What are the best Naruto characters?

Starting out as a manga series released in 1997, Naruto has been going strong since, and it shows no signs of dwindling popularity.

With 220 original anime episodes and 500 Naruto Shippuden episodes, there is loads of content for fans both new and old to indulge in, and that’s not even mentioning the episodes of the increasingly successful Boruto anime.

However, with a series this long-lasting, comes a lot of iconic characters that stand out from all others.

While not everyone is going to agree with this list, today we’re taking on the question of just who the best Naruto characters in the series are.

The Best Naruto Characters of All Time

Our ranked lists are created by researching and rounding up information from the most reputable web sources.

Here’s our list of the 25 best Naruto characters:

1. Asuma Sarutobi

Asuma was a Jonin of the Sarutobi clan and a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

While he is typically very laid back, he is willing to step up when the need arises, and he was an incredibly talented and powerful Jonin.

He could even take down nine Oto-ninja and compete against Hidan without faltering.

Throughout the anime, it was heavily suggested that he was romantically involved with Kurenai Yuhi and, while it wasn’t confirmed until after Asuma’s untimely death, Kurenai was eventually revealed to be pregnant with his child.

2. Iruka Umino

A chunin of Konohagakure, Iruka was an instructor at the Academy before ultimately being promoted to Headmaster.

Having lost his parents to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s attack, he wasn’t keen on having Naruto as his student, seeing as the boy contained the same monster who had attacked his village.

However, he did eventually come around and even protected him from Takigakure spies.

Because of Iruka’s oversight and training, Naruto was prevented from becoming a sociopath like Gaara, and it was rewarding to see Iruka overcome his misplaced anger and learn to embrace his own selflessness and honor.

3. Hinata Hyuga

Hinata is one of the most developed characters in the Naruto franchise and she could easily fit in with the best black-haired anime girls.

After being defended from bullies by Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata was inspired by the boy and wanted to emulate him.

While her kind and soft-spoken personality originally hindered her abilities, she was able to grow stronger after resolving to be more like Naruto.

With him as her main source of motivation, she was able to grow to be incredibly strong and brave, even facing Pain knowing she had no way to win.

She even eventually had her feelings returned and, after marrying Naruto, she gave birth to Himawari and Boruto.

4. Tobirama Senju

A member of the renowned Senju clan, Tobirama is the creator of the infamous Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique which forced the souls of the dead into immortal bodies.

He was the swiftest Shinobi and was capable of targeting opponents just by touching the ground, even after being blinded.

Born during the Warring States Period, all Tobirama knew was constant war and this led to him growing to be a very stern and pragmatic man.

For all his power, his most devastating skill was his Water Release skills, which allowed him to cover large areas in water and drown his enemies.

5. Zabuza Momochi

A missing-nin from Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza was given the name Demon of the Hidden Mist after having killed over 100 Academy students.

Although he was once a charismatic and inspiring man, he ended up becoming very bitter and cynical after his coup against the Fourth Mizukage failed.

This turned him into a corrupt and ruthless hitman for hire.

While he is without a doubt brutal, he isn’t without honor and did have a soft spot for Haku which ended up driving him to sacrifice himself to kill Gato, hoping to rejoin Haku somewhere in the afterlife.

6. Madara Uchiha

The legendary leader of the Uchiha clan, he was the one who founded Konohagakure with his friend and rival Hashirama Senju.

However, while their intention had been to usher in an era of peace, things quickly fell apart when the two failed to agree on how to control the village.

This led to a conflict that cost Madara his life.

However, this was all according to his plan and, after being revived years later, he was even more powerful than before, capable of summoning 25 clones, defending himself against nine-tailed beasts, and killing hundreds using only taijutsu.

While he was able to see the error of his ways and makeup with Hashirama, Madara was a powerhouse in his day and someone that you definitely didn’t want to mess with.

7. Kushina Uzumaki

One of the best red-haired anime girls and the second junchuriki of Nine-Tails, Kushina, was born into the famous Uzumaki clan and she grew up to be renowned for her unique style and beauty.

While pregnant with Naruto, the seal that kept the Nine-Tails inside her body became weak, and moments after Naruto’s birth it was released.

While Kushina selflessly wanted to try sealing it back inside her so it would die with her, her husband, Minato, convinced her to instead seal it in Naruto, believing in the potential of his son.

Both died during the sealing, but Kushina used her last moments to tell her son how much she loved him. Needless to say, there were no dry eyes for fans watching.

8. Konan

Konan was a kunoichi from Amegakure and she fits in easily alongside the best blue-haired anime girls.

Always placing the safety of her teammates over herself, Konan was an intelligent and level-headed woman who complimented her partner, Nagato, very well.

Konan had strong Ninjutsu skills, and her nature transformations included Earth, Water, Wind, and Yang release. She also learned to incorporate her talent for origami into her fighting style, creating the Dance of the Shikigami.

9. Neji Hyuga

Neji was a shinobi of the Hyuga clan and a prodigy in every sense of the word.

However, no matter his skills, he would always be in service to Hyuga’s main house.

While he originally accepted this, after watching Naruto Uzumaki refuse to be limited by this ideology, he began to realize that his fate was only determined by him, and not his house.

As a natural genius, Neji could learn many techniques simply by observing them and, despite being self-taught, he was so skilled that he should have become the successor of the Main Branch.

Although Neji had extraordinary potential, he ultimately ended up sacrificing himself to protect Naruto, the very person who taught him to embrace the freedom to make his own choices.

10. Sasuke Uchiha

The reincarnation of Indra Otsutsuki and one of the last surviving members of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha, is the younger brother of Itachi.

After his brother slaughtered their clan, Sasuke was found by Yugao Uzuki, arguably one of the best purple-haired anime girls, and taken away from the carnage.

Seeing his family murdered, Sasuke made it his goal to avenge them by killing Itachi, and to do so he started developing his skills as a ninja alongside friend and rival, Naruto.

However, after learning that his brother’s motives were vastly more complex than they seemed, and were instrumental for ending the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke decides to dedicate his life to protecting his village, eventually becoming known as the Supporting Kage.

Sasuke is one of the most developed characters in both the Naruto manga and Naruto anime series.

His growth and journey have definitely endeared him to fans and made him one of the most well-known characters.

Start Reading & Wring blogs free : write for us