Kage is an important title that is bestowed upon only the strongest leaders who are tasked with protecting one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries’ hidden villages. They are responsible for the protection of their village and its people. The role is plagued with difficult decisions, sending shinobi on potentially fatal missions and making choices based on the greater good, discarding personal relationships in the process.
The Kage are often recognized as the strongest shinobi in their village, although this doesn’t mean that all Kage are equal. Due to the god-like powers of some shinobi, others just don’t stack up. The term ‘weakest Kage’ is an oxymoron, because no ninja would choose to meet a Kage in battle but some are not as strong as others.
10 Rasa (Fourth Kazekage)
Rasa was the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure. Don’t let his ranking fool you, he was immensely powerful. Possessing the Gold Dust Magnet Release, Rasa’s reign as Kage was dominated by frequent clashes with the one-tailed Shukaku. As a testament to his power, Rasa was capable of defeating Shukaku, eventually sealing him within his son Gaara. The Kazekage met his end at the hands of Orochimaru, foolishly placing his trust in the Sannin and wanted criminal. Although powerful, he doesn’t quite compare to the best.
9 Mei Terumi (Fifth Mizukage)
Mei Terumi is the fifth Mizukage and played a significant role in the Fourth Great Ninja War. She inherited a village in disarray, left to pick up the pieces from the reign of Yagura Karatachi. Mei worked tirelessly to reform the village, dismantling the infamous selection process—forging alliances with the other villages,— and moving away from the isolationist policies of the previous Mizukage. She is very powerful, possessing the kekkei genkai lava release and proved to be calm and level-headed during battle.
8 Kurotsuchi (Fourth Tsuchikage)
Taking over from her grandfather Ohnoki, Kurotsuchi stepped into a role that was previously occupied by a man who thought and survived three Great Ninja Wars.
But the Fourth Tsuchikage is something of a legend herself, a rumor famous across the shinobi world suggesting she didn’t flinch when staring down a hundred thousand Zetsu. Her skills are top-notch, utilizing the deadly lava release to destroy opponents. Undoubtedly talented, her short time as Kage shows plenty of promise.
7 Chojuro (Sixth Mizukage)
One of the last generations of the feared Seven Ninja Swordsman Of The Mist, Chojuro is the current Mizukage. He wields the sword known as Hiramekarei—leading to his recognition as a master swordsman. During the Kage Summit, Chojuro sent Sasuke through a wall despite the latter using Susanoo. His skills were impressive enough for Mei Temuri to name him as one of her bodyguards during the summit. However, Chojuro lacks the feats to put him on par with some of the greats.
6 Darui (Fifth Raikage)
Like all Raikage before him, Darui possesses large chakra reserves that allow him to adopt a physical fighting style and overwhelm his opponents. He was one of the heroes of the Fourth Great Ninja War, named captain of the Shinobi Alliance First Division, and defeated the Gold and Silver brothers. His taijutsu is particularly impressive, with Kinshiki Otsutsuki claiming it’s comparable to Naruto and Sasuke. Wielding the deadly black lightning, Darui remains a force to be reckoned with.
5 Tsunade Senju (Fifth Hokage)
One of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade was a great Hokage who cared deeply for the Hidden Leaf Village. Her time as Hokage was exceptionally difficult, having to face-off and defeat the Rinngen-wielding Pain and the God-Of-Shinobi Madara Uchiha. Despite all of this, the village remained stable (excluding the brief destruction by Pain). However, her greatest strength was undoubtedly her ability as a medical ninja, possessing unrivalled medical knowledge and skill. Tsunade saved more lives than she took. Few ninja can claim the same.
4 Kakashi Hatake (Sixth Hokage)
A character beloved by all Naruto fans, Kakashi was an excellent Hokage, sensei and friend. Known as Kakashi of the Sharingan, the leader of team 7 mastered almost all jutsu, and was extremely adept with the Sharingan. Additionally, his intellect was unrivalled, defeating superior opponents via careful planning and execution.
Kakashi lost his Sharingan after the war and this greatly impacted his overall strength. Still, he remained a formidable foe throughout his reign as leader of the Leaf Village.
3 The Third Kazekage
Famed as the strongest Kazekage in history, the Third was undoubtedly one of the strongest ninja of his time. He was known for his iron sand, an ability he learned after evaluating the power of Shukaku. He displayed extraordinary willpower when breaking free of Orochimaru’s Edo Tensei jutsu and used his iron sand to overpower both Sasori and Deidara. Little else is known of the Kazekage and his ranking can be attributed to his kidnapping and defeat at the hands of Sasori. Although, it’s very unlikely that Sasori played fair.
2 Gaara (Fifth Kazekage)
Gaara has been a capable shinobi from a young age, effortlessly thwarting assassination attempts by high-ranking shinobi of the sand village. His talent was on display once again during the Chuunin exams, breezing through the earlier stages and setting records along the way. By the time of Shippuden, Gaara is named Kazekage and has some control over Shukaku. However, Gaara’s reliance on his sand makes him vulnerable to certain jutsu, illustrated by his capture at the hands of the Akatsuki.
1 Hiruzen Sarutobi (Third Hokage)
It’s unlikely a prime Hiruzen Sarutobi would make this list—after all—the Third Hokage mastered all five elements and benefitted from the tutelage of both Hashirama and Tobirama. He was responsible for nurturing the generational talents of the Sannin, molding them into legendary shinobi. But fans of Naruto never experienced a prime Hiruzen. Instead, he fought valiantly against Orochimaru but ultimately lost the battle. Because of his advanced age, viewers were robbed of the chance to witness the true extent of a ninja legend.
About The Author