Shonen anime in the action genre has always had its roots in providing fans with the most spectacular display of power possible. This can be in the form of high-powered fights, clever traps, or a mix of both. Regardless, the end product is a satisfactory visual experience that leaves little to the imagination as two powerful individuals duke it out in a fight for the ages. It's one of the major draws of shonen anime that has a heavy focus on action.
One of the anime series that comes to mind when one talks about such shows has to be Naruto. The fact of the matter is that this series, in particular, has become a fan favorite for a bevy of reasons. From sporting a ton of memorable characters to telling a story that was epic in every sense of the word, this series has come a long way from the times when it was nothing more than a self-contained ninja story, revolving around a one-dimensional.
By the end of the series, a large number of characters are either introduced strongly or developed to the point where they've truly cemented their reputation as some of the most powerful individuals around in the ninja world. Of course, this brings to mind one pressing question — out of the sheer number of characters in this universe, who exactly are the cream of the crop? Keeping this thought in mind, it's time to officially rank the strongest ninjas in the world of Naruto.
Updated November 30, 2023, by Sai Vsr: There's always something or the other happening in the chaotic world of Naruto, and after last year's events (RIP Kurama), there are considerable changes to be made to the ranking. In this update, we've made changes to the top ten character, and delved a little more into detail about the top five. Keep checking back in for more interesting stuff!
49 Tenten
Tenten is one of the most underutilized characters in Naruto by a country mile. She barely has any unique powers of her own, and the fact that she's a weapon expert isn't all that impressive when all she can do is summon a wide array of weapons that seem woefully ineffective.
As a result, she barely plays a major role in any of the fights across the series. People might consider Sakura to be pitifully weak, but it's actually Tenten who fails to be useful throughout the series.
48 Kiba Inuzuka
Kiba had the potential to be a decently-powerful character but ended up being shelved for more important plot points instead. The fact that he was pretty much a bootleg version of Naruto didn't help either.
He had his moments to shine in the series, but they were pretty few and far between. Aside from a few filler appearances, his presence across the series has been pretty muted.
47 Shino Aburame
There was a time when Shino was one of the most intimidating and powerful ninja around. However, Boruto came and completely ruined his character, making him lose to Mitsuki as well!
It's a shame, and there were better candidates who could be ruined aside from Shino. The shift in his personality wasn't really appreciated by many people either, which made his character arc even more wasteful.
46 Konohamaru Sarutobi
Watching Konohamaru evolve from an outspoken brat into a noble ninja was a great evolution to witness in Naruto. He might not be the most important character around, but he still has his moments.
Seeing Konohamaru as a responsible jonin in Boruto can take some while to get used to. His powers have definitely evolved, making him a strong and dependable ninja.
45 Temari
Temari is part of Gaara's squad and ends up playing a pretty major role early on in Naruto. However, she doesn't really wow anyone with her abilities after the time skip, which is a shame.
After all, Temari's unique wind scythe was pretty interesting and could wreak havoc when Kishimoto wanted her to be useful in combat. Unfortunately, with the focus of Naruto shifting after the time skip, Temari never got the time in the spotlight she deserved.
44 Kankuro
Kankuro is another member of Gaara's group who's a really powerful puppeteer. However, his presence after the time skip serves mainly to lend further weight to Sasori as a powerful puppet user of his own.
It's a shame since it's clear that Kankuro could more than hold his own in a fight. However, he never really gets an opportunity to flex his skills and ends up being relegated to the sidelines till the very end.
43 Ino Yamanaka
Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu was used pretty creatively throughout the series, but the power had its limits. The fact that her body was vulnerable during this state is one of the biggest drawbacks of this technique.
While she holds her own as one of the members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, there's no denying that she's the weakest member of the group. It's a shame since this character had a ton of potential to display her strengths.
42 Choji Akimichi
Choji seems like nothing more than a good-for-nothing binge-eater, but the anime does a great job of fleshing out his character. He has several great moves up his sleeve that can be used to destroy the opposition.
The biggest problem with Choji's techniques is that the vast majority of them require a sacrifice of some sort. The fact that he constantly puts his body on the line and has to be pulled back from the brink of death over and over again leads to a huge asterisk being placed right next to his power level.
41 Kurenai Yuhi
Kurenai is a jonin who doesn't get too much time to show just how powerful she really is. However, her rank alone should indicate that she's not to be trifled with.
It's a shame that she barely gets any screen time in Naruto to display her abilities. If she got her time to shine, then it's very possible that she would be one of the most powerful characters on the show by quite some margin.
40 Shikamaru Nara
Shikamaru is definitely one of the smartest characters in the show. In fact, his brains more than compensate for his lack of brawn at times.
He might not be strong from a traditional point of view, but don't let that take away from the value he brings to any battle. With Shikamaru at the strategic helm, most fights are pretty much all but over.
39 Hinata Hyuga
Naruto's wife has some serious taijutsu skills. Of course, the powers she's attained in the Hyuga Clan are definitely quite noteworthy in their own right.
Her Byakugan allows her to access a range of abilities that make her a menace to fight. She might be shy at times, but Hinata is a force to be reckoned with in the current timeline.
38 Rock Lee
It's a shame that Rock Lee was shown as such a strong character early on, only for his potential to be completely squashed as the Fourth Shinobi World War rolled on.
Rock Lee's taijutsu is something to be feared, with his power reaching massive levels once he opens the gates. Again, this comes at a huge risk to his body, which is why his power is such a double-edged sword.
37 Neji Hyuga
A prodigy of the Hyuga clan who turned over a new leaf after his battle with Naruto, Neji is one of the most beloved characters in the series. This is precisely what made his death such a hard pill to swallow, even if the circumstances were somewhat justifiable.
His skills as a member of the Hyuga clan were unmatched for the longest time, and it's a shame that Neji won't be around to witness the new generation he safeguarded during the war. Regardless, he's still a major character in Naruto who deserves credit for being pretty strong as well.
36 Shin Uchiha
Shin Uchiha is a pretty unique character who has his moments in Boruto. However, in terms of sheer strength, this experiment falls behind most of the established shinobi in the world due to his lack of experience.
Watching one of his clones getting intimidated after feeling the presence of Kurama is easily one of the early highlights of Boruto. It's a shame that he doesn't really get the opportunity to develop in the series, being a pretty forgettable antagonist that just serves as a way to bring Sarada's family closer.
35 Sakura Haruno
Sakura is a character that everyone loves to rip on. Given how Kishimoto has written her at times, it's easy to see why this is the case.
However, Sakura is nowhere near as powerless as some people might describe her. She can be quite a handful to deal with, and the mix of her healing abilities and monstrous strength make for a lethal combination.
34 Asuma Sarutobi
Asuma was the leader of Team 10 who met his unfortunate end at the hands of Hidan. However, Shikamaru's renewed will to fight allowed him to avenge his master by taking care of this immortal villain once and for all.
He also came back during the Fourth Shinobi World War and was a force to be reckoned with. Poetically enough, it was the efforts of his three students combined that finally put him down for good.
33 Killer B
Let's start this list off with the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, Killer B. Making his entrance in the most over-the-top fashion (by rapping, of all the things), no one could've assumed that this person would be so powerful.
His friendship with the Hachibi is something to note. It's through this harmonious relationship that Killer B is able to unleash his full potential as a jinchūriki, educating Naruto about the benefits of using Kurama properly as well.
32 Sarada
The new characters introduced in Boruto have shown a massive power ceiling that already makes them candidates for being some of the strongest ninjas around... provided they reach their potential. Sarada is one such character that falls in this category.
The daughter of Sasuke and Sakura has already shown incredible potential, with her mastery over both ninjutsu and genjutsu being quite excellent indeed. One can only wait and see how Sarada will develop over the course of Boruto.
31 Mitsuki
Orochimaru's genetically engineered son has shown a ton of potential over the course of Boruto. The manner in which he's defeated powerful foes without even showing his full potential already makes him a force to be reckoned with.
His power is yet to be explored properly in the series. However, glimpses of this power have proven to be enthralling, and one can only wait and see how Mitsuki's character will evolve in the show.
30 Gaara
There was a time when Gaara had so much hatred in his heart that he couldn't think about anything else but destruction. The child we were introduced to has grown a lot since his initial appearance.
The genuine bond of friendship that Gaara formed with Naruto was pretty endearing. Of course, his Sand Abilities were also pretty notable and made him an absolute tank in battle.