Why was the Proctor sick during the Chunin Exams in Naruto? Hayate Gekko's condition explained

For a long time, Naruto fans wondered about what was going on with Hayate Gekko, who was the proctor of the Chunin Exams and oversaw the fights, which included Naruto.

He was a Jonin, the same rank as Might Guy, and was reported to be skilled in Kenjutsu and Shadow Clone techniques. However, he was often said to be sick, and was often coughing during the arc.

Naruto is a long-running anime and manga series, made by Masashi Kishimoto in 1999, with an expansive list of characters. The world of Naruto is filled to the brim with all kinds of ninja, and Kishimoto has made some pretty strong shinobi.

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Why was Proctor Hayate Gekko from Naruto sick?

During the events of the Chunin arc, Hayate Gekko was often seen coughing, had bags under his eyes, and didn't always appear to be at his healthiest. Which is surprising, given that he is a young man in the prime of his life.

But seeing how he died in the first major battle of his life may indicate that his sickness may have been a recent condition.

With the Ninja Exam’s strict requirements, many of which can result in instant failure (such as being caught cheating on an exam), Hayate Gekko must be capable enough to pass and advance to the rank of Jonin.

There are many crazy characters in Naruto, some of whom have much worse conditions than Gekko. They possesed some kind of strange ability to offset their weakness. Gekko, by contrast, is fairly normal for a ninja, with no special skills aside from his sword and shadow clone techinques.

What was the sickness?

So, what could his sickness be? There are a few rumors and ideas. One being that it was a life-long condition that only worsened with age, and with his coughing and constant eye bags, he may have had some kind of early tuberculosis.

Given his swordsmanship, it may be possible his character was inspired by Okita Soji. He was a real-life swordsman from the Shinsengumi who was also stricken with a terrible cough that eventually took his life.

Or, as said before, it is possible it was a recent condition, as Hayate Gekko doesn't seem terribly bothered by it, and may have just caught a common cold. A third theory is that he just isn't good at taking care of himself, and his health has suffered as a result.

The strangest part is that his sickness has otherwise gone unmentioned except for one instance.

Despite his sickness, though, it is worth mentioning that Hayate is a capable ninja, and was among those who prevented Neji from harming Hinata any further and took part in the defense of the Leaf Village. It was also mentioned that he was the one who taught Yugao Uzuki swordsmanship, and was mentioned to be on good terms with the other older ninja, which included Kakashi.

So, while his sickness may have been apparent during his short appearance during the Naruto franchise, he has been popular with the fans, and many enjoyed his stay while it lasted.