If you are sad about Gojo’s death, please seek therapy from your friends who like Naruto. From Jiraiya to Itachi, Masashi Kishimoto never let fans feel a scarcity of emotional deaths. Naruto fans have been living with trust issues before trust issues were a thing.
So when Edo Tensei was later introduced in the series, the obvious question of fans was: Where was this technique when Jiraiya died? However, it is crucial for you to know that Jiraiya’s death had purpose, which would have been completely defeated, had he been revived.
In an interview regarding The Last: Naruto the Movie, Kishimoto explained why he never revived Jiraiya.
Why Masashi Kishimoto Never Brought Jiraiya Back With Edo-Tensei
Jiraiya is one of the most central characters in Naruto. He became a tutor to the future Hokage and guided him through life. With his light-hearted jokes and self-proclaimed perverted nature, he brought comic relief to the series as well.
Thus, his death was not well-received by fans, who marked it as one of the worst moments in Naruto. Killed by the Six Paths of Pain, he was tossed into the ocean to die. Jiraiya knew that he was walking into a battle from which he might not return.
However, his death matured Naruto and made him choose his own path. Jiraiya’s death was the moment when Naruto decided that he would not go down the path of vengeance like Sasuke did after the Uchiha’s clan massacre.
Masashi Kishimoto himself admitted that Jiraiya’s death played a huge role in Naruto’s overall development. Every death in Naruto has a deep meaning behind it. While Sasuke has experienced the death of his loved ones, Naruto has personally never been through it since he has always been an orphan.
For Naruto, not having anyone to care for him is the norm. Thus, as characters like Jiraiya were introduced, Naruto began to attach himself to them. Jiraiya’s death served as a way for Naruto to realize what Sasuke had been through.
Why Edo Tensei Was Never Used for Jiraiya in Naruto
The introduction of Edo Tensei was necessary to bring back Madara. Kishimoto needed a technique that could resurrect Madara but at the same time give him a huge advantage. He could not use the preexisting Rinne Tensei because it brought back a soul in its original body.
The problem with Madara’s original body was that it was mortal and could be easily killed again. However, with the help of Edo Tensei, he could not only receive a new vessel, but the host body would also be an extremely strong and immortal one.
This gave Madara an advantage in battle, without which he could have been killed quite easily. Edo Tensei not only gave Madara an indestructible vessel, but it also regenerated the body whenever it suffered any damage. If you have watched Naruto, you know how big of a pain in the buttocks it was to the shinobis.
Had Jiraiya been brought back with either Edo or Rinne Tensei, Naruto would have failed to process loss and loneliness.
You can watch Naruto on Crunchyroll and read the manga on Viz Media.
