As the Emperor was of a very young age, the kind of cruel acts we see in "Shoki" (short for Nihonshoki) are considered impossible, though there are various theories about the age of Emperor Buretsu.
また、天皇は幼若年であったことから『書紀』に見るような暴虐は無理があるとされ、武烈天皇の年齢についても諸説ある。