Every Naruto character who almost became Hokage, ranked from strongest to weakest

In Naruto, receiving the title of Hokage is the greatest honor anyone in Konoha could have. Although many try their hardest to become Hokage, they typically fail before they get anywhere near their goal.

However, there are also those who get so close to becoming Hokage they can almost taste it but end up losing the chance in the end. Since such characters are clearly powerful enough to become Hokage in their own right, this article will go over the few who fans should know about.

Note: This list contains spoilers for the entire Naruto series.

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Naruto characters who had the chance of becoming Hokage but never made it, ranked based on strength

1) Madara Uchiha

Madara, along with Hashirama, was one of the founders of Konohagakure. After the village was created, Hashirama declared that he wanted Madara to become the First Hokage.

Despite this, Tobirama expressed his disapproval of the decision as he did not want an Uchiha running the village, so he put it to a vote. In the end, Hashirama received the most votes and was promptly made the First Hokage.

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2) Obito Uchiha

Obito Uchiha is considered by many to be the most tragic character in the series. As a kid, he was much like Naruto. He always had a smile on his face and wanted, more than anything, to become the Hokage. However, this all came crashing down after he was crushed by a boulder during a mission.

This resulted in him being taken in by Madara and nursed back to health. Unfortunately, Madara used Obito, training and manipulating him to fulfill his secret agenda.

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3) Orochimaru

Surprisingly, the Snake Sage himself was once a choice for Hokage. As one of Hiruzen's pupils, Orochimaru was in the running to become the Fourth Hokage. Hiruzen admired Orochimaru's strength, skill, and strategic thinking, and originally wanted him to inherit the title of Hokage.

However, when he discovered that Orochimaru was performing human experimentation and only wanted power, any thought of him becoming the next Hokage was quickly thrown out of the window.

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4) Jiraiya

Originally, Jiraiya was supposed to become the Fifth Hokage, not Tsunade. After Hiruzen's death in the original Naruto anime, the Konohagakure Council decided that Konoha needed a new Hokage as soon as possible.

In an essentially unanimous vote, they decided Jiraiya was the best fit to take up the mantle and lead the village as the Fifth Hokage. However, Jiraiya expressed his aversion towards the idea and swiftly declined the offer. As a back-up plan, Naruto and Jiraiya were sent on a mission to locate Tsunade so she could become the next Hokage instead.

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5) Danzo Shimura

Danzo Shimura came closer to becoming Hokage than the rest of the characters on this list. As one of Konoha's elders and leader of Root, Danzo was already one of Konohagakure's strongest and most influential Shinobi.

However, after Pain's assault on the village, the Konoha Council appointed him to the Sixth Hokage Candidate position. The title meant he was almost Hokage, and all that remained was his inauguration. Thankfully, before he could be officially inaugurated, Danzo was forced to flee the Five Kage Summit and died after losing to Sasuke in their battle on Samurai Bridge.

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6) Fugaku Uchiha

Fugaku Uchiha is the father of Sasuke and Itachi, as well as the former head of the Uchiha clan and chief of the Konoha Military Police Force. Prior to the beginning of the series, several Uchiha clansmen informed Fugaku that there were whispers of village elders wanting to make him the Hokage.

After Kurama's rampage through Konoha, a rift formed between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of the village. Despite this, everyone still wanted Fugaku to become the Hokage. However, the impending coup d'etat and Danzo's manipulation caused Itachi to slaughter the Uchiha Clan, ending Fugaku's chances at becoming Hokage.