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1. Senju Tobirama
Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, also known as the "Forbidden Jutsu Master" and a true "Antifan" of the Uchiha clan, was the younger brother of Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage. Unlike his brother, Tobirama was highly decisive, straightforward, and quick-tempered, especially when it came to his concerns about the Uchiha.
This Hokage was renowned for his formidable strength and became one of the greatest legends of the Shinobi world during the Warring States period. Notably, he created several forbidden techniques, including the infamous Reanimation Jutsu, which could bring the dead back to life—a technique later used by Orochimaru to resurrect both Tobirama and his brother.
Tobirama was also known as the fastest ninja in history, capable of moving so swiftly that he could trap an enemy with explosive seals and mark them for Time-Space Jutsu without them even realizing it. He invented the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, which later became the signature move of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. His chakra control was so precise that he could cast complex jutsus with a single hand. His strong will also allowed him to resist the full control of Edo Tensei.
As a member of the Senju clan, Tobirama mastered a variety of ninjutsu, including summoning and barrier techniques. His swordsmanship was also top-notch, having mastered the use of the Thunder God Sword, a weapon that generates electricity. Furthermore, he was one of the greatest water-style users, capable of manipulating water anywhere, even in the absence of a water source, creating vast amounts of water to use in battle.
Moreover, Tobirama was a master of Yin-Yang Release and could use all five basic nature transformations. He could summon massive amounts of water without being near a water source, allowing him to use high-level Water Release jutsus at will. In combat, Tobirama was highly strategic, only engaging in battle when he was confident of victory, and never hesitating to strike when the enemy let their guard down. Madara himself revealed that Tobirama was notorious for catching opponents off guard when they thought they had won and became careless with their defenses.
2. Uzumaki Naruto
Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Uzumaki Kushina, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. His name, Naruto, was chosen by his parents after the protagonist in Jiraiya’s novel—his godfather. Before Naruto's birth, his parents and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, feared that the seal on the Nine-Tails within Kushina could break, putting the village in danger. To protect her and the village, all information about Naruto's birth was kept secret, known only to a few key people, including Biwako Sarutobi, Taji the midwife, some ANBU guards, and Minato himself. Naruto grew to become the Seventh Hokage and the main protagonist of the series.
Beyond being the protagonist, Naruto’s long journey of perseverance transformed him into one of the most powerful Shinobi in the Ninja World. Due to the Nine-Tails sealed within him, Naruto could access its vast chakra. When he combined his chakra with the Nine-Tails’, a fox-like cloak would form around him, with the number of tails indicating his current strength. As more tails appeared, Naruto's power increased, but so did the risk of losing control. A prime example is when the Fourth tail emerged, and Naruto completely lost himself. During his confrontation with Nagato, Hinata saved Naruto, only to suffer a fatal blow in the process. However, Naruto later proved his strength by taming the Nine-Tails, earning its trust as a companion and learning to harness its immense chakra.
One of Naruto’s signature attacks is Rasengan—a spiraling ball of concentrated chakra created by his father, Minato. Since Naruto had difficulty controlling chakra concentration, he often used Shadow Clones to help him form the Rasengan. Unlike his father, who intended to mix Rasengan with his elemental chakra, Naruto succeeded in combining it with Wind Chakra after extensive training with his clones. The Rasengan is a devastating technique capable of crushing anything in its path.
After his training on Mount Myoboku, Naruto learned Sage Jutsu, which allowed him to perform powerful techniques like Sage Art: Massive Rasengan, Sage Art: Super Great Ball Rasengan, and the toad-style Fist. Not only did he master Sage Mode, but he also ascended to the Six Paths Sage Mode, further elevating his power.
3. Senju Hashirama
Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, was a member of the Senju clan and the eldest son of Senju Butsuma. He was also the husband of Uzumaki Mito, the first Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Hashirama is the first reincarnation of Otsutsuki Ashura, and later, Uzumaki Naruto. His strength became legendary in the Shinobi world, to the point that even Uchiha Madara, who had defeated all five Kage, regarded Hashirama as his only true rival.
Hashirama possessed the unique Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, a rare and powerful ability in Shinobi lore. As the leader of the Senju clan, he founded the Hidden Leaf Village. He was renowned as the strongest ninja in history, the only one capable of controlling the Nine-Tails with his Wood Release techniques and confronting Uchiha Madara in battle. As a direct descendant of Ashura, Hashirama inherited immense chakra and the vitality of the Sage of Six Paths. He was also proficient in Sage Mode, using it in combination with Wood Release to perform powerful techniques such as Wood Dragon Jutsu, Wood Style: True Thousand Hands, and more. Hashirama also possessed self-healing abilities, able to recover from injuries without hand seals, much like his granddaughter, Tsunade.
Hashirama was famous for his feats with the Tailed Beasts, being the only one to successfully capture all but one of them, distributing them among the villages for safekeeping. Despite being known as the strongest ninja of his era, he was kind-hearted, peace-loving, and somewhat playful. Yet, every decision he made as Hokage was wise, often saving humanity from brutal wars.
In addition, Hashirama was the older brother of Tobirama Senju (Second Hokage), the teacher of Hiruzen Sarutobi (Third Hokage), the grandfather of Tsunade (Fifth Hokage), and the best friend and greatest rival of Uchiha Madara.
4. Uchiha Madara
Madara, the legendary leader of the Uchiha clan, played a crucial role in the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village alongside Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. Renowned as one of the most powerful shinobi in history, he was the first to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. A prodigy from a young age, Madara killed several members of the Senju clan before even unlocking his Sharingan, including older, more experienced fighters. His most famous battle was the fierce confrontation with Hashirama, the 'Holy Shinobi.'
When Obito assumed the identity of Madara, the Five Great Nations and the neutral Iron Country were forced to form an alliance in fear of his power, leading to the outbreak of the Fourth Great Ninja War. After being resurrected and gaining the power of Wood Release, Madara’s strength reached unimaginable levels. He was able to simultaneously defeat all five Kage and even overpower Kurama, the Nine-Tails, after stealing its chakra from the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Born with an immense chakra reserve, Madara’s chakra was described by both Senju Tobirama and Kurama as terrifyingly monstrous and malicious. Part of this power came from his inheritance of Indra’s chakra. His colossal chakra reserves allowed him to fight non-stop for 24 hours and summon the Outer Path: Ten Tails’ Statue from its prison on the moon, even in his old age. Madara was also a master of chakra control, capable of performing complex techniques with a single hand seal. He could absorb and merge Sage Chakra with his own, entering Sage Mode through Hashirama’s face embedded on his chest, despite never having studied the technique. Additionally, Madara could distribute chakra evenly across 25 wood clones, each of which was strong enough to take on the Five Kage.
Though he favored ninjutsu, Madara was also highly skilled in taijutsu. During his battle with the Fourth Division, he defeated hundreds of foes with sheer physical strength, disarming them or evading multiple attacks from all directions. He was fast enough to strike before his opponents could react, overpowering enemies twice his size, and even managed to injure Naruto in Sage Mode. Once Madara himself entered Sage Mode, he could repel the Nine-Tails and evade the Lightning God’s Blade with sheer instinct. His pain tolerance was also extraordinary, as he showed no change in expression when stabbed by Sasuke, attacked by Tailed Beasts, or even after losing an arm.
Madara is a villain with a deeply complex character, full of contradictions. Initially, he could have been a powerful ally to Hashirama and a prime candidate for the position of Second Hokage. However, due to his clan’s betrayal and Tobirama’s suspicion, he left the village and turned against his former friend. Despite his ultimate goal of achieving peace, Madara’s methods were cruel and destructive, causing great harm to the village. His multifaceted nature makes him one of the most compelling antagonists in the Naruto series.
5. Uchiha Itachi
Uchiha Itachi, often hailed as the 'Prodigy of the Uchiha Clan,' is the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha and the infamous figure responsible for the massacre of nearly his entire clan, sparing only his brother. As a member of the criminal organization Akatsuki, he became Sasuke’s greatest enemy. Itachi’s story is one of tragedy and sacrifice, one that captured the hearts of audiences who followed his complex journey. His childhood was marred by the devastation of war, which led him to seek peace at any cost. When Itachi learned that his clan was plotting a coup to take control of the Hidden Leaf Village, he provided critical intelligence to the village, exposing the Uchiha’s plans during his time as an undercover ANBU agent.
Itachi’s rise to power was extraordinary. He became a Genin at age six, a Chunin by ten, and joined the elite ANBU at just eleven, setting records that few could ever match. After the brutal slaughter of his clan, Itachi left the Hidden Leaf and joined the notorious Akatsuki organization. However, his abilities were hindered by a terminal illness, which made performing advanced techniques, particularly his Mangekyo Sharingan, increasingly difficult.
In battle, Itachi proved himself to be a formidable ninja, earning respect from both allies and enemies. When facing powerful opponents like Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, Kakashi noted that Itachi didn’t even use half of his full power. Tobi also remarked how Itachi continually amazed him. Despite his immense strength, Itachi never underestimated his adversaries. He once praised Jiraiya, acknowledging that even with Kisame’s help, a battle against Jiraiya would likely end in both of their deaths or his own defeat.
In the Naruto universe, many shinobi perform hand seals to cast jutsu, but only a select few can execute them with a single hand. Itachi is one of the rare individuals capable of this, enabling him to launch two attacks simultaneously or wield a weapon while sealing. His first display of this skill occurred during his fight with Kakashi in the Hidden Leaf Village, where he performed jutsu while holding a shuriken in his other hand.
Although Itachi’s specialization was not taijutsu, his physical skills were nonetheless impressive. He effortlessly defeated seasoned shinobi like Tekka, Yashiro, and Inabi, all older and members of the Leaf Village’s police force. His reflexes and speed, especially with hand movements, were exceptional. He could perform hand seals and throw weapons with such speed that even experienced Sharingan users like Kakashi and Sasuke had difficulty keeping up. Itachi was also a master of the Shunshin no Jutsu, a technique that allowed him to instantly move from one place to another, overwhelming his enemies with speed and precision.
Itachi was also a master of illusion techniques. His use of crows was legendary, from summoning flocks to transforming them into clones or even shuriken. His genjutsu was so powerful that it struck fear into all who faced him, including Kakashi, who had to close his eyes to avoid being caught in Itachi’s gaze. Even as a child, Itachi demonstrated extraordinary precision, hitting nine targets arranged in complex formations using kunai, including one hidden in a blind spot by subtly altering their trajectory. In his battle with Nagato-controlled creatures, Itachi managed to blind summon beasts that possessed Rinnegan vision.
Itachi possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, granting him access to some of his most devastating techniques. With his left eye, he could perform Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu that trapped the target in an alternate reality, torturing them for what seemed like days, even though only seconds passed in the real world. If not for his illness, Itachi’s abilities would have rivaled the power of a Hokage.
