Inside Naruto’s world, even the most powerful and talented Shinobi can take on the role of leaders of their respective villages. In Hidden Leaf, this presidential-sort-of figure is called Hokage, which means Fire Shadow, a reference to the village located in the Land of Fire.
Throughout the years, many incredible and skilled ninjas have taken the mantle of Hokage, proving to the Shinobi World the strength of their village. However, as impressive as they all have been, they are still humans who have their own weaknesses.
In this list, we will discuss both the strong and weak points of every Hokage the Leaf Village has had.
Disclaimer: This list reflects the author’s opinion and will contain spoilers.
These are the positive and negative traits of every Hokage in Naruto
Hashirama Senju (Diplomatic and strong / Too trusting)
Before Hashirama accomplished his dream of uniting the many different clans that inhabited the Land of Fire, chaos and war reigned in his homeland. He grew up in a world filled with hatred and bloodshed and wished for it to change someday.
Thanks to his outstanding diplomatic abilities and strength, Hashirama was able to unify the clans and create the village of Konoha, becoming its First Hokage. He was an incredible leader who always ensured that the people under his care were living their best life.
Despite his extraordinary diplomatic feats, he sometimes allowed his idealistic nature to push him into making the wrong decisions. He wanted to see the best in everyone, but this was not always the wisest choice, a lesson he had to learn the hard way when he fought his best friend, Madara, to death.
Tobirama Senju (Brilliant, natural leader / Lack of empathy)
As the younger brother of the First Hokage, Tobirama also became familiar with the same cruel world as Hashirama over the years. Unlike his brother, Tobirama grew up to become a realist who knew the harsh truths about the world and worked to prevent the people of Konoha from suffering like him.
He was one of the smartest ninjas to have ever lived, creating Jutsus that had changed the Shinobi world and the governing system that most villages still use today. Suffice to say, he was a calm and calculating man who just wanted the best for his people.
Still, as great as he was, he did commit some critical mistakes that would cost the village in the future. He could never let go of the pain that the Uchiha clan had caused his family before the creation of Konoha, which drove him to treat them in a less than adequate manner.
Hiruzen Sarutobi (Humanitarian, powerful / Too passive)
Hiruzen had the fortune of learning under the two previous Hokage, inheriting the Will of Fire from them and some of their best characteristics. He firmly believed in the power of peaceful conversations and the idea of human life being precious.
As the longest-acting Hokage, Hiruzen learned a lot more about the world than many other leaders inside the Shinobi World. He was aware of the awful realities of the Shinobi World and wanted to protect the citizens from the pain he and his teachers had to go through.
Despite all the good he did for the village, Hiruzen caused irreparable damage to Konoha because of his passive nature. His belief in humanity often blinded him from the consequences of his actions, like allowing Danzo to gain so much power right under his nose.
Once the situation got too out of hand for him, he would do anything to prevent it from getting worse, without thinking of what repercussions his solution could bring.
Minato Namikaze (Prodigy / Self-sacrificing)
Of all the Hokages that ruled over Konoha, Minato is the least known. Since he died at the young age of 24, his time as the leader of the village was short. Nevertheless, the few moments we could see of him as Hokage indicated that he did good things for the village.
Minato was a child prodigy who learned most of the Jutsu created by the intelligent Second Hokage and modified them to suit his needs. He was also one of the most powerful assets Konoha had during the Third Great Shinobi War.
Unfortunately, since he was a child, he showed a self-sacrificing tendency to save the people he loved. This often put him in grave danger, which eventually caused his death, leaving Naruto as an orphan. Minato was a noble man with a heart of gold who just wanted the best for the world.
Tsunade Senju (Medical skill, compassion / Not prepared)
After Sarutobi's death at the hands of Orochimaru, Konoha needed a new Hokage in a short period of time. As a result, the granddaughter of the First Hokage took the prestigious but equally responsible position for the sake of Hidden Leaf.
Having learned under Hiruzen’s guidance, Tsunade inherited his compassion and goodwill towards others. She created a new period of cooperation between Sunagakure and Konoha and trained a new generation of incredibly skilled medical ninjas.
Although her time as a Hokage was prosperous for Konoha, her first few months in the position were rocky at best. She was never formally introduced to her new job and had to learn to become a good Hokage from scratch.
This lack of preparation caused her to miss some of the important issues that needed to be addressed, like Danzo’s Root or Orochimaru’s influence on the outside world.
Kakashi Hatake (Progressive, wise / Did not want the job)
After the grueling Fourth Great Ninja War ended, the Shinobi World was ready for a new era of peace and progress. The person in charge of overseeing these changes for Konoha was none other than Team 7’s former captain, Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi did a fantastic job during his time as Hokage. Not only did their relationship with other villages prosper, but Konoha also became a beacon of progress and technology. Kakashi also changed the inhumane system that would create child soldiers and send them to die outside their homes. Instead, he taught kids to protect their village from the inside.
Kakashi is one of the best Hokages Konoha has ever seen, but he worked most of the time reluctantly because he never wanted the position to begin with.This caused him to leave some issues unresolved, like the lack of vigilance for Root’s former members, who would later try to attack Konoha.
Naruto Uzumaki (Caring, hardworking / Savior complex)
The Shinobi World has never met a person as powerful, caring, and heroic as Naruto Uzumaki himself. He dreamt of becoming a Hokage ever since he was an Academy student. Fortunately for him, he finally realized the gravity of the position as an adult and pursued his dream regardless.
As a Hokage, Naruto is one of the most dedicated leaders ever to take on the mantle. He works day and night to ensure his people, as well as the whole world, are safe from any kind of threat. Thanks to him, the world is enjoying this new era of peace, and he intends to keep it that way.
Sadly, Naruto inherited his self-sacrificing nature from his father, Minato. He is so committed to making the world a better place that he can often neglect other aspects of his life, like his children or even his own health.
It is amazing that the Shinobi World has a hero as devoted as Naruto, but he needs to understand that he cannot do everything alone.