The 15 Strongest Anbu Members In Konoha History, Ranked
- 11,128 VOTESPhoto: Studio Pierrot
Though better known for his role in the Akatsuki, it was actually Itachi's connection with Root Anbu that led to him being forced to destroy his own clan. He joined Anbu at the young age of 11, and quickly began to distinguish himself as one of its strongest members. Ultimately, he was manipulated by Danzo to use his strength to slay his family in order to avoid a coup.
So, what was that strength? In addition to the physical prowess required to wipe out a whole compound full of powerful ninja, he also possessed great finesse with a wide range of jutsu. These included all of the powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan - in addition to abilities like Susano-o and Amaterasu, his unique skill was a genjutsu called Tsukuyomi that caused hallucinations and time distortions. Like most Uchiha clan members, he was also skilled with Fire Jutsus.
- 21,109 VOTESPhoto: Studio Pierrot
Kakashi Hatake has had a fraught history with Anbu. He joined shortly after Rin's demise, and was still reeling from the loss. After the Nine Tailed Fox attacks Konoha, the Third Hokage orders the underage ninja not to fight, which leads Kakashi to doubt his leadership and join Root. Ultimately, he realizes that the Third isn't the ineffectual leader he thought he was, and begins working against Root - but in the end, he returns to working as a regular jounin, and later, a jounin instructor.
His skills have always been incredible. At first, he frequently used the blade he inherited from his father, but later his skills expanded to include Chidori, a powerful lightning move that he invented, and various Sharingan techniques acquired from the eye he received from Obito. Considering his average chakra reserves, the fact that he's able to use his Sharingan at all, let alone effectively, really speaks to his overall strength. - 3988 VOTESPhoto: Studio Pierrot
Shisui Uchiha became a jounin only a few short years after graduating from Ninja Academy. He led a difficult life, but ultimately became dedicated to helping stop his clan from going forward with a coup. Danzo Shimura and Root appeared to be on his side...but then Danzo snatched his Mangekyo Sharingan for his own use.
That Mangekyo Sharingan was incredibly powerful. Not only did it have all of the normal powers of such an eye, it also had a special ability called Kotoamatsukami, a genjutsu that not only manipulated a person's thoughts and memories, it also persuaded them that the new thoughts were their own. Shisui also possessed a jutsu called the Body Flicker Technique, which let him move so quickly that he appeared to be teleporting.
- 4684 VOTESPhoto: Studio Pierrot
Orochimaru was a member of Anbu's Root division until his human experimentation was discovered and he fled Konoha to join the Akatsuki. He joined because he hoped it would give him the resources he needed to pursue his own goals, including, he hoped, becoming the next Hokage.
His strength is legendary - so much so that he's literally considered a member of the Legendary Sannin - three of the greatest ninja Konoha has ever seen. He's best known for his extensive body modifications. His true form is a gigantic white snake made from multiple tiny snakes, which can poison his enemies. By using his Living Corpse Reincarnation, he can inhabit another person's body, absorbing their powers for himself and freeing him from the shackles of mortality.
Besides being functionally immortal, he's also a great fighter. He can all five basic nature release techniques, wield the Sword of Kusanagi, summon a giant snake to do his bidding, use Sage Transformation, and more.
- 5632 VOTESPhoto: Studio Pierrot
After surviving an experimental procedure that eliminated every other subject, Yamato could use Wood Release. His skills were soon capitalized on by Danzo, who brought him on as a member of Root Anbu. Though at first he accepted missions like attempting to assassinate the Third Hokage, his interactions with Kakashi would ultimately change his perspective. Though he remained a member of ANBU, he spoke up and questioned Root's methods. After a long period serving on Team Ro, he ended up taking over as the temporary leader of Team 10.
His strength came in handy for all of these things. As stated, he can use Wood Release. Though not as skilled as its original user, he can still use it to make wood clones, create weapons and structures, and most importantly, control the Nine Tailed Fox.
- 6558 VOTES
Sai Yamanaka
Photo: Studio PierrotSai was an orphan child who was recruited to be part of Root. Though he was brainwashed into lacking emotion, he still became fascinated by art. That led to his greatest strength, both emotionally and in battle. For now, we're going to talk about how it helped him in battle: a move called Super Beast Imitating Drawing.
Super Beast Imitating Drawing allows Sai to bring his drawings to life using chakra. Sometimes, he creates large birds that can transport himself and others. He can create animals that will fight on his behalf. Using the sealing techniques he learned from Danzo, he can create animals that pull his targets into a scroll, where they will be sealed.
- 7496 VOTESPhoto: Studio Pierrot
It's easy to forget that Kabuto Yakushi was involved in Anbu - after all, it's far from his main priority. After volunteering to join Root in order to save his childhood orphanage, he became a spy serving on Root's behalf, but he didn't stay long. Later in life, he'd pose as an Anbu member to further his plans with Orochimaru.
We won't go into all of his powers here, since most of them were acquired long after his Anbu days. But even as a child, he was said to be on par with Kakashi in strength, and could easily defeat most members of Anbu. Tsunade said that Kabuto's ninjutsu abilities were beyond her own at their peak strength. He's always been wildly intelligent, and his medical ninjutsu skills, which he learned from his guardian Nono, are among the best in the series.
- 8419 VOTES
Torune Aburame
Photo: Studio PierrotAs a member of the Aburame clan, Torune Aburame specialized in insect-based combat. He used rinkaichū, poisonous insects who covered his body and sickened anyone who came in contact with them. As a child, he wasn't able to control the rinkaichu, but as an adult he could control them with precision. His most terrifying move was a kinjutsu called the Jar of Poison Technique, which involved rounding up infected corpses, then forcing them to explode and send rinkaichu sailing in every direction, infecting multiple targets at once.
- 9486 VOTESPhoto: Studio Pierrot
As the leader of a secret Anbu faction called Root, Danzo Shimura wielded a ton of influence over his section of the organization. But he had more than just political strength going for him: he also had some serious strength.
Some of this strength was stolen: after having the Uchiha clan massacred, he implanted multiple Sharingan into his body, giving him access to every Sharingan technique those eyes possessed, including powerful moves like Izanagi and Izanami. With Shisui's Mangekyo, he could even use his incredible genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami. He also implanted some of Hashirama's cells into his body, further enhancing his skills and giving him access to Wood Release.
But even without these stolen powers, he was still strong. Though skilled in multiple forms of nature release, he specialized in Wind, which he used to create a variety of vacuum-based attacks. His summoning animal, Baku, could increase these technique's power. He could also use multiple sealing techniques, which he used for things like keeping Root members quiet, and trying (and failing) to take Sasuke down with him at the end of their fight.
- 10312 VOTES
Yugao Uzuki
Photo: Studio PierrotAs a child, Yugao Uzuki was selected to join Anbu based on the skills she already displayed. She's a skilled sensor, capable of tracking down targets via their chakra. She's capable of using high-speed kenjutsu moves like Dance of the Crescent Moon and the Hazy Moon Night, which she learned while training with her boyfriend Hayate. Thanks to her talent at sealing objects into scrolls, she was assigned to the Logistical Support and Medical Division, where she was in charge of sealing bodies into scrolls after a battle. She also learned some medical ninjutsu on the job.
- 11316 VOTES
Fu Yamanaka
Photo: Studio PierrotAs a member of the Yamanaka Clan, Fu Yamanaka could use the clan's signature jutsu, the Mind Body Switch Technique. But he was able to take it much further than many clan members. By using traps and seals, he could swap his consciousness into battle puppets, then move his opponent's consciousness into the puppet, which they would then be trapped in.
Besides these frightening jutsus, he also showed serious talent with defense - the guy was able to fight off Torune's rinkaichu without getting infected.
- 12232 VOTES
Hinoko
Photo: Studio PierrotHinoko, also known by her code name Soku, was selected to join Anbu because she invented a powerful jutsu called Chakra Needle. This allows her to launch 'chakra needles' at a chosen target. These needles are guaranteed to land where she sends them. What's more, they can produce a wide range of effects, from straight damage to paralysis or even healing.
- 13254 VOTES
Shin
Photo: Studio PierrotShin was an orphan who ended up in the Root Division of Anbu, where he and Sai developed a brotherly relationship. Not much is known about Shin's strength, but we do know that he could defeat Shadown Clones with taijutsu, and that he could rock a tanto blade. We also know that he was powerful enough for Kabuto to consider him worth reincarnating using Edo Tensei. While not the strongest on the list, he's no slouch.
- 14221 VOTES
Ro
Photo: Studio PierrotRo was asked to join Anbu thanks to his most noteworthy move, Chakra Disguise. He's able to disguise himself and others by hiding or changing their chakra signature. This allows him to disguise himself as other people, suppress his chakra to fake his own demise, prevent himself from being discovered, or mislead the enemy into thinking he's somewhere else. Basically, he's a master of subterfuge.
- 15191 VOTES
Tanuki Shigaraki
Photo: Studio PierrotTanuki Shigaraki was a Root researcher who was one of Danzo's most trusted associates. Rather than fighting, his specialty involved scientific developments. His most noteworthy creation was the Gozu Tennō, a seal that he placed on his daughter Sumire's back, which served as a gateway to another dimension and could summon a powerful beast called Nue.
