Within the Naruto universe’s power system, the Kage are deemed as the strongest shinobi from their respective villages, possessing unfathomable strength that puts them in an entirely different league from the rest. Even within this framework, however, not all Kage possess equal strength, as some have left a legacy that is impossible to surpass. Hashirama Senju is a prime example as his inexplicable power earned him the title of ‘God of Shinobi,’ overshadowing all those who came after him.
With new faces taking up the position of Kage in the Boruto series, many have questioned their capabilities in comparison to their predecessors, and whether they have surpassed their legacy. At the beginning of the series, four of the five Kage had been replaced, with Gaara, the Kazekage, being the last active Kage from the Great Ninja War era. With the arrival of a new generation of Kage, a debate has been sparked to determine how these new leaders fare against their previous-generation counterparts. A thorough evaluation of the current Kage with their counterparts is essential in determining their present status.
Chojuro – The Sixth Mizukage
Being adept in Water Release and Kenjutsu, the Mizukage have been a force to be reckoned with ever since the Hidden Mist’s inception. All six Mizukage have been exceptional ninja, truly leaving a mark as some of the strongest the shinobi world has to offer. However, not all Mizukage had an equal footing, as a visible disparity in their prowess can be witnessed. Currently, Chojuro is the Mist’s Mizukage, succeeding Mei Terumi as the village’s leader after the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
Bearing one of the Seven Mist Blades and being a master of Kenjutsu, Chojuro has rightfully earned the acclaimed title of Kage. However, even with his proficient swords skill and massive reserves of chakra, the ninja swordsmen still doesn’t come close to his predecessors in terms of strength, especially the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki. With Gengetsu’s powerful steam release ninjutsu and mind-bending genjutsu, Chojuro clearly falls short of surpassing the strongest Mizukage.
Even Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage, easily comes out on top with her two unique Kekkei Genkai – Lava Release and Boil Release. Considering the legacy that has been left behind by the previous Mizukage, Chojuro still remains overshadowed by their unprecedented power, even deemed as one of the weaker Kage of his generation.
Gaara – The Fifth Kazekage
As the youngest Kage in the history of the shinobi world, Gaara remained under consistent pressure throughout his reign, constantly fighting a battle of proving his worth to the village. Considering the hatred he underwent due to his identity as the Jinchuriki, the young Kage had to bear a lot more than just the demands of leading a nation. Despite all odds stacked against him, Gaara was able to prove himself as a fine shinobi and an exceptional leader, not only steering the Sand out of an economic crisis but also strengthening its military with a strategic alliance with the Leaf.
Gaara’s reign proved to be the most prosperous for the Hidden Sand not just because of his political policies, rather it was his strength and power that united the nation and fortified stability within it. With his sand-based ninjutsu and protective sand, Gaara is not one to easily toy with, as the sand beneath those that oppose him can turn into a coffin in the blink of an eye. His power surpasses even the likes of the Third and Fourth Kazekage, two all-powerful Kage that wielded Magnet Release and Gold Dust Release respectively. Gaara is one of the few Kage that has surpassed his predecessors, a fact that speaks volume of his absurd strength.
Kurotsuchi – The Fourth Tsuchikage
Being the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi had big shoes to fill – which the young Kunoichi surely did by taking up the position of the Hidden Stone’s Fourth Tsuchikage. While taking up the position of Kage is certainly indicative of a shinobi’s exceptional capabilities, it still isn’t enough to establish a narrative of superiority among the other Kage – a statement that is undoubtedly proven in Kurotsuchi’s case.
While she does possess the revered Lava Release, along with an extensive range of abilities that aid to her rocky fighting style, her overall kit still pales in comparison to that of her predecessors, especially the Second Tsuchikage, Lord Mu. Even Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, has been depicted to be much stronger than Kurotsuchi, primarily due to his mastery over Particle Style Jutsu. The ability to turn anything into mere dust is one that easily triumphs over all others, which is certainly true in this case as well.
Mu has even been deemed as one of the strongest Kage in history, as his Particle Style coupled with an undetectable chakra presence meant no one could stand in his way without being disintegrated into nothingness. With predecessors that possessed such god-like abilities, being overshadowed by their legacy was inevitable for Kurotsuchi.
Darui – The Fifth Raikage
The Raikage have certainly set a precedent in terms of being some of the strongest users of Lightning Style, yet even within this specific ninjutsu, their prowess varies significantly. In terms of raw power, the Third Raikage triumphs over the rest, as his strength, durability, and endurance made him the Hidden Cloud’s strongest shield and weapon. His unmatched strength was already renowned throughout the shinobi world, however, the Third Great Shinobi War further fortified his status as a being above shinobi, fighting ten-thousand shinobi single-handedly and fending them off for three consecutive days to let his comrades escape to safety.
The Fourth Raikage had similar feats under his belt, rivaling his father, the Third, with his brute force and Lightning infused taijutsu. His fighting style resembled that of his direct predecessor, yet he still fell short of achieving the same glory. Nevertheless, his efforts in the Fourth Great War deemed him the strongest Cloud shinobi of his era, leaving behind a legacy that not many could surpass.
With the Fourth passing the title to Darui as the next Kage of the Hidden Cloud, the young lightning user certainly had the bar set high for him, yet he took on the challenge earnestly as A had put all his trust in the new Raikage’s capabilities. Darui was already renowned as one of Cloud's most skilled shinobi, as evident from his position as right-hand man of the Fourth Raikage. He certainly comes close to the level of his predecessors in terms of unique jutsu, especially with his rare Storm Release Kekkei Genkai and Black Lightning ability further giving him an edge. Even with such commendable feats, however, Darui was never able to rise above the legacy left by his previous counterparts.
Naruto Uzumaki – The Seventh Hokage
Throughout history, the Hidden Leaf’s Hokage have remained in a league of their own, boasting powers and skills that none could compare to. From the ‘God of Shinobi’ Hashirama Senju to the Yellow Flash Minato Namikaze, the Hidden Leaf has never fallen short of producing some of the strongest shinobi to walk the lands. For most of the Leaf’s history, the First Hokage had been dubbed as the strongest Hokage, with speculations that it would be impossible for another leader to emerge with such unfathomable strength, charisma, and most importantly – the Will of Fire. His Wood Style ninjutsu already put him eons above the rest, yet it was his burning passion to protect the Leaf that served as his true source of power.
While the other Hokage are all certainly exceptional shinobi, none come close to rivaling the skills possessed by the First – except for Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto had already surpassed the other Kage during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, even overshadowing Hashirama Senju’s capabilities. Boasting a mix of Sage Jutsu, Nine-Tails chakra, and his own Uzumaki Bloodline, Naruto truly became a beast on the battlefield, subduing most threats with a simple Shadow Clone Rasen-Shuriken.
However, Naruto broke the power scale after receiving the Sage of Six Paths’ chakra, granting him Yin-Yang Release and all five nature transformations. With such absurd power that goes beyond the comprehension of regular shinobi, Naruto had already surpassed the strength of all previous Hokage combined, even before he himself had become Hokage. By the time Naruto took up the position of Hokage, he had further polished his skills and garnered new techniques and skills, taking his power level far beyond anything imaginable. Suffice to say, Naruto has surely established himself as the strongest Kage in all history, albeit unofficially, surpassing the legacy of those before him, all while creating one that can safely be deemed impossible to surpass.