Kinkaku in Naruto

Kinkaku and Ginkaku were half-brothers who were born a year apart to two separate mothers. Kinkaku’s name was given after his mother’s golden blonde hair. Both brothers inherited the vigor of their father’s numerous vices, who was descended from the Sage of the Six Paths. He trained them in the ninja arts until they were old enough to fend for themselves, and then he abandoned them.

The brothers scattered around the continent to fetch the Treasured Tools of Sage of the Six Paths. They tracked down every single one of them regardless of how well protected the tools were. Later, they sealed those tools within their body to protect them from others and summoned them when needed. Thus, wielding those tools, they came to be known as the Gold and Silver Brothers or, individually, as Kinkaku the Gold General and Ginkaku the Silver General.

When the Hidden Villages were being founded, the two Brothers offered their services to Kumogakure. The First Raikage told them that, in light of their fearsome reputation and proven skill, they would be allowed to join the Village’s ranks on the condition that they gave one of the Treasured Tools to Kumo as a sign of goodwill, to which the brothers conceded the Amber Purifying Pot and were welcomed.

The brothers were tasked with capturing the Nine-Tails, but were swallowed during the confrontation. The Nine-Tails eventually had to regurgitate them after they weighed for two weeks inside the stomach of the tailed beast and survived by consuming the beast’s flesh. They both emerged from their escape looking like smaller replicas of the beast since they had consumed some of the fox’s chakra.

They returned to the village after failing in their mission, but becoming stronger than ever. Their power was kept secret among the higher-ups of the village. The two brothers plotted a coup d’état during a peace treaty ceremony between the Second Hokage of Konohagakure and the Second Raikage of Kumogakure, putting the Hokage on the brink of death. He eventually crossed paths with Kakuzu, who was still alive during the Third Raikage’s reign.

Fourth Shinobi World War

Kinkaku is reincarnated by Kabuto Yakushi to battle against the Allied Shinobi Forces in preparation for the Fourth Shinobi World War. The brothers engaged the enemy’s First Division after emerging from the sea near the shore of the Land of Lightning, among the White Zetsu Army. When confronted by Darui, he acknowledges that he inherited the Third Raikage’s techniques, implying that he must be strong.

In response to Darui’s remark, he says that, since time had passed, even those from Kumogakure had lost respect for them. Kinkaku retrieves the Bashōsen and Shichiseiken from his mouth upon Samui’s and Atsui’s arrival and hands over the tools to his brother, whilst the Kōkinjō wraps around his arm. He draws out the siblings' word souls by hitting them with the rope so that Ginkaku can curse them.

Kinkaku burns Atsui’s arm that forces the latter to say his forbidden word, causing him to be sealed. Kinkaku attempts to attack Darui while Ginkaku takes Samui hostage. Kinkaku has his arm cut off by Darui, who then attacks both brothers, freeing Samui, but comes into contact with the rope around Kinkaku’s severed arm. He then cuts Darui’s word soul and Ginkaku records it. Darui narrowly escapes from being sealed inside the Benihisago by changing his word at the last moment. Darui manages to trick Ginkaku and seal the latter, which enrages Kinkaku, who goes berserk and transforms into his six-tailed form.

Kinkaku wreaks havoc on the battlefield, killing numerous despite Chōza’s efforts. He deflected a barrage of kunai and tossed Chōji away. However, unaware of being under a mere distraction, he is bound by Shikamaru’s shadow.

He breaks off Shikamaru's shadow only to be taken control by Ino Yamanaka as he attempts to kill Shikamaru. He begins to be drawn into the pot as he responds to Darui’s call. He laments about how he and his brother could be defeated by such fools while he was being sealed.

Tobi arrived by nightfall and took both the Benihisago and Kohaku no Jōhei, with each containing one of the brothers inside, intending to use their Nine-Tails chakra to help deploy his Eye of the Moon Plan.

Kinkaku and his brother are considered a disgrace to Kumogakure due to their savage nature. They would betray their own comrades in a battle. He also holds high pride and became angry when Darui chastised them. He cares deeply about his brother’s well being and went berserk when Ginkaku was sucked into the Benihisago which forced Kinkaku to transform into the Version 2 state of the tailed beast.

Kinkaku was a hulking shinobi with a powerful build and a towering appearance. He had light-colored eyes with dark sclera, gray-toned skin and long, blonde hair with pronounced dark tips styled like a Native American headdress. These features are emphasized by the presence of two noticeable horns emerging from his thick hair, as well as a rectangular marking on his nose. He had whisker-like marks on his face.

His normal clothing comprises a standard Kumogakure flak jacket that is black on the edges and worn over a purple, high-collared, sleeveless uniform. He wears a purple forehead protector and modest wrist protectors. The character meaning “gold” was tattooed on the bare left arm’s shoulder.

The Gold and Silver Brothers were well-known for their prowess, leading a shinobi to shiver in horror when he saw them, and nearly prompting the Fourth Raikage to ignore his duty as leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces in order to meet the duo personally.

He was capable of nearly slaying Tobirama alongside Ginkaku and killing him with the Kinkaku force. Kinkaku’s dominance nearly destroyed the entire First Division and resulted in a great number of casualties. Being a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, it was believed that this allowed him to survive eating the Tailed Beast Flesh.

Treasured Tools

The brothers wielded the five Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths, each of which required enormous chakra to use properly: enough to kill normal people. Despite this, they were able to use these weapons on a regular and long-term basis, to the point of being considered weapon specialists.

It demonstrated their vast chakra reserves, as using the Treasured Tools did not result in any catastrophic side effects, even before they absorbed a part of the Nine-Tails’ chakra. They can capture their opponent’s word soul and body by combining the Benihisago, Kōkinjō and Shichiseiken, shutting them away for good. They can use Benihisago to generate any of the five basic elements.

Jinchūriki Transformation

Kinkaku has Nine-Tails’ chakra traces mixed inside him ever since they were eaten and regurgitated by the Nine-Tails, after surviving two weeks within its stomach by consuming its chakra-imbued flesh. Despite not being a true jinchūriki, his chakra is comparable to that of the Nine-Tails, making him a pseudo-jinchūriki.

Kinkaku can hide himself in a demon cloak at any time and even enter Version 2 form after eating plenty of Nine-Tails’ flesh. In this form, he can produce six tails, one of which is significantly longer and thicker than the others. He also retains consciousness, unlike most jinchūriki, who lose consciousness in this form of their bestial instincts.

He can strike with immense force and range with his chakra tails, as well as block a torrent of kunai with them; he can push a massive rolling tank aside and effortlessly break out of the Shadow Imitation Technique in seconds. He emerged uninjured from a bombardment of diverse elemental ninjutsu and also demonstrated remarkable speed and strength, cutting down multiple allied shinobi in an instant while also destroying the platform they were standing on. Despite its resemblance to Naruto’s higher forms, it appears to lack the corrosive chakra cloak gained by Naruto in Version 2 and beyond.

Kinkaku is a playable character in the following video games:

• Naruto Mobile

• Naruto Shippūden : Ultimate Ninja Blazing

• Naruto x Boruto : Ninja Voltage

• Naruto : Shinobi Collection

• Naruto : Shinobi Collection Shippū Ranbu

• Naruto : Ultimate Ninja Online

Kinkaku also appears as boss in Naruto Shippūden : Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

(To Darui) “Like they always say, ‘silence is golden’. Words are the true source of all the world’s ills… right, Ginkaku?”

(To Darui) “How could the Two Lights be beaten by a bunch of no-name losers?”

Q. Who defeated Kinkaku and Ginkaku?

A. Darui defeated Kinkaku and Ginkaku by sealing them inside two of the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths, during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Q. Why is Kinkaku called the Gold General?

A. Kinkaku was given his name after his mother’s golden blonde hair. Together with his brother Ginkaku, they are known as the Gold and Silver Brothers.

Q. Is Kinkaku stronger than Tobirama?

A. Kinkaku almost killed Tobirama by himself but with his brother, they managed to overpower Tobirama, making them superior to the Second Hokage.