The anime industry is filled with series that have significant global appeal, but very few series have managed to achieve the level of success that Naruto has. The series teaches the audience the importance of friendship, hard work, and determination, and it focuses on a young, orphaned ninja named Naruto who grew up in a village where everyone either ignored him or hated him because of the tailed beast sealed within him.
Naruto wanted everyone in the Leaf village to acknowledge him, which is why he wanted to become Hokage. The Hokage is generally regarded as the strongest shinobi in the village, and it is their duty to protect the entire village and all of its citizens. By the end of the series, Naruto becomes the Seventh Hokage, and he has done a great job so far, but there are certainly other Leaf Shinobi who could have done the job better.
10 Shikamaru Is Smart Enough To Lead The Village In A Time Of Peace
There are quite a few characters who are stronger than Shikamaru, but there are very few characters who are smarter than him. His intelligence is on par with Kakashi's, and it allows him to win fights that other shinobi would lose.
Thanks to his clan's secret technique, Shikamaru can manipulate shadows, which is a very useful technique for a Hokage to have. What really makes him qualified, though, is the fact that he served as Kakashi's right hand when he was Hokage, which means that he understands just how difficult the job really is.
9 Neji Would've Been A Great Hokage Because Of His Skill & Willingness To Sacrifice Himself
The Hyuga Clan is considered to be the strongest clan in the Leaf Village because every member possesses the Byakugan. Neji was a member of the branch family, and he was seen as a generational talent because he mastered the Byakugan and his clan's Gentle Fist fighting style. That level of skill would have easily made him a formidable Hokage.
The Hokage needs to be willing to sacrifice everything in order to protect their friends and village, and Neji exemplified this when he sacrificed himself to save Naruto, an act that ultimately saved the entire world.
8 A Reformed Sasuke Is Already Viewed As The Village's "Supporting Kage"
Sasuke was focused on nothing but revenge for the majority of the series, and he ended up doing some pretty terrible things while walking down that dark path. Luckily, Naruto was able to get through to him during their final battle, and he now dedicates his life to protecting the Leaf Village and its citizens.
Thanks to the Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan, Sasuke possesses god-tier power, so he is definitely strong enough to become Hokage. Sasuke has defended the Leaf Village several times since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, and he is now referred to as the "Supporting Kage," which means that the villagers already see him as Hokage material.
7 Dan Wanted To Become Hokage To Protect His Village
Dan Kato was a renowned jonin who rose to prominence during the Second Great Ninja War, and he could use a terrifying jutsu that involved him possessing someone's body with his spirit. He is Tsunade's former love interest, and it is thanks to him that every squad now has a medical ninja assigned to it.
While they were together, Dan told Tsunade that he wanted to become Hokage in order to better protect the Leaf Village, and she believed in him so much, that she gave him the First Hokage's necklace as a good luck charm.
6 Konohamaru Was Born To Be Hokage As The Grandson Of The Third
When fans first met Konohamaru, he acted like a brat, but he has grown a lot since then. He is now a skilled jonin who leads his own genin team, and he aspires to one day become Hokage like his idol, Naruto.
Konohamaru is a member of the Sarutobi Clan, and he happens to be Azuma's nephew and the Third Hokage's grandson, which means that he was literally born to one day become Hokage. Konohamaru has picked up many of Naruto's best qualities, and seeing how every generation manages to surpass the previous one, it stands to reason that he will become an even better Hokage than Naruto.
5 Moegi Is An Accomplished Jonin Capable Of Using The First Hokage's Wood Release
Moegi was Konohamaru's teammate, and like him, she has grown up to become a skilled jonin capable of leading her own team. The First Hokage is revered because of his overwhelming strength, and most of that strength came from his ability to use Wood Release.
Wood Release is so rare that only a handful of shinobi have been able to use it, and Moegi is one of those users. If she can truly master Wood Release, she will be able to protect the Leaf Village from potential Tailed Beast attacks. And if the village sustains colossal damage, she can use Wood Release to rebuild what was lost.
4 Sakura Was Trained By The Fifth Hokage Herself
Sakura changed a lot over the course of the series, as she went from being a useless character to becoming one of the Leaf Village's strongest ninja. Shortly after Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, Sakura asked if she could train her, and this resulted in Sakura becoming a master medical ninja with superhuman strength.
Sakura can take on powerful foes as Naruto and Sasuke can, but what makes her a better Hokage candidate is the fact that she can fight while using Katsuyu to simultaneously heal thousands of people at once.
3 Madara Wanted To Make Konoha The Pillar Of Peace
Madara may have been a villain, but he was also one of the Leaf Village's founding members, and he was the one who actually gave the village its name. Hashirama wanted him to be named the First Hokage, and if that had happened, Madara would have introduced an era of peace that would have brought great prosperity to the village.
Madara's version of peace would have seen the Leaf Village as the ninja world's dominant power, thus creating peace through strength, fear, and control. Madara's method may be wrong, but he would have been putting the interest of his village first, which is something every Hokage had to do, and he actually had the power to get it done.
2 Jiraiya May Have Not Wanted The Job, But He Would Have Died Defending The Village
There aren't many characters who can beat Jiraiya in a fight, and that is because he is a Kage-level shinobi who could gather natural energy and enter Sage Mode. Jiraiya was taught by the Third Hokage himself, and he was actually offered the position three times, but he refused each offer because he believed he wasn't qualified.
Jiraiya may have been loyal to his own beliefs, but he always protected the Leaf Village when he needed to. He also trained the Fourth Hokage and Naruto, who went on to become the Seventh. Both were regarded as two of the best Hokage in history, so if anyone is qualified, it's Jiraiya.
1 Itachi Loved The Leaf Village So Much That He Was Willing To Become A Villain To Protect It
The argument can be made that Itachi is the greatest shinobi that the Uchiha Clan has ever produced, and he is one of the few characters who actually deserve the title of Hokage. Itachi loved the Leaf Village so much that he agreed to wipe out his entire clan to prevent a coup that would have ravaged the village and left it vulnerable to attack.
When the job was done, he agreed to join the Akatsuki to reinforce his image as a criminal, but he was also there to spy on the organization for the Leaf Village. When he was resurrected during the Fourth Great Ninja War, he proved his loyalty yet again by undoing the Edo Tensei that threatened the ninja world's survival. He proved that he could make tough choices, and he was certainly strong enough to hold the title.
