The Hidden Leaf Village has produced some of the best ninjas in Naruto. This makes sense since the titular character comes from this village, and he needs friends who can keep up with him. However, only one of those ninja can prove themselves exceptional enough to be granted the title of Hokage, and one of the many requirements for this title is strength. Determining the strongest characters in Naruto is a little tricky. The series doesn't have the same exponential power creep as its battle Shonen contemporaries like One Piece or Bleach.
Most fights are determined by a shinobi's skills and how they use them. Fortunately, the series did give way to power creep eventually, which makes figuring out which Hokage was the most powerful much easier. While the rest of the Hokage should still be recognized for their impactful feats, one Hokage stood out above the rest in terms of leadership and strength.
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What Made Hashirama the Strongest Hokage?
Hashirama Senju was known as the strongest ninja alive – and for good reason. When Hashirama was growing up, the ninja world was constantly at war over borders. He became a child soldier in one of the most brutal and unforgiving environments and managed to reach adulthood, which was a huge accomplishment. He was also pushed to his limits by his rival, Madara Uchiha. These two prodigies constantly fought each other in border disputes and grew into the most powerful ninja of their time. Part of this is related to them being reincarnations of Ashura and Indra Otsutsuki, respectively. Hashirama and Madara eventually formed a complicated relationship through constant encounters. Hashirama's best feats are put into perspective by what Madara could do. In his prime, Madara could use his Perfect Susanoo to block nearly every other attack. He could also summon and control the Nine-Tailed Fox, who can fire Tailed Beast Bombs powerful enough to level mountain ranges. Madara could even coat the Nine-Tails in his Susanoo to make something few ninjas from Naruto's time could have beaten – and Hashirama could handle all of this.
Not only could he deflect the Tailed Beast Bombs (albeit barely), but he could also make a wood statue big enough to dwarf the Nine-Tails. He was also powerful enough to break through Madara's perfect Susanoo. Hashirama's fights agaisnt a power character like Madara put his strength into perspective. In their most notable battle, Hashirama managed to defeat Madara. These were all impressive and nigh-unmatched feats before Tailed Beasts (and Jinchuriki) became the meta. Additionally, unlike Madara, Hashirama never got any chances to directly compare his power with the rest of the ninja world. Once the power creep in the final arc set in, Hashirama was steadily outpaced by Madara, who went from partially revived to fully revived to the new Sage of Six Paths.
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Did Naruto Ever Surpass Hashirama?
Naruto's raw strength and stamina may have made him the strongest Hokage of all time. By the end of the series, power creep determined that the ninja would need the powers of the Sage of Six Paths to remain relevant. In Naruto's case, he had half of the Nine-Tails' chakra within him, plus parts of the other eight Tailed Beasts' chakra. He also gained another power-up directly from the Sage of Six Paths, although he presumably lost it before he became Hokage. It's implied that Naruto became much stronger after Naruto Shippuden ended. Whatever feats were shown at the end of Naruto were presumably magnified by the time he became Hokage.
In Boruto, Naruto maintains the era of peace he ushered in. He's able to easily defeat threats like Delta and even entered a new mode: Bayron Mode. This power ultimately killed Kurama, but it allowed him to defeat Isshiki Otsutsuki. It's believed that his move was created to nerf Naruto's character. Naruto might have also had more offensive versatility than Hashirama. Many of Hashirama's best ninjutsu were centered around his Wood Style creations and his ability to seal Tailed Beasts. Naruto is able to mix his techniques – his Rasengan, Rasenshuriken, or Tailed Beast Bomb are all great examples.
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What Makes the Other Hokage Honorable Mentions?
In fairness, the other Hokage did plenty to set themselves apart from each other. For example, Tobirama Senju stood out for the development of several abilities – like the Shadow Clones, Flying Raijin, and Edo Tensei – which became integral to the shinobi world. If it weren't for him, other great ninjas like Naruto, Minato Namikaze, and Orochimaru wouldn't have some of their best techniques. Minato was the fast ninja alive. He was nicknamed the Yellow Flash because of his ability to teleport across multiple battlefields. Tsunade might have been the Hokage with the most physical prowess.
Her chakra control let her smash through stone and split the earth beneath her. She could even crack open Madara's Susanoo in its lesser forms. Tsunaade is likely the Hokage who could do the most damage barehanded. Kakashi and Hiruzen had the most knowledge – they both mastered over 1000 different jutsu. As far as versatility, Kakashi and Hiruzen are theoretically the best. All the Hokage were the best at something. Each of them did things that made them excellent choices as leaders of the Hidden Leaf Village. That said, if it's about who was the strongest, it was probably Naruto.
