Naruto was the titular protagonist of the Naruto series and a young shinobi who has made astounding leaps of progress over his seven-hundred-episode journey. He has evolved from being a kid of Konoha into its greatest champion.
However, the hero has many shortcomings and flaws that render him a relatable, believable character. By identifying Uzumaki's strengths and contrasting them against his worst weaknesses, we can better appreciate whether or not he is as worthy of being Hokage as he claims, and if the Leaf is actually in good hands.
10 Weakness: Naruto's Perception Is Often One Of His Greatest Failings
Naruto's general perception has not always been stellar. Neither he nor the rest of his Team Seven comrades were aware of the true nature of Kakashi's bell test despite the fact that he was notorious for failing his students.
Additionally, he was one of the least concerned about Sasuke's departure from the Leaf until it actually happened. In fact, his many clashes with his rival contributed to Sasuke's desperation for more power so that he could finally vanquish his brother.
9 Strength: Naruto Is A Charismatic Figure That Many Can Rally Behind
Naruto's charisma has often been his greatest asset, a fact that Kakashi acknowledged during his final confrontation with Obito near the conclusion of the Forth Ninja War. It has also had ramifications on a global scale.
It was thanks to his charisma that he was able to procure a strong alliance between the Sand and Leaf villages. Gaara's shinobi would be grateful allies and directly responsible for saving Shikamaru's team during their battle against the Sound Four. Without his aid, the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke would have been much more costly.
8 Weakness: Naruto Has Struggled With Immaturity In The Past
Naruto's early career as a genin was a troubled one. Desperate for attention no matter the cost, he pranked the village and exacerbated his already poor reputation.
To make matters worse, he performed his "sexy jutsu" on Jiraiya in order to encourage his training. Although this may have been an effective utility to garner the Sannin's attention, it was completely inappropriate given the context of their relationship for both parties involved. Fortunately, Naruto's silliness has been a less persistent problem as the series has progressed, although vestiges of its nature exist in his son, Boruto.
7 Strength: Naruto Is The Series' Most Powerful Hero
Although Sasuke is a close contender, Naruto is the series' most powerful hero. Over the years, he has mastered toad summoning, the rasengan, sage mode, and his iconic ability, the shadow clone jutsu.
While many members in the Otsutsuki clan may wield the strength necessary to oppose or even defeat Naruto, he is handily the mightiest character willing to defend Konoha. As a result, he is a natural choice when considering who should be Hokage as village leaders are supposed to represent the strongest warriors of their people.
6 Weakness: There Are Serious Limitations Behind Sage Mode
While Sage mode may be the most powerful tool in Naruto's arsenal, it has serious limits - time must be spent gathering nature chakra from the area around him before concentrating it into physical strength.
As a result, the Hokage cannot reach his highest potential until a fight is already well in progress. This is a flaw that could prove fatal against overwhelming opponents who are aware of his enhancement's limitation and know how to counter it efficiently.
5 Strength: Naruto Has Tremendous Creativity In Combat
Naruto has fantastic creativity in combat, often relying on his deceptively high intelligence in order to locate weaknesses in enemies and exploit them. This was proven in his match against Kiba, where he farted in his face in order to throw off his sense of smell and create an opening for attack.
It was again seen during the hero's final battle against Sasuke, where he hid sage clones in mist in order to give him a boost in chakra that could match the Tailed Beasts his friend had enslaved. His creativity in using his jutsu offset whatever flaws his abilities have.
4 Weakness: Naruto Has A Martyr Complex
As an idealistic hero, Naruto has a martyr complex that has put him in grave jeopardy before. This was most evident during Karui's visit to Konoha, where he allowed her to pummel him instead of revealing information about Sasuke Uchiha.
It was again seen during the final fight with Sasuke himself, where he refused to use the full extent of his power because it had the possibility of killing his friend. In both instances, his romanticized vision of sacrifice put him at serious risk.
3 Strength: Naruto Has Astounding Durability
Naruto's durability is superb. Even before the time skip, he was tenacious enough to withstand the point blank impact of Kabuto's chakra scalpel, being struck dozens of times by Neji's palm technique, and even being smashed through a solid sheet of rock by Sasuke at the fight in the Valley of the End.
His resilience was on account of his Uzumaki healing factor and due to the presence of Kurama's chakra. It empowered him to act heroically and cast his body into dangerous situations where other characters might suffer serious injury.
2 Weakness: Naruto Is Forgiving To An Irrational Extent
Naruto is so irrationally forgiving that he attempts to absolve almost every villain he crosses the path of, using their difficult pasts to justify and excuse their actions. The most egregious example of his mercy came through his leniency toward Sasuke despite the man's numerous attempts to sabotage the village and dominate others.
While Naruto's clemency almost always has positive results (proven when Zabuza turned against Gato, Pain revived the Leaf, and when Obito joined the Allied Shinobi Forces), it was only due to narrative convenience. Realistically wouldn't be as reliable of a solution.
1 Strength: Naruto's Versatility Allows Him To Face Challenges However Necessary
In addition to being Konoha's strongest champion, Naruto is also its most versatile. His rasengan provides a fantastic melee or ranged weapon, with his shadow clones supplementing his attacks and disorienting adversaries.
Moreover, Kurama provides him with a natural immunity against genjutsu, allowing him to persevere against the series' most treacherous and elusive villains. Naruto's ability to adapt to and overcome any situation is one of his most crowning strengths and renders him a shinobi worthy of leading his village into a bold future.