Naruto: 6 Strongest Characters Who Are No Longer Alive, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Itachi Uchiha had incredible abilities like the Sharingan and Susanoo, making him one of the strongest characters in Naruto.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi earned the title “God of Shinobi” due to his genius and exceptional fighting skills despite lacking Kekkei Genkai.
• Madara Uchiha became extremely powerful through the Rinnegan, Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and Ten-Tails transformation in the war.

Naruto is one of the most famous anime series in the world. It is filled with interesting storylines and unique characters, both of which elevate the anime to a whole new level. Considering the anime is primarily focused on ninjas, it is hardly surprising that there are so many deaths in Naruto.

Even the strongest characters were unable to escape the arms of death. There were a few individuals among them who stood out the most when they were still alive. They had incredible chakra reserves and various other powerful abilities. With that in mind, here are the strongest characters in Naruto who are no longer alive.

This list takes the strongest version of each character into consideration.

6 Itachi Uchiha

Cause Of Death: Mysterious Illness

• Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan
• Affiliation: Hidden Leaf, Akatsuki

Itachi Uchiha is perhaps the most well-known side character in Naruto. He was born to Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. From a young age, he showed a lot of promise. He was faster, smarter, and stronger than anyone of his age. Everyone knew that Hitachi would go on to do great things. As he grew up, his power continued to increase, and it reached the point where he was one of the strongest ninjas in the Hidden Leaf.

Itachi’s main weapon was the Sharingan, with which he was able to track the movements of his adversaries easily. After witnessing Shisui’s death, Itachi awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, which took his powers to a whole different level. Itachi was able to use Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi.

Amaterasu was powered by black flames, which continued to burn until the target was completely annihilated. Tsukuyomi was a powerful Genjutsu that could break a person’s mind within seconds. However, nothing really compared to Itachi’s Susanoo, which had two of the most overpowered weapons in the series. The Totsuka Sword could seal anything upon making contact, while the Yata Mirror could protect Itachi from any kind of Jutsu.

5 Hiruzen Sarutobi

​​​​​​Cause Of Death: Reaper Death Seal

• Kekkei Genkai: None
• Affiliation: Hidden Leaf

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a descendant of the legendary Sasuke Sarutobi. As a youngster, Hiruzen trained under both Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. His potential was recognized by the two Hokage, so they knew that Hiruzen would become an outstanding ninja at some point.

Hiruzen did not have any Kekkei Genkai, but he didn’t let it hold him back. He was a genius who learned almost all the jutsu, including the ones that were limited to a certain clan. Hiruzen had incredible chakra reserves, so he had no problem fighting for an extended period of time. Furthermore, Hiruzen managed to earn the epithet “God of Shinobi,” a feat only ever accomplished by the late Hashirama Senju. Even in old age, Hiruzen was able to overpower Orochimaru and the reincarnated First and Second Hokage.

4 Hashirama Senju

Cause Of Death: Natural Causes

• Kekkei Genkai: Wood Release
• Affiliation: Hidden Leaf

Hashirama Senju was the first Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. He founded the village alongside Madara Uchiha. Hashirama was known as the God of Shinobi because of his absurd strength. Hashirama possessed insane chakra reserves, allowing him to fight for hours without rest. His reserves were boosted further by his Sage Mode.

Hashirama was also the only person to be born with Wood Release. The Kekkei Genkai enabled him to subdue tailed beasts without any problems. He could also create massive wooden structures like a golem to crush his adversaries.

3 Obito Uchiha

Cause Of Death: Getting Hit By Kaguya’s All-Killing Ash Bones

• Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan, Rinnegan
• Affiliation: Hidden Leaf, Akatsuki

After being presumed dead, Obito worked hard day and night to accomplish his mission of casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi. For the majority of the series, Obito only had one Mangekyou Sharingan. With the Dojutsu, Obito could phase through attacks and enter the Kamui dimension.

At the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War, he got his hands on the Rinnegan. Using this eye, Obito became a jinchuriki of the Ten Tails. Even the entire Shinobi Alliance failed to put a dent in his spirits.

2 Madara Uchiha

• Kekkei Genkai: Rinnegan, Sharingan
• Affiliation: Hidden Leaf

Madara Uchiha was the leader of the Uchiha clan during the Warring States Period. He led the Uchiha against the Senju, who were, at the time, the clan to beat. Madara was exposed to the brutal nature of war at a very young age. However, he was able to acclimate easily. In fact, he was killing grownup Senju clan members.

Madara was the first person to unlock the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. He had access to a full-body Susanoo that was said to rival the strength of a tailed beast. But none of these powers came close to the Rinnegan. Originally, he had awakened it just before his death, but he got his hands on it again in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Madara used the Rinnegan to become the host of the Ten-Tails. When the transformation was complete, Madara’s power reached such an absurd level that the entire Shinobi Alliance was confident that it would meet its end.

1 Hagoromo Otsutsuki

Cause Of Death: Natural Reasons

• Kekkei Genkai: Rinnegan
• Affiliation: None

Hagoromo Otustuki was known as the Sage of Six Paths. He was the eldest son of Kaguya, so he was born with powerful chakra. Hagoromo possessed the Rinnegan which granted him an absurd amount of power. In addition to the visual prowess, he also had access to Six Paths Chakra. Hagaromo also had truth seeking balls, which protected him from almost all kinds of attacks.

He was proficient at using Yin–Yang release. Hagoromo had a unique ability known as the Creation of All Things. With this particular power, he could create life out of nothing. Before his death, he used the Creation of All things to divide the chakra of the Ten-Tails into the nine tailed beasts.