So you want to use Iruka's comment, huh? The official VIZ translation actually states that Hiruzen had
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compared to the other Hokage, not that he was outright 'strongest'. I don't think you've been taking into account everything which has been stated in this manga.
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is the official VIZ translation of what Kabuto said about Hashirama. It follows that the people did not believe Hashirama's power was as great as the legends foretold. Why is this important when discussing Iruka's comment? It has lost validity. People are basing their opinion on the 'Strongest Hokage' without taking into account Shodai's legendary feats - stories sounding so absurd that they were disregarded as mere myths by the majority. Consider; Madara, who at one point was labelled 'the strongest shinobi' and who's name alone (as we have seen) was capable of starting a world war, was defeated by a man whilst fully equipped with the Kyuubi, a raging natural disaster/demon who was said to be able to level mountains or create tsunamis just by swinging it's tail. To the masses, this would've seemed so far-fetched that believing such a thing was possible would possibly lead to you being labelled as a day dreamer. And so, those who then went on to label Hiruzen as the strongest among the past Hokage were simply not taking into account Shodai's seemingly 'ridiculous' feat. It's not really that hard to comprehend.
It's exactly the same as what Kakashi believed about Rikudo Sennin (that he was merely a myth and did not exist - that his power was not real), what Jiraiya initially believed about Nagato's eyes (how the Rinnegan was a mythical dojutsu) and what was believed about the Sage's exploits (how it was impossible for a human to create something like the moon).
When was Hiruzen's Prime years? During the Kyuubi's attack the day of Naruto's birth? If those were not his best years, then the people who were stating these things weren't even taking into account Yondaime's feat of fighting Tobi and the Kyuubi. And since Minato was only Hokage for around a year, his only major noticeable feat (that we know of) wasn't even considered. Hell, Jiraiya, Hiruzen's own student, believed 'everyone paled in comparison to the forth lord' and that Yondaime was 'unparalled'. Are you now going to tell me Jiraiya's was not away of his own sensei's prime years? Thus, if you're going to say that Hiruzen's best years were before Minato's death, Iruka's comment is no longer valid for:
- Hashirama
- Minato
- Tsunade
I honestly cannot believe people take what Iruka said as absolute when there is information in the manga which contradicts it; information which was revealed later on to boot. Hiruzen's hype in the databook was not repeated in the latest edition (the third databook). In it, Hiruzen was merely described as the most
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Hokage. This raises another issue. People are quick to say that Jiraiya or Kakashi are biased towards Minato when they praise him, thereby making his hype less valid. Well, does it not logically follow that people may simply praise Hiruzen as he was their most favourite/beloved Hokage? it's double standards if you take these things into account for one character but don't for another.
You cannot use the Orochimaru fight as an indication of the Hokage's true strength, since their personalities were suppressed and Orochimaru took full control over them. There's also the issue of Orochimaru lacking knowledge on their full arsenals; Kabuto
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wasn't even fully sure of Nagato's abilities in the VIZ scan when he took control over it (and it was Kabuto's noobish control which ultimately led to Nagato's defeat) - simply asking:
"Now, what other tricks can he do again?"
The fact that Hashirama's Kajukai Kōrin and Tobirama's S/T ninjutsu were not used is a testament to the fact that they were not used to their full capacity. The First Hokage, described as the ultimate shinobi by Madara, would've been defeated by a paper bomb? No. This match cannot be used to gauge anyone's power, including Hiruzen's. I don't feel you've taken into account plot factors. Hiruzen had to succeed in at least stopping Orochimaru for the good of the story. It's something which can be likened to SM Naruto vs Pain; it's almost universally accepted that Naruto was inferior to Nagato in that fight. If you're going to take into account hype, you must take into account
all of it and the implications one statement may have on another.
proof even after years of the fight
