The Akatsuki was a group of powerful individuals who were led by multiple leaders with different goals at different points in the Naruto story. The organization was originally formed by Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, whose goal was the bring peace to Amegakure.
After Yahiko's death, the Akatsuki turned into an aggressive criminal organization who sought the powers of the Tailed Beasts to create peace. Over the years, countless ninjas have joined this organization and made a name for themselves, but there are some who most fans don't remember being its members.
10 Didn't Know: Juzo Biwa
Juzo was one of the first few members of Nagato's Akatsuki. After Itachi's arrival, he was partnered with him. A member of the Swordsmen of the Mist, Juzo was quite skilled in wielding the Executioner's Blade.
He also fought against the Fourth Mizukage admirably, however, ended up falling in the midst of combat. In his stead, Itachi stepped up and defeated the Mizukage.
9 Everyone Knows: Itachi Uchiha
Itachi Uchiha was one of the first members of the Akatsuki to be introduced to the fans. Introduced as Sasuke's elder brother, Itachi became quite an important character to the story, thanks to the former's obsession with killing him.
Itachi's raw power is yet another reason why he's remembered among the fans. His skill with ninjutsu, along with his extremely refined Sharingan control is what makes him special even today.
8 Didn't Know: Kyusuke
Kyusuke was an unnamed character in Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga, however, the anime made sure to add to his character and give fans more information about him. He was a part of Yahiko's Akatsuki.
Thanks to his incredible speed, he was renowned as "Swift Foot Kyusuke," and he was mainly responsible for delivering messages across Amegakure. Kyusuke was also a proficient user of Lava Release.
7 Everyone Knows: Kisame Hoshigaki
Kisame was one of the strongest members of Nagato's Akatsuki and also ended up serving under Tobi for quite some time. Like Juzo, he was a former Kirigakure shinobi who went on to become a rogue ninja.
Kisame wielded the famous Samehada, a blade that allowed him to shave the chakra of people he fought. Even without the sword, he was quite powerful, as seen during his fight against Might Guy.
6 Didn't Know: Orochimaru
Orochimaru was one of the biggest antagonists in Naruto who led the Hidden Sound Village. Although the story didn't show much of him with the Akatsuki, it is known that at one point, he was a member of the organization.
He tried attacking Itachi Uchiha for his body and ended up getting defeated by him within seconds, which led to his defection from the organization.
5 Everyone Knows: Pain
Pain was the leader of the Akatsuki and one of the strongest members to ever exist. With the power of the Rinnegan, he brought everyone to heel and managed to steal almost every Tailed Beast, aside from the Eight and the Nine-Tails.
In terms of combat, Pain was unbelievably powerful, capable of wiping out an entire village with ease. His strength was so great that even Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, stood no chance against him.
4 Didn't Know: Sasuke Uchiha
Although not an official underling of Tobi's Akatsuki, Sasuke was affiliated with the organization for quite sometime after the death of Itachi Uchiha. He carried out several missions for Tobi, such as capturing the Eight Tailed Jinchūriki.
His time with the Akatsuki was quite short and he ended up joining the Allied Shinobi Forces soon after the Fourth Great Ninja War finally kicked off.
3 Everyone Knows: Deidara
Deidara was a member of the Akatsuki who made his debut during the Kazekage Capture arc of Naruto Shippuden. As a shinobi of Iwagakure, Deidara was extremely skilled in Earth style ninjutsu, however, his main ability was the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai that he combined with the Forbidden Jutsu of Iwagakure.
Deidara was strong enough to defeat Gaara in a fight and he even managed to take on and push Sasuke Uchiha to his limits. While fighting the latter, he blew himself up.
2 Didn't Know: Suigetsu
Suigetsu was one of the members of Team Taka, led by Sasuke Uchiha. After the death of Itachi, Sasuke joined forces with the Akatsuki, and with him, all his underlings followed him as well, Suigetsu being one of them.
As a fighter, Suigetsu was quite capable, however, not nearly as powerful as Sasuke Uchiha himself. Like Sasuke, he served the Akatsuki for a short while and then went his own way.
1 Everyone Knows: Sasori
Sasori of the Red Sand was a former ninja of Sunagakure who defected the village after the Third Great Ninja War. Eventually, he ended up joining the Akatsuki, which gave him the perfect cover to pursue his obsession with human puppeteering.
Sasori was quite powerful, strong enough to have killed the Third Kazekage, who was known to be the strongest in the history of the village. He also managed to hold his own against both Sakura Haruno and Chiyo in a fight, which is quite impressive. His final moments ensured that he was immortalized within every fan of the Naruto series.