The Hokage is a revered figure in the Hidden Leaf village who makes impactful political decisions and probably is the strongest ninja.
At the same time, the Hokage is responsible for defending the village from evil’s eyes. Till now, we’ve seen eight spectacular Hokage in the Naruto franchise. But do you think all of them are at the same level? Who’s the strongest or the wisest among them? Or who had the most impactful tenure?
Well, it was an impulsive thought, but I felt that it would be really fun to compare them. So below, I will rank and explain all the Hokage in the Naruto franchise and find who tops the list.
But before I get to that, are you watching Boruto? Because Naruto finally realized his childhood dream of becoming the Hokage. So, if you’re missing out on how Naruto ruled, why don’t I start by telling you where to watch the show?
Where to Watch Boruto?
Boruto is available on Netflix and Crunchyroll, so you have plenty of choices of where to stream it.
As for me, I’ve subscribed to one of the high-speed Spectrum Internet Plans so I’ve downloaded Boruto’s episodes on Netflix to stream them whenever and wherever I want. With their TV bundle, I can also download Netflix directly onto Spectrum’s Xumo Stream Box, making the entire process seamless.
Hidden Leaf Village’s Hokage From Least to Most Powerful
As I mentioned, we’ve seen seven Leaf Village Hokage, from the village’s founder Hashirama to arguably one of the smartest fighters, Shikamaru. And in this section, I will be going to review how they fared in their respective tenures.
So, let’s start.
Tsunade Senju – The 5th Hokage
Tsunade is the only female Hokage in the history of the Hidden Leaf Village. Although Tsunade was a formidable ninja, she wasn’t exactly a fighter. She had unmatchable expertise in medical ninjutsu and could heal injuries like no other.
Tsunade’s rule was full of chaos, as she failed to counter Pain’s attack that demolished the Hidden Leaf village to dust. Moreover, she also couldn’t prevent the 4th Great Ninja War and had to rely on other villages for help.
Having said that, Tsunade stepped down as the Hokage after the 4th Great Ninja War. And, I believe it was for the best as it was proved that she neither could defend the village nor had popular support after the war.
Kakashi Hatake – The 6th Hokage
After Tsunade stepped down, Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja, was a mutual choice of the village’s leaders as the next Hokage. And, even though there was no doubt about Kakashi’s strength, he surely lacked the motivation to lead the village.
Kakashi was forced to lead the reconstruction of the Hidden Leaf village after the 4th Great Ninja War. And I must say, he did a commendable job. But, to say that his fighting strength remained the same after losing the valuable Sharingan would be an overstatement.
Kakashi’s strength lay in copying his opponent’s moves, and it was all because of the Sharingan. And, as he had lost his most-priced weapon, he wasn’t the same gutsy ninja anymore.
Shikamaru – The 8th Hokage
Arguably, there’s no one smarter than Shikamaru in the entire Naruto franchise. And, I was kind of happy when Naruto handed the leadership role to Shikamaru.
Honestly, there is not much to say about Shikamaru’s role as a Hokage because he is still learning. As the current Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Shikamaru has impressively steered clear of any dangers with his intellectual mind.
As a war general with loads of experience in the advisory role of the former Hokage, Shikamaru’s reign is going to be an entertaining one. However, in terms of fighting strength and ability, he is the weakest ninja on this list and that is why I have placed him as the third-worst Hidden Leaf Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi – The 3rd Hokage
Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi took over the village after Tobirama Senju and his rule ended when he was slain by his former student – Orochimaru. Sarutobi’s rule was a peaceful one and he kept the bad actors in check, except Orochimaru.
To say that Sarutobi had a soft place for one of the fiercest villains, Orochimaru, wouldn’t be wrong. He discovered Orochimaru’s secret lab and caught him performing the forbidden Jutsus. And, not only did Sarutobi fail to stop him, he actually allowed him to flee the village.
Moreover, he was also involved in eliminating the Uchiha clan and ordered Itachi to do the dirty work. However, Sarutobi’s skill as a fierce ninja was unmatched, especially the Death Reaper Seal which isn’t possessed by many in the Naruto franchise.
Tobirama Senju – The 2nd Hokage
He inherited the leadership role after his brother, the founder and the first Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village, Hashirama Senju, died. There is no doubt that Tobirama’s fighting skills weren’t anywhere close to Hashirama’s, but he surely took some formidable steps that proved his leadership qualities.
Tobirama was the brain behind several Hidden Leaf institutions, for instance, the Ninja Academy, ANBU Special Forces, and the Chunin Exams. However, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Tobirama was a strict Hokage.
He doubled the check on the Uchiha clan, which further ignited the hate among them for the village. Moreover, he always openly admitted his hate for them, which didn’t help de-escalate the rising tensions between the Uchihas and the rest of the villagers.
Minato Namikaze – The 4th Hokage
The Yellow Flash was one of the most beloved Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. He was a unanimous choice to lead the village after the Third Hokage’s retirement. Although Sarutobi was the Hokage during the Third Great Ninja War, it was Minato who defended the village like no other.
Opponent Shinobis was instructed to flee from the fight as soon as he saw Minato on the battlefield. However, Minato was largely blamed by his son, Naruto, for sealing the nine-tail beast inside him.
But, if I were to be honest, there was no other way Minato could’ve dealt with such a precarious situation. He could not let the tailed beast roam freely, or trust anyone with it. Also, Minato, along with his wife, Kushina, gladly gave their lives to save the village during the Nine-Tails beast attack.
Naruto Uzumaki – The 7th Hokage
Thanks to Kakashi Hatake, who resigned from his post, Naruto was finally given a shot at being the Hokage. Naruto was strong and liked by all, but importantly, he paved the way for the younger generation to hold powerful positions in the village.
It was truly the dawn of a new era as Naruto and his friends ensured to create lasting bonds with neighboring villages. However, what surprised me the most was Naruto’s role in the most prestigious post.
Along with Sasuke, he successfully defended the village against arguably the strongest opposition – Momoshiki Otsutsuki. And, not to mention his ability to fully control the nine-tail beast in the series, as it gave him a clear edge in every fight.
Hashirama Senju – The 1st Hokage
For me, Hashirama Senju, the founder of the Hidden Leaf village is the best Hokage of all time. Firstly, Hashirama responsibly dealt with the biggest threat to the Leaf Village – the Uchiha clan. He impressively made them a part of the village’s ecosystem and offered lucrative positions.
Secondly, when the Uchihas, particularly Madara, became a threat to the village’s peace, Hashirama took matter into his own hands and defeated the enemy.
I know that most of you might argue that Hashirama wasn’t as strong as Naruto, or even Minato. Yes, he might be weaker than both, but his contributions to the Hidden Leaf village were far greater than both of them combined.
So, here’s how I rank the Hokage that ruled the Hidden Leaf Village.
You might not agree with the above rankings, but keep in mind that fighting skills and strength weren’t the only points I considered. I also factored in the influence they had as Hokage during their respective tenures. Lastly, do share how you’d rank them in the comments section below.
