The Naruto series is one of the most beloved and most popular anime of all time. The series has spawned three different anime runs, a couple of movies, and a handful of video games. A lot of people fell in love with the series' heart, incredible arcs, and of course, the loveable characters. At the top of the chain of Konoha's ninjas are the Hokages, the most powerful ninja in the village. They are the village's leaders and are often considered to be the most powerful ninjas of the village of their time.
Every ninja in Naruto who has held the title of Hokage is remarkably strong — the strongest usually by huge margins. A ninja doesn't become a Hokage based on popularity alone. They ultimately have to be the main protector of their village, after all. However, for the sake of argument and entertainment, ranking these powerful Hokage is a plausible task. Regardless of what their relative strength may be, there's no denying that each and every one of these shinobi can decimate their opposition if they decide to get serious.
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Updated on July 7, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Naruto is one of the most legendary anime of all time, and it's easy to see why people can't get enough of the rich world Kishimoto has helped create. The show may have lost its footing in the latter stages, but that should take nothing away from the way that Naruto hooked viewers from the get-go and never let up. The Leaf Village will become a second home for many, and the many strong Hokage in Naruto have done a great job of justifying their position as the head of the village. These Hokage need to be as powerful as possible to save the village in the event that things take a turn for the worse.
Special Mention: Danzo Shimura
- Debut Episode: Return of the Kazekage (Episode 32 of Naruto: Shippuden)
Technically, Danzo should not qualify for the position of Hokage. He cheated his way to the top and tried to manipulate events during the Five Kage Summit to adhere to his demands. After being outed for his subtle application of genjutsu, his experiments on the Uchiha clan and the Sharingan were also revealed, showing him to be a heinous criminal who was unceremoniously stripped of his position as the Hokage.
To top it all off, Danzo engaged in battle with a revenge-hungry Sasuke, who was out for his blood after learning about his role in killing off the Uchiha clan and turning Itachi into a criminal. The battle was an intense one, although it must be said that Danzo would have been toast in record time if he didn't have numerous Sharingan eyes implanted in his arm. Without this augmented strength, many people would argue that he's far from the strongest Hokage in Naruto.
7 Kakashi Hatake
The Copy Ninja May Have Lost His Iconic Sharingan, But He's Still Powerful
- Debut Episode: Sasuke and Sakura: Friends or Foes? (Episode 3 of Naruto)
Kakashi Hatake is the Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. Kakashi goes by many monikers, including the Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, and Cold-Bloodied Kakashi. He is considered by many to be one of the most talented Ninjas of his time. He became a Jonin at a very young age, and became a war hero at just the age of 12. His chakra mastery was already impressive, even before he possessed the Sharingan.
The only thing that holds Kakashi back is his dislike for responsibility. Yet, this is always something that's placed on him because of his natural talents and his proclivity toward leadership. This is exactly why he was chosen to be Tsunade's successor when she chose to step down after the Fourth Shinobi World War.
This elite ninja was a pioneer of jutsu, creating one of the best close-combat techniques to ever be seen in the Hidden Leaf Village: the Chidori. This attack consists of the wielder concentrating lightning-element charka into their palm and using the wild bolts emitted as a portable bolt of electricity that the shinobi can use to strike and shock foes. As things stand, the lack of his iconic Sharingan means that Kakashi doesn't boast the power that made him such a force to be reckoned with. He can give any powerful enemy a run for his money, but most fans would agree that he wouldn't have been such a powerful Hokage in Naruto if he couldn't rely on his borrowed Sharingan.
6 Tsunade Senju
Never Wins a Fight, Despite Impressive Chakra Control And Strength
- Debut Episode: Jiraiya: Naruto's Potential Disaster! (Episode 83 of Naruto)
Tsunade Senju is the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. She is one-third of Konoha's Sannin and is regarded as the most powerful kunoichi and greatest medical ninja of her time. Tsunade was a valuable asset to the village during the Second Shinobi World War, not only for her strength and skill in combat but also for her medical talents. It is widely believed that Tsuande's efforts allowed Konoha to win the war.
Tsunade, being a descendant of both the Senju and Uzumaki, is a woman of immense chakra. Most of her jutsu also require incredible chakra control. She is both an offensive and defensive combatant, which makes her extremely formidable against those who would stand in her way. Her medical ninjutsu was very instrumental in the survival of the Five Kages during the battle against Madara.
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The lady Hokage is nearly undefeatable in open combat thanks to the Ninja Art Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique. This allows Tsunade to heal from any wound immensely quickly, regardless of the severity. She was impaled with greatswords through her torso while using this technique, and was able to regenerate all the damaged tissue in mere seconds. Despite failing to win a single battle over the course of the series' run, Tsunade is certainly a strong Hokage in Naruto who deserves all her plaudits.
5 Minato Namikaze
Konoha's Yellow Flash And One Of The Fastest Ninjas Of All Time
- Debut Episode: Enter: Naruto Uzumaki! (Episode 1 of Naruto)
Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash, was the Fourth Hokage. He was instrumental in ending the Third Shinobi World War. Minato was one of the most powerful shinobi — and Hokage — of his time, perhaps even in history. During the war, shinobi from other villages were given flee-on-sight orders should they happen to encounter Minato. This, for the most part, proved futile. At one point, Minato managed to single-handedly eliminate a thousand ninjas, forcing the enemies to accept Konoha's peace treaty. It's easy to see why many people consider him to be one of the strongest Hokage in Naruto.
Minato was appointed as Hokage for his efforts during the war. Unfortunately, his reign was short-lived. He ultimately gave his life defending the village and his newborn son against the rampaging Nine-Tailed Beast. A lot of fans believe that if Minato had lived longer, he would have honed his skills more, making him an even more powerful ninja.
The Yellow Flash improved many already powerful jutsu. However, arguably his greatest contribution to the world of ninja techniques is the Rasengan. This ball of concentrated energy held in the wielder's hand acts as a multipurpose offensive tool that can be used at melee range for devastating effects. Like the Tailed Beast Bomb attack it was based on, it can also be thrown to critically damage anything it touches.
4 Hiruzen Sarutobi
A Talented Shinobi Who Mastered All Forms Of Jutsu
- Debut Episode: Enter: Naruto Uzumaki! (Episode 1 of Naruto)
Hiruzen Sarutobi is Konoha's Third Hokage. Hiruzen had the luxury of being trained by both Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju when he was young. This was due to his prodigious talents, which came to light quickly when he was still a student. Hiruzen was also the mentor of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who ended up becoming the legendary Sannin. It takes real bravery to sacrifice one's life to save the village they've sworn to protect. Hiruzen's selfless act at the end of the Chunin Exams makes him one of the strongest Hokage in Naruto when people talk about the principle of being a protector of Hidden Leaf.
Like the First Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi earned the nickname of "God of Shinobi" and "The Professor" because of his mastery of all skillsets, combat forms, and nature transformations. When Hiruzen was Hokage, he was often regarded as the most powerful Kage of his time. Hiruzen was incredibly powerful during his prime. His chakra reserves started to deteriorate as he grew older; however, he was still widely powerful. He was even able to keep Orochimaru at bay, who was still in his prime.
One of the techniques that The Professor used to great effect was known as Dead Summoning Consuming Soul, which is used to summon a shinigami (a god of death) and use their power to either steal someone's soul or seal them in some extremely debilitating way, such as when Hiruzen fought Orochimaru.
3 Tobirama Senju
The Second Hokage Who Devised Many Jutsu
- Debut Episode: Village in Distress: A New A-Ranked Mission! (Episode 69 of Naruto)
Tobirama Senju was Kohona's Second Hokage, who ascended to this position after the death of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. Despite not being as powerful as his older brother, Tobirama was equally, if not more feared because of his tactics and political eloquence. Tobirama ensured that the village's system would become more and more stable during his time as Hokage.
Tobirama's ninjutsu mastery is nothing short of phenomenal. He was able to manipulate all five basic nature transformations, but his mastery of Water Release was particularly unparalleled. Tobirama also created some of the most powerful and dangerous jutsu, such as the Flying Thunder God Technique, Impure World Reincarnation, and Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
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The Flying Thunder God Technique is a type of space-time ninjutsu that allows the user to essentially teleport between marked locations, objects, and people. However, to mark a target, the wielder of this technique must place a formula written in chakra upon it. These formulas can be used seemingly infinitely and don't seem to wear off as they require virtually no chakra to maintain. He may seem a bit cruel at times, but Tobirama is easily one of the strongest Hokage in Naruto. The several ninjutsu that he has invented all play a major role in the modern narrative of the series.
2 Hashirama Senju
The First Hokage Whose Use Of Wood Release Is Legendary
- Debut Episode: Village in Distress: A New A-Ranked Mission! (Episode 69 of Naruto)
Hashirama Senju is one of the key figures responsible for the founding of Konohagakure and the village system in general. He went on to become the village's first Hokage. He was hailed as the "God of Shinobi" for his incredible powers, which were unmatched by anyone of his time. Hashirama is also regarded as one of the most powerful shinobi in history. Madara, who even had the Nine-Tailed Beast under his whim, was still unable to defeat Hashirama. Using his unique powers and chakra mastery, Hashirama also managed to subdue eight of the nine-tailed beasts by himself.
Hashirama Senju was a reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki, which gave him a powerful life force and physical energy. At one point during his prime, Hashirama's immense power allowed him to fight for twenty-four hours straight.
One of Hashirama's most powerful techniques was Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, which created a huge statue the size of a Tailed Beast that possessed thousands of stone arms with which to assault foes. A colossal titan on the battlefield, this ninja art allowed the First Hokage to dominate full-scale conflicts by himself. It's easy to see why many consider this character the strongest Hokage in Naruto, even if there may be one person who has finally surpassed this man's legacy.
1 Naruto Uzumaki
Can Use Every Tailed Beast's Chakra
- Debut Episode: Enter: Naruto Uzumaki! (Episode 1 of Naruto)
Was there ever any doubt? Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, is without a doubt the most powerful shinobi to hold the title. Although his earliest years as a ninja were unimpressive, he slowly but surely built more strength and skill through will and determination. Naruto was also able to learn and use powerful techniques that were way above his presumed skill level, like the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the Rasengan. All of these achievements and many more have cemented Naruto's reputation as the strongest Hokage in Naruto.
Like the First Hokage, Naruto is also a reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki. He is a master of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and senjutsu. Naruto also received powers directly from the Sage of Six Paths, which allows him to use the Six Paths Sage Mode. Naruto's abilities and powers only grew as he became an adult. He is even able to go toe-to-toe against those who are considered gods in this universe.
Building off of the Rasengan technique created by his father Minato, Naruto added wind nature into the chakra of his Rasengan to turn it into an ethereal fuma shuriken capable of dealing more damage than the Rasengan. This destructive handheld hurricane he named the Rasenshuriken, which is likely the strongest version of the Tailed-Beast Bomb to be created.
Naruto
Animation
Action
Adventure
- Release Date
- October 2, 2002
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
