Minato’s Kunai fondly called The Flying Thunder God in Naruto carries an inscription that means shinobi ai no ken in Japanese. This loosely translates to Sword of Shinobi’s Love.
Thanks to this weapon, and the inscription that many believe gives it its powers, Naruto’s father Minato Namikaze was a great warrior. The three-pronged knife-like Kunai gave him the ability to teleport and perform astonishingly in combat.
What is a Kunai?
The Kunai is an iron Japanese tool that looks like a mix breed of a knife and trowel. The length could be anywhere between 10 cm to 50 cm depending on if it is the big Kunai or the small Kunai. The weapon as we know it to be was originally used by masons in construction or as a multi-purpose gardening tool. In the hands of ninjas, however, it is very deadly, as seen in Naruto and in the hands of Minato.
The Kunai appears like a throwing knife with a ring attached to the end of its handle. To this ring, the ninjas usually attached various objects like strings and blast notes, all aimed at increasing the deadliness of the weapon. They could be used for climbing or descending trees and walls. They were very good offensive weapons as well.
What Made Minato’s Kunai Different?
Minato’s Kunai’s ability to teleport him made it different from the rest. It earned him the nickname Yellow Flash, as he became famous for his speed and quick reflexes.
Fans of Naruto would remember that there were various classes of shinobi ninjas rated all in relation to how powerful they were. Many of them had different types of Kunai, each carrying more chakra than the others. Minato’s Kunai served a far much greater purpose. It was more than a weapon used to hit an opponent.
Minato Namikaze was capable of teleportation with the help of his Kunai. Called ‘The Flying Thunder God’ Kunai, the weapon was significantly heavier than regular Kunai and had three blades attached to the handle instead of the regular single-blade design. The triple-blade came in very handy in battles as it was used in breaking enemy swords when they got caught in between any of the prongs.
Minato’s Kunai also bore a special Japanese inscription that was carved into its handle. Because every new clue revealed important plotlines in Naruto, the meaning of that writing was a great cause for debate among fans who were very interested in figuring out what the almost illegible inscription meant.
What Does Minato’s Kunai Say In Japanese?
As already mentioned, Minato’s special Kunai bore an inscription that was considered to be directly responsible for its unique powers. The inscription was written in Kanji, a logographic Chinese Han writing system. The inscription reads 忍愛之剣, which, when written in kana, appears like this: にんあいのけん 又は しのびあいのけん.
The writing could be read aloud as “ren ai Zhi jian” or, more popularly, “nina oken you ha shinobiai noken.” This writing on the Kunai’s handle was what helped Minato perfect his flying Raijin style, making him one of the deadliest ninjas in the Third Shinobi World War. Legend had it that opposing forces fled in fear upon sighting him.
What Does Minato’s Kunai Say In English?
It has been a struggle trying to translate the inscription on Minato’s Kunai’s to English. This is because the actual etymology of the phrase is unknown. However, manga experts have best translated the writing to Japanese to be – Shinobu Aino Sword – which loosely translates to Sword of Shinobi’s Love in English.
To further explain, shinobi means ninja in English. Ninjas in Naruto and anime as a whole are well-trained mercenaries and soldiers hired to fight for rich lords in feudal Japan. Ninjas were an integral part of Japanese wars and usually carried out violent and lawless acts. Minato’s Kunai was therefore saying Sword of Ninja’s love to people it kills.
What Is The Flying Thunder God Technique?
Originally created by the 2nd village Hokage Tobirama Senju, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu is a fighting technique modified and made popular by the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze. The technique consists of high-speed movements that allowed him to sort of appear and disappear between marked locations.
The Flying Thunder God technique was perfected by Minato with the help of the special Flying Thunder God kunai. This Kunai is a special one and is solely wielded by Minato Namikaze. His Kunai bore a seal which, when applied to any regular kunai handle, would transform it into a beacon for teleportation. With the technique, Minato could easily move from one point to another during battle, giving him an exceptional advantage over his enemies.
The strongest depiction of the Flying Thunder God technique shown by Minato was in his fight against Iwagahure during the Third Shinobi World War, wherein he had thrown his special Kunai behind enemy lines and was able to destroy the entire army. Minato’s great speed made him successfully avoid attacks while at the same time attacking them from many sides. He was able to kill over a thousand men single-handedly in one day in the war. This earned him the title of the fastest shinobi ever lived, aka The Yellow Flash.
Despite his skill in battle, Minato Namikaze died while still young. Regardless, he is considered to be amongst the most powerful in anime history.