Being born into a clan comes with definite advantages if you want to become a shinobi in the world of Naruto, but it can also bring expectations and pressure, which might not be great for clan members who don’t want to pursue the path of a shinobi or those who aren’t as talented possibly ending up in positions where they feel like disappointments. However, your experience would also vary greatly depending on the clan you ended up being born into, as some are clearly stronger than others, and that can come with the frightening side effect of being massacred out of the fear that the shinobi world holds towards multiple clans.
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From kekkei genkai to techniques only taught to members, there’s a variety of perks that come with being born into a clan. Of course, the clan experience isn’t uniform, and what benefits and drawbacks you would face depends on the clan itself. Even the strongest clans in Naruto are filled with both advantages and problems.
10. Kaguya
Descended from Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Kaguya clan had a kekkei genkai that was similar to Kaguya’s bone manipulation ability. This ability is seen through Kimimaro, who was the last surviving member of the clan. Unlike Kimimaro, the Kaguya clan was known for their savage nature and bloodlust, which led to their extermination when they refused to back down from a fight they couldn’t win against Kirigakure, choosing to fight to the end instead of surrendering.
9. Kurama
The Kurama clan is unique to the anime, so you won’t find them mentioned in the manga. This clan specializes in genjutsu, but every few generations, a member is born with a kekkei genkai that takes that specialization to the next level. The kekkei genkai, seen in Yakumo, was the ability to use genjutsu that’s so strong, the victims’ brains believe that the events are really happening, causing the damage they take in the illusion to occur in real life. Unfortunately, this kekkei genkai often led to its user being controlled by a second personality that developed from the ability.
8. Nara
The strength of the Nara clan isn’t necessarily due to their techniques, although their shadow manipulation techniques can be a powerful tool and makes them a core piece of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation. However, the real strength of the Nara comes from their intelligence and incredible ability to strategize, making them perfect advisors as they can predict an enemy’s moves and counter them quickly, preventing too much damage from being done.
7. Sarutobi
The Sarutobi clan proves that strength can come in different forms, and that influences the type of power you wield. This clan not only produces strong ninja, but they tend to hold positions with a high level of authority, such as hokage, with the third hokage being from the Sarutobi clan. Of course, it helps that every member you see in Naruto from this clan has a fierce love for Konoha, which drives them to be their best in order to protect the village they love.
6. Kazekage
This refers to the clan that Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro come from, which is generally called the Kazekage clan because the actual name is unknown. Not only has this clan produced two consecutive kazekage—earning them the name Kazekage clan—they are skilled in a variety of techniques, which can be seen through Temari’s mastery of Wind Release, Kankuro’s puppetry, and Gaara’s ability to control sand with his will even without a tailed beast.
As if that’s not enough, members of this clan have the potential to unlock the Magnet Release kekkei genkai. Of course, this makes a lot of sense, since Magnet Release combines Wind Release and Earth Release, and the clan is particularly skilled with Wind Release.
5. Uzumaki
The Uzumaki clan has played a significant role in Konoha’s history, despite not originating from the village. Now, however, most of the remaining members of this clan belong to Konoha now that Uzushiogakure has been destroyed. What makes the Uzumaki clan so fearsome is their strong life forces, unique chakra, and sealing abilities. These qualities make them ideal jinchuuriki, as Mito, Kushina, and Naruto all acted as the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails, and they’re all direct members of the Uzumaki clan.
4. Hyuga
The Hyuga are one of the most well-known clans, but they’re also among the strongest, helping by their Byakugan. The Byakugan extends the user’s field of vision, allowing them to see through objects and view the chakra system of other ninja. This resulted in the creation of the Gentle Fist style, which is often considered Konoha’s strongest taijutsu because it focuses on efficiently taking down enemies by blocking their chakra flow using precise strikes with the help of the Byakugan.
3. Senju
The Senju are no longer a large clan, but they’re among the founding members of Konoha and rivals of the Uchiha clan. Similar to the Uzumaki clan—who are distant relatives of the Senju—the Senju also have strong life forces and chakra, which is displayed multiple times by Tsunade’s incredible chakra control.
Unlike a lot of other clans, the Senju don’t have a single area of specialization. Tsunade is again able to show this feature by being one of the best medic-nin and a terrifying taijutsu opponent. Additionally, the Senju are able to use Wood Release through Hashirama, although few members have unlocked that ability, especially without assistance from Orochimaru’s experiments.
2. Uchiha
The Uchiha are so fearsome that they had to be exterminated—even if that was part of a larger plot from Danzo—because the threat of them rebelling against Konoha would prove devastating. Between their natural skill for battle and the Sharingan, the Uchiha clan is often seen as the strongest in Konoha. The various forms of the Sharingan and the ways that it can manifest in terms of abilities also meant that the clan had a lot of diversity. On top of that, the Sharingan allowed users to copy the abilities of others, meaning that clan members grew increasingly powerful the more they fought or observed fights.
1. Otsutsuki
It’s rather difficult to argue against the Otsutsuki clan being the most powerful when you consider they’re the origin of chakra and basically every kekkei genkai that’s seen in Naruto. This clan doesn’t even originate on Earth, but they travel from planet to planet and plant trees that later allow them to harvest the life of that planet to continue evolving themselves into gods. Every member has at least one skill they’re born with, usually the Byakugan, however, that skill can be essentially any kekkei genkai that you see in the series. It’s no wonder why they’re so difficult to deal with.
Clans can be a complicated part of the shinobi life, and they often end up being beneficial to the villages they inhabited. However, their presence can become frightening if the clan’s power and ambition grows too much, which has resulted in several major events in Naruto.
