Being Hokage has always been the protagonist’s dream in Naruto, but it was a lot more difficult to achieve than he realized. The title is given to the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village, who serves as its leader and works for the betterment of the people. However, strength is only one of the few criteria one needs to become Hokage. Any candidate shouldn’t only have the trust of the entire village but also possess excellent leadership qualities to make rational decisions even in times of crisis. They are chosen by a council if they fulfill all the requirements that go beyond the powerful jutsu they can use.
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Since its establishment, the Hidden Leaf Village has seen seven legendary Hokage, all of whom have been loved and respected by the people. Although all of them possess exceptional abilities, their actions and ways of leading the village are significantly different. Here’s a ranking of all seven of them based on their past actions and what they did for the village while serving as Hokage.
7) Hiruzen Sarutobi
Hiruzen was the longest-serving Hokage in Konoha’s history and was known far and wide as one of the greatest shinobi to have ever lived. He returned to his duty after Minato’s death and even sacrificed himself to protect the village from Orochimaru. However, despite that, his actions can’t be condoned, especially when he allowed Danzo free rein to work in the shadows, causing unimaginable pain and suffering.
Because Hiruzen turned a blind eye to Danzo’s actions, countless people suffered at the hands of the village. Hiruzen knew what he was doing was wrong, but he genuinely believed Danzo’s ruthlessness was a necessary evil to protect the village.
6) Minato Namikaze
If Minato had lived longer, then he would’ve easily become one of the best Hokage in the village. However, his bright future was cut short due to Obito’s attack on the village, and he ended up sacrificing himself to save everyone from the Nine-Tailed Beast. Minato was only Hokage for a year, so he didn’t have many chances to set the village on the right path.
Had he stayed alive instead of Hiruzen, then he could’ve made a better decision regarding the potential rebellion of the Uchiha Clan instead of allowing the massacre through Danzo’s schemes, to which the Third Hokage turned a blind eye.
5) Naruto Uzumaki
Before the story of Boruto began, Naruto Uzumaki was the Hokage during the most peaceful era of the world, something he fought desperately for. Naruto was the village’s hero long before he became Hokage, which is why the villagers were more than happy to welcome him as their Seventh Hokage. Just his existence was enough to stop anyone from attacking the village, since the entire world knew that they couldn’t go against him and Sasuke, who was protecting the village from the shadows.
However, compared to other Hokage, Naruto required the most assistance from others, especially Shikamaru, his close friend and trusted aide. That doesn’t mean he is an incompetent leader, and it’s already exceptional that he is able to accept his shortcomings and rely on his allies.
4) Kakashi Hatake
Kakashi served as Hokage for more than a decade after the Fourth Great Ninja War, taking charge during the most difficult phase of the world. The entire village was in chaos in the aftermath of the war and Tsunade’s retirement, which is why they needed another leader as soon as possible. Although Naruto was the perfect candidate to replace Tsunade, he was far too young and inexperienced to take on such responsibilities.
As such, Kakashi, a former member of the Anbu Black Ops, stepped in to fill the position until Naruto was ready. He helped stabilize the village during the crucial era when the Shinobi world was finally leading peaceful lives. Unfortunately, the story never revealed much about his work as Hokage.
3) Hashirama Senju
As the co-founder of the village and the First Hokage, Hashirama built the foundation of the village. His work from the past echoes to this day as those who came after him carried on the will of fire he firmly believed in. Not only was he one of the most powerful Shinobi in human history, but he was a charismatic figure loved and admired by many.
Hashirama put the village above everything else, and didn’t even hesitate to kill his beloved friend Madara, who threatened the village’s safety. He died sometime during the First Great Shinobi War, although the series never revealed what truly happened to him.
2) Tsunade
Filling Hiruzen’s shoes after his death was challenging for Tsunade, not because she was incompetent in any way, but because she had to deal with the conservative elders who were used to throwing their power around in front of Hiruzen. However, the free-spirited granddaughter of the First Hokage would not let anyone trample on her beliefs. Even in the worst situations, she made rational decisions without backing down on what she believed in.
As someone with exceptional medical ninjutsu, she lent all her support and played a pivotal role in increasing the number of medical ninja, which had been her dream for decades. She led the village during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, one of the most difficult times in history, and retired after facing severe physical and mental exhaustion from all the conflicts.
1) Tobirama Senju
Tobirama, who always worked side by side with Hashirama, stepped in as leader after his brother’s death and took the first steps toward the village’s advancement. It could easily be argued that he contributed the most to the village’s future, including building the Ninja Academy to teach the next generation of shinobi. Apart from creating countless jutsu, many of which are still used by the village’s shinobi, Tobirama also introduced the Chunin Exams to encourage young ninja to reach their true potential.
He carefully determined which tasks were most suitable for each clan and assigned the Uchiha clan the role of leading the Konoha Military Police Force, a position that strengthened the village’s security. Unfortunately, his actions were misunderstood, as the clan believed they were being ostracized since they had to live on the outskirts of the village.
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