There’s no doubt that one of the things that has made Naruto stand out among other shonen anime is its magnificent cast of villains, each with their own philosophy and reasons for fighting, who could do incredible things and were excessively charismatic, becoming impossible to forget for fans.
Some Naruto villains have managed to shine more than others thanks to their unique abilities, battle progress, intellects, and the feats they achieved against Naruto and other great ninjas from the anime. That’s why it’s often difficult for viewers to estimate who was the most powerful villain in Naruto’s story.
Mizuki
Mizuki was a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village who hid his ambitious and cruel nature and tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals. While Mizuki was already a chunin, which means he should be experienced in fighting, he lost quite easily against Naruto after he learned the Multiple Shadow Clone technique.
Though he never appeared again in the manga, in the anime, Mizuki became Orochimaru’s subordinate and escaped from a security prison. Mizuki used a stolen drug compound, subsequently experiencing side effects, and was defeated again by Naruto and Iruka. Mizuki was nothing more than a disposable pawn for Orochimaru and, even after growing stronger, never proved to be exceptionally powerful.
Gato
Gato is arguably Naruto’s most unique villain. Unlike later antagonists, he doesn’t care about politics, a village, or revenge, but rather about lining his own pockets. Gato isn’t a superpowered individual, a high-ranking ninja, or a swordsman, but rather a rich mafia boss with sunglasses, a suit, and a tie. This makes Gato feel like an anomaly in Naruto’s world.
In the Land of Waves arc, Gato has a distinct strength, as he has an army of mercenaries protecting him and helping him earn income from his illegal activities. Although he would be useless in hand-to-hand combat, his wealth allows him to hire powerful bodyguards, making it difficult for an inexperienced ninja to defeat him alone.
The Sound Four
The Sound Four were ninjas working for Orochimaru, who clashed with the team tasked with retrieving Sasuke. Sakon and Ukon were the strongest of the Sound Four thanks to their Kekkei Genkai, while Jirobo was considered the weakest. Kidomaru had a fierce battle with Neji, who was called a ninja prodigy, and Tayuya went against Shikamaru, who needed Temari’s assistance.
What made the Sound Four difficult opponents at the time was their ability to enhance their physical abilities with cursed seals, and even though they were defeated, they were able to put up a good fight, and their level could be compared to that of experienced chunin ninjas.
Zabuza Momochi and Haku
While the title of villain may be ill-suited for Zabuza and Haku, they were antagonists in the Land of Wave arc. Zabuza was a powerful renegade ninja assassin and a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, being extremely deadly with his mist-based jutsu suitable for ambushing his targets. Zabuza even pushed Kakashi to use his Sharingan for the first time.
Likewise, Haku possesses an Ice Release, Kekkei Genkai, and has impressive anatomical knowledge to attack with his needles. However, Haku’s compassion and morals prevent him from killing his enemies like Zabuza. Although Zabuza and Haku showed how powerful ninjas from other villages could be, they were later overshadowed by the introduction of the Akatsuki.
Kimimaro Kaguya
Kimimaro was the last remaining descendant of the Kaguya Clan, which connects him to Kaguya Otsutsuki. Although he was removed from the position of leader of Sound Five due to a disease that has severely weakened his body, Kimimaro’s kekkei genkai is considered one of the strongest in the series, and he was an expert in hand-to-hand combat.
Kimimaro could freely control his bones and strengthen his body with cursed seals, having been a candidate for Orochimaru’s new vessel. Considering his strength and the fact that Naruto, Rock Lee, and Gaara were unable to defeat him, it’s safe to assume that Kimimaro would have become an even stronger foe had he not been suffering from an incurable disease.
Hidan
Hidan has a cheat-level ability, as he possesses an immortal body and can form bonds with his opponent by ingesting their blood and entering a circle. Once Hidan’s body is shared with their opponent, any damage he inflicts on himself is returned to them, being a perfect technique for someone immortal.
Since he can’t die and can cause unilateral mortal pain to his opponents, Hidan is practically invincible against those who are unaware of his abilities. However, after discovering how his technique works, it’s possible to avoid falling into Hidan’s trap and counter it, just like Shikamaru did. This is why Hidan is considered one of the lowest-ranking Akatsuki members.
Kakuzu
Kakuzu is one of the oldest Akatsuki members, as he used a forbidden technique to store five hearts and live through centuries. Even before using the forbidden technique, Kakuzu survived a fight against the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Kakuzu can utilize all elements of the chakra, and he is capable of replacing any damaged organs, making him nearly immortal.
The only way to defeat Kakuzu is to destroy his organs simultaneously, and it took Shikamaru’s strategy and the combined efforts of Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, and Choji to take him down. However, Kakuzu underestimated his enemies, being tricked by Naruto twice and defeated by a single Rasengan, so he isn’t as threatening as other Akatsuki members.
Deidara
Deidara attacks his opponents by using explosive clay kneaded with his own chakra, which makes him a highly versatile opponent who even put on a good fight against Sasuke and Itachi. Deidara also has great mobility and range by being able to create birds that he can ride on and fly on the battlefield.
Deidara demonstrated his power by defeating Gaara, the one-tailed jinchuriki, but his weakness was electricity, as too much of it disrupted the chakra infused into his creations, preventing them from exploding. Additionally, Deidara himself admitted to being weaker than his fellow Akatsuki partner, Sasori.
Sasori
Sasori is a genius puppet master and one of the first Akatsuki members that appeared in Naruto. Sasori has the ability to transform humans into puppets as well as his own body, being able to control 100 puppets at once. His use of poison gives him an advantage in most fights, and Sasori also proved to be quite powerful.
Sasori managed to kill the Third Kazekage and turn him into a human puppet, despite him being hailed as the strongest in the Sand Village’s history. However, although his puppet-making ability gives him great range in combat, Sasori had the worst possible matchup due to his poor compatibility with Chiyo and Sakura, which makes him often underrated among fans.
Konan
Konan, along with Nagato and Yahiko, was taught ninjutsu by Jiraiya, and she uses paper as her main jutsu. Konan is able to control countless pieces of paper that she disintegrates from her body for attack and reconnaissance. Though seen as Pain’s skilled aide, Konan proved to be far stronger than she looks in her fight against Obito.
Konan possesses a heightened intellect, which she uses to devise a strategy to defeat Obito and protect her friends’ bodies. Furthermore, Konan would have nearly succeeded had Obito not used Izanagi. However, the fact that Konan pushed Obito to use Izanagi is a testament to her combat prowess.