Since 1999, the most powerful Naruto characters featured in over 70 manga volumes and 700+ animated television episodes. Over the course of two decades, creator Masashi Kishimoto introduced fans to many memorable characters. Some of these characters were goofy and endearing, while others were incredibly threatening – and they all had various levels of powers and abilities. Discerning a Naruto power ranking is no easy task.

With a range of abilities and different strengths, it is hard to determine precisely whether one character was more capable in battle than another. The most powerful characters in the Naruto franchise are those who can stand alone against a sea of enemies. Training, natural talent, and inherited skills from specific bloodlines all made for some seriously formidable fighters, including the titular Naruto himself. Of course, just because the franchise features his story doesn’t necessarily mean Naruto is the most powerful character.

50 Rock Lee, The Genius Of Hardwork

Debuted in Manga Chapter #36 & Episode #21 of Naruto

During his introductory arc, Rock Lee quickly became one of Naruto‘s greatest and most powerful characters. Without the ability to manipulate chakra the same way other ninjas can, Lee was among the easiest ninjas to relate to, which made it all the more triumphant when he showed up to save the day at the last moment with nothing but his fists and kicks.

By solely focusing on his speed and power, both of which become multiplied by using the Eight Gates technique, Rock Lee becomes one of the most dangerous hand-to-hand fighters in the franchise. Unfortunately, the character was not given much to do in the story’s latter half. Still, by the end of Shippuden, Lee could unlock up to the Sixth gate of the technique Guy taught him, a level of strength Guy used to defeat foes of the caliber of Akatsuki’s Kisame.

49 Hyūga Neji, The Silent Fist

Debuted Chapter #36 of the Manga & Episode #21 of Naruto

Neji was regarded as Konoha’s strongest student when he was first introduced. His Byakugan eyes allowed him to see nearly everything around him within 800 meters, enemy weak points, and even through walls. Neji’s mastery of the Byakugan, combined with his incredible Taijutsu skills, enabled the Hyuga shinobi to perform brutally precise strikes with his Gentle Fist fighting style. With Gentle Fist and his eyes, Neji could potentially shut down any ninja’s chakra pathways and deal fatal damage to internal organs with his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms within seconds

Each of his abilities saw significant improvement during the Naruto series time skip. Neji was able to create effective air blasts by forcing chakra through his hands. This upgrade also improved his Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation shield technique, which has Neji expelling chakra while spinning at an incredible speed, able to deflect many attacks and deal chakra-disrupting damage to any opponent who gets too close.

48 Kimimaro, Sole Survivor of the Kaguya Clan

Debuted Chapter #199 of the Manga & Episode #118 of Naruto

Kimimaro’s unique abilities, which involved bone protruding from his skin to use as weapons, made him extremely strong in a fight. He’s got incredible hand-to-hand combat skills as well. Unfortunately, the bulk of the time that the Naruto audience knew Kimimaro was when he was afflicted by an unknown illness that made it nearly impossible for him to last in a fight.

Kimimaro was able, even while sick, to battle a young Naruto, then Rock Lee, and then Gaara. At the time, the three of them weren’t nearly as powerful as they would become – or as experienced in a fight. He died in the middle of battle though as his illness has weakened him so much that prior to the confrontation he was mostly bedridden.

47 Elder Of The Sand And Master Of Puppets Chiyo

Debuted in Chapter #252 of the Manga, Episode #9 of Shippuden

While the series does an uneven job of exploring it, the past generations of ninjas in the Naruto series have endured decades of brutal and demanding warfare. During times when peace was a faraway hope, the Sand Village’s Chiyo made a name for herself with her mastery of poisons and puppetry, even taking down an entire enemy stronghold single-handily with her best tools: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets.

During Chiyo and Sakura’s incredible battle against Sasori and his army of a thousand highly poisonous puppets, the Sand Elder more than proved her reputation. With stunning control of chakra threads, Chiyo and her puppet’s incredible feats of taijutsu and elemental attacks, she decimated dozens of foes in seconds. The action showcased was outstanding, but fans were never shown what the kunoichi could accomplish at the peak of her strength.

46 Third Kazekage, the Iron Sand User

Debuted Chapter #690 of the Manga & Episode #457 of Shippuden

A shinobi who developed the powerful ability to manipulate Iron Sand, combining his chakra with magnetic manipulation to control the iron elements. This technique allows him to use a variety of skills to outwit his opponents.

After being killed by Sasori, the Third Kazekage returns during the Fourth Shinobi World War after being revived by Kabuto’s technique. The Third Kazekage’s Kekkei Genkai gives him the power of magnetic control, which renders weapon attacks ineffective against him and allows him to manipulate anything made of iron. For these reasons, he is considered the strongest Kazekage prior to Gaara.

45 Sasori of the Red Sand

Debuted chapter #246 of the Manga & Episode #2 of Shippuden

Puppetry was one of the strangest specialties in the Naruto franchise. It involved literally controlling puppets to battle enemies. Sasori was, quite possibly, the most powerful puppet master in Naruto. He’s so effective against his enemies that he has the nickname “Sasori of the Red Sand” for the blood his puppets have spilled. He didn’t just use puppets of his own creation either. Sasori turned some of his victims into puppets, like the Third Kazekage.

Of course, he’s not the strongest fighter in the franchise as he did lose to Konan in a fight, which is how he ended up a member of the Akatsuki in the first place. His abilities seemed largely uneven throughout his appearances. Still though, even one of Akatsuki’s weakest members is enough to be a major threat that requires a powerful team to take down.

44 Hidan The Immortal Butcher

Debuted Chapter #312 of the Manga & Episode #71 of Shippuden

Hidan is one of the Naruto series’ most broken characters because he has literally achieved what so many villains strive to gain: immortality. The Akatsuki member can survive being impaled, exploded, and even beheaded. Though Hidan attributes this to the worship of his god, Jashin, it seems the truth is actually that he was experimented on. Regardless of his immortality’s source though, Hidan’s endurance makes him a potent threat.

He uses a huge triple-bladed scythe with a large chain attached to it, which makes it easy to make opponents bleed, a pivotal component to Hidan’s secret curse technique: Death Possession Blood. The attack essentially turns Hidan’s body into a Voodoo doll that shares damage with his opponent, a brutal trick when the caster is immortal.

43 Nara Shikamaru, Konoha’s Greatest Tactician

Debuted Chapter #34 of the Manga & Episode #1 of Naruto

When Naruto first began, Shikamaru Nara was, by his own admission, the laziest student at the shinobi academy. He found school boring as he picked up skills quickly, and he very quickly mastered his family’s specialty – controlling shadows. Shikamaru used his own shadow to quite literally reach out to his opponents and control them. It’s a feat he’s able to control for long periods of time despite not having the immense chakra reserves of others. That isn’t, however, why he’s so powerful. Instead, it’s how he used his abilities.

Shikamaru was one of the most strategic shinobi. His intelligence was legendary. Always several steps ahead of everyone else, Shikamaru knew exactly when to pull his punches, conserve his energy, and how to use the surrounding environment to his advantage. That’s why he’s able to take on Hidan by himself when no one else could. He became so adept that he’s eventually advisor to the Hokage, though Shikamaru would make a great Hokage himself.

42 Yamato is a Fitting Replacement for Kakashi

Debuted Chapter #284 of the Manga & Episode #4 of Shippuden

When Kakashi was away from his students for an extended mission, Yamato took over as a mentor for Naruto and Sakura (and the added Sai). He might not have had all of Kakashi’s skills, but he’s chosen for one very big reason. Yamato had the skills to actually tame the nine-tailed beast inside of Naruto.

When Naruto started to lose control during training, Yamato was the only one able to reign him in. That, along with his ability to use Wood Release, something very few shinobi ever do, made him an incredibly powerful character in Naruto. Though he was mostly overshadowed by Kakashi, he was still an important member of Team 7 and a powerful substitute for Kakashi. If he was subbing in for anyone else, Yamato would have been a big upgrade, which just speaks to how incredibly strong Kakashi truly is.

41 Suigetsu Hozuki, Bearer of Kubikiribōchō

Debuted Chapter #356 of the Manga & Episode #115 of Shippuden

Suigetsu, from the Village Hidden in the Mist, has his sights set on collecting all seven ninja swords from his village. Suigetsu is great at stealth and rescue missions thanks to his ability to transform his body into water, which allows him to cause significant damage and avoid attacks with relative ease. It also makes for a perfect combo with Kubikiribōchō after he looted it from Zabuza’s grave.

Through his training with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he can wield one of the deadliest Seven Swords of the Mist to its full potential. This can be seen in his mission to capture a Tailed Beast Mode Killer B and go head-to-head with Darui.

40 Kakuzu, Akatsuki’s Master Of Threads

Debuted chapter #312 of the Manga & Episode #71 of Shippuden

Half of Akatsuki’s “Zombie Combo,” Kakuzu was one of the organization’s most robust and oldest members who’d found a way to live forever. The rogue ninja from the rarely mentioned Takigakure (Village Hidden in the Waterfall) manipulated strange black threads that could be used for excellent mobility and deadly combinations in combat. Kakuzu’s threads could pierce enemies and even steal their organs for the ancient mercenaries’ use.

By stealing a strong shinobi’s heart, he could use their techniques from multiple chakra natures. He easily overpowered Kakashi and even survived a battle against the First Hokage. Brilliant strategy and Naruto’s Rasenshuriken technique eventually brought Kakuzu and his multiple hearts down though. It’s a testament to the organization that, among the Akatsuki’s most powerful shinobi, Kakuzu isn’t near the top as he’d be in most other power rankings.

39 Temari, The Women Of The Winds

Debuted Chapter #34 of the Manga & Episode #20 of Naruto

Gaara might be the Sand Village’s most famous powerhouse, but his elder sister is not to be ignored. Temari’s overwhelming wind power made short work of several foes throughout the series and demonstrated devastating destruction from long distances. Intense wind pressure blasts and concentrated air with the power to slice foes are only a few of the kunoichi’s impressive abilities.

Temari’s ability to manipulate wind allows her several options in both offense, defense, and mobility on nearly any battlefield. She can create tornado-like gusts, deflect or change the trajectory of incoming attacks, and use her huge fan as a weapon or glide. While the series didn’t have Shikamaru and Temari combine their talents nearly enough, his brains and her extreme level of skill, power, and utility would be nearly unstoppable.

38 Akimichi Choji, Team 10’s Secret Powerhouse

Debuted Chapter #34 of the Manga & Episode #1 of Naruto

Choji is a Hidden Leaf ninja who was consistently played as comic relief and often portrayed as a cowardly, oversensitive soul. However, in two pivotal arcs, pre and post-time skip, his loyalty for his comrades shined through overwhelming odds with stunning displays of power. Choji develops significantly throughout the series and effectively emerges from his self-confidence cocoon during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Using his clan’s Expansion Jutsu, Choji can increase the size of his entire body or specific parts to deliver huge and powerful attacks. His powers can even be multiplied by using his clan’s secret Food Pills. However, his ultimate power-up saw the often timid shinobi access the benefits of the Food Pill power multiplier without their drawbacks to manifest massive butterfly wings of pure chakra. During the war arc, Choji used newfound confidence and those overwhelming powers to defeat the reanimations of his former sensei Asuma, Akatsuki’s Kakuzu, and even hold the rampaging Gedo statue back.

37 Fifth Mizukage Terumī Mei

Debuted Chapter #454 of the Manga & Episode #199 of Shippuden

When Mei Terumi became the Mizukage of the Village Hidden in the Mist, she inherited its very bloody history. While she didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the leaders that came before her, she was still one tough shinobi in a position of power. Mei also inherited some pretty powerful abilities thanks to having ancestry from two different prominent clans.

Her bloodline meant she not only used Vapor Style, but also Lava Style. Either of those skills would be powerful on its own. An acidic mist that can melt through anything in its path and the ability to expel actual lava are already impressive. Add to that the fact that she mastered lightning, fire, earth, and water chakra natures, and she’s a seriously powerful opponent in Naruto.

36 Mifune, The Strongest Samurai Of The Ninja World

Debuted Chapter #456 of the Manga & Episode #199 of Shippuden

The world of Naruto may be filled with fascinating characters, but one aspect the franchise failed to expand on was its other countries beyond the Hidden Ninja Villages. When the Fourth Shinobi War required all the Villages to band together, they were joined by the unexplored warriors from the Land of Iron: the mighty samurai. Their leader, Mifune, might not have access to overwhelming elemental abilities like the shinobi. Still, his skills were considerable enough to stand toe-to-toe with some of the most feared ninjas.

Mifune’s sword mastery comes with incredible strength and speed, allowing him to close his distance with opponents in the blink of an eye. His longtime rival and notoriously strong ninja, Hanzo, had warned others that forming hand signals for attacks was useless due to the samurai’s speed. Those skills, combined with Mifune’s ability to channel chakra into his katana to extend its reach, make him nearly an unbeatable foe in close-to-midrange combat.

35 Shimura Danzō, The Shinobi of Darkness

Debuted Chapter #281 of the Manga & Episode #32 of Shippuden

While many of the villains in the Naruto story find a path toward redemption that helps their characters become more likable to audiences, Danzo is not one of those characters. As a close confidant of the Third Hokage, Danzo operated in the shadows and often dealt with the dirtiest tasks that he felt were in Konoha’s best interests. One of these tasks directly led to the slaughter of Uchiha Sasuke’s entire clan.

Danzo had been an incredibly active shinobi since the First Great Ninja War, so over the years, he’d collected a wide variety of techniques and, in one of the series’ darkest twists, a collection of Uchiha Sharingan eyes. Besides being capable of using every type of chakra nature (with a specialty towards wind), Danzo was capable of using the forbidden Uchiha art called Izanagi. As displayed in his brutal battle against Sasuke, Danzo used the ultimate genjutsu to rewrite active events to the user’s will, as long as they had advanced Sharingans to sacrifice.

34 Haruno Sakura is Physically Konoha’s Strongest Ninja

Debuted chapter #3 of the Manga & Episode #1 of Naruto

As a member of Kakashi’s Team 7, Sakura Haruno has become the subject of many memes and received a lot of flack from the fan community for being weak in comparison to her two super-powered teammates. By the end of the series, Naruto and Sasuke were built up to be two of the strongest ninjas ever to walk the Earth. Unfortunately, Sakura’s teammates’ immense power only made her look weak by comparison, but this strong female should not be taken lightly.

After being trained under Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin and the Hidden Leaf Village’s fifth Hokage, Sakura became a force to be reckoned with and a respected medical ninja. Sakura was successful in bringing down puppet master Sasori. All in all, Sakura is not only one of the more underrated forces in the Naruto universe, but she also stands tall among some of the strongest characters from the entire series.

33 Ginkaku & Kinkaku, the Golden and Silver Brothers

Debuted Chapter #525 of the Manga & Episode #267 of Shippuden

Famous for attempting to capture Kyuubi, Ginkaku and Kinkaku were swallowed and have possessed the power of the Nine-Tailed Chakra ever since. In addition to having powers on par with that of legitimate Jinchuuriki, the brothers are a threat due to their seamless coordination, especially when it comes to using artifacts to seal the souls of their opponents.

When they were alive, they nearly killed the Second Raikage, and after being resurrected during the Shinobi War Arc, the brothers demonstrated their powers with the ancient artifacts by sealing Samui and Atsui, and by using Shichiseiken, which extracts the person’s soul.

32 Darui, the Three-Element Prodigy

Debuted Chapter #454 of the Manga & Episode #199 of Shippuden

The bodyguard and right-hand man of the Raikage during the Fourth Shinobi World War, he has a great ability that few shinobi can match. He is able to use three chakra natures simultaneously – wind, lightning and water – which allows him to combine powerful ninjutsu techniques, notably his signature moves, with lightning ninjutsu like the Black Panther. This powerful move turns his lightning black, increasing its output and lethality.

Darui also wields a sword that he can imbue with lightning power, similar to Sasuke. His battle with Suigetsu showcases his extreme kenjutsu skills, and his subsequent fight and victory against Ginkaku and Kinkaku in the Fourth Shinobi World War is one of the pivotal moments of the battle that shows how powerful he is.

31 Hoshigaki Kisame Monster of the Hidden Mist

Debuted Chapter #139 of the Manga & Episode #80 of Naruto

As a member of both the Seven Ninja Swordsmen Of The Mist and the Akatsuki, it’s clear that Kisame was a strong villain in the Naruto franchise. He started his time as a shinobi as a guard, but was forced to kill the very people he was guarding to prevent any intelligence from leaking to enemies – only to discover that the person who encouraged him to do just that lied to him and sold information the entire time.

Kisame’s rage at the world not being a truthful place was largely what fueled him. He mastered swordplay in addition to the more typical shinobi abilities, giving him an edge over some of the more skilled hand-to-hand combatants in the series. He might not be the most powerful Naruto fighter in the franchise, but his fight scenes were certainly fun to watch.