Akatsuki was the most feared organization in Naruto. Originally founded by Yahiko, it was turned into a criminal organization after his death. Feared far and wide, Akatsuki comprised of rogue ninjas from different villages. These included some of the strongest, most fearsome fighters in the entire series.

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Each member of the group was very powerful and had unique abilities in their arsenal. The group had several Kekkei Genkai users, which made them difficult to deal with. Yet, the members of Naruto's Akatsuki weren't necessarily equal in terms of strength. Some outclassed others in their prowess, as listed below.

Updated on June 21, 2024, by Suzail Ahmad:Akatsuki consisted of some of the most talented ninjas in the world. Under the leadership of Nagato, the organization came to be feared by people everywhere. Many villages, including the Hidden Stone, hired them for their services. The biggest reason for the group's success was the quality of the members. Almost all the fighters within the organization were equipped with powerful abilities.

However, like all good things, the reign of Akatsuki also came to an end. While they might have been infallible as a unit, they were picked off individually. So, the list has been reworked to include the defeats of every Akatsuki member.

15 Kyusuke

Could Use Lava Release

• Affiliation: Amegakure
• Clan: Unknown

Kyusuke was among the original founding members of the Akatsuki. While being unnamed in the manga, Kyusuke was given screen time in the anime. He was also known as "Swift Foot Kyusuke," which indicates that he was very agile.

In the anime, Kyusuke could also use Lava Release. He was killed by the combination of Obito and Zetsu. ​​​​​

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Kyusuke was killed before he could make any kind of valuable contribution to the series. His strongest ability was Lava Release, but his expertise over the Kekkei Genkai remains unknown.

Defeat: Kyusuke's defeat came at the hands of Obito Uchiha. Kyusuke wanted to stop the Uchiha from achieving his goal, but when all his efforts proved to be futile, he decided to risk his life. Unfortunately, Kyusuke was still unable to beat Obito, and his sacrifice proved useless.

14 Zetsu

Proficient At Infiltration

• Affiliation: Akatsuki
• Clan: Unknown

Zetsu was the weakest member of the Akatsuki. He specialized in infiltrating different places and gathering intel. Throughout his time in the organization, he was never involved in a serious fight that would show his fighting capabilities.

In the end, Zetsu was just biding his time so that he could resurrect Kaguya Otsutsuki. He had no real powers, and instead mainly acted as support for others.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Zetsu's ability to manipulate other people around him was second to none. For years, he controlled the actions of people without them ever finding out. Zetsu's biggest feat was successfully freeing Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Defeat: Since Zetsu was made up of two entities, its deaths came at different times. White Zetsu was killed by Sasuke, while Black Zetsu was sealed along with Kaguya Otsutsuki by Naruto.

13 Juzo Biwa

Former Member Of The Seven Swordsmen Of The Mist

• Affiliation: Kirigakure
• Clan: Unknown

Juzo Biwa used to be a part of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. He left the village and became a rogue ninja and eventually ended up joining the Akatsuki, where he was partnered with Itachi Uchiha. His acceptance into the group shows that he was a very strong ninja.

Juzo and Itachi were chased by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and the fight ended in a disaster for both sides. Yagura launched a tailed beast ball toward Juzo, who tried to deflect the attack, but it backfired terribly. Juzo ended up being impaled by his sword, which led to his death.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Juzo did not get enough screen time to showcase his abilities. If one were to take the anime's content into consideration, he was quite resilient, as he managed to survive Might Dai's attacks, who was using the eighth gate.

Defeat: Juzo Biwa's life ended during the fight against Yagura. The swordsman underestimated the power of his opponent, which proved fatal. Juzo died after being penetrated by his sword.

12 Hidan

Blessed With Immortality

• Affiliation: Yugakure
• Clan: Unknown

Hidan was a missing ninja from Yugakure, who joined the Akatsuki and teamed up with Kakuzu. Kisame called the two of them were called the Zombie Duo, as they were almost unkillable.

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Hidan was immortal and used the blood of his opponents to subdue and kill them. His immortality made it very difficult to fight him; however, despite his immortality, Hidan didn't make the most of it. He was eventually defeated by Shikamaru Nara.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Hidan was extremely proud of his inability to die, and he would often charge head-first into situations. Hidan's most powerful ability was the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood. Hidan used this technique to take control of Asuma's body, ultimately killing the Hidden Leaf Jonin.

Defeat: Hidan developed arrogance because of his immortality. He was confident that nobody would be able to beat him. His insolence proved costly as he foolishly chased Shikamaru and fell right into his trap.

11 Deidara

Could Produce Explosive Clay Objects

• Affiliation: Iwagakure
• Clan: Unknown

Deidara was the youngest member of the Akatsuki. Initially, he wasn't ready to join the group, but Itachi defeated him and forced him to join the organization.

Deidara was a proficient user of Explosion Release. With his special molding clay, he could create all kinds of shapes. Deidara also created a way to bypass the genjutsu of the Sharingan. His rashness limited his thinking capability and stalled his growth as a fighter.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: There was a reason why the Akatsuki sought out Deidara. His talent for creating different kinds of bombs was unparalleled. Deidara's strongest technique was C0. He used it as a final resort in his fight with Sasuke, and he almost managed to kill Uchiha, who narrowly escaped due to his quick thinking.

Defeat: Deidara was a prodigy from the Hidden Stone village. He had a lot of room to grow, but his life came to a premature end while fighting Sasuke Uchiha. As he was staring down the barrel of defeat, Deidara decided to use a massive attack that would take out both Sasuke and him.

10 Shin Uchiha

Expert Medical Ninja

• Affiliation: Otogakure
• Clan: Uchiha

Shin Uchiha was one of Orochimaru's test subjects. At some point, he became obsessed with Itachi Uchiha and decided to create a new Akatsuki by himself. He believed that peace was the biggest hindrance to the evolution of mankind.

Shin Uchiha was a powerful fighter who was armed with the Mangekyou Sharingan. With his Mangekyou Sharingan, Shin was able to manipulate tools that had a special mark on them. He was also adept at using medical ninjutsu.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Shin Uchiha was quite arrogant, as he believed that his Mangekyou Sharingan would enable him to take down anyone. With his telekinetic ability, Shin was able to stab Naruto with Kusanagi.

Defeat: Shin Uchiha's plan to revive the Akatsuki never came to fruition, all thanks to the efforts of Naruto and his friends. Without their intervention, there is no telling what he would have done.

9 Kakuzu

Possessed Various Hearts

• Affiliation: Takigakure
• Clan: Unknown

Kakuzu was one of the oldest characters in the series. He was the partner of Hidan, and together the two of them formed a formidable duo. Like Hidan, Kakuzu was "immortal," as he had several hearts.

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He was sent to assassinate Hashirama Senju, but the attempt ended in failure. Kakuzu could use several nature releases as well, and could even use his hair to stitch back parts of his body if they were ever severed in battle.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Kakuzu's ability to steal the hearts of other people and use them for his own benefit made him a dangerous foe. Kakuzu managed to survive a fight with the First Hokage, which is undoubtedly his best feat.

Defeat: After living for so many years, Kakuzu had managed to learn about all kinds of different jutsu. However, all his experiences couldn't help him overcome the group of Hidden Leaf ninjas. He was beaten by Naruto with the help of the Rasenshuriken.

8 Sasori

Master Puppeteer

• Affiliation: Sunagakure
• Clan: Unknown

Shooting to fame during the Third Great Ninja War, Sasori gained the reputation of a notorious ninja and earned the nickname "Sasori of the Red Sand." He was a master of puppetry, who could even turn humans into puppets.

Sasori managed to turn the Third Kazekage into a human puppet, which is a huge achievement considering that the latter was the strongest Kage in the history of the village. It took the combined efforts of Sakura and Chiyo to finally bring down Sasori.

​​​​​​Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Sasori's ability to control puppets with finesse made him a dangerous opponent, and on top of that, he had access to some of the most lethal poisons. Sasori's biggest achievement is taking down the Third Kazekage without any help.

Defeat: Sasori's defeat was different from that of the other members of Akatsuki. While he was fighting Chiyo and Sakura, the two kunoichi were unable to gain a significant advantage. Towards the end of the fight, Sasori didn't dodge the attack by Chiyo, instead choosing to be killed.

7 Orochimaru

A Member Of the Sannin

• Affiliation: Konohagakure
• Clan: Unknown

Orochimaru used to be a fearsome criminal whose mere presence was enough to strike fear into the hearts of people. He became a rogue ninja after Hiruzen found out about his inhuman experiments.421`

Orochimaru was one of the Sannin, who made a name for themselves in the Second Great Ninja War. Orochimaru had knowledge about almost every kind of jutsu, and because of that knowledge, he developed new jutsu and perfected many old ones.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Orochimaru lived through the era of various powerful ninjas. Over time, he amassed a great deal of information, and eventually, he found the jutsu to become "immortal." Orochimaru's biggest feat is surviving a fight against Naruto, who was using his four tails form.

Defeat: Orochimaru's biggest loss as a member of Akatsuki came at the hands of Itachi Uchiha. Orochimaru tried to take over the body of the Uchiha, but the latter was able to secure an easy victory. Not long afterward, Orochimaru left the organization.

6 Kisame

Chakra Reserves That Rival A Tailed Beast's

• Affiliation: Kirigakure
• Clan: Hoshigaki

Partnered with Itachi in Akatsuki, Kisame defected from Kirigakure and became a missing ninja. Kisame wielded Samehada, one of the legendary swords. This weapon possessed the frightening ability to absorb chakra.

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Kisame had incredible chakra reserves, which led to his moniker "Tailless Tailed Beast." He was able to overwhelm several jinchuriki with ease. Kisame has many noteworthy feats to his name, including getting the better of Asuma and capturing jinchuriki.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Kisame was a no-nonsense ninja who would see to it that the mission was completed at all costs. Kisame's most powerful ability was being able to absorb the chakra from other jutsu. His biggest feat is surviving the onslaught of Guy, who was using the Sixth Gate.

Defeat: Kisame's abilities made it difficult to beat him in a fight. All kinds of chakra attacks were useless against him. In that sense, he was unlucky that his opponent was Might Guy, a taijutsu expert who could wreak havoc with his fists and kicks.

5 Konan

One of Jiraiya's Pupils

• Affiliation: Amegakure
• Clan: Unknown

Konan was one of the three Amegakure orphans whom Jiraiya trained. After Yahiko's death, Konan took care of Nagato. She was a very powerful ninja who specialized in origami, using it in her fights against her opponents.

Konan was a perceptive person, who managed to find out a way to counter Obito's space-time ninjutsu. She was also able to overwhelm Obito in a fight, and the latter only managed to survive because of the Izanagi.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Konan is among the most underrated characters in the series. Her most powerful ability was called Paper Person of God. With the help of this jutsu, Konan nearly killed Obito.

Defeat: Konan was beaten by Obito Uchiha in an intense battle. The Uchiha had used Izanagi to survive Konan's ultimate attack and later killed her when she lowered her guard.

4 Obito Uchiha

One Of The Uchiha Clan's Last Members

• Affiliation: Konohagakure
• Clan: Uchiha

The world presumed Obito dead after the Third Great Ninja War. However, he was saved by Madara Uchiha, who wanted Obito to do his bidding. Obito had the Mangekyou Sharingan, which had a unique ability called Kamui.

Using Kamui, Obito could send part of his body or other objects to the Kamui dimension. He could make parts of his body intangible, allowing attacks to faze through him. Obito also knew the forbidden techniques of the Uchiha Clan, such as the Izanagi.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Obito was a cunning individual, and he was able to start the Fourth Great Ninja War due to his ability to manipulate other people. During the war, Obito gained the Rinnegan and later unlocked the powers unique to the jinchuuriki of the Ten-Tails. With such enormous power, Obito managed to overwhelm nearly the entire Shinobi Alliance.

Defeat: Obito never lost a fight when he was still in Akatsuki. He successfully started the Fourth Great Ninja War, leading to many deaths. Obito was stopped by Naruto, who convinced him to change his ways.

3 Itachi Uchiha

Prodigy Who Slaughtered His Clan

• Affiliation: Konohagakure
• Clan: Uchiha

Itachi Uchiha was seen as a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan. From an early age, Itachi's skills were visible to the entire world, and it seemed he was destined to reach the top. But because of Danzo's plan to massacre the Uchiha Clan, Itachi ended up as a rogue ninja.

Itachi had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan in both his eyes, which allowed him to use the Susanoo. In addition to the Susanoo, Itachi could also use Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Itachi was extremely knowledgeable about the Uchiha clan's forbidden techniques, as evidenced by the fact that he could use Izanami. With the help of this technique, Itachi was successful in defeating Kabuto, who was equipped with various Kekkei Genkai and the Sage Mode.

Defeat: Itachi Uchiha had a case for being the strongest fighter in the Akatsuki. He had abilities that helped him attack and defend, which would lead a person to think that Itachi should never have been defeated. Unlike most Akatsuki members, Itachi lost to Sasuke on purpose, as he loved his younger brother too much.

2 Sasuke Uchiha

Nearly Beat Eight-Tails

• Affiliation: Konohagakure
• Clan: Uchiha

Sasuke Uchiha is the second-strongest ninja in the entire world. He played a pivotal role in the Fourth Great Ninja War, and he was responsible for the Shinobi Alliance's victory over Kaguya Otsutsuki.

However, before the war started, Sasuke was actively seeking revenge against the Hidden Leaf. He joined the Akatsuki, albeit not officially, and even carried out a mission. He went to collect the Eight-Tails for Obito, and he almost ended up losing his life. Sasuke's role in the Akatsuki was brief but nonetheless, he made an important contribution.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: Sasuke Uchiha gained the Rinnegan in his left eye after Hagoromo shared some of his power with him. The Rinnegan allowed Sasuke to overwhelm Madara Uchiha, and later it helped Team 7 seal away Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Defeat: Sasuke Uchiha was not beaten when he was in Akatsuki. However, he did come close when he decided to face Killer B.

1 Six Paths Of Pain

Six Bodies Controlled By Nagato

• Affiliation: Amegakure
• Clan: Uzumaki

The Six Paths of Pain were created by Nagato Uzumaki, who used chakra rods to manipulate the bodies to fight for him. Each body had a different ability of the Rinnegan, and their vision was linked to each other.

A single attack from Tendo Pain wiped out more than half of the Hidden Leaf. Naruto needed all the effort and luck he could muster to bring down all the bodies of Pain. If Nagato was fit to fight himself, he could have killed Naruto very easily.

Strongest Ability and Biggest Feat: The Six Paths of Pain were extremely powerful. Each body wielded the Rinnegan, but they only had one ability. The strongest ability of the Six Paths of Pain was being able to absorb ninjutsu. While Tendo Pain was able to destroy a chunk of the Hidden Leaf, it doesn't compare to what Nagato did to Killer B and Naruto. After being reanimated, Nagato was able to take on both jinchuuriki, and he was nearly successful in killing them.

Defeat: The Six Paths of Pain were beaten by Naruto Uzumaki after a long and hard battle. If Naruto had not received help from others, the outcome of the fight would have been very different.

Naruto: Shippuden

Action

Adventure

Release Date

February 15, 2007

Studio

Pierrot

Creator

Masashi Kishimoto

Streaming Service(s)

Amazon Prime Video , Crunchyroll , Hulu