Gantetsu (Iwagakure) in Naruto

Very little is known about Gantetsu’s childhood and past as his heritage is still shrouded in mystery. Due to his limited appearances in the series, close to nothing is known about his lineage or background other than the fact that he used to be chunin-ranked shinobi of Iwagakure but at some point, cut his ties with his village and was branded as a rogue shinobi. He also claimed that he was feared among lands as the Legendary Dark Shinobi. After defecting, he, along with Choseki, came to Tanzaku Quarters to live a more luxurious life.

Gantetsu first appeared in the Search for Tsunade Arc. In this arc, Gantetsu and his accomplice, Choseki, crossed paths with Naruto Uzumaki and Jiraiya, one of the Sannin of Konoha, in Tanzaku Quarters. Naruto mistakenly threw food on Gantetsu, dirtying his clothes. Seeing this, Choseki lost his temper and started yelling at Naruto asking him to pay an outrageous amount for it. When Naruto and Jiraiya refused, he tried to intimidate them by stating that his boss, Gantetsu, is a renowned shinobi formerly aligned with Iwagakure. Jiraiya used this opportunity to show Naruto a new jutsu while teaching Gantetsu and Choseki a lesson. Jiraiya then sent Gantetsu flying with his Rasengan, ending their dispute. Later, Jiraiya took Gantetsu’s money to pay Kazabune, a traveling salesman, for destroying his cart.

Gantetsu has not appeared since this incident and thus his absence makes it impossible to say for sure whether he is dead or alive. He is currently assumed to be alive and well unless any information indicates otherwise.

Gantetsu is rude and in over his head. He thinks of himself as above others and is very arrogant, taking great pride in his self-proclaimed status. He also has a short temper and is quick to attack others if he doesn’t get his way.

It also seemed that he craves a luxurious life, as he claimed himself, and would spend huge sums of money for it, as evidenced by his expensive designer outfit.

Gantetsu is a tall man with a fair skin tone, short, black spikey hair, small dark eyes, and thin eyebrows. He was dressed in a white suit with a high-collared jacket, a yellow shirt, and a blue tie underneath, paired with black shoes.

Although Gantetsu is stated to be a chunin-rank shinobi, he never displayed his combat abilities. If he is a chunin-rank shinobi as claimed, he is surely a skilled ninja of his own accord. Nonetheless, his potential as a ninja is still unknown.

In addition to the Naruto manga and its anime adaptation, Gantetsu also appears in a Naruto game with the title, Naruto: The Broken Bonds.

In the anime, Gantetsu gave his wallet to Jiraiya out of respect, whereas Jiraiya steals it in the manga.