Naruto: Why Kakashi's father killed himself, explained

A brilliant shinobi with extraordinary skills, Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi’s father, was one of the most renowned shinobis in the Naruto series. He was popularly known as the White Fang of Konohagakure and was feared by many nations.

Due to his skills in ninja arts, he was deployed in numerous missions that turned out to be successful. Despite the name he made for himself, Sakumo had one of the most tragic deaths as he ended up taking his own life when Kakashi was quite young.

Let’s take a look into Sakumo’s past and understand the circumstances that drove him to such extreme measures.

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Naruto: Why did Sakumo kill himself?

Before we get into this topic, let’s take a look at who Sakumo is in the first place. Sakumo, in the Naruto series, was Kakashi’s father and one of the best shinobis in Konohagakure. He led numerous missions and was feared by neighboring villages like the Sunagakure. He was a skilled Jonin who went by the name Konoha’s White Fang, which is most likely due to the color of his hair.

His wife died when Kakashi was very young, and Sakumo did well in training his son since he made it into the academy. He even had an interaction with Might Duy, who revealed that his son didn’t get into the academy. Kakashi ridiculed the young shinobi, but Sakumo was able to discern that Might Guy would become stronger if Kakashi ever slacked off.

In the Naruto series, there came a point when Sakumo met Sasori’s parents and killed them, which is the reason why Chiyo was hostile towards him. One day, Sakumo was sent for a mission and failed to complete it. He chose to save his comrades instead of choosing the mission’s success. This drove many people in the Naruto series to hate the White Fang.

Sakumo was deeply affected by the way people viewed his actions and he soon went into depression. Eventually, he saw suicide as his only way out and was buried in Konoha's cemetery. Witnessing his father's sudden demise took a toll on Kakashi when he was just a child.

This is also one of the reasons why Kakashi later respects his father. During the initial stages of Kakashi’s life in the Naruto series, he believed that the success of the mission was the only thing that mattered. This changed after he met Obito, who believed that a comrade’s life was more important than the mission. Later, Kakashi realized that his father did the right thing, and he began respecting him as a shinobi and as a father. In Naruto: Shippuden, we saw that Kakashi’s father stayed in limbo after his death to seek forgiveness from his son.

Fans are aware of the trauma Kakashi went through and how he managed to beat all odds despite his circumstances. Kakashi admitted that he was proud of his father for the sacrifice he made, and Sakumo thanked him as well.