The Kage system in Naruto was introduced once Konohagakure, the very first shinobi village was created. Simply put, a Kage is someone who looks after everything in a village from its functioning to its military strength. The five major shinobi villages in the series each have their own Kage, with Konoha having the Hokage, Suna having the Kazekage, Kiri having Mizukage, Iwa having Tsuchikage, and Kumo having the Raikage.
All of them have done quite some amazing stuff that has inscribed their name into history.
10 Best Kage: Onoki
Onoki was the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure and the apprentice of Mu. He was quite a strong fellow who could use the deadly Kekkei Tota ability of Dust Release.
Onoki shone in the Fourth Great Ninja War as one of the biggest thorns in the way of Madara Uchiha. That, along with his great battle experience made him a valuable asset to the Shinobi Alliance during the war.
9 Best Thing He Did: Saved The Shinobi Alliance
Onoki might've been quite old during the Fourth Great Ninja War, however, he was just as amazing as he was in his prime, all thanks to his Will of Stone.
When the alliance was up against Madara Uchiha, he was the one who saved them from two meteorites that came down one after the other. Furthermore, he was also the main threat out of the Five Kage, as acknowledged by Madara himself.
8 Best Kage: Gaara
Gaara became the Fifth Kazekage at quite a young age of Sunagakure shortly after the death of his father, Rasa. Thanks to his immense power and his desire to make the village a better place, Gaara was chosen as their leader and he didn't disappoint.
To date, he remains to be the most successful Kage in the history of Sunagakure, and the most powerful one as well, being stronger than the likes of even the Third Kazekage.
7 Best Thing He Did: Saved Sunagakure
Gaara has been quite an incredible Kage for Sunagakure and easily their most successful one. As expected of a Kage, he isn't scared to lay down his life for the people of the village, as seen during the Akatsuki invasion.
Despite being on the verge of death, Gaara tried his best to save Sunagakure from Deidara's attacks and succeeded in doing so.
6 Best Kage: Hashirama Senju
Also known as the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju was the First Hokage of Konohagakure and as expected of a legendary figure such as himself, he was a tremendously powerful Kage.
In terms of combat, Hashirama was the strongest of his time, with Madara Uchiha being the only one to rival him. He laid down the foundation for generations to come and remains to be one of the most successful Kage in the story.
5 Best Thing He Did: Created Konohagakure
Hashirama Senju was the man responsible for the creation of Konohagakure. Thanks to Madara's help, he was able to build a land where people could live in peace and children wouldn't have to fight on the battlefield anymore. To oversee everything, he became its very first Hokage.
Being impressed with how successful this system was, other countries also adopted the same system, and hence the shinobi nations were born.
4 Best Kage: Tobirama Senju
Hashirama Senju's little brother, Tobirama was quite a wonderful shinobi as well, however, he was very pragmatic, unlike his brother. After the death of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama was chosen as the Second Hokage of the village.
His dislike for the Uchiha clan was no surprise at all and he did ostracize them throughout his reign. However, he also tried to work together with them and use them where they were good, such as the Konoha Police Force.
3 Best Thing He Did: Created The Academy
Tobirama was quite special, even among all the Kage. He was termed as a genius and he invented countless Jutsu throughout his ninja life. Some of the most deadly Jutsu, such as the Edo Tensei, are his creation.
His biggest contribution to the world, however, is the Ninja Academy. It was Tobirama who thought the creation of the Academy was essential for the growth of the shinobi.
2 Best Kage: Hiruzen Sarutobi
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Third and the longest-serving Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. His knowledge on Jutsu of all kind was unmatched and it earned him the title of "The Professor."
Having been trained the First and the Second Hokage, it is no surprise that Hiruzen went on to become a powerful Hokage, one who is said to have surpassed even Hashirama Senju in his prime.
1 Best Thing He Did: Passed On The Will Of Fire
If there was one thing that burned brightly within Hiruzen, it was the Will of Fire. Although the previous Kage also carried this spirit within them, it manifested within Hiruzen the most and he didn't pass it on just to one person but rather the entire young generation of shinobi.
Hiruzen was an inspiration to everyone, and despite Naruto having known countless Kage, he respects Hiruzen the most because he is the epitome of what a Kage should be like.