Naruto Theory: One Overpowered Summon Even Orochimaru Fears Is the Direct Descendant of a Tailed Beast

A Naruto theory explores why Monkey King Enma’s power shook Orochimaru and whether the Third Hokage’s summon traces back to a tailed beast.

Follow Login to Follow ×

SUMMARY

ELI5 Read Next

The Summoning Technique (Kuchiyose no Jutsu) is one of Naruto’s most fearsome skills. It’s a blood-sealed contract that lets a shinobi call a living legend into battle. When Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Monkey King Enma during the Konoha Crush, it wasn’t a routine appearance. Enma fought like an old warrior, matching Orochimaru blow for blow, shifting into an adamantine staff and thinking on his feet.

Watching him block the Kusanagi and disrupt Orochimaru’s plan made one thing plain: Enma wasn’t just useful, he was a game-changer, easily one of the most dangerous summons in the whole series.

Meanwhile, fans have often wondered about his true origin and whether Enma’s strength traces back to something far more ancient than a standard summoning contract. An explosive fan theory circulating across Naruto communities argues that the summon most feared even by Orochimaru could be a descendant of a tailed beast. 

Why Enma’s Origins May Trace Back to a Tailed Beast

There are three connected reasons fandom frequently draws a line between Enma and the Four-Tails. First, Enma is literally called a monkey king figure in the series’ lore, and Son Goku’s design is explicitly monkey-like. Second, the name Son Goku itself is the Japanese reading of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King from Journey to the West), and Masashi Kishimoto’s work repeatedly borrows from that tradition.

Meaning Naruto’s monkey imagery is not accidental. Third, the Four-Tails’ own temperament and appearance (a red-furred, horned ape with a gorilla-like build) make the idea of a monkey lineage more susceptible. 

This is where caution matters. Official Naruto sources identify Enma as a summoned monkey king contracted to the Sarutobi line. They do not state Enma is a tailed beast or descended from one. The series separately identifies Son Goku as the Four-Tails tailed beast sealed in Roshi. Summoning mechanics in Naruto require blood contracts and chakra offerings, and those rules explain how Hiruzen could call Enma and how Edo Tensei residua still enabled summons. 

But they do not provide a textual bridge that turns a summon into a tailed beast descendant. So the “direct descendant” claim is not stated by Kishimoto or the manga/anime canon. It remains an interpretive fan theory built from parallels and symbolism. Meanwhile, some Reddit threads and long-form fan posts have amplified the idea, pointing to thematic echoes in design, naming, and behavior. 

Comment
byu/AlmostHeisman from discussion
inNaruto

Comment
byu/AlmostHeisman from discussion
inNaruto

The Clash That Revealed Enma’s True Threat Level

During the Konoha Crush arc, Orochimaru uses Edo Tensei (the Reanimation Jutsu) to bring the First and Second Hokage back as fighting allies. They appear on the battlefield to help him and quickly turn the fight into a deadly struggle. Hiruzen (the Third Hokage) responds by calling his contracted summon, Monkey King Enma.

During the duel, Enma attempts to stop Orochimaru’s sword (the Kusanagi) by transforming into the Adamantine Staff. Despite Enma’s defense, Orochimaru manages to stab Hiruzen in the back by extending his sword through the staff. Hiruzen gets badly injured and still manages to perform the “Dead Demon Consuming Seal” to seal the souls of the First and Second Hokage. Doing so, he also targets the part of Orochimaru’s spirit tied to his arms. 

Hiruzen dies after completing the seal, and Orochimaru is left physically crippled. That moment is widely read as proof of Enma’s exceptional combat worth, as his presence made everything difficult for Orochimaru. Furthermore, in the anime, after Hiruzen dies, Enma disappears with the Kusanagi Sword. This proved that Enma was more than just a summoning jutsu and could think on his feet like a shinobi. 

Meanwhile, the Enma–Son Goku theory lets fans theorize why Enma’s presence can feel as consequential as a tailed beast entering a fight. At the same time, the theory contradicts the clear distinction the series draws between summons and tailed beasts. Hence, the hypothesis functions better as a creative reinterpretation than a corrective to canon.

For those who prefer hard facts, the official record is the final arbiter. For the rest of us, this particular theory is a satisfying way to read Kishimoto’s love of classical myth into the Naruto cosmos. Either way, the image of Enma standing toe to toe against Orochimaru’s ambitions remains one of the series’ most memorable moments. 

Was the Third Hokage’s deadliest summon more than just a contract? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden are streaming globally on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

🎮 Take a short break — play a quick game