Naruto stars the titular rambunctious orphan who dreams of becoming Hokage someday to bring peace to the land and prove himself as a great shinobi. Along the way, Naruto trained under a variety of mentors, from his squad leader Kakashi Hatake to the toad sage himself, Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin.
Naruto's teachers each had their own distinct personalities, and they can be best described with their astrological signs. Jiraiya was born under the sign Scorpio, one of the three water signs in astrological lore. Here's what this means for Jiraiya's character and how he embodies his sign throughout Naruto.
Scorpio, The Astrological Sign Of The Scorpion
Jiraiya was born on November 11th, making him a Scorpio, the most intense and driven of the three water signs. Scorpio is represented by a scorpion, which may refer to their habit of "stinging" a problem or challenge with their focused mental energies and determination. Scorpios aren't as passionate as fire signs or as hardworking as earth signs, but they are adept at figuring out what they want and devising a clever plan to get it. It's almost like a fire/water hybrid sign, though Scorpios share the same emotional sensitivity and introverted nature as the other two water signs.
Scorpios are naturally curious and have a passion for knowledge that may lead them to explore a variety of topics of study, proving they aren't too single-minded about their goals. True, they will focus on a problem and "sting" it with all their might, but they are not one-track people by any means. They are also rather flexible and creative, as a true water sign, spending time on many pursuits without feeling the need to sting anything for a while. Put another way, Scorpios are curious and open-minded explorers until they find a topic of interest, then develop a goal and sting it with all their might.
Also known for their mysterious and aloof nature, Scorpios don't always let people into their lives easily, similar to how Cancers hide in their "shell" until they're ready to let a trusted person in. Scorpios will keep to themselves during their research, acting independently while stinging a challenging problem or project. At times, they can be too stubborn and narrow-minded when pursuing a project, so they must remember to maintain their flexible nature and learn to cooperate with others sometimes.
Jiraiya The Toad Sage As A Scorpio In Naruto
Many aspects of the Scorpio sign make it sound like the emblem of reclusive villains or mad scientists, but all twelve astrological signs are neutral. A person can embody them in positive or negative ways, as Naruto's Jiraiya demonstrates with his Scorpio sign. He was born a hero, even if he annoys people with his womanizing ways, and lives up to his sign's best traits more often than its worst. Jiraiya may be a goofball and rather extroverted by Scorpio standards, but when he's serious, he knows how to channel his natural astrological sign and prepare for the future.
Jiraiya is always up for another adventure, and is quick to sympathize with others and see their potential. Rather than killing the three Rain orphans, he mentored them and learned about who they are and the world that shaped them. At the same time, Jiraiya was dreaming of world peace and expressed this desire through his novels.
As a true Scorpio, he saw fit to wander the world and absorb any lessons he could to fuel his secret project; one day, he would finally "sting" the cycle of violence and hatred and end it. He never lived to see this goal completed, as the Six Paths of Pain killed him during the events of Naruto Shippuden. However, he left his notes behind for Naruto, who was inspired to confront Nagato and explain their shared teacher's dream of peace. This "talk jutsu" session worked, Jiraiya's project had come to fruition at last.
Jiraiya often kept people at arm's length, never opening up too easily about his innermost secrets, history or worldviews except with a few trusted individuals. To most people, Jiraiya presented himself as a goofy toad sage and womanizer while carefully hiding his true nature as a researcher and dreamer who sought to accomplish the impossible. In that sense, he was a benevolent and scheming scorpion who concealed himself with a false exterior, fitting the mysterious and aloof nature of most Scorpios. Only the most trustworthy people may see a Scorpio for who they really are, and Jiraiya did just that with Naruto. That's what allowed him to understand, and later accomplish, his mentor's fondest dream.
