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Inside the walls of Naruto's Leaf Village, there is no group of Shinobi as iconic as the famous Kohona 11. These eleven ninjas were known as the most prominent members of their generation. The group's members were used to cooperating with one another and counterbalancing each other's advantages and disadvantages.
Still, not every Konoha 11 members are equally as powerful or skilled as the other members. Even though they are all capable individuals on their own, some of the group members simply have an edge over the others. So, in this list, we will rank the Konoha 11 based on their natural abilities and talents.
Disclaimer: This list reflects the author’s opinion and contains spoilers.
Which member of Naruto's famed Konoha 11 was the most capable Shinobi?
11) Rock Lee
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Talent vs hard work, a tale as old as time inside Naruto’s universe and the main motivator of Rock Lee. Since he was a child, Lee was unable to use any type of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, which made most people think of him as a talentless failure.
It was only thanks to Might Guy’s training and encouragement that Lee was able to become one of the most powerful Shinobi in the world. He may not be a naturally talented individual, but his strenuous workout regime and strong will, more than make up for this fact.
10) Naruto
Nowadays, no one can look at Naruto without picturing a powerful and capable individual. Nonetheless, there was a time during his childhood where he was considered one of the least talented individuals in his class.
Naruto had no one besides him while growing up, a fact that gravely affected his abilities as an academy student. Still, just like Rock Lee, Naruto trained day and night until he was able to become the amazing and inspiring ninja he is today.
9) Tenten
Even though Tenten was supposed to be one of the most talented Kunoichi inside the Leaf Village, her scarce appearances on screen and the amount of times she was defeated tell a completely different story. Tenten is not a bad ninja, it is just that her strength and fighting style are far below what could be considered useful in a fight.
She may be an expert on Ninja Tools and weapons, but said items rarely ever make a difference in a fight. Besides this, even when she is able to use her weapons effectively, the exponentially more powerful Ninjutsu usually ends up destroying her entire plan, exactly as what happened during her fight against Temari.
8) Kiba Inuzuka
Kiba was initially introduced as a secondary rival to Naruto. During the first half of the show, he showed a lot of promise, proving that he and Akamaru were nothing to laugh at. Unfortunately for him, as he grew older, his potential began to fade.
As a teenager, Kiba’s abilities were not as relevant during combat as before. He was not weak, but there was little he could do against the mighty opponents that started threatening the Shinobi World.
Even now as an adult, Kiba is the only member of the Konoha 11 who is unable to go beyond the rank of Chunin, proving just how much of a difference in aptitude there is between him and his friends.
7) Shino Aburame
Similar to what happened to Kiba, Shino was presented as a terrifying opponent who was not scared of gravely injuring his adversaries during combat. With the help of his insects, Shino could immobilize or incapacitate an opponent without them even noticing what was happening.
Unfortunately, his skills were overshadowed by the progress made by other members of the Konoha 11. Shino’s techniques could not become stronger with simple training like his friends’. Because of this, he was quickly left behind by the more talented individuals in the group.
6) Choji Akimichi
As a child, Choji cared more about food and fun than being a competent ninja. This was not helped by the fact that his best friend, Shikamaru, was a lazy person who just wanted to live a peaceful life. Yet, Choji proved time and again that he was a reliable ally in times of conflict.
Making use of his family’s Expansion Jutsus, he was one of the heaviest hitters of the Shinobi Alliance during the war against Obito and Madara. His abilities may not be at the same level as other powerful individuals in the show, but that does not make him weak, seeing as Choji will never stop fighting as long as he can protect his friends.
5) Hinata Hyuga
Hinata was never a weak Kunoichi, but she did struggle with using her true power for fear of hurting those around her. Her timid and meek nature also added to the fact that she was considered a failure as a ninja by her father and clan while growing up.
Because of Naruto's influence on her life, Hinata began working hard to develop into the formidable woman she is today. She even managed to surprise her family by showing them that she was never the talentless girl they assumed her to be by not only mastering their fighting style but also incorporating it into her own.
4) Ino Yamanaka
When she was younger Ino’s talent was wasted because of her obsessive behavior towards Sasuke. Instead of honing her skills, she was more preoccupied with looking good for the Uchiha. Years later, when her crush finally went away, Ino showed everyone else the untapped potential she had all along.
She became a vital player in the Fourth Ninja War, connecting everyone in the Shinobi Alliance via her telepathic abilities. As an adult, Ino is one of the Konoha 11's most important members for the village's security, as she is the leader of Konoha's Barrier team and one of the strongest sensors in the village.
3) Sakura
Sakura’s childhood was very similar to Ino’s, taking into account that she was also obsessed with Sasuke. For the majority of her childhood, she was regarded as a useless individual due to her lack of Kunoichi skills.
Nonetheless, after beginning her training with Tsunade, she demonstrated the latent talent that had been dormant within her for the majority of her life. She became one of the strongest Kunoichis in history, surpassing even her teacher.
She also became the best medical ninja in the world and acted as the head of the Medical Division inside Konoha as an adult.
2) Shikamaru Nara
Unlike Naruto, who was lacking in the talent department as a child, Shikamaru was considered a failure because of his lazy nature, not his skills. None of his classes inside the Academy were interesting enough to motivate him to become better.
Yet, whenever he needed to, Shikamaru manifested an enormous talent inside of him. His brilliant mind, impressive strategies, and powerful Jutsus were enough to grant him the title of Chunin before every other member of the Konoha 11. As of now, he is second in command inside Konoha, acting as Naruto’s right hand and confidant.
1) Neji Hyuga
When thinking about talented ninjas, Neji is the first one to come to mind. He was the exact opposite of his friend Lee, given that he was considered a genius for most of his life. Not only was he a skilled fighter who mastered his clan's fighting style at a young age, but also a brilliant strategist who could create plans in seconds.
He was one of Naruto and Lee’s biggest inspirations, pushing them to work harder in order to become as powerful as him. Tragically, fans will never be able to find out just how strong he could have become, because he sacrificed himself to save our protagonist from Obito.
