Makes sense in theory, right? But sometimes, characters are just born too strong for anyone else to handle, or they have powers beyond the realms of imagination that they keep a secret until the last minute. The many Naruto anime are no exception to these rules, featuring absurdly strong characters that could knock you into next week just as soon as they look at you. So we’re taking a look at the strongest & most overpowered Naruto characters you know and love (or hate!)
30. Yamato
We’re starting out with a substitute teacher – and that might not seem like the most overpowered thing in the world. But there are very, very few Shinobi that can do what Yamato can with his Wood Release ability – and seemingly, nobody can do what he did for Naruto. When Naruto was unable to contain the nine-tailed beast while Yamato was mentoring him, he was the only person able to bring it back under control and bring Naruto back around. We don’t see a lot of him. But there’s no doubting the power that Yamato possesses.
29. Shikamaru Nara
Shikamaru is a smart cookie – quite possibly one of the smartest characters in the show, in fact. He gains knowledge and skills like drinking water, and is feared not only for his abilities but how cunning and capable he is at using them. It wouldn’t take much more than that to make him overpowered – but he also won a fight against Hidan, who is literally immortal. So yeah, I won’t take any argument from anyone who says he shouldn’t be on this list!
28. Shisui Uchiha
When a name is passed down as a near-legendary figure in one of the many Naruto clans, you know that there’s a good reason for it. Usually that reason is they were unbelievably powerful. Shisui Uchiha was no exception – his insane speed, skill and ability were second to none in the clan. Which meant he was revered by the members who came after him. He was one of the few members of the Uchiha clan who could use the Mangekyo Sharingan, after all – giving him a status and a power level that very few other Shinobi could hope to achieve.
27. Kimimaro
While he may not have been the most powerful character to grace the show, and he might not have spent much time in it either… the sheer range of abilities Kimimaro had were enough to get him a spot on the list. We’re talking bone bullets, spine swords, and creating an entire skeleton forest. Not only are they incredibly powerful abilities, but damn, they’re all kinds of cool too. He’s a fan favorite villain for a reason. And his abilities check out, making him one of the diversely powerful enemies our heroes ever faced.
26. Sasori
You wouldn’t usually put someone who was murdered by their own grandmother on a list of powerful characters. But Sasori is one hundred percent the exception to that rule. The puppet master of the Red Sand not only commanded an entire army of puppet slaves to conquer a country, but he also turned himself into a weaponized puppet through his own ability. This meant he was all but indestructible with a host of telepathically controlled puppets, who all retained their original abilities. If he hadn’t been beaten, he’d be much higher up this list, that’s for sure!
25. Kakuzu
Oh, Kakuzu. You must know there are easier ways to make friends than sewing their ripped out hearts to your back, don’t you? There aren’t many easier ways to command the five natural chakras, however… which is exactly what Kakuzu was after. Imbued with all those abilities, he became incredibly strong, being one of only a handful of shinobi who could access all of those powers – let alone be able to still use his own tentacle-based ability at the same time.
24. Kakashi
Mask or no mask, make no mistake – Kakashi is not a shinobi you want to be messing with in any capacity. The eventual Sixth Hokage proved time and time again that not only was he a great teacher, but he possessed leadership skills that made him a natural fit to mentor Naruto and the gang. Known as one of the greatest ninjas of his generation, Kakashi shared his knowledge to better train the young protégés under his wing – and it’s telling that not many of them could have ever hoped to match his actual power level.
23. Kisame
While his power may have been granted to him by his living sword Samehada, there’s no doubting that what it gave him made Kisame one of the more powerful characters in the show. His water manipulation abilities are second to none, and he was also able to create a basically unlimited amount of shark clones to do his bidding. That’s right, shark clones. If there was an ability that strikes fear into the hearts of most people, ninjas included, it’s unlimited sharks!
22. Obito Uchiha
As a character on the list who started out much weaker than he ended up, Obito was much more at home using his wits and his cunning to get what he needed rather than his abilities. However, it didn’t take long before he was rivaling the power levels of characters far stronger than him – and beating them pretty handily, too. It got to the point that Obito was able to fend off attacks from four characters at once – all characters you’ll find later on in this list, too.
21. Mei Terumi
Having one super strong ability seems powerful enough on its own. Mei not only has her Vapor Style, which she once used to melt meteorites that were falling out of the sky towards her village. But she is also blessed with the Lava Style – allowing her to just spit lava wherever and whenever she wants. An ability with a lot of uses when you’re fighting all the time like she is. And she mastered four of the five natural chakra styles, too – making her an opponent who is as deadly as she is beautiful.
20. Mu
It’s strange that the ability to split in two is the least powerful of Mu’s abilities. Mu’s untraceable nature, either in physical form or by chakra, is almost an advanced form of invisibility. It means that not only can he strike at any time and give no warning of it, but then he’s always going to escape with no way to be tracked. The Master of Onoki definitely deserved his nickname of “Non-Person” – although now I’ve said it out loud a few times, it almost sounds like he’s being made fun of!
19. Itachi Uchiha
I’ve found in life that there are only a few things that I can definitively say are mottos to live by. “Don’t get in the way of the man who wants to avenge the murder of every single person in his clan” is one of those mottos. Even if it isn’t very catchy. One of only a few members of the Uchiha clan who was able to wield the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi became stronger through sheer force of will. He’s a master of genjutsu, too. If you needed any more reason to stay out of his way.
18. Minato
Believed to be one of the strongest ninja to ever live (by characters in the show at least), Minato does little to dispute the claim if you look at how strong he was. I mean, the guy could speed through time and space like the Flash. It’s not hard to imagine how powerful he would wind up being. But that’s not even the full extent of his abilities – and his sacrifice at the hands (paws?) of the nine-tailed fox to ensure that it could be sealed away only furthered the point of the crazy power levels he was achieving.
17. Might Guy
You might think you know what you’re going to get when you come across a character called “Might Guy”. In this case, you’d get far more than you ever bargained for. As one of the strongest and most capable taijutsu masters that ever lived, it’s little wonder that few could even hope to match just how strong and fast he actually was. Special mention also goes to nearly killing one of the list’s more overpowered characters with a single kick. Just one. Imagine if he’d managed to get his other leg in on the action!
16. Tsunade
Lady Tsunade is a fan-favorite for many reasons. And her status as one of the most powerful medical-nin is just one of them. The Fifth Hokage could just about bring herself back from the dead if needed – and there’s more than one occasion where she actually has, too. But wait, there’s more! See, on top of being a marvelous healer, she can also kick butt as she’s one of the strongest shinobi out there too. It’s the best of both worlds, there’s no doubt about that.
15. Orochimaru
Here’s everyone’s favorite or least favorite snakey-boy (guess it depends on your opinion). Orochimaru certainly did a lot to prove just how strong he was. The man killed two kage, I mean come on. That’s a strength that’s basically unheard of within the realms of the show and demonstrates unreal power. Though he did resort to underhand tactics to manage it. Not only is he a master of many jutsu, but Orochimaru has also created and mastered many of his own too. As a jack of all trades but certainly not a master of none, Orochimaru was one of the scariest villains that Naruto faced for a reason.
14. Tobirama Senju
Here’s a character with possibly one of the most frightening abilities on this list. Tobirama can place is opponents in an infinite darkness that it is nearly impossible to escape from. I won’t go to the bathroom in the night if I’ve accidentally turned the hallway light off. So I can’t image how all the shinobi he has faced must feel after being plunged into blackness. But it’s his legendary skill that meant he was granted the title of the Second Hokage, and all of the above is why I’m giving him a prominent spot on the list.
13. Nagato
Our next entry is certainly spoilt for choice on the ability front, with a veritable laundry list of quirks at his disposal through his Six Paths of Pain avatars that make him a threat to anyone and anything. Creating giant animals? Sure, Nagato can do that. Creating explosions with chakra? Piece of cake! Turning into a cyborg? Seems a little unthematic for the show, but why the hell not! Most shinobi would have trouble taking down just one variant of his powers, let alone six of them, leading most to consider him one of the most deadly threats to any other ninja in the show.
12. Hagoromo
Here’s the first of the two chakra-born characters who you might have expected to see higher up the list – and Hagoromo had power and ability to spare. Quite literally. Hagoromo had so much in the way of chakra that he was able to divide it up and share it out, like a kid who is caught with a pack of gum in class. It’s nice to see a character on this list using immense power for good, isn’t it? Feels like everyone else has been a bit of a butt about it. Even before that, he was still so strong that he was able to defeat one of the tailed beasts, though with a little assistance from our next entry…
11. Hamura
This might seem a little out of order, considering Hamura recognizes that his brother Hagomoro is actually stronger than he is. But fear not my dear reader, I haven’t made a mistake! See, the reason Hamura takes the spot above his sibling is that he’s able to use his admittedly lower power in better ways – including traveling through time and space itself to lend a hand in fights. Though he also passed on the Byakugan to his lineage – which means he at least has power-sharing in common with Hagomoro.
10. Hiruzen Sarutobi
Don’t let his aged appearance fool you – back in the day, Hiruzen was practically unmatched when it came to ability and strength. In fact, he wasn’t just the strongest of his generation… he was head and shoulders above everyone in his village for a long time. But even at his advanced age, Hiruzen can still pack a punch – he sent Orochimaru running single-handed, nearly defeating him entirely in the process. Respect your elders, kids. You never know when one of them might turn out to be a powerful ninja.
9. Jiraiya
This is the man who taught Naruto the Rasengan, and a few other things for good measure. The Toad Sage was not only an excellent mentor – but also one of the most powerful characters in the show. Not just for his range of abilities, either – everything he could do he could do better than most anyone else. Having been trained by the Third Hokage must have helped a bit, I’d imagine – but then going on and training the Fourth Hokage is all the evidence I need to rest my case on Jiraiya being incredibly powerful.
8. Madara Uchiha
Here’s a ninja of quite frankly terrifying power (and terrifying means of obtaining it). Madara would stop at nothing to get stronger. Though if it meant implanting your dead brothers’ eyes into your own head, would you do the same? Madara has quite the set of accomplishments, not limited to defeating an entire army by himself and casting a spell that affected every single person on the planet. With a list of abilities as long as your arm and almost total mastery over all of them, Madara is quite clearly one of the strongest ninjas who ever lived.
7. Gaara
While his abilities on their own might not have been too strong, Gaara makes it in this ranking for the sheer ridiculous number of things the writers allowed him to be able to do. I imagine the conversation going like this: “Controlling sand is strong enough on its own, but… what if also, he can fly? Oh, and also he can control people using the sand he can control.” “What about also being able to make weapons and armor out of the sand, too?” “Genius! Throw in another six sand-based abilities for good measure and we’ll call it a day.”
6. Hashirama
As a direct descendent of Harogomo and Haruma, Hashirama of clan Senju is blessed with an extraordinary array of powers – which I am pleased to report he does use for good. One use of his powers was to defeat Madara, who up to that point was stronger than anything or anyone we had ever seen. Talk about making yourself look even better! Hashirama is often called the God of Shinobi due to his immense skill and ability. And he’s clearly a cut above when it comes to pure overpowered strength.
5. Killer B
I can hear you already, and no, this isn’t a joke entry. Killer B really is one of the strongest characters in the history of the show. For starters, he has done what very few others have done – and fully mastered the eight-tailed beast. Not only that, but he befriended it, and was able to utilize its power for his own. Thank god it was for good! He also became a mentor to Naruto later on in the show. If only Killer B had mentored Naruto in his one true passion – being a famous rapper. Now that would have made for some great scenes later down the line.
4. Kabuto
Kabuto is one of the finest examples of power creep that the show has to offer. He starts out as a pretty frail (if very clever) character. As time goes on, though, he starts surpassing characters far above his level. Then, he bypasses Orochimaru and everyone begins to realize just how strong he is actually becoming. Paired with his fierce intelligence, Kabuto quickly becomes almost unmatchable – and a benchmark for the rest of the show when it comes to power.
3. Naruto
Yes, of course the man himself was going to make it onto the list. I mean, he’s the main character in a shounen anime – he has to wind up being overpowered! And overpowered he is, climbing in strength and gaining abilities so incredible that there are very few enemies who actually stand much of a chance against him (even very few anime characters in general). That’s not even factoring in the nine-tailed beast that resides within him, whose power he initially couldn’t control but was able to harness for his own use. Naruto OP, please nerf.
2. Sasuke
Here’s the embodiment of letting the hate flow through you. We’ve all known that Sasuke is crazily overpowered since, well, pretty much day one really. The latest in the line of successors who can use the Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke is by far and away the strongest – rivaling even Naruto when it comes to power level, and at times even surpassing that. And that’s a very high bar to clear! This does hark back to my early motto of not getting in the way of a man out for revenge for his entire dead clan. See, it’s catching on!
1. Kaguya
Kaguya is a literal god. Do I really need to say more? I suppose I should, really. After taking chakra directly from the source, Kaguya becomes the ten-tailed beast – a creature so unstoppably powerful that it took both of her sons, who are both demi-gods themselves, to stop her. Being the first to have chakra means that Kaguya is overpowered, and it means that for a time she was literally the most powerful being of all time in regards to the show. Not sure I can find any reason to put someone else in the top spot!
