Naruto is one of the most iconic anime of all time. For as long as a decade, the series has been a gateway anime. Thousands of fans worldwide delved into the anime verse after getting mesmerized by Naruto. That said, getting fans hooked on anime is only secondary. What Naruto never failed to deliver was quality entertainment, remaining constant throughout its runtime.
There are plenty of other aspects that make Naruto one of the best anime to ever be produced: the amazing worldbuilding that easily puts a good bunch of its shonen counterparts to shame, the compelling storyline that was executed magnificently, and of course, the amazing characters. The characters are the backbone of Naruto, andthey enhanced the audience’s experience.
Updated on April 18, 2023 by George Voutiritsas: It has been nearly a decade since Naruto officially ended, but the franchise continues to be a true juggernaut in the shonen world. The series still has a massive and loyal fanbase, and more and more young anime fans get introduced to it each year. Like any major franchise, fans tend to gravitate towards certain characters and scenes, and it just so happens that many fan-favorite Naruto characters also happen to rank among the most popular or iconic anime characters of all time. Naruto features an extensive roster of over 100 characters, and there are at least two dozen characters who truly stand out as some of the fandom’s favorites.
25 Kiba
1,000+ Users
Like other secondary members of the Konoha 11, Kiba did not get much screen time in the second half of the series, but fans still like him, especially those who own dogs. Akamaru is a ninja dog, and he has been Kiba’s partner and best friend since he was a puppy.
Kiba is impulsive and short-tempered at times, but he is a great teammate, and he is a superb tracker due to his incredible sense of smell. What makes Kiba really stand out is his fighting style, which incorporates Akamaru, to the point that they can transform into a massive multi-headed beast.
24 Konan
1,000+ Users
Konan was one of the Akatsuki’s founding members, as well as the organization’s only female member. She was trained by Jiraiya, and during her battle with “Madara,” she proved that she was indeed a Kage-level ninja, and she would have defeated him if he had not used Izanagi to save himself.
Konan was orphaned because her nation was ravaged by war, and she wished to bring some form of peace to the world. She loved origami, and she used that passion to create her own fighting style known as the Dance of the Shikigami, which converted her chakra into paper. This technique was very unique, and in certain ways, quite beautiful.
23 Temari
1,200+ Users
Temari debuted alongside her siblings during the Chunin Exam arc, and prior to marrying Shikamaru, she was arguably the Sand village’s strongest Wind-Style user. She accompanied Gaara to the Five-Kage Summit, and during the Fourth Great Ninja War, she managed to actually hit the legendary Madara Uchiha with an attack.
Temari was far more prominent in the first half of the series, where she defeated Tenten with ease, and she gave Shikamaru a challenge during their Chunin Exam match. Her greatest moment came when she defeated Tayuya of the Sound Four, who was in her Cursed Mark level 2 form.
22 Hidan
1,400+ Users
Unlike other Akatsuki members, Hidan did not excel in ninjutsu, but he was still an extremely dangerous ninja. He unlocked a form of immortality by studying the forbidden techniques of the Jashin religion. Jashin is also responsible for the curse which allowed Hidan to turn himself into a human voodoo doll.
He used this technique to kill Asuma, and he was able to defeat the Two-Tails Jinchuriki with it. Hidan may have been a religious fanatic, but he was a foul-mouthed and disrespectful person, which made him very entertaining, especially when he would get injured.
21 Tsunade
1,900+ Users
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade is one of the strongest ninja the Leaf Village has ever produced. She is the best medical ninja in the series, and she continued her grandfather’s legacy when she became the village’s 5th Hokage.
She mastered the art of mitotic regeneration, which essentially made her immortal during combat for a short time. Despite her talents and legacy, her story is tragic as she was forced to bury her little brother and the man she loved, who both died on the battlefield. She developed a fear of blood as a result, but she was able to overcome it after meeting Naruto.
20 Sasori
1,900+ Users
Several Akatsuki members rank among the most popular Naruto characters, probably because of their sheer coolness factor as villains. Sasori is a vicious puppet master who had an impressive collection of 298 battle puppets, most of which were based on real people.
Sasori even had the Third Kazekage’s puppet, complete with the iron sand jutsu, which made him terrifying in battle. In fact, Sasori turned himself into a puppet, storing his organs and chakra in a special container. In a way, this made him the Naruto world’s version of a D&D lich, with his organ container being his phylactery.
19 Tobi
2,000+ Users
Curiously, the character Obito Uchiha appears twice in MyAnimeList’s list of favorite Naruto characters, with his Tobi and Obito personalities being counted separately. The “Tobi” identity has fewer fans among MAL users, but he’s still in the top 20, at least.
As Tobi, this character is a total goofball and a real standout among the Akatsuki as a wacky source of comic relief. He was introduced as Sasori‘s replacement partway through Naruto Shippuden, with an exasperated Deidara wondering what he did to deserve such an obnoxious, tiresome partner.
18 Might Guy
2,000+ Users
Might Guy is a cheerful, energetic taijutsu master who believes in the power of youth, and he strongly influenced his most devoted student, Rock Lee. Might Guy is almost like an overgrown shonen protagonist with his sheer enthusiasm, optimism, and competitive spirit.
Even if he only plays a supporting role at most, Naruto fans enjoy watching Might Guy in action. His formidable taijutsu, good attitude, and wonderful comic relief all combined to make him one of the most popular characters in Naruto.
17 Orochimaru
2,400+ Users
The snake-themed villain Orochimaru was once a Leaf ninja and was Tsunade’s and Jiraiya’s teammate, but it couldn’t last. Orochimaru’s ruthless scientific experiments and self-absorbed nature got him into trouble, and then he fled the village to continue his work elsewhere.
Orochimaru built up a private empire with his many labs, test subjects, and minions, such as Kabuto and the Sound Four. He has disgusted, horrified, and amazed Naruto fans with his cutting-edge blend of science and creative jutsu, all in the name of true immortality.
16 Deidara
3,600+ Users
Deidara is the Akatsuki’s explosion expert, fusing fire and earth release to create clay animals that can explode with extreme force. He was once famous for this in his native Hidden Stone Village, but then he lost to Itachi and ended up joining the Akatsuki.
Even if Deidara was a total villain with fairly thin plot armor, he ranks surprisingly high among the most popular Naruto characters. Perhaps fans loved his unique and bizarre fighting style combined with his cool attitude and his remarkable achievements, such as capturing Gaara alive.
15 Neji Hyuga
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The kuudere Neji Hyuga was a borderline villain when he first appeared in the Chunin Exam arc, verbally abusing his cousin Hinata and harshly doubting Naruto‘s dreams to become Hokage. Then Neji lost to Naruto, and he began to rethink things.
Neji became a worthy Konoha 11 member with his newfound faith in himself and others, abandoning his bitter determinism in favor of shonen-style hope and love. He even gave his life to shield his friends from harm in the Fourth Great Shinobi War, though fans wonder if his noble sacrifice was really necessary.
14 Sakura Haruno
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Even if many anime fans deride Sakura Haruno the tsundere for being an annoying and “useless” character, Sakura actually does have a fascinating character arc and got more than one glow-up. Bit by bit, Sakura faced and overcame her many insecurities and doubts, including in her duel against Ino Yamanaka.
Sakura also learned much from Tsunade to become a skilled medical ninja and hard-hitting taijutsu expert, which gave her immense confidence. Sakura also acted like a protective sister for Naruto later on, supporting him however she could in Naruto Shippuden’s many episodes.
13 Rock Lee
5,800+ Users
Considering Rock Lee got his own animated spin-off series, it’s a little surprising that his popularity isn’t better represented. Someone who couldn’t perform the more “magical” feats that the other shinobi could, Lee was a shining example of succeeding by perseverance.
Rock Lee’s sheer determination and his optimism that the good guys would always prevail was something the series really needed when it headed into dark territory. The only strike against Rock Lee is that he was gradually written out of the show and rarely had anything important to say or do after his fight with Kimimaro.
12 Obito Uchiha
6,000+ Users
Obito came out of nowhere to become a large part of the Naruto narrative, and fans love him for it. Not only did he have a horribly tragic backstory, but he played a huge part in Kakashi becoming the teacher he was.
Obito Uchiha also gave life to the villain Tobi to hide his identity and was easily one of the most entertaining Akatsuki members and Naruto characters overall. He even got to redeem himself instead of simply being defeated, fighting bravely to confront Madara Uchiha and even Kaguya Otsutsuki herself.
11 Pain
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One of the most fascinating villains of the Naruto franchise, Pain didn’t initially want to be a villain. In fact, he started off as a child orphaned by a shinobi war who just wanted to make sure that no one else goes through what he went through.
Pain and his followers were some of the most formidable villains Naruto and his friends faced. After all, he also took out fan favorite Jiraiya and was responsible for Hinata taking one of her bravest stands. In the end, Nagato was inspired by Naruto‘s words of faith and gave his life to restore hope, making him one of the finest redeemed Naruto characters.
10 Minato Namikaze
10,600+ Users
Naruto Uzumaki‘s late father, Minato Namikaze, was once the youthful fourth Hokage and was also Kakashi’s team’s leader. Minato only appears in flashbacks and illusions in the Naruto anime, but he still earned a spot among the most popular and respected Naruto characters.
Minato had immense appeal as a handsome, smart, and brave leader who could inspire anyone into action with a few kind words. He was also immensely proud to become a new father when Naruto was born, but only moments later, he had to give his life to protect his son and village from certain doom.
9 Madara Uchiha
12,000+ Users
Madara Uchiha appeared late in the Naruto anime as a historic villain bent on reshaping the entire world, trapping everyone in a genjutsu to force an artificial peace on the land. He is also one of the most popular characters in Naruto as an unstoppable juggernaut of an antagonist with cool powers.
Madara had a score to settle with the Senju clan and the entire Hidden Leaf Village. He helped create the Akatsuki organization, radicalized Obito, then took on the entire shinobi coalition and fought off hundreds of trained ninjas with his bare hands.
8 Hinata Hyuga
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Hinata Hyuga is the eldest daughter of the main family of the Hyuga clan, and eventually, she married her childhood crush, Naruto Uzumaki himself. From the moment of her introduction, Hinata swiftly won the favor of the fans – her sweetness and pure personality as a kind dandere made her even more liked.
Anime fans simply adore sweet, honest dandere girls like Hinata Hyuga, Shoko Komi, Miku Nakano, and the like. Unlike most danderes, though, Hinata is also a powerful and brave shinobi who can use taijutsu and her clan’s Byakugan to fight and save the day alongside her teammates.
7 Gaara Of The Sand
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Naruto is a pioneer in the art of developing heart-wrenching backstories. It’s rather rare to see a character with a decently normal backstory who’s also relevant to the plotline. A character with a sad backstory is almost guaranteed to connect with the viewers on an emotional level.
Gaara is one such character. However, after the Chunin Exams he reinvented himself. As the Sand Village’s Kazekage, Gaara is a noble, inspiring leader who fights for peace and justice, not to satisfy his own bloodlust. He helped foster stronger ties between the Sand and Leaf villages, working closely alongside various Hokage in the process.
6 Jiraiya
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Kakashi Hatake may have been Naruto Uzumaki‘s first mentor in Team 7, but the toad sage Jiraiya was a true father figure for the boy, making him one of the most loved characters in Naruto. Jiraiya even said that Naruto was like a son to him, which made them a bit more than teacher and student.
Jiraiya is also famous for his formidable toad-themed jutsu, from Sage Mode to summoning Gamabunta. He also taught Naruto the Rasengan jutsu with unconventional but effective teaching methods, and he bravely risked and lost his life fighting Pain.
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