Naruto: 7 Shinobi That Surpassed Hashirama Senju, Ranked

Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage of Konoha, was famously a tremendously powerful ninja, considered among the greatest of all time. However, he wasn’t the strongest overall. As time passed and new generations of ninjas appeared, many surpassed his abilities. By the end of the Naruto series, the author, Kishimoto, created a group of characters who were far more powerful than Hashirama, achieving almost god-like strength in various ways.

7. Obito Uchiha

Obito Uchiha was a remarkably strong member of the Uchiha clan with hidden potential. While he developed his abilities later in life, he first showed significant power during the Third Great Ninja War. After receiving training from Madara, Obito grew even stronger, and reached his peak during the Fourth Great Ninja War when he became the host of the Ten Tails.

Once Hashirama reached his peak, he admitted Obito was more powerful overall. It took the entire Shinobi Alliance working together to defeat Obito, and even then, he wasn’t fully committed to fighting. Combining the power of Six Paths Senjutsu with incredibly destructive weapons, Obito was nearly unbeatable at that point.

6. Might Guy

Might Guy is considered one of the most powerful ninjas in the Naruto universe. He truly demonstrated his strength during the Fourth Great Ninja War, fully unlocking the power of the Eight Inner Gates. By opening the final gate, the Gate of Death, Might Guy became strong enough to overpower even Madara Uchiha, and a single attack could have seriously injured even Hashirama Senju.

Might Guy’s most powerful attack, Night Guy, almost defeated Madara Uchiha. Madara only survived because of the regenerative abilities he gained from becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Without those powers, Madara would have been killed instantly. Notably, Madara admitted Guy was the strongest opponent he’d ever faced, indicating Guy surpassed even Hashirama in overall strength and skill.

5. Rock Lee

Rock Lee fights a lot like Might Guy. Although we haven’t seen his full potential yet, it’s been confirmed that Lee can now open all Eight Inner Gates. He’s even become a better hand-to-hand combatant than Guy, making him a potentially even more powerful shinobi. When he utilizes the Eight Inner Gates, he should reach a level beyond even Guy’s strength.

Lee possesses the potential to inflict massive damage, even against opponents as powerful as the Ten-Tails. Although Hashirama is a formidable fighter, he wouldn’t be able to withstand that level of attack and is therefore outmatched.

4. Madara Uchiha

Madara Uchiha and Hashirama were rivals with comparable strength. Madara constantly aimed to become the strongest, but he only achieved this after gaining the Rinnegan. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara’s power increased even further when he became the host of the Ten-Tails, making him significantly more powerful than Hashirama.

Madara achieved immortality and mastered Six Paths Senjutsu, making him nearly unbeatable. His abilities were powerful enough to destroy the planet, and he was far beyond the combined strength of all the Kage. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, he was in a class of his own until Black Zetsu betrayed him to resurrect Kaguya. Even so, Madara was significantly stronger than his longtime rival, Hashirama.

3. Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake was recognized as a gifted ninja from a young age, but his full potential wasn’t revealed until the Fourth Great Ninja War. When he briefly received powers from Obito Uchiha, Kakashi became incredibly strong – powerful enough to fight on par with Kaguya Otsutsuki and seriously injure her.

Kakashi was essential to sealing Kaguya; it simply wouldn’t have been possible without him. He received a temporary power boost that, at that moment, made him even stronger than Hashirama Senju. It’s a shame he lost the powers he gained from the Six Paths after the fight.

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2. Sasuke Uchiha

During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke Uchiha became incredibly powerful. He mastered the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and, after encountering the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, he gained the Rinnegan. Receiving chakra from Hagoromo transformed Sasuke’s left eye and gave him the strength to defeat even the immensely powerful Ten-Tails Madara, allowing him to easily counter Madara’s attacks and even overpower him.

Sasuke demonstrated immense power by consistently holding his own against Kaguya Otsutsuki. As he matured, his strength increased to the point where he could easily contend with other Otsutsuki clan members like Momoshiki and Kinshiki. Without question, Sasuke surpasses Hashirama Senju in combat ability, and his overall strength is unmatched by nearly anyone.

1. Naruto Uzumaki

Without a doubt, the most powerful ninja in the Naruto series is Naruto Uzumaki, who eventually became the Seventh Hokage. While he was born with the immense power of the Nine-Tails, he didn’t fully control it until the Fourth Great Ninja War. During that war, he encountered the Sage of Six Paths, who shared some of their power with him, allowing Naruto to use Six Paths Senjutsu. By combining this with the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts, Naruto achieved Six Paths Sage Mode, making him strong enough to fight both Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Naruto became significantly more powerful than even the legendary Hashirama Senju, surpassing all previous Hokage in strength. He continued to grow stronger throughout his life, ultimately becoming the most powerful ninja ever seen by the time he took office as Hokage. As an adult, Naruto reached a god-like level of power with Baryon Mode, allowing him to defeat even the formidable Isshiki Otsutsuki. Though currently sealed away, hints in the Boruto series suggest his return is drawing near.

Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

2026-03-31 20:35