Theory: What Clan Does Jiraiya Come From in the Naruto Series?

In this world Narutothere are ninjas who come from famous clans. Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, Aburame, Akimichi, and others.

But there are also ninjas who seem to have no family. One of them is Jiraiya.

Jiraiya’s name is just Jiraiya. He was never introduced as having a surname.

I wonder what clan Jiraiya came from?

1. Jiraiya had uniquely white hair since childhood.

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Jiraiya’s hair is not completely white as it is gray.

Since childhood, his hair has been white.

This white hair color is unique, and should be a clue as to what clan Jiraiya is from.

The problem? The only clan whose hair is all white is the pureblood Otsutsuki, and I don’t think Jiraiya could be from that clan.

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But there is another small family where all the family members have white hair.

The Hatake Family.

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But Jiraiya had already met Kakashi, and he and Kakashi never mentioned that they were friends.

Even if Jiraiya and Kakashi were still distant relatives, this plot was never brought up by Kishimoto.

2. Jiraiya himself did not wear the clan’s attributes, making this mystery even more difficult to solve.

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Apart from his white hair since childhood, Jiraiya did not have any clan attributes on his clothes.

The unique writing on his headgear also indicates an affiliation with Mount Myoboku, not a particular clan.

Jiraiya has a kind of red decoration that starts from his eyes to the side of his lips. However, this decoration is not unique to a particular clan.

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Well, Tobirama also has white hair and red decorations too.

That’s why some people suspect that Jiraiya is a Senju descendant. Especially since Tsunade, who is still a Senju, doesn’t have a surname.

However, if Jiraiya is a descendant of Senju, the relationship he is aiming for with Tsunade is actually illegal.

3. Most likely, Jiraiya came from an unknown family. Just like Minato and the others.

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For now, with no clear clues as to what clan Jiraiya is from, I think Jiraiya’s situation is similar to Minato’s.

Minato is a ninja from the Namikaze family. This family is not an elite family. Only Minato is a member who is known.

But Minato later became a great ninja.

Jiraiya could also have come from an unimportant family, so unimportant that he didn’t even mention his surname.

Despite this, he remains one of the Sannin with skills-his.

4. What about Jiraiya from Japanese legend?

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Jiraiya in Japanese legend is a ninja who has a clear clan.

Jiraiya in Japanese legend is real name Ogata Shuma Hiroyuki.

He comes from the Ogata clan, which is in Kyushu.

However, this legend does not help reveal which clan Jiraiya came from. Naruto. Because obviously, the Ogata clan is not there so far.

So that’s the theory about which clan Jiraiya came from.

Most likely, he came from a minor family on the same level as the Haruno family and the Namikaze family, but was still a great ninja.

What do you think? Is he really from a minor family? Or a Senju descendant or still a Hatake family?

First published October 23, 2021, reissued August 12, 2024.