A (Fourth Raikage)

**A** (エー, *Ē*, *Viz:* Ei, *English TV:* Ay) is the **Fourth Raikage** (四代目雷影, *Yondaime Raikage*, *Literally meaning:* Fourth Lightning Shadow) of Kumogakure.

## Personality

A is generally characterised as stern, outspoken and decisive. He believes that actions and strength mean everything in the shinobi world and that ninja should never compromise or bow down in front of each other.[13] Similarly, he views jinchūriki not as individuals, but as tools of villages that have no right to speak for themselves.[14] He has shown willingness to sacrifice others for the greater good, insisting to destroy the approaching Moon even though Naruto and his friends were still on it.[15] After becoming Raikage, A grew more humble as he referred to himself as "washi", a more humble term used by old men, instead of "ore", a prideful way of saying "I" or "me". It also becomes surprising when someone manages to convince him.

Despite his militant demeanour, A has quite an emotional side; his short temper and eagerness can cause him out to act recklessly with regards to certain matters. He burst through his office window to attend the Kage Summit, smashed the table when the conversation was deviating and punched through a wall to pursue Sasuke Uchiha. Characters such as Mabui,[16] Mifune,[17] and Ōnoki[18] are left exasperated by A's rash behavior, commenting that it undermines his position as Raikage. However, A has shown compassion at times, telling Darui not to blame himself over A's lost arm and that Darui is his right-hand man.[19]

A also loves and deeply cares about his father A and, especially, his adoptive brother Killer B. Since the day they became partners, A and B bonded deeply as they completed missions and honed their skills together as the **A–B Combo**(エービーコンビ, *Ē Bī Konbi*). When B became Gyūki's jinchūriki and A's father died, A became determined to keep his village and B safe, confining his brother's movements to the village even if it went against B's personal wishes. As such, he is upset by his younger brother's capture by Akatsuki, and even more so upon discovering it was a ploy for B to have a vacation, swearing to punish him with his "Iron Claw". At the same time, A claims he has resolved to kill his brother if the situation ever called for it.[20]

When confronting his older brother during the Fourth Shinobi World War, B points out the flaw in A's viewpoint: his over-protection of B prevents him from acknowledging and believing in B's own strength. When B and Naruto prove their worth by surpassing A in strength and speed respectively, A realises they are truly essential in ending war and lets them pass. A benefits greatly from serving in the Allied Shinobi Forces as well. He was initially distrustful of other villages for their connections to Akatsuki, but now accepts them as comrades, expressing care when they start to over-exert themselves or when they save him on the battlefield.[21] A and Tsunade have somewhat of a rivalry and he is often critical of her, but he concedes her as a valuable comrade and shows concern for he during their battle against Madara. A is also capable of forgiveness although rarely. Despite his hatred towards Sasuke for his attempt to kidnap Killer B and his desire to kill him in retaliation, as well as the loss of his left hand from their battle, A recognises Sasuke's remorse for his crimes and decides to forgive him.[22]

## Appearance

A has dark skin with a large muscular build, white hair (blond in the anime) combed back, a small moustache and goatee. His face has pronounced cheekbones and tear troughs under his eyes, and a prominent crease across his forehead. He has pointed canines and his top lip also has a darker hue than the bottom one; traits he inherited from his father. During his fight with Sasuke, he amputated his left forearm after it was burned by Amaterasu.

A often wears a white haori without a shirt underneath and occasionally the traditional Raikage hat. He has black Fūma Shuriken tattoos on both shoulders and originally wore large, golden vambraces on his wrists, though he discarded them after the Five Kage Summit, wearing one on his remaining arm briefly near the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War. He also wears a gold belt around his waist with a boar's face engraved in the centre, black pants with torn ends, Kumo-nin shin guards, and shinobi sandals. All of these aspects combined give him the appearance of a professional wrestler.

After relinquishing the role of Raikage to Darui, A began wearing a simple black kimono held closed by a white sash. He has also begun balding with visible wrinkles.[23]

## Abilities

As the Fourth Raikage, A is an extremely powerful shinobi, being chosen as the Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces, even after losing his dominant arm. His signature fighting style combines the elements of ninjutsu and taijutsu to form nintaijutsu. Using it, he could easily defeat a fully transformed Jūgo and overwhelm a Mangekyō Sharingan-wielding Sasuke. A also possesses an enormous amount of strong chakra, comparable to that of a tailed beast, according to Karin.[24]

### Physical Prowess

A is known for his immense physical speed, being able to intercept an opponent before they realise he has approached them.[25] Using his nintaijutsu enhances his speed even further, enough to create after-images, evade point-blank attacks such as Jūgo's multiple-cannon blasts and Amaterasu,[26] as well as outpace the Sharingan and appear behind Sasuke even though he was trying to trace his movements with his Sharingan.[27] A boasts to be the world's fastest shinobi since Minato Namikaze's death,[28] before being surpassed by Minato's son, Naruto Uzumaki.[29]A has enormous physical strength, which Madara Uchiha estimates is just below that of Tsunade.[30] Using only a single hand, his physical displays include: lifting a massive, two-handed barbell; smashing through walls, floors, and even a cliff;[31] severing one of the Eight-Tails' horns and knocking it down to the ground;[32] breaking through Susanoo, an "absolute defence".[33] While possessing powerful and extremely fast punches, A prefers to use wrestling-style moves rather than standard taijutsu, such as powerbombs, backhanded chops, take-downs, and leg drops. A inherited his father's immense durability, having survived being transported by Mabui's Heavenly Transfer Technique unharmed.[34] His pain tolerance is high as well, as he neither flinched from having his left arm burned by Amaterasu, nor from cutting it off himself.[35]

### Ninjutsu

#### Nature Transformation

A's nature transformations include Lightning, Earth, and Water Release.[1] His signature ability, and the basis of his nintaijutsu, is the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, a layer of lightning chakra that surrounds his body and enhances his physical parameters and reflexes to a level comparable to Konoha's Yellow Flash.[36] This mode also allows A to minimise the damage dealt by other lighting-based attacks.[37] He can sharpen his lightning chakra enough to neatly cut through limbs,[32] or can channel it into an ally's Water Release technique to create an attack that will also shock and paralyse the opponent, as seen when he collaborated with Mei to perform the Lightning Water Dragon Bullet.[38]

## TMNT X Pokemon

A is one of the strongest in the group. He can take care of the tougher enemies you will encounter throughout the game.

## Trivia

* His name is the Japanese pronunciation of the English letter "A". This is similar to the names of several shinobi from his village such as: B, C and F that are the pronunciations of the letters "B", "C", and "F" respectively.
* A was left-handed before his self-amputation.[39]
* On the last page of chapter 562, A is depicted with his left hand. This was however corrected in tankobōn release.
* In the thirteenth opening, A is shown replacing his amputated left arm with an artificial arm made out of Lightning Release chakra as he assaulted Madara's Susanoo with both hands.
* In the anime, within Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, A, along with Ōnoki and Mei Terumī, were killed and transformed into human puppets by Sasori.

## Quotes

* (To Naruto) "*Shinobi ought not lower their heads so easily, action and power are what shinobi respect! There should be no compromise between shinobi. The history of the human race is a history of war! Ever since the three Shinobi World Wars… Every country… every village has fought for the strongest techniques. The weak will be crushed! That is inescapable truth of the ninja world!*"[40]
* (To Killer B) "*Discretion is the better part of valour! You would do well to remember that! I don't need my strong hand, all it takes is my off hand. That's more than enough to defeat any man.*"[39]
* (To Killer B) "*You're a special being to me! We're the strongest tag team!*"[41]
* (To Darui) "*I have no regrets about my left arm, because I still have both of my right arms. This one, and you.*"[42]
* (To Naruto) "*It seems our saviour is alive and well… inside you.[43]*