It's impossible to discuss the greatest shōnen shows of all time without mentioning the massively popular series Naruto. From the beginning, Naruto captivated readers everywhere in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, proving itself to be one of the more innovative shōnen titles by crafting an intricate world of super-powered ninja. With Naruto Uzumaki leading the charge, fans of both the manga and anime watched as the titular character and his friends grew as ninjas, with some of them standing as most powerful in the land at the end of it all.
Naruto starts off fairly tame, with every ninja having access to only a handful of elemental-based jutsu. However, through the time skip and after the Fourth Great Ninja War, power creep made some of the characters overpowered. By the end, there was a clear gap between the most powerful ninja on the show and everyone else.
Updated by Sage Ashford on April 15th, 2024: Naruto introduces some incredibly powerful ninja throughout its run. While Naruto and Sasuke remain two of the strongest, many of the Kages wield power that has earned them a mention among the strongest around. We've added several more of the strongest ninja following the end of the series, and updated this list with more information about the mark they left on the ninja world.
15 Kakashi Hatake Is A Master Of Countless Ninjutsu
Like Naruto, Kakashi Hatake overcame a troubled childhood to become beloved by the village. He excelled in the Ninja Academy, and trained under Minato Namikaze to sharpen his skills. However, what really earned him a noteworthy spot in the ninja world was when he had his childhood friend's Sharingan implanted in his eye. With that Sharingan, Kakashi became known as the Copy-Ninja, learning over a thousand different ninjutsu.
While Kakashi has weaker chakra in Naruto, years of training increases his chakra reserves several times over. Thanks to this, he's able to use some of his more powerful attacks, like Purple Electricity or his special Chidori, multiple times in a day. Kakashi's legend grew throughout Naruto as he battled the Akatsuki, Obito, and eventually Kaguya Otsutsuki.
14 Orochimaru Went To Any Lengths To Attain Ultimate Power
Unsurprisingly, a ninja willing to go to any lengths for power would be one of the most powerful. Originally, Orochimaru seemed like the main villain of Naruto, but faded into the background as older villains with grander aims appeared. Nonetheless, he's still one of the three Sannin, boasting experience from prior Great Shinobi Wars and a genius in battle.
Orochimaru has proven capable of fighting Naruto while he was manifesting multiple tails, and battled Sasuke after he mastered the Cursed Seal's power. He's spent years experimenting on himself and others to gain new jutsu and increase his chakra, even at the cost of other shinobi. While he doesn't match up against the highest end of ninja, his treachery and experience still make him a danger to most.
13 Onoki's Dust Release Jutsu Makes Him A Terrifying Opponent
Despite his age, Onoki is still one of the strongest warriors the Hidden Stone Village has ever created. Though he looks tiny and unimposing, his mastery of so many elements makes him fearsome. By combining Fire and Earth, he became a master of the Lava Release technique, but somehow the ability to shoot lava at a person isn't even the most impressive thing he can do. Merging Earth, Fire, and Wind together grants him Dust Release, the only Kekkai Tota in existence. With Dust Release, Onoki can vaporize nearly anything he targets with ease.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Onoki's Dust Release technique was invaluable, with even Madara himself recognizing what a danger he could be. During the battle, his Dust Release technique saves the ninja army several times, including reducing Madara's army of Susanoo-covered clones to nothing. Onoki's true limitation is that it's difficult for him to fight for long periods because of his advanced age.
12 Gaara Earned The Respect Of His Village By Protecting It With His Power
Originally shown as an example of how Jinchuriki are mistreated despite their power, Gaara experienced one of the best character arcs in Naruto. He made his first appearance in the Chunin Exams as a prodigy ninja, where Gaara had some of his biggest achievements by defeating several of Konoha's best genin. Enemies like Rock Lee and even Sasuke Uchiha stood no chance against his powerful sand ninjutsu.
After the time-skip, Gaara grew in power, and used the lessons he learned from his battle with Naruto to become the Kazekage. While Gaara doesn't still have Shukaku inside him, his own skills as a ninja rival some of the most powerful ninja. Even during the Fourth Shinobi War, his defensive sand abilities and transportation skills were invaluable in battle against Madara and all the other resurrected ninja.
11 Fourth Raikage Was Trained From Birth To Lead His Village
The Fourth Raikage might be one of the most dangerous warriors of any village. The son of the third Raikage, Ay was trained from birth to take over the position of leading the Hidden Cloud Village. He's a strict leader, but a fierce and relentless warrior who challenged both Naruto and Sasuke at one point. In fact, the Raikage was more than a challenge for Sasuke--overwhelming the warrior with his lightning techniques and powerful wrestling-focused taijutsu.
While his battle with Sasuke cost him his arm, the Fourth was still one of the strongest warriors during the Fourth Great Ninja War. He maintained the same ferocity battling the army of resurrected former ninja, and wasn't afraid to battle against Madara, even when none of them stood a chance.
10 Killer B Showed The True Potential Of The Jinchuriki
The Jinchuriki of the Eight Tails, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Killer B is one of the strongest ninja in the Narutoverse. Though he might act sillier than people expect from a world-class ninja, this makes it that much easier for him to catch opponents off-guard. His unconventional fighting style allows him to use eight different swords at once, and he excels at fighting multiple opponents. His first appearance in Shipuuden involved him easily beating Sasuke and the rest of his allies in Taka--the only reason any of them survived is because of Karin's healing jutsu.
Killer B has always shown the ability to fight at the level of the best of the best, even if he can't directly beat them. He's shown speed near the Fourth Hokage's level and strength surpassing his brother, one of the strongest ninja in the world. His close relationship with the Eight Tails means he's one of the strongest Jinchuriki in Naruto, and can transform or partially transform into Gyuki at will. This also gives him access to the incredible destructive power of the Tailed Beast Ball.
9 Minato Namikaze Is Still The Standard For Speed
The Yellow Flash is another legendary warrior from Konoha. Though his son eventually surpassed him in power, Minato was still recognized as one of the most powerful ninja of all time. It shouldn't come as a surprise that he became the Fourth Hokage given his abilities. His mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique surpassed even the Second Hokage, making him one of the fastest ninja who ever lived.
He also originated the Rasengan by copying the Tailed Beast Ball, creating his son's signature technique. With his power, Minato was able to fight the Nine-Tails head on, something only a handful of ninja could ever hope to do. Later, he also revealed he'd merged with half of the Nine-Tails power, and was capable of instantly accessing the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, making him a surprisingly talented Jinchuriki as well.
8 Itachi Uchiha Was A Genius Without Equal
The Uchiha clan has given rise to some of the most powerful fighters in Naruto. However, few were ever as impressive as Itachi Uchiha, a genius-level ninja who set records as the youngest ninja ever to do everything from graduating ninja academy to becoming a member of the Anbu. With this power, Itachi was able to bring down his entire clan for the sake of protecting his brother. Though this meant fighting dozens of other Uchiha, none of them were powerful enough to stop him.
Itachi could have easily reached greater heights without his illness or without his pacifist nature. He avoided conflict whenever possible, but still proved good enough to fight Naruto in his Nine-Tails Chakra mode. His control over multiple forms of nature transformations combined with his utter mastery of the Sharingan made him second only to Madara and his brother as a Uchiha member.
7 Hashirama Senju's Power Made Him Into The First Hokage
Hashirama was the original Hokage, and rightfully earned that title by being one of the strongest ninja to have ever lived. The reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki, Hashirama was the wielder of the Wood Release nature transformation, a mixture of Water and Earth that no other human was able to figure out. With these powers, Hashirama not only fought but was able to seal off most of the Tailed Beasts with zero help.
Hashirama is also the only ninja that Madara admitted he couldn't beat on his own. The Hokage has been shown to fight for a full day without getting tired, and can draw on the power of Sage Mode without needing any form of help. His Wood Release grows even more powerful in Sage Mode, allowing him to perform the stunning True Several Thousand Hands jutsu, which creates a massive wooden statue that can attack with thousands of hands at once.
6 Madara Uchiha Was The Greatest Threat During The Shinobi World War
Madara Uchiha is one of the most infamous figures in the world of Naruto. Though he was responsible for creating Konoha, Madara was known more for his twisted aims afterward, including being responsible for unleashing the Nine-Tails on Konoha Village. At his apex, there was only one ninja capable of fighting at Madara's level: the original Hokage, Hashirama Senju. However, even that changed when he was revived.
When Kabuto brought Madara back, he improved Madara to make him even stronger than he was before. With his youth and increased chakra reserves, Madara was able to single-handedly battle against all the shinobi from all the villages, including defeating the five Kage at the same time. He accomplished all that without even gaining the power of the Ten Tails, at which point only Might Guy with all Eight Gates open stood a chance against him.
5 Obito Uchiha Attained The Limitless Power Of The Ten Tails
Few people could've predicted that the main antagonist of Naruto was going to be Kakashi's childhood friend. Training under Madara however allowed him to excel, establishing him as one of the most powerful ninja in Naruto. He surpassed his former friend Kakashi, proving capable of fighting him and Naruto at the same time. Some part of this comes from him having the White Zetsu on his body, granting him extra chakra to make it easier for him to use more powerful ninjutsu.
Once he gained control of the Ten Tails, Obito's power was virtually limitless. With that power, he proved superior to all the prior Hokage in combat, fighting off several of them at once. It's really only because Naruto was able to get through to him that he didn't finish carrying out his plan.
4 Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki Created The Ninja World
It's impossible to discuss the strongest ninja in Naruto and not mention the Sage of the Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki. The first human born with chakra, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki founded the various arts of ninjutsu and created the ninja world itself. He single-handedly figured out how to create jutsu, wielding such power that he didn't even have to use hand signs. Moreover, he created ninshu, which was meant to connect other people through the power of chakra.
Near the end of the series, Hagoromo approached Naruto and Sasuke during their hour of need, allowing them to also reach new heights of power with one of his gifts. Hagoromo was once acknowledged as the strongest ninja that ever lived, as it was only he and his brother Hamura who were able to fight Kaguya, and even Hamura admitted Hagoromo was his superior. After beating Kaguya, Hagoromo also sealed off the power of the Ten-Tails within himself, making him into the original Jinchuriki.
3 Sasuke Uchiha Carries On The Name Of The Proud Uchiha Clan
The last member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke makes it a point to become one of the most powerful ninja that ever lived. First, to be strong enough to defeat his brother Itachi. Later, to bring down Konoha and the ninja world for forcing his brother to destroy his own family. Sasuke's quest for power drove him to extreme depths, even risking himself by seeking out Orochimaru to gain his power.
Sasuke's dark quest paid off, however. He mastered all the techniques of the Sharingan, reaching a level that only the most powerful Uchiha before him attained. By the end of the series, he was the only character left truly strong enough to fight Naruto evenly. Whatever remaining doubts people had about Sasuke's skills should have been dispelled after he received a power-up from the Sage of the Six Paths himself.
2 Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Was The Original Wielder Of Chakra
The original wielder of chakra on Earth, Kaguya Otsutsuki is one of the most powerful characters to ever grace the Naruto universe. Having existed for centuries, she came to Earth for the purpose of developing the God Tree for her people, only to consume its fruit herself. With that power, Kaguya ended all conflict on Earth and was revered as a goddess for years. Still though, her greed for power caused her to turn on her own children, Hagoromo and Hamura.
Her power is seemingly limitless, with her being able to absorb knowledge of jutsu just from a single encounter. She wields not just the Byakugan, but the merged Rinnegan and Sharigan which grants her the powers of both at the same time. In combat, she's shown herself capable of fighting both Naruto and Sasuke evenly, and once fought both her children for months on end before they figured out a way to seal her away.
1 Naruto Uzumaki Has Mastered The Power Of The Nine-Tails
It's impossible to look at Naruto as anything less than the most powerful character alive by the end of the series. The titular protagonist has seen massive levels of development — both physical and emotional — since the very start of the series, growing into a character with immense power, strong emotions, and ironclad values that would see him through every battle he ever took part in. His rivalry with Sasuke is the stuff of legends, and it eclipses in what is easily one of the greatest battles in the history of shonen.
By the end of the series, Naruto and Kurama have become allies, allowing him to draw on the power of the Nine-Tails whenever he wants. He has access to multiple Jinchuriki forms, including the incredibly powerful Nine-Tails Chakra Kurama Mode, which lets him use the Nine-Tails chakra even in human form. He's also taken on the power of the Sage of the Six Paths to raise his power even further. Most ninja can't even dream of his level of power.
