Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Third Hokage of Konohagakure and among the most influential characters in the world of Naruto. He was the very first Hokage to be revealed in the series and despite being quite old, he was feared across the world of shinobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also known as The Professor because he possessed a tremendous amount of knowledge on Jutsu, something that even Orochimaru openly acknowledged. The Third Hokage inspired countless shinobi in the story, however, the series didn't focus on his tale much. Nonetheless, Kishimoto made sure to give some intriguing details about him to the fans.
10 He Was Known As The God Of Shinobi
The Third Hokage is one of the very few people in the Naruto world who have earned the title of "God of Shinobi." The first of them was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths. Following him, Hashirama Senju attained the same title due to his tremendous strength and finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi gained it as well.
According to some, Hiruzen was the strongest of all Hokage in his prime days, however, fans never got to see a glimpse of his early days as a ninja in the story.
9 He Was A Part Of Team Tobirama
Hiruzen Sarutobi started his life as a shinobi under Tobirama Senju. He was also joined by his teammates, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
All three of Tobirama's students achieved greatness as Hiruzen Sarutobi went on to become the Hokage, while Koharu and Homura were the village elders and were highly respected by everyone, even the Kage.
8 He Was Named The Hokage By Tobirama Senju
Hiruzen was chosen as the Third Hokage by one of his teachers, Tobirama Senju. As a Kage, Tobirama had the authority to choose his successor and for him, Hiruzen was perfect for this role as he had embodied the Will of Fire as well.
Later on, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted Minato Namikaze to succeed him as the Fourth Hokage in a similar fashion and that's exactly what ended up happening as the plot moved forward.
7 He Became The Hokage During The First Great Ninja War
Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage of Konohagakure, died during the First Great Ninja War even after trying to sue for peace with all the shinobi nations. Following him, Tobirama Senju took the reins and tried his best to stabilize the village and win the war.
Unfortunately, Tobirama's death came during the First Great Ninja War as well, where he fought the Gold and Silver Brothers. Before dying, he named Hiruzen Sarutobi as his successor and then proceeded to use himself as a decoy to let him escape.
6 He Was Potentially The Youngest Hokage Ever
Hiruzen Sarutobi was one of the youngest ever Kage and possibly the youngest Hokage to be elected in the Naruto story. Back when Konohagakure was fighting the First Great Ninja War, Hiruzen was merely a teen and was already fighting with everything he had.
He was given the position of Hokage by Tobirama Senju during the war when he was still quite young. Although the exact age when he became the Hokage was never given to us, he was arguably the youngest to take up the position, with Minato being the other possible option next to him.
5 He Was The Longest-Serving Hokage
The reigns of the First and the Second Hokage didn't last long. Hashirama created the village with Madara's help, however, ended up dying soon afterward. Tobirama didn't rule for long either, however, Hiruzen Sarutobi did.
He got his village through the First Great Ninja War, led them into the Second Great Ninja War, and even the Third Great Ninja War after that. Hiruzen was the longest-serving Hokage that Konoha had and also the one who inspired most of the shinobi to learn about the Will of Fire.
4 His Father Was A Legendary Shinobi
Hiruzen was from the famous Sarutobi Clan who are known to have been one of the very first to join Konohagakure after it was formed by the Uchiha and the Senju. Lots of legendary shinobi have emerged from this clan and Hiruzen's father, Sasuke Sarutobi was one of them.
While most details about him aren't known, he was great enough for Mikoto and Fugaku to name their second-born child, Sasuke Uchiha, after.
3 He Had The Brightest Will Of Fire
Hiruzen Sarutobi was personally trained by Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, and Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. He inherited their Will of Fire and made sure it grew stronger than ever within him.
From there onwards, he passed it on to a generation of shinobi, young and old alike. Hiruzen went on to pass it on to the Sannin, and even the generation after them.
2 His Ideals Were A Mix Of Hashirama And Tobirama's
Being the student of the First and the Second, it is no surprise that both of them inspired his way of thinking to some extent. Hiruzen was described as the perfect balance between Hashirama Senju's soft approach and Tobirama's strict approach.
He wanted everyone to be kind and sought a future where kids would never have to go to war, however, he also knew when to be harsh and the sacrifices necessary to protect that peace.
1 He Was Originally A Dog
Weirdly enough, the creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, originally wanted Hiruzen Sarutobi to be a dog for some reason. At some point, he switched this idea and decided to make him a human.
According to Kishimoto, the idea of him being a dog felt too weird. It is also interesting to note that Naruto Uzumaki was supposed to be a fox at first, but once again, Kishimoto decided not to go ahead with that idea and made him the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails instead.