Is Sasuke a “Shadow Hokage”? His Role Explained!

In the fictional world created by Masashi Kishimoto – the world of Naruto – each of the five hidden villages is guarded by a leader known as a Kage. The Kage are usually the most powerful fighters in each of the villages, and the title is passed over to the next best fighter after some time. The Kage of Konohagakure, Naruto’s village, is called a Hokage. And while we know that Sasuke Uchiha does not become the actual Hokage in the series, we also know that Naruto keeps referring to him as the “Shadow Hokage,” and in this article, we are going to explain what that means.

The title of “Shadow Hokage” does not actually exist. It is an unofficial title that was given to Sasuke by Naruto, the current Hokage, as a way of showing just how important Sasuke is to Konoha. Naruto is the “true” Hokage because he protects the village from the inside, whereas Sasuke is his “Shadow Hokage” because he keeps protecting the village from the outside. Sasuke never refers to himself like this.

The rest of the article is going to focus on Sasuke Uchiha and his obtaining the title of the “Shadow Hokage” of the village of Konohagakure. You’ll find out who gave him this “title,” whether Sasuke himself accepts it, and whether the title actually exists. We’ve prepared an interesting article for you, so stick with us to the end. There are going to be some spoilers present.

Is Sasuke the “Shadow Hokage”?

In the Naruto universe, the village chief is known as the Hokage or Kage of Konohagakure. The Hokage is typically regarded as the village’s strongest shinobi. In the village’s history, there have been seven Hokage. One of the village’s founders, Hashirama Senju, established the Hokage office soon after Konoha was established. The villagers chose Hashirama as the first Hokage, not his co-founder Madara Uchiha, as he had originally intended.

Madara suggested that Hashirama’s election was the first step toward extending the Senju clan’s authority through the Hokage position, but Hashirama refuted this. The Second was his brother, the Third was a student of both him and his brother, the Fourth was a student of the Third, the Fifth is his granddaughter and yet another student of the Third, the Sixth was a pupil of the Fourth, and the Seventh is a former student of the Sixth and the son of the Fourth. Despite this, Hashirama can be connected to every Hokage in the village in some way.

Of course, everyone knows that the current Hokage is Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of the original series and a very important character in the currently ongoing Boruto series, which is even more relevant to the topic at hand. Namely, all Naruto fans will certainly know that becoming Hokage was Naruto’s childhood dream and that he did absolutely everything to become the principal guardian of his village, despite all the injustices he had faced while living in the village.

Now, Naruto Uzumaki is, by all standards, one of the best Hokage in the series. Sure, he might not be its most powerful one, especially now that he has lost Kurama, but he is certainly one of the most dedicated leaders that Konoha has had. Namely, Naruto’s determination to protect the ones he cares about is truly impressive. The current Hokage is known for his determination to do what is needed to protect the ones he cares about, even if it includes sacrificing himself. This is what makes Naruto such a good leader and why he is such an important character in the history of the position of Hokage.

But, while Naruto would definitely sacrifice himself for the sake of others, Boruto has revealed to us that his position is far more complex than we thought and that Naruto definitely doesn’t take his position lightly. Namely, with all the threats lurking about, both in Konoha and outside the village, a single person cannot stretch themselves out to cover all the fields. This is why it is important for a Kage, whichever village he belongs to, to have a lot of allies, both inside his own village and outside it.

In the case of Naruto Uzumaki, his former rival has, the meantime, become his most trusted ally. Sasuke Uchiha has gone through his redemption arc, and in Boruto, we see him as one of Naruto’s most trusted allies and as another protector of Konoha. On top of that, he is one of Konoha’s most powerful shinobi. Because of this, Naruto Uzumaki, as was revealed in Boruto by Boruto, has given Sasuke the unofficial title of the “Shadow Hokage,” which is a reference to the existence of so-called shadow cabinets in some countries with the Westminster political system,

This is an unofficial title, and Naruto insists that Sasuke is his “Shadow Hokage” because he protects Konoha from the outside. In contrast, Naruto does it from the inside. Sasuke has never actually accepted this title, knowing that his past crimes make him unworthy of the title of Hokage, even in such an unofficial and/or trivial manner.

Be that as it may, being the “Shadow Fire Shadow,” which is a literal translation of the phrase “Shadow Hokahe,” Sasuke has a responsibility to take care of Konoha and to be an ally of Naruto’s even in the most difficult of situations. In the next section, we are going to explore why Sasuke will never become Hokage.

Will Sasuke ever become Hokage?

As we know by now, the Hokage is usually the strongest and the most experienced shinobi in a village, whom the villagers also trust. As far as the first element is concerned, Sasuke definitely fulfilled the requirements to become Hokage since he was one of the most powerful shinobi in the whole series.

His powers are extraordinary, and he has been exceptionally talented ever since he was a child. He also had a very strong lust for power, which was partly fueled by his constant need to take revenge upon those he thinks have done him wrong. By all objective standards, Sasuke Uchiha was stronger than Naruto. Although he admitted defeat to the future Seventh Hokage, there is really no reason for us to think that Sasuke could not become Hokage. Yet – he never did. He wasn’t even a candidate. Why?

The question of why Sasuke Uchiha never became Hokage is related to his story within the franchise. Sasuke was a good leader, but he was never really the leader the people wanted. He wanted to become Hokage so he could organize things according to his own wishes, but we do not think he would’ve been a good Hokage due to his revenge-fueled behavior.

He has that protective nature – which is why, as we have explained, he is often dubbed the “Shadow Hokage”, as he protects the village secretly, from the outside – but he also has a very destructive side to his character. This side alienated him from all of his friends until his ultimate redemption. His character is the main reason he never became Hokage, and we agree with Kishimoto, as we also think that it would not have been a good decision and that Sasuke’s character arc is awesome just the way it is.