Naruto is a series focused on Naruto Uzumaki, a young boy who aims to become the Hokage of his village. In doing so, he attempts to get everyone to acknowledge him and surpass the legacy of the previous Hokage. In the world of ninja, Masashi Kishimoto, the author of the series, has written quite a lot of compelling characters, alongside Naruto Uzumaki.
Kishimoto has great talent when it comes to writing characters with deep backstories. Over the years, he has written some of the most incredible characters in Naruto who have left quite a mark on the fans and have defined the age of shinobi, playing a huge role in making Naruto as iconic as it is today.
8 Kakashi Hatake
Kakashi Hatake is one of the most important characters in the Naruto series. He's introduced quite early into the story and is assigned as the leader of Team 7. Kakashi is quite a skilled fighter, and his cool and level-headed nature made him a fan favorite from the very beginning.
However, what makes Kakashi extremely special is the fact that he lives his entire life to honor the memory of his fallen comrades, Obito and Rin. Kakashi's life is quite tragic and, at a very young age, he lost everything. He finds a family in Team 7 and spends his life trying to raise them into terrific ninjas capable of saving the world.
7 Nagato Uzumaki
Nagato Uzumaki was one of the orphans in Amegakure. The horror of the Second Great Ninja War took its toll on him and both his parents were killed. Eventually, he found solace in Yahiko and Konan and, later, was trained by none other than Jiraiya. Nagato aimed to find true peace. However, the death of his friends made him lose sight of his goal. He then realized that peace was impossible to achieve without everyone experiencing a similar kind of pain.
Nagato wanted to end the cycle of hatred, however, he wanted to do it in a way where he got to inflict the same pain that he felt on others as well. Eventually, Nagato was defeated by Naruto and he ended up entrusting all his hopes and dreams to the Uzumaki Ninja.
6 Jiraiya
Jiraiya was a legendary ninja in the world of Naruto, hailed as one of the Legendary Sannin, alongside Orochimaru and Tsunade. Although not a genius, Jiraiya was quite skilled as a ninja from a very young age, and, by working hard, he became a Sage and gained tremendous fame all over the world. Although Jiraiya was quite skilled, his life was marked by failure.
He failed to save his friend, and also failed to save his student and his master when they needed him. Jiraiya was on the quest to achieve true peace and, while he failed to do that, he found the Child of Prophecy in Naruto Uzumaki and ended up entrusting all his dreams to him. In doing so, he raised the boy who went on to save the entire world and that is the biggest success in his story.
5 Gaara
Gaara is a ninja from Sunagakure and was introduced during the Chunin Exams arc of the series. Just like Naruto, he was a Jinchuriki and had the One-Tail, Shukaku, sealed within him. From the very beginning, Gaara was turned into a weapon by his family and had no one to look after him or to help him.
As such, he was consumed by his monstrosity and ended up becoming a monster himself. That is, until Naruto finally gave him a helping hand, understanding his pain himself. Gaara then went on to rectify his mistakes and only wanted to work for the betterment of his people. He ended up becoming the Kazekage of his village and played a great role in the wars to come.
4 Obito Uchiha
Obito Uchiha is quite possibly one of the most controversial characters in Naruto. As a child, Obito was quite carefree and aimed to become the Hokage of the village. However, tragedy struck when Rin died at the hands of Kakashi, and Obito ended up joining the dark side.
Taking on the identity of Madara Uchiha, he just tried to create a world where Rin and Kakashi were the way he wanted them to be. He worked towards the goal of Infinite Tsukuyomi and started the 4th Great Ninja War for it. In the end, Obito realized his wrongs and spent the last bit of his life trying to protect the saviors of the world, Naruto and Sasuke.
3 Itachi Uchiha
Itachi is quite easily one of the very best-written characters in Naruto. Introduced quite early in the series as a villain, he had a fearsome persona about him.
It is only much later after his death that Itachi's true intentions are revealed to the fans. He wanted to protect the village and his brother, above all. He spent his entire life as a loyal Shinobi of Konoha and died serving it.
2 Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke is quite easily one of Kishimoto's best characters in the entire series. His entire character is based around revenge for quite a while. Sasuke starts the series wanting to avenge his clan by murdering his elder brother.
After he finds out the truth about Itachi, Sasuke then goes down a dark path, wanting to destroy the village to which he once belonged. It isn't until much later in the war that he realizes what it truly means to be a ninja. Then, he goes on to challenge Naruto over the Hokage title and, eventually loses. Sasuke has, since then, been serving as the shadow of Konoha.
1 Naruto Uzumaki
The protagonist of the series, Naruto Uzumaki is, undoubtedly, the very best-written character in the series. Naruto is a combination of guts and kindness. He is an understanding character who always feels the pain of all those around him.
Although soft at heart, Naruto has the guts to never give up and this lets him fight all those standing in his way. Despite being a very average ninja, Naruto conquered his greatest weaknesses and went on to become the greatest Shinobi to ever live. Truly, Naruto is an iconic character.