Does Kakashi die in Naruto? Explained

Kakashi Hatake is one of the most iconic mentor characters in Naruto and all anime. From his hidden powers and impressive skill and strength to his mysterious background story and kind intentions, he is indeed a lovable character overall. But like most kind-hearted mentors in anime and fiction in general, for that matter, one can’t help but wonder if Kakashi’s dangerous line of work ultimately ends up leading him to an early grave.

Warning: Major spoilers for the events of Naruto Shippuden follow.

Does Kakashi die?

Kakashi is very much alive and well in the entirety of the Naruto animated series, the Boruto animated series, and all the manga in which he appears. He did, however, technically “die” during the events in Naruto: Shippuden wherein the leader of the Akatsuki clan, Pain, began invading Konoha with his subordinates and started a brutal all-out massacre.

Kakashi and many other residents of the Konoha village fell victim to Pain’s agenda, and during this invasion, Kakashi succumbed to his exhaustion after going through Pain’s attacks and met with his father in the afterlife. However, after Pain’s confrontation with Naruto, he decides to use all of his remaining power to revive all of those he killed in the battle at Konoha, including Kakashi.

Kakashi’s current status

So far in all the canonical series and manga, Kakashi lives and continues to live a more calming and healthy life but still goes into action whenever it is necessary for him. Unlike almost every other mentor character before him, Kakashi is indeed lucky enough to have lived and not die a gruesome death while in the midst of battle or end up permanently injured or crippled. In the latest Boruto anime and manga stories, it mostly focuses heavily more on their main characters than side characters of the previous franchise like Kakashi and Might Guy.