8 Most Powerful Non-Kage Ninjas, Ranked

Since the formation of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, only 27 ninja have been included Naruto has held the rank of Kage. Other ninja villages also have leaders, but a Kage is only used to identify the leader of one of the Five Great Nations. Kage are considered the strongest ninjas in their respective villages, but all of these villages have powerful ninjas who never became Kage.

The most powerful non-Kage ninjas in the Naruto were powerful enough to claim the title for themselves. In fact, several of these ninja competed to become Kage, but were either passed over or refused the position. Some of these powerful ninjas have actually killed a former Kage in the past.

8

Sasori could take down an entire nation single-handedly

image via Pierrot.

Sasori may have been the first Akatsuki member to die, but that doesn't mean he was weak. In fact, there's a good chance he could have been named the Hidden Sand Village's fourth Kazekage if he hadn't defected. Sasori was the strongest member of the Sand's Puppet Brigade, and his mastery of the technique allowed him to control up to 100 puppets at once. With the help of these puppets, he was able to defeat a small nation by himself.

Like most puppet users, Sasori specialized in ranged combat, but thanks to his innovative design, he was also an effective melee fighter. Sasori was able to use various poisons that were so complex that only a medical ninja of Tsunade's caliber, or one of her disciples, could create an antidote in time. Sasori proved that he was a Kage-level ninja when he killed the Third Kazekage, still considered by many to be the strongest Kazekage in Sand Village history.

7

Kisame Hoshigaki's power was equivalent to a tailed beast

Image via Studio Pierrot

Before joining the Akatsuki, Kisame was part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, making him one of the most skilled and feared swordsmen in the entire Ninja world. He wielded the Samehada, a sentient broadsword designed to crush opponents. More importantly, it can absorb an opponent's chakra to the point of nullifying their techniques and knocking them unconscious. Kisame was able to fuse with Samehada for an instant victory, and he was able to use the stolen chakra to heal himself.

Kisame's natural chakra reserves were so great that he was considered a tailless beast. He mastered Water Release to the point where he could submerge entire landscapes under water. Kage-level ninja can beat a Jinchuriki one-on-one, and Kisame did when he defeated Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, without any help. If Samehada hadn't betrayed him, Kisame would have easily defeated Killer B, a perfect Jinchuriki with even greater power.

6

Orochimaru is a Sannin who would have been Hokage in another life

Image via Studio Pierrot

Orochimaru may be the founder and undisputed leader of Hidden Sound Village, but he is no Kage. As a member of Leaf Village's legendary Sannin, Orochimaru is one of the strongest ninja in history, and if it weren't for his evil experiments and disregard for human life, he would likely have succeeded Hiruzen as Leaf's Fourth Hokage. Orochimaru can use all five basic chakra natures, he is exceptionally skilled with a sword, and he has mastered hundreds of jutsu.

Orochimaru showed his Kage-level strength several times over the course of the series. For example, he personally killed the Fourth Kazekage, who turned out to be one of them Naruto the franchise's most impactful Kage death. He overpowered the Third Hokage to the point where he had to sacrifice himself just to seal Orochimaru's arms. In the second half of the series, Orochimaru was able to fight on par with and even overpower Naruto's Four-Tailed Beast transformation without suffering any serious damage.

5

Jiraiya was strong enough to beat pain one-on-one

Image via Studio Pierrot

As one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was asked several times to become Hokage, but he refused each time because he believed he was not worthy of the position. Ironically, he personally trained two future Hokage and Nagato, who were on the same level. He may have come across as childish at times, but no one can deny Jiraiya's strength. Itachi, an Uchiha prodigy, believed that he and Kisame would not be able to defeat him.

Jiraiya summoned ninja toads of various sizes during battle, allowing him to take on monstrous beasts or dozens of ordinary ninjas at once. He was also one of the few people who could use Sage Mode. He might not have mastered it, but he still used it well enough to defeat three of Pain's bodies. Pain, wielding the Rinnegan and controlling six bodies, and who can be considered stronger than a Kage, admitted that Jiraiya could have defeated him if he had revealed the secret of the Six Paths earlier.

4

Killer B was a perfect Jinchuriki and master Swordsman

Killer B is the adopted brother of Hidden Cloud Village's fourth Raikage, but he is also a perfect Jinchuriki who can access all of the Eight-Tails' chakra. He can also transform into the Tailed Beast at any time without losing control. As a result, B can use Tailed Beast Ball, which is a Tailed Beast's ultimate attack. With it, he can vaporize one of the other major ninja villages.

B is a master swordsman who can increase the cutting power of his swords by infusing them with lightning chakra. He uses an unorthodox style of up to eight swords, making his movements incredibly difficult to read. Even the Sharingan can't keep up with his swordsmanship. If it wasn't for Jugo and Karin, B would have killed Sasuke twice, very easily. If a Jinchuriki like Gaara, Yagura and Naruto could become a Kage, so could B.

3

Obito Uchiha could beat a kage with his kamui

Image via Studio Pierrot

Like Naruto, Obito dreamed of becoming Hokage, but his life took a dark turn when he witnessed Rin's death. He trained with Madara Uchiha for a year and became a Kage level ninja during that time. Obito nearly defeated Minato, the Fourth Hokage, in a one-on-one duel, and he personally killed all of the Uchiha clan's strongest fighters during the massacre.

Obito was able to use Kamui thanks to his Mangekyo Sharingan. It's one of the best teleportation abilities in anime, and it gave Obito a form of intangibility. Most attacks safely went through his body, and he could instantly win a fight by trapping someone in his Kamui dimension. Even someone that fast in the fourth Raikage couldn't get a hit on Obito. If that wasn't enough, Obito took control of Yagura, the fourth Mizukage, and he was able to use his Sharingan to control a Tailed Beast.

2

Itachi Uchiha had a powerful Mangekyo Sharingan and virtually unbeatable Susanoo

The Uchiha clan is one of the most feared and powerful clans in history, and Itachi was seen as a true child prodigy. He mastered the base Sharingan by his eleventh birthday and awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan a year later. He was the youngest ninja to ever join the Leaf Village's Anbu. By the time he was 16, Itachi was already strong enough to take on Kage-level ninjas.

When Orochimaru tried to steal his body, Itachi easily defeated him, even severing the Sannin's left hand. Itachi could trap others in a powerful time-altering genjutsu, or incinerate others with Amaterasu's black flames. His Susanoo could take on a Tailed Beast, and it was said to be invincible because it used an ethereal sword that could pierce through anything. It also had a shield that could reflect any attack. Itachi sacrificed everything to protect the Leaf Village, which is something only a Hokage is expected to do.

1

Madara Uchiha is a legendary ninja who can easily beat The Five Kage

The argument can be made that Madara is the strongest Uchiha in history. It is hard to dispute this claim as he only lost to Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage, whose skills earned him the title of God of Shinobi. Madara co-founded the Hidden Leaf Village, and Hashirama wanted him to be Hokage, but he Hashirama was ultimately chosen because he was more popular.

Madara's power is so great that he is one of the few Naruto characters that can wipe out a country. He demonstrated this legendary power during the Fourth Great Ninja War when he single-handedly wiped out thousands of ninjas with his Rinnegan. Madara's Susanoo was comparable to a Tailed Beast, as a single swing of its sword could destroy entire mountains. He quickly subdued all the Tailed Beasts during the war, and he easily defeated the Five Kage when he decided to get serious.

Release date

October 2, 2002

Network

Adult swimming