Kage

Kage is a Japanese noun meaning shadow or silhouette, written with the kanji 影. In everyday Japanese, it can refer to a literal shadow or to a figurative shadowy presence.

As a cultural term, kage appears in literature and media to convey secrecy, anonymity, or the unseen. It is also used in compound words such as hokage and tsuchikage.

In popular culture, Kage is most commonly encountered as a component of the title Kage for the leaders of the five great ninja villages in Naruto: Hokage, Kazekage, Mizukage, Raikage, and Tsuchikage. The Kage are typically among the strongest shinobi in their village, and the suffix signifies their position as the village’s protective leadership, often operating from the shadows.

Outside anime, Kage is also used as a personal name or alias in various works of fiction, and can appear in Japanese media translated as Shadow or Shade.

In summary, Kage denotes shadow in Japanese and functions as a flexible term in names and titles, especially in media and storytelling.