The Fourth Great Ninja War was the greatest war that the world of Naruto has ever seen. Triggered by Obito Uchiha and Kabuto Yakushi, the ninjas fought this war to gain control of the Eight and the Nine-Tails. Obito planned to use them to awaken the Ten-Tails and then put the world under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
To prevent this, all the shinobi villages banded together to stopped them. While they did succeed in the end, the war took countless lives, including those of some very powerful shinobi. These characters may be gone, but their strength and bravery is not forgotten.
Updated on April 1, 2033, by Rei Penber: The Fourth Great Ninja War was the biggest event in the entirety of the Naruto series. With all the great Shinobi Nations joining forces to combat the threat of the Akatsuki, this war saw roughly 200,000 people fight on opposite ends. As such, this was the largest war ever recorded in the history of the Naruto world. It is no surprise that several Naruto characters ended up losing their lives in the Fourth Great Ninja War. While this list already goes over all the characters who died in the Fourth Great Ninja War, it must also be remembered that these characters, good or evil, contributed to the war in significant ways. As such, this list will go over the significant achievements of these characters before they succumbed to the travesty that was the 4th Great Ninja War.
10 White Zetsu, Killed By Sasuke
White Zetsu's main body was left a very important task during the Fourth Great Ninja War. As Black Zetsu took to the battlefield, White Zetsu was asked to surpervise Sasuke Uchiha who, at this point, was recovering from his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan implant. Zetsu also monitored Kabuto Yakushi to see if he'd try to abduct Sasuke while he was recovering.
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was completely ready on the second day of the war — and that's when White Zetsu met his end. Having been completely consumed by his hatred, Sasuke had no qualms in crushing White Zetsu. To test his new eyes, Sasuke used him as a test subject and decided to impale him with a sword made of Amaterasu flames, burning him to death.
9 Black Zetsu, The Force Behind The War
Black Zetsu was the main perpetrator of Naruto's 4th Great Ninja War. Although he was once thought to be the will reincarnate of Madara Uchiha, in reality, he was a manifestation of Kaguya Otsutsuki's will. For centuries, he worked on a plan to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki, and in the Fourth Great Ninja War, he finally succeeded in doing so. Zetsu tagged with Kaguya as she fought Team 7, and aided her greatly.
Thankfully, Naruto separated Zetsu from her rather effortlessly. When Kaguya Otsutsuki was sealed, Naruto took it upon himself to ensure that Zetsu didn't set his plans into motion ever again. As such, he was thrown into the core of the massive Chibaku Tensei that ended up becoming a satellite. Black Zetsu remains stuck there forever, and most has died.
Black Zetsu's Biggest Achievement Before He Died In The War
Black Zetsu was central to one of the biggest shocks in Naruto during the 4th Great Ninja War. It was he who stabbed Madara Uchiha in the back and struck him down when he was at the pinnacle of his powers. Zetsu was then revealed to be the perpetrator of the plan to bring Kaguya back. Before he died in the Fourth Great Ninja War, he fulfilled his mission of bringing back Kaguya and giving her the opportunity to rule the world once again.
8 Kussaku, The Skilled Kirigakure Shinobi
One of the lesser-known ninjas in Naruto, Kussaku was said to be a fantastic shinobi from Kirigakure. His skill was enough to earn Ao's praise and earn a spot among the significant people of the Shinobi Alliance HQ, alongside Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Ao himself. Kussaku appeared in the story shortly before the Fourth Great Ninja War, and he helped the alliance greatly with his expertise in sensory arts. It is believed that he was also a skilled user of Water Release, but he didn't get to use much of that in the series.
Towards the end of the war, Kussaku ended up dying due to the massive Tailed Beast Bomb that the Ten-Tails aimed at the Shinobi Alliance HQ. By this time, however, he had already made an impact on the war and helped turn the tides in the favor of the alliance for good.
7 Mabui, The Fourth Raikage's Assistant
Mabui was a Jonin from Kumogakure, and was known to be incredibly skilled as a ninja. Over the years, she had earned the full confidence of Ay, the Fourth Raikage, and even knew his father, the Third Raikage.
Mabui possessed a very special power, called the Heavenly Transfer Technique, which made her incredibly special to the Kumogakure ninjas.
This ability allowed her to transport things or even humans to anywhere at the speed of light. Using Mabui's power, the Third Raikage was able to reach any location instantly. The same power was utilized by Tsunade Senju, the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, and Ay during the Fourth Great Ninja War to stop Madara Uchiha. Unfortunately, Mabui was killed when the Ten-Tails unleashed its fury towards her and the other members at the HQ.
6 Ao, The Kirigakure Sensor
Ao was one of the most skilled shinobi in the Fourth Great Ninja War, especially when it came to the art of sensory ninjutsu. As the assistant of the Fifth Mizukage, it's no surprise that Ao was strong as he was. His skills were enough to earn him a placethe leader of the entire sensor division of the Allied Shinobi Forces, which just goes to show how proficient he was as a sensor-type ninja.
Furthermore, Ao also held the powers of the Byakugan, which he gained in the Third Great Ninja War. This, coupled with every other skill that he possessed, made him an extremely unique ninja. Just like Mabui, Ao ended up dying in the Ten-Tails' attack on the headquarters of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
5 Inoichi Yamanaka, Konoha's Elite Shinobi
Inoichi Yamanaka was a member of the 15th generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and a legendary figure in Konohagakure. He was the Intelligence and Analysis expert of Konoha, and his skill in these arts was so refined that he was made the Captain of the Intelligence Unit of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Throughout the War, Inoichi led his team to gather what little information he could find, relaying it successfully to all the shinobi. The intelligence that Inoichi collected was one of the biggest reasons that the Allied Shinobi Forces managed to keep their losses as low as they did. To prevent him from further hindering his plans, Madara Uchiha had him taken out with the power of the Ten-Tails.
Inoichi's Biggest Achievement Before He Died In The War
Inohichi ended up dying in the 4th Great Ninja War as well, and just like Shikaku, he served a purpose in the Shinobi Alliance HQ. Inoichi connected thousands upon thousands of brains together and relayed his strategies perfectly. He was extremely skilled at this and easily the best that the world had at this point. The 10 Tails eventually decided to eradicate Inoichi, a plan that was jotted down by Madara and Obito.
Before he died, however, he made his biggest contribution and that was to connect everyone on the battlefield to launch a jutsu strong enough to survive an onslaught by the 10 Tails. Undoubtedly, Inoichi saved the entirety of the Shinobi Alliance before he finally died and entrusted everything to his daughter, Ino.
4 Shikaku Nara, The Brains Of The Shinobi
Shikaku Nara was quite possibly the most important person at the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters. Just like his son, Shikaku was extremely smart and was responsible for coming up with various strategies to stop the likes of Madara and Obito Uchiha. Using his many strategies, the shinobi of the Allied Shinobi Forces managed to win many victories on the battlefield, making him essential to their victory.
Shikaku proved to be the biggest thorn in Madara's side, which is why he had him taken out quickly during the final phases of the war. Before dying, he passed on the mantle to his son, Shikamaru Nara.
Shikaku's Biggest Achievement Before He Died In The War
Shikaku was one of the most important characters in the Fourth Great Ninja War as he served the role of the brain of the Shinobi Alliance. He played a major role throughout all the phases of the war, until the 10 Tails, controlled by Madara and Obito at that point, decided to eradicate him.
It was during his last moments that he made his biggest contribution. He stopped the 10 Tails from destroying the entirety of the Shinobi Alliance with a Collaboration Jutsu. His contribution was, simply put, saving the lives of thousands of Shinobi before he finally passed on the mantle to his son, Shikamaru.
3 Neji Hyuga, The Genius Jonin
Neji Hyuga was one of the most powerful shinobi in the Naruto world, and much of his skill was thanks to his genius as a ninja. Even as a Genin, Neji was powerful enough to take on the adults of the Hyuga clan, which goes to show that he was on a completely different level.
His skills far surpassed those of the Main Family members of the clan, despite hardly training with them. Neji possessed tremendous control over the Byakugan and had a calm and calculating mind, making him the youngest Jonin of his generation in the series. Unfortunately, he chose to sacrifice himself for Naruto and Hinata, and fell to Obito Uchiha's lethal attack.
Neji's Biggest Achievement Before He Died In The War
Neji was already an established Jonin during the time of the Fourth Great Ninja War and, as such, it was no surprise to see him play the role of a leader. Unfortunately, he was not focused on as much in the war, however, he stepped up when it mattered the most.
Undoubtedly, Neji's biggest achievement before he died in the Fourth Great Ninja War was saving Naruto and Hinata. When both of them faced certain death at the hands of the 10 Tails, Neji jumped in and sacrificed his life instead. In doing so, he not only saved his friends but also took control of his own destiny, which was the point of his character, to begin with.
2 Obito Uchiha, The Redeemed Villain
Obito Uchiha was one of the two main figures who started the Fourth Great Ninja War. After acquiring the Rinnegan, he planned to use the Project Tsuki no Me to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi over the entire world.
Obito was extremely skilled as a shinobi, and his power reached a whole new level when he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
To defeat him, Naruto and Sasuke had to combine every ounce of their strength and seek help from the entire Shinobi Alliance. Obito later realized his follies and vowed to right his wrongs. He ended up sacrificing his life for Naruto Uzumaki.
Obito's Biggest Achievement Before He Died In The War
Obito Uchiha also played a significant role in the 4th Great Ninja War. In fact, he was the reason that the war was started in the first place. While Obito did plenty wrong in the war, his greatest achievement came towards the end when he jumped to save Naruto Uzumaki from certain death.
When fighting against Kaguya, the increased gravity took both Naruto and Sasuke by surprise. Kaguya immediately decided to use her All Killing Ash Bone to disintegrate those two. While Kakashi was able to save one of them, it was Obito who jumped in the path of the other and took the attack for himself. In doing so, he saved the entire Shinobi world and was redeemed for all his sins.
1 Madara Uchiha, The Legend Reborn
Madara Uchiha was brought back to life during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Although his first appearance in the war was as an Edo Tensei, his life was returned to him when Obito used the Rinne Tensei. Madara Uchiha then went on to gain tremendous power, the likes of which surpassed even Hashirama Senju's skills.
He managed to defeat all the Five Kage effortlessly, and if that wasn't enough, he took down all nine Tailed Beasts when he was blind. Madara then went on to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and reached godly levels of power, only to be struck down by his own ally, Zetsu. After Kaguya's defeat, Madara Uchiha's body was released, and he finally passed away next to his friend, Hashirama Senju.
Madara's Biggest Achievement Before He Died In The War
Madara Uchiha was certainly the highlight of the Fourth Great Ninja War for the enemy side. He was able to revive himself and, shortly afterwards, combat the Shinobi Alliance. Madara's biggest achievement in the war was getting closer in power level to the Sage of Six Paths.
He did so by becoming the Jinchuriki of the 10 Tails. He then awakened the Rinne Sharingan, and became the strongest in the entire world. Undoubtedly, for a character such as Madara, this was the greatest achievement. It was a shame that he was soon struck down by Black Zetsu.