Naruto is an acclaimed anime with many fan-favorite characters, but one of the most popular is Jiraiya. As a fascinating juxtaposition of honorable hero and raging creep, he grew on fans and had one of the most infamous demises in anime history. Fans' hearts were broken when losing the author, teacher, and fantastic ninja. One of the most humanizing aspects of Jiraiya, though, is his pure, unending love for Tsunade Senju. She was both his teammate and friend since an early age, and thus his relationship with her is one of complete respect and sincerity.
They never move beyond friendship, and they annoy each other incessantly, but they are always there for one another. Their lives are complex, heartbreaking ones, but their relationship is what keeps both of them afloat for a very long time. Tsunade may not love Jiraiya the way he loves her, but their bond is undeniable. Through school, training, war, loss, leadership, and saving the world, they are there for each other until the end.
Updated on March 21st, 2022 by Amanda Bruce: While the Naruto franchise is often focused on the next big fight, a large part of what makes the characters so interesting is the relationships between them. Jiraiya and Tsunade might never have a fully romantic relationship, but their unwavering support for one another is something that fascinated fans from the moment they were introduced. The gradual reveal of their backstory throughout the franchise (and in plenty of filler episodes of the anime) gives fans a lot of insight into the two of them.
Jiraiya Always Loved Tsunade
When they were young genin, Jiraiya and Tsunade were placed on the same team. Jiraiya was always a brash, headstrong ninja with a little too much interest in the female form. He took a particular liking to Tsunade, however, from the second he met her.
His feelings for her were wildly apparent, but Tsunade never seemed to share them. This didn't stop Jiraiya from staying by her side for a very long time, however. Even once he left her, and until the day he passed away, he still considered her the love of his life.
Jiraiya Left Town to Avoid His Feelings For Tsunade
Jiraiya left Konohagakure to pursue his own destiny, but he also left because he struggled with his feelings for Tsunade. Her relationship with Dan Katō and her disinterest in him romantically made him helpless, as she simply didn't love him back. To let Tsunade live her own life, Jiraiya took the first chance he could to leave.
He first stayed with some orphans in Ame after a battle that left them helpless. Later, he traveled around and met many beautiful women, writing romantic novels on his experiences. His life started over - he was a handsome ninja who dazzled women and intimidated foes. However, Tsunade remained the owner of his heart.
Jiraiya Turned Down Marrying a Princess for Tsunade
Jiraiya traveled far and wide in his many travels. On one such journey, he ran into a unique village with an even more fascinating princess. In their village, the princesses are highly skilled warriors. When a man wishes for their hand in marriage, they must defeat the princesses in battle. This proves that the man is a worthy husband.
A princess of the village tried to fight Jiraiya for his hand in marriage, but he declined. He told her that his heart belonged to another. Then he described the hardships that Tsunade has gone through and the fact that, despite his love being one-sided, he is devoted to making her life happier.
Tsunade And Jiraiya Nearly Dated
Jiraiya and Tsunade spent an ominous night together before he left to fight Pain. She went out drinking with him and enjoyed his company, but as the night came to a close, things got more serious. Tsunade was far too aware this might be the last time she'd see her dear friend.
That night, she seemed to accept how important having him in her life was and dared to take a leap of faith. She promised that if he came back, she'd give him a shot. She thought that she could try to love him like he loved her and that perhaps the hope of a future for them could motivate Jiraiya in battle. Heartbreakingly, Jiraiya never returned.
Jiraiya And Tsunade Were Members of The Legendary Sannin
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, taught a team of ninjas before he took the position as village leader. His team was bold, bright, and extremely powerful. During the Second Shinobi War, they became known as the Sannin.
The Sannin consisted of Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Each had connections to a great beast: Orochimaru had the snake, Tsunade the slug, and Jiraiya the toad. While they all had fairly different personalities, they were an unstoppable team and grew quite close to one another. Eventually, every Sannin member left Konoha and the shinobi life.
Neither Wanted To Be Hokage
Though Jiraiya and Tsunade were some of the strongest ninjas alive, they both resented the idea of being the head of Konohagakure. Jiraiya believed that he wasn't cut out for the job. However, it was more because of his dedication to his destiny. After all, a great toad told him that he would train the ninja who would go on to save the world. He couldn't risk distractions from his mission, even to be Hokage.
Tsunade didn't want to be Hokage because of her discomfort with Konoha. There, her brother and the love of her life had perished. She lost her family to shinobi life, which left her heartbroken. However, Tsunade eventually was convinced to come back and become Hokage.
Tsunade Refused To Let Jiraiya Confess His Feelings
Tsunade, along with most everyone in Konoha, was always very aware of Jiraiya's feelings for her. She considered him one of her closest friends, but for a very long time she never saw him that way. Her concern about their friendship was so serious that every time Jiraiya tried to confess his feelings, she'd punch him before he could get in a word.
Though she knew how he felt all along, Tsunade was dedicated to never letting his love of her make their friendship murky. In fact, she was so dedicated that she preferred knocking him out over letting him tell her that he loved her.
Jiraiya And Tsunade Have Complicated Relationships With Naruto
Jiraiya started off with a close bond with Naruto, as he was his godfather and Naruto's father's teacher. However, the relationship becomes more complicated when Jiraiya realizes that Naruto could be the child of prophecy -the one to save the world. He then becomes Naruto's teacher, too, and tries to lead him well.
When Tsunade meets Naruto, she thinks that he's just an annoying brat, as he's overexcited and belligerent. Her feelings about him change, though, when she sees that he's willing to put himself in danger to protect her, even though he's a young boy. While she may not be his biggest fan, she does respect him. Both soon learn that the young ninja is a lot more than he seems.
Jiraiya And Tsunade Have the Same Blood Type
The Sannin were a disturbingly close-knit group of ninjas. Even though they were very different, their separate journeys were very similar. Every member left Konoha, they each struggled with some aspect of shinobi life, and they all had connections to their great beast. This strong bond between them was so deep that even their bodies were connected.
Each Sannin had the same blood type: B. Down to the life running through their veins, these three ninjas are connected. While Team 7 has an impressive bond, they hardly compare to the relationship between the three infamous Sannin.
Tsunade And Jiraiya Were Deeply Troubled by Orochimaru's Dissent
Orochimaru always felt like an outsider in Konoha. Even in the tight-knit Sannin, he remained an oddity. Despite their differences, though, Tsunade and Jiraiya still cared quite a bit for him. Though they were constantly in disagreement, the three of them formed a sort of familial bond. Departing after the Second Shinobi War began the unraveling of the Sannin. This was also when Orochimaru began his unethical experiments.
Jiraiya was desperate to stop Orochimaru from running off after his crimes and left Konoha again to investigate. When, ultimately, Orochimaru's life was ended, both Tsunade and Jiraiya mourned in their own way for the team member they had lost. However, as the audience knows, this wasn't the last time that they would see Orochimaru.
Tsunade Gained Many Phobias After Losing Dan Katō
Losing Dan Katō irreparably destroyed much of Tsunade's psyche. It was the last straw that made her leave the shinobi order. However, it also gave her some phobias. When Tsunade found Dan, he was covered in blood. Seeing the love of her life like this gave her intense hemophobia. Since she was such a powerful healer, this became an immediate problem.
Also, losing him gave her a phobia of relationships. Tsunade refused to get close to anyone else for fear of losing them. After all, everyone else that she had loved either left town or perished. The world felt hardly safe enough to feel love for anyone else.
Jiraiya And Tsunade Bonded Over Their Vices
The Second Shinobi War left scars on many of its survivors. Orochimaru dealt with it by becoming obsessed with immortality, while Tsunade and Jiraiya turned to more conventional means of alcohol, gambling, and companionship.
When Tsunade and Jiraiya were reunited in Konoha, they had many years of pain and suffering between them. Though she still kept people at an arm's length, Tsunade shared her vices with Jiraiya. The two would sometimes go drinking together and Jiraiya knew much about her gambling habit. Similarly, Tsunade knew a lot about Jiraiya's love of women. Though their vices were sometimes detrimental, they grew a stronger bond because they came from a place of pain and were thus able to relate to one another.
Tsunade Wishes Jiraiya Could Return
During Naruto, many people were resurrected at various times. Some were more corporeal and permanent, while others were more like spirits who were sent there to assist the living. Kabuto summons deceased ninjas including Asuma Sarutobi, Hizashi Hyuga, and even Tsunade's beloved Dan Katō. While she still adores Dan and sees him as the love of her life, she also wishes that Jiraiya could return as well.
All those reincarnated by Kabuto are eventually returned to the spirit world, but the sentiment is felt by all. After all, Orochimaru has come back many times. Not only does Tsunade miss her close friend, but she also misses the good that Jiraiya did for the world.
Jiraiya Respected Tsunade's Love For Dan Katō
Jiraiya may consider Tsunade the love of his life, but he does respect her. When Tsunade falls in love with Dan Katō, Jiraiya doesn't take offense. He also doesn't try to win her over or break the two apart. Instead, he lets Tsunade be happy. He loves her so much that he's happy knowing that she's happy.
Jiraiya accepts leaving Konoha as his destiny and accepts that this may also mean Tsunade ends up loving someone else. While he'd be overjoyed to be with her, Jiraiya cares more about Tsunade's feelings than fulfilling his own goals. It's a refreshing respect that makes him a fantastic friend to her.
Tsunade Hated Jiraiya's Creepy Side
Between being members of the Sannin and spending so much time together, Tsunade and Jiraiya are very close friends. However, this doesn't mean that they agree on everything. For example, Jiraiya would like to date Tsunade and she would prefer if he talked less about women who he found attractive and wasn't such a creep. While Tsunade respects Jiraiya as a ninja, hero, traveler, teacher, and friend, she abhors his creepy behavior.
She thinks it's gross that he peeks on women. It's maddening to her when he writes about his smutty experiences and she can't stand his obsession with the female form. Tsunade may appreciate a lot about Jiraiya, but this side of him is certainly not an aspect that she enjoys.
Tsunade And Jiraiya Have Conflicted Feeling About Konoha
Konoha is a complicated subject for both Tsunade and Jiraiya. Tsunade struggles with Konoha because of her heritage and how everyone she loved in the village eventually passed on. Losing Dan Katō and her brother broke her, but her ancestors are the people who founded the village. Once she becomes Hokage, she knows that it is now her village to lead and protect, even if it brings back bad memories.
Jiraiya abandons Konoha to follow his destiny. It's his home, but he rarely stays there for a long time. While he knows that Tsunade is in the village, he also knows that there are many things about it that hurt her. It's what made him the ninja he is today, but it also witnessed the slow degradation of his teammates.
Tsunade Inspired Some Of His Writing
Jiraiya may be a ninja and traveler, but he's also a romantic novelist. One of his novels is found in early episodes of Naruto. It is the book that Kakashi reads while Team 7 trains. Jiraiya insists that the novels he writes are based on true life experiences, which makes them all the more interesting.
While a fair amount of the novels are inappropriate smut, there is some real romance between the pages. While Jiraiya may have had wild experiences with other women, all of his feelings of romance stem back to one person: Tsunade Senju. If he's honest about his books being based on real life, it's fair to assume all of the non-intimate romantic moments are based around how he feels for Tsunade.
All Sannin Left Konoha After the Second Shinobi War
When the Sannin fell apart as a group after the Second Shinobi War, they also fell apart as ninjas and as people. Jiraiya chose the heroic route, choosing to protect and teach some orphans after the war instead of going home. After this, he became a lone warrior, author, and traveler. Orochimaru fought for power and sought to become the next Hokage. However, he failed because of his growing tendency for cruelty. He was caught using young ninjas to further his unethical ambitions and had to flee Konoha.
Tsunade got her heart broken, as she lost many of the people closest to her, which fueled her hatred for the shinobi lifestyle. She lost faith in the ninja way after this and abandoned Konoha to find a new life, in which she took up gambling.
Tsunade And Jiraiya Are Modeled After Folklore Characters
The Sannin share the names of three characters of folklore. The main character of these stories is Jiraiya, the man who protects and can transform into a toad. He falls in love with the beautiful young woman named Tsunade, who is a master of slug magic. Jiraiya's arch-nemesis is a snake sorcerer named Orochimaru who once followed him.
Naruto draws upon this folklore for not only their names, but also their powers, personalities, and fates. Even in their namesake, Jiraiya is meant to love Tsunade. In the story, which is titled Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant, the two join forces and get married. Soon after they defeat the evil Orochimaru.
Jiraiya's Inappropriate Actions Frustrate Tsunade
Jiraiya did a lot that frustrated Tsunade. One of the main annoyances was his creepy tendencies towards women, but this wasn't the only way he acted inappropriately. Too often, Jiraiya tried to consistently confess his feelings to Tsunade.
He also shared his thoughts about women with students. He would frequent places with a lot of beautiful women just to watch them. Jiraiya also drank a lot. Tsunade herself was hardly perfect, but she tried to set a good example as Hokage. Jiraiya, however, felt no need to filter himself. As a friend, he was mildly annoying. As a leader, he was a great hero, though he set questionable examples in his personal life.
They Both Were Teachers of Team 7 Members
Team 7 was disbanded when Sasuke left Konoha for the Sound Village. Naruto and Sakura were left heartbroken and sought guidance from those around them. Their guidance came in the form of Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Sakura, who had powerful chakra, appreciated Tsunade's guidance and learned a lot from her. Tsunade was an amazing medic, after all. Naruto was starting to show the signs of his greater powers and needed to focus on training after losing his rival and teammate, so it was perfect timing when he met Jiraiya. Jiraiya was also Naruto's godfather and was seeking the child from the prophecy. Though he originally thought it might be Naruto's father, Minato, he soon realized that it was probably Naruto.
Tsunade Lost Everyone She Loved
The Second Shinobi War irreparably changed Tsunade. It resulted in her closest friends, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, leaving her side. Worse, though, it destroyed the two people she loved most in the world.
Her younger brother, Nawaki, was only twelve when his life was taken by an explosive trap. Shinobi Wars conscript all ninjas, no matter how young they are, and thus he was sent off to fight. Losing him devastated Tsunade. Then there was Dan Katō. Dan was a bright, hopeful ninja who dreamed of becoming Hokage and protecting Konoha. Tsunade fell deeply in love with him. However, he was fatally wounded during battle and Tsunade could not save him with her healing abilities.
Jiraiya Is Tsunade's Type
Tsunade falls in love with Dan Katō because he dreams of a better future for Konoha. Despite not being the strongest ninja, he hopes to become Hokage and make a difference in the world. His hopefulness and bright smile gave Tsunade new faith in the shinobi and Konoha, even though his passing would soon ruin this.
Similarly, Jiraiya only wants to save the world. Though he's goofier, odder, and gets on her nerves, he does carry that same hopefulness for the future - just with a more menacing smile. Losing Dan may have hardened Tsunade's heart, but she still has a soft spot for people selflessly wanting to make the world a better place.
Tsunade Tried To Save Jiraiya With Her Bad Luck
The last time Jiraiya saw Tsunade, they were both enjoying a night drinking together. They acted like the old friends they were, but by the end of the night, things got serious. The next day, Jiraiya would be traveling to fight a terrible foe.
Tsunade was very anxious and afraid of losing her close friend. Jiraiya was the only person she had left and he understood her best. Jokingly, Jiraiya suggested that she should bet on him losing since she never won any bets. She did and truly hoped she would see him again. However, unfortunately, she won her first bet.
Jiraiya Would Have Left Konoha Even If Tsunade Loved Him
Jiraiya loved Tsunade more than anyone else. However, he was far more dedicated to his destiny. Even if Tsunade had loved him back, he always would have left Konoha.
The Great Toad Sage foresaw that Jiraiya would either train the child of prophecy who saved the world or who destroyed it. He believed in that wisdom and knew that he had to do his best to find that child and be the best teacher. Jiraiya couldn't let the world combust around Tsunade just because he loved her. After all, that would be the worst way to protect her, even if it meant ensuring that she may never love him back.