Before Naruto becomes the most powerful shinobi, he's just a kid trying to get recognition from the rest of his village. Despite the fact that most people see him as a class clown and a failure, he proves to be a splendid ninja in his own right.
That being said, not every character in the series makes it difficult for Naruto to prove himself as the best. While characters like Sasuke are naturally talented geniuses and prove to be a series-long obstacle for Naruto to contend with, some other characters are far easier to surpass. Not everyone can be an excellent shinobi and it's surprising the way some have failed in that regard.
10 Rock Lee Only Has Taijutsu
Rock Lee is a beloved character for a reason. He's unmatched in taijutsu and he has the heart of a true hero. Despite that, he's still technically failed when it comes to being a full-fledged shinobi. Genjustu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu are the foundations that all ninjas live by.
Since Lee can't do anything but taijutsu, his fighting style will always be weaker than the others. During the Fourth Shinobi War, he was left to stay on the sidelines while the most powerful ninja did all the fighting. He is a great character but that doesn't mean he hasn't failed in many ways.
9 Ebisu Is Not Much Of A Jonin
It's hard to believe Ebisu is a jonin considering how weak he's proven to be. He is smart and he's shown to have a lot of experience but even when Naruto is at his weakest he is easily able to defeat Ebisu.
It's pretty embarrassing that a genin is able to trick a jonin with a technique like the Sexy Jutsu. Considering how powerful other jonin have proven to be, it makes sense that Ebisu doesn't do much fighting throughout the series.
8 Tenten Is Forgettable
For many fans, Tenten is the most forgettable character, which is a shame because it's fun when she actually gets to do anything. However, her fighting technique is pretty weak compared to the others and she's never been shown to be very good at hand-to-hand combat.
Many fans consider Sakura and Ino's fight to be the worst of the Chunin Exams but considering Tenten didn't even get to really fight, hers is even worse. There is some attempt to develop her character during the Fourth Shinobi War but it doesn't go anywhere. With a weak fighting style and no character development, she's definitely one of the worst ninjas.
7 Shino Has A Unique Technique But Never Gets To Use It
Shino is another forgettable character, to the point that it's actually a running joke. Although he has a unique fighting technique, he doesn't get many opportunities to use it. His personality also makes it very hard for fans to connect with him.
His clan's technique has proven to be useful on several occasions, but compared to his comrades, he's incredibly weak when it comes to fighting. Out of all the students, he is probably the weakest.
6 Kabuto Is A Poorly Developed Villain
Kabuto is probably one of the most hated characters in the series. A majority of the time, he's a hype man for Orochimaru. Even when he branches out, he feels more like a nuisance than a threat.
It also doesn't help that his personality can be incredibly grating. Even though fans are led to believe he is powerful, he doesn't really do all that much. His backstory is incredibly boring and his character isn't developed very well either. Compared to the other villains in the series, his story is definitely the worst.
5 Orochimaru Is Turned Into A Joke
When Orochimaru is first introduced, he's a serious threat. He easily defeats Sasuke and Naruto and he's even responsible for the death of the Third Hokage. He's also able to fight one on one with Naruto while he possessed Kurama.
However, by the end of the series, Orochimaru is practically turned into a joke character. He completely changes his mind about the Leaf Village without any real development and he's allowed to roam free without any consequences. The fact that Orochimaru changes from a powerful Sannin to someone who has to have a babysitter shows how terribly his character is handled.
4 Sasuke Is A Mary Sue
Sasuke is supposed to be the foil for the main character. He's Naruto's opposite in every way and their obsession with each other fuels the entire series. Despite how important his character is and how powerful he is, his development is pretty poor.
To make matters worse, he seems to win by pure luck alone in pretty much all of his fights. The fact that he survives for so long relying on a single technique just shows how much of a Mary Sue his character ends up being.
3 Kaguya's Story Falls Flat
For fans that were invested in Madara's story, it's pretty disappointing that he gets replaced by Kaguya. She is incredibly overpowered and not very well developed. Moreover, she represents the moment when the series got completely out of hand with its storytelling.
Despite the fact that she is supposed to be the most powerful shinobi of all time, her story completely falls flat, which actually makes her one of the worst shinobi in the series.
2 Fans Were Happy To See Danzo Go
Danzo is a character that's supposed to be hated. He makes incredibly terrible decisions but acts like he's doing it for the good of the village. Every terrible situation Naruto and the other characters have to deal with exists because of Danzo's underhanded behavior.
He's partly responsible for the destruction of the Uchiha clan and he even conspired to destroy the Leaf Village with Orochimaru. He's probably one of the only characters that fans were happy to see die and he's technically not even a villain.
1 Hiruzen Is The Worst Hokage
In hindsight, Hiruzen is responsible for a lot of terrible things. He allows the Uchiha clan to be ostracized, which ultimately leads to the clan being destroyed. He also brakes his promise to the fourth Hokage, which was for Naruto to be treated as a hero.
Even worse, he refused to kill Orochimaru, which ultimately led to the destruction of the Leaf Village. He may have seemed like a good leader while alive but it's clear he made terrible decisions while Hokage and he's lucky other characters were able to fix them.