weapons user at an equal level, forcing both to shift between it and ninjutsu in order to break the stalemate.

Senjutsu
Hashirama's chakra reserves were immense; great enough that he could train in the art of senjutsu and also enter Sage Mode. In this mode he gains marking around and under his eyes as well as one in the middle of his forehead reminiscent of a third eye. Sage Mode greatly increased the strength and scale of his techniques. A testament to this, was his Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands technique, which created a gargantuan guardian which easily towered over mountains and even the Nine-Tails.

Other Skills
As the leader of the Senju clan, Hashirama held proficiency in a wide cross-section of shinobi skills, and possessed at least an understanding of those he did not. He was well-versed in genjutsu and could perform powerful illusions such as the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, which locked the target in perpetual darkness for the duration of the technique. In the anime, he displayed aptitude in the art of fūinjutsu, using the Contract Seal to break Madara's control over Kurama. Hashirama could also use Summoning: Quintuple Rashōmon, which brings out five Rashōmon that can protect him from nearly any attack.

Invasion of Konoha Arc
Both he and Tobirama were reincarnated by Orochimaru using the Impure World Reincarnation technique to fight Hiruzen during the invasion, although not at their full powers. While fully aware of what was going on, and saddened that he would have to fight his former student, Hashirama and his brother were robbed of their free will as a result of a seal employed by Orochimaru into the back of their heads. Hiruzen quickly resolved to kill his masters and used a very powerful fire technique that was easily countered by one of Tobirama's walls of water. It was then turned into an attack that was stopped by Hiruzen's own earth wall.

During the battle, he demonstrated great teamwork and combination attacks with his brother. He also demonstrated his great Wood Release abilities using the Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees to completely alter the terrain they were sealed within. Before the branches can crush Hiruzen, however, he summoned Enma for assistance, and at the same time showed great taijutsu skills clashing with the Third at close range while the latter used the Adamantine Staff. His soul, along with his brother's, was eventually sealed by Hiruzen when he combined the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Shadow Clone Technique to extract both of their souls at the same time. Before his soul was completely removed, he and his brother apologised to their former student for the trouble they had caused him.

Shinobi World War Arc
During Sasuke Uchiha's quest to find answers, Hashirama's soul was freed from inside the stomach of the Shinigami, and subsequently reincarnated with the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation by Orochimaru along with the three Hokage that succeeded him using Zetsu's spore clones as sacrifices.

Reincarnated once more, Hashirama questions Tobirama as he curses Orochimaru before the two noticed Minato as he formally introduced himself to them, and was pleased that there was a Fourth Hokage. Learning that his granddaughter Tsunade is now the Fifth Hokage, he laughed off his apprehensions over if she is the right person to lead their village. He also learned of his younger brother's actions against the Uchiha Clan after his death and voiced his dismay towards both it and Tobirama's apparent disrespect towards Sasuke. It is not until he was addressed directly did Hashirama face Sasuke, who asked him what was the village and the purpose of shinobi.

Mulling over the question, and after hearing Sasuke declare that this would decide whether or not he sought revenge on the village, Hashirama was moved to forcefully stop his brother from attacking them, nearly collapsing the Naka Shrine in the process. Laughing off the event, Hashirama apologised before telling Sasuke that Itachi was a better shinobi even than himself.

Telling the young man that the story was a long one, Hashirama was exasperated to hear that the world was yet again plunged into another war with Madara leading the opposition. Though Orochimaru used his cells to strengthen his hold over the other reincarnated Hokage, Hashirama easily broke from his bonds while telling the wary Orochimaru that he first intended to answer Sasuke to ensure he would not end up like Madara before entering the battle. Taking a seat on the ground, Hashirama contemplated where to begin his story of his battle with Madara at the Valley of the End, and the history of their clans.

Legacy
Because of the heritage of the Senju — who are direct descendants of the Sage of the Six Paths — and the kekkei genkai that he possessed, Hashirama's DNA is highly coveted. During the battle at the Valley of the End where Madara Uchiha was thought to have died, the latter took the opportunity to collect his adversary's cells, using it to create a mindless living clone that produced the artificial life forms that became the White Zetsu Army. When he was reincarnated by Kabuto, Madara revealed that he had also integrated Hashirama's cells into himself which gained him access to the Wood Release kekkei genkai and the Rinnegan.

Orochimaru, desiring Hashirama's unique abilities, exhumed the First Hokage's body for his own experiments where he infused sixty child test subjects with cells harvested from his remains, hoping that one would prove able to use Wood Release. Only Yamato survived the process. This act also provided Orochimaru with a genetic sample that he used to reincarnate Hashirama years later, before Hiruzen sealed his mentor's soul away.

Danzō Shimura, using a similar experiment to Orochimaru's, infused his right arm with Hashirama's cells, and then had ten Sharingan embedded on it. This synthesis not only allowed Danzō to access Wood Release, but also use Izanagi for extended periods, and regenerate Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan after using Kotoamatsukami within a relatively short span of time compared to the decade it would've normally taken. Obito also noted that it afforded Danzō the ability to control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Obito Uchiha, having been saved by Madara, was indirectly infused with Hashirama's DNA when the destroyed portion of the young Uchiha's body was replaced with artificial material from the living clone of Hashirama. Taking over for Madara, with the aid of the Akatsuki, Obito used the tailed beast chakra sealed within the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as well as the DNA of Yamato who was later captured, to enhance the White Zetsu army prior to the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

But the most positive aspect of the legacy that Hashirama left behind is an ideal known as the Will of Fire, a belief held by most residents of Konohagakure. Through sharing Madara's disdain for him, Obito — while under the guise of Madara — admitted that he has a begrudging respect and admiration for Hashirama and saw Naruto Uzumaki as the heir to Hashirama's ideology while proclaiming that Sasuke Uchiha inherited their clan's hatred.

Video Games
He is also featured as a support-only character in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm.

Trivia

 * is a Japanese word referring to the space between two pillars. This might be a play on the word, as the Hokage is said to be the pillar that supports the village. '柱' is also the counter word for gods and buddhas.
 * His face on the Hokage Monument has a crack across the bridge of the nose. However, in flashbacks, no such scar is visible. This may be due to simple damage as Hiruzen's face on the monument suffered similar damage.
 * In the English dub version of the anime, his Wood Release was called "Secret Earth Jutsu" rather than "Wood Style". This was corrected in Shippūden with Yamato.
 * Hashirama is the third person revealed to hold the title of, the others being Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Sage of the Six Paths, and is the second man to have gained the title since the latter's time.
 * Hashirama, along with Tobirama, Minato, and the Konoha symbol, had his face appear in the ending omake of Shippūden episode 129 within the fireworks.
 * In the chapter 238 a portrait of Hashirama and the other Hokage is seen, showing him using a kerchief.
 * According to the databook(s):
 * His hobbies were bonsai and wood sculpting.
 * His desired opponent was Madara Uchiha.
 * His favourite food was mushroom mixed soup.
 * His favourite phrases were  and . They refer to perfect beauty without any artificial elements.

Quotes

 * (To Hiruzen) "The fellow countrymen of the Konoha make up each part of my body… those of the village believe in me, and I believe in them. That's what it means to be Hokage!"
 * "Whenever you live, there will always be war."
 * (To Kurama) "Nine-Tails, your power is too great. I cannot let you roam free any longer!"
 * "Not doing right when you know it is right is a coward's way."