Raidō Namiashi is a Tokubetsu Jōnin from Konohagakure who's best known for being a bodyguard to the Third Hokage—a position that speaks volumes about his combat ability, even if fans rarely see him in actual extended fights. When he does show up, though, he holds his own. The Sound Four needed to activate their cursed seals just to take him down, which tells you something about his skill level.
His signature weapon is the Ebony Blade, a unique darkened katana with a non-reflective surface that he's used to effective (if brief) combat demonstrations. Most notably, he managed to fend off Kakuzu when Hidan and Kakuzu were going after Kotetsu and Izumo—a solid performance against a legitimately dangerous opponent.
The frustrating thing for fans is that Raidō never really gets extended screen time in a serious fight, so it's hard to gauge his full potential. Still, his background and the fact that he was trusted to protect the Hokage suggests he's a formidable fighter, even if the series never fully proves it.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
