The Hokage of the Naruto world are some of the strongest fighters to have ever existed in the world of ninja. The Hokage, simply put, is the leader of Konoha, the strongest village in the ninja world. As expected, any person assuming this position would have to be levels above the rest.
Most of the time, the smartest choice for a village is to elect a person with tons of experience. However, every once in a while, there comes a talent so bright that they end up assuming this position in their youth, long before they even hit their prime. These shinobi are quite special and, in the world of Naruto, there have been quite a few Hokage who have assumed this position at an extremely young age.
The Oldest Hokage Of Naruto
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Most Hokage seen in Naruto were elected in their primes, simply because this approach makes sense. In their primes, the Shinobi are known to have matured both physically and mentally and their level of skill is the best it can be. As such, it is quite an easy choice to elect someone with those attributes. At the same time, the Hokage who are elected in their primes have usually earned that spot themselves by this point in time.
For instance, the oldest Hokage in Naruto is Tsunade and she was offered this position at the age of 51 years. Tsunade was quite skilled, even though she was beyond her prime at this point. However, the fact is, that she had made a great name for herself and was known far and wide as a legendary warrior. For that reason, and for her incredible expertise in both combat and medical ninjutsu, she was given the title of Hokage and she took it after some deliberation.
Similarly, the likes of Hashirama and Tobirama were both elected quite late in their lives. In the case of Hashirama, the job was offered to him when he was in his prime. He was elected the Hokage shortly after the creation of the village. Meanwhile, Tobirama received this title after the death of his brother and that meant he was well into his prime and quite old at this point as well.
Another person who ended up receiving the title of Hokage well into his prime is none other than Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi ended up becoming the Sixth Hokage of Konoha after the 4th Great Ninja War. Tsunade decided to step down from the position and enjoy the rest of her life in retirement, while Kakashi took over this role. Strong as he was, filling in Tsunade's shoes was not difficult for him. Kakashi was a legendary fighter in his own right by this point and, for him, taking on this role was not all that difficult.
In fact, the village of Konoha enjoyed a peaceful time under his reign and he certainly goes down as one of the very best Hokage seen in the story. Kakashi was also the perfect age for assuming this position. He wasn't too old like Tsunade or too young like some others. Given that he was around 31 years old by the end of the story, Kakashi would have assumed this position around that age.
Naruto Uzumaki As The Hokage
Naruto Uzumaki ended up succeeding Kakashi and became the 7th Hokage of the village. He is the boy whose journey fans followed from the very beginning to the end. Naruto was quite grown by the time of the 4th Great Ninja War, however, he didn't end up becoming Hokage after it. This is because Naruto still needed more experience and Kakashi ended up assuming this position and he became the Sixth Hokage of the village. Meanwhile, Naruto, who was, at this point, the strongest in the entire world, worked hard for his village and completed many missions, gaining more experience in the process.
Eventually, Naruto Uzumaki ended up becoming the 7th Hokage of the village. By this point, he was already married, meaning it wasn't anytime soon after the war either. In Boruto, Naruto is believed to be 33 years old, however, he is also known to have been Hokage for a few years during this time. This would mean that Naruto would have assumed the position of Hokage anywhere between 28th to 30 years of age. For Naruto, this was also the perfect age to become Hokage.
He was in the prime of his life, meaning that he didn't have to worry about fading into inexistence or putting the village at risk due to his incompetence. Naruto was the perfect Hokage and he proved this on several occasions, when he defended the village against some incredibly powerful villains, such as Momoshiki, among others.
The Youngest Hokage Of Naruto
When it comes to the youngest Hokage in the world of Naruto, fans often turn to Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of the village. Minato ended up becoming the Hokage at quite a young age. It is believed that when the Third Great Ninja War started, Minato was likely still in his late teens. In fact, even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire believed that Minato was an exception and, thus, for him to become a Hokage at such a young age was certainly deserved. Shortly after the events of the war, which Minato helped end, he was made the Fourth Hokage of the village.
Sadly, He did not rule for long and he ended up dying when Obito attacked Konoha along with Kurama. Minato sacrificed his life to save his son and entrusted everything to him. At the time of his death, Minato was 24 years old, meaning that he became Hokage a few years before this. Fans do not know exactly when he became Hokage, however, a good guess would be anywhere between 20 to 22 years of age. Even though his reign was quite short, Minato was an excellent Hokage and one who established a legend by saving the village on that fateful night.
Another candidate for the youngest Hokage in the series is Hiruzen Sarutobi. While most believe that Minato was the youngest Hokage, this title likely goes to Hiruzen. Hiruzen was a member of Konoha shortly after it was created, as the Sarutobi Clan joined it, closely followed by the Shimura Clan. Hiruzen trained directly under both Hashirama and Tobirama and ended up becoming their apprentice. When Hashirama died, Tobirama assumed this position and he established the Academy, among many other things.
It is known that Hiruzen graduated from this Academy at the age of 12, however, kids were soon sent to war, as the First Great Ninja War was still going on. When Hiruzen became the Hokage, the First Great Ninja War was still raging on. In fact, Tobirama gave his life up in the First Great Ninja War when he set himself up as a decoy in order to allow his students to escape. Assuming the war had been raging for a few years, Hiruzen certainly became Hokage by the age of 20. At best, it can be assumed that he was the Hokage by the age of 18 and he continued to wield power until Orochimaru finally put an end to him in the main storyline.