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The wide, expansive world of Naruto has featured a diverse and large cast of characters over the years. While some of them have made their mark on both the overarching narrative as well as on the viewers with their presence and overwhelming power, there have also been other characters who failed to create an impression due to their lack of strength.
While these characters aren't weak or incapable by any means, they are usually overshadowed by other characters who manage to steal the show every time they appear on screen. That said, even the weaker characters deserve credit to some extent. As such, let us look at the 10 weakest Hidden Leaf ninja of the Naruto series.
Disclaimer: This list reflects the opinion of the writer and is ranked accordingly. Reader's discretion is advised.
Ranking the 10 weakest Hidden Leaf ninja in Naruto
10) Konohamaru Sarutobi
While this may be a controversial option, it remains a fact that Konohamaru Sarutobi still has a lot of room to grow as a character. Despite learning the Rasengan, he struggles to stand out on his own and lacks the experience and skill level of other Hidden Leaf ninjas.
As a result, the fan-favorite figure is not among the Hidden Leaf Village's most elite ninjas. Given that his grandfather was the Third Hokage, Konohamaru felt compelled to prove himself. Although he grew up to be a fine shinobi in Boruto, Konohamaru still has a long way to go if he wants to catch up to his childhood idol, Naruto Uzumaki.
9) Iruka Umino
Iruka Umino is well-known for being Naruto's mentor, who often looked after the latter during the lowest points of his life. Despite being a dedicated and caring teacher, Iruka's ninja abilities aren't as strong as those of other ninjas at his rank.
Although he is pretty efficient in barrier jutsu, he lacks advanced techniques and combat experience that would put him on an equal footing with the rest of his colleagues.
8) Ebisu
Alongside Iruka, Ebisu is another character who's much more suited to be a teacher rather than a warrior. Introduced as Konohamaru's mentor, Ebisu was once defeated by Naruto's harem jutsu, which is still considered one of the most memorable moments of the classic series.
Although Ebisu is a capable ninja, his abilities are not as impressive as those of the other characters.
7) Mizuki
Mizuki was the first villain that Naruto had to face off against in the very first episode of the anime. He was certainly not the strongest chunin and was a threat to Naruto only because the latter wasn't proficient in even a single jutsu back then.
In the end, Naruto defeated him after learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which, while spectacular, was a rather poor showing for Mizuki and significantly undermined his abilities.
6) Genma Shiranui
Following Hayate Gekko's unexpected demise during the Chunin Exams arc, Genma Shiranui was appointed as the proctor of the exams. In his limited appearance during the arc, Genma certainly proved himself to be stronger than his predecessor and was even able to hold his own against the Sound Four ninja.
He is undoubtedly a highly skilled member of the Hidden Leaf Village, having made extremely few appearances throughout the series.
5) Aoba Yamashiro
Despite being one of the minor characters in the series, Aoba Yamashiro is one of the most resourceful ninjas in Hidden Leaf Village. While he does not possess an impressive set of skills that would make him stand out in the series, he is quite proficient in a form of mind-reading jutsu and can also summon a flock of crows to aid him in his battles.
4) Hayate Gekko
As the initial proctor of the Chunin Exams, Hayate Gekko barely stood out during the arc. The only noticeable things about him were his frequent coughing and the visible bags under his eyes. He never really got the opportunity to showcase his skillset either, considering he met his end pretty quickly after discovering the Sand Ninjas' plan and being assassinated as a result.
3) Tenten
Tenten is one of the most underutilized characters in the Naruto series. Despite being in the same squad as Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee, she was vastly overshadowed by them and never really caught up to their skill level.
As such, she hardly played a major role in most of the fights in the series and eventually went on to become a weapon expert in the future.
2) Izumi Kamizuki
Izumi Kamizuki is another filler ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village who rarely makes an appearance. He is usually seen together with his good friend, Kotetsu Hagane, and often fights alongside him as well.
Izumi mostly focuses on gathering intel during his missions and can be seen fighting with his water-release jutsu when the situation calls for it. While he certainly is a reliable and trustworthy ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, his presence isn't essential to the story, mainly due to his extremely limited screentime.
1) Kotetsu Hagane
As mentioned before, Kotetsu Hagane is a good friend of Izumi Kamizuki and works alongside him. He can usually be seen fighting with a Conch Shell. Hagane played a minor role during Orochimaru's attack on the Hidden Leaf Village.
Other than that, Kotetsu barely stands out from the rest of the cast of characters. He is clearly not on par with Kakashi Hatake or Madara Uchiha and instead serves as a supporting figure who helps others stand out.
Final Thoughts
Due to the vast and diverse cast of characters in the Naruto series, it was more or less guaranteed that there would be some characters who would be of lesser importance to the narrative.
However, that's not to downplay the individual abilities of the aforementioned characters. While they may be the most reliable and trustworthy people in all of the Hidden Leaf village, they rarely get any screen time and are usually overshadowed by the presence of characters like Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
