The world of Naruto is filled with incredibly strong ninjas, most of which are descended from clans with rich histories, complicated backstories, and powerful abilities. While all the shinobi in Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and now, Boruto, work hard to hone their skills, coming from a long line of uniquely talented ninjas can give new shinobi a leg up in a world where wars are all too common. Depending on the clan, some ninjas inherit Kekkai Genkai — or bloodline abilities — and powerful Kekkai Genkai set certain clans above the rest.
Before the formation of the first ninja village, rival clans were constantly at war with one another, making the life of a ninja a dangerous one. After the Hidden Leaf Village (also known as Konoha) was created, quality of life drastically improved for young shinobi, inspiring the founding of similar villages. Over time, the Hidden Leaf Village has gained a reputation as the most powerful of all the ninja villages, mostly due to its high concentration of powerful clans. Here’s our ranking of the 10 strongest clans within Konoha.
10. Inuzuka Clan
Although underutilized in the series, the Inuzuka clan is one of the strongest clans in the Hidden Leaf Village. The Inuzuka, literally “dog hill,” clan is known for partnering with ninja dogs — ninken — who accompany them on their missions. The ninken are not only companions, but are themselves capable of performing ninjutsu that makes use of their canine abilities and teamwork with their shinobi partners; unfortunately, we rarely get a chance to see the Inuzuka clan and their ninken in action (even with all the filler Naruto is famous for).
Members of the Inuzuka clan notably have two red fang-like markings on their faces and a heightened sense of smell, making them perfect trackers. The most well-known Inuzuka is Kiba — a shinobi the same age as Naruto — who is often seen with his ninken partner, Akamaru.
9. Akimichi Clan
The Akimichi clan is one of the four noble clans of Konoha and the members of the clan inherit the ability to convert the calories they consume into chakra, which they then use to manipulate their body weight and size. This ability comes in handy as the special techniques the Akimichi clan uses can be tiring to maintain during drawn-out battles — for this reason, clan members will often be seen eating in order to restore their chakra levels. When traditional calories are no longer enough, an Akimichi can take one of the clan’s Three Colored Pills, which forcibly convert one’s fat reserves into massive amounts of chakra. Taking the pills causes great damage to the user’s body and only an Akimichi has a chance of surviving the aftermath.
Over time, the Akimichi clan formed a special bond with the Nara and Yamanaka clans, and members of the three clans always form an “Ino-Shika-Cho” trio, based on their first names. The most notable Akimichis are Choji and his father Choza.
8. Yamanaka Clan
While the previously mentioned clans have enhanced physical abilities, the Yamanaka clan is known for their mind-related abilities. Techniques like telepathic communication, reading minds, and the Mind Transfer jutsu make these clan members especially skilled at espionage and mind games. When paired with the physical techniques of their respective Nara and Akimichi trio members, these abilities are incredibly strong.
All Yamanaka clan members shown in the series style their hair in blonde ponytails, though it’s never explicitly said if this is a clan-specific trait. The most well-known member of this clan is Ino.
7. Nara Clan
The Nara family is known for their strong combination of both brains and brawn; the clan has the ability to manipulate shadows, as well as a thorough catalogue of medical texts they’ve collected throughout the years. While the clan has always been known for their smarts, Shikaku and his son Shikamaru are especially known for their high intellect and both furthered their clan’s influence in Konoha by becoming advisors to the Hokage.
Having the ability to immobilize opponents with their Shadow jutsu is already a strong asset, but combined with their strategic mindsets and political importance, the Nara family is definitely one of the Hidden Leaf Village’s strongest. That strength only grows when combined with the other members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
6. Aburame Clan
Out of all of the Hidden Leaf Village’s clans, the Aburame clan might be one of the grossest. As children, members of this clan offer their bodies to different types of insects, who then burrow under the host’s skin in order to form a symbiotic relationship. However creepy it may sound, this ends up working in the host’s favor as the bugs will follow their orders in exchange for sharing the host’s chakra. This allows Aburame clan members to use their insects in specialized jutsu without relying on hand seals or converting their own chakra. The sheer strength of their unique jutsu and the intelligence-collecting benefits of being able to control thousands of bugs —an Aburame can literally be a fly on a wall — make the Aburame clan one of of Konoha’s four noble clans.
The most notable Aburame is Shino but the clan is full of powerful shinobi. You can recognize an Aburame by their clothing, which usually covers their entire body, and their frequently-worn sunglasses.
5. Sarutobi Clan
While the most well-known member of this clan is the Third Hokage, the Sarutobi clan is one of the first to settle in Konoha. Unlike many of the clans on this list, the Sarutobi clan isn’t known for any particularly special jutsu but rather for their willpower and strength. The distinguished clan has birthed many great ninjas over generations, proving a shinobi is more than just knowing cool jutsu.
Hiruzen Sarutobi is one of the talented members of this clan and rose to the rank of Hokage through his incredible technical skills and kind demeanor. In addition to Hiruzen, the Sarutobi clan has notable members like Asuma, Konohamaru, and Mirai; additionally, Sasuke’s mother is shown admitting she named her son after Hiruzen’s father – a similarly strong ninja.
4. Uzumaki Clan
Originally from another Hidden Village, the Uzumaki clan moved to Konoha after the fall of their village. The Uzumaki clan is best known for their special sealing techniques, like the seal that binds the Nine-Tails to Naruto. Their sealing abilities gained them allies in villages like Konoha but also gained the Uzumakis many enemies, leading to their village’s destruction as their enemies believed they were too powerful to be left alone. While many of the clan were destroyed, some members like Naruto’s mother Kushina Uzumaki survived and lived in new villages.
If Naruto and Boruto weren’t proof enough of how strong this clan is, the Akatsuki leader Pain and Karin — who joined Sasuke for a time — were other prominent members of the clan.
3. Hyuga Clan
The Hyuga clan is one of the four noble clans of Konoha, and by the time the events of Naruto take place, the clan is considered the strongest in the region. Those in this clan are born with one of the most powerful kekkei genkai in the entire series — the Byakugan — a pupil-less eye that gives them both an insanely extended range of vision and the ability to see the chakra circulatory system. Members of the Hyuga clan are also known for abilities like the Gentle Fist taijutsu, which utilizes their ability to see chakra and disable their opponent’s access to it.
Being one of the strongest clans in Konoha doesn’t come without drawbacks; the Hyuga clan is composed of both a main house and the branch house – whose members are essentially servants to those in the main house. Due to outsiders attempting to steal the Byakugan, the clan is extremely secretive and paranoid, even amongst themselves. Some of the most notable members are Hinata and Neji Hyuga.
2. Senju Clan
The Senju clan is incredibly powerful and was one of the clans responsible for the Hidden Leaf Village’s founding. Hashirama Senju was one of the village’s co-founders — as well as the First Hokage — and his younger brother would go on to become the Second. Later, Hashirama’s granddaughter Tsunade would continue this family tradition and become the Fifth Hokage. Natural leaders, the Senju clan is also full of incredible ninjas due to abilities inherited from Asura Otsutsuki, enabling the clan to master a variety of jutsu. As most clans are only able to master one type of jutstu, the Senju was given their name, meaning “thousand skills.”
Members of the Senju Clan have incredible life force and chakra and Hashirama is noted for the kekkei genkai – Wood Release. The clan’s strong abilities and political power make it so they nearly have no rival in Konoha, except…
1. Uchiha Clan
The Uchiha Clan is one of the four noble clans, as well as a cofounding clan of Konoha. While disgraced at the beginning of Naruto, the Uchiha clan is arguably the strongest in the region, thanks in part to their battle savvy and their kekkei genkai – the Sharingan. The signature red eyes first appear when an Uchiha experiences a powerful emotion, usually negative, and grant the user abilities such as increased perception and the ability to copy nearly any jutsu. When fully awakened, a Sharingan’s power is essentially godlike, giving users the ability to warp reality or trap opponents in a mental prison.
Along with members like Sasuke and Itachi, the clan’s legendary leader Madara Uchiha helped create Konoha alongside Hashirama Senju and later grooms fellow clan member Obito to take over his plans to create an ideal world. Even now with much fewer members, the Uchihas are still the strongest clan in Konoha.