Naruto earned its place amongst Shonen Jump’s Big Three more times than we can count. The shonen franchise that gave anime fans the original Naruto series, Naruto: Shippuden, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has been a part of the pop culture sphere for decades. Like so many other fictional stories, heroes are typically only as good as their villains, and boy oh boy does the Hidden Leaf Village have plenty of villains to choose from. Here is our ranking of the top Naruto villains to appear in the long history of the franchise from the Seventh Hokage’s beginnings to his son’s teenage misadventures.
As a quick breakdown for a list, the top ten are in no particular order as it would be so difficult to choose the creme of the crop. Luckily, we have gathered this den of villainy and broken down our reasoning behind which antagonists were able to stand on the top of the ninja ladder. Let’s kick things off with one of the earliest villains of the shonen franchise.
Gaara
It’s been a very long time since the current Kazekage was a villain but we’re safe in stating that Gaara’s initial appearance helped to make him one of the most memorable antagonists of the series. Giving fans one of the best battles in the shonen’s history, Gaara beat down Rock Lee in such a way that many thought the hard-kicking ninja would never recover. The Sand Village resident was one whose backstory was a twisted iteration of Naruto’s struggling with the demon inside of him and terrifying those around him in the process. While Gaara would eventually see the light side, like many villains on this list, his villain-status was nothing to sneeze at.
Orochimaru
Speaking of early villains, Orochimaru is most assuredly the “biggest bad” of the initial Naruto series. Initially a part of Konoha’s “Legendary Sannin” alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade, the snake-like ninja would depart the Hidden Leaf to dabble in dark ninjutsu. Alongside causing the death of the Third Hokage, Orochimaru gave Sasuke the opportunity to leave his old life behind in a bid to achieve power by any means necessary. Thanks to no restrictions on what he can learn, the villain was able to become a powerhouse who easily earned his spot on the Akatsuki, whose members will certainly appear on this list.
Itachi Uchiha
Sasuke’s older brother was a cold, calculating villain whose power was terrifying enough in and of itself thanks to his mastery of the Sharingan. First appearing in the original Naruto series as a member of the Akatsuki seeking to capture Naruto, Itachi Uchiha earned his younger brother’s ire by eliminating their clan. While his background blurred the lines between anti-hero and villain, the bodies left in Itachi’s wake and the damage he did to so many makes a strong argument for him being a part of the antagonist category of the shonen. Even though Itachi hardly appears in the initial series as much as Gaara and Orochimaru, the member of the defunct Uchiha clan had a long shadow in the initial shonen.
Sasuke Uchiha
This will be a controversial pick thanks to Sasuke being a hero in the likes of Naruto, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, but in Naruto: Shippuden, Itachi’s younger brother was a villain through and through. His ultimate goal of killing his brother Itachi was achieved but this fact didn’t stop his reign of terror as he chose a new target. Thanks to Itachi being secretly employed by the Third Hokage, Sasuke turned his ire to Konoha and was more than willing to kill anyone who got in his way. Eventually, Naruto brought him back to the good side of the equation but not before he nearly killed everyone on the battlefield.
Pain
When it comes to some of the most impactful villains of the shonen franchise, Pain is a great example of an antagonist who shaped the future of Konoha. Leading the Akatsuki and having a ninjutsu that allowed him to inhabit multiple bodies at once, the villain didn’t just give Naruto one of the biggest battles of his life but he also laid the groundwork for the shonen protagonist to become the Seventh Hokage. Naruto’s victory here against the Akatsuki head had the Hidden Leaf Village trusting him like never before, swinging open doors that the son of the Yellow Flash never thought possible.
Madara Uchiha
Madara’s resurrection made sense as a part of the “Third Ninja World War,” wherein Kabuto used Orochimaru’s powers to resurrect allies and enemies of Konoha alike to fight the Ninja World. What did come as a surprise is that the founder of the Uchiha Clan had been alive long before Kabuto’s machinations, pulling the strings in the background on most of the nefarious doings taking place in both Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. On top of his tactical experience, Madara’s power level was such that he was able to defeat hundreds of ninjas at once and even the combined effort of all of the Hidden Leaf ultimately wasn’t enough to defeat him.
Obito Uchiha
First appearing in the series as what seemed like the weakest, most flippant member of the Akatsuki, “Tobi” would eventually be revealed to be Obito Uchiha. While he was the right-hand man to Itachi Uchiha, his background with Kakashi as one of his most trusted allies helped push some impactful storytelling during the events of Naruto: Shippuden. Not only did Obito have one of the most compelling origins of any character, his eventual confrontation with Kakashi is still touted as one of the best fights of the shonen franchise. Dying during the final battle of Shippuden, Obito left his mark on the ninja world in more ways than one before finding redemption thanks to Naruto.
Danzo Shimura
Danzo was within spitting distance of becoming the next Hokage following Pain’s assault on the Hidden Leaf Village and is often thought of as one of the villains that you love to hate. While the villain presented himself as a leader hoping to keep his village safe, he was willing to go to any length to make sure that not only was Konoha safe but that he was firmly in charge. This resulted in some disastrous decisions that placed him on a collision course with Sasuke Uchiha, with the latter taking Danzo’s life. Thanks to some experimentation by Orochimaru, Danzo gained some serious power but his body was mutilated in the process, as you can see in the image above.
Zabuza Momochi
Zabuza’s initial threat almost seems quaint in comparison to the other antagonists that threatened the ninja world in the subsequent years. The Hidden Mist Village swordsman presented the original Team 7 with their big first challenge, as a confrontation over a bridge set all the parties involved on a collision course. While Zabuza wasn’t a threat that was able to defeat Kakashi or threaten the Hidden Leaf at large, his aesthetic and personality made him the perfect initial villain for the shonen series. Even following his demise, Zabuza’s shadow loomed over much of the future of the ninja world.
Jigen/Isshiki Otsusuki
We had to sneak one Boruto villain into the mix. Jigen is the former head of the Kara Organization who died during his fight against Naruto Uzumaki and the Seventh Hokage’s Baryon Mode. Thanks to the Kara leader’s machinations, the Nine-Tailed Fox died and the ninja world became that much more dangerous as a result. The Otsusuki member is one that definitely sticks out amongst the crowd in the Boruto series and it’s a shame that he won’t torment Konoha any longer. Fingers crossed that the Divine Trees adequately take the reins as effective big bads.
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