Naruto has forever changed how we see ninjas. Before, they were mere spies or assassins hired to do the dirty work of feudal clan lords. Then, Naruto happened, threw subtlety out the window, and made them all superheroes or Super Saiyans. That's not to say it was a bad thing for ninjas-- if anything it made them cooler. Powerful as they have become in our eyes, however, there's always a bigger fish.
Even Naruto, the best ninja ever (after Uchiha Itachi, fight me), pales in comparison to some of the certified heavy hitters of anime. While Naruto's progress is commendable, some anime characters are simply too godly for him to defeat if he was to fight them. So, here are 10 of those bigger fish we are talking about who will definitely cut Naruto's Hokage tenure short.
10 RYUK (DEATH NOTE)
Naruto has faced more than one ethereal being from a spirit world of some sort several times. However, none of them are as absolute as a Shinigami, most notably Ryuk from the surprisingly dark shonen anime Death Note. We would have chosen Light Yagami from the same anime but Ryuk has a much better chance of surviving Naruto.
That's because Ryuk is pretty much invisible to mere mortals (at least to those who haven't touched his Death Note). For that matter, Naruto won't even see Ryuk coming. All Ryuk has to do is look at Naruto then write his name on his Death Note and there goes Konoha's most popular Hokage.
9 KENSHIRO (FIST OF THE NORTH STAR)
No matter how badass a ninja is, particularly Naruto, he might never reach the same level of battle-hardiness as Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star. Kenshiro is more than just a seasoned warrior, he's also a survivor and has experienced a worldwide nuclear apocalypse and lived. After the apocalypse, the whole world turned insane and humans regressed back to their stone age mentality where the strong ruled over the weak.
In a sense, Kenshiro is the Japanese version of Max Rockatansky-- except he makes Max look like a helpless hobo autophile by comparison. What makes Kenshiro more powerful than Naruto is his mastery of an assassination art where one hit can make a whole person explode into a red mist. So, as you can imagine, Naruto won't a chance against Kenshiro once he attacks him. It doesn't matter if Kenshiro's hits against Naruto are about as strong as a mosquito's, he's already dead.
8 ALUCARD (HELLSING)
Alucard, whose name is Dracula spelled backward is the antihero centerpiece of the anime Hellsing and its reboots, etc. Essentially, he's about as powerful as the most senior of all vampires. He has more than a thousand years of fighting and killing experience and is functionally immortal since he's a vampire. Suffice to say, Naruto's regular life span and limited knowledge won't be enough against a battle with Alucard.
Alucard doesn't even need to do tedious hand seals in order to channel his powers. To the venerable vampire, tapping into his demonic abilities is like batting an eye. Other than that, Alucard's ferocity and bloodlust are relentless and no mortal can handle such a creature of destruction.
7 ISAAC NETERO (HUNTER X HUNTER)
Isaac Netero from Hunter X Hunter is quite similar to another Hokage in the Hidden Leaf Village, namely Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. At first glance, both seem to be slow old men way past their prime and that's what makes them deadly. Netero loves to pretend like he's a tired old man but is really one of the most powerful beings in his world.
As such, his feats make Naruto's look like a walk in the park. Apart from being more than a century old, Netero's strength, speed, durability, endurance, and stamina are unmatched. Once he starts using his Nen or unique powers, it's game over for any opponent. Oh, and Naruto can't kill him since he has an atomic bomb inside him which explodes if he dies.
6 ALL MIGHT (MY HERO ACADEMIA)
Few can match All Might from My Hero Academia in this list when it comes to pure strength. His name says it all and he tends to rely on brute force most of the time. That isn't to say he has no other capabilities; All Might, a.k.a. Toshinori Yagi, is the Superman of his own anime universe. Hence, he has immense speed, reflexes, durability, and stamina in addition to the godly strength.
Even a single average punch from All Might is enough to defeat a tough enemy and simultaneously change the weather due to the shockwave of his attack. Naruto isn't even known to be the physically strongest ninja in his respective anime world, meaning he can't really do much to steel himself against All Might's barrage of attacks.
5 TETSUO SHIMA (AKIRA)
Like Naruto, Tetsuo Shina from Akira is an orphan. Still, the two of them probably wouldn't get along well because Tetsuo believes that the world does not deserve his mercy for treating him badly. It just so happens that Tetsuo woke up one day with some crazy psychic powers capable of destroying whole worlds.
When has Naruto even came close to destroying or physically changing the whole world on his own? Tetsuo has and came terrifyingly near in achieving his vengeance on the cruel world. His powers just keep growing without any limit; by the end of the anime film, he's shown to be capable of creating and destroying whole universes.
4 KAGUYA OTSUTSUKI (NARUTO SHIPPUDEN)
Kaguya Otsutsuki is what happened when the manga writer and artist of Naruto ran out of ideas on how the good guys could defeat Uchiha Madara. So, he introduced Kaguya who eventually replaced the big bad guy (or gal) role. She's also the reason why Madara is absent in this list. When it comes to powers and ninja techniques, Kaguya's is limitless.
Oh, and she's also a goddess when it comes to chakra, meaning it does whatever she wills. Even Naruto alone couldn't defeat her and it took the combined efforts of all the decent and rational ninjas of several nations and even the dead Kages to defeat Kaguya. In the end, they can only imprison Kaguya again, meaning she's still out there, waiting.
3 SAITAMA (ONE PUNCH MAN)
Yeah, no contest with this one. It probably doesn't even need an explanation. Anyway, Saitama from One Punch Man makes Naruto... or pretty much any other shonen protagonist a joke. After all, he's meant to be a parody of all of them. He's like Kenshiro, except more laid back, humorous, and hairless.
One punch and Naruto sleeps or disappears, depending on how Saitama wants the fight to end. Either way, Saitama will always be the clear victor if we go by the rules of his own anime world. Also, by feats alone, Saitama has defeated numerous baddies that would give even Naruto trouble. The reason he's not at the top of this list? Dragon Ball...
2 GOKU (DRAGON BALL FRANCHISE)
Here we go. Despite all the new names and faces of the shonen genre, there can only be one "strongest." That one is Son Goku, the alien we grew up with and loved from the very beginning. We have witnessed Goku grow from a hairy-tailed primitive kid to a paragon of Earth and eventually, his own universe.
We can assume that Goku doesn't even need to give it his all when fighting the likes of Naruto. At best, he'd only need the first few blonde-levels of Super Saiyan to end the fight. Don't even get us started on Ultra Instinct. That one is best reserved for someone like Saitama and not Naruto. All in all, not many can beat Goku, except maybe...
1 ZENO (DRAGON BALL FRANCHISE)
Okay, look, we know you're probably sick and tired of seeing this funny dude at the top of everyone's "most powerful" anime list but it can't be helped. He's pretty much the "One-Above-All" version of anime or at least the Dragon Ball franchise which contains the most powerful beings in anime. Zeno doesn't even need to fight in order to erase someone, he just needs to think of it.
He's basically a god of the multiverse and also the one responsible for creating or destroying them. Even Goku wouldn't dare earn the ire of someone like Zeno (they're actually good friends, though). In that regard, even someone like Naruto would probably want to bow to the likes of Zeno or at least show him respect. Thankfully, he's a calm childish being who loves shonen protagonists.