The Naruto franchise achieved global popularity with its simple yet complex story, filled with dozens of fascinating characters. Each ninja is skilled in their own way, and they can all use some type of jutsu or technique, but only the strongest are capable of becoming a Kage. The Hokage is the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, and it was Naruto's dream to one day hold the title himself.The series ended with Naruto becoming the village's 7th Hokage, a title he earned through his hard work and determination throughout the story. He had become one of the strongest ninja in history, worthy of the position. Naruto has done a great job as Hokage, but the Leaf is filled with plenty of ninja who could have become Hokage before Naruto.
10 Sakura's Skills Rival Tsunade's
There are a lot of misconceptions about Sakura, including the idea that she is not very strong or useful, but that is far from true. Sakura has always had impressive chakra control, and when Tsunade agreed to train her, she learned to focus her chakra into her fists and feet. This training essentially granted her superhuman strengh.
Tsunade trained her to be a medical ninja as well, and Sakura's healing skills now rival her master's. Sakura is only the second medical ninja to master the Creation Rebirth — Strength Of A Hundred Technique, which allows her to heal any injury she sustains within seconds.
9 Hiashi Hyūga, The Head Of The Village's Strongest Clan
When the Uchiha Clan was destroyed, the HyÅ«ga became the strongest clan in the Leaf Village, as every member possesses the Byakugan. This ocular ability grants the user a near 360º field of vision, and also allows the user to see through most objects. It can even see a person's chakra circulatory system, which is how the HyÅ«ga developed their own fighting style.
Hiashi is the current head of the Hyūga Clan. He has various abilities, including Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation, which he used to defeat multiple Sand and Sound ninja simultaneously. He also showed how powerful he was during the Fourth Great Ninja War when he used Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm to block attacks from the Ten-Tails.
8 Yamato Possesses Powerful Wood Release
The ninja world is filled with useful and powerful tools, but only a handful of them are effective against a Wood Release user. This extremly rare and powerful nature transformation allowed the First Hokage to become a ninja god. Yamato can use Wood Release since Orochimaru implanted some of the First Hokage's DNA into his body at a young age.
Yamato's Wood Release may not be as strong as the First Hokage's, but it is still incredibly useful. He can use it to rebuild the village if need be. He can use it to trap enemies as well, or to restrain a violent Tailed Beast or Jinchūriki.
7 Rock Lee Can Open All Eight Gates
Rock Lee may only know Taijutsu, but he is arguably one of the strongest ninja in the Leaf Village, and that makes him one of anime's best underdogs. Thanks to intense training, Lee is able to unlock the eight gates that regulate the flow of chakra throughout the body.
Lee first used this technique against Gaara, and it produced one of the original series' best episodes. When Guy used all eight gates against Madara, he nearly killed the god-like Uchiha. Lee can tap into this power as well, but doing so would cost him his life, which is fine because every Hokage must be willing to sacrifice themselves in order to ensure the village's survival.
6 Shizune Was Trained By Tsunade & Served As Her Aid
Many fans likely think that Shizune is too weak to become Hokage, but that is not the case. In fact, she is arguably the series' most underrated ninja. Like Sakura, Shinzune was trained by Tsunade, and it allowed her to become an exeptionally talented medical ninja.
Shizune served as Tsunade's aid during her time as the 5th Hokage, which means that she has an idea of how difficult the job is. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Shizune was named the captain of the Logistical Support and Medical Division, proving that she is a capable leader.
5 Genma Guarded Multiple Hokage
Genma is a JÅnin who first appeared during the ChÅ«nin Exams. He managed to fight Baki, a high-ranking Sand ninja, without sustaining any real injuries. He was also able to take on the Sound Four, and they were only able to beat him by fully activating all of their Curse Marks at once.
Genma was an elite bodyguard who protected the 4th and 5th Hokage, and was part of the group assigned to defend the Feudal Lords during the Fourth Great Ninja War. In order to fulfil his duties, Genma needed to be a able to fight ninja who are close to Kage-level. This meant that he needed Kage-level strength in order to adequately perform his duties.
4 Neji, Arguably The Strongest Hyūga
Neji may have been born into the HyÅ«ga's branch family, but he was clearly the clan's strongest member, as he managed to master several advanced Byakugan techniques at a young age. He was so skilled that he was considered a true prodigy, which is why he became a JÅnin at 17.
Neji had the skill, strength, and intelligence needed to become Hokage, and if he had not sacrificed himself to save Naruto's life, he would have probably been nominated to become Hokage if Kakashi stepped down earlier.
3 ChÅza Akimichi Was The Head Of His Own Clan
When Shikaku and Inoichi died, ChÅza became the last surviving member of the previous Ino–Shika–ChÅ trio, and he was the fifteenth head of the Akimichi Clan. Like other members of his clan, ChÅza is able to use the Expansion Jutsu to grow in size. He can also grow certain portions of his body to gain more physical strength.
ChÅza is a skilled and experienced ninja who gave his all during Pain's assault, and fought hard during the Fourth Great Ninja Wa. He might not be the strongest ninja, but he certainly has the respect of the villagers, which would make him a dedent Hokage during a time of peace.
2 Sasuke Is Just As Strong As Naruto
Several Leaf ninja failed to become Hokage despite having the necessary skills. Sasuke was one of those ninja, when he lost to Naruto after the war. He possesses the Eternal MangekyÅ Sharingan, which allows him to use powerful genjutsu, Amaterasu, and Susanoo. His left eye contains a Rinnegan, giving him access to a myriad of overpowered abilities.
In terms of overall strength, Naruto and Sasuke are basically equal. However, Sasuke has always been smarter and more skilled, which makes him a great Hokage candidate. It is true that Sasuke wanted to destroy the Leaf Village for a time, but that is behind him now, and his main focus is protecting the village with his life.
1 Shikamaru's Mind Is Top Notch
Each member of the Konoha 11 has a jutsu that stands out, and Shikamaru's best jutsu involves strangling enemies with his shadow. The Shadow Possession Technique is a jutsu passed down through the Nara Clan, and Shikamaru has used it in very creative ways.
Shikamaru may not be the strongest ninja in the franchise, but he is one of the smartest, which is why Kakashi made him his advisor. He later serves Naruto in the same way. Strength may be an important trait in a Hokage, but so is intellect, and in that regard, Shikamaru is more than qualified.