5 most impactful clans in Naruto (& 5 who didn't serve a purpose)
Naruto as a series has introduced a host of characters during its course, and clans were an important theme in the series. Depending on the clan one hailed from, they had unique powers and specialized in certain ninjutsus and chakra nature releases.
While some clans were extremely important and had a significant effect on the plot, some weren’t that important and didn’t really have an effect on the story.
Note: The list is in no particular order and reflects the author’s opinions.
Clans that impacted the story in Naruto
1) Uzumaki
The Uzumaki clan lived in a village called the Uzushiogakure which was later destroyed by neighboring nations since they were feared for their abilities of sealing jutsu. The first ever Nine Tail Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki too belonged to this clan as well. Members of this clan allied with the Senju and Konohagakure during wars.
This clan was important as they were the ones who pioneered Fuinjutsu and their knowledge regarding this was passed down to others. One of the members of this clan, Kushina, also had the Nine Tailed Beast within her, which was pertinent to the plot as well.
2) Uchiha
The Uchiha clan is one of the most important clans in the Naruto series. Madara, a prominent member of this series, was quite concerned for his people since members of the Senju clan didn’t trust the members of the Uchiha clan. Therefore, Madara challenged Hashirama since he thought that Hashirama would make Tobirama the second Hokage.
Madara lost the fight and he was one of the prime reasons for starting the Fourth Great Ninja War as well. One might argue that the Uchiha clan took center stage in the series.
3) Senju
The Senju clan was quite important to the story because of characters like Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. Madara was worried that Tobirama would become the next Hokage, and if that happened, he feared that Tobirama would get rid of the Uchiha clan.
Hashirama was sensible and smart, but he couldn’t avoid the fight against Madara. This led to the manipulation of multiple parties which later caused the Fourth Great Ninja War as well. Hashirama’s Wood Release was so rare that everyone tried to get his cells after his death.
4) Otsutsuki
One of the members of the Otsutsuki clan is responsible for the birth of ninjutsu itself. Kaguya was someone that was sent by the Otsutsuki clan in order to harvest the fruit of the God Tree. However, she ingested it, gained powers and cast an Infinite Tsukuyomi to stop the wars that were taking place at that time.
Her sons sealed her after they found out about her mistakes. Kaguya was later resurrected and was the main antagonist of the story towards the end of Shippuden.
5) Nara
The Nara clan might not be as important as Uchiha or Senju, but this clan has certain members who have played an important role in the series at some point.
Shikaku Nara, one of the smartest characters in the series, was the chief strategist of Konohagakure during the Fourth Great Ninja War. His son Shikamaru also played an important role during the war and went on to become the advisor for the Seventh Hokage as well.
Clans that didn’t have much of an impact on the overall plot
1) Hyuga
The Hyuga clan is an incredibly strong clan that wields a specific doujutsu. The members have the Byakugan, which allows them to see the enemy’s chakra flow and chakra points during combat.
However, this clan didn’t really contribute much to the plot despite producing some strong characters like Neji and Hinata Hyuga.
2) Aburame
The Aburame clan is quite underrated in this series and they have a unique way of fighting. This clan specializes in insects that feed on chakra, and utilize them in combat.
However, other than Shino Aburame, there aren’t many characters that really received screen time or contributed to the plot. Shino helped out his fellow shinobis every now and then, but didn’t impact the story in a significant way.
3) Akimichi
The Akimichi clan has always produced members that have ridiculously high raw power. These characters have the ability to convert calories into chakra, which is why fans are constantly witnessing Choji eat food.
While Choji is a strong character who showed his strength on numerous occasions, such as the fight against the Gedo Statue, he didn’t have a major impact on the plot. Therefore, the Akimichi clan has been included on this list.
4) Inuzuka
Kiba is the only known character from the Inuzuka clan, and someone who received a good amount of screen time during the earlier parts of Naruto.
However, he wasn’t a part of some of the major events that took place in the story and therefore, his contributions to the overall plot were quite low as well. Not much is known about this clan except for the fact that they specialize in utilizing ninja dogs that happen to be their companions from a young age.
5) Iburi
This was a very reclusive clan that always lived underground in the Land of Fire. People from this clan had the ability to turn their bodies into smoke at will.
However, most members couldn’t perfect this and lived a short life. Upon transforming, they would turn into smoke and when the wind would disperse them, they would die since their body disintegrated. However, they didn’t really have an impact on the story since Orochimaru killed every last one of them.
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