Since the very beginning of the Naruto series, the word Hokage has been given tremendous importance, and rightly so. Simply put, Hokage is the title given to the leader of Konohagakure and is also someone generally considered to be the strongest of the village. Naruto's entire character arc focuses on him wanting to get the acknowledgment of the people of the village which plays into his decision to defy the odds and become Hokage.
As such, attaining the position of Hokage is made to be one of the biggest aspects of Naruto Uzumaki's story. Over the years, the story has introduced several Hokage, starting from the First and continuing onwards with the Seventh. Although one would expect the same things from every Hokage, the fact is that every single one of them has had their strengths and weaknesses. The Hokage aren't infallible and it takes more than just strength to assume what is the grandest position in the Naruto world.
The Many Hokage Of Konoha
Upon the formation of Konoha, Hashirama Senju was immediately chosen as the First Hokage and thus began a system that would soon be adopted by the rest of the shinobi villages as well. Hashirama assumed the position for quite some time and he did everything possible to maintain peace in the world but sadly, his role was only to lay the groundwork for the shinobi world as the fans know it today.
After his death in the First Great Ninja War, he was succeeded by the pragmatic Tobirama Senju. What made Tobirama a suitable candidate was his creative mind, using which he took what Hashirama handed over to him and made it better. The Academy, the Chunin Exams, and even the ANBU are some of his biggest contributions to the village.
Hiruzen found a balance between his two mentors and his incredible wisdom made him known as "The Professor." He served for many years and aided the village through two Shinobi World Wars, before appointing the legendary Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. While Minato ruled well, his greatest act was to sacrifice his life for the village, and years later, the Fifth Hokage restored order once again. Leading the village into the Fourth Great Ninja War and laying her life on the line on countless occasions, Tsunade Senju inherited everything good from the previous Kage but lacked the required power to fight the Akatsuki.
Evidently, becoming a good Hokage is a very complex job and even the previous Hokage of Konoha lacked something that would cement their legacy as the perfect Hokage. From a lack of strength in some cases to a lack of longevity to not showing the compassion that the position demanded, becoming the right Hokage is certainly not easy.
The Qualities Of A Good Kage
There is no denying that strength plays a massive role when it comes to picking the right person as the Hokage of the village and this has been highlighted from the very beginning of the story. Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, attained the position partly because he was a strong leader and Tobirama followed him because he was a worthy successor and a battle-hardened leader as well. However, becoming a good Hokage is much more than just being strong.
From the various Hokage that fans saw in the story, Hashirama Senju epitomized what a Hokage should be like the best. The First Hokage had the right temper for assuming the position and established what a true Hokage should be like. He established Konohagakure along with Madara Uchiha and laid the foundation for what a Hokage ought to do. This meant protecting his people with his life and even killing his best friend for the sake of the people in his village. To save lives, Hashirama even pleaded at the Five Kage Summit. All these qualities just go to show how incredible a leader he truly was.
However, Konohagakure has had its fair share of Hokage who didn't live up to the standards set by Hashirama Senju. Tobirama, for example, turned out to be a mixed bag. While there is no denying that his innovative mind is one of the many reasons why the shinobi villages are as successful as they are today, he also caused a lot of harm, particularly with his mistrust of the Uchiha clan. His dealings with the Uchiha in the past didn't let him see them in a different light and his careful planning of removing them from power eventually resulted in the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha's longest-serving Hokage, was quite an incredible leader and unlike Tobirama, he wasn't nearly as harsh with the Uchiha. However, Hiruzen giving the likes of Danzo a free hand and turning a blind eye to things quite a lot of the time also ended up being disastrous mistakes.
Yet, Hiruzen inherited something from Hashirama Senju considered to be key to making the right kind of Hokage in the Will of Fire. The likes of Hashirama and Hiruzen believed that love is the key to peace, which is why they treated the entire village as their families. The Will of Fire symbolizes the hope and dreams of one generation being passed on to the succeeding one and in doing so, puts the utmost importance on the "King," which is the next generation.
What makes a good Hokage, therefore, is finding a balance between Tobirama Senju's harshness and Hiruzen Sarutobi's softness, all the while believing in the principles of the Will of Fire laid down by Hashirama Senju. The right Hokage is strong but more importantly, knows what is good for the people of the village and lays his life on the line trying to protect the peace that his predecessors shed blood for. Thankfully, Konohagakure's Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki is an incredible leader who has strongly inherited Hiruzen's Will of Fire and it is safe to say that the village is in the safest possible hands with him at the helm.