Top 10 Naruto Characters of All Time

This Shinobi Jiraiya is hands-down the most charismatic, hilarious, and likable of the legendary three. As a student of the third Hokage, a close friend of the fifth, a sensei of the fourth, and, of course, the future seventh, Jiraiya eternally connected to the greats. Outside ninja life, the toad sage makes a decent side-living as the author of the adult-targeted "Makeout Paradise" novels. Initially referred to by Naruto as "Pervy Sage" Jiraiya's, ahem, research methods, are not exactly traditional... but, it just goes to show that even legends have quirks.

As the firstborn and initial heiress of her clan's head branch, her father deemed Hinata unworthy of her future leadership role. Developing a deep admiration and crush for Naruto at an early age, Hinata shared the titular hero's goal to be a stronger and respected member of their village, making her every bit as sympathetic and inspirational. Eventually maturing to develop and master exceptional skills, tracking and medicine, Hinata's determination made her one of the most adept and well-rounded ninja of her generation.

Rock Lee, AKA: Bushy brows, for reasons hopefully apparent, is one of the cheesier but also more dedicated and well-meaning souls of the series. As the only ninja of his generation lacking the chakra to perform power and illusion techniques, Lee dedicated his time and training to becoming a martial arts master. Under the guidance of his equally cheesy father-figure Might Guy, Lee was pushed to become the ultimate close-quarters badass, reaching a running speed that would make the Roar Runner jealous. Also, let's not forget his ability to open six of the eight chakra gates, translation: becoming extremely, inhumanely strong.

From one Team Guy member to the next, this prodigy was determined to prove the existence of destiny. As a member of his clan's branch house, Neji's family was, quote-unquote, “fated”, to protect and serve the members of the main chapter. This led to the sacrificial death of his father, resulting in bad blood between the branches and fueling Neji's grudge against his cousin, Hinata. Cool, intelligent with a clearly visible dark side, one can almost call him the Sasuke of his squad, complete with his own curse mark and a drive to restore honor to his family's name.

As one with a Chakra Monster living within him, the source of Gaara's immense power stems from the one-tailed beast he has carried with him thought birth. Regarded as a monster his entire life, the people of Gaara's village, including his own family, eventually had their hatred unleash the demon inside him, literally and figuratively. Initially choosing a selfish life that thrived on animosity and cold-blooded murders, he eventually sees the error of his ways after losing a heated confrontation with Naruto. Gaara is powerful, menacing yet deep and sympathetic, making him one ofthe best villains in the entire series.

When it comes to being an unapologetic badass, Itachi takes home the gold. Here was the leaf village's most promising prodigy who could've easily become a Hokage, having been promoted to the Journeyman Ninja rank at age ten and made chief of an elite Black Ops unit just three years later. After he massacred his entire clan, Itachi went rouge and joined a criminal organization, leaving his young brother Sasuke to pursue him in hatred. He is perhaps the series' most well-crafted and harrowing villain whose climax is one of the biggest moments in the entire series.

Scholarly, beautiful, pure-of-heart, when it comes to balanced characters, look no further than the series’ leading lady Sakura. As the female member of squad seven, she's the awkward, but hilarious comic relief who painfully obsesses over one teammate while constantly being irritated by and berating the other. As the series progresses, she grows into a skilled fighter and medical-nin under the tutelage of the fifth Hokage, shaping her to be every bit as evolved, if not perhaps the most developed shinobi among her peers. While certainly not the best of her batch, she's proven her loyalty and perseverance time and time again.

Here he is, the number one hyperactive, knucklehead ninja. Filled with a heartbreaking back-story of his own, Naruto, like Gaara, was one carrying the spirit of a nine-tailed fox demon, sealed within him from birth. It was this that caused the people of the hidden leaf village to fear and antagonize him, thus leading Naruto to his goal of one day becoming Hokage. Though certainly not the brightest or sharpest crayon of the box, he is unquestionably the most hilarious and hardworking, making him a great and relatable role model for anyone who wants to be a hero.

Sasuke, the stereotypical quit kid who sits in the back of the class, yet somehow always manages to outshine everyone else. Still, beneath allthat laxity and coolness is a, you guessed it, tragic back-story. As one of the last survivors of the Uchiha clan, he witnessed his older brother, Itachi, kill all the other members of his family, including their parents. Filled with fury Sasuke vows to be one of the world's most powerful ninjas to avenge his clan and destroy his brother

Before we unveil our, at this point, probably obvious favorite, let's take a look at a few honorable mentions:

Hashirama Senju

Minato Namikaze

Nagato (aka: Pain)

Kiba

Shikamaru

Not so stealthily taking the top spot on our list is the coolest-looking, smooth-talking, ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. Famed throughout the shinobi world as the copy ninja, no abnormality, trick, or technique gets past Kakashi. As the leader of team seven, he's the man to thank for teaching Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura the importance of teamwork, as well as some of the most unique jutsus of the series, including the classic Secret Finger Jutsu. Exceptionally skilled, wise and hilarious, he's the ninja that all others aspire too.

Do you agree with our list? Which Naruto characters are you favorite? For more awesome top 10's published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.