Naruto: 8 strongest Kumogakure shinobi, ranked

One of the most interesting aspects of the Naruto series is the vast and mysterious world created by Masashi Kishimoto. Although a large portion of the story takes place in the titular protagonist’s home village, Konoha, there are several other fascinating locations, each with powerful ninjas of their own. Nonetheless, one of the most intriguing of them all was Kumogakure, otherwise known as the Hidden Cloud Village.

Located in the Land of Lightning, this reclusive but advanced society played a pivotal role in the story of the series, not only because of its past rivalry with Konoha, but also thanks to its powerful ninjas. Despite only a handful of its citizens being present in the series, fans were able to witness with their own eyes the high level of combat skill and strength that the Cloud Ninjas had. Even the most powerful characters in the franchise would have a hard time fighting against these mighty Kumogakure shinobi.

Toroi

It is likely that not many fans remember Toroi as a character, as his contributions to the story of Naruto were minimal. Yet, during his limited time on screen, he demonstrated why Hidden Cloud ninjas are not to be underestimated. During his time alive, Toroi was one of the most valuable assets Kumogakure had under its command. Thanks to his bloodline, he was able to access one of the strongest Kekkei Genkai in the series, Magnet Release.

This meant that he could imbue any metal object, or even an enemy, with a powerful magnetic field that would attract or repel other targets. To complement his already powerful technique, Toroi became a master of Shuriken-based combat. By combining his high skill as a marksman with his magnetic fields, he could make his attacks virtually unstoppable for any regular Shinboi. Lamentably, his skills are not on the same level as those of other members of Kumogakure’s forces, and his small role during the Fourth Great Ninja War was not enough to truly assess his abilities.

Darui

Even though the Kages from the different Hidden Villages are among the most powerful warriors in the world, their influence would often attract the ire and anger of many. As such, each was granted a squad of bodyguards to keep them safe, selected from the most elite ninjas in their home country. Darui was not only one of the skilled fighters chosen to protect the Raikage, but he was also among the most unique individuals from Kumogakure.

As a youngster, the future leader of the Hidden Cloud was selected by the Third Raikage to train under him. He became the only person in history to learn the elusive Black Lightning technique, which grants its user a major boost in speed, strength, and transforms their Lightning Release Jutsu into devastating attacks. While Darui would go on to become the Fifth Raikage by the end of Naruto, his power during the high-stakes final arc of the series is still considerably lower than that of a handful of Hidden Cloud ninjas.

Yugito Nii

Few ninja in the world of Naruto were powerful enough to become a member of the Jinchuriki, people used as vessels for the Tailed-Beasts. In order to be considered as a viable candidate for this ritual, the person would not only need to have a strong body but also a vast reserve of Chakra to prevent the Bijuu from escaping the prison. Kumogakure was unique among the Hidden Villages, as it had two of these powerful warriors, instead of one.

The first Cloud Jinchuriki was none other than Yugito, an experienced and analytical fighter whom even the leaders of Kumogakure admired. As the captor of the Two-Tails, the kunoichi was granted not only a boost in strength and durability, but also a major increase in both speed and perception. Yugito was also one of the few Jinchuriki in history to be able to access a full Tailed-Beast transformation, which requires the user to be in perfect synch with its Bijuu. Woefully, she died shortly after being introduced, and it is hard for fans to accurately estimate her power.

Ginkaku

Hailing from a time when war between Hidden Villages was constantly at war, Ginkaku is the younger of the two Gold and Silver Brothers. They were an infamous duo of renegade ninjas from Kumogakure who believed their superhuman strength and ability to utilize ancient relics gave them the right to do as they pleased. Together, these cruel bandits caused chaos across the Elemental Nations, even bringing the Second Hokage and Raikage to the brink of death during a battle.

Moreover, the brothers were also capable of accessing Kurama’s Chakra after consuming the flesh from the Tailed-Beast. Despite being alone, one of the strongest villains in the series, Ginkaku was known for being the wielder of the legendary Seven Star Sword, a weapon that could steal the soul of its target and trap it inside itself. Even without utilizing his unique abilities, Ginkaku was a masterful swordsman, capable of giving Darui and his men a run for their money.

Kinkaku

The Golden part of the infamous criminal siblings, Kinkaku, was often seen as the leader of the two, being slightly more active in combat than his younger brother. His main weapon was the Banana Palm Fan, a massive tool that allowed the user to utilize Jutsu from the 5 main elemental natures. Combined with his extensive experience as an aggressive fighter, Kinkaku would often leave a trail of destruction in his wake.

His main role during combat was giving his brother an opening for them to steal the soul of an opponent and later imprison their bodies inside the Crimson Gourd. If anything else failed, he would make use of his pseudo-Jinchuriki abilities by manifesting the Chakra of the Nine-Tails and engaging his opponents in direct combat. Due to his more active role and the skills he demonstrated during the battle against the Shinobi Forces, fans often consider Kinkaku the strongest of the Golden and Silver Brothers.

A – Fourth Raikage

The Third Great Ninja War was a bloody and ruthless conflict that took the lives of thousands of Shinobi. While this event is remembered as a tragedy that should have never occurred again, many survivors tell the tales of incredibly powerful fighters whose names brought fear to any squad unfortunate enough to face them. One of these names was A, the Fourth Raikage, and one of the fastest characters in the Naruto series.

While A may appear as a bulky and slow tank instead of an agile warrior, he can utilize his Lightning Release to increase the movement of his body until it is virtually imperceptible by the human eye. By utilizing this technique and merging it with his aggressive fighting style, the Fourth Raikage was able to eliminate dozens of opponents in the blink of an eye. Even Naruto himself had trouble facing A during their brief encounter, proving the bearded man was not an opponent to take lightly.

Killer B

Besides Yugito, the Hidden Cloud Village had another powerful Jinchuriki among their ranks: Killer B. The Fourth Raikage’s adoptive brother is a lighthearted and friendly man who loves to rap and meet interesting people. As is the case with most Jinchuriki, B was the subject of abuse and ostracization by his peers, having one of the most tragic backstories in the series. Yet, he flourished into an accomplished combatant, able not only to wield 7 swords at a time, but also to fully transform into the Eight-Tails.

B was hailed for being a perfect match for his Bijuu, which led to the two becoming close friends and allies. One of his most impressive feats involved his intense battle against Sasuke and his criminal organization, Taka. Even though he was severely outnumbered, B was able to make quick work of his opponents, going as far as to almost kill the Uchiha with a single attack. If not for Sasuke awakening his powerful Mangekyo Sharingan technique, the Amaterasu, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki would have surely won the fight.

A – Third Raikage

Despite the Shinobi World being canonically more than a century old, there have not been more than a dozen or two ninjas who have risen to the realm of legends. A, the Third Raikage of Kumogakure, is one of the few individuals who have been recognized as absolute monsters on the battlefield by warriors across the entire world. His strength, speed, endurance, and Lightning Release had no equal, being comparable to only the most powerful ninjas of old.

Yet, what turned this impressively strong fighter into a legend was the epic and memorable battle where he lost his life. When the Hidden Cloud was faced with imminent defeat by their enemies during the bloody and deadly Second Great Ninja War, A decided to sacrifice his life to give his comrades a chance to escape. The Third Raikage faced 10,000 enemy ninjas for several days and nights, taking several of them with him before succumbing to his wounds. The amount of strength needed to accomplish a feat like this goes far beyond anything any other Hidden Cloud Ninja has achieved.