Most of the main characters in Naruto are seen as powerful because of their abilities in direct combat, facing off with an opponent and exchanging jutsu until one of them wins. And while these ninjas are the flashiest of those fans see in the series, there are also a group of people who have abilities that are more supportive in nature.

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Instead of being on the front lines, they’re in charge of handling things to ensure that those doing the fighting are protected, taken care of, and given every advantage in order to win. The people who use supportive jutsu are some of the strongest shinobi in the series, even if it’s not necessarily what they’re known for.

10 Tsunade Was Considered The Best Healer In The World

Naruto Tsunade Hokage

Tsunade is perhaps the most obvious choice for this list. She is the strongest kunoichi alive and, as the Fifth Hokage, shows herself to be a formidable ninja on more than one occasion. But more than her physical prowess and combat abilities, Tsunade is considered the best healer in the world. She is renowned for her incredible chakra control, and there are few injuries or illnesses that she is unable to deal with, showing her medical ninjutsu is of the highest quality.

9 Sakura Haruno Offers Immediate Healing On The Battlefield

Sakura Haruno adult smirking in Boruto

As Tsunade’s student, Sakura has learned many of her techniques in medical ninjutsu. But unlike Tsunade, Sakura spends a lot more time in the series out in the field putting them to work. While Tsunade is taking care of those who make it home, Sakura is actively supporting her team with her skills on the battlefield. When she’s not using her amazing chakra control to pummel people into the ground, she is offering assistance with battlefield injuries.

8 Minato Namikaze Used Both Space-Time Ninjutsu & Sealing Techniques

Minato Namikaze Fourth Hokage Narutos dad

Minato is considered perhaps the most powerful ninja of all time, and he proves time and again that he deserves his position as the Fourth Hokage. While powerful in his own right, he has also shown himself to be very adept at supportive ninjutsu.

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He uses his Space-Time Ninjutsu to transport others through a teleportation technique, and his fuinjutsu skills, learned from his teacher Jiraiya and his wife Kushina, allow him to seal Kurama inside of Naruto.

7 Jiraiya Helped Minato Learn Fuinjutsu & Destroyed The Seal On Naruto

a close up of jiraiya naruto

Jiraiya, as one of the Legendary Sannin, is one of the most accomplished shinobi that viewers see in Naruto. He is seen using a wide range of abilities, from Summoning Techniques to fuinjutsu. Jiraiya is partially responsible for Minato Namikaze learning fuinjutsu, showing that he has his own abilities in supportive jutsu, despite being a formidable fighter as well. He also successfully destroys the seal that Orochimaru placed on Naruto, allowing him to access Kurama’s chakra once again.

6 Sasuke Uchiha's Sharingan Can Be Used To Gather Information

Sasuke Uchiha Rinnegan

Sasuke Uchiha is one of several ninja on this list who does not serve in a primary function as a supportive ninja. However, his Sharingan's genjutsu works in just such a capacity, making it a great jutsu for supporting teammates. This technique can be used to extract information from a target, remove genjutsu placed by other ninja, or even control a target’s actions, giving him a wide range of options for how to use it on the field.

5 Neji Hyuga Uses His Byakugan To See Incoming Danger From Long Distances

Neji deflecting an attack from the Ten-Tails in Naruto.

Neji Hyuga is a talented and gifted ninja, and he is often seen on the front lines in battle, showing himself to be more powerful and faster than most of his opponents. But his Hyuga kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, actually allows him to act in the capacity of a great support ninja as well. He is able to see things at longer distances and almost as if he has x-ray vision, particularly regarding the chakra of others, allowing him to warn his teammates of any impending dangers.

4 Chiyo Brought Gaara Back To Life In Exchange For Her Own

Chiyo bringing Gaara back to life naruto

Chiyo is not present for much of the series, but her use of supportive ninjutsu is perhaps the most powerful, and forbidden, of just about anyone in the series. Aside from Tsunade, she is likely the most powerful medical-nin in the series. She is skilled at fuinjutsu, as seen by the fact that she sealed Shukaku into Gaara. And most impressively, she created a life-giving technique, which, in return for her own life, she uses to bring Gaara back from the dead.

3 Naruto Uzumaki Can Share & Distribute His Chakra To His Allies

Naruto Uzumaki looks determined and serious

Naruto is the main character of the series, so of course, he does not spend most of his time doing supportive jutsu. However, he has shown some skill at it, and as one of the strongest ninjas in the series, it’s impossible not to acknowledge that.

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One of his most powerful abilities is an unusual version of chakra flow, with which he is able to distribute his own vast chakra reserves to many other ninjas during the Fourth Shinobi War in order to replenish the chakra of his allies.

2 Shikamaru Nara Can Trap Enemies In Place With His Shadow Imitation Technique

Shikamaru from Naruto entering a tent

Shikamaru Nara is an interesting character because he is the first in Naruto’s class to make Chunin status but, even at that point, he is nowhere near being the strongest of the Konoha 11. His skills come in the way he supports and manages a team, particularly in his Shadow Imitation Technique. This technique isn’t specifically used for combat, since most actions the person being controlled takes are also taken by Shikamaru, but it’s a great way to get someone into position for a teammate to finish them off.

1 Mito Uzumaki Sealed Kurama Inside Herself

Mito Uzumaki from Naruto

Mito Uzumaki is the very first of the jinchuriki who housed the Nine-Tails within herself. And with this, she also shows her abilities as a supportive jutsu user. She is actually never seen in actual battle in the series and is only shown in her capacity as a fuinjutsu user. She uses this jutsu to seal Kurama inside of herself once her husband, Hashirama Senju, defeats Madara and releases him. The fact that she’s able to seal one of the Tailed Beasts by herself shows the strength of her skills.

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