Hashirama Senju (千手柱間, Senju Hashirama) was the First Hokage of Konohagakure. One of the strongest shinobi of his era, he helped end the Warring States Period and founded Konohagakure Village alongside Madara Uchiha.
Appearance[]
Hashirama was a tall man with tanned skin and dark eyes. He had waist-length black hair typically styled in a center-parted fringe that framed his face. He often wore the standard shinobi dress of his era, consisting of dark red armour worn over a simple black suit with sandals. This armour was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body; each collar of his shoulder guards bore the Senju symbol. Prior to Konoha's formation he wore a white-colored cloth bearing his clan's symbol on his forehead, which he later replaced with the village's forehead protector.
When acting as Hokage, Hashirama tended to wear the traditional Kage attire consisting of the customary maroon and white hat and haori over a full-length maroon and white gown, along with a simple red headband. Otherwise, he wore a light-brown, short-sleeved, kimono shirt with mesh armour underneath, held closed by a red sash, and navy blue pants. In his Hokage portrait, he is seen wearing a kerchief.
Personality[]
Hashirama was an excitable man with a boisterous personality. He loved meeting new people, having friendly competitions, and gambling. Headstrong and often impulsive, it fell to others – such as his brother, Tobirama – to be more responsible or realistic about things that Hashirama had gotten carried away with. When taken down in this way, or even when simply presented with information that troubled him, Hashirama could do a near-immediate about-face, going from laughing to sulking. These moping periods were typically brief though, and he'd quickly go back to his usual high-spirited nature. Later generations upon meeting him, tended to remark that neither extremes of his personality were very fitting for a man called the "God of Shinobi".
Despite the first impression he may give, Hashirama was capable of being serious when it came to matters that were important to him. He spent years opposing the practice of sending children to war and dreamed of a shinobi system where a child could be around others his or her age, never needing to "grow up" prematurely on the battlefield. To that end he became very devoted to Konoha upon its foundation, as it was the realisation of his dream for peaceful childhoods. He wanted the rest of the village to cherish what Konoha represented just as much as he did, encouraging them to regard every villager as part of one large family that should always look out for each other. As Hokage, his job was to protect that family at all costs, even if that cost was his life. This philosophy, known as the "Will of Fire", would become a cornerstone of Konoha teachings for decades after his death.
The Will of Fire is demonstrative of Hashirama's general optimism when it came to other people; he believed a village-first loyalty would naturally break down the mentality that shinobi had to look out for their clans. Hashirama lived by this philosophy long before Konoha's founding, having no qualms about killing himself if it meant peace between the Uchiha and Senju clans. In fact, his entire goal of gaining more power was to have enough just to stop violence. One example of this was he believed if the two most powerful clans during the Warring States Period were to join forces, there would be no other shinobi clan to stand against them and would stop selling their services, effectively ending the Warring States Period. He always saw the best in others, either trusting that they acted in good faith or that they could, through non-violent means, be reasoned with. He was humble, not above lowering his head to his fellow village heads or claiming inferiority to those he'd never met but whose actions he approved of. If nothing else, Hashirama was kind, placing the needs of others before his own: he was even willing to take his own life if it would help create a world where his friends and family wouldn't need to die unnecessarily. It was on these points that Tobirama disagreed with Hashirama most ardently, as Tobirama felt that Hashirama should have a greater value of himself and a greater suspicion of others. It was, similarly, on these points that Hashirama was at his most forceful, asserting his views over Tobirama's; though Tobirama did not often agree, he knew better than to oppose his brother. Hashirama is also well-balanced on this regard as he didn't exert his force over Tobirama over past actions that cannot be changed such as when finding out Tobirama seemingly mistreated the Uchiha, he expressed anger, but didn't exert his force as it didn't do any good.
Hashirama had a lifelong friendship and rivalry with Madara Uchiha, eventually considering him a brother. As children, they would spend much of their free time together, talking, playing, and planning for a future that they weren't sure would ever come. Both were willing to oppose their own fathers by refusing to kill each other, but only Hashirama kept up this refusal into adulthood; even as enemies, Hashirama would go out of his way for Madara, restraining himself (and Tobirama) so as not to hurt him and indulging Madara's desires at his own consequence. When they were able to rekindle their friendship by making Konoha, Hashirama placed a great deal of trust in Madara by desiring him to be Hokage, believing it was the best way for Madara to recover from the loss of his brothers. When this ultimately failed, Hashirama respected Madara's opinions and dissatisfaction with the village, but would not permit him to move against Konoha, killing him in the end with sadness and reluctance in order to protect what they'd made together. Despite everything, Hashirama considered Madara his friend to the very end.
Abilities[]
Hashirama was famed as the strongest shinobi of his era and one of the strongest in history, reputed as the God of Shinobi. Madara, another legendary shinobi, openly admitted inferiority to Hashirama throughout their entire lifetime together, even with the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Nine-Tails at his disposal. Through, his Wood Release, Hashirama had been able to subdue and capture eight of the nine free-roaming tailed beasts on his own. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kabuto proclaimed that the mans might as a ninja was so vast that it was held in a fantasy light similar to Sage of Six Paths (Hagoromo Otsutsuki), stating that no one, aside from Madara, had come close to matching him ever since his passing. He became a Sage at a unknown age. Surpassing Madara in every way, Madara surprisingly admitted weakness against Hashirama.
History[]
Hashirama was born to Butsuma Senju in the Warring States Period, becoming the heir to the Senju Clan. Throughout the era, adults and children alike would fight rival clans, which displeased the young Hashirama. Eventually, Hashirama would meet Madara Uchiha, and the two would become friends and wished for a future where they could build a village where children wouldn't have to suffer. In the years to come, Hashirama would be forced to take up arms against his friend, as the two were from rival clans, and would eventually marry Mito Uzumaki and have kids with her. After years of fighting, the Uchiha and Senju could cease tensions and form an alliance, building the village of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire. Hashirama would be chosen as the village's first leader, the Hokage.
Hashirama would eventually forced to end Madara's life, after Madara defected from the village and instigated a fight with him. Some time later, Hashirama would pass away, with his brother, Tobirama, being chosen as the succeeding second Hokage. Decades after his death, his granddaughter, Tsunade, would become the fifth Hokage. His cells would also be used in multiple experiments because of their strong vitality, and Hashirama's unique usage of Wood Release. He would also be resurrected using the Reincarnation Jutsu twice, first during Orochimaru's attack against Konoha, and second during the Fourth Shinobi World War to aid the Allied Shinobi Forces.