Many characters in Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto franchise have special name, but what does Sannin mean? In the world of Naruto, plenty of characters are otherwise known by nicknames, some of which are inspired by their personality traits or appearance and others that reference their skills. Kushina Uzumaki, for example, earned the title Red Hot-Blooded Habanero for her quick temper and fiery red hair while Minato Namikaze is known as the Yellow Flash because he’s one of the fastest ninjas in the Naruto universe.
Old friends and former teammates Jiraiya and Tsunade have many nicknames in Naruto too. Jiraiya is known as the Toad Sage – thanks to his ability to summon toads at will – and as the Pervy Sage, which refers to the fact he’s a self-dubbed ladies’ man. Tsunade, meanwhile, is sometimes referred to as the Slug Queen (a nod to her slug summoning abilities) and the Legendary Sucker because of her infamous bad luck. However, together with their fellow former ninja teammate Orochimaru, they’re also collectively known by another name.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade came together many years before the main Naruto timeline after they graduated from Konoha’s Ninja Academy and started training as a team under the guidance of their village’s then-Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. Though the trio were wildly different in terms of their personalities, they all showed immense promise and prowess as ninjas. They disbanded once their training was complete but reunited during the Second Shinobi World War which is when they earned their collective nickname, the Legendary Sannin. But what does Sannin actually mean in Naruto?
Sannin translates to “three ninja” which means that Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade’s nickname is literally the “Legendary Three Ninja.” The Legendary Sannin moniker was bestowed upon the trio by Amegakure’s then-leader Hanzo during the Second Shinobi World War after they emerged as the only Konoha ninja to survive one of his devastating attacks. However, the battle that earned the Sannin this title was also the last one they fought together side-by-side.
The horrors of the Second Shinobi World War affected each of the Legendary Sannin greatly and the trio went their separate ways again. Jiraiya opted to stay in Amegakure to look after children orphaned by the conflict, Orochimaru was eventually exiled from Konoha for his criminal activities and Tsunade chose to abandon the ninja life entirely after losing her boyfriend and younger brother during the war. Nevertheless, the nickname stuck and their status as some of the most powerful ninja in Naruto was cemented.