Right now, Naruto is one of the biggest grossing animes to ever come out and one of the classic big three. When manga artist Masashi Kishimoto first started working on Naruto and published his first shot of the story in 1997, the manga reading community was still not as big. However, Naruto changed that, especially with its anime which has been a global hit. Almost every person has at least heard of Naruto if not watched it. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden combined has over 700 episodes which makes it one of the longest-running animes out there.
Naruto Uzumaki is the protagonist of the story, and his ultimate goal is to become the Hokage to protect his people. And he eventually does become one. Only the most powerful and persevering ninjas are able to get to that level of mastering their abilities. Besides the Hokage, four other leaders protect their villages and lands. However, not every Kage has the same amount of prowess. Throughout the series, we have seen how some have made more impact than others. So here in the article, we are ranking ten of the strongest Kage from Naruto.
1. Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto went from a troublemaker to the strongest Shinobi in the series. Growing up as an orphan who was ostracised, he just wanted to be noticed. But by the end of the series, he manages to fulfill his dream of protecting his village by becoming the strongest Hokage. He is the Hidden Leaf village’s seventh Hokage. After becoming partners with the nine-tailed beast trapped inside of him, Naruto manages to perfect his Jinchuriki.
The beast’s vast chakra also enhances Naruto’s strength greatly. He has several different jutsus at his disposal, which helped him take down God-like monsters like Kaguya Otsutsuki. The only ninja who is close to him in terms of strength is Sasuke Uchiha. It only makes sense since he is the protagonist of this series.
2. Hashirama Senju
Honestly, the first two spots on this list are interchangeable, in my opinion. Hashirama Senju was the first Hokage of Hidden Leaf village and one of the greatest to ever hold that position. He really set an example for his future generations. His abilities like Sage Mode and the Wood Release puts him in the topmost category when it comes to the Kage. Not only was Hashirama an amazing Shinobi he was also one of the best leaders.
Hashirama was able to convince two warring clans to create a single village with his diplomatic policies. His accomplishments as a Hokage can never be overshadowed.
3. Minato Namikaze
Minato Namikaze is the fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, the husband of Kushina Uzumaki and the father of Naruto Uzumaki. During Kakashi’s Anbu arc, fans got to see the Minato make decisions as to the fourth Hokage. During his time, he was known as the Leaf’s Yellow Flash throughout the ninja world. He was called so due to his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, which was even better than the second Hokage’s.
Minato was a prodigy as he fought the Nine-tailed beast when it attacked the village and protected everyone. He did all this while fighting Obito Uchiha. Minato helped to end the Third Great Ninja War by wiping out an army of a thousand Stone ninjas single-handedly.
4. Hiruzen
Hiruzen is the Third Hokage and a very underrated character. He was given the position of Hokage at a very young age, but he did not disappoint. Hiruzen was a student of both the first and second Hokages. He was considered to be the “God of Shinobi” and one of the only two shinobis to be ever given that title.
About his abilities, Hiruzen learned every single jutsu that Konohagakure had to offer throughout his life. He trained the legendary Sanin. He was also able to fend off the Nine-tails while Minato was battling Obito. And after that, he could still fight off Orochimaru and the reanimated versions of the 1st and 2nd Hokages.
5. A (The Third Raikage)
The 3rd Raikage, A, was one of the strongest to ever hold that title. He took on the rampaging Eight-Tailed Beast by himself, and the only injury he got while fighting it was a self-inflicted one. He can wrap his body in a layer of lightning chakra which increases both his speed and physical strength. This mode is the reason why the Third Raikage can take on an army of 10,000 enemy ninjas all by himself.
Very few ninjas in Kumogakure can even compare to his level. He could also use the Heavenly Transfer Technique, which destroys a man inside out when used. The third Raikage taught everything he knew to his son.
6. Mu
Mu is the Second Tsuchikage of the Stone Village. He could completely hide his entire chakra and physical presence, which made it impossible for his enemies to detect him. He could also split himself in half to avoid critical damage in combat. However, doing so cut his power in half as well. A small sacrifice for a Kage of his prowess. Mu, in general, was very calm and polite, but he could evaporate other shinobis before they would realize he was even there.
Since he could erase all signs of his chakra, Mu is easily one of the most dangerous and lethal Kages. His swordsmanship, sensory abilities, and general assassination skills are also what make him a formidable Kage. Mu only lost his life as his feud with Gengetsu went on too far. They both lost their lives.
7. Gengetsu
Gengetsu held the position of the Second Mizukage of the Mist Village. As a member of the Hozuki Clan, he could use the Hydrification Technique to transform his body into the water. Due to this ability, his body was immune to physical attacks while he was in that state. While fighting, he would summon a giant clan to fight alongside him. The giant clam could create its own Genjutsu by exuding mist that Gengetsu could use to create mirages. He could also make miniature clones of himself. They are made up of oil and water, which gave them the ability to continuously expand, explode and reform thanks to water vapor.
Gengetsu’s only flaw was his enmity towards Mu, the Second Tshuchikage. Their battle ended with both of them losing their lives.
8. Tobirama
Tobirama Senju became the Second Hokage of the Leaf village after his brother died. Although he was not as powerful as Hashirama, Tobirama held his own in a fight. He was proficient in all five basic chakra natures, but his mastery of Water Release set him apart. It allows him to make really strong attacks without any nearby water sources. He also created the Flying Thunder God Technique, a Ninjutsu that made him one of the fastest shinobis ever.
Tobirama would use it in tandem with a sword which made him very deadly. He could also create Multi Shadow Clone and Reanimation Jutsu. Once in a battle, it took a team of Cloud ninjas to take Tobirama down. Two of them even possessed chakra from the Nine-Tails.
9. The 3rd Kazekage
Gara has brought about a lot of stability as Kazekage, however, when we speak about overall strength, the Third Kazekage beats him there. The 3rd Kazekage is considered the greatest ninja in the history of the Sand Village. He possessed the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, a power that allowed him to produce magnetic forces with his chakra. He combined this ability with iron powder to create the feared Iron Sand.
That was then used to create large structures or projectiles like bullets. The third Kazekage was so powerful that when Orochimaru reincarnated him, the Kazekage defeated his copy. Not only that, but he also woke up from Orochimaru’s influence. A man with such a strong body and mind absolutely deserves a spot on this list.
10. Tsunade
Tsunade is the granddaughter of the 1st Hokage and became one herself shortly after the death of the Third Hokage. She protected the Leaf village during Pain’s Assault arc, and to this day, she is still considered to be the best medical ninja ever. She possesses amazing physical strength, which is seen in how she can easily break huge boulders with just one punch. Tsunade is the only ninja who used the Mitotic Regeneration, an advanced medical jutsu that allows her to instantly heal any injury. While using this technique, she is cannot be killed. Tsunade passed on all her knowledge to her student Sakura.