Naruto: Why was Hiruzen labelled the most incapable Hokage of all time?

In Naruto, the job of a Hokage is never easy, and it is bestowed upon those deemed to be the strongest in the village. Each Kage that comes after the first has been tied to their predecessor in some shape or form, be it as a student, direct descendant in their bloodline, or other means. Here, the Kage in question is the third Hokage of Konohagakure, known as Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Konohagakure consists of a long line of warriors across a millennium who have consistently shaped the village's foundation as it is today. Like others that came before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi was one of the strongest shinobi in the village, earning him the title "God of Shinobi."

While Hiruzen did become the Hokage and took the responsibility of protecting the village, some of his actions as a leader have been questionable as several events during his reign have been written in blood. The following article breaks down why Hiruzen was unfit to be the Hokage of Konohagakure.

Disclaimer: The following article is based on the writer's opinion and contains significant spoilers.

---

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his incapability to lead a village in Naruto

Letting Orochimaru escape led to Hiruzen's death (Image via Pierrot)

Being fearless and being reckless are two very different things. When it came to leading a village, all the Kage showed immense composure, power, and vulnerability, as they too were human. Despite numerous positive qualities, many made mistakes. However, The third Hokage made some critical ones.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a student of the first two Hokages, making him a primary candidate to replace the seat. Alongside being called a Shinobi god, he taught Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade under him, all of whom later became Sannin. One of the grave mistakes that cost his village and his life was his decision to let his former student, Orochimaru, escape.

Itachi asks the third Hokage to take care of Sasuke (Image via Pierrot)

After Hiruzen and two Anbu Black Ops members arrived at Orochimaru's hideout, they discovered his former student's experiments on the kidnapped victims. Despite knowing this, he let Orochimaru go because he did not have the strength to kill one of his former students.

While the slaughter of the entire Uchiha clan was conspired by Danzo, Hiruzen, being the village leader, had complete authority over anyone and could have easily prevented the tragedy. Despite the suggestion of a peaceful alternative against Uchiha's coup d'etat, Danzo was able to plan the slaughter due to Hiruzen's carelessness.

Naruto was an outcast as a child (Image via Pierrot)

Another reason why Hiruzen is still seen as one of the most incapable leaders is his approach to Naruto's early days. It is still a mystery why the third Hokage allowed Naruto to grow up alone, despite promising his parents to look after him. Hiruzen became the Hokage again and didn't even bother to tell Naruto about his father and that he was a Jinchuriki.

While there are some filler episodes where Hiruzen was seen spending time with Naruto and giving him money, he could have easily saved Naruto from the abuse of the villagers.