The Hidden Leaf Village is home to many of them Narutos most powerful ninjas, from Hiruzen Sarutobi to Kakashi Hatake, Tsunade and surely Naruto Uzumaki himself. That said, other villages also have some fearsome fighters in their ranks, such as Sunagakure or Hidden Sand Village. In fact, it was once noted in Naruto how the Sand Village has fewer shinobi than other villages and compensates with the sheer quality of these ninjas.
The Leaf ninjas often countered that idea with their incredible feats in battle, but the Sand ninjas were never far behind. Two different Kazekage rank among the most capable Sand ninjas we've seen Narutowith one of them also a jinchuriki, so it's clear that the limited number of sand ninjas are a tough bunch. Most importantly, the Sand Ninjas went from villains to heroes in Naruto once they broke ties with Sannin Orochimaru to support Naruto instead.
Kankuro is known for his small but creepy doll collection
Kankuro easily defeated Sakon and Ukon in battle
By a narrow margin, Kankuro is the weakest of the most notable Sand ninjas. He's certainly stronger than generic Sand chunin, and he's also more formidable than Baki, a Sand ninja who is rarely worth considering anyway. Kankuro and his older sister Temari are roughly equal in strength, but Kankuro is slightly weaker because if his chakra strings are cut, he's in a tough spot. His brother and sister have no such vulnerabilities.
As long as Kankuro can retain his chakra strings, he is a remarkable fighter who helped introduce the concept of marionette jutsu in Narutoall the way back in the Chunin Exam Arc. Kankuro's puppet collection and skills have only expanded since then, with Kankuro being a handy, crafty puppet master with a variety of weapons to use. He can even switch places with his puppets if needed, a clever way to escape danger and attack the enemy from unexpected directions.
Temari embodies the element of her homeland with the giant fan
Temari made a fool of Tayuya when they clashed
Temari feels like a more conventional shinobi than her younger brothers, simply because she is a non-jinchuriki who uses elemental chakra/jutsu to fight, along with some summoning jutsu when needed. More than most sand ninjas, Temari represents the storms of her homeland of the Land of the Wind, a place of searing desert winds and open skies. The Sand Village is more associated with marionette jutsu and the sand itself, but Wind Release still has a prominent position there.
Naruto: 10 Strongest Konoha Shinobi, Ranked
Take a look at the incredible power of the Konoha shinobi, featuring Naruto, Sasuke and other iconic characters.
Thus, Temari stands out as a kunoichi who relies mostly on air-based attacks, showing how dangerous this element can be. Her aerial scythes can cut up any enemy or even level a forest, as can the scythe-wielding weasel she can summon. As a bonus, Temari can fly around on her giant fan, giving her similar mobility to Sai and his octopi.
Pakura made a name for himself with the Scorch Jutsu
Pakura can wipe out entire forests with that Kekkei Genkai
Some of the strongest sand ninjas appeared after they died, with Pakura the kunoichi being one of them. Not unlike the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist or the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku, it took the power of the Edo Tensei for Pakura to finally appear on the modern battlefield. She can't top the Kazekage or jinchuriki in her homeland of the Land of the Wind, but Pakura has a secret weapon that made her worth summoning in Kabuto's eyes.
Find all 10 pairs
Start
Find all 10 pairs
Pakura is the only known user of the Scorch jutsu, a Kekkei Genkai that appears to blend Wind and Fire Release into one. IN Naruto Shippudenit became quite common for powerful Kekkei Genkai to elegantly blend two or more elements, and Pakura got his turn. With the Scorch jutsu, she can vaporize any enemies body to mummify them in a hurry, and if needed, Pakura can level entire forests with her scorching jutsu.
Chiyo became one of the most famous Sand Kunoichi of her time
Chiyo's mastery of puppets gave Sakura a chance against Sasori
Three large puppet users of jutsu appeared in Narutowith Chiyo ranking in the middle of them. She has more experience and sharper technique than the much younger Kankuro, but she can't top Akatsuki member Sasori. Thus Chiyo needed Sakura Haruno's help and vice versa to take down Sasori in their battle.
Regardless, Chiyo is one of the most respectable Sand ninjas to ever appear in Naruto anime, where she used Sakura as a living doll early on Naruto Shippuden. Chiyo could think on her feet and use smart attacks to parry Sasori's nastiest attacks, while giving Sakura real-time advice or warnings to maintain her teamwork. Most of all, Chiyo knows how to transfer a person's life force to revive a dead body, even though it cost her her life to do this for Gaara.
The Third Kazekage dominated the battlefield with iron sands
It's no wonder he got a spot in Sasori's Puppet Army
The Third Kazekage is one of only a few Kage from the Hidden Sand Village to make a huge impact on the battlefield, and like Pakura, he did so long after his death. The Third Kazekage first appeared in puppet form as the crown jewel in Sasori's puppet collection, and this is how Sakura learned the horror of the Iron Sand Jutsu. This is a magnetic Kekkei Genkai, one that the Third Kazekage developed after studying One-Tails Shukaku's own techniques.
Sasori admitted that he had a hard time killing this legendary Kazekage, and it's no wonder why. His Iron Sand Jutsu, combined with his intelligence and his ability to nullify metal weapons with magnetism, only add to his immense power. Interestingly, the Third Kazekage returned from the dead twice, first as a puppet and then as himself via Edo Tensei.
Sasori of the Red Sand reached the pinnacle of Puppet Jutsu
Not even Chiyo could defeat Sasori Solo
It's true that the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Jutsu got weaker in puppet form, but the mere fact that Sasori can use the Third Kazekage as a puppet is a testament to Sasori's twisted genius as the world's strongest puppet jutsu user. He is easily one of Hidden Sand Village's most talented ninja of all, and definitely the most resourceful of them all. Not just anyone would have the skill or the audacity to turn so many people into such puppets.
No other puppet jutsu user could coordinate an army of weapons like that, but Sasori made it seem easy as he threw countless puppets at Chiyo and Sakura in their cave battle. With an army that size, Sasori can access an amazing variety of weapons, from swarms of puppet arms to poison gas and blades, not to mention iron sand jutsu. What gives Sasori another edge is how he turned himself into a puppet, which allows him to survive mortal blows if his remaining organs are not damaged.
Gaara of the Sand Found Redemption as a Kazekage Jinchuriki
Even without Shukaku, Gaara is a powerhouse
It could be said that the Third Kazekage was the most powerful Sand ninja to ever hold that office, but a case can also be made for Gaara of the Sand. At least Gaara was stronger than the famous third Kazekage in the events of Naruto Shippudenas the latter was weaker than normal due to Edo Tensei, while Gaara was alive and well. Gaara also had the power of friendship and a noble cause to push him that much further.
Gaara was a powerhouse from the very beginning, with him being the terror of the Chunin Exam Arc. With Shukaku's influence, Gaara can overpower almost anyone with his sandjutsu, and he even single-handedly protected the entire Sand Village from Deidara's bombs. And of course, when Gaara releases the tail's power by falling asleep, he becomes a true titan on the battlefield beyond the power of most Kage.
Naruto
- Release date
-
2002 – 2007-00-00
- Showrunner
-
Masashi Kishimoto
- Directors
-
Hayato date
- Author
-
Masashi Kishimoto
