The Kage are usually the strongest known fighters of a shinobi village in the world of Naruto and they're responsible for managing all its affairs, along with protecting it against the enemy threat. They're all powerful enough to take on any threat that comes their way and are ready to put their lives on the line for the sake of the village.

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Although most Kage are extremely capable, there are some who are much stronger than the others, while also those who fans think are too weak to be one of the Kage.

Updated on August 16th, 2020 by Josh Davison: The world of Naruto is rich with lore, and the series has spent a lot of time introducing the viewers to the many individuals who have held the title of Kage, both in the past and the present. Their powers are vast and diverse, and the merely attaining the rank of village leader means that a shinobi has already shown extreme fighting prowess. With all of this in mind, we're adding another four entries to this list: two more of the strongest Kages and two more of the weakest.

14 STRONGEST: Minato Namikaze

Minato, the Fourth Hokage, with a kunai in his mouth

Naturally, the Fourth Hokage, father of Naruto Uzumaki, teacher of Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha, pupil of Jiraiya, and creator of the Rasengan, should be featured on this list. Minato Namikaze was known as the "Yellow Flash" for his immense speed and agility. He possessed the ability to teleport great distances using his marked kunai. He also took on the Nine-Tailed Fox when it attacked the Hidden Leaf Village at the time of Naruto's birth.

He also possessed the ability to enter Sage Mode, increasing his speed and power even further. Minato was a truly powerful shinobi, and it took a giant godlike demon to bring about his demise.

13 WEAKEST: Tsunade Senju

While Tsunade is a powerful shinobi with immense strength and life-saving medical ninjutsu, she doesn't quite rank up there with the most powerful Kages of all time.

Her offensive capabilities largely rely on her strength and her ability to summon Katsuyu. That said, offensive power isn't everything, and she proved herself to be a compassionate and intelligent Hokage. She pushed herself to the very brink in saving Konoha from Pain's attack, and she passed on her knowledge and skills to Sakura Haruno who has since surpassed Tsunade.

12 STRONGEST: Ay

Ay, aka the Fourth Raikage, is the adopted brother of Killer Bee and is a man almost as fast as Minato and as strong as Tsunade. He led the Hidden Cloud Village into the Fourth Great Shinobi War and was even made the commander of the Shinobi Alliance.

He has access to immense power thanks to his Lightning Release technique, though he also has access to Earth and Water. He can also withstand great damage, and he once broke through Sasuke's Susano'o.

11 WEAKEST: Gaara Of The Desert

gaara naruto

Gaara of the Desert has long been a fan favorite after he turned hero during the original Naruto series. He was one of the strongest shinobi of his generation, and he was made Kazekage in his teenage years. However, his reign will forever be marred by his defeat at the hands of Deidara and Sasori.

While Gaara was strong and had access to the One-Tailed Shukaku, he still proved no match for Deidara and Sasori. This defeat ultimately left Gaara without Shukaku, though his control over sand remained. He was still quite powerful, but it's hard to deny that the likes of Minato, Ay, Hashirama, Naruto, or Kakashi and Hiruzen at their prime would have been able to take out Deidara and Sasori--who turned out to be possibly the weakest members of the Akatsuki.

10 STRONGEST: Hashirama Senju

hashirama Senju looks concerned

Hashirama Senju was the First Hokage of Konohagakure and one of the strongest to ever live. He was the first-ever Kage to be elected and was thus an example for many.

Hashirama Senju remained unsurpassed for quite some time and even by the end of the series only a few shinobi managed to get past his level. His prowess with the Sage Mode and the Wood Release easily made him one of the strongest ever.

9 WEAKEST: Rasa

Rasa was the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure and Gaara's father. He was a user of the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai and using it, he could control Gold Dust.

While Rasa was strong, he was definitely not among the strongest Kage to ever live. In fact, he was fairly average with his abilities and got killed by Orochimaru without much trouble.

8 STRONGEST: Hiruzen Sarutobi

Hiruzen as a young man

Hiruzen was the Third Hokage of the Leaf and was known to the strongest Hokage ever when he was alive. In his prime, he was said to be stronger than the likes of Hashirama, however, we never got to see that, unfortunately.

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Hiruzen knew most of the Jutsu in existence and could even understand the nature of the Truth-Seeking Orbs. His keen eye and ability to see through any technique earned him the title of "The Professor."

7 WEAKEST: Mei Terumi

Mizukage Mei Terumi using Lava Release in Naruto

Mei Terumi was the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure who took over after the Bloody Mist era under Yagura was over. Although she was a fantastic leader for the village, she was definitely not among the best when it came to fighting skills.

Despite being a user of two Kekkei Genkai in Boil Release and Lava Release, Mei was weaker than most Kage we've seen in the series. Among the Five Kage of her era, she was the weakest, as seen during the fight against Madara Uchiha.

6 STRONGEST: Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki in his Hokage uniform in Naruto.

Naruto Uzumaki is the strongest shinobi in the series to ever exist and the only one who is equal to him right now is Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto is the Seventh Hokage of Konohagakure and he's protected not only the village but the entire shinobi world from danger multiple times.

Even now, he continues to grow in strength for the sake of being able to protect his family and keep the threat of the Kara and the Otsutsuki at bay.

5 WEAKEST: Chojuro

Chojuro As The 6th Mizukage

Chojuro is the Sixth Mizukage of Kirigakure and he took over the reins after Mei. He wields the infamous sword known as Hiramekarei which is arguably the strongest of the Seven Swords of the Mist.

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His skills as a Kage are fairly decent, however, he's definitely not among the strongest that we've ever seen. By the end of Boruto, he might get stronger.

4 STRONGEST: Mu

Mu trying to use Dust Release

The Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Mu was an exceptionally powerful shinobi and the master of Onoki. He was a user of the famed Particle Style Jutsu that allowed him to dismantle anything within an instant.

Mu also had the power to split his body into two and go completely invisible. He was someone even Onoki couldn't deal with without help and is definitely one of the most underrated Kage ever.

3 WEAKEST: Darui

Darui As The Raikage

Darui is the Fifth and the current Raikage of Kumogakure. He took over the role of Kage after Ay retired. Needless to say, Darui has done a fairly decent job, however, his strength as a Kage is certainly something that needs more focus.

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Fans have barely seen him do anything and compared to the Third and the Fourth Raikage, he looks rather weak. However, Darui will have his chances to shine and fans hope he gets stronger by the end of the Boruto series.

2 STRONGEST: Gengetsu Hozuki

Gengetsu Hozuki in Naruto.

Gengetsu Hozuki was the Second Mizukage of Kirigakure and also their strongest in their entire history. Although he didn't have the most intimidating looks, he was an absolute monster in combat, especially with his Genjutsu techniques.

Gengetsu was equal to Mu in terms of combat, and the two are known to have killed each other while fighting. He was a master of the Water Release Jutsu and like Mu, one of the most underrated Kage ever.

1 WEAKEST: Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake was the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure right until Naruto Uzumaki took over. His era as the leader was rather stable as the world was recovering from the wounds of the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Kakashi was a great shinobi in his prime, and even as a Kage, he was a phenomenal fighter. However, he had already lost his Sharingan at this point and his abilities certainly weren't as great as they once were.

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