Since its formation, Naruto’s Hidden Leaf Village has needed a leader to steer the ship in a ninja world that is, seemingly, always on the edge of annihilation. From Orochimaru to Madara Uchiha to the Kara Organization to the Divine Trees, it seems that there are always new threats looking to change the world for the worst. Luckily, Konoha has had plenty of Hokages who have been up to the task. To honor these ninja leaders, we’re taking the opportunity to rank the Hokages from the beginning of Naruto all the way to Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.
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Dishonorable Mention: Danzo Shimura
While never officially crowned as Hokage, Danzo came closer than most when it came to becoming the new leader of Konoha during the events of Naruto: Shippuden. Believing that the only way to save the Hidden Leaf Village was by effectively transforming himself into a dictator and throwing tradition to the wind, it was good news for the ninja world that he never had the opportunity to make his dreams come true. If Danzo had become an official Hokage, he would easily have been at the very bottom of this list, earning his place on the last rung with ease.
8.) Hiruzen Sarutobi
While Sarutobi might have ultimately worked for the betterment of Konoha, he waded far too deep into nefarious waters to do so. Responsible for the death of the Uchiha Clan and acting as quite the terrible adoptive father to Naruto, the Third Hokage still was able to prove himself in many ways. One of his biggest moments was his fight against Orochimaru, ending his life in the process but ensuring that the Third was able to save the land he loved so much. Unfortunately, in comparison to the other ninjas on this list, picking Hiruzen for the last official spot felt like an easy choice.
7.) Minato Namikaze
The rest of the list can be quite tricky as there are several factors to take into consideration when ranking the leaders of Konoha. Aside from “cool factor,” anime fans need to think about the effectiveness of the Hokages and what they can accomplish. Unfortunately, the “Yellow Flash” might have been a legend on the battlefield but his tenure as the Fourth Hokage didn’t see him manage to accomplish nearly as much. In fact, his role as the head of the Hidden Leaf almost felt like a blip in the Third’s tenure. It would have been amazing to see what Minato could have done given the chance but his unfortunate end meant that we would never get the chance to see what the Fourth could do.
6.) Naruto Uzumaki
This is perhaps our most controversial choice on this list but there is a reason why we’re ranking Naruto so low. The Seventh Hokage has certainly been granted the opportunity to lay his life on the line in fighting against the Otsutsuki and the Kara Organization but when it comes to the daily grind of being Konoha’s leader, he’s pretty lacking. Could you imagine Naruto attempting to broker the peace between two warring ninja nations? Could he think outside the box when it came to military strategies? There’s someone who has effectively been the brains of the operation throughout the Seventh’s tenure and we’ll get to them in short order. Naruto’s achievements are quite legendary but to be honest, the good majority of them have nothing to do with him being Hokage.
5.) Kakashi Hatake
Now to be fair, this ranking for Kakashi Hatake, aka the Copycat Ninja, could have been much higher if he had experienced tougher times. Taking the mantle of Hokage after Tsunade, Kakashi pretty much had an uneventful run as a leader of Konoha and as the Sixth Hokage. It’s pretty unfortunate that we never got the chance to truly see him in action that much thanks to his tenure taking place between the conclusion of Naruto Shippuden and the beginning of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. As a Hokage, Kakashi’s run almost seemed like a stopgap, which is somewhat unfortunate.
4.) Hashirama Senju
The man who started it all by founding Konoha, Hashirama Senju, certainly earned his place in the history of the Ninja World. Dealing with strife and violence that many ninjas could only dream of, Hashirama was forced to kill his best friend Madara and work tirelessly to bring about peace to the ninja world. Much like Kakashi, it’s unfortunate that shonen fans weren’t able to receive an entire season focused on his works but the legacy he left behind. Senju even earned his title as “God of Shinobi” by displaying some wild abilities that marched on via his ancestors.
3.) Tobirama Senju
While Hashirama got the ball rolling, the Second Hokage was the one who truly refined the legacy and traditions of Konoha. The Hidden Leaf Village had been forged thanks to the “Shinobi God” but it was thanks to Tobirama that Konoha was able to truly stand on its own. From the Ninja Academy to the Chunin Exams to Konoha’s ranking system, the way that the Hidden Leaf functioned was all thanks to Tobirama, proving that the Second Hokage was a brilliant mind when it came to the developing nation.
2.) Shikamaru Naru
Since the disappearance of Naruto and Hinata in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Shikamaru has been steering the ship that is Konoha. Ever since the franchise began, Shikamaru has seemed as if he was born to be the Hokage and now, as the Eighth Hokage, the shadow-manipulating ninja has been putting his money where his mouth is. During Naruto’s tenure as the Seventh, his right-hand man was offering Uzumaki more than a bit of expertise on the best routes to take in leading the Hidden Leaf. As we’ve seen so far in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex so far, Shikamaru has been putting in serious work to make sure everything is running smoothly in the face of world-ending threats and in all honesty, he might prove to be the greatest Hokage of them all should he be given the chance.
1.) Tsunade Senju
The Fifth Hokage stands above the rest when it comes to how she handled her role along with the challenges that she tackled throughout the shonen series. First arriving as a gambling addict who had little interest in running the Hidden Leaf, Tsunade would come to become the perfect choice to take the spot of the fifth leader of Konoha. She led the ninjas through the Fourth Ninja World War and fought against the Akatsuki, keeping the village together when other Hokages on this list might not have done the same. There’s also really something to be said about the fact that the Fifth handled the day-to-day operations of the Hokage so well as it’s something fans were able to see on the regular. Tsunade had some serious character progression throughout the shonen series and easily earns her place on the top of the charts.
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Image courtesy of Netflix.
