The Hidden Leaf Village has been known to produce many exceptional shinobi, with some even being renowned throughout the shinobi world. Kakashi Hatake’s case is quite similar, as he was known throughout the Five Great Nations as the Leaf’s famed Copy Ninja. Despite already boasting such impressive fighting capabilities, his Sharingan further added to his absurd strength, fortifying his status as one of the strongest characters in the entire Naruto series.
After the Fourth Great Shinobi War, however, Kakashi lost his revered Sharingan, and with much of his strength being associated with this ocular jutsu, many fans now wonder where he stands in terms of strength and power. He even went on to become the Sixth Hokage despite not having his signature Sharingan anymore, something that speaks volume of his position and capabilities within the Leaf. However, Kakashi was shown to be a ninja prodigy even before he gained the Sharingan, meaning the statement of Kakashi being weaker without the Sharingan is an unjust assumption. Analyzing his current skills and achievements reveals how strong he truly is, even without the visual jutsu.
Kakashi’s Strength Before Obtaining the Sharingan
To understand the extent of Kakashi’s inherent power, it's essential to examine his past, before the time he gained his Sharingan. It’s no secret that he had always been a ninja prodigy, as he graduated from the academy at the age of five. Even while he was at the academy, Kakashi was shown taking down two Chunin level shinobi in a filler episode, a scene that clearly depicts his Chunin-level strength at such a young age. He graduated from the academy and became a Genin at the age of five. To put this into perspective, Naruto graduated from the academy at twice the age, a fact that clearly indicates Kakashi’s natural genius.
A year after becoming a Genin, Kakashi was able to pass the Chunin exams, setting a benchmark as the Leaf’s youngest ever Chunin at age six. Keeping his impressive streak of achievements, he was able to pass the Jonin exams at mere twelve years old, becoming one of the youngest shinobi to ever become a Jonin, second only to Shisui Uchiha. His primary skills lay in his impeccable taijutsu capabilities, as none were able to keep track of his lightning fast movements. Coupled with his lightning chidori, even Anbu shinobi were no match for this absurdly powerful shinobi.
While it's true that the Sharingan exacerbated these abilities further, there’s no doubt that his own inherent capabilities were already on par with some of the strongest shinobi in the village. This is evident from the fact that he was able to master the Rasengan on his own, which he used as a base for creating the Chidori later on. His mastery over Earth Style and Lightning Style also shined through in the form of the various jutsu he possessed in his arsenal.
Kakashi’s Power After Losing the Sharingan
For the most part, Kakashi’s absurd strength was associated with his ocular jutsu, which, to some extent, is a fair assumption. However, the events that followed after Kakashi lost his Sharingan in the Fourth Great Shinobi War clearly depict how strong of a shinobi he is on his own. Firstly, the simple fact that Kakashi was named the Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village is enough to showcase his true power. While all the Hokage had varying levels of power, just being considered in the same power-level as shinobi such as Hashirama Senju or Tobirama Senju is enough testament to one’s power.
Moreover, Kakashi was able to improve several of his previous jutsu, along with the addition of a few new ones that truly showcased his intelligence. He was able to create an Earth Style Barrier Jutsu that was immune to lightning, which is an impressive achievement since Earth Style’s weakness is Lightning Style, yet he was able to break through the limitations set by the Element Wheel. Furthermore, he was able to perfect his Lightning Chidori by turning it into an entirely new long-ranged jutsu – Lightning Release: Purple Electricity.
While Kakashi no longer has access to the Sharingan’s power, he still possesses the thousands of techniques that he had copied over his lifetime, therefore retaining the title of the Leaf’s Copy Ninja. Moreover, losing his ocular jutsu expanded his chakra pool as well, since the perpetually active Sharingan constantly drained a large chunk of his chakra. With this limitation out of the way, Kakashi could utilize his chakra more freely, which was seen in the form of the new jutsu he was able to materialize. Considering these achievements and his newfound techniques, it’s evident that Kakashi is just as strong now as he was with his Sharingan, therefore negating the unjust associations of his strength with the Uchiha’s ocular jutsu.